Santa's Christmas Steam Adventure - National Railway Museum at York

On Sunday Matthew took Nathan and James to The National Railway Museum in York to have a ride on the Santa's Christmas Steam Adventure. We had all been sent tickets to go but as Callum was poorly Saturday night I thought it best we stay at home. Had we gone as planned last weekend it would have all been OK but that's a whole different story which includes us missing our time.

I love The National Railway Museum and have been many times when I was younger, and the boys are the same as they are huge train fans, (I think they get it from their Grandad). Here are a few pictures we took last week (when we didn't get to ride the steam adventure).

The boys and Matthew had a fabulous time on Sunday, Nathan is just at the right age for believing anything he is told and the biggest thing for him has been about Santa, he loves the whole story and is getting ever so excited about him coming down our chimney very soon. 

"This Christmas, Santa isn’t delivering his presents by reindeer this year – instead he’s using a very special steam train at the National Railway Museum.

Visitors of all ages are invited to help Santa with his seasonal task by riding on board his special Xmas steam train with him. The journey begins in our Station Hall which has been transformed into Santa’s depot filled with presents, games and the museum’s toy collection from years gone by.

From here Santa’s helpers will then climb onboard a beautiful festive carriage pulled by steam train Teddy, and take part in a special interactive story telling adventure. Before the magical steam journey is over, children will meet Santa Claus himself and receive a special present to take home".

Tickets are priced at £7.50 a child and £5 per adult, adults do get a free drink and mince pie with their ticket and children receive a gift from Santa too. I would book to avoid disappointment as both weekends when we have been the adventure has been fully booked up. You can book tickets online here. Also ensure you arrive in plenty of time and not like us the first weekend we tried or else you may miss your train ride.


Here is a list of the dates and times available for a visit:

• November 19, 20
• November 26, 27
• December 3, 4
• December 10, 11
• December 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Times are 10:30, 11:15, 12:00, 12:45, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15, 16:00.

I cant speak for the trip myself but Matthew said that it was great fun and all the children (not just ours) enjoyed the whole experience. He rates the adventure with a steamingly good 5/5.

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Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Cleaning Spray and Hand Serum

Recently I was sent some samples of Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Cleaning Spray and Hand Serum. I have mentioned before how busy I am as a mum to 3 boys and owner of two Boxer dogs, and as such I am always on the look out for new products that can help to look after my family and protect them from germs.


Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Cleaning Spray and Hand Serum are different to other sprays and hand gels as they contain Byotrol. "Unlike traditional cleaning products such as bleach and alcohol based products which stop working as soon as they dry allowing bacteria and viruses to grow back and multiply within minutes, products containing Byotrol leave an invisible barrier not only killing 99.9% of germs but continuing to work for up to 24 hours meaning they not only protect but prevent bacteria and viruses growing".


This weekend Callum had a sickness bug, was fine all day at Thomas Land only to come home and throw up that evening, I knew it was a nasty bug as he had awful smelling burps and was complaining of tummy ache on the way home (I am so glad he choose to be sick at home and not in the car - I couldn't have coped with the smell of sick all the way home- ewwwww). Anyhow after I had done the worst thing that mummies have to do I got on my rubber gloves and blitzed the kitchen bathroom, door handles and anything else Callum may have touched with the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Cleaning Spray.  I also made him wash his hands and them use the hand serum so that any remaining germs would be killed off, I try to make them use hand gels when were out and about but obviously when they're at school this isn't possible so they pick up lots of nasty germs!! I'm hoping that we got it in time and that no one else already has the germs - I suppose only time will tell.

Here is a list of the advantages of the hand serum. It is:

• Active for up to 6 hours
• Alcohol free
• Kind to skin
• Taint free
• Use to clean your hands before making up feeds and after nappy changing at home and on the go

The cleaning spray also has these advantages:

• Active for up to 24 hours
• Proven to kill MRSA, E Coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphyloccocus and Candida albicans (which can cause thrush)
• Alcohol and bleach free
• Taint free
• Safe to use on all food preparation, kitchen and bathroom surfaces and all nursery items such as high chairs, baby baths, changing mats and small plastic toys

The hand serum and cleaning spray are both easy to use and cost £2.49 each from Tesco. I will certainly be using it in the future and recommending it to all my friends. We give the products a 4/5 rating.

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Ottolenghi's chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic

Here's a lovely recipe adapted from London-based Yotam Ottolenghi's first cookbook, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. The book is full on inspiring vegetarian dishes that I've been drooling over - and cooking - over and over again. I've already blogged about two of the dishes - roasted aubergine/eggplant with saffron yogurt and a refreshing cucumber and poppy seed salad, and here's a lovely vegan side dish using broccoli. I've reduced the amount of oil used in the recipe considerably, but otherwise it's following the book.

Chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic
(Röstitud spargelkapsas tšilli ja küüslauguga)
Serves 4

500 g broccoli
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 to 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 mild red chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

To garnish:
toasted almond slices or thinly sliced lemon

Separate the broccoli into florets and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes and not longer! Immediately refresh under cold running water to stop further cooking, then drain and leave to dry completely.

Once the broccoli is dry, toss with 3 Tbsp of the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place a griddle pan on high heat and leave for 4 to 5 minutes until smoking hot. Grill the broccoli in batches on the hot pan, turning to get lovely charmarks on all sides. When ready, transfer into a heatproof bowl.

While the broccoli is cooking, place the remaining Tbsp of oil in a small saucepan together with sliced garlic and chillies and cook on a medium heat until the garlic begins to turn golden brown. Be careful not to let the garlic and chilli burn – they will continue cooking in the hot oil even when off heat. Pour the garlic and chilli oil over the hot broccoli florets and toss well.

Season to taste, sprinkle with almond slices or lemon slices and serve immediately or at room temperature.

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And the winner is ....

... Joanna, a Brit living in Latvia. Please send me your postal address, so I can mail you your copy of Marika Blossfeldt's Essential Nutrition.

You can contact me at nami (dot) nami (at) yahoo (dot) com

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Magical Christmas at Thomas Land, Drayton Manor

On Saturday we took the boys to Thomas Land at Drayton Manor. Here is our account of the fun day that was had by us all.

We had been sent free tickets so that we could take the boys to Drayton Manor's Magical Christmas at Thomas Land.

The boys have been very excited about going to Thomas Land and Nathan has yet again been counting down the "sleeps" until today finally arrived. The first thing he said to me this morning was "Mummy are we really going to Thomas Land today? cos there's no more sleeps left".

So we packed up the boys and bundled them in the car for the one hour and forty five minute journey to Thomas Land. Luckily we didn't hit too much traffic and arrived at 1pm. We collected our tickets and off we went to explore.

Your ticket for Drayton's Magical Christmas in Thomas Land includes all the rides and attractions in Thomas Land, the Zoo, the 4D Cinema and the New Ben 10 Ultimate Mission ride. Gates open at 12pm and close at a minimum of 5pm. Tickets cost £28 per adult and child over 4, but if you book online you can purchase them for £15.50 instead. Look here to book your tickets and find all the information you would need.

The first place we went was the toilet not very exciting I know but after such a long journey we were ready to burst. I was pleased to see that the facilities were very clean and kept clean throughout the day (we went before leaving and they were just as clean as before).

Our first proper stop within the park was the Zoo. The boys loved seeing all the animals and found the monkeys the most amusing, Nathan said he wanted a pet snake and a tortoise from the reptile house, (he has no chance on the snake!!). From inside the Zoo you can climb aboard Percy. We jumped on the train to take us into Thomas Land. Here is a video of James on the Percy train he thought it was great.

         

      

There are lots of rides to choose from in Thomas Land and any Thomas fan would be spoilt for choice as to what to ride on first. We only took the boys on two of the rides as they didn't want to go on any more than that even though we did ask them constantly. We went on Harold's Helicopter Tours ride first, the boys absolutely loved the ride and could see the whole park from the top.

The boys then asked to go on the Bertie Bus ride, Matthew took Callum and Nathan on it whilst James and I watched from below. They absolutely loved it and said that they thought it was lots of fun.

What I love most about the rides is that although there are height restrictions you can take your little ones on the rides, obviously they need to be with a responsible adult if under a certain height but that's what most of us expect anyway.

We managed to catch a bit of the live show featuring the Fat Controller and it even snowed, which it is guaranteed to do at least 3 times a day. Nathan loved seeing the Fat Controller and waved to him lots.

The main part of our day and the bit that the boys were looking forward to most was seeing Santa in his Winter Wonderland. We had to wait a long time to see Santa but it was most definitely worth it.

The boys loved waiting and talking to the Snow Queen and Santa's helper. They were asked lots of questions as to what they wanted for Christmas and if they had been good or not. Of course they said that they had been very good.

In with your admission price children under 9 get a free ticket so that they can receive a gift from Santa. Here is a picture of me with the boys and their gifts. James received a toy mobile phone, Nathan a Thomas letter writing book and Callum a Ben10 cup.

     

We had an amazing day and I can't say enough about how great everything was, the only thing I would advise it to wrap up warm, we left early as we were all really cold, the sun was shining most of the day and even that didn't do much to help so do remember hats, gloves, scarves and a big winter coat.

We will definitely visit again and the boys have said they can't wait to go back. We give Thomas Land a great 5/5 rating for its fun and friendly, family orientated day out. 

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Zoflora Warm Cinnamon Disinfectant

We were sent a sample of Zoflora Warm Cinnamon Antibacterial Disinfectant to try out. I don't really like the taste of Cinnamon but I adore the smell, it reminds me of childhood visits to my grandparents house when a small child and her baking bread, cakes and biscuits. 

Zoflora Warm Cinnamon Antibacterial Disinfectant is priced at £1.35 for 120ml and is available from Mid October to the end of December 2011 at Sainsburys, Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons and Wilkinsons. The disinfectant is concentrated meaning it lasts longer. You really don't need to use much for it to do a good job.


My only complaint with the zoflora is the bottle as it does not have a safety lid and my boys would probably get it open if I didn't have locks on my cupboards.


When it comes to buying floor cleaners or disinfectants I usually buy from a select few brands, ones that I know are effective at killing germs and ones that will make my kitchen and bathroom smell lovely. I also look to see which ones are on offer (always looking for ways to make the pennies go further). The Zoflora Disinfectant is proven to kill 99% of all germs - a huge plus in my mind. So far so good in our house for having no nasty winter sickness bugs. We will definitely be using the Zoflora throughout December, even if its just to bring back some memories for me. 

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Kate Benjamin Purse Review

I am quite excited to be writing this review, its not often that I am sent something that is just for me to review and keep but this product is for me and its all mine all mine. I am what you would call a girlie girl to a certain extent. I love shoes, clothes and handbags, the more I get the more I want, but I have a really practical head and most of the time the items that I buy are things that I can wear or use more than once. I love high heels but hardly wear them due to 3miles of school runs or numerous trips to the supermarket most days. I don't have to be putting make up on everyday or styling my hair either, as much as I'd love to these are done only on special occasions! I felt like the luckiest girl in the world when I was asked to review the Kate Benjamin Leather Wallet. The purse was sent from a great website called accessoriesdirect.com, you can see the other purses that they sell here. They also sell other amazing items at fabulous prices.


The purse arrived well packaged and was wrapped up in tissue paper. Once unwrapped I could see the lovely product in all its glory.

The purse is made from 100% leather and has a 100% cotton lining, so you know that it is made from very good quality materials. The wallet also has suede detail to the front and gold plated studs and clasp. The lining is bright fuschia pink and looks great against the black leather. In fact I love it, when I showed my sister it the other day she wasn't taken on it. It has an internal coin compartment and plenty of card slots, so you can always have all your cards with you.

The purse costs £50 to buy and normally I couldn't justify spending that amount on something for me, but it is definitely worth every penny. Just from looking at it you can tell that it is made from high quality materials and produced to a high standard. there are no straggly bits of thread or material and the studs and clasp are cut perfectly too.

I will be looking forward to using the purse when we go out in a few weeks time over the Christmas period. It will be the perfect accessory to go with my little black dress and heels. It is the perfect size to hold in your hand, it measures 10cm long x 9cm wide and has a depth of 3cm.


I have been given an exclusive code for all our readers to use, this 20% discount code can be spent on any non sale item on the website. The code for you to use is FESTIVE and is valid until 9th December 2011.

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UKMums.TV Preferred Blogger...

Yes you just read the title right Here Comes Trouble!! Have been awarded a very special badge (located over on the right) to say that we have been chosen by UKMums.TV as one of their preferred bloggers. What does this mean I hear you ask, well for us it means that our opinion is important to other mums.

UKMums.TV is an online community, providing lots of useful information, topics and reviews by mums just like me. Have a look for yourself if you don't believe me they even have some great competitions running which can all be found here.

We are really very proud of our blog and I am really happy and very proud that I can now call myself UKMums.TV preferred blogger.

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Wilkinson Toy Range

The boys were sent a selection of toys from Wilkinson to play with. They were sent a Police station building brick set, a police car, a train, a bus and an air whizzer.

The police station building brick set is great for boys who are just getting interested in making things from bricks. The set costs £20 but is on sale at the moment so if your quick you could pick it up for £16. You can buy the set in selected stores or online here. The set has 750 pieces so you can build everything at once!. The best bit about the set is that it is 100% compatible with other brands, which is great if like us you have a few small sets and want to add to them. It is suitable for children aged 5 years+. Callum loves the set and has had lots of fun building things he has even used it with his other sets of lego.                  


Many toys that Wilkinson sell are ideal stocking fillers as they are very reasonably priced. We were sent four toys that would be perfect for this.

The metro city bus toy we were sent has lights, sound and opening doors. You can buy the bus toy in assorted colours and designs. It does have batteries included but these are not replaceable, Each toy bus is priced at £2.97. My boys love the bus especially James when he found the button to make it light up.

The locomotive transporter toy is priced at £3.97, the toy consists of a lorry, trailer and train. It is great for any vehicle mad

little boys. It states that they are unsuitable for children aged under 3 but James loves pushing the toys about so I think that so longs as he is supervised whilst playing with it then he is fine, my only complaint is that the plastic is quite flimsy on the trailer. This was broken within about 10 minutes of Nathan playing with it, I'm not sure if this was because he can be quite heavy handed with his toys or if it is just a bit of the design that needs to be improved slightly so it cant be broken easily.

This is a picture of James playing with the SOS police patrol car that we were sent. There are three different cars that you can buy. We were sent the BMW, the boys were quite impressed with this as was Matthew, he said it was the only BMW that our house would be able to afford and own for a while! The car requires 2 x AA batteries as it has sounds and lights. James loves this bit and continuously presses the button on the top of the car to set it off. This can be annoying as there is no off switch. 

Overall I am quite pleased with the quality of Wilkinson branded toys, they are good quality for the money that you pay. I would give them a rating of 4/5. I will definitely be buying more toys within the range for the boys and their cousin Jason. The toys will definitely make excellent christmas presents and stocking fillers. To see the full range available go look at  http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/toys-games+bikes/icat/summertoysleisure/. Here you will find all Wilkinson branded toys plus many other toy brands too. 

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Book project No 2: Christmas at Home (Jõulud kodus)

Remember my first cookbook, "Nami-Nami kokaraamat" and its launch party on December 1st almost a year ago? The cookbook has done well, I'm happy to say - and I'm already working on the third book. Yes, the third one, as despite giving birth to a second baby earlier this year (and thus having two kids under-3 crawling and running around in the kitchen) I also managed to work on my second cookbook. Or kind of cookbook. My dear publishers, Varrak, kindly asked me in late Spring if I could co-author a Christmas book with Irina Tammis - she'd write the section on Christmas crafts, and I'd write the festive recipes. I was thrilled to say yes and so it happened that I was baking gingerbread and roasting black pudding in the middle of the August heatwave this year :)

The book came out in the beginning of November - first as part of the Suur Eesti Raamatuklubi (the Large Estonian Book Club, where it is the star book of November), but is now available in most bookstores in Estonia. RRP is 15.90 EUR and, obviously, it makes a wonderful Christmas gift to your loved ones (if you speak Estonian, that is :))

Here's a list of Christmas recipes - I've provided links to relevant recipes in English here on the Nami-Nami foodblog - and some pictures as well. Note that all recipes were re-tested and (usually) re-photographed during the summer, so the edited recipe in the book is necessarily not exactly the same as here on the blog.

RECIPES:

• Puff pastry pinwheels with lingonberries and black pudding

• Choux pastry puffs with black pudding
• Rosemary-scented devils on horseback
• Festive chicken liver paté with glögg jelly
• Gravadlax with star anise and oranges
• Spicy mixed nuts
• Lacy cheese crisps
• Orange Ambrosia with coconut and red berries
• Beetroot and mushroom salad
• A layered smoked salmon and vegetable salad

• Pork roast
• Crispy black pudding
• Oven-roasted vegetables
• Christmas goose
• Oven-baked salmon with scalloped beetroot
• Cabbage, three ways (sauerkraut braised in beer, red cabbage with prunes and sweet-and-sour white cabbage)
• Jansson's Frestelse
• Hasselback potatoes (aka accordion potatoes)
• Spicy Swedish meatballs

• Pear and blue cheese quiche with gingerbread spices
• Sauerkraut and chocolate cake

• Small blue cheese and marmalade tartlets
• Joulutortut aka Finnish Christmas stars

• Thumbprint cookies for Christmas
• Saffron buns with coconut topping
• My favourite Christmas fruitcake

• Gingerbread cookies (incl. glaze and various ways of shaping the cookies)
• Sliced Christmas almond and gingerbread cookies
• Gingerbread muffins
• Soft gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting and red berries

• Gingerbread cheesecake
• Caramelized spiced almonds
• Clementines in Christmassy wine syrup
• Risalamande (a Danish sweet rice porridge with warm cherry compote)
• Mulled wine poached pears
• Eggnog

You can see the book advertisement on the publishers' website here. Of course, I'm happy to answer any questions about the cookbook and the recipes - and if there's a particular recipe that catches your idea, but isn't yet available in English on the blog, please let me know. The Christmas is just around the corner and I'd be happy to share the recipe!

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Marika Blossfeldt's 'Essential Nourishment' and a recipe for Kabocha Apricot Soup (book giveaway)

NB! I've got one copy of this wonderful book (in English!!!) to give away to Nami-Nami readers. See details below!

I had seen the Estonian version of this book at my friends' place, and loved it. So when Marika, who divides her life between Estonia and New York, and whom I've met couple of times, asked me if I'd love a copy of the English version, I said yes. The book's full title is "Essential Nourishment: Recipes from My Estonian Farm. Your feel-good guide to healthful eating and energized living, one delicious meal at a time". It's divided into three major sections - Nutrition and Nourishment; Lifestyle; Food Guides and Recipes. Marika has been trained in integrative nutrition - meaning a reasonable and wholesome approach to eating and living healthily, and the resulting combination of information on nutrition and a collection on recipes is excellent.

I've got my own favourites - her beet, fennel and quinoa salad is wonderful, as is the recipe for Rye Porridge with Sesame Seeds. Our good friends regularly make her Zucchini Walnut Muffins and Carrot Ginger Soup (I'm especially partial to those muffins - our friend Peter bakes them in mini muffin tins, and they're addictive!) There are several healthy- and delicious-sounding recipes I'm looking forward to trying as soon as the festive season is over - Polenta with Roasted Sunflower Seeds, Quinoa Pilaf with Shiitake Mushrooms, Dandelion Greens in Creamy Sesame Sauce, Chickpeas with Sweet Potatoes, to give you just an idea.

But when I asked Marika which recipe she'd like me to share with my many American readers, she suggested this nourishing soup. Hope you'll enjoy it - and why not serve it as a starter this Thursday?

Kabocha Apricot Soup
serves 6

What could be a better treat than a squash puree soup on a chilly autumn day? Although the original recipe calls for kabocha squash, any winter squash or pumpkin can be used. The dried apricots add a little twist of sweet and tart and a hint of sophistication.

1 kabocha squash, about 2 pounds (1 kg), cut into quarters, seeds and fibrous parts removed
4 cups (1 l) water
1 onion, cut into wedges
12 dried apricots, cut into halves
1 piece fresh ginger, about 2 inches (5 cm) long, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

Place the squash in a steamer basket inserted into a large pot. Add 3 cups (750 ml) of the water and steam for 20 minutes. Reserve the cooking water. Place the cooked squash onto a plate to cool. Use a spoon to scrape the meat from the peel.

Boil the onion, apricots and ginger in the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) of water for 10 minutes.

Combine the squash with the onion mixture. In batches, pour into a blender or food processor and puree, adding some of the reserved squash cooking water for a smooth blend.

Return the puree to the pot. Add the butter and bring to a boil. Add more cooking water if the soup is very thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour into soup plates and garnish with chopped scallions.

ENJOY!

NB! In the month of November Marika offers her book for sale on her website at a discounted rate. You will receive a signed copy and shipping is absolutely FREE in the United States: http://www.marikab.com/store/2021318/product/en
Hint: this beautifully designed cookbook might just be the perfect Christmas present for all your health conscious friends and family members.
European readers, you can order Marika's book on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de

Furthermore, I've got ONE copy of this book to give away to a Nami-Nami reader (I'll ship anywhere in the world). To win one, just leave a comment with your name, location and the name of your favourite healthy cold weather dish. I'll randomly choose a winner on Monday morning (November 28th).

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Kung Fu Panda 2 DVD Review and Competition

Recently the boys and I were asked if we'd like to review a copy of Kung Fu Panda 2 on DVD. How could we say no - we are huge fans of the first movie and have watched it several times. It is one of Callum's favourite films to date - and he has seen many films so far.

So what can I tell you about the film? Well the awesome Jack Black is back as Po the Panda, he is joined by other A list celebrities including Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Gary Oldman, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan who all voice characters in the film. Here is a short clip of what some of the cast had to say about the film.





Without giving too much away of the story the newly appointed Dragon Warrior Po, has to lead his team of  kung fu masters (The Furious Five) on a mission to defeat a very powerful rival whose aim is to conquer China and destroy kung fu. Along the way he also has lots of learning and understanding to do to enable him to be the best Dragon Warrior possible.

If that isn't enough for you watch this trailer below of the film.

We are not the only ones who think that Kung Fu Panda 2 is a great film and sequel either, The SUN newspaper says it is "awesome" and the The Mirror state it as being "Awesome fun" and even have it featured as their DVD of the week as shown in their own review (20/11/2011).

The DVD is available to buy now from all good DVD stockists both in store and online. It is priced at £9.99. It has a running time of 87 minutes and has a PG rating. The DVD is packed full of extras too like some deleted scenes and a trailer for the Kung Fu Panda 2 video game. Definitely something not to be missed. The DVD would make an excellent stocking filler this Christmas for all Kung Fu Panda fans.

We love this film and give it a fabulous 5/5 rating. I'm sure the boys will watch this film as much as they have the first one.

Competition:

For your chance to win a copy of Kung Fu Panda 2 you simply need to follow us on twitter (@herestrouble11) and tweet the following:

RT & follow @herestrouble11 to #win KungFu Panda 2 on DVD , ends 4/12/11




The winner will be chosen at random from all entrants who follow us and who have retweeted, UK and ROI entrants only.

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Linksys X2000 Router Competition is Now Closed...The Winner is...

I have emailed the winner so congratulations to Danny who was picked at random from all the entries, I will be posting the router out first thing Monday morning to you.

For everyone else please don't be too disappointed as we have lots more competitions coming up dont forget to enter our competition over on our Facebook page to win some lovely Green and Blacks chocolates or the competition here on the blog to win a winter protection kit from Milton

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Latvian cranberry, cream and rye trifle 'Rupjmaizes kārtojums'

Our Southern neighbours Latvians are celebrating their independent statehood again today. Last year I shared a recipe for delicious light pork dish, Kurzeme Stroganoff, to mark the occasion. This time you'll get a recipe for a Latvian pudding, kind of rye and cranberry trifle, called rupjmaizes kārtojums (rupjmaize is the Latvian word for dark rye bread) or "Latvian Ambrosia" among English-speakers who know the stuff.  Cream, rye bread and cranberries is apparently a classic Latvian flavour combination. My local supermarket has a freezer selling Latvian ice cream, including a delicious (and deliciously large) tub of "Rupjmaizes kārtojums ice cream". Latvian popular dairy giant, Karums, has at least one Rupjmaizes kārtojums (scroll down here for the photo). A quick googleing revealed many other commercially made rupjmaizes kārtojums derivatives.

You can serve it in a large glass bowl, like I've done, or in pretty dessert glasses (like on this Latvian website). I've seen recipes that are using just whipped cream for the cream part, and recipes that are using just curd cheese for the cream part. I've gone the Estonian route and mixed the two :)

Latvian sweet rye trifle 
(Läti leivadessert)

about 200 g grated dark rye bread (shop-bought and make your own)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp caster sugar, divided
400 g curd cheese cream
200 g whipping cream (35%, optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract or sugar
150 g cranberries, crushed and sweetened according to taste

Place the rye bread crumbs onto a non-stick frying pan. Add 2 Tbsp of sugar and the cinnamon. Stir, then slowly toast the breadcrumbs for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the bread is aromatic and, well, toasty :) Remove the pan from the heat and let the breadcrumbs cool completely.
Meanwhile, mix the curd cheese, sugar, vanilla and whipped cream (if using).
Layer the dessert into a large bowl or individual dessert glasses. Start with about a third of the bread mixture, then half of the cream mixture, half of the cranberries, then another third of the breadcrumbs, then the other half of the cream, then cranberries and finally top the dessert with the rest of the cinnamon-scented caramelized breadcrumbs.

Leave to stand for about 4-5 hours in the fridge before serving. Garnish with some whole cranberries.

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Wagg Training Treats

We have two lovely but very mischievous boxers, Yogi and Pepper. Pepper will be four in March and Yogi turned 1 on 4th November. They are very much part of our family and loved by us all. As much as they are pests they're our pests and we wouldn't be without them - although I would love Yogi to stop sneaking under the fence to next door.

We were recently sent some Wagg dog treats for them to try.

Wagg was born 1923, in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire but was originally named Page Feeds, they originally sold animal feed around Yorkshire. Since 1980 they have made pet foods. They are now based at Thirsk in North Yorkshire and changed their name to Wagg in the 1990's. Wagg makes a range of pet foods for all varieties of pets, but are probably better known for making dog food.

They are priced at £1 a pack and can be bought in most pet stores and supermarkets.

When I opened the treats I noticed that they smelt quite pleasant - something which I never think of with dog treats and foods. All Wagg foods and treats contain no artificial colours or flavours and promote a healthy immune system as they contain antioxidants.

The Treats are small meaty bones, there are three flavours: chicken, beef & lamb. The treats have added yoghurt for healthy teeth & bones. They are,

• The Ideal Training Aid
• Great for Training Puppies
• No Artificial Colours or Flavours
• No Added Sugar

From the picture below I'd say both Pepper and Yogi like the treats. They are very good and will sit and give their paw when they see you have treats. 

Yogi and Pepper give the Wagg training treats a 5/5 rating.

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Happy Birthday Nathan!!

Today Nathan turned 4! well not officially until 11.41pm but I think its a little unfair to make him wait all that time  - don't you?

He has had a lovely day and has been ever so excited about it for the last month at least, he hasn't shut up about it, and has counted down the days, tonight before bed he said "I can't wait until I'm five mummy - how many sleeps is that?" I said a lot! I think he needs to slow down a bit. I need a year just to get over today and it hasn't been that hectic.

He had asked for a really long list of different toys. But we decided to buy him 2 of the presents that we thought he wanted the most as he had asked for them every time he'd seen them advertised on TV. We bought him the Imaginext Bat Mobile and the Imaginext Batcave. He was really pleased with these presents. He hasn't stopped playing with them all day and even tried to stay off school today so he could keep on playing.

Nathan was also sent lots of lovely cards from all his friends and received some lovely presents from his Auntie Kimberley.

I have to give a very special mention to the lovely Robyn who sent Nathan a lovely Alvin Teddy from Build a Bear Workshop (as you know we have already done a few reviews for them already). He absolutely adores Alvin and the Chipmunks so he was extremely happy when he unwrapped his teddy this morning. He has taken him up to bed with him tonight. He has said he is going to sleep with Cheeky Monkey (the teddy he made on our visit back in august to build a bear workshop)

We've not had a party this year but we did have a lovely cake and a sing song. We are going to see Santa on Saturday in York so I don't think Nathan will miss having a party too much.

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