Pampered Chef Mini Muffin Pan: Banoffee Tarts, Cinnamon Whirls & Peanut Buttercream Tarts

At 38 weeks + 4 days pregnant I think I've just completed my last bake-a-thon until after my Little Mr arrives. I don't think I have much stamina left for standing for long periods or working in a hot kitchen - mind you, if baby comes late I may well need to bake to keep me occupied and to stop me from pulling my hair out - we'll see. 

This week I've been trying out my newest baking-gadget purchase, and I have to say after some trial and error I'm so pleased with the purchase, and the baking results. 

I went to my first Pampered Chef party a few weeks ago, and decided to purchase a clever little baking kit which consists of a 24 hole mini muffin baking tray, and a little wooden dobber (tart shaper) which you use to press pastry into the tray - making mini pastry cases in an instant with very little work. This kit appealed as its so easy, child friendly and versatile - suitable for baking any number of sweet or savoury tarts, mini cheesecakes, quiches, cakes etc. 

The muffin tray is priced at £20, and the dobber at £7.25 - not cheap, but the quality of the products have really impressed me, and I know its the sort of item I'll still be using in 10 years time. 

I had my lovely mum and aunt to stay at the beginning of the week, and wanted to make them a sweet treat which gave me the perfect excuse to try the mini muffin pan for the first time. I decided to make mini banoffe tarts. 

Mini Banoffee Tarts

This was the first recipe I tried in the mini muffin tin and I'd been advised loads of different ways and methods of making them. I used rolos and baked them as advised by one website, only to find they bubbled up out over the pastry and looked dreadful. :-( So in a rescue mission I scraped the rolo out of each one, leaving the cooked banana, and added toffee sauce & a chocolate button to each one instead - I much preferred this method. I also used a whole block (500g) of pastry as advised by a few different websites, and I found the tarts to be a touch too thick for my liking - so I would advise using just half a block of pastry instead. 

Ingredients

1/2 a 500g pack of pre-made shortcrust pastry

24 rolos or toffee sauce

24 slices banana

300ml double cream

24 milk chocolate buttons

Method

1. Cut the block of pastry in half - pop half back in fridge or freeze for use another time. 

Split the pastry you have left in half long ways, then split each half in two - you should now have 4 long rectangles. Split each rectangle in half, and each of those halves into 3 - to get 24 small squares of pastry. 

2. Roll each square of pastry into a ball and pop one into each dip of the mini muffin tray. 

3. Dip the dobber in flour, and then press the dobber down into each ball of pastry until it forms a pastry case. 

mini pastry cases

4. Place a slice of banana in the bottom of each one and bake for 15-20 mins in a medium oven until pastry is lightly golden and firm to touch. 

ready for the oven 

5. While they are warm pour in toffee sauce and top with a chocolate button. Alternatively you could pop a rolo inside each one and the residual heat should melt the toffee/chocolate of the rolo. 

6. Leave to cool. Whip the double cream and place into a piping bag. 

7. Pipe the double cream onto the top and decorate with either more chocolate buttons or some grated chocolate. 

my final tarts: pastry too thick, and rolo 'splodges' down the side of the pastry :-( but lesson learned for next time. 

The main thing is they tasted scrummy, and I've definitely learnt my lesson in terms of how to make the best version of these next time.

Mid-week this week we said farewell to my mum and auntie, and welcomed our friends Danni and Charlie over for a catch up, sleepover and day together today. Danni asked if we could do some baking  as her mums work have a charity bake sale on tomorrow to raise money for Noah's Ark Children's Hospice. Loving any excuse to bake, and always up for helping a deserving cause we set to work deciding what to bake.

After the trial and error of the banoffee tarts I wanted to try using my mini muffin tin again, and after some mooching around on the internet we came up with two yummies we wanted to try. 

Mini Peanut Buttercream Tarts

Ingredients

1 x 500g ready made shortcrust pastry

3 large tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter

140g unsalted butter at room temp

280g icing sugar

2 tbsp semi skimmed milk

24 milk chocolate buttons

24 white chocolate buttons

Method

1. Cut the block of pastry in half - pop half back in fridge or freeze for use another time. 

Split the pastry you have left in half long ways, then split each half in two - you should now have 4 long rectangles. Split each rectangle in half, and each of those halves into 3 - to get 24 small squares of pastry. 

2. Roll each square of pastry into a ball and pop one into each dip of the mini muffin tray. 

3. Dip the dobber in flour, and then press the dobber down into each ball of pastry until it forms a pastry case. 

using the dobber to squash the pastry into cases

4. Use a small fork or cocktail stick to prick some holes in the bottom of each pastry case to stop them rising too much when baking. Bake in a medium oven for 15 -20 mins until lightly golden and firm to the touch. 

holes in the bottom of each one

5. While pastry cases are cooking combine the butter, icing sugar, peanut butter and milk in your food mixer until light and fluffy. Place into a piping bag with a large round nozzle. 

Peanut buttercream

6. Leave cases to cool. Once cooled pipe in the peanut buttercream, and pop one of each chocolate button in the top butterfly style to decorate. 

piped and ready to decorate

t'ah d'ah! 

Mini Cinnamon & Pecan Whirls

I found this recipe over on Tanida's 'Sweet Make Me Smile' blog... and I have to say it worked absolutely perfectly! The outcome of the warm, soft, sticky mini pecan and cinnamon bites were insanely tasty & very easy to make. 

Tanida is American and therefore uses cup measurements in her recipe - I handily have some awesome little birdy 'cup' measuring jugs for when I'm using American recipes, but you can use an online converter to covert to grams if needed. 

Ingredients

• 24 pecan halves
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. 
2. Place a pecan in each muffin cup, top side down.
   
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour + baking powder + salt until combined.
4. With a rubber spatula, stir in  the whipping cream until just combined. The dough doesn't need to be perfectly smooth. Let the dough rest for 2 - 3 minutes to firm.
   
5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the sugar + cinnamon and set aside.
6. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to a rectangle shape about 1/4 inch thick. Use a spatula or your fingers to spread the dough with the soft butter and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
   
   
   
   
7.  Cut the rectangle in half long ways. Then starting at one long end, roll the dough tightly to form a long swiss roll shape. Repeat with second half so that you are left with two long swiss roll shapes. Refrigerate both for at least 30 minutes to firm up ready to cut.
   
8. Cut the dough rolls each into 12 pieces so that you end up with 24 equal pieces. Place each piece of the dough into the mini muffin pan on top of your pecan halves. 
   
9. Bake until a nice dark golden brown color, about 12-15 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Immediately turn the buns out of the tin to avoid sticking.
    
    
    
    
11. Serve warm. (or at least make sure you taste one just when it's hot .. right out from the oven)
    
    
    
    I was so pleased with the tasty outcomes, and me and Danni had loads of fun baking the new recipes. 
    
    
    I hope all the people at the bake sale tomorrow enjoy them and I hope they help to raise loads of money for a very worthy cause. 
    
    
    Bye for now & happy baking
    
    
    Mrs B 
    
    
    xxxx

How I'd Spend 20K ( #Spend20K Challenge )

The lovely people over at BritMums (sponsored by The National Lottery) have set us bloggers a lovely dreamy challenge ... imagine how you'd spend £20,000 cash and write about it... then be in with a chance of winning £100 worth of Love2Shop vouchers (It's not quite £20k, but yes please!)

This task isn't a hard one for me because....

1) I'm VERY GOOD at shopping and spending money
2) Shopping and thinking about shopping genuinely makes me happy & excited & raises my endorphins, so it is therefore good for me/my health - never a better reason!
3) I have ALWAYS been a dreamer - I regularly while away the time imagining what I'd do/buy if I won a large amount of money.

We've all done it - sat with our spouses or families and spent the millions in our heads, new houses, flash cars, lovely holidays etc. It is so fun to do, and I think it is so important to always be aspiring towards something - it might not necessarily be winning the lottery - maybe its aspiring to save for a new piece of furniture, or a nice holiday - for me, the exciting part is the build up - the working hard to achieve your goal and then that feeling when you have actually achieved it (saved enough & bought it!)

I'm not sure how winning a huge amount of money would work for me - would you still get that sense of pleasure, of reward? Maybe not. Money can't buy you happiness as they say, but I think it can buy you stability, peace of mind, and having money certainly makes your life a lot easier. Maybe not millions, but I think everyone's ultimate goal is to be comfortable - to not have to worry. For me, the 'ultimate' would be if I could afford to do all my food shopping in Waitrose. If I ever achieve that sort of financial stability I'll be a happy lady! :-)

So...How Would I Spend 20K?

1) New dining furniture. I currently have a perfectly adequate table & four chairs, however, I have always dreamt of a gorgeous 'farmhouse style' shabby-chic, French grey or cream coloured wooden table and chairs, to seat 6. This would definitely be my first spend.

Neptune Harrogate Dining Table £795.00 (John Lewis)

Neptune Harrogate Dining Chairs x 6 = £1170.00 (John Lewis)

I would just LOVE this gorgeous furniture in my dining room - and think it would match my house perfectly!

Total spend so far ... £1965.00

2) Outdoor Dining Furniture - again, we have adequate outdoor garden furniture, but since when has 'adequate' been good enough? :-) As this is a 'dream spend' I can buy what I want, right? And right now, I want this awesome table & 6 chairs. 

(John Lewis) Corsica 6 Seater Round Outdoor Dining Table £259.00

(John Lewis) Corsica Outdoor Lounging Armchair x 6 = £900

Total spend so far £3124

3) A chest freezer. We are currently looking for a cheap/free second hand chest freezer to love in our brick built shed in our garden. We know it would come in really handy to have extra freezer space and to be able to bulk-buy, especially now we're an expanding family. If we had 20K to spend, a brand new chest freezer would definitely be one of our purchases. 

John Lewis JLCH200 Chest Freezer, A+ Energy Rating, 80cm Wide, White £349.00

Total spend so far = £3473.00

4) Garden toys for our Little Mr! Although he isn't even here yet, I'm not sure I could resist spending some of the money on some gorgeous garden toys for our little man. Who could resist a swing and pirate ship in your back garden? Not me! 

(John Lewis) TP9 Forest Growable Acorn Swing Frame £110.00

(John Lewis) TP164 Forest Pirate Galleon 2 £500.00

Total spend so far £4083.00

5) Victorian Garden Lamp Post - Just like Narnia! Who doesn't NEED one of these in their garden? :-) We love to socialise in our garden with friends, and I've always lusted after one of these lights...

Victorian Garden Lamp Post - With Flower Baskets  £649

Total spend so far = £4732

6) Smeg Fridge/Freezer - again, I've always lusted after one of these retro lovelies - and I know once I had it, it would last a lifetime! It would really suit my shaker-style kitchen, and would just look soooo pretty! 

Smeg FAB50P Fridge Freezer, A+ Energy Rating, 80cm Wide, Cream £1799.00

Total spend so far = £6531

7) House Exterior & Driveway. I would probably spend around £4,000 having my driveway block-paved, and my house rendering fixed (it is damaged in one area) and the whole house needs an exterior coat of paint. All jobs that need doing, would add value to our house, and help to prettify those rough little edges. 

some pretty block paving - I'd go for this sort of thing

Total spend so far = £10,531.00

8) Money in the bank. Now I'm popping on my sensible head. Spending £10,000 is as easy as pie, and I know I could find lots of lovely things to buy, and holidays to go on with the other £10K BUT I would genuinely rather have the rest of the money in the bank - for life's little luxuries (Waitrose shopping, eating out, petrol, things for Little Man, cake, dresses etc!) Especially as I am now on Maternity leave from work - 'every little helps' as they say, and £10K would be a dream-come-true. It would mean i could enjoy my maternity leave without worrying about finances, and it would take the pressure off my lovely husband to earn earn earn! 

Total spend = £10, 531 Money in the bank = £9469.00

What would you spend £20K on? Would you buy similar items to be - long term 'investment' purchases for your house and lifestyle? Or would you blow it on holidays, designer gear, a new car? 

I'd love to know!

Mrs B 

xxxx

Disclaimer: This post is an entry for BritMums #Spend20K Challenge sponsored by The National Lottery, with more ways to win more money on the new Lotto game. Find out more about new Lotto, which starts in October, here – www.national-lottery.co.uk

More Homemade Wooden Bunting...

You might remember a few weeks ago that I made some outdoor wooden bunting to decorate my garden. 

I was so pleased with the outcome of this bunting and the way in which it is weathering so well (no sign of wear & tear in the really heavy rain & extreme heat we've been receiving) that I decided I would make some more with some different wooden shapes and Cuprinol paint colours. 

This time, I made the bunting for some good friends as birthday gifts - which is all part of my '27 things to do in the year I turn 27' challenge ... Challenge Number 23 for the year is:

"23. Hand make/ hand bake gifts – This year’s goal is to try and hand make or hand bake at least one aspect of every gift I give."

Fairy Princess Castle Bunting...

This string was made for my best friend/surrogate sister's beautiful 6 year old daughter for her birthday - she loves bunting, and is gorgeous and girlie - as soon as I saw these fairy castle wooden flags on eBay I just had to have them! 

10 x MDF Fairy castles with string = £6.00 eBay

3 x Cuprinol colour test pots = £3.00

total = £9.00

I chose a 3 colour palate:

Beach Blue / Sweet Sundae / Summer Damson

painting the wooden flags in the garden

the string of princess castle flags

close up

T'ah D'ah! 

the finished bunting dry & ready to be packaged up & sent off to its recipient!

Hearts & Castle Bunting...

Using the same colour palate and a similar idea I decided to make a string of bunting for my friend Hannah's 21st Birthday - she lives at home with her parents and I wanted to make her something she could string up in her room (above her bed or at her window etc) but that could then be used elsewhere in her own home or garden when the time comes for her to leave home. I wanted it to be girlie & pretty, something she'd want to keep for a long time. 

In the end I chose wooden hearts which I painted Sweet Sundae pink with one of the fairy castles in Beach Blue at the centre. Girlie but not too childish. 

10 x wooden MDF hearts = £5.00

3 x Cuprinol colour tester pots = £3.00

Twine = £2

total = £10

hearts with the castle

just the right length to hang above a bed or across a window

closer

extreme close up - fairy castle

Both these strings of bunting would be suitable for use both indoors and out, as I said, my outdoor bunting is weathering really well and I hope will continue to do so come rain or shine! 

Why not have a go yourself? This fun and easy craft is very rewarding and is the perfect addition to any home or garden. 

Bye for now

Mrs B

xxx

Review: What To Expect When You're Expecting UK

The lovely people over at What To Expect When You're Expecting UK recently sent me some goodies to review - being an already enthusiastic follower of the UK site and twitter page and USA-based phone App I was more than happy to receive these goodies and give them a go. 

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING: THE BOOK

Perhaps the most useful item I was sent has been the official 'What To Expect When You're Expecting' book by Heidi Murkoff (4th Edition)...this book is literally a pregnancy bible - what it can't tell you about pregnancy isn't worth knowing! It's your one-stop-shop for info, advice, medical explanation and pictures to guide you through every stage of your pregnancy and beyond. 

The book is split up into 23 chapters, and as you can see from the chapter titles below pretty much covers every base necessary for expectant mums and dads:

Chapter 1: Before You Conceive
Chapter 2: Are You Pregnant?
Chapter 3: Your Pregnancy Profile
Chapter 4: Your Pregnancy Lifestyle
Chapter 5: Nine Months of Eating Well
Chapter 6 - 14: The First Month - The Ninth Month
Chapter 15: Labour and Delivery
Chapter 16: Twins, Triplets & More
Chapter 17: Postpartum: The First Week
Chapter 18: Postpartum: The First Six Weeks
Chapter 19: Fathers Are Expectant, Too
Chapter 20: If You Get Sick
Chapter 21: If You Have A Chronic Condition
Chapter 22: Managing A Complicated Pregnancy 
Chapter 23: Coping With Pregnancy Loss

I have found the month by month chapters especially helpful and interesting as a first time mum-to-be - as each chapter outlines your baby's development week by week, what you may be feeling, what to expect at your midwife/doctor check up, a 'what you may be wondering about' section which gives lots of useful info about a variety of things related to your month of gestation, and then finally, each month's chapter has a final word regarding lots of pregnancy issues such as weigh gain & pregnancy, pregnancy & work, exercise during pregnancy, sex & pregnancy, breastfeeding etc. 

What I love about this book is that its so easy to pick up and put down - you read what is relevant to your gestation, or you look up a symptom or worry using the very detailed index, and then pop it back on the shelf until you next need some information. It is clear, concise, and doesn't give you mixed messages like so many websites, blogs, forums and chat rooms online - this book simply gives clear expert opinion without preaching or scaring you our of your mind.

A definite must-have for all you expectant mummies and daddies out there!

available at Amazon priced £10.78

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING: THE WORKOUT DVD

All my regular blog readers will know that over the past two years I've been battling with a nasty slipped disc in my back - not fun - especially since becoming pregnant - all that pressure on an already damaged area is not cool. One of the hardest aspects of coping with my slipped disc has been managing exercise, and weight-loss. 

Before becoming pregnant I embarked on a weight-loss journey which saw me lose 3 stones through a calorie controlled diet, and lots of walking, going from a clothes size 20 to a size 16. My main motivation was slimming down for my wedding day last summer, and to help me conceive/have a healthy pregnancy. It did the trick & here I am a year after the wedding, 38 weeks pregnant and about to drop! :-) 

What has been hard has been trying to exercise without causing lots of pain, and doing any more damage to my back. The large amount of daily walking I was doing (minimum 3 miles max 6-7 per day) soon took its toll on my poor disc, and soon it became very uncomfortable for me to walk too-long a distance - as my pregnancy has progressed this just got worse and worse. 

When I received the pregnancy workout DVD from What To Expect I was sceptical about whether or not it would be any use for me with my back problems, however, the DVD has been cleverly designed so as you can do as much or as little exercise (time wise) as often as you can cope with. It really can suit any level of fitness, and any stage of pregnancy. 

The DVD is broken up into 6 small ten-minute "exercise bites":

1. Barefoot & Pregnant (CARDIO)

2. Baby Bump Bootcamp (CARDIO)

3. Baby Steps (CARDIO)

4. Cute to the Core (STRENGTH)

5. Buns in the Oven (STRENGTH)

6. Mind, Body & Baby (STRETCH & RELAX)

Not only is the DVD fun and easy to follow, you don't need to be super-fit or super-thin to manage the work-outs; the key is just to do what you can manage for as long as you can manage. Because the workout's are written especially for pregnant ladies they are gentler, and designed to be safe for you and your bump at any stage of gestation.

Exercise Advice for Pregnant Mums:

• check with your GP or midwife before embarking on any new fitness regime, especially if you have any health conditions or are new to exercise.
• ensure you have a healthy snack before embarking on a workout, and drink plenty of water during and after your workout. 
• make sure the room you exercise in is cool, and you use a safe surface to exercise on such as carpet or a yoga mat.
• wear suitable clothes - not too tight or dangerously loose, cool, breathable fabric and a good supportive bra!
• DON'T DO IT IF IT HURTS - this is so important - none of the exercises should be physically painful, and you shouldn't be getting so out of breath that you can't talk or sing along to the music you are moving too. If it hurts, stop straight away and rest. 

Workout DVD available from Amazon priced at £6.00

Not only will I use this DVD until my Little Mr makes his arrival but I plan to use it at home post-pregnancy to help me shift my baby-weight & stay active. It is certainly much cheaper and easier than going to the gym, it is kinder on my back, and I can exercise while my little monkey sleeps, or bounces away in his chair alongside me! 

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING: THE FILM

And finally, for some light relief from all this preparing for a newborn malarkey, the guys over at WTE sent me a copy of the 2012 film with the same title. 

"Inspired by the perennial best seller, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING is a hilarious and heartfelt comedy about five couples whose intertwined lives are turned upside down by the challenges of impending parenthood." 

The film has a glittering cast-list including: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Dennis Quaid, and Chris Rock to name but a few! 

Hubby and I settled down to watch it a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed it - a nice easy watch - funny and honest about all aspects of having a baby - a must-see if you too are expecting! 

DVD available on Amazon priced at £7.00

Do any of you other expectant mummies and daddies have any favourite books/websites or DVDs that have been useful during your pregnancies? 

I'd love to hear about them. 

Happy Expecting Everyone!

Mrs B

xxx

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of the What To Expect When You're Expecting book, film and fitness DVD for the purpose of this review. All words, opinions and images are my own.