Posts made in May, 2010
Little Helper Baby Aqua High and Low Chair review
This is a highchair that you will either love or hate. It’s not flashy, or posh, or patterned, nor does it have a million and one functions. Which is why I love it.
Jacob is 9 months old and has been sitting confidently since 6 months. This highchair is perfect for him – but wouldn’t be very supportive for a wobbly sitter. It was very simple to put together, and easy to take apart to put in the car if you’re travelling. I love the fact that you can take the bottom half of the legs off to create a shorter chair perfect for putting up to children’s tables, or for lazy feeding from the comfort of the sofa! It’s very sturdy and strong – a must in a household of three disaster-prone children. The padded seat cover is easy to remove for washing, and the whole highchair is just made for easy cleaning; the ergonomic design means there’s no nooks and crannies for food to collect and fester.
The only downsides to the highchair are the fact that the tray and leg-rest are non adjustable, and the chair only has a 3 point waist harness rather than a 5 point shoulder harness. This hasn’t been a problem for us, but it is something to be aware of.
All in all I like the simplicity and sturdiness of this highchair… it does exactly as it says on the box, and it does it well. For under £41, it’s a great buy!
Read MoreYumyumyum – salmon pasta recipe from Annabel Karmel
Annabel Karmel is at it again – another new book out this week, this one just made for me – ‘Top 100 Pasta Dishes‘.
What did we do in the UK before pasta arrived? You know, that ‘oh, it appears to be 5.30 and I’ve cooked no dinner’ moment – what do we do? Reach for the pasta.
Easy.
So, I needed no arm twisting when we were asked to review the new book – I know Annabel Karmel can be trusted to have interesting recipes that are quick and easy, look pretty and above all can be used for the whole family. Full review coming on the main site shortly, but we have been given permission to give you a sneak recipe peek…
Fusilli with salmon in a light cheese sauce with spring vegetables
“This is a favourite recipe of mine; it’s a delicious combination of spring vegetables and tender chunks of salmon. It makes a delicious meal for adults as well. The sauce couldn’t be simpler – just stir together the ingredients and heat through.”
Ingredients:
200g (7oz) fusilli
2 tbsp of light olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
100g (3 ½ oz) orange pepper, cut into strips
100g (3 ½ oz) brocolli florets
1 medium courgette, slice and cut into semi-circles
250g (9oz) salmon fillets
200 ml (7floz) vegetable stock
150g (5 ½ oz) tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into chunks
75g (3oz) parmesan cheese, grated salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Cook the fusilli according to the instructions on the packet.
• Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the orange pepper, broccoli and courgette and sauté for 6-7 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, cut the salmon into chunks, put in a saucepan, cover with fish stock and poach over a gentle heat for 3-4 minutes until cooked. Remove from pan, strain and set aside.
• Stir the crème fraiche and vegetable stock into the cooked vegetables and bring to a simmer. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and chunks of salmon and simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in the parmesan and season to taste.
• Toss the drained fusilli with the sauce, taking care not to break up the chunks of salmon.
I’m afraid the picture isn’t mine – we had big bowls, not pretty pots, and it was scoffed far too quickly for me to manage to get a picture of it. But every last scrap was eaten, and next time I’ll be increasing the quantities as there were rather a lot of shouts of “Is there any more please?”.
Read MoreMessage for Small Businesses – yes, we’re talking to you…
(other readers may move along now, nothing pretty to see here at the moment…)
We thought you might just fancy getting your hands on a copy of our newsletter especially for small businesses, which tells all of our latest news along with tips and advice from Clever and Useful People (there’s no need to be one of our advertisers, we’ll talk to anyone y’know).
[newsletter]
Read MoreOMG! Keris!
Keris is one of our favourite reviewers (and the author of our brilliant Slopsville series last year, her week by week success-by-disaster weaning diary), so we are naturally excited that her first book is finally on the shelves. And just look – this (very excited) image taken just today in WH Smiths proves it!
‘Della Says OMG!’ (bottom shelf, third from left, black cover) is a YA/Teen fiction, and a contemporary coming of age tale in the same vein as Judy Blume’s ‘Forever’ (which left its mark on all of us of a certain generation, I believe). Written of course with Keris’ characteristic honesty, warmth and wit which make even talking about reusable baby wipes snort-out-loud funny.
Keris is such a lovely, lovely person (you can talk to her on Twitter – @keris – she’ll talk to anyone, honestly, she’s not fussy), and I’m so thrilled for her – and also have no doubt this is the first success of a fantastic career.
If you visit Keris’ website you can read the first chapter (please do, you’ll love it) – and enter a comp to win an iPod touch too. Take a cup of tea with you – you may be some time.
(Okay Keris, I’m done now – you can stop blushing)
Read MoreSpotted! Such a pretty summer dress
Just look – how sweet is this? Summery floral print cotton dress, in lined cool cotton for those hot summer days (we can dream!).
Such a pretty girls dress – smocking, buttons, puff sleeves… Oh, and perfect above-the-knee length to make it practical for those girls who like to wear pretty dresses whilst climbing trees and playing soldiers.
Not that I would know anything about small girls like that. No no.
Oh, and it comes in ages 2-12, and is currently reduced to £10.50. Yes, £10.50. What are you still doing here? Go! Buy!
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