5 Halloween Party Treats {using SKIPPY peanut butter}

 

Autumn is well and truly upon us, and Halloween is fast approaching. Over the past decade or so Halloween in the UK has become a much bigger deal, but I'm not sure we'll ever catch up with America, who manage to celebrate the Halloween/Fall season so much bigger and better.

Another thing that seems to be a lot more popular in America is peanut butter. Whether it's peanut butter cups, peanut butter crackers, or pb & j sandwiches (peanut butter & jelly [jam] for those that were wondering), there's no escaping the peanut butter in America. I absolutely love peanut butter, as do all 3 children, and I'll add it to my cooking at every given chance (TIP: stir a spoonful of smooth peanut butter into a curry to thicken the sauce).

SKIPPY is an authentic American peanut butter that's widely available in the UK, in both smooth and crunchy varieties, including a whopping 1.1kg jar that I recently spotted on a trip to London. 

These Halloween treats all use SKIPPY smooth peanut butter, and they can be made quickly, as well as being prepared in advance, leaving plenty of time for trick or treating.

Spider Cookies - makes approx 18

240g smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

160g caster sugar

1 medium egg

mini peanut butter cups

edible googly eyes

black icing

• beat the peanut butter, caster sugar & egg together until combined
• roll into balls and place onto a baking sheet, spaced well apart
• press down gently with the back of a fork to flatten a little
• bake in a preheated 180C oven for approx 12-15 minutes
• cool on a wire rack
• decorate by sticking the eyes to the peanut butter cup with icing, and sticking to the centre of each cookie
• ice the legs on either side of the body

False Teeth

slices of red apple

smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

mini marshmallows

• spread one side of each pair of apple slices with peanut butter
• stick marshmallows onto half of the slices, and top with the other apple slice

Graveyards - makes 6

2 tbsp smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

4 tbsp double cream

2 tbsp cream cheese

1 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Oreo cookie, roughly crushed

3 Lotus Biscoff (or similar shaped biscuit)

black icing

• beat the peanut butter, cream, cream cheese, sugar & vanilla together until smooth
• divide the mixture between 6 shot glasses
• top with dirt (Oreo cookie crumbs) and a gravestone (half a Biscoff with 'RIP' iced on)

Bloodied Mummies - makes 8

ready rolled puff pastry sheet

smooth SKIPPY peanut butter

raspberry or strawberry jam

caster sugar

edible googly eyes

• cut 8 rectangles from approx 2/3 of the pastry sheet
• slice the remaining pastry into thin strips, approximately the same length as the width of the rectangles
• spread each rectangle with peanut butter, and top with jam
• lay the strips of pastry onto each rectangle to look like Mummies bandages
• sprinkle with caster sugar & place onto a baking sheet
• bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden
• whilst still warm, press the eyes into the sticky jam

Ghastly Ghosts - makes 6

3 small bananas
1 tbsp smooth SKIPPY peanut butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
desiccated coconut
edible googly eyes

• slice the bananas in half, making sure that they stand up
• warm the peanut butter and coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds, and stir until smooth
• spoon the peanut butter sauce over the bananas and coat with coconut
• stick the eyes onto the ghosts and place in the fridge to set

For more Halloween inspiration, take a look at my Halloween Pinterest board and follow the #SPOOKYSKIPPY hashtag on social media

this is a commissioned post for SKIPPY

Be the Perfect Host this Christmas

If, like more than two thirds of the nation, you're going to be hosting a festive get together over the Christmas period then you might want to check out a few top tips from fashion designed Millie Macintosh, chef John Torode, and coffee expert Hazel Middleton.

Millie’s top tips to create a great ambience

Think about lighting – luckily, we have a lot of different lighting settings in our kitchens, but candles and lamps can be used to soften a room.  Mellow ambient music during dinner and then afterwards, I’d put on some more lively music.  And finally, the smell of food cooking is also very inviting, so get something in the oven early!

John’s top kitchen must-haves

My go to food when hosting friends is anything in pastry, because it is easy and always satisfies everyone. Little pies, tarts, puffs, sausage rolls and those sorts of things always work because both adults and kids alike always love them.

Hazel’s Coffee Mornings

There’s nothing better than a coffee morning with a selection of great hot drinks, including cappuccinos and lattes and some lovely cakes and biscuits. Nothing compliments coffee more than a delicious slice of cake or a crisp biscuit. I like to bake my own cakes for coffee mornings, and this can be done the day before to avoid panic on the morning.

I have to agree with Millie's tips about candles & lamps, which I use a lot and if you use festive scented candles it definitely gets people in that Christmas mood. I also agree with John's tip about pastries, as anything encased in pastry is so easy to serve, as well as eat, at gatherings with a lot of people, and they can also be made in advance which is a must for me. 

As part of the Tassimo Perfect Host campaign I was asked to get together with friends or family and host a meal or coffee morning. We decided to have a family get together, and bearing Millie's tips in mind, lit a few candles, put on some mellow music and enjoyed a family dinner (with a few games thrown in), followed by John Torode's recipes for Affogatto (kids had hot chocolate instead of espresso) with Shortbread Biscuits and Chocolate Brownie Cake (recipes below).

I enjoyed my brownie with a Carte Noir Espresso, made using the Tassimo Vivy.

The brownies were amazing; so rich and chocolatey, and were very well received. According to Hanna they were possibly even better than 'Amy's Mums quadruple chocolate brownies' (sorry Claire), which means they must have been very good indeed. I left out the hazelnuts and whiskey and added extra white chocolate instead.

Affogatto With Shortbread Biscuits

Chocolate Brownie Cake With White Chocolate Chips

If you're going to be hosting a gathering then check out the Tassimo website on the run up to Christmas for more top tips, recipes and kitchen hacks from the celebrities.

This post has been commissioned by Tassimo

Salmon Two Ways

This is the third post for Fish is the Dish, with the first being Smoked Mackerel Two Ways, and the second being Trout Two ways.  This week it's the turn of the salmon, which is one fish I will buy if I had to buy any (other than a tin of tuna or some pre battered cod).

My favourite way to cook a fillet of salmon is to bake it with a crust on. This can be made with nuts, breadcrumbs and cheese, but I went for a crunchy coconut crust, spiced up with some chilli. The second version was a simple fried salmon fillet, served in a ciabatta with salad and a yogurt dressing. Both dishes were really quick and simple to cook - fast food doesn't have to be unhealthy.

Salmon with chilli & lemon coconut crust - serves 2

2 salmon fillets
4 tbsp shredded coconut
4 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 tsp chilli flakes
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

• Lay the salmon fillets in a lightly oiled baking dish, skin side down
• Mix the coconut, mayonnaise, chilli flakes, lemon zest and coriander together
• Spread over the salmon fillets
• Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15 minutes

so simple but so tasty. I am converted and could eat this every day of the week!

Simple Salmon Ciabatta Burger - serves 2

olive oil
2 salmon fillets
handful fresh parsley, chopped
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tbsp Natural Greek Yogurt
salt & pepper
2 square Ciabattas
lettuce

• Heat a little olive oil in a pan
• Lay the salmon in the pan, skin side down
• Fry for 4-5 minutes 
• Season the salmon with salt & pepper before turning it over & frying again for approx 4 minutes, until cooked through
• Mix the the parsley with the onion & yogurt & season
• Slice the ciabatta
• Add some lettuce leaves to the bottom half of the ciabatta
• Lay on the salmon and top with the yogurt & top half of ciabatta

Serve as it is for lunch, or with a side of fries for a main meal

this post has been commissioned by Fish is The Dish

Trout Two Ways

Last week I shared my smoked mackerel recipes for the start of our October challenge to eat more oily fish. The mackerel was a complete success and I have been converted. This week we have tried trout, which I felt a little daunted by as I would actually have to cook it, unlike the smoked mackerel.

I bought some ready prepared trout (minus the head and guts), and I simply stuffed them and baked them. It was so quick and easy, and tasted absolutely lovely and made me wonder why I have never eaten it before! The husband and two out of three children loved it too - surprise, surprise teenager Sam (who refused to eat the mackerel because of the smell) also refused to try the trout.

Trout with Cream Cheese & Basil - serves 2

2 prepared small trout
150g cream cheese
handful of basil, chopped
salt & pepper

• Mix the cream cheese & basil together
• Season with salt & pepper
• Smear inside the trout
• Wrap the trout tightly in foil
• Place into an ovenproof dish & bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15-20 minutes

Trout with Red Pesto - serves 2

2 prepared small trout
4-6 tbsp Red pesto

• Smear the pesto inside the trout
• Wrap the trout tightly in foil
• Place into an ovenproof dish & bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15-20 minutes

You can find more trout recipes on Fish is The Dish here.

this post has been commissioned by Fish is The Dish

Lactofree Shakes #SayYestoSummer

The next in my #SayYestoSummer challenges with Lactofree was to create some summer shakes using Lactofree products. There is a shake for every taste, whether you like it full of berries or maybe even banana and peanut butter.

For my first shake I was inspired by one of my favourite cakes, the carrot cake. Carrot cake is full of so many flavours so why not bring these flavours into a milkshake - so simple yet so tasty.

I used a ready made slice of carrot cake but you might want to make your own to ensure that it's lactose free. It was topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting which makes it really indulgent and not for those counting their calories.

Carrot Cake Shake 

1 slice of carrot cake - approx 100g

200ml Lactofree milk

handful of ice cubes

75g Lactofree soft cheese

75ml Lactofree cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

walnuts (optional)

• Place the carrot cake, milk and ice cubes in a blender & blend until smooth
• Whisk the soft cheese with the cream and cinnamon until it forms soft peaks
• Pour the carrot make milk into a glass and top with the cream cheese frosting
• Top with crumbled carrot cake and walnuts

The second shake was a little more on the healthy side, with less indulgence and more fruit. This one combines the summer fruits of strawberry and rhubarb along with vanilla.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Shake

1 stalk of rhubarb
1 vanilla pod
1 tbsp demerara sugar
handful of strawberries, hulled and halved

handful of ice cubes

200ml Lactofree milk
75ml Lactofree cream

• Cut the rhubarb into 2cm pieces and place in a small baking dish with the seeds from the vanilla pod and demerara sugar
• Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 10 minutes
• Add the strawberries and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the fruits are tender, allow to cool
• Once the fruit is cool add it to a blender with the ice cubes, milk and cream
• Blend until smooth and serve in a sundae glass

The final two involved less preparation and can be made in seconds.

Banana and Raspberry Shake

1 banana
handful of frozen raspberries
200ml Lactofree milk

• Blend everything together & serve

Vanilla Iced Coffee

1 shot Espresso coffee
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
200ml Lactofree milk
handful of ice cubes

• Blend everything together and serve

You can find more Lactofree summer recipes here, and also check out the Lactofree Facebook page for giveaways and inspiration.

follow Lactofree on Twitter

I'm working together with Lactofree to provide inspiration and recipes over the summer. For this second challenge I was provided with a fabulous cool bag of products. 

Maple Roast Parsnips

You may have tried honey roast parsnips but have you tried Maple Roast Parsnips?

These are delicious & would be a perfect accompaniment to the Christmas turkey - is it too early to start mentioning Christmas dinner? Always best to be well prepared I say.

They are very easy & all you need are a few simple ingredients :

Maple Roast Parsnips
Parsnips
Cooking Oil (I used Olive Oil)
Plain flour
Maple Syrup

• Peel the parsnips and cut them into similar sized pieces
• Toss them lightly in flour
• Heat some oil in a roasting pan in a 200 C oven for 5-10 minutes until hot
• Toss in the parsnips and coat fully in the oil
• Return the pan to the oven for approx 30 minutes (this will depend on the size of them) - stirring in a generous amount of Maple syrup 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time

I was sent a sample of Clarks Pure Canadian Maple Syrup (no.2 Amber grade) to use in my cooking

I love Cake - Double Chocolate Eclairs

I don't think I've missed any of Jenny's I Love Cake challenges, well I love a challenge and after all it's cake, so it has to be done.


This month after receiving a new Cake Pop maker for Christmas Jenny decided to go with the theme of 'new'. One of the new cookbooks I received for Christmas (I had three) was bought by my Step-daughter as she knows how much I like baking.

'1001 Cupcakes, Cookies & other tempting treats' is a hardback book that is rammed full of delicious recipes...and the best part...every main recipe has a photo. I say 'main' recipe as some of them have one or two variations. The recipe that I chose to make is number 857 Double Choc Eclairs...a slight variation on the main Chocolate Eclairs recipe. The filling is not that of the traditional whipped cream, instead it's a pastry cream which I've never made before, but as most of the family aren't keen on too much cream filling I thought it was a more suitable alternative.


You will need :


Choux Pastry
70g butter
150ml water
100g plain flour, sifted
2 eggs


Chocolate Pastry Cream
2 eggs
4 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
300ml milk
85g chopped milk or dark chocolate (I used Terrys Chocolate orange)


Icing
25g butter
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp cocoa powder
55g icing sugar

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (C)
• Place the butter and water into a saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted, bring to the boil.
• Remove from heat and stir the flour quickly in and beat well until the mixture leaves the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball

• Leave to cool slightly then gradually beat in the eggs
• Spoon into a piping bad with 1cm plain nozzle and pipe onto a greased baking sheet, spaced well apart
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until crisp & golden
• Remove from the oven & make a slit in the side of each, cool on a wire rack

• For the filling, beat the eggs & sugar together until thick & creamy, fold in the cornflour
• Heat the milk in a pan until almost boiling, add the chocolate & stir until melted
• Pour chocolate milk into egg mixture & beat well, transfer to the pan & heat gently, stirring until thick.
• Cover & leave to cool
• To make the icing, melt the butter & milk in a saucepan
• Remove from heat and stir in cocoa & icing sugar
• Pipe the chocolate cream into the eclairs and spread the chocolate on the top

I made the mistake of not allowing the pastry cream to cool fully making it a bit too runny for piping so I spooned it in.


They may not be 'The Great British Bake Off' standard but the kids practically inhaled them!

Cooking With Your Toddler - Cheese & Marmite Straws

Now that Christmas and New Year are far behind us it's time for 'Cooking with your Toddler' to make an appearance again.


I've still got the Linky here, where you can look at the recipes that fellow bloggers have linked up as well as seeing a full list of recipes that we've cooked. I've separated the linky's into 3 categories so it's easier to find recipes that you may want to try out - savoury recipes, cakes & cookies and no bake recipes.


This week, after my pastry and pie making success I decided to have a go at cheese straws, and came across this delicious recipe here, which I adapted slightly with marmite.


You will need : 


150g cold lard (I used Trex)
150g cold butter
450g plain flour
150g parmesan, finely grated
½ tsp paprika
1 tbsp marmite mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water
1 egg, beaten

• Mix the flour with the parmesan and paprika
• Rub the lard and butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs (I used my Kitchen Aid for this part)
• At this point you should need to add 2-4 tbsp of cold water - I didn't need to as my dough had already started to come together - I suspect because the Trex is not as hard as lard. Add the water until the dough starts to come together
• Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to approx 1cm thick
• Brush the marmite/water over the pastry and then fold over and roll again
• Slice fingers from the pastry
• Brush with beaten egg
• Bake in a 180 degree oven for approx 15-20 minutes until lightly browned
• Cool on a wire rack

    

Jack did really well at slicing his cheese straws....and then squashed them into balls whilst I sliced up the rest. He had great fun rolling and squashing and then left his cheese balls ready to be baked.

He developed a great slicing technique too.

I have also linked this recipe up in a competition to win £100 Amazon vouchers on Red Ted Art, sponsored by Appliances Online