Apple Crumble Mocktail

I popped in my local Co- op to get the ingredients for my Apple Crumbke Cocktail and then placed them in my bicycle basket and cycled back down the lane so I could could prepare my #mycooptreats . This cocktail is ideal for Valentines day and I'll be getting my ingredients for my valentine meal from the Co-op as well .

Ingredients 

Apple Juice

Digestives to crush ( 1 should do it per drink )

Apple sauce

Allspice

You could add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the crushed biscuit.

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker ( or in my case an oh glamorous travel mug )with a handful of ice and shake hard. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Crush a biscuit in a bowl and gently put some Apple sauce around the rim , dip the glass into the biscuit so the rim is covered in biscuit .
   
   
   
   
   

   
   
2. Strain the cocktail into a cocktail glass or a tumbler  filled with crushed ice and garnish with a teaspoon of apple sauce and a sprinkling of the biscuit around the rim . Complete with a cinnamon stick to decadently twirl your cocktail whilst you wait for Charades to begin.
   
   
   
   
   

   
   

   
   

   You could leave the spice out if you wish. Or add alcohol ! then it wouldn't be a mocktail any more.
   

   
   

   Disclosure : I was kindly sent some vouchers so I could purchase the ingredients I needed.

Signs That Cats Have Overtaken Your Life

There are subtle and not so subtle signs that cats have indeed taken over your life, and many a day I sit there and wonder what lies behind those "Love me " "Feed me "  gorgeous eyes . We have been fooled into thinking they are our pets when instead they have us convinced they are the most import creature on the planet. For example when the cat sits on my husband legs wanting


 "Sweeties "

 I call the cat a creep and immediately my husband refers to me in the third person:

 "She doesn't understand does she she is just jealous "

The cats know you are trying to read a book or complete that deadline assignment , they immedaietky infiltrate your work space causing you to be late . So no more "The dog ate my homework sir "

It's more a case of " The cat sat in my homework Sir so I couldn't complete it "

Cats don't care you want to go to bed , they know you should be doing something else anyway , so you might as well go and do it as

"The bed isn't up to temperature yet "

You buy shoe boxes to feet your cats shoe box habit as it really loves its

"Box Box "

You are pretty sure that the cute soft toy cat has morphed into a carbon copy your evil ninjacat .



Cats will take over the world.

Sweet Potato Chips

A very British problem is time.

It has indeed been January for 5 years now.


So with the purse clamped shut I am on a cost saving slide to the end of the month and today it was sweet potato fries , which I though would be difficult but actually it wasn't that difficult.



Ingredients

3 Potatoes will be enough for 4 depending on size of the sweet potato


1 Tea spoon of sweet paprika


salt and pepper seasonings( I used Maldon smoked salt which I adore )


1 Table spoon of Olive oil.


Method

Preheat the oven to 200 c

Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes

Leaving the skin on

Dry them lovingly


Place on chopping board and cut in half length ways

Now you could do the same again but I cheated and then sliced diagonally after splitting length ways.




Place in a bowl add the tea spoon of smoked Paprika and the table spoon of oil oil and toss gently , adding your seasonings.


Next put the sweet potato chips onto a baking tray and cook for 40 -45 minutes allowing for your own oven.

Waiting On Summers Breeze

I am waiting on Summer's breeze blowing past a listening ear


I am waiting on summers love touch warming me through

I am waiting on the kaleidoscope of flower colour cheering my soul


I am waiting on the kites flying high tails dangling free


I am waiting on the lemonade tickle of my nose thrilling me


Dream whispers that will come to true

The summer mist will twirl through 

Pooh sticks being thrown over bridges 

Who will win 

Glad to have empathetic soul understanding me 

I'm waiting on Summer's breeze 

To see you free 

The Book Seeker

One of my greatest joys as a child as an adult was reading , reading was very much my refuge when times were turbulent then I will snuggle down in a corner of the library and be among friends. Books are friends they bring the characters alive , they can frighten you they can comfort you all within a snugly environment. Reading as a child took me off to faraway lands , such as The Lion the witch and the Wardrobe , troubled and adventurous children seeking adventure through a wardrobe , even though I regularly seek solace in the Wardrobe. My virtual bag is packed and ready to go at the turn of a page, just as I love travelling to places by the spin of a globe.

"Come in be among friends if you seek a book  "

I was the child who spent all their pocket money on books be it CS Lewis books, Swallows and Amazon, E Nesbit, Charles Kinglesy the magical list goes on. Books were my sanctuary they still are I can remember the thrill of each and every book , for instance in the Phoenix and the carpet when the  carpet is unrolled and the Phoenix eggs rolls in the fire revealing the Phoenix that will lead the child on their adventures.

One of my favourite chapters is where they travel to Persia as the carpet wants to visit its homeland and they bring back 199 Persian cats , now wouldn't that be fun just think of the blogging adventures we could have .


And the books I read as a child I am now encouraging my son to read , as a world without a love of books in some form or another is a very dull life ( or can be )

Every book and any book is my friend, currently I am teaching guided reading within the infant school I work for in varied ability groups and it is very heartening to see the progress they make . I never thought I could have that impact in the world of reading other than to someone other than my own son.


Books are the word.