Bratzillaz - Ready For A Magic Night Out

Glam gets wicked with the latest range of dolls from the Bratzillaz™ Academy.  With their witchy fashions and their powers to do good, the Bratzillaz™ are dressed to impress and ready to dance the night away!  Kizzy was sent Jade J’Adore™, the gorgeous, pink haired doll with the power to mend broken hearts.

With her light-up broomstick that transforms into a wand and her novelty hairbrush, Jade is ready to party.  She can even dance, doing her moves when you twist her waist.  She comes with a doll stand to display her.

Included in the new range are original characters: Jade J’Adore™, Meygana Broomstix™, Sashabella Paws™, Cloetta Spelletta™ and Yasmina Clairvoya™, as well as brand new character Vampelina™. Vampelina™ has the magical power to see in the dark. 

Bratzillaz™ dolls are suitable for ages six years plus, priced at around £24.99 and available from all good toy retailers nationwide.

A Sherlock Holmes Themed Evening - Elementary My Dear Watson!

Sherlock Holmes's popularity has sky-rocketed recently with both the Robert Downey Jr movies and the Benedict Cumberbatch TV series.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective character who first appeared in 1887 has retained a timeless quality, which has inspired generation after generation of fans.  The super sleuth has been brilliantly portrayed in the TV series Sherlock with a contemporary adaptation, reimagining the character for a sophisticated modern audience.  Whereas the films give an action spin, focusing on stunts and visuals to give a more exciting and action packed Holmes experience.

But the question remains who is the best Holmes?  Which fandom do you aspire to be in?  Are you a Cumberbitch or an RDJ Duckling?

We were sent a stack of Sherlock Holmes goodies by Gala Bingo so we could enjoy an evening of Baker Street fun and decide who we think makes the best detective.

To make such a decision, we had to harness our inner detective and Ian was only too happy to step into the role of Sherlock Holmes himself, rocking the original deerstalker look!

To hone his detective skills, we had a game of Sherlock Cluedo where he deduced that Moriarty was killed with the gun on the roof of St.Barts!  The game itself features characters and locations directly from the TV series, transposed into the original Cluedo format.  A great way to update an old classic.

Having a Sherlock Holmes themed night is a lot of fun.  It provides an excuse to dress-up, play games and watch some cracking good TV and movies.  You could throw in an element of Murder Mystery and designate someone to play Holmes (donning them with a deerstalker hat) then make clues for the guests to guess whodunnit!  British themed food such as a traditional roast dinner followed by a sherry trifle would help set the scene. A snifter of Port afterwards is quintessentially British. Or how about a traditional tea party? You could even have a go at the slots with games such as Sheerluck Holmes on offer to raise the stakes of the evening even higher.   There are Sherlock Holmes video games that you can download and play online to get you in the mood. There is even a Sherlock game for the Wii.  Dressing up needn't be expensive, just grab a pipe and a magnifying glass!  Instant Sherlock.  Decorating the house with some period detailing...think candlesticks, drapes and throws, adds instant atmposphere.  Or apply handprints and blood splashes to windows and paintwork to inspire some good old fashioned detecting.

So, after careful deduction, sleuthery and teamwork we have come up with our solution to the question of who is the better Holmes!   Although Cumberbatch's intelligent portrayal of Sherlock has taken the story to a whole new level of genius throwing the character into 21st century London with a seamless ease, Robert Downey Jr wins hands down with us.  I mean he is just so gorgeous and he is Iron Man too.  Yes this is a very shallow way to determine who is the best Sherlock, but we're only human and cannot resist Downey's charismatic appeal.  I am a self-confessed RDJ Duckling and Ian has a huge man-crush on him.  Poor Benedict Cumberbatch did not stand a chance in the battle of the super sleuths (even though the intellectual side of me knows that his portrayal is in fact by far superior).  This is a heart over head decision...definitely not a Holmes inspired well deduced logical piece of detective work!

We All Love Our Dairylea!

Two exciting new flavours of Dairylea are now on sale in Tesco supermarkets:  Mighty Mature and Springy Onion.  The all natural recipe sees the addition of tangy mature cheddar or spring onion to liven up a family favourite.  We've been sent one of each to test, so today as an after school snack, I challenged the kids to dip and spread the cheesy goodness onto various accompaniments to see what they liked best!

Using carrot sticks, bread sticks, oatcakes and sliced bread, the two varieties of New Dairylea were thoroughly enjoyed.  It was nice providing a healthy after school snack for the children and seeing them enjoy it so enthusiastically.

17 year old Ella loved the Mighty Mature, which is really flavoursome and tangy, as a dip for carrot sticks.  Kizzy, 10, loved the Spring Onion on oatcakes best of all.  3 year old Freddy favoured the Mighty Mature spread on sliced, white bread.  Both flavours were a big hit with the children.

The new Dairylea flavours are versatile additions to the range.  As well as spreading on bread or crackers or dipping with veggie sticks, crisps or breadsticks, they can be dolloped on jacket potatoes, salad or on pasta.  or mixed into mash potato.  They are really yummy and will definitely be on my shopping list!

I think the Mighty Mature is exceptionally good.  It may be targeted as a children's spread, but it is definitely something adults will enjoy.  It is deliciously mature, with a lovely texture.  It would make a lovely cheesy topping on a Quorn Fillet or over new potatoes.  

They come in 160g tubs, are suitable for vegetarians, contain all natural ingredients including milk and cheese and bring an exciting new twist to the Dairylea Brand.  The new flavours will be coming to Asda and Morrison's at the end of the month.

Follow Dairylea's news by liking their Facebook page and keep up to date on the latest products, fun, competitions and cheesy chatter!!

Discover Mexican Food for Cinco de Mayo

Mexican food is a favourite cuisine here Inside the Wendy House, so when we were offered a selection of Discovery products to help celebrate Cinco de Mayo (5th of May), I jumped at the chance.  Any excuse to cook up a delicious Mexican feast!

We received a bag containing Perfect Fajita Kit, Fajita Season and Sauce, Green Jalapeno Relish, Garlic and Herb Soured Cream and Medium Salsa.

I was also challenged to come up with a recipe using some of the Discovery products to share here on my blog.  So here is my recipe for Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo Enchiladas using Fajita Season and Sauce and the Fajita Kit.

Ingredients

Discovery Fajita Season and Sauce

Discovery Tortilla Wraps

250g mushrooms sliced

2 onions sliced

oil for frying

bag of Quorn Pieces

150ml single cream

1 free range egg

Mexicana cheese grated

Discovery Sour Cream

Discovery Jalapeno Relish

Method

1:  Fry onions and mushrooms for 5 minutes then add Quorn pieces and continue to fry.
2:  Add pot of Fajita seasoning from the Season and Sauce and cook through until coated.
3:  In a jug, mix together the cream, egg and Sauce (from the Season and Sauce).
4:  Fill and roll each Tortilla Wrap with a spoonful of the spicy Quorn, onion and mushroom mixture.
5:  Put into an ovenproof dish and cover with the creamy sauce.
6:  Top with grated Mexicana cheese.
7:  Put into a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
8:  Serve with Discovery Sour Cream and Jalapeno Relish and a side salad.

Delicious and very easy to do!


So enjoy a fiesta this May the 5th and celebrate Cinco de Mayo with your own Mexican feast, made easy thanks to Discovery foods!

Family Bank Holiday Days Out Infographic

With two May bank holiday weekends ahead, it is the perfect excuse to organise a family day out.  Fingers crossed for a bit of sunny weather!

In the below infographic you'll find a variety of suggestions for great days out, along with some great money saving offers to help stretch the budget. It also reveals the results of a survey that was carried out in which 70 parenting bloggers (including me) were asked about their family habits for days out.

Image source: MoneySupermarket Travel Insurance

Easy Lentil & Egg Nests Recipe

Eggs are such a versatile ingredient and something we regularly use in our main meals.  Being vegetarian, eggs provide us with an excellent source of protein and iron.  Brit Mums are challenging bloggers to share their favourite egg recipes, looking for the easiest, quickest and most inventive main meals that incorporate an egg in each portion in their Main Meals Linky Challenge sponsored by British Lion Eggs.

I have adapted a rather complicated and time consuming baked egg recipe that I only use for special occasions into a very quick and easy midweek meal idea.  It takes just minutes to make, is filling, nutritious, cheap and very tasty.  The kids enjoy it too which is a real bonus.  Unlike the oven baked eggs which have a tendency to go a bit leathery on top, this recipe produces a delicious, soft result which is far more palatable.  It uses basic store cupboard essentials so can be made very easily, providing a delicious egg based meal for your family, even if you're short of time.

So this is the recipe I am sharing for the #eggmainsinminutes linky.

Lentil & Egg Nests 

(recipe listed serves 2 but can be easily doubled up to serve 4)

Ingredients

1 400g can of green lentils drained

1 finely chopped onion

1 dessertspoon of tomato puree

oil for frying

pinch of Italian seasoning

2 free range eggs

Method

Fry the finely chopped onion in a lidded frying pan until soft.

Add the drained can of lentils, the tomato puree and the seasoning and stir well.

Heat through.

Make two wells in the lentil mixture and break in the eggs.

Put the lid on the pan and cook gently on a low heat for about 8 minutes until the eggs are fully set.

We love this meal as the lentils make a deliciously, moist base for the yummy soft, baked egg.  They are a perfect culinary pairing.  For a variation on this recipe, you could add curry powder and cumin to the lentils, giving an Indian twist instead of an Italian one.  Either way, it is a very quick and tasty main meal that is excellent served with a portion of fresh green vegetables or a side salad to add some colour.

Find more egg recipe ideas at www.eggrecipes.co.uk/mainmealsinminutes or check out the Brit Mums linky where you can see other bloggers' egg recipes or enter your own idea.

This post is an entry for the #eggmainsinminutes Linky on BritMums.

The Croods on Wii

The Croods: Prehistoric Party! features the lovable Croods family – Grug, Ugga, Eep, Thunk, Sandy, Gran and Guy – on an adventure through 30 unique party-style mini-games. Explore spectacular landscapes in an incredible new world filled with never-before-seen creatures as you battle your friends and family in this awesome adventure with up to four-player multiplayer for Nintendo Wii.

We were sent a copy to try out.  The game itself is played like a board game with mini games which can be chosen when a character lands on a certain square.  The games are  a lot of fun and are based on moments from the film such as feeding the Land Whales,  riding on corn, cave painting and exploring sea shells.  There are extra boards which can be unlocked providing additional content.

You can play as your favourite character - Gran was a favourite with us!  The game is fun to play and the characters are very true to the film.  Gameplay is simple and the mini games keeps the kids entertained in short doses.  I found it quite hard to win the games against the computer controlled characters, but I am a hopeless gamer.  It was still fun to play though, even though I constantly came last.  The graphics are typical for a Wii game and we enjoyed the party format, especially good when playing with mixed ages and abilities.

The Croods: Prehistoric Party! is available to buy now.  (It is just £16.99 on Amazon.)