Tuesday 20 March 2012

chocolate cheerio cakes

We’ve recently spent some quality time at our local Little Cooks cookery classes. 
The little lady has delighted in putting her pinny on and doing some baking! And of course there is always the added bonus of scoffing your creative culinary delights which you just can’t do with a finger painting!

In fact we’ve been doing a spot of baking at home too, although there really isn’t the space here so have had to wing it somewhat with me whipping up a dough mix or cake batter in the kitchen and the little one completing the most important task of rolling and cutting cookie shapes or spooning mixture into cake cases at the dining table. 
But this suits my neurotic baker ways and helps keep kitchen trauma to a minimum!
Anyway, despite having a stock of cookie dough batches in the freezer for rainy day cookie baking {gosh, doesn’t that make me sound organised...?} I decided today that we would make chocolate crispie cakes because I remember them so well from my childhood, and well, they really are totally simples and just a bit yummy, aren’t they?
Although we don’t eat Rice Crispies in this house.....or Cornflakes for that matter....so Cheerios it had to be!
This is how we made ours.....

Chocolate Cheerio Cakes
100g milk chocolate
75g Cheerios
50g unsalted butter
4 tbsp runny honey {or you could use golden syrup}
50g dried blueberries {or similar}

Melt the chocolate, butter and honey in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until smooth and all melted.
Mix the Cheerios and blueberries in a large mixing bowl and pour the melted chocolate mixture over. Mix until all combined.
Spoon into cake cases and chill for about 40 minutes...or not...if you can’t wait, then scoff immediately and revel in your rebellious ways and sticky fingers! 

This is easy and fun for children to make, except, of course for the melty chocolate bit which should be done by a grown up.
Washing up can be fun too.....although best done in the garden and always a good idea to check everything before putting it back in the cupboard!

Monday 19 March 2012

what’s it all about.....

I’ve been rather busy and therefore just a bit absent from blogging for the past... {..gasp! Is it really that long...???} year or so!!
Yikes! It’s been all go, to say the least.
I could go on and on explaining all about the lack of internet that struck our home for a couple of months {very annoying} and then the subsequent break down of a slightly battered and peppa pig stickered ‘pooter’ and then the convoluted and slightly mind warping appeal we had to conjure up with regards to our building proposals that had been initially REJECTED!!! {Insert frowny face here}.
I’m sure you won’t be the slightest bit surprised to hear of my long list of unfinished projects.....I’m drowning in granny squares, have piles of cut out and ready to sew dress pattern pieces......and the usual ‘I’ve started but I probably won’t finish...’ knitting challenges.....
But no, I’m going to return to this wee blog with a little shout out to the one project I did get finished. 
Ok, so it may have been two weeks late and made me really tired and possibly just a bit grumpy in the making, and I have a feeling I wasn’t particularly looking my best and the language was akin to that of a sailor on delivery of said project. 
BUT....all that said, I think you’ll agree..... 
It’s by far my best work to date....!

{Yes, we have a new little - almost 8 week old -  thimbles in our house! I have a brand spanking new ‘pooter’ and we have upped sticks while the builders turn our house into a little palace....in my head anyway!!}

Just to say a big thanks for all the emails and messages of ‘where are you?’. You’re all just so lovely to get in touch and ask after me. x