HTC Flyer Review

Over the last month we have been trying out the HTC Flyer Tablet. Both Matthew and I are big HTC fans.  You may remember we reviewed the HTC ChaCha mobile phone back in the summer and really liked the handset. Matthew has recently upgraded his HTC Desire HD for a HTC Sensation XE, he can't praise it enough and is always getting comments about his new phone.


The HTC Flyer is a tablet the whole family can enjoy. With HTC Scenes, you can set up your own set of home screens to have the Flyer exactly how you want it. For example Matthew has news, the weather and F1 apps, for me, as I am a social network diva, the flyer can be transformed at a click of a button so I can have live twitter and Facebook streams, photo galleries and diary appointments to make sure I don’t miss anything important. The HTC Flyer also has ‘Kid mode’ which allows younger children to draw, read and play games without the risks of roaming the internet unsupervised. It can even record us reading a story for the boys and play it back to them whenever they would like to hear it!

"HTC Flyer is a portable 7-inch tablet with a digital pen that can do more for you than you can imagine. From creating masterpieces with a stroke of a paintbrush, to taking multimedia notes or even signing digital documents, HTC Flyer puts you in control of any situation. With streaming movies at a touch of your finger, HTC Flyer turns any moment into something special"

The Flyer has a  16GB hard drive capacity, this allows for the storage of the apps and music that you download, the Flyer runs on the Android 2.3.3 operating system. Which in my opinion gives Apple, Samsung and Blackberry a run for their money with their tablets. 

The Flyer is a smart and portable tablet, it has a 5 megapixel camera and HD camcorder so you can capture anything anywhere in fabulous detail, it also has a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera offers video calling and portrait images. We took  the Flyer with us to Thomas Land here are a few of the pictures and videos that we took, I also used it when we went to Callum's Nativity play at school and found it really easy to use and carry around with me.

"The HTC Flyer is the first tablet delivering a new HTC innovation that features natural pen interaction. It can draw, paint, write, sign documents, and even retouch pictures. It can be a highlighter for the reader" 

Here is the specification of the HTC Flyer:

Size: 195.4mm x 122mm x 13.2mm 7.7" x 4.8" x 0.52"


Weight: 420 grams (14.82 ounces) with battery


Display: 7 inch touch-sensitive screen


Screen: 177.8 mm (7")


CPU speed: 1.5 GHz


Storage:
Internal: 32 GB
Expansion slot: microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)


Connectors: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
Standard micro-USB (12-pin micro-USB 2.0)


Multimedia:
Audio supported formats:
Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9)
Recording: .amr, .aac
Video supported formats:
Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3), .xvid (MP4 ASP and MP3)
Recording: 3gp



Platform:         Android™ with HTC Sense™


Camera:          5 megapixel color camera with auto focus
                        1.3 megapixel front camera


Wi-Fi:


Bluetooth:



Power & Battery:
Battery type: Rechargeable battery
Capacity: 4000 mAh


Standby time:
3G version: Up to 320 hours
Wi-Fi version: Up to 480 hours


Video playback (with WiFi off):
3G version: Up to 8 hours
Wi-Fi version: Up to 8 hours


Internet browsing:
3G version: Up to 6.5 hours
Wi-Fi version: Up to 6.5 hours

I love the flyer and would highly recommend it for anyone thinking of buying a tablet. I know a lot of my friends have iPads and think that nothing is better but even they have been surprised as to how good the Flyer is and how well it works. I'm not sure they would swap their iPads as they are loyal to their own brands but then so are we and we love HTC. I give the HTC Flyer an amazing rating of 5/5.

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Fingers Crossed We've Cracked Potty Training!

Nathan has been dry in the day nearly a year now. But for night time I left him in pull ups for a little while longer (almost a year in fact) as Callum was a nightmare and still can  be now especially if were going anywhere or if he's staying away from home like at a friends or even to his Nanna's house.

We said to Nathan that once Santa had been we would be stopping him from having a pull up on a night time so last night we said to him it was time to be a big boy!! He took things in his stride - as you do, and handled it really well.

I took him to the toilet as I do with Callum before I go to bed he said he didn't need to go and wasn't happy that I had woken him up. So I took that as a good sign and thought that I may have wet sheets to change in the morning. But I was really surprised to find this morning that both him and his bed were bone dry. I expected us to have a few hiccups and I'm not expecting it to be this easy all the time but so far so good and so much better waiting that bit longer for him to be ready to not wear pull ups anymore.

Roll on 2012 when the whole potty training starts from scratch again with James for the third and final time - in some respects I cant wait in others my baby is growing up far too quickly and needing me less and less, its not something I like the idea of

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Cardamom panna cotta with apricot and sea-buckthorn sauce

Panna cotta is a dessert that I actually make quite often, even if I've only blogged about it once (Vanilla panna cotta with roasted rhubarb, back in June 2008). It's a good classic Italian dessert that can be served with a number of various toppings and seasoned to your liking.

Here's a rather non-Italian version that is imminently suitable for the festive season. It has a hint of spice in the form of cardamom, and it's much lighter, as some of the cream has been substituted with kefir. Sea-buckthorn berries are one of the new superfoods, and hugely popular and easily available in Estonia. A word of warning - if you taste the panna cotta mixture before you let it set, it may feel too heavy on cardamom. Don't panic, however - the sweet and sour apricot and sea-buckthorn sauce will nicely balance it out.

I like my panna cotta to be on the wobbly side, as they're supposed to be, and I often serve them in a nice glass. If you want a firmer dessert that will hold its shape even after you've turned it onto a plate, you can use some more gelatine.

Cardamom panna cotta with apricot and sea-buckthorn sauce
(Kardemonine kooretarretis aprikoosi-astelpajulisandiga)
Adapted from the Swedish COOP-website
Serves 4

3 gelatine leaves
200 ml whipping cream
2 Tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
200 ml kefir

Topping:
100 ml (7 Tbsp) smooth apricot jam
100 ml (7 Tbsp) sea-buckthorn berries

Seak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes.
Season the cream with ground cardamom, then slowly bring into a boil in a small saucepan. Cook for a few minutes, then remove from the heat and pour in the kefir. Give it a stir.
Squeeze the soaked gelatine leaves to remove excess water, then stir and melt into the cream and kefir mixture, one at a time.
Pour the mixture into individual glasses or ramekins and place into a fridge to set for at least 5 hours.
Before serving, heat the apricot jam gently in a small saucepan. Fold in the sea-buckthorn berries, heat through. Cool a little, then spoon some on top of each panna cotta.

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Merry Christmas!

You'll find all Nami-Nami's Christmas recipes here.

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Mini Micro Scooter

My kids are are what you would call typical boys, they love bikes, cars and anything that involves being able to move at the speed of light. They don't believe in going anywhere slowly, so when recently they were sent a Mini Micro Scooter to review they were over the moon.

The Mini Micro Scooter is available to buy online and costs £49.99. It is suitable for children aged 3 - 5 years old and comes in a choice of two colours - blue or pink. When you open the box the scooter is really easy to assemble as it just requires the handle slotting into the base. On first inspection the scooter is really well made and really sturdy which is great for little people.

Although the scooter isn't aimed for his age James actually loves it and can ride it quite well. I think this is because he is quite tall for his age so finds the scooter easy to use. He also has been watching his brothers play on their scooters so had a good idea what he had to do. Nathan already has a scooter so is a pro when it comes to riding a scooter, but when he tried the Mini Micro Scooter he found that he can make it turn easily but leaning the handle slightly to the left or right and can use the break effectively too. He can whizz up and down the front room all day long and finds it amusing when he comes to a stop by using the break - I cant wait until the summer arrives so they can play on the scooter in the garden.

Unlike most scooters the Mini Micro Scooter has 3 wheels this makes it more stable for whilst a child is riding it. It is also lightweight and low to the ground so should your child fall off there isn't much of a drop to the floor. Even James when playing with the scooter can step on and off it if he needs to.

We love the Mini Micro Scooter and give a wheelie good 5/5 rating. It is definitely a great scooter that is perfect as a first scooter for any small girl or boy.

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Layered Vegetable Salad with Smoked Salmon

"Kasukas" - "fur coat" - is a name for a layered vegetable salad that is very popular here in Estonia, especially during the cold and dark season. The salad has chopped cured herring as the bottom layer, topped with layers of grated or chopped beets, carrots, potatoes and other vegetables and "glued together" with thin layers of mayonnaise. The recipe - or rather an alternative way to serve the popular "rosolje" salad - came to Estonia from Russia in the second half of last century. In Russia "fur coat" aka "shuba" is still one of the most popular salads on the festive table (here's a lovely English-language blog post about the traditional "cured herring under fur coat"), and the un-layered "rosolli" is also a must on Finnish Christmas tables). Whereas I love beets, I dislike cured herring, so I tend to skip that salad on buffet tables. When making this at home, I'd usually make a double portion and divide the salad between two glass bowls - one with herring and the other without. Until I came across a version using smoked salmon in Natasha's Kitchen blog. That was about a year and a half ago, and since then I've made this salad over and over again and converted many kasukas-haters into kasukas-lovers.

Traditionally this salad is made and served in a big glass bowl that proudly shows off all the layers, and then it's spooned into serving plates (rather like a trifle). For a neater presentation, you may want to use individual glass bowls instead (see top photo). A note to my Estonian readers - I like making this with külmsuitsulõhe aka cold-smoked salmon (Pepe Kala makes a wonderful one!), rather than with kuumsuitsulõhe aka hot-smoked salmon.



Layered Smoked Salmon and Vegetable Salad
(Suitsulõhega kasukas)
Serves about 6 to 8



200 g smoked salmon
400 g potatoes
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
200 g cooked beetroot (roasted, steamed or boiled)
250 g carrots
about 300-400 g good-quality mayonnaise
2 eggs

Boil (unpeeled!) carrots and potatoes until soft, but not mushy. Drain, cool a little, then peel.
Hard-boil the eggs, then cool and peel.

To compose the salad:
1. Cut the salmon into small pieces and scatter evenly at the bottom of a 2-litre (approximately 2-quart) glass bowl.
2. Grate the potatoes coarsely, scatter over the salmon.
3. Scatter chopped onion over the potato layer.
4. Gently spread about half of the mayonnaise over the onion layer.
5. Grate the beetroot coarsely, scatter over the mayonnaise layer.
6. Grate the carrots coarsely, scatter over the beetroot layer.
7. Spread rest of the mayonnaise over the beetroot layer.
8. Finely grate the eggs, scatter over the mayonnaise layer.

NB! As the mayonnaise is seasoned already, there is no need to season any of the layers with salt and pepper!

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and put into the fridge for a few hours for the flavours to combine (and the beetroot colour to stain the other layers :)) The salad can be happily made on a previous day as well, as it keeps rather well.

This recipe was also included in my latest cookbook, Jõulud kodus ("Christmas at Home"), published in Estonian in November 2011.

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Celebrating New Year's Eve in Tallinn?!

This post is mainly for those food-oriented people in Tallinn who haven't yet decided where to celebrate New Year's Eve this year. Here are some alternatives worth considering - not paid ads, mind you, but events that some of my favourite establishments are throwing that I'd be happy to attend if I wouldn't be celebrating the New Year's Eve at home with my lovely K., our two adorable kids and some great friends.

What are your plans - in Tallinn or elsewhere - for the New Year's Eve? 

MOON ("Poppy" in Estonian) is a wonderful family-run restaurant just outside the city centre, in the outskirts of Kalamaja. It's run by the Zaštšerinski power-couple - he (Roman) is the head chef, she (Jana) is the hostess-sommelier, and they're assisted by another head chef, Roman's first cousin Igor Andrejev. They're inviting people to a 1920s inspired New Year's Eve party, with even more inspired menu and live music:

Warming welcome drink
Beetroot, cauliflower and whitefish roe "Martini"
Home-smoked eel, spicy carrots, herby brioche
Sauteéd lamb filet, mache, tomato and yoghurt
Pan-fried whitefish, tartare sauce, quail eggs, fresh horseradish
Duck and sauerkraut kulebyaka with mulled wine gravy
Warm chocolate cake with blueberry compote, sour cream ice cream, and meringue


55 Euros for a six-course meal per person, drinks not included
Reservation required: kohvik@kohvikmoon.ee

NEH is a atmospheric small upscale restaurant that I've blogged about before (see here). It's a truly seasonal restaurant that's only open from Autumn till Spring, when all the core staff packs their bags and return to their original premises at Pädaste on Muhu island.

The team @ NEH are inviting you to a dazzling New Year's Party.

NEH's New Year’s Eve Menu

Pan-fried scallop
Gotland black truffle & caramelized cauliflower
Bisque with Laeso langoustines (I had a chance to taste that dish at a recent special event, and it was truly flavoursome and lovely)
Roasted goose with smoked black plums and cranberries
red cabbage with juniper, Alvados glazed apples
Tridura cheese soufflé
walnut in birch syrup & pear compote
Sea-buckthorn chiboust with a golden shadow

Dinner and entertainment 70 € per guest
Matching wine menu 45 € per guest
Children under the age of 13 – 40 € per person
Reservation required: info@neh.ee
Dress code: Black tie

KÖÖK ('Kitchen') is a charming private restaurant in Tallinn's Old Town, with an English-born head chef Tim Bramich. They're inviting you to a festive feast, starting at 8pm and lasting till 1 am. The extensive buffet table features vodka-infused gravlax with bliny, spiced parsnip soup, proper English fish and chips, a rabbit Mole Poblano, and star anise flavoured chocolate mousse cake with mascarpone cream, among other dishes.

65 Euros for the dinner per person, wine is included (Prosecco and spirits cost extra).
Reservation required: info@kook.fi

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Cuddledry Bath Mat

I have been sent a lovely Bath Mat to review from Cuddledry. The bath mat is a new product from Cuddle dry, however you may be familiar with their lovely soft practical baby towel. The Bath Mat is priced at £19.99 and can be purchased online here or many good baby product stockists.

The boys think the Bath Mat is great. Nathan says it is magic as when he gets out of the bath the mat changes colour.

Features:

• great fun for kids and grown ups too – compare the foot and handprints of your whole family!
• a source of wonder and fascination for children (and adults!), encouraging creative and imaginative play
• clever technology makes the magic happen!
• the colour change is safe, reversible with cooling and the effect is durable though domestic wash cycles
• made with 100% natural, absorbent cotton – dyed safely under ISO 14001/2001 standards and ethically sourced
• wash at 60°, tumble dry warm

Why not pop over to www.cuddledry.com/blog and enter Cuddledry's Advent Competition - there is a prize to be won everyday up until Christmas Eve.

We give the Cuddledry Bath Mat a splashingly good 5/5 rating - a fab way of making bath time fun.

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Crazy Soaps

Bath time has always been something of a drama in our house, Callum, although the eldest, is probably the worst out of the three boys and hates having his hair washed, Nathan and James cry a little bit but once I have done the hair wetting they will happily play until they get wrinkly fingers and toes.

Callum and Nathan were recently sent some Crazy soaps to review. I think they smell really nice and on first impressions was quite impressed with them.

Crazy Soap Foam (RRP £2.00 225 ml)
It’s soap in a can that can be squirted, moulded and bounced into any shape.  Get everyone to use their imagination and try making elf hats or Father Christmas beards before using it to get squeaky clean.

Crazy Soap Body Paint (RRP £2.49 150 ml)

It’s a soap that’s a paint and it’s available in blue or red. Try painting one hand blue and one hand red and then rub together to make purple before washing off to reveal clean skin underneath.

Crazy Soap Bath Goo (RRP £2.99 250 ml)

It’s soap that looks like yellow goo.  Scoop it and squidge it under running water and turn it into fruity fragranced bubbles for Christmas fun that cleans kids as they play.

My boys love the crazy soaps they loved that they could paint themselves blue like the smurfs or give their belly a smiley face and Callum loved having a beard.

The Crazy Soap range is available from Tesco, Morrisons and Lloyds Health Village Thurrock.  Follow them on twitter @CrazySoap_Kids or like them on facebook at www.facebook.cm/crazy.soap.kids

Crazy Soap is suitable for children aged 3+ under adult supervision and should not be used on the face, mouth, eyes, ears or broken skin. 

We had lots of fun with the crazy soaps and think they would make great stocking fillers. We give them rating of 4/5.

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Swedish Saffron Buns (Lussekatter)

Saffron buns like this are eaten all over Sweden on St Lucia's day on December 13th. Lucia's buns are rather decadent buns, with lots of sugar, butter and eggs. I've used a recipe containing cream cheese, which makes these especially soft and luxurious. In Sweden, they mark the beginning of the Christmas season, and there are lots of interesting traditions associated with Lucia's Day, including small girls walking around early in the morning, wearing white and carrying burning candles on top of their head ;)

We left out the burning candles, and enjoyed these buns simply with a cup of coffee :)

A note about using saffron. Saffron is water-soluble, not fat-soluble. I am surprised how many recipes ask you to simply add the saffron threads in with the rest of the ingredients (the oil or the flour), without infusing it with the liquid (NOT oil!) beforehand. You can extract so much more flavour and colour by the simple infusion process, and given the price of good-quality saffron, you can use much less of that precious spice and get much more out of it. The recipe here is based on a recipe in a Swedish Allt om Mat recipe. As most other recipes, the Swedish one asks you to put milk, melted butter, saffron and cream cheese all together. No wonder they also ask you to use 1.5 grams of saffron. I used just one packet (0.5 g), and the resulting buns had a beautiful, intense saffron flavour and a gorgeous dark yellow colour. If I had used triple the amount of saffron (AND infused it properly to start with), then the buns would have been way over-the-top!

You can read more about saffron on Lydia's blog The Perfect Pantry and more about these Swedish buns over on Anne's blog.

Swedish Saffron Buns
(Luutsinakuklid ehk safranisaiad)
Makes about 30 generous buns

500 ml milk
0.5 grams saffron strands
50 g fresh yeast
170 g caster sugar (200 ml)
1 tsp ground cardamom seeds
0.5 tsp fine salt
about 1 kg plain flour
250 g cream cheese, softened
150 g unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, divided
raisins or dried cranberries
pearl sugar (optional)

Heat milk in a small saucepan until steaming. Remove from the heat, add saffron threads and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes. You'll need to cool the milk to about 37-38 C. (Or 42 C, if using instant yeast; in that case simply stir the instant yeast into the flour).
When the milk is lukewarm, then crumble in the yeast and stir, until dissolved.
Add salt, cardamom, sugar and about half of the flour. Stir until combined, then add the cream cheese, butter, ONE egg (lightly whisked), and then gradually knead in the rest of the flour. The final yeast dough should be soft and supple.
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm room for 30-60 minutes, until doubled in size.
Knead the dough gently and turn onto a lightly floured work surface. Twist small amounts of dough (about the size of a large egg or a tennis ball, depending on whether you're making small or larger buns). Roll each piece of dough into a long "sausage", then twist it from both ends to form a letter S (see the photo above). There are several traditional ways of shaping Lucia buns, but this is the only way I usually do. It's also easy enough shape to understand for my almost-3-year-old kitchen assistant, you see :)
Place the shaped buns onto a baking sheet that's been covered with a parchment paper. Leave to prove for another 10-15 minutes, then press a raisin or a craisin into each end.
Brush with an egg wash (= an egg whisked with a spoonful of water) and sprinkle with pearl sugar, if you wish.
Bake in a pre-heated 220 C oven for 12-15 minutes, until light golden brown.
Remove from the oven, transfer onto a metal rack to cool a little. If you want softer buns, then cover them with a clean tea towel when they're cooling.

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The Kodak Christmas Crafts Challenge

This is my first year of being part of Brit Mums Blogging Network. They are currently running a competition alongside Kodak so here is our entry for "The Kodak Christmas Crafts Challenge"


This is a photo I recently took of all 3 boys dressed up in their Christmas costumes, I would like to use it as a family Christmas card that they could send to their grandparents and god parents so that it was personal from them.

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Funbrella

The boys were sent two Funbrella to review. We were sent a pink one and a black stars one. The Fubrella's are priced at £12 and £10 for the pink one.

The Funbrella is the perfect umbrella for children with an iconic dome shape and easy use open and close mechanism. They are available in various colours and designs, some with a transparent cover for ease of vision when walking, and patterns with colour co-ordinated handles. 


Recently the boys friend Lexi came over to play, she decided she quite like the pink Funbrella and we said she could take it home with her. She is a very girly girl and loves anything pink so was very pleased when we said it was hers. Nathan also likes his Funbrella he has been using it quite a bit this last week with all the horrible weather we've been having. As the umbrella has quite a large dome shape, it is really strong and sturdy and has even stood the strong winds we've had recently.

When I first looked at the Funbrella I was concerned it wouldn't be safe enough for the boys to use, many child umbrellas I've seen and purchased in the past have had sharp edges and hard opening mechanisms. However with the Funbrella I have no worries the sharp edges are covered in plastic so cant cause any damage and point down towards the floor because of its dome shape. The mechanism on the Funbrella is really easy to use and smooth too so that Nathan could open it himself. We give Funbrella a splashing 4/5 rating.

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Letters from Santa

All three boys are getting more and more excited about Christmas, I'm not sure why - maybe its because of all the chatter about it or the fact that they're on the final countdown at school for their final week. We have done the two Nativity plays - both boys were fabulous and they looked great. Callum has had his school Christmas lunch and tomorrow we have the task of writing out cards for his class mates.

I have never seen the boys looked so shocked or as excited as they have been today, the reason for this is what dropped through our letter box this afternoon, - It was their letters from Santa. The letters arrive in personalised envelopes with north pole stamps on them too.

I was contacted by It's Your Story and asked if the boys would like to receive a letter from Santa each. Both Callum and Nathan were sent a letter.

The boys were really shocked as Santa knew who they were and in his letter he told them that he knew where we lived and the time that he would be visiting him. Plus he said our street would be his first stop - now that made the boys jump and shout lots I can tell you. They were also both surprised that Santa knew who was their best friends and that he knew how old they would be next year. They also thought it was amazing how Santa had put a picture of them on the letters dressed as one of his elves.

The letters were really easy to organise and personalise. I had lots of fun filling in the details as I knew exactly what the boys would be like once they received their "surprise" letters. The information requested was things like best friends, age next year and where we lived. This enables the letters to be personalised to your child.

The letters cost £4.50 each. Delivery is £1.50 but you can pay for express delivery to ensure your letter arrives sooner. If you are thinking of ordering a letter I would advise doing it sooner rather than later as time is starting to be against us all for posting letters and parcels and ensuring delivery before Christmas. The letters are unique in that they can be photo-personalised, I actually think my boys make lovely elves too.

I will definitely be using these letters again next year for the boys, I give It's Your Story a 4/5 rating.

The very kind people over at Its your story have given me a code for all my readers simply enter HERECTB20 to get a 20% discount before 16th December on a letter to santa for your little ones.

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Homemade candy recipes: fruit and nut truffles

There's a candy I remember from my childhood. Our main chocolate factory, Kalev, was (and probably still is) well-known for its chocolate selections or "assortiikarp" as they're known in Estonian. I loved their ganache and praline filled chocolates in those chocolate selections, but my favourite ones were the foil-wrapped large truffles with fruit and nut filling.

Here's my attempt to recreate these childhood favourites :) You can see the final product on the left on the photo above.

Fruit and Nut Filled Truffles
(Puuviljakompvekid)



100 g dried soft figs
150 g dried soft prunes
100 g dried cranberries or cherries (or a mixture of both)
100 g chopped almonds or hazelnuts
1 Tbsp runny honey or golden syrup or agave nectar
a pinch of sea salt

to coat the truffles:
dark chocolate (tempered, preferably)

Remove the stem from the dried figs. If using a food processor, place the figs, prunes and dried cranberries or cherries into the food processor and process until you've got a coarsely ground fruit mixture. Add the almonds/nuts, salt and honey/syrup and pulse again once or twice. (You don't want the nuts chopped too finely, as you want the texture later).
     [You can also simply chop the ingredients as finely as possible]
Place the truffle mixture into the fridge for an hour to cool and harden.
Roll into small balls (TIP: use a little oil to moisten your hands - the mixture won't stick as much then.)
Either dip into melted dark chocolate - or, preferably, into tempered dark chocolate (see note below) until completely covered. Decorate with chopped nuts. Keep in a cool place until ready to serve.

Why and how to temper the chocolate? The Internet - and food blogs - are full of detailed instructions on how to temper chocolate - and why. The latter is easy - unless you temper the chocolate, the chocolate-glazed truffles will lack the shine and the snap, both very desirable elements. "How" is trickier and indeed, tempering can be a hit-and-miss. I've followed this simplified seed-technique for tempering. Place about 2/3 of your chopped up chocolate (or, indeed, chocolate pellets - and NOT compound chocolate!) into a heat-proof bowl and place the bowl on top of a small saucepan, where you've brought about 5 cm/2 inches of water into simmer. Let the chocolate melt slowly, stirring as you go along. Remove from the heat, stick a chocolate thermometer into the bowl. Now add the "seed chocolate" or the chocolate you put aside at the beginning in two or three installments and keep stirring the chocolate and cooling it. Once all the added chocolate pellets have melted, you must continue stirring the chocolate, until it registers 28 C on the thermometer - that will probably take about 15-20 minutes of active stirring, so be patient! You can then gently re-heat the chocolate - either over the waterbath, on top of a hot water bottle or by hovering your hair-drier over the chocolate - until it's about 30-31 C (best temperature for working with chocolate). 

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If you like Cosmo (and Sex and the City), then you'll love this drink: Cosmopolitan glögg

Sex and the City (2008)

Miranda Hobbes: [at a bar, drinking Cosmopolitans] 

"Why did we ever stop drinking these?"

Carrie Bradshaw: "Because everyone else started! "

Perhaps it's time to start again?

This delicious and soul-warming winter drink has got its name from the famous Cosmopolitan cocktail. Ok, there's plain vodka and not lemon vodka here, and I haven't used any limes to give the drink an extra zing (though you could, by all means), but the similarities are definitely there. It's officially my favourite mulled drink this year, even if I do go very easy on the vodka most of the time :D

If you like the classic Cosmopolitan, and enjoyed watching Sex and the City, then this drink is for you :)

Cosmo Glögg
(Jõhvikaglögi)
Serves six
Adapted from Finnish-language book "Kotilieden jouluaika: Pikkujoulusta loppiaisen" (2006)



1 litre good-quality cranberry juice drink
2 Tbsp glögg mixture*
100 ml vodka
50 ml orange liqueur (Triple Sec or Cointreau)

To serve:
dried cranberries (aka 'craisins')
orange twist

Bring the juice and glögg mixture into a simmer, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 20-30 minutes. Add some sugar to taste, if you really wish so.
Strain and re-heat. Add the spirits and serve in heat-proof glasses.

* I used Meira's glögimauste, which contains finely chopped dried Sevilla orange peel, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. You can use any mulled wine or glögg seasoning mix of your choice, if that's not available. 

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Christmas recipes: Swedish meatballs

Serving meatballs at a Christmas table is NOT an Estonian tradition, but it's something I've borrowed from our Swedish neighbours across the sea. They're especially popular with kids (though adults aren't far behind), and as they can be served hot or cold, they're excellent for buffet table. I love them with a generous grating of nutmeg, but you could also use cinnamon, allspice, juniper berries, cumin. Anne of Anne's Food uses white pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom AND allspice, for example.

This recipe was also included in my latest cookbook, Jõulud kodus ("Christmas at Home"), published in Estonian in November 2011.


Swedish meatballs
(Vürtsikad lihapallid)
Serves four or many more, depending on what else is on the table



400 g minced meat
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp potato starch or cornflour
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
150 ml milk (10 Tbsp)
a generous grating of nutmeg

butter, for frying

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, then form into small meatballs (it's easier to do with wet or oiled hands).

Now you've got three ways to proceed (my preference goes for the last one):

1) Melt some butter on a frying pan, brown the meatballs on all sides, then cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat and cook until done.
2) Melt some butter on a frying pan, brown the meatballs on all sides. Transfer the meatballs onto a small tray and finish cooking them in a pre-heated 200 C/400 F oven.
3) Brush a baking sheet with some melted butter or oil, spread meatballs evenly on top. Bake in a pre-heated 220 c/450 F oven for about 15 minutes, until cooked inside and lovely dark golden brown outside.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Snapfish Photo Products

I like any proud parent love taking pictures of my boys, I have lots of pictures on memory cards and in files on the computer but not actually that many that are printed out unless they are school photos or ones that friends have printed for me, I don't really have a reason for this other than that I just don't seem to print them out. I do love looking at them though through the files seeing how much the boys have changed.

I was asked by Snapfish to review some of their personalised gifts, I was given £35 to spend on gifts so I choose a photo-book, a mug and a fridge magnet.

I have never ordered a photo-book before but have always liked the idea of them, It took me ages to decide on the photos to go in the book. But once I had decided on them it was really easy to upload thme to snapfish. Designing a photo-book couldn't be simpler either with step by step instructions. books start from as little at £9.99. The book I choose was priced at £24.99, it has a hardback cover, 20 pages that you can choose the theme of and add as many or as few pictures as you want to, the book is 11" x 8" in size.

The front Cover

Pictures of James as a baby!

I am really impressed with the quality of the photo-book, the pages are lovely and well printed and the pictures look fabulous.

The is the magnet that I had made.

I love it and it is hung on my fridge as I type holding important school notes in place.  Magnets start at £2.99 and would make a perfect stocking filler for any relative. You can obviously choose any photo you wish to put in the magnet, I just chose this one as it is one of my favourites of the boys.

The final item I choose was a mug, I have lots of mugs, probably enough to open up a shop if I'm honest but I always think its nice to have different styles as my mood and fancies vary from day to day, it also depends on the amount or type of drink I want too, as you can probably tell I am quite fussy over my cups!!

You can purchase a mug from Snapfish starting from £7.99, you can choose which photo you want on the mug from one to many different photos. I choose a few of my favourite pictures of the boys. You can also decide if you'd like a coloured background and for the inside of the mug too.

I would highly recommend Snapfish and their products to anyone, their service is great and items are sent out really quickly. My items arrived within 5 days of ordering them. I am about to put in an order for last minute Christmas presents as both my mum and dad have moaned saying they don't have enough pictures of the boys! I give Snapfish a rating of 5/5.

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