Halloween Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes #wwback2best

These cupcakes are ideal when you need a chocolate lift and this gorgeous cupcakes certainly hit the spot. You will feel as if you have really indulged yourself yet they are only 4 Propoints values each!

Which is great for me as I am on the Propoints programme and I can share with my family and I don't feel as if I am missing out.

Ingredients

175g (6 oz) fresh cherries

25g ( 1oz) cocoa,sifted

150 g (5 1/2 oz) self-raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

100g ( 3 1/2 oz) dark brown sugar

75g (2 3/4 oz) low fat spread

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

150g (5 1/2 oz) virtually fat- free natural yogurt

100g ( 31/2 oz) low fat cheese

15g ( 1/2 oz) icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180c/fan oven to 160c and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

2. Start by stoning the cherries: if you have a olive pitter, this works really well on cherries too. Otherwise, place the cherries on a chopping board and roll over them with a rolling pin to crush them lightly, then squeeze out the stones. Reserve six cherries , halved , to decorate then chop up the rest of the cherries roughly.

3. Reserve 2 teaspoons of the cocoa to make the frosting, then sift the rest of the cocoa, the flour and the bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, low fat spread egg, vanilla and yogurt and beat together with an electric whisk, until light and fluffy. Stir the chopped cherries into the mixture then divide between the paper cake cases.

4. Bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 15-18 minutes until the cupcakes are well risen and springy in the centre.

5. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

6. For the Frosting, beat the cheese together with icing sugar and the reserved cocoa. Spread on the cooled cupcakes then top each one with a half cherry.

As teen doesn't like cherries I omitted these you can find this recipe here ...

( Thank you for Weigh Watcher letting me reproduce this recipe)

No need to be sacred about your weight this Halloween!

Weight Watchers Chocolate Cupcake #wwback2best

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Old " Love " #Gallery

With how the weather has been recently it not been the weather to keep wearing my  summer clothes really not that at my age I would be wearing the tight shorts and skirt of my youth. You know when it was cool to wear black tights underneath denim shorts and high top trainers. 

It was raining yet again when has it not stopped raining ! I am not at all down beat about the rain .. yes I would like some sun especially as I am taking a UK holiday soon which cost as much as a  foreign holiday. I normally go to far flung places but for the last two years I have stayed with the UK though my feet as getting somewhat twitchy.

I  needed to go out food shopping or some other mundane task like dusting, hoovering and finally putting the sealant round the bath that Mr T hasn't got round to yet.

Reaching into my pocket of my rain coat I pulled on a plastic puzzle the sort you would find in a good Christmas cracker but it was modern it was 1950's in style and make. Somewhat quirky , a fun little item that on closer inspection was made in England.

It was an item from my childhood My grandparents used to give it to me to keep me amused I loved it, it was pure joy to me much more than the electronic toys that beckoned to me. I had not seen it since my grandad had died  so sadness and elation combined. You can have all the tea in china as they say but for me simplicity of a cheap toy can provide the trigger of memories forever.

Old joy  with a simple slide puzzle.

Pumpazing fun!

Pumpazing is a fun filled game from Drummond Park that will have the whole family involved.

It's hectic, breathless active fun with hilarious sounds for pre-schoolers.

Watch your zingers go flying with Pumpazing! It's a pass-the parcel style game where players compete to shoot colourful Zinger heads from the toothsome Zingy unit, by pumping his arms as fast as they can! Each Zinger launched makes a wonderful whizzy noise - but if the screeching buzzer sounds when you have hold of Zingy, it means you've lost a life!

Contents

Four coloured Zinger heads and Zingy.

Object of the game 

There are two versions of the game which you can play with Zingy one is the simple ' starter' version of the game, little children take it in turn- pass -the-parcel style - to pump Zingy's arms as fast and furiously as they can until Zingy shouts "Zing" or "boing" and one of the Zingers comes flying off. Then it's on to the next player as fast as they can! But if Zingy says :Uh Oh" as the Zinger shoots across the room, the player is out.

The person who hangs onto the most of his or her four lives ends up the winner!


Older children will enjoy playing the full version of the game, where they start of with an allocation of Zingy cards, depending on the number of children playing. But watch out, Zingy can't wait to catch them out when they least expect it, he's bursting to take away their cards! Because if Zingy says "Uh-Oh", they lose a card and they just never know when he's going to do it. Its a manic, crazy pump to the last with scream of joy and elation there will be frustration but then come triumph. The last player with a life card left is the winner.

The game retails at £19.99 and as ever is available from all good stockists.


Disclosure ( I was sent this for review all thoughts words and opinions are my own)

I didn't come down in the last shower

Bloggers must maintain a professional calm so I have tried sitting on my hands so I didn't type something but....


I didn't come down in the last shower......

I am certainly no mug ...

Contrary to belief I do have a heart ....

I stumbled upon this hilarious blog post which pretty much sums up how I feel ... And I think ..

That sometimes... I can't ...

"Damn it ..."

I want to tell people who think they can sneak free content up on me without full disclosure to ....

"FECK Go away "

So Dear ( insert name of choice ) a kind word in your shell ..

Us bloggers are like ...

Bloggers look after each other.

Pataks Curry flavour & Apricot Chicken Recipe

It has just been National curry week from the 8-14 October but don't stop having your curries they are for any time. They are a quick and simple dish suitable for all the family and its the one time that I don't have to go and cook my son something separate for eat. We all enjoy this dish  and its mild enough it doesn't blow my teens head off and as we all know teens can be hot headed at the best of times !

The not so humble curry is Britain's best loved dish - 73  % of Brits say they loved a curry and almost a quarter ( 24 %) name it as their absolute favourite food.

Pataks have launched a nationwide search to find Britain's biggest curry nut to become Patks's Official Curry Taster 2012. The winning candidate will be the voice of the nation when it comes to tasting curry and helping shape the future of the Patak's brand.

If you are crazy for Jalfrezi, drool over Dopiaza or fancy yourself as a Rogan Nosher then you are the prefect candidate for Patak's serch for Britain's biggest curry lover. You don't need any formal qualifications to apply, you just need to convince the Pataks panel of judges that your passion for curry knows no bounds and that you are Britain's biggest curry fan.

Pataks Oven Biryani served with Naan Bread.

This was a simple dish to prepare and saves me a trip to the local takeaway! I much prefer kowing what has actually gone into my takeaway!


There are many recipes on the Pataks site I would choose the below dish for those intimate child free moments * pencils in such an occasion * 

Apricot Chicken - Indian Style ( Knubani Murgh)

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 200g onions, sliced
• 450g chicken, diced
• 3 tbsp Patak's Balti Curry Paste
• 200g canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp single cream
• 150g dried apricots, chopped
• 150ml water
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1tbsp/5g sugar

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the sliced onions for 2 minutes.
2. Add the Patak's Balti Paste together with the chicken and fry for 3 minutes to seal the meat.  Add the chopped tomatoes and dried apricots and cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked (add a little water if necessary).
3. Finally add the cream and gently heat for a further 2 minutes.
4. Garnish with the fresh coriander and serve with rice and Naan breads

(Disclosure I was sent a number of Pataks products to try all words and thoughts are my own , the recipe is printed with kind permission from Pataks )