Casdon Chip 'n' Pin Till review

The Madhouse kids have already started getting excited about Christmas - Pierre happily announced to me last week that he was looking forward to starting his advent calendar on Thursday so he's obviously been counting down the days to the end of the month on the calendar ! Christmas came a little bit early this week when we received this beautifully wrapped product from Casdon to review. 

When I said to Pierre that he had an advance Christmas present that he could open straight away, he was absolutely beaming !

He certainly didn't need telling twice and excitedly ripped off the wrapping paper. (Maybe it should be renamed ripping paper !)

He was delighted to discover a Casdon Chip 'n' Pin Till hiding inside.

After unpacking everything, the first job was assembling the flatpack food boxes and sticking the adhesive labels on the plastic replica tin cans.

They were quick and simple to put together and the big sisters were happy to help out.

Once we'd finished, we had a nice little selection of groceries to stock our pretend supermarket.

Meanwhile, Pierre had moved on to the pretend money (both coins and notes) and bank cards, sticking on the stickers and carefully signing his name on the back.

There were also several stickers to stick on the till to make it look prettier and also more realistic.

There are two parts to the till - firstly the cash register with a drawer that opens and closes, making a cash-jingling sound, a receipt dispenser and a real working calculator, so that your little learner can enhance his maths skills, along with his social skills and imagination, while playing. There is also a pretend microphone and Pierre had us in hysterics with his "bing bong" messages for all the family !

The second part is a realistic looking card reader, complete with two sturdy plastic bank cards. First, your child has to make sure that they have put the card round the right way and the first light will flash orange. We were all (even the grown ups) impressed to learn that the cards have a unique 4-digit pin code (written in the instructions leaflet and also embossed on the back of the card if you look closely at the edge) so that when you put the PIN number, it flashes green if you have the right code and red if you've got it wrong, just like in the real world.

The card reader can be attached to the till or kept separately, which is ideal if you have two children who both want to explore the till simultaneously and have fun pressing all the buttons.

Pierre and big sister Juliette had great fun playing shops, and it was great to see them working out the prices and correct change to give from the till.

 It's a lovely toy with lots of things to press and discover and the fact that it is so realistic makes it easy for children to recreate trips to the supermarket, instinctively knowing how to use the card reader and open the till. I've even had Pierre asking me if I want cash back and giving me my points balance as he hands back my card, which made me smile because I never realised that he was taking all this in when we go shopping ! I used to love playing with my very basic till when I was a child, and this is a great modern version with all the technology used in real-life supermarkets.

Just one thing to bear in mind if you're buying this as a Christmas gift - you'll need to buy batteries as they're not included : 3 x AA for the till and 2 x AA for the card reader so make sure you have enough !

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £15

for more information : www.casdon.co.uk

Disclosure : I received the product in order to write an honest review.

Book review : A Long Ways From Home - Mike Martin

When author Mike Martin got in touch and asked if I'd like to review the latest instalment in his Sgt. Windflower series, I was delighted. Not only do I have a soft spot for the mild-mannered Mountie and his feisty fiancée Sheila, I also always know I'm going to get some tasty dinners out of it, thanks to the #readcookeat challenge over at Chez Maximka. Winston Windflower is a man who likes his food just as much as maintaining law and order in the peaceful backwaters of his native Newfoundland. 

Things aren't quite so peaceful in this latest book, the fifth in the series, though. A group of outlaw bikers are wreaking havoc all over the Newfoundland island, and Sgt Windflower has his work cut out trying to keep things under control, at home and further afield. Facing ruthless murders, drug lords, missing persons and Sheila's wayward cousin putting in an appearance, Windflower still manages to find time to enjoy the natural beauty of his surroundings and enjoy numerous slices of his favourite peanut butter cheesecake !

I recently read one of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels, which ironically has a similar name to the latest Sgt. Windflower novel: The Long Way Home. That's not the only similarity between the two books though. Both feature a humble, homely, solid lead character, who knows how to appreciate the pleasures of small-town life in a sleepy Canadian province, while being confronted with challenging mysteries and brutal crimes to solve. Unlike much modern crime fiction, they are not full of gore and grisly details and the descriptions of the crime scenes are understated and inoffensive. 

In the Sgt. Windflower series, we are always on tenterhooks as the criminal investigations and police work are underway, but the homely side of the endearing Mountie is just as important - walks with his dog, catching up with his friends, enjoying good food, partaking in his daily smudging rituals (his Cree heritage, including the smudging and dream sequences, has always fascinated me) and his lively relationship with Sheila. Whenever I finish a Sgt. Windflower novel, I always feel like I've just had a good catch-up with an old friend, finding out all about what he's been up to lately in his professional and private life. The final page has left me desperate to find out what Winston and Sheila will get up to in their new life as a married couple but, in the meantime, I have at least a week's worth of bookmarked recipes to work through - I think I might do a complete Sgt. Windflower-themed menu plan next week !

You might also like to check out my reviews for the previous novels in the series : The Walker On The Cape (the only one that I haven't read), The Body On The T, Beneath The Surface and A Twist Of Fortune.

star rating : 4.5/5

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: FriesenPress (22 Aug. 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1460292006
• ISBN-13: 978-1460292006

Disclosure : I received the book  in order to write an honest review.

Madhouse recipe : Apple Streusel Cake

50% apple pie, 50% apple crumble but 100% tasty ! This is a simple cake to throw together with things that you are likely to already have in the kitchen cupboards.

Apple Streusel Cake

ingredients :

for the cake :

130g plain flour

1tsp baking powder (or leave it out and use self-raising flour)

pinch of salt

4tbsp margarine

100g caster sugar

1 egg

1/2tsp vanilla extract

80ml milk

3 medium sized apples (I used golden delicious as it was what was in the bowl, but granny smith would be better)

for the streusel :

65g plain flour

55g light brown sugar

1tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

40g butter

demerera sugar to sprinkle on top for added crunch

You could rub the butter/margarine into the sugar then stir in the flour, before mixing in the egg and mix, but I was in a rush so I just dumped all the cake ingredients in a bowl and gave them a good mix !

After a few minutes, you'll end up with a sticky, firm dough.

Press into a greased spring-form tin with your fingers.

Peel, core and chop the apples into wedges and lay on top of the cake.

Put all the streusel ingredients in the (now empty) bowl and squish with a fork until the butter is mixed in with the other ingredients and it resembles coarse breadcrumbs/crumble. Scatter over the apples.

Bake at 180° for 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out almost clean.

Leave to cool before removing from the tin. Scatter with demerera sugar if you want to give it some extra crunch.

This can be eaten cold (it holds its shape well so is good for packed lunches) or, for extra indulgence, warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Globecooking recipe : Kuku choma with kachumbari (Kenya) #readcookeat

I recently read The Dhow House by Jean McNeil, which is set in an unnamed and probably fictitious African country. (Click through to read my review.) There was a foodie reference that had me running to google to see what it was, and I decided it would be perfect for the #readcookeat linky.

p207 They had a mojito at the bar then crossed the single dozy street and sat in white plastic chairs as  a hard-working man brought them kuku choma, grilled chicken, with chapattis and kachumbari, a salad of tomato and red onion , from his kiosk. Storm told her about the food of the coast - ugali, a polenta-like grain that sat like a truck in the stomach, sukuma wiki, spinach, whose local name meant 'to push the week' because Africans ate it at the end of the week, when money for meat had run out.

Kuku choma with kachumbari sounds like a really exotic dish but it's actually very quick and simple, perfect for a Friday night after a long week at work.

Kuku choma with kachumbari 

ingredients :

3 tomatoes

1 red onion

a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil

5 chicken breasts

drizzle of lemon infused olive oil

1tsp garlic powder

sprinkle of salt

3tsp South African curry powder

1tsp smoked paprika

1/2tsp chilli powder (optional)

to serve : chapattis or tortillas

rice

Put the chicken breasts in a dish and drizzle over some lemon-infused olive oil if you have it, or regular olive oil and lemon juice if you haven't.

Toss in the herbs and spices of your choice - I used garlic powder, salt, curry powder, smoked paprika and a tiny bit of chilli powder, but use whatever is in your spice rack.

I had some South African Curry Powder, for a more authentic African flavour, but regular mild (or hot if you prefer) curry powder would be just fine too. Toss the meat in the spices and oil until covered on all sides and leave to marinate while you prepare the kachumbari.

Chop the tomatoes into fine cubes.

Finely chop the red onion. Some recipes say to put it in boiling salty water for a few minutes to reduce the harshness, but I gently fried mine in a drizzle of olive oil for a few minutes until just barely cooked. Add the red onions to the tomatoes, pour over a drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil and give it a stir. Set aside. 

Back to the chicken. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the frying pan that you just used for the onions and fry the chicken on both sides.

 Kuku choma is usually grilled chicken so I cooked it over a high heat to get the slightly blackened spicy crust that grilling would have given it.

You could chop the chicken into chunks and use it to stuff a tortilla wrap with some of the kachumbari, or serve it with rice (or polenta) with kachumbari and a tortilla or chapatti on the side.

The tender, juicy chicken is beautifully flavoured and the tomato salad balances out the spiciness of the meat. This could be eaten cold in a packed lunch too.

Fancy cooking the books?! Head over to the #readcookeat linky at Chez Maximka.

This used up some squishy tomatoes and the last of the tortilla wraps, so I'm adding it to the #KitchenClearout linky.

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index ***

What's Cooking at The Madhouse? menu plan 25/11

I was convinced that we still had four weeks until the Christmas holidays so I was very happy to learn that in fact, there are only three weeks left. That's the good news but the bad news is, before then, I have to fill in all the school reports and go to lots of after school meetings. Planning ahead and thinking of some quick-to-throw-together meals will be on the cards for the next few weeks then. For this week, I've gone through my bookmarked recipes - they're all things that have caught my eye on blogs and websites that I read and some have been bouncing around in my drafts folder for over 2 years, which explains why I have so many unfinished posts in there !

Saturday 

lunch - our traditional weekly trip to McDonald's to ease into the weekend

dinner - homemade soup - I found a bag of red lentils lurking at the back of the cupboard so I might do something with lentils and bacon

Sunday

lunch - the Madhouse grandparents will be over so it'll be roast dinner with all the trimmings

dinner - leftover soup if there is any or nibbly bits from the fridge (ham, cheese, crackers, olives, crisps, cherry tomatoes, grapes, etc)

Monday 

dinner - binagoongan talong with java rice, a pork dish, from my Philippines-themed Kitchen Trotter box

Tuesday 

dinner - Diet Coke Chicken - I've seen so many people raving about this that I'm intrigued and want to give it a go ! - with veg and maybe noodles, or leftover Java rice if there is some

Wednesday 

lunch - Zurchergeschnetzeltes, which is a bit of a mouthful ! it's a creamy meat dish from Switzerland, usually served with rösti (potato cakes)

dinner - soup or leftovers

Thursday 

dinner - Breaded harissa cod with red onion and lemon couscous

Friday 

dinner - One Pan Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Vegetables

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Join in with the weekly meal plan bloghop !

An InLinkz Link-up

Madhouse recipe : Veggie, bean & egg burritos

After eating fajitas for lunch yesterday, I had a few tortillas left over that needed using up before they dried out. I had a rummage through the fridge and cupboard and came up with a variety of vegetables, some cheese and tinned borlotti beans. That sounded like the makings of a pretty good burrito. I added a fried egg to give it a bit of oomph and the result was surprisingly tasty.

 Veggie, bean & egg burritos

ingredients :

wheat tortillas (1 per person or 2 if you're feeling particularly hungry)

1 egg per burrito

a drizzle of olive oil

1 red onion

1 clove garlic

1 courgette

1/2 yellow pepper

1/2 green pepper

2 mushrooms

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 small tins of borlotti beans

handful of grated cheese

pinch of salt

squeeze of Moroccan Soup Booster (or herbs/spices of your choice)

Peel and chop the veggies and gently fry them in a drizzle of olive oil for 5-10 minutes, until cooked but still slightly crunchy.

Add the beans and chopped tomatoes.

Add the salt and herbs/spices. Give it all a good stir, turn off the heat and leave the flavours to mingle for 5 minutes..

Meanwhile heat the tortillas in the microwave and fry the eggs. Lay a tortilla on a plate and scoop some of the veggies onto it.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and lay a fried egg on top.

Fold up the bottom edge then wrap both edges around the filling. Tuck in and don't forget the napkins because the filling will undoubtedly drip and ooze all over your fingers !

Adding to this month's #KitchenClearout linky as it used up some leftover tortilla wraps and cleared out the veg box of the fridge.

Twenty Four Days to Christmas Book Blog Tour

I'm delighted to be today's stop-off for the Twenty Four Days to Christmas Book Blog Tour, to tell you all about this gem of a book that is perfect for counting down the days to Christmas.

We are introduced to Poppy, who is in agony - it is the first of December, she has twenty-four whole days to wait until Christmas and she is convinced that she will not be able to contain her excitement and impatience. How can she possibly wait so long for Santa to arrive?! Poppy's parents put their heads together and come up with a cunning plan that has Poppy completing a different Christmas-themed activity every day, to keep her busy until Christmas (and Santa) finally arrives. Twenty Four Days to Christmas is an Advent Calendar of a book, which can be read one day at a time, or as a complete story, and centres on Christmas, family and the magic of the Christmas season.

This is such a fabulous idea and I can't believe I'd never thought of it myself - rather than buying the obligatory mass-produced (and probably chocolate filled) advent calendar from the nearest supermarket, it would be so much more special, memorable and meaningful to create an advent calendar with a little note for each day, explaining the activity for the day.

Poppy's parents have done most of the hard work for me and there are many activities that we will be able to enjoy along with Poppy - for example, writing a letter to Santa, making Christmas cards and creating a sock snowman (another genius idea that I can't believe I didn't think of !) or pine cone reindeer. Others may be harder to recreate, depending on where you live - going to see the Christmas lights in London, visiting Santa at a local garden centre, going on a train and visiting a stately home may not be on the cards - but it's still great fun reading all about Poppy's adventures and joining in with her mounting sense of excitement.

The book is perfect for bedtime reading as each day's story is only a couple of pages long, and the fact that it is written in rhyme makes it lovely to read aloud. We'll be enjoying reading this every day throughout December and trying out lots of the activities - I think a new Madhouse Christmas tradition has been born (and I think I'll have to create our own Christmas activity advent calendar next year - I might even have time to do one for this year, if I get a wriggle on).

The book is the brainchild of Fred Arthur, which is the combined pen name for friends Pincher Martin and Mike Dineen, who met working in the Royal Navy. For today's blog tour stop off, they have shared their dads' view of the top Christmas gifts (but I'm not sure if that's for the kids or the dads !!)

Fred Arthur’s Top 7 Christmas Presents

1. A Hornby train set - I can’t remember who played with it more; my dad or I?

2. Play-mobil - Not only is it great for the kids, it keeps all men silent for hours as they try and build whatever construction it is!!

3. Remote Control car - The faster the better!

4. Christmas bicycle - Always a great present and gets the children out in the fresh air while the lunch preparations take place!

5. Lego - A bit like Play-mobil, it keeps people occupied trying to build it – the more complicated, the better! It keeps Dad busy until January.

6. Board games - Fred Loves Uno, Outburst, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit and many others.

7. Roller Skates - They took a while to master and Fred was very grateful they came with knee and elbow pads and a helmet!

Make sure you check in at the other blogs taking part to find out more about this lovely festive book and the authors.

Madhouse recipe : Clementine Cake

After the success of our Halloween Spider Cupcakes, we were delighted when Rachel's sent us some more vouchers for their tasty yogurts, crème fraîche and butter and invited us to try out one of their winter recipes. I don't know about you but certain smells immediately make me feel Christmassy, whatever time of year it is - cinnamon is one and satsumas are another, so I was instantly attracted to a recipe for Clementine Cake. Even better, I already had everything I needed in the kitchen - bonus !

Clementine Cake

Ingredients :

175g Rachel’s Unsalted butter, room temperature

175g caster sugar

3 eggs

250g self raising flour

100g Rachel’s Greek Style Natural Low Fat yogurt

3 clementines – zest and juice of one

100g apricot jam

Warmed Rachel’s Luxury Crème Fraiche to serve

Preparation time: 50 mins

Serves: 4 (I'd actually say serves 8)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Prepare and grease one loaf tin.

Cream the Rachel’s Unsalted butter and sugar together in a bowl (using an electric mixer if available) until pale and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with each egg to stop curdling.

Add the remaining flour, then fold in the Rachel’s Greek Style Natural Low Fat yogurt and the zest and juice of one clementine.

I never realised how much juice you could get out of one small clementine ! I just peeled it then crushed it in my hands, there's no need for a juicer.

Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top.

With the remaining 2 clementines, cut the bottom and top of the skin off and discard. Following the contour of the orange with a knife, cut away the skin and discard. Remove any white pith but be careful not to remove any flesh. (I just peeled them and then sliced them.)

Slice each fruit horizontally into thin slices, place these over the top of the cake batter.

Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for approximately 30 minutes until risen and golden brown, and the clementines are beautifully caramelised. Test the cake with a skewer to check the cake is cooked, if the skewer comes out clean then the cake is ready. (After half an hour, mine was still totally molten and flat, so I left it for longer and checked every five minutes - it needed over an hour to be cooked through, risen and golden on top.)

Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Brush over with apricot jam and leave to cool completely.

Serve wedges of cake with a dollop of Rachel’s Luxury Crème Fraîche.

It's quite a bland cake so I think it would be lovely with a clementine syrup poured over it, along with the crème fraiche. I'd also add a spoonful of cinnamon into the batter next time to perk it up a bit. It still disappeared in record time though !

for more recipe inspiration : http://www.rachelsorganic.co.uk/recipes/

Disclosure : I received some vouchers from Rachel's to try one of their recipes.