This rocky road recipe is so quick and easy,
tastes and looks great, only problem is saving some for anybody else to try! It would make a perfect edible gift this Christmas and especially as a thank you gift for teachers.
Ingredients:
250
g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
400
g chocolate
100
g golden syrup
250
g digestive biscuits
200
g smarties (Red and Green to make it festive)
1
large handful of marshmallows
1
handful of chocolate biscuits
icing
sugar for dusting
FOR INGREDIENTS
Method:
1 - Grease and line a cake tin (roughly 20cm x 25cm). Half-fill a
medium pan with boiling water and simmer over a low heat. Place a heatproof
bowl over the pan of simmering water and melt the butter, chocolate and golden
syrup together, stirring well
2 - Once the mixture is smooth, wrap the digestive biscuits in a
clean tea towel and bash with a rolling pin into rough pieces, then add to the
mixture. Add the rest of your fillings, and marshmallows.
3 - Mix everything together until well combined then pour the
mixture into the lined tin. Push in a few chocolate biscuits. Pop in the fridge
for at least 2 hours, or until set. Once firm, remove from the fridge,
carefully remove from the tin and finish with a dusting of icing sugar. Cut
into squares and give to friends and family if you can resist not eating them
all yourself first.
TO
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If you're a regular reader of my blog then you will know by now that Eva is a big fan of baby dolls and playing mummy, so we were very grateful to be asked if we would like to review the Classic Tiny Tears doll.
Tiny Tears is one of the original baby doll brands. In fact you may have had one when you were a child. She celebrated her 50th anniversary last year which we were lucky enough to be a part of. If you can't remember the review we wrote then have a read here, Tiny Tears 50th Anniversary Doll.
She is back fresh from her celebrations and with a brand new look. Tiny Tears has had a makeover. She now features a new dress which is specifically designed for Tiny Tears. She is made for children aged between 3-6 so perfect for Eva's age.
When she arrived Eva was thrilled. She came with a bottle, potty, new dress, knickers, dummy and a hairbrush. She can drink her bottle, cry and use the potty.
The first thing that caught Eva's eye, much to my surprise, was not her pretty new dress but her lovely long hair. She instantly wanted to brush it. She spent the best part of an hour grooming her and popping lots of various clips and bobbles in from her own collection.
Her new dress and hairband are lovely. They make her look more like a toddler than a young baby which is what I think Eva likes about her. She has a newborn looking doll which she just feeds and changes the nappy with but with this one she she does more 'grown up' things. She plays games with her and also tries to teach her things which I think is really cute.
She also uses a lot of imaginative/role play and uses both her Tiny Tears dolls together. She calls them sisters. They are like real sisters. They quite often fight but they love each other really. I love a child's imagination.
Eva has been really happy with her new Tiny Tears. I would have liked to have seen her have a new function but then again that would take away from her 'classic' features. The fact that she's not an all singing, all dancing doll teaches Eva to use her imagination more.
The new doll is available from all good retailers and you can find out more about her here, Tiny Tears Classic.
If you are on twitter then make sure to get involved with the #tinytearsparty where you could win lots of prizes.
Tiny Tears is one of the original baby doll brands. In fact you may have had one when you were a child. She celebrated her 50th anniversary last year which we were lucky enough to be a part of. If you can't remember the review we wrote then have a read here, Tiny Tears 50th Anniversary Doll.
She is back fresh from her celebrations and with a brand new look. Tiny Tears has had a makeover. She now features a new dress which is specifically designed for Tiny Tears. She is made for children aged between 3-6 so perfect for Eva's age.
When she arrived Eva was thrilled. She came with a bottle, potty, new dress, knickers, dummy and a hairbrush. She can drink her bottle, cry and use the potty.
The first thing that caught Eva's eye, much to my surprise, was not her pretty new dress but her lovely long hair. She instantly wanted to brush it. She spent the best part of an hour grooming her and popping lots of various clips and bobbles in from her own collection.
Her new dress and hairband are lovely. They make her look more like a toddler than a young baby which is what I think Eva likes about her. She has a newborn looking doll which she just feeds and changes the nappy with but with this one she she does more 'grown up' things. She plays games with her and also tries to teach her things which I think is really cute.
She also uses a lot of imaginative/role play and uses both her Tiny Tears dolls together. She calls them sisters. They are like real sisters. They quite often fight but they love each other really. I love a child's imagination.
Eva has been really happy with her new Tiny Tears. I would have liked to have seen her have a new function but then again that would take away from her 'classic' features. The fact that she's not an all singing, all dancing doll teaches Eva to use her imagination more.
The new doll is available from all good retailers and you can find out more about her here, Tiny Tears Classic.
If you are on twitter then make sure to get involved with the #tinytearsparty where you could win lots of prizes.
Next up to feature on my Christmas Blogger Interview series is Donna from http://whattheredheadsaid.com/
Thank you to Donna for taking part. I'm so pleased to hear you still send cards. There's not many people that still do which is a shame.
You can find Donna on the following social media by clicking on the links:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
1 - Do you have any family Christmas traditions?
When Hubby and I got together we had traditions that we'd both carried on from growing up with our individual families but once the children came along we decided to start our own traditions based on our experiences.
Each year we all get new pyjamas on Christmas Eve and a new Christmas movie to watch. It's when Christmas really starts for us and Christmas Eve ends with the children leaving a mince pie and a drink out for Father Christmas and a carrot for Rudolph.
In our house Father Christmas leaves all the presents downstairs under the tree - and maybe stockings hanging from the fireplace but nothing upstairs. He also uses a magic key as we don't have a proper chimney.
2 - What’s your ultimate Christmas movie?
My favourite is still Santa Claus the Movie, one I have loved since I was small and one I will never tire of watching. I love it's classic Christmas charm and how it modernises the original story of Saint Nicholas. But, as a family we now love The Polar Express. Hubby and I watched it at London's Imax in 3D when it first came out and we introduced the children to it at the very first opportunity! A modern Christmas classic.
3 - What 3 songs would be top of your festive playlist?
I love Chris Rea, Driving Home for Christmas. Every year when I've been at work for Christmas this has come on the radio when I've left the office on Christmas Eve and it always makes me feel quite emotional - there's nothing like being with your closest people over the festive season.
Another favourite is Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. No specific version but it's on most Christmas albums and it always has a feel good, happy feeling to it.
Lastly, All I Want For Christmas. It reminds me of Love Actually - another lovely Christmas movie. The song is just so nice, and has so much hope and honesty in it. I love it.
4 - Are you an online shopper or do you go to the actual stores?
I mostly do shopping online but I put money aside each month towards Christmas and shop in the sales through the year so usually, by December, I just have stocking fillers left to get and they're much easier to buy from the shops so I usually have a festive shopping trip, revolving around plenty of tea and cake stops, purely to get the little bits and pieces you can't really get online.
5 - Do you make shopping lists or buy things when you see something nice?
Through the year I just buy things I think people, especially the children, would like but closer to Christmas I work out who I still have things left to buy for and write a list to make sure everyone has a gift they'll love at Christmas.
6 - Do you send Christmas cards?
I do! We have another tradition of having photo based Christmas cards where we take a nice family picture or a festive photo of the children and send it to everyone. It's a bit American and a bit cheesey but I love it. We keep one for the memory box too.
7 - Do you have an elf on the shelf? What do you do with it?
No, I don't. Each to their own but we'll never have an elf in our house - I have enough to do in December without an elf to think about too! :)
8 - Do you have chocolate advent calendars or something else?
Usually we have a homemade advent calendar, with pockets that I fill with chocolate coins or anything else little that I can find. But, this year, due to us being in the middle of having an extension, we're gone down the very commercial route and the children have Playmobil advent calendars. But, they also have really cheap chocolate ones as all their friends had chocolate ones and I know, even though they have a new toy each morning, they would have been disappointed without chocolate too.
9 - Do you do a Christmas eve box? If so what’s in it?
I do! We have a hamper that I fill each year and it usually has in it new pyjamas, a new Christmas movie and we put Santa's special plate and the magic key in it. I also usually buy some Christmas eve treats like special cookies, hot chocolate or cake.
10 - Do you make any gifts?
No, I'm not the most creative of people - although I love to look at all the creativity on Pinterest!
11 - Do you do any Christmas crafts?
Not really... We usually get Christmas colouring packs, colour in stocking and other simple things but nothing too creative really.
12 - If you could only eat 3 things from your Christmas dinner, what would they be?
Oooooh! Pigs in blankets, roast potatoes and honey glazed parsnips. YUM! If I could have gravy on it all too that would be amazing. I could eat Christmas dinner all year round if given the chance.
13 - What’s your favourite festive tipple?
Baileys. I absolutely love opening the Baileys through December and enjoying it in the evenings.
14 - Where are you spending Christmas this year?
Due to our extension we're off to Hubby's parents' house - and I'm really looking forward to it. We're staying their Christmas Day night and so we can really relax and have a nice family day.
15 - If you could go to any Christmas market in the world where would you go?
I've been to Bath and Winchester so many times and they always put me in the Christmas spirit. It would be fantastic to go to one abroad and I've heard great things about the ones in Germany so it would be somewhere there.
You can find Donna on the following social media by clicking on the links:
Playing mummy has been one of Eva's favourite things since her little sister was born so as you can imagine we were very excited to be asked if we would like to review Baby Annabell - Learns to Walk' from Zapf Creation. She always tries to change Ophelia's nappies, comfort her when she's crying and help move her from A to B (much to my distress).
Eva already has a baby doll but this one is far more advanced than what she has. This Baby Annabell can sit up, crawl and even walk when assisted. She also makes noises and falls asleep. Therefore she is a great substitute for Eva's little sister. I much prefer Eva to attend to this baby in the caring (very rough/haphazard like a normal 3 year old) manner than her actual sister.
The doll is recommended for children aged 3 and up and it stands at around 42cm. It's worth mentioning that she doesn't come with any batteries so remember that if you are planning to get her as a Christmas present.
Eva loved her outfit. I think she looks very cute and certainly looks like a baby. She finds the outfit easy to remove and put back on.
She has a switch on her side to turn her on. Once she's on she will make noises and be able to perform her movements depending on what position you leave her in. Her joints are easy for Eva to move.
When baby Annabell is in a seated position with her arms out in-front of her she begins to have a tantrum. She gets very upset. Eva loves this feature as in her words this is just like her sister. Once baby is picked up or her arms are by her sides she will stop crying.
To make her crawl you place her arms and legs in a crawling position and lift her head up so she can see where she is going. She will then start crawling. It's actually very realistic and similar to a real babies movements. She gurgles and giggles when she is on the move but if she trips and falls or gets tired she will start to whimper. Just like a real baby.
To get baby Annabell to walk you place her arms above her head and hold her hands. This took a bit of getting used to for Eva but she's now mastered the technique. Baby Annabell loves to toddle. It's also Eva's favourite feature of the doll.
I can't comment on how long the batteries last for as we've only had the doll a couple of weeks. We haven't had to change them yet.
Eva plays with her doll every day. Ophelia is at a stage where she's learning to walk so Eva loves to walk Annabell next to her sister.
Overall, we have been so pleased with this doll. It's the best one i've seen for the price. Personally I think baby dolls are quite pricey but this one has a lot of features for the price you pay. She'd make a lovely Christmas gift and would be a perfect gift for a child who is going to become a sibling for the first time too. You can buy her at all good retailers such as Smyths, Argos etc.
*We were sent Baby Annabell to review in exchange for our honest opinion*
Eva already has a baby doll but this one is far more advanced than what she has. This Baby Annabell can sit up, crawl and even walk when assisted. She also makes noises and falls asleep. Therefore she is a great substitute for Eva's little sister. I much prefer Eva to attend to this baby in the caring (very rough/haphazard like a normal 3 year old) manner than her actual sister.
The doll is recommended for children aged 3 and up and it stands at around 42cm. It's worth mentioning that she doesn't come with any batteries so remember that if you are planning to get her as a Christmas present.
Eva loved her outfit. I think she looks very cute and certainly looks like a baby. She finds the outfit easy to remove and put back on.
She has a switch on her side to turn her on. Once she's on she will make noises and be able to perform her movements depending on what position you leave her in. Her joints are easy for Eva to move.
When baby Annabell is in a seated position with her arms out in-front of her she begins to have a tantrum. She gets very upset. Eva loves this feature as in her words this is just like her sister. Once baby is picked up or her arms are by her sides she will stop crying.
Image from the Zapf Creation website
To make her crawl you place her arms and legs in a crawling position and lift her head up so she can see where she is going. She will then start crawling. It's actually very realistic and similar to a real babies movements. She gurgles and giggles when she is on the move but if she trips and falls or gets tired she will start to whimper. Just like a real baby.
To get baby Annabell to walk you place her arms above her head and hold her hands. This took a bit of getting used to for Eva but she's now mastered the technique. Baby Annabell loves to toddle. It's also Eva's favourite feature of the doll.
I can't comment on how long the batteries last for as we've only had the doll a couple of weeks. We haven't had to change them yet.
Eva plays with her doll every day. Ophelia is at a stage where she's learning to walk so Eva loves to walk Annabell next to her sister.
Overall, we have been so pleased with this doll. It's the best one i've seen for the price. Personally I think baby dolls are quite pricey but this one has a lot of features for the price you pay. She'd make a lovely Christmas gift and would be a perfect gift for a child who is going to become a sibling for the first time too. You can buy her at all good retailers such as Smyths, Argos etc.
*We were sent Baby Annabell to review in exchange for our honest opinion*
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