OXO Herbs & More Chicken Risotto

Jack really loves to help at the moment, whether it's with cleaning, tidying, washing the car or cooking he's aways ready to lend a helping hand, so we're making the most of it as I'm sure it won't last long.

OXO recently sent us a cooking kit, including some of their Herbs & More range, along with recipe cards, aprons and a magic wand (aka a wooden spoon) to enable us to cook up a family meal. We chose to make a chicken risotto using the Lemon & Thyme herbs & more, and Jack got to work with the help of the child friendly instructions on the recipe card.

As you can see from the video, Jack loved getting involved with the weighing of ingredients and a spot of stirring, as well as the best part - the eating of the finished dish.

He also enjoyed making handprints in the cheese whilst waiting for the risotto to be cooked.

Chicken Risotto - serves 2

1 tsp olive oil

25g butter

1 onion, diced

1 large chicken breast, diced

140g risotto rice (we used basmati rice instead)

100ml white wine

1 Lemon & Thyme herbs & more

500ml chicken stock

50g grated parmesan

• Heat the oil and butter in a pan
• add the onion & fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add the chicken and rice, and stir to coat with the oil & butter
• Add the wine and Herbs & More
• Allow to absorb the liquid
• reduce the heat and gradually add the stock until it's all absorbed and the rice is cooked
• serve with grated parmesan

OXO Herbs and More are little pots of flavour that can be added to dishes to liven them up - risotto, cottage pie, lasagne, casseroles, pasta dishes, as well as side dishes of vegetables and mash. Available in 5 flavours : lemon & thyme, roast garlic & parsley, rosemary & red wine, rosemary & thyme, tarragon & chive, they retail from £1.00 - £1.50 for a pack of 4 pots.

I'm working with BritMums and OXO on this project and have been compensated.

Recipe provided by OXO

Toffee Popcorn Ice Cream

Ice cream is a perfect way to cool down during this heatwave that the UK is currently experiencing. If the freezer shelves in the supermarket are looking a little sparse due to high demand then home-made is definitely the best option. Here I again use the very simple condensed milk method which needs no ice cream machine, and just like my salted caramel ice cream I used the Carnation Caramel to add that yummy caramel flavour.

Some of the popcorn pieces go a little softer in the ice cream but the toffee coating on them helps them to stay reasonably crisp, although the longer you leave it the softer they go - it's so good it won't stick around for long though!

Toffee Popcorn Ice Cream

600ml Double Cream

397g Carnation Caramel

100g Butterkist Toffee Popcorn

• Whisk together the cream and 300g of the caramel until it forms peaks
• Pour the mixture into a freezable container
• Reserve a small handful of popcorn and stir the rest through the ice cream mixture, along with the remaining caramel, leaving swirls
• Add the remaining popcorn to the top of the ice cream mixture
• Freeze for around 4 hours
• remove from the freezer approx 10 minutes before serving (or less if it's a really warm day)

I was sent an OXO Good Grips Beak Ice cream scoop which, due to the pointed tip and non stick coating glides through the firmest of ice cream and delivers large rounded scoops with the aid of the release button.

Buttermilk Pancakes - OXO Good Grips Review

I love gadgets in the kitchen and OXO Good Grips are always a welcome addition to my kitchen. I was sent a pancake making set but unfortunately it wasn't here in time for pancake day last week, however, in my opinion, pancakes are definitely not just for pancake day.

The silicone balloon whisk is great for whisking in smaller containers, such as jugs, as it's flexible and fits easily into the sides. The stainless steel bowl has a non slip base which helps when beating. as well as looking good with its white plastic exterior.

The best gadget has to be the silicone pancake turner, with thin flexible edges and larger than most spatulas, perfect for flipping pancakes, eggs and burgers. 

The favourite pancakes in this house are by far American pancakes and last week I tried out a great recipe from Belleau kitchen. At the time I didn't have any buttermilk but this time tried them with the buttermilk as per the recipe and they were so much better - lovely and thick, but light, just as buttermilk pancakes should be.

Served the American way, with crispy bacon and maple syrup.

I was sent the utensils for the purpose of this review