Last weeks meal plan was pretty much a disaster....For those of you who think I am amazing at meal planning, last week was a plan that didn't go to plan at all....lol
Ellie was poorly on Monday so baking was off which actually worked out well because on Friday I received a fabulous stand mixer to review....Tuesday we ate the pancakes as planned. On Valentines day I had forgotten to checkout and pay for the meal deal from Tesco so we had takeaway pizza. On Thursday I don't know what we ate as we didn't go out like we had planned, we didn't get the Chinese takeaway. Stu did make a chicken stir fry so we still had Chinese sort of. On Saturday we had our day out to Newcastle and we stuffed ourselves with McDonalds at lunch we felt like nothing for tea and just picked and snacked....Yesterday we had a full on fry up. Sausage, bacon, eggs, black pudding, mushrooms, tomatoes and baked beans.....
This week on the menu we have:
Monday - Mince & dumplings made in the slow cooker....
Tuesday - The leftover mince will be made into a cottage pie....
I received the Fearne by Swan Stand Mixer....Wow! I was not expecting something like this. I watch the Great British bake off and I have always dreamed about owning one of these mixers! I am very grateful....
Whip up delicious treats with this peacock food mixer from Fearne By Swan. Its 1500 Watt output makes short work of combining ingredients, and with 4 accessories to choose from, you’ll always have the perfect tools for your culinary creations. The dough tool is specially designed to create the perfect loaf every time. You’ll always achieve the ideal consistency too, thanks to the pulse function, as it delivers short bursts of power until your mix is just right. It also has a direct drive motor which is really hardwearing and incredibly quiet, so you’ll have no trouble preparing heavier mixtures.
When the delivery driver handed me the box I nearly dropped it....It was heavy. Not too heavy for me to lift but heavier than I expected.
There wasn't a box of things to put together. There was the bowl guard, whisker, beater and dough hook....It was just a case of giving it wash, attach the tool I needed and I was good to go.....Of course after I had read the instructions which were simple to understand. I could have actually have got away without reading them as it was so straightforward to use....
The tools were easy to put on and remove and it was easy to move up and down into the bowl....I am usually not good when it comes to using things like this but I managed everything myself without even asking my fella for help....
I decided to step out of my comfort zone and make something I wouldn't normally bake. I thought I would make something which needed kneading so I could really put the mixer through it's paces so I decided on the Hot Cross Bun loaf which I found on Tesco's website.
I rubbed the flour and butter together then added everything else to the bowl and set the mixer away mixing. I added the milk and I was jumping for joy seeing how quickly and well it all mixed together.
I then changed the attachment and set it away kneading the mixture. It was amazing. You can see in the video below how it did. It certainly saved my arms....
There is 10 speed settings and I started off on the lowest speed and went up to about 4 while mixing and then when kneading I put it up to 5 which seemed enough.....
I would say it worked.....I have never made dough before but it did what it was supposed to do and the end result looked amazing and tasted even better.
I then went on to make carrot cakes and a Victoria sponge cake and I can honestly say they are the best I have ever made! They were so light and fluffy and I am putting that down to the stand mixer!
I used the whisk tool to mix the cream and thicken it up. I worked my way up to the fastest speed and it took about 5 minutes to make the cream for in the middle of the Victoria sandwich cake.....
I would say it makes a little noise but no more than you would expect. When it whisked the cream at the top speed it did get loud but it wasn't deafening....
This stand mixer is fantastic. It makes baking effortless. I know I will be using it again and again....As well as it being brilliant it is also so pretty. The colour is gorgeous. Not too bright but bright enough to add some colour to my kitchen.
The The Fearne by Swan Stand Mixer costs £269. I think it is worth every penny. It is so strong and robust and I can see it lasting many, many years....It is one of those things I didn't know I needed until I got one.
I feel like I am now a star baker thanks to this stand mixer! Now I am on the hunt for more recipes....No more packet mixes for me! It really is a game changer when it comes to baking! Thank you for Jayne for nominating me to take part and AO for sending it.
I was sent this stand mixer free of charge in exchange for my review. This is is! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
We have had a good week....The kids have been off school for half term and my fella off work....We've spent plenty of time relaxing, doing crafts, baking and I've had some exciting deliveries of things that I am reviewing here on the blog....
Here is a photo for every day....
41/365 - 10th February
The girls were busy colouring their canvasses....
42/365 - 11th February
A Sunday evening of not having to rush about getting ready for school. We love the school holidays....
43/365 - 12th February
She changed her bedroom around....All she needed help with was moving her TV. She was so chuffed with the end result....
44/365 - 13th February
We did some crafts. Some Chinese new year one's...
45/365 - 14th February
My fella knows me so well. He got me pj's for Valentines day....
46/365 - 15th February
I got sent a huge selection of teas to try....I was amazed! I was not expecting all of this.
47/365 - 16th February Yesterday I did some baking....Ellie of course had to help out.
