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My baby boy turns 2 this week and we threw him a party. He is totally Thomas the Tank Engine mad and so it wasn’t hard to choose a theme. I went cupcake crazy and made 40 Thomas cupcakes which went down a storm with both children and adults! They were totally delicious partly due to the vanilla sugar and partly due to the sweet cream cheese topping. I made a mixture of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with both plain cream cheese icing and cream cheese/chocolate icing. Now how to make cupcakes Thomas themed? Well, first I found some Thomas rice paper toppers on ebay so that was easy, but I wanted to do something more. Then I found Thomas silicone ice cube trays and was able to use these to make Thomas chocolate shapes to top the cakes! Here are the pictures and the recipe:

Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Makes roughly 20 cupcakes

• 8oz unsalted butter
• 80z sifted vanilla caster sugar (make this by storing caster sugar for several days with a vanilla pod to infuse)
• 80z sifted self-rising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 large free range eggs
• 2 tsp milk
• 1 tbsp coca powder
• 1 tbsp drinking chocolate powder

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°c.
2. Make sure butter is soft and, in a large bowl, mix well with caster sugar until smooth.
3. Add half the flour, all the baking powder, and 2 eggs to the bowl, fold in gradually and gently.
4. Add the rest of the flour, eggs and milk, fold in gently.
5. Test mixture, it should drop easily from your spoon, if it is sloppy add a tbsp more flour, if it is too thick add a tsp more milk.
6. Be gently with your mixture and fold gently this will keep air in the mixture.
7. Spoon half the mixture into cupcake cases, fill each case no more than half full or they will rise too high to ice easily.
8. Gently fold cocoa powder and drinking chocolate into remaining mixture and then spoon into remaining cases, again only fill cases half full.
9. Bake cakes for anywhere between 15-25 minutes this will depend on your oven*.

*A fan oven will cook cakes more evenly and quicker, but all ovens vary and you must check your cakes after 15 minutes. Try to check the cakes through the glass of the oven door (if you have a glass front) if you open the oven too early it will change the temperature and can effect how they rise. When you think the cakes have risen open the oven and test the cakes by pushing a skewer into one, if it comes out clean without any wet mixture then they should be ready – see the photograph below for the cakes straight out of the oven.

Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes

Icing:

Ingredients:

• 500g full fat cream cheese
• 12 oz sifted icing sugar
• 100g dark or milk chocolate

Method:

1. Mix cream cheese and icing sugar well**.
2. Pipe half the icing onto a variety of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.
3. Melt chocolate and pour into remaining icing, mix well.
4. Pipe chocolate icing onto remaining cupcakes.

** Full fat cream cheese is needed as low fat will not keep its shape when piping.

Thomas Chocolate Shapes:

To make these shapes buy silicone Thomas ice cube trays available online. Melt chocolate and pour into moulds, cover the ice cube tray with cling film and place in the freeze over night. Pop out Thomas chocolates and make another batch. Place on top of the iced cupcakes.

Cupcake Stand:

Inspired by Annies-eats.com I made my own cupcake stand. It is really easy to make and you can read all the instructions on Annie’s blog, but I made it even easier by using some old cake board instead of starting from scratch.

My beautiful boy turns 2.

Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes

Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes

Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes Thomas the Tank cupcakes Thomas the Tank Cupcakes

Frittata is such a good dinner for so many reasons:

1. It tastes delicious!
2. It is really easy to make.
3. Eggs are the main ingredient so it is an inexpensive meal.
4. You can add lots of different fillings to make a different meal everytime.

I first tried frittata when my school friend Sarah Shear made it for me, then several years later I read a Delia Smith recipe and started cooking frittata myself. A few years ago I taught my Mum how to make frittata and now she often cooks it for dinner as she finds it so quick and easy, plus my Dad loves it! Now my 89 year old Grandfather said he would like to make it so here is the recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• some olive oil
• 1 large onion sliced into rings
• 1 large potato sliced and cooked
• 1 large handful cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 large handful of chopped fresh herbs (basil, thyme, parsley) or 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 100g peas
• 4 slices of ham (roughly chopped)
• 100g grated cheese
• 6 eggs

Method:

1. Pre-heat the grill to 180
2. Pour a little olive oil into a large non-stick frying pan and fry the onions.
3. Place the eggs and the cheese to one side and add all the other ingredients to the pan with the oinons, cook on a low heat for approx 5 mins.
4. Whisk the eggs in a jug, beat them well and pour into the frying pan. Increase the heat underneath and sprinkle the cheese evenly on the top.
5. Cook the mixture on the hob, on a low heat, for roughly 10 minutes. While the mixture is still wet on the top but showing signs of cooking at the edges remove to the grill (if you continue to cook on the hob it will burn underneath before you have been able to cook it on the top!).
6. Watch the frittata and when it is set slice and serve.

Serving suggestion:

Cous cous and salad.

You can add lots of different fillings to a frittata so experiment and enjoy!

This is a great lunch or starter for a dinner party. As with everything I do it is very quick. It took 2 minutes to whiz it all together in my food processor and a few minutes to make it look pretty in the bowl. Mackerel is a good fish to use as it is full of fish oils which aid with a whole range of health issues from arthritis to depression! Here is my recipe:

Serves 4 for lunch, 6 for a starter

Ingredients:

• 2 smoked mackerel fillets
• 250g cream cheese
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Whiz everything together in a food processor until smooth.
2. Serve with toast.

I really love homemade Lamb Curry. Here is a quick recipe that I sometimes use:

Lamb Curry
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 glove garlic
• 2 tsp curry powder (or make own mix of 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tumeric, 1/4 ginger powder, 1/4 dried chilli flakes)
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 4 lamb chops
• 2 tbsp dried red lentils

Method:

1. Fry onion, garlic and curry powder in frying pan on medium heat, add lamb chops and sear on both sides.
2. Pour tinned tomatoes and lentils into pan, allow to bubble and then turn down to a low heat and place on a lid*.
3. Allow to cook on a very low heat for 20 mins.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with a tasty rice:

1. Heat a potion of mixed vegetables in the microwave, stir veg into a packet of cooked microwave rice.
2. Add sultanas and chopped fresh coriander to the rice.

*Use a large heatproof plate if you do not have a lid with your frying pan.

After my first baby baking experience my Mum decided to make biscuits with Baby G. It was good fun, and messy, but we were surprised by how much he loved the biscuits. For days after all the biscuits were eaten he kept asking for them.

Nanny had bought lots of biscuit cutters and Baby G chose a train, a car and a butterfly cutter to use. Forever after he kept asking “Where a train biscuit?” “Where a car biscuit gone?”

We used a basic recipe which you can add flavour to such as mixed spice, giner or vanilla. Here is the recipe which we took from a kids cookbook I used to use when I was little!

Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour
• 125g butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 tsp mixed spice

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 190°c.
2. Beat butter and sugar together, slowly add the egg and mix.
3. Sift in the flour and spice into the bowl and mix everything together to make a firm ball of dough.
4. Sprink some flour on a rolling pin and onto surface, then roll out dough.
5. Cut the dough into shapes and place on a baking tray in the oven for 10 mins.