Making Iced Biscuits - Things To Do With Your Toddler.

 If you read my post about 'iced biscuits' you may be wondering what in the heck 'iced biscuits' actually are. Or maybe you've just stumbled across this post in which case; a BIG hello to you!

If you have a toddler/s then if you're anything like me then you're always on the look out for things to do with them. My favourite thing to do with Roman (my 2 year old) is to cook. I always include him in the process in some way because it keeps him occupied and allows me the freedom of working with my ingredients. I like to cook things that are easy and quick to prepare because goodness knows what's going to happen next with a toddler ;).

With the Jubilee coming up (you know the Queen being the Queen for 60 years) I thought these might make a nice addition to any Jubilee parties going on - yes, some people are having those. How British of them.

Things you'll need:

1. Jelly diamonds - or anything to decorate the top of your biscuits. I bought these because they are a vegan brand but you can use chocolate drops or any other kind of candy/sweet that will sit on top of your 'biscuit' (cookie.)

2. One pack of biscuits. Typical in Britain for this activity we will use 'Digestives.' They are a semi-sweet wheat and malt biscuit with a smoothe surface - ideal for icing. I know that in the US/Canada you'd usually have to import these biscuits or find them in the International section of select supermarkets but you can use any smoothe surface cookies/biscuits of your choice, they'll work just as well.

3. Icing sugar/confectioners sugar/powdered sugar. You'll need enough that you can get 3 heaped table spoons out of it.

Things you'll need (not pictured):

1. Two table spoons (one for heaping icing sugar and the other for mixing. It's important not to mix the wet spoon with the dry icing sugar.)

2. Two containers to put your icing sugar mixture into - one for your toddler and one for you. 

3. If I have missed anything here I can only apologise, if you notice that do leave me a comment to let me know - I need all the help I can get.

* STEP ONE *

This is fairly straight forward: dump three heaped table (big) spoons of icing sugar into your mixing bowl. Fill a mug of water and gradually add drops of water, mixing as you go, until your icing looks like this:

Yeah, it looks like glue.

This is also the point where you'll want to give a little mixing bowl to your toddler to keep them from going crazy in their chair ;). And be prepared that whatever you give them to 'mix' will actually just be consumed by them.

Get your glue...sorry, I mean your icing and put a good dollop (one tablespoon) in the centre of your biscuit. Let it naturally spread rather than spreading it yourself - because this is messy, yo!

Okay once your biscuits and icing have done their thing and decorate with jelly diamonds (diamond jubilee, get it?), Jelly Tots (are they exclusively British?), any kinds of sweet/candies of your choice.

And you're done. 

Make as many as you can cram down your neck.

I had a half of one of the biscuits because my dentist told me to cut down on my sugar. Since then I've not really stuck to that (oops.)

North of Scotland: Being there.

So if you haven't already read 'part one' of our little trip then go here to read it.


So...if you've read part one you'll be up to speed that we took our 19/nearly 20 month old on a long journey on public transport and all was well (kind of) by the end of the trip. 


I'm going to admit that I never took a lot of photos while we were away because I was so distracted or busy. But here's what I did get...

So...after our trip we got to my parents lovely house. Where we froze for the night until we figured out the heating. 


I had a few things to take care of while we were up there but once I was done, I spent time with the two of them. We'd huddle around the TV and catch up with Quantum Leap or Raising Hope (two of the best TV shows made, I think.) 

Roman loved the zoo up there. On the first few days the cats were very wary of him, every time he'd shout 'CAT!' and chase after them they were like speeding bullets out a gun. By the fourth day they would let him clap them. He was very careful and gentle with them. Shadow was the opposite. At first she would be okay with him, but then as time wore on her growls got louder. One time she even 'herded' him by butting her head on his side.


This called for splitting the room in two - Fort Roman was made...

More pictures...with a little narration. 

One of the days we went into town. We waited an hour for a bus.

The bus finally showed...

 (1) inside the sweet shop, loads of chocolate-inspired mugs. (2) 1,000 welcomes. (3) Thistle bag.

I really enjoy going to this sweet shop when I'm in Thurso. Pretty much all of their sweets/candy aren't vegan, but it's how I remember sweet shops; hard boiled sweets and other goodies in jars, known as 'quarters.' 

Something Scandinavian about this...

Bryan bought himself some chips...so we gave Roman his first chippy chip. He was a fan so had another. I think, when he's a lot older, we'll have chippies every so often. I hadn't wanted to give Roman any chocolate or junk foods as obesity, heart disease and other problems relating to food are such a huge problem in Scotland but I figure if we are sensible about it and show Roman how to manage his eating then we can't go wrong - that is far healthier than trying to not give him these things ever. 

Could he live without these things? Yes. Of course. But if we, the parents, are going to eat these foods then it would be hypocritical not to allow them. 

And since we're talking about food. This is how vegans cook anything that requires eggs (although, not really, I just use oil when I don't have egg replacer.)

And it comes up looking like wall paper paste. Yummy wall paper paste. Mmm.

{Peanut butter and chocolate button cookies - not a fan of the buttons but there were hardly any in there.}

To finish: some yummy 'cakies' which were meant to be cookies but baked big and cake-like.

And this, my friends, concludes our little holiday up north. Going home was hilarious...but that's another story ;). 

Home Vanity: Moving Home Edition.

They totally did a major tidy up before they took pics.

In a few short weeks I move to my first 'I get to furnish this place' home since I have been married so I have been indulging in a little interior spying.


My first port of call is Apartment Therapy - a website designed for people who always seem to keep their homes tidy and are pretty nifty with a jigsaw (I don't mean the puzzle, I mean the saw variety...but you knew that, unlike me a few months ago.) This website features the crème de la crème of interiors and the wonderfully put together homes shot on top notch DSLR's by their home owners.


There is no way that I can compete on this league, but I can aspire, right? I can day dream that I too will one day own a 'retro kitsch modern two tone loft.' Okay, what? I don't want to live in loft. Too cramped. But you catch my drift.


Here retro amounts to a cigarette burned couch or those hideous 1900's inspired carpets with lots of puke shade flowers on them. 


I want to be a bread-makin' lemonade pourin' wife. I want to make pies in my kitsch little kitchen and have my sexy husband shoot countless photos of me doing so - you know, all casual and of course I would be dressed 1950s style to complete the look I'd be going for. But I don't know if they sell 1950's style pyjama's and although my husband is sexy it's a rare occasion that you'll catch him taking photos - even though he's talented at it (I never tell him that as I don't like to praise him too often, his ego is big enough as it is.) 

Another problem we've faced living here is the matter of a guest bed. What do you all do when you have guests round? Do they take the couch? Air mattress? Do you have a spare bed? What's your set up?

Ours was letting guests sleep in the spare bed in Roman's room but that doesn't always work out too great and obviously as we're moving we won't have a spare bed. I'm thinking a sofa bed will solve this...or you know we could install a bed into the bathroom like these people did:

Or not.

It all looks so effortless and impossible. But there is one silver lining and it's this; a lot of these people are trying to cram their lives into small spaces. This is something we have been doing for nearly 3 years and now...now we don't have to do that any more. Our new home is ready and waiting with lots of cupboards, storage and..wait for it, because this is good...a handy little antique/second hand furniture store just ONE street behind us. 

I am mega excited, hopeful and very happy. I get over excited about things these days because there usually isn't good news for me health-wise ("No cure Mrs. Quinn."/"Nothing we can do."/"Go home and do nothing." Plus all the notes I get telling me I can't work, can you say frustrated?) and I am very excited about how quickly we've been blessed with this new place - it just appeared, we called up, B had a look around the place and before I know it our place here is up for grabs and we're moving in a few weeks time!

So, when we move, and whenever I get up the motivation/energy/get up and slow (you know, like get up and go ;) I will give you my own version of Apartment Therapy right here on this wee blog. I can't promise pie-making in my awesome more-than-enough-room-to-swing-a-cat-kitchen* but I can promise that it will be mine, it will be genuine and it will be awesome, all in it's own right. 

Oh yeah and I can't wait to make lemonade! Although, seriously, I am not prepared to give myself Type 2 Diabetes so if you know a sugar free/healthier alternative to traditional lemonade, throw it my way.

*No cats will be harmed in the taking of photographs.

Oh yes...and don't forget to vote (below) as I am trying to take over the World and really need your help with that!

Thick Thai Soup: Recipe {Vegan}

Before I get started I want to say that I have followed a Vegan diet for 6 years (2005.) In my search to find cheap and easy ways of 'eating vegan' I experimented around with a few traditional ideas and as I am often asked what I eat on a Vegan diet I decided to share my recipes with you all. I really hope you enjoy!

I love this soup with granary bread when I am feeling sick or in need of some comfort food to fill up on.

What you will need:

Ingredients:

x2 small (or one large) carrot, x3 large white potatoes, 3 handfuls of lentils (you can add more or less, adding more gives it a more thick consistency), half a red onion, one veggie stock cube (I would reccomend Boullion cubes from Marigold) and lemon pepper seasoning.

Step By Step:

Put the water onto a slow boil - in other words, don't have the hob all the way up. Once  you've done this, add the lentils. 

Quarter the potatoes with the knife (I'd suggest you also use the chopping board if you want your kitchen work tops to stay unmarked. Ha.) Once you've chopped the potatoes up, add them to the pot of water and lentils. I almost never un-peel potatoes when making soup because I don't need to and it means more fibre all round.

Peel and dice the carrots and onion and add them to the soup mix in the pot.

 Leave to simmer gently for 30mins.

 Make up your stock and add to the soup. 

Add a sprinkling of lemon pepper seasoning, stirring it through the mixture.

 Once the soup has cooled, blend it so it reaches a thick consistency.

Serve and enjoy! 

~~~