I just want to wish everyone who has read my blog; supported me since I started in August; offered help and encouragement and to the lovely companies who have sponsored various posts and competitions.
To all my lovely Twitter friends who are always there when I need them - who says online friendships are less valid than real-life ones?
I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Apologies for the awful quality of this video - I have asked Santa for a new camera. I did have another clip which was better quality, but also featured the dog in the background licking her bits, and I felt that wasn't quite festive enough!
xxx
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Christmas Giveaway - personalised stockings & sacks from Never Forget
Thank you for all your entries - this competition is now closed. The winners, drawn at random were:
Santa sacks - @TheKiss1970 and @Fraoch1 (please get in touch)
Personalised stockings - @bella165 and @mummiafelice
Santa hat - @roxanneclements
I was recently lucky enough to win a fantastic personalised Christmas sack from Never Forget. I'm so looking forward to filling it up with all Ruby's presents.
It turns out, that the lovely lady who runs this company is in fact a neighbour. We've been chatting online oblivious to the fact that we've probably been queuing in the local shop for a pint of milk together! What a small world.
So Never Forget have kindly offered me some beautiful personalised Christmas items to giveaway. Each item will be embroidered with your choice of name - my sack had Ruby embroidered in a very pretty 'daisy and dots' font like the one shown below, but you can choose a different font (Times Roman or Script).
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| Large personalised santa sack from £6.99 |
The sacks and stockings can of course be used year after year, and if you are trying to reduce your carbon footprint, you can use these and get away with no wrapping at all! Measuring 60 x 90cm they are also perfect for large or awkward shaped presents.
I have a number of prizes to give away, so please do enter. The first and second names drawn at random will each win a large personalised sack like the one shown above. The third and fourth names drawn will each win a large personalised Christmas stocking (40 x 20cm) - perfect for hanging up Christmas eve.
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| Large personalised stocking reduced to £4.99 |
We will do our absolute best to get the items to you in time for Christmas - but please make sure I can contact you and you respond quickly with your details. As this is only going to be a short competition, I'm offering an extra prize incentive to those that help spread the word on Facebook. If you fulfil the additional Facebook entry you will not only get another entry into the draw for the sacks and stockings, but all Facebook entries will be put in a special draw to win your choice of fun personalised santa hats. Click on the photo below for the range available, but this one's definitely the one I'd go for!
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| Personalised santa hat reduced to £3.49 |
Take a look round the store, Never Forget offer a great range of personalised gifts for babies, children and adults. Order now for pre-Christmas delivery.
How to enter the giveaway:
1. Follow my blog (buttons over on the right of screen) then visit Never Forget's online shop, and leave a comment here telling me which is your favourite item - it doesn't have to be Christmas related.
MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE A WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU (Twitter ID, email etc)
You can get additional entries by completing these steps, and telling me in the comments that you have done so.
2. Tweet the following: "I'm entering @missielizzieb 's blog #competition to win personalised Xmas gifts from @neverforgetcouk http://bit.ly/ia8WfA"
3. 'Like' Never Forget's Facebook page and post on your wall "I'm entering Missie Lizzie 's blog competition to win personalised Xmas gifts from http://www.neverforget.co.uk/ Enter here: http://bit.ly/ia8WfA "
If you complete step 3 then you will also be entered into the draw to win a santa hat.
This competition closes at 8pm on Friday 17th December. Sorry - UK entries only. Winners drawn at random.
Good luck!
This is a sponsored post and the prizes are kindly supplied by Never Forget
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Slow Cooker Sweet Aromatic Lamb Tagine
This recipe is one that I've tinkered with, but essentially it's a bastardised version of a recipe from Nigella Lawson's book 'Feast'.
Strictly speaking it can't be called a Tagine as it's not cooked in one, but I don't have one so there! Nigella places her recipe under the heading 'Funeral Feasts' but don't let that put you off. As a family we eat this meal very regularly - a lot more regularly than we attend funerals thankfully.
Despite owning heaps of cookery books, I am not great at following recipes (or, I suspect, writing them). I'm a kind of 'make-it up as I go along' kind of girl, so measurements are vague, but are not too important in this recipe - it's quite forgiving. Nigella uses honey (which I detest) and molasses (which I sometimes add but to be honest the fruit makes it sweet enough).
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
Approx 500g diced lamb (as it's slow cooked you can get away with more economical cuts, I often use neck fillet, you can also use leftover roast lamb, but obviously don't cook for as long)
1 red onion - sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice / all spice
2 star anise
1 pint hot water
1 large glass red wine
1/2 tube tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon chopped chili (I use the tubes from Gourmet Garden - what's the point in chopping chili?!)
Handful dried apricots - halved
Handful dried prunes - halved.
Method:
Gently fry the onion in a pan to soften it slightly. Add the lamb and stir. Once the meat is sealed and browned lightly on all sides, add the spices (except the anise stars). Stir well until all the meat and onion is coated in the spices. Careful not to burn it at this point as it will make the finished dish bitter.
In a jug, mix the hot water, tomato puree, chili and wine together until all the puree has dissolved.
Add the liquid to the pan, and turn up the heat. Bring to the boil and leave to bubble for about 5 minutes, so the liquid reduces slightly and the alcohol burns off.
Place the star anise in the slow cooker and pour over the meat, onion and sauce. Place lid on and cook for at least 5 hours - preferably longer. Approximately 2 hours before serving, add the apricots and prunes. If you add these at the beginning you'll find they soak up all the liquid and you'll constantly be topping up.
If the dish is drying out at all, add a little more water and stir.
I serve this with lime and coriander couscous, which offsets the sweetness of the meat - add the juice and zest of one lime to dried couscous, and stir in a handful of chopped fresh coriander. Then make up as normal with boiling water.
A perfect winter-warmer recipe. In my book any food you can eat out of a big bowl, shovelling down without the need for a knife is great comfort food! Even mixed with the couscous this freezes and re-heats well - when Ruby was smaller I used to pot up small portions of this and pop them in the freezer.
This is a real family favourite - everyone is always guaranteed to clear their plates. I love it because it is maximum taste with minimum effort, as it cooks it fills the house with delicious aromatic spicy scents. It's also a great way of sneaking fruit into my daughter without her knowing - never in a million years would she willingly eat a prune!!
Enjoy.
Strictly speaking it can't be called a Tagine as it's not cooked in one, but I don't have one so there! Nigella places her recipe under the heading 'Funeral Feasts' but don't let that put you off. As a family we eat this meal very regularly - a lot more regularly than we attend funerals thankfully.
Despite owning heaps of cookery books, I am not great at following recipes (or, I suspect, writing them). I'm a kind of 'make-it up as I go along' kind of girl, so measurements are vague, but are not too important in this recipe - it's quite forgiving. Nigella uses honey (which I detest) and molasses (which I sometimes add but to be honest the fruit makes it sweet enough).
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
Approx 500g diced lamb (as it's slow cooked you can get away with more economical cuts, I often use neck fillet, you can also use leftover roast lamb, but obviously don't cook for as long)
1 red onion - sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice / all spice
2 star anise
1 pint hot water
1 large glass red wine
1/2 tube tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon chopped chili (I use the tubes from Gourmet Garden - what's the point in chopping chili?!)
Handful dried apricots - halved
Handful dried prunes - halved.
Method:
Gently fry the onion in a pan to soften it slightly. Add the lamb and stir. Once the meat is sealed and browned lightly on all sides, add the spices (except the anise stars). Stir well until all the meat and onion is coated in the spices. Careful not to burn it at this point as it will make the finished dish bitter.
In a jug, mix the hot water, tomato puree, chili and wine together until all the puree has dissolved.
Add the liquid to the pan, and turn up the heat. Bring to the boil and leave to bubble for about 5 minutes, so the liquid reduces slightly and the alcohol burns off.
Place the star anise in the slow cooker and pour over the meat, onion and sauce. Place lid on and cook for at least 5 hours - preferably longer. Approximately 2 hours before serving, add the apricots and prunes. If you add these at the beginning you'll find they soak up all the liquid and you'll constantly be topping up.
If the dish is drying out at all, add a little more water and stir.
I serve this with lime and coriander couscous, which offsets the sweetness of the meat - add the juice and zest of one lime to dried couscous, and stir in a handful of chopped fresh coriander. Then make up as normal with boiling water.
 |
| I promise this tastes nicer than it looks! |
A perfect winter-warmer recipe. In my book any food you can eat out of a big bowl, shovelling down without the need for a knife is great comfort food! Even mixed with the couscous this freezes and re-heats well - when Ruby was smaller I used to pot up small portions of this and pop them in the freezer.
This is a real family favourite - everyone is always guaranteed to clear their plates. I love it because it is maximum taste with minimum effort, as it cooks it fills the house with delicious aromatic spicy scents. It's also a great way of sneaking fruit into my daughter without her knowing - never in a million years would she willingly eat a prune!!
Enjoy.
Christmas Time - Cinnamon and Wine
Last week while we were wrestling with the Christmas tree and trying to prettify the house with fairy lights, I stupidly (as I joke I hasten to add), started prancing around with Ruby singing Cliff Richard's Mistletoe and Wine.
For the life of me I don't know why - I loathe that song, but for the past week it has been stuck on a tortuous loop in my head, occasionally escaping from my lips as the old man looks despairingly at me wondering what medication I'm on.
Anyhow, all this singing about mistletoe and wine, with logs on the fire etc etc reminded me of @beckicklesie's Oui Chef theme for December - cinnamon and wine. Tenuous link I know, but that's how my mind works.
So here's my entry. A lovely simple recipe, perfect for unwinding after a hard day's shopping / cleaning / tweeting / whatever.
Ingredients:
1 cinnamon stick
1 large glass of red wine (my preference would be Merlot, but whatever takes your fancy)
Method:
Well, it's fairly self explanatory I think.....
Cheers!
For the life of me I don't know why - I loathe that song, but for the past week it has been stuck on a tortuous loop in my head, occasionally escaping from my lips as the old man looks despairingly at me wondering what medication I'm on.
Anyhow, all this singing about mistletoe and wine, with logs on the fire etc etc reminded me of @beckicklesie's Oui Chef theme for December - cinnamon and wine. Tenuous link I know, but that's how my mind works.
So here's my entry. A lovely simple recipe, perfect for unwinding after a hard day's shopping / cleaning / tweeting / whatever.
Ingredients:
1 cinnamon stick
1 large glass of red wine (my preference would be Merlot, but whatever takes your fancy)
Method:
Well, it's fairly self explanatory I think.....
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| Serving suggestion - Slanket optional! |
Cheers!
Monday, 13 December 2010
The Nativity...according to a 2 & 3/4 year old
DISCLAIMER: I am possibly about to inadvertently offend people here - so apologies in advance. I am not mocking people with firmly held religious beliefs in any way.
This is uncharted territory, and I may be about to commit the cardinal sin (no pun intended) of blogging by even mentioning religion. This may be mummy blogger suicide on a par with my Fruit Shoot post (No, obviously I'm not comparing Jesus to a Fruit Shoot...)
Here goes.
Last week when we'd ambled home from Nursery, Ruby spent a good part of the afternoon wandering round the house cradling her doll and calling her 'baby Jesus'. I was quite taken aback by this - we have never discussed religion in our house, and as far as I know none of her grandparents have either.
It's not that we are non-believers - both myself and her dad have our views, but these are private and we don't discuss them openly. I was raised as a Sunday-school-attending Methodist, and the other half as a practicing Roman Catholic. He was an alter boy and was educated by nuns. This enforced religion at a young age has turned us both off traditional worship and it was always our intention that we would allow our daughter to discover religion for herself (or not).
This is why I was quite shocked that, with no forewarning Ruby suddenly starts shouting about baby Jesus and singing snippets of a song with the words 'kneel and pray'. She actually attends two different nurseries - one is at a local SureStart centre, the other is a private nursery group held in a church hall. It was the SureStart group who have filled her head with 'baby Jesus'. I was really surprised by this - when you constantly read in the media about 'political-correctness gone mad' I would have thought the least they could do is inform parents they were going to talk about Christianity. Even back in the dark ages when I went to school we were given the option to opt out of religious teaching (though I suspect this wasn't the case with the other half - I imagine the nuns would have had something to say about that!).
Many lovely people on Twitter sent me kind and reassuring replies to my angst filled tweets about this. They didn't (as they probably should have) say "get a grip woman, it's 3 weeks before Christmas, the subject of Jesus in a manger was bound to come up".
I know I should have seen this coming, but disorganised as ever I didn't. I hadn't planned in my head what I was going to tell her about the meaning of Christmas. I tend to take the ostrich approach to parenting. I still think discussing religion with children should be the choice of the parents. I want her to learn about all faiths, and grow up tolerant and understanding of others. I haven't noticed any other celebrations discussed at nursery...
Today, I dropped Ruby off at her other nursery - the one at the church hall. I was met at the door by her key-worker who told me that the vicar was visiting today to tell the Christmas story. I was given the option, if I didn't want her to listen she could go to another room with a play leader and do another activity instead. I chose to let her stay and hear the story - at least she could hear it from a vicar, who presumably would know what he was talking about, and might put her right on a few things...like Jesus wasn't a girl.
This approach was much appreciated, and to be honest what I would expect from any pre-school setting. When I collected her at lunchtime, we wandered home and I asked her what she'd done today. This is how the conversation went:
Ruby: "The vicar came in today and told us all about baby Jesus"
Me: "That's nice. Did he tell you about where Jesus was born?"
Ruby: "Yes, in a stable. And some horses came to see her"
Me: "Him"
Ruby: "No, her."
Me: "Did anyone else come to visit?"
Ruby: "No."
Me: "What about the three wise men?"
Ruby: "Yes, three old men came too. And a cow."
Me: "And did they bring any presents?"
Ruby: "No. Father Christmas brings the presents, but he hasn't been yet. When he does he's going to bring her a Thomas the Tank Train Set."
Looks like I have some more explaining to do on this. Or maybe not.
This is uncharted territory, and I may be about to commit the cardinal sin (no pun intended) of blogging by even mentioning religion. This may be mummy blogger suicide on a par with my Fruit Shoot post (No, obviously I'm not comparing Jesus to a Fruit Shoot...)
Here goes.
Last week when we'd ambled home from Nursery, Ruby spent a good part of the afternoon wandering round the house cradling her doll and calling her 'baby Jesus'. I was quite taken aback by this - we have never discussed religion in our house, and as far as I know none of her grandparents have either.
It's not that we are non-believers - both myself and her dad have our views, but these are private and we don't discuss them openly. I was raised as a Sunday-school-attending Methodist, and the other half as a practicing Roman Catholic. He was an alter boy and was educated by nuns. This enforced religion at a young age has turned us both off traditional worship and it was always our intention that we would allow our daughter to discover religion for herself (or not).
This is why I was quite shocked that, with no forewarning Ruby suddenly starts shouting about baby Jesus and singing snippets of a song with the words 'kneel and pray'. She actually attends two different nurseries - one is at a local SureStart centre, the other is a private nursery group held in a church hall. It was the SureStart group who have filled her head with 'baby Jesus'. I was really surprised by this - when you constantly read in the media about 'political-correctness gone mad' I would have thought the least they could do is inform parents they were going to talk about Christianity. Even back in the dark ages when I went to school we were given the option to opt out of religious teaching (though I suspect this wasn't the case with the other half - I imagine the nuns would have had something to say about that!).
Many lovely people on Twitter sent me kind and reassuring replies to my angst filled tweets about this. They didn't (as they probably should have) say "get a grip woman, it's 3 weeks before Christmas, the subject of Jesus in a manger was bound to come up".
I know I should have seen this coming, but disorganised as ever I didn't. I hadn't planned in my head what I was going to tell her about the meaning of Christmas. I tend to take the ostrich approach to parenting. I still think discussing religion with children should be the choice of the parents. I want her to learn about all faiths, and grow up tolerant and understanding of others. I haven't noticed any other celebrations discussed at nursery...
Today, I dropped Ruby off at her other nursery - the one at the church hall. I was met at the door by her key-worker who told me that the vicar was visiting today to tell the Christmas story. I was given the option, if I didn't want her to listen she could go to another room with a play leader and do another activity instead. I chose to let her stay and hear the story - at least she could hear it from a vicar, who presumably would know what he was talking about, and might put her right on a few things...like Jesus wasn't a girl.
This approach was much appreciated, and to be honest what I would expect from any pre-school setting. When I collected her at lunchtime, we wandered home and I asked her what she'd done today. This is how the conversation went:
Ruby: "The vicar came in today and told us all about baby Jesus"
Me: "That's nice. Did he tell you about where Jesus was born?"
Ruby: "Yes, in a stable. And some horses came to see her"
Me: "Him"
Ruby: "No, her."
Me: "Did anyone else come to visit?"
Ruby: "No."
Me: "What about the three wise men?"
Ruby: "Yes, three old men came too. And a cow."
Me: "And did they bring any presents?"
Ruby: "No. Father Christmas brings the presents, but he hasn't been yet. When he does he's going to bring her a Thomas the Tank Train Set."
Looks like I have some more explaining to do on this. Or maybe not.
From Slummy Mummy to Yummy Mummy - thanks to Cocktail Cosmetics
Thank you for all your entries - this competition is now closed. The winner, drawn at random was @pipersky1
In the days BC (before children) I used to spend ages on myself, doing my nails, hair and make-up. Nowadays the most I can manage is a scrape of mascara and a dash of lippy as I hurtle out of the house in the mornings dragging Ruby behind whilst yelling 'We're late!!"
This is partly because I don't have the time, but mainly because said daughter decided to completely trash my make-up bag one morning while I was in the shower. Lathered up with shampoo I thought she was being ominously quiet, and when I emerged from behind the shower curtain and my eyes had adjusted to the steam-filled room, I discovered her caked from head to foot in foundation, lipstick and eyeshadow. There were mascara streaks up the wall, my brushes were clogged with lip gloss, my pressed powder had been gauged and stabbed and the bathmat was smothered in nail varnish. She'd had a wail of her time with her 'Bourjois dirty protest' I on the other hand was fuming! Re-stocking a make-up bag from scratch is a costly business.
That's why I'm so pleased to have found Cocktail Cosmetics. Not only is the name itself glamorous enough to make you instantly feel more yummy, but they have a great range of products and offer fantastic service. With the party season upon us, it's time I smartened up my act!
I'm delighted that Cocktail Cosmetics have offered me the chance to try out some make-up brushes from ecoTools, and they've given me another set to as a competition prize for my readers.
The ecoTools 6 piece brush set is the perfect set for anyone who wants beautiful make up and wishes to be eco friendly. Made up of brushes that are made from synthetic cruelty free bristles, recylced aluminium ferrules and sustainable bamboo handles. The set retails at £14.95 and includes a blush brush, eye shading brush, eyeliner brush, lash and brow groomer and a concealer brush, all presented in a cosmetics brush roll made from hemp linen and cotton.
I love the eco-friendly credentials of this product, added to the fact they are great value and perform as well as other much more expensive brushes. I found them great to use, each one performing its function well and there was no hair-loss which you sometimes get with low-cost brushes.
EcoTools have received great reviews from many beauty bloggers and experts, and overall I have to agree. This set would make a perfect gift or stocking-filler for someone who likes to look good and cares about the environment. Check out the ecoTools range from only £2.50 on Cocktail Cosmetics.
If you'd like to win a set of these brushes either to keep for yourself, or give as a gift, here's what you need to do...
1. Follow my blog (use the buttons over on the right to subscribe), this makes it easier for me to track down winners!
2. Visit Cocktail Cosmetics online store and tell me which of their stocked ranges is your favourite, or which new line you'd like to see them introduce.
You must complete steps 1 & 2 for your entry to qualify.
You can get additional entries by doing the following, BUT PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW FOR EACH EXTRA ENTRY.
4. Post on your Facebook wall "I'm entering Missie Lizzie's blog competition to win ecoTool make-up brushes from Cocktail Cosmetics. Read here to find out how you can enter too http://bit.ly/fCRH4y
6. Tweet the following: "I'm entering @missielizzieb 's blog competition to win ecoTool make-up brushes from #CocktailCosmetics http://bit.ly/fCRH4y"
The winner will be picked at random. Closing date is 9am on Saturday 18th December - I will do my best to get the prize to the winner before Christmas, but please make sure you leave a way of contacting you - twitter ID, Facebook name, email etc. Sorry, due to postage costs this competition is open to UK only.
Giveaway kindly sponsored by Cocktail Cosmetics who provided both the prize and the product for review purposes. No financial reward has been received for this promotion and any views are my own honest opinions.
Giveaway kindly sponsored by Cocktail Cosmetics who provided both the prize and the product for review purposes. No financial reward has been received for this promotion and any views are my own honest opinions.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
A very lucky winner...
Yet again, I've had an amazing response to the competition - and with the mouth-watering prize supplied by Chocadores I can't say I blame you!
You don't have to thank me for introducing you to this fantastic company (but if you want to thank me, giant chocolate buttons go down well!)
Please pay their shop a visit, their bespoke fresh chocolate boxes make fantastic christmas presents, and you should perhaps stock up on the hot chocolate cubes before they sell out (or we get snowed in again).
Moving on, thank you all for entering, I have totted up all the entries and put the numbers into random generator, and the result was...
You don't have to thank me for introducing you to this fantastic company (but if you want to thank me, giant chocolate buttons go down well!)
Please pay their shop a visit, their bespoke fresh chocolate boxes make fantastic christmas presents, and you should perhaps stock up on the hot chocolate cubes before they sell out (or we get snowed in again).
Moving on, thank you all for entering, I have totted up all the entries and put the numbers into random generator, and the result was...
Comment number 77 - congratulations Stacy Ward @basehex. Well done Stacy, please could you get in touch with me via DM @missielizzieb or email me missielizzieandmyshadow (@) ymail.com with your postal address so I can send your prize out to you. x
I'd just like to say a big, big thank you to Chocadores for sponsoring this competition.
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