Wednesday 27 July 2016

Easy Simple Flatbreads ( No yeast )

I attempted this recipe yesterday and I have to say it went rather well , the kitchen on the other hand looked like a battleground it was hard to say where flour and countertop started or finished to be honest. But all the best creative geniuses were never tidy ...



Ingredients

150 g Plain flour ( this about will make 4 flatbreads by my reckoning , just double up to make more keeping everything the same but perhaps adding a little more coconut milk  )
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of very lazy garlic ( you could use garlic powder)
1 teaspoon smoked salt
4 level tablepoons of non fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of coconut milk/almond milk /any milk


The smell of freshly baking bread has to be one of the best smells in the world, I mean who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread gently wafting in the kitchen . And NO YEAST !

It is amazing what you can do with minimal ingredients !

I forgot how easy it to to make your own flat breads and jazzing up your meals , I have been buying my own flatbread and I have to bow down to having a lazy culinary phase but now summer is here ~ no more !

Method

  1. First add the flour , garlic powder, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre next add the yogurt, oil and milk.
  2. Next mix together well , cover will cling film and leave at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes .
  3. Once it has rested divide into 2 . Then into 2 again . With this mixture I ended up with 4 dough balls. It was my first go!
  4. flour your work surface , I used my hands to flatten the balls then used the rolling pin on the 2mm setting to roll into a round shape. It does;t have to be perfect after all rustic is the latest buzz word isn't it ?
  1. Lightly grease a frying pan , 2 minutes on each side , brush with oil oil ( before you do flip over ) 
  2. You can brush with all again before you serve. These can be made a little in advance and kept warm wrapped up in foil.










But wait I forgot to add the yogurt mint sauce ... basically it's a few tea spoons of mint sauce mixed with some left over non fat Greek yogurt !! 


Wednesday 20 July 2016

Win A Drinkwell Ceramic Avalon Pet Fountain

With the summer of sport well underway, there are plenty of distractions that could take attention away from our four legged friends. To promote the importance of good hydration during these warmer months PetSafe® is giving away a Drinkwell® Ceramic Avalon Pet Fountain worth £72.99 (RRP), perfect for attending to your cat’s hydration needs.













And with two cats to keep hydrated a constant water supply is essential ! Make sure that your pets have access to water and that it is kept topped up.







For more information on keeping your pet well hydrated, please visit: http://intl.petsafe.net/en-gb/pet-hydration





So thanks to PetSafe® they have a water fountain for me to give away to you which will be send to the winner by themselves. 


For 

Open to UK only 
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Disclosure : Jack and Rollie are being sent a water fountain of their own in thanks for this post. * Obviously I had to type this for them !

Stop The Body Shaming


Body shaming goes both ways and it has to stop!


Body shaming isn't restricted to young girls it affects us all including boys.


And it is worrying.



We should be mindful of what you say to people , we really should .



Instead of perhaps saying "Blimey when so and so was younger but now they really look like they have shed the timber " ( This was my son that they were talking about  )


The pursuit of the body beautiful is squarely at the door of social media , thats not the whole story but media in the various guises through the years has played its part as has society.


Our young people are very vulnerable and we have to be so very careful we need to help young people in the balancing act of life and the words you use they have an affect. I found myself saying "

You are like a twig , you'll snap "

I have stopped in my tracks as this isn't what I need to be saying especially with a teenager going off to university next year and I am not ready to own a university student yet . Sensibility needs to start at home , sensibility needs to filter through to the media.

I have just got home and looked an an email and again in a round about way it was related to body shaming pointing the finger at Jennifer Aniston and how to avoid those bloating foods.


Stop the body shaming ~ size is size .




Monday 18 July 2016

What's Your X Moment ?


My X moment


I have so many special moments one of them is when my husband has gone to work and my teenager is sleeping ( he's 17), I steal myself away for a quick walk in that magical hour before the world awakes in fits and starts. I feel as that some how time in stopped in a magical dance . I love to see the sun beams dance upon the corn as it sways gently in the summer breeze . There's no one here but me in the bewitching hour I am at one with nature and feel it's affinity , the hustle and bustle of the world is so very far away. I am a time stealer , a moment collector  this is my  X moment and the memory of the picture evokes memories some may be happy ,some may be sad but it's proof of my existence of my footprint upon this world.








There are many special moments in life that happen and it is wonderful to capture them , we need fun and hilarity in our lives . Children and capturing their special moments can prove to be hilarious as can capturing your family with your pets , hopefully you'll be familiar with Rollie and his Njnja Killer cat antics .Rollie is very much the camera pleaser though at times his expression can look like thunder mixed with evil , especially when he is wedged in between the nice china and I have my arms out like the chap from Jurassuc world as if I'm herding a volasaraptor !


And then he does this , the ultimate selfie bombing cat bless him , he's part of the family > he's in charge and we love him very much especially in those X moments . 


For Sony, an X Moment is a “split second in time that means something to you that’s here and then gone. It could be a baby’s first steps, achieving a personal goal, a sporting achievement, your dog’s whimsical expression, or just a random flash of happiness and hilarity. It’s a moment that you’d love to capture perfectly that’s all too missable if you, or your phone isn’t up to the job”.


What's your #WhatsYourX moment 


“I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.”

Friday 15 July 2016

Joseph Joseph Sink Drainer

I've recently changed my sink drainer which was by Joseph Joseph but alas it wasn't cat proof .


The previous sink drainer had done a marvellous job both as sink drainer and cat bed!

But now we have a new sink drainer and it is the prettiest dish drainer in town , so much so I may have to design my new kitchen around itYou might thin it is wrong oh so wrong to get excited over a sink drainer but it is seriously a brilliant piece of kitchen equipment and well worth the investment. The good thing about this drainer is that you can expand it to on contract it to suit the size of drainage you have available perfectly. I know that is is pricey and you get what you pay for but I am sure Mr T can hold off on his craft beer subscription for a while !

The directional spout is a super feature and in the world of such elegant innovation I truly love it , yes I am a diehard Joseph Joseph fan but what is not to love about their products and they continue in their brilliance year in and year out . I am encouraging Mr T to go for promotion buy hey I need to fed my Joseph Joseph addiction.





The Joseph Joseph Extend is available to by from all good retailers well you wouldn't buy from a rubbish one . The RRP is around £49.99 but before you suck air through your teeth , you'll look around to find the best price.


Disclosure The sink s model is Rollie the cat and is available to do reviews / films and to write a book .

Friday 8 July 2016

You're My Sunshine



I'd like more sunshine please , I'm sure it can be arranged! we are so busy chasing the sunshine we've forgotten what else is round us . But we need sunshine in our lives as its warmth cheer us up , but so intent are we on chasing the great ball of fire.

The sun and the weather is our national obsession along with tea and the such like. So I'm griping I'd like more sunshine in my life though I work in a school so it's really like I'm a disco covered glitter ball already really .

Behold I see sunshine but I'm still cold and I have just had a hot chocolate , Hello it's July. We should all be sweltering in the sunshine though we'd probably gripe about being too hot .

Tuesday 5 July 2016

A Moment Can Be Like A Piece Of Music





A moment can be like a piece of music.

This was a moment in the field near my house yesterday , a moment in time I was living in the moment of the time but I'll be back as we need to see the moment played out . We don't go to a concert, listen to a bit of it then walk out part way through , we stay and listen to the full concert . So with a moment in life , we need to have many moments to have a full symphony of life.



We don't know what's round the corner in life but still we move round to see what is round the bend of corner , we keep moving forward .




Remaining grounded and knowing life can be OK , we aren't always equipped on life's adventures properly but that doesn't mean we shouldn't explore and experience the wonder all around us .


No matter the path life is an adventure that I'll continue taking as I want to play out many a moment in time.

Friday 1 July 2016

48 Hours In Washington D.C

Americas political capital is the ideal centre of hot political debate at the moment as it gears up to choose its next President. Washington is the ultimate historical metropolis that warrants exploration,as soon as you end the vibrant sidewalks you'll feel as if you're in a movie.



If you've only got 48 hours in Washington D. C then it is entirely possible to see a majority of the major sites. A superb Metro system makes this a clean and effortless achievement and no major land mark is ever that far from a Metro station.




Washington was found as the political capital of the USA in 1791 and I can vouch from a conversation from a guide at Capital Hill that there is still a slight ( smiley ) good tempered grudge against the British , all in good jest I hasten to add . The location of Washington D.C was decided by the man who it is named after George Washington.








Morning 


  • The National Mall: The centre of Washington D.C spreads out from the National Mall , a 1.9 mile green strip ebbing east to west  that plays hosts to some of the country's most important monuments and museums.

  • Lincoln Memorial: Washington is a city full of icons , the Lincoln Memorial is the inspiration  for the back of the penny stands out in the crowd. It’s the classicism evoked by the Greek temple design, or the way the memorial so perfectly anchors the Mall’s west end, or maybe just the stony dignity of Lincoln’s gaze and the power of his speeches engraved in the walls. Whatever; a visit here while gazing over the reflecting pool is a defining DC moment. and of course gets blown up in Independence day why do these aliens always blow up the landmarks!






Spend a glorious morning around the National Monument a neck cricking 555 ft obelisk honouring the first US president.You'll notice the distinction between two colours of stone on the monument this is due to building work being stopped during the American Civil Wat. 



Day 2

National Archives: Housed in an imposing neo-classical temple, the archives are another must: there might have been so many years past as one reads the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence – the originals – under pale ambient light, but the tingle of seeing the signatures of George Washington and the like is spine tingling and you'll find yourself very much in awe of it all.




Arlington Cemetery: Simple white headstones spread over 624 hilly acres mark the graves of veterans of every US war from the Revolution to Iraq and Afghanistan. Look for the eternal flame atop JFK's grave, and for the Tomb of the Unknowns, where rifle holding  sentinels maintain a round-the-clock vigil and stage an elaborate changing of the guard each hour. 





With the cemetery still being in active use , it is not an uncommon sight to see families following a horse drawn gun carriage through the cemetery and beautifully if not sadly you'll hear the lingering sound of a bugle .


On the way back you could certainly stop by and look at he Pentagon but as one of the most secure military establishments in the world there is no picture taking, here you can find a moment to 911 where a plane crashed into the Pentagon with the loss of 184 lives.