Melting Moments

(originally from a Good Housekeeping Recipe book)
Makes about 24

Ingredients

100g. (4oz) butter or alternative - butter is best.
75g (3oz) caster sugar
150g (5-6oz) self raising flour
1 egg yolk
Few drops of vanilla essence
2 or 3 handfuls of crushed cornflakes

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to Gas mark 5 (375F, 190C) Adjust for fan ovens
2. Grease 2 fairly large baking sheets
3. Cream the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon, or with your fingers.. messy though.
4. When the mixture is pale and 'fluffy' beat in the egg yolk and vanilla essence
5. Stir in the flour to make a smooth dough and divide the mixture into 24 pieces, or thereabouts.
6. Form each piece into a ball, roll in crushed cornflakes and flatten slightly.
7. Place on baking sheets, leaving space to rise.
8. Put  into pre-heated oven, not too near the top, for 15-20 minutes until turning golden brown
9. Remove from oven, leave to cool for a couple of minutes then carefully lift off the tins on to a wire tray to cool completely.

I used to make batch after batch of melting moments - they disappeared off the cooling tray very quickly in my house. I hope you manage to save a few for afternoon tea :-)

For more afternoon tea ideas, download this simple and inexpensive Kindle book today, and indulge in one of life's pleasures :-)

Make a perfect cuppa and create an afternoon tea fit for royalty!

Tea and Cakes (US Direct Link)
Tea and Cakes (UK Direct Link)


Bon Appetit!

Linda x

Banana and Chocolate Pancakes

 This delicious recipe is a perfect teatime treat

Ingredients

Pancake Mix:

4oz. (100g) flour
Approx. 8fl.oz (200mls) milk
1-2 eggs (depending on size)
A little cooking oil


Filling:

1-2 bananas
2oz. (50g) dark chocolate (keeping it healthy!)
1 tablespoon honey


Method:

To make pancakes:

1. Sift flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre

2. Break an egg into the well and add a little milk.

3. Mix well, adding more milk gradually and mixing until all milk has been used and you have a fairly thick batter mix.

4. Heat oil in a frying pan and pour in a little batter and cook for a minute or two.

5. Turn over - or flip if you can! - and cook gently on the other side for a minute or two.

6. Serve warm


To Make Filling:

1. Gently warm honey and chocolate in a pan to melt. (Stir to avoid burning)

2. Slice bananas and add to the pan.

3. Cook gently for a minute or two, stirring all the time, then spread over cooked pancake.

4. Eat immediately!


Enjoy :-)

Shabby Chic Purse

I've just started making these cute little purses - perfect for lunch money or a lucky charm... and tres chic don't you think?

They're simple and quick to make. And cost very little.



You need one pair of 3.75mm knitting needles, and a 4.00mm crochet hook.(or a length of thin cord)
And less than 25g of double knitting yarn.

Experiment with different size needles and different types of yarn. There are some great alternate yarns on the market - some with lurex sparkly bits - maybe good for an evening purse?

In case you're new to knitting, stocking stitch is 'knit one row, purl one row'


Method:

So, cast on 16 sts and starting with a knit row, stocking stitch 13 rows.

Next Row: Purl 2sts together at beginning and end of  row (14sts)
Next Row: Knit 2sts together at beginning and end of  row (12sts)

Increase 1 stitch at beginning and end of next 2 rows (16sts)

Then starting with a purl row, stocking stitch 13 rows.

Cast off.


Making Up:

Fold bag in half with right sides facing and sew up the side seams. Turn right side out.

Crochet about a metre length for strap or use thin cord or ribbon - or plait a few lengths of yarn together.

Thread strap through 3rd or 4th row of knitting from the top. Then knot to length you want it, and cut off excess.

NB: To make a stripe, work the 4th and 5th row (of the first 13 rows) and the 9th and 10th row (of the 2nd 13 rows) in a contrasting colour.

Altogether, this bag took about an hour to make.


Cost? 

Presuming you already have the knitting needles, a suitable sewing needle for yarn and a crochet hook if you're using one, there is only the yarn to buy and any little extras you may want!

You could tie a couple of charms onto the cord to personalize it more. Look for packs in craft stores. They are often very inexpensive.

And the yarn - well you could probably get half a dozen purses out of 50g of yarn (50g of yarn maybe a couple of quid?) I haven't tested the exact amount of yarn needed yet so don't quote me on this!

Happy Knitting!

Grow Your Own Healthy Kids!

Of course it's very possible to grow a bunch of healthy kids, especially if you can find the child in you as well.

Being a kid can be great fun, and there's no reason why we can't run around and play kids games until we are grandparents and beyond. As soon as the sun is shining get outside in the fresh air... especially if you live in a climate that has very short summers ( talking UK here!). Make the most of the sunlight. As long as you protect your skin from harmful rays, sunlight is the best form of vitamin D - and doesn't it make you feel good!

There are lots of outdoor games that need little or no equipment. The secret is to cast your mind back to your own schooldays, or perhaps your parents day and revive the traditional games played before the digital phenomenon infiltrated our homes. Of course, computer games and other computer stuff is great - I mean you are reading this right? And I used my laptop to write it, so I certainly couldn't follow my dreams as easily without the web at my fingertips.

But getting outside is important, as is exercise and fun. A little exercise repays us with tons of energy and the fun factor needs no explanation at all.

Outdoor games

If you have a patio area in your garden, invest in a box of giant chalks and draw out a hopscotch game using paving slabs as squares if possible. If you've never played this great game, google it or check out the books listed below

Ball games, including simple throw and catch games for very small children are a great co-ordination exercise as well as being fun. Badmington, tennis and dodge ball are all possible in a reasonably large garden. If you really haven't got the space, take a trip to the park.

Seasonal Solutions:

Make the most of technology and take a camera on woodland walks. In the springtime, the wild violets, bluebells or daffodils that grow in your region can be captured on camera and then later turned into home-made greetings cards perhaps? Or frame your favourites and brighten up your kitchen with splashes of artistic family photography.

During the autumn or winter, there are often fallen branches or wild fungi that can be collected - the edible ones could even provide a family meal - but obviously not ALL fungi are edible so take a reliable identification source with you.

Small branches can be turned into Christmas decorations, and with a few fallen pine cones and a sprig of holly, they can make attractive table decorations.

Indoor Games

Pencil and paper games have long since gone out of fashion which is a shame as they really are a great educational tool as well as bringing the whole family together in some quality time. Try traditional battleship games played manually rather than on the PC or other electronic form. The exercise of creating your own playing board can be just as much fun as actually playing the game.

Misfits can be played with younger children; First draw a head and neck of any type of creature or even monster, at the top of a length of paper, fold over the paper to hide the picture and then pass to the next player. Then all players draw a body and arms underneath the neck, fold over and pass on. Then repeat, drawing legs and feet. Open them all up to find an assortment of weird and wonderful mixed up creatures. Young children love this game.

For more wonderful ideas on how to grow healthy kids and find the kid in you, read the book, Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense available direct from Black & White Publishing and Amazon of course: .

 Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense

 Direct from Amazon




 Or, for a digital input, this Kindle book has tons of great games for all the family...

Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid

Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid


Have Fun!

Linda x

Healthy Living in May

Just a quick note to let you know we've launched a brand new 'Healthy Living' magazine that you can read for FREE today, with some great ideas to feed your family on healthy foods. And you can find natural beauty ideas so you can avoid chemicals in your everyday products.

Fun and full of content, this first issue is short and sweet and will inspire you to live a healthier and wealthier lifestyle.

We've included ideas for kid's snacks and recipes for tea time treats and even a funny story that will make all parent's sigh!...

Read your copy here Healthy Living

Linda x

Summer Fun

There are tons of traditional games to keep the family occupied - with little or no cash. Bring our that inner kid and have fun this summer!
 The Kindle edition of  Traditional Games: How to Have Fun off the Grid is available to download now, just in time for summer. :-)


This is just one of the great games you will find in this fun book...

JACKS

One of my favourite games that seems to be making a comeback. The game can be played with small smooth stones or invest a few pennies and buy a set of jacks to get the most fun. The game is simple and can be played almost anywhere. If you are using small pebbles or anything similar, it’s easier to use a small ball for throwing. A ball can bounce, a pebble can’t!

So, you have five jacks and you gently throw them on the ground in front of you. Then you throw up the ball and, before you catch it, you must pick up one ‘jack’ and then catch the ball in the same hand. Here the ball is easier because you get a chance to catch the ball after it’s bounced once, giving you more time to select and pick up a jack.

If player is successful, they throw down the jack they picked up and then have to throw up the ball and pick up two ‘jacks’ and catch the ball in the same hand. And so on until all five jacks are picked up at once. If the player doesn’t catch the ball or drops a jack, the other player takes a turn.

This game can also be played by only one person. Try catching the jacks before the ball bounces, then increase the challenge by introducing more ‘jacks’.

Linda x

Ekokids Update

Hi everyone,

This is a quick update to let you know I've closed my home and garden website. 10 years and a labour of love, but I just don't have the time to keep it running anymore.

Some of the patterns on this blog may have links to the website so rather than finding yourself in some nebulous digital cloud (!) pop over to facebook and join me on the Ekokids page. Message me if you'd like to see the patterns available and we can sort out a way of getting them to you tout de suite :-)

The Ekokids on Facebook

Linda x