So, with Easter fast approaching and Mother's day even closer, there's lots to get ready. I want to make a lovely card for my awesome mum who lives in Mauritius with the rest of my family. However, for some weird reason, often they do not receive my letters...they simply get "lost" in the post. Maybe they should try owls...but no, poor owls, that would be a long journey. Even by plane it is no less than 12 hours on a direct flight!! Speaking of owls, I want to show you a picture of Justine on world book day in her costume (which required some DIY;)) as Tiga Whiccabim of the Witchwars series of books.
These are only ideas and I have not even started anything yet. We have a couple of weeks off from work (because I work in a college) and school, starting on the weekend of the 6th of April. We can't wait! We will be visiting places, relaxing at home with little indoor activities and having walks in the park. It is so important to take the time to relax, with the busy lives we have. Even a five minute lie down on the sofa with your eyes closed and trying to empty your mind is useful to recharge your batteries. Another tip to start the day well and keep your energy levels high is to go to bed early and getting up early. You will see how the calm and quiet of early mornings is energising. You can seize the opportunity to have a bath once in a while (if like me, you are a shower-on-most-days person) and swirl a few drops of calming essential oils in it.
Playground days are already beginning:)
Justine has started to request visits to the playground and although it is still pretty chilly, it's not freezing cold and the fresh air can only be good for us.
What would be my blog if I didn't post a picture of my latest recipes or culinary creations! 😊😉 So, here are my lemony ricotta hotcakes with homemade blueberry syrup.
The recipe follows after the pictures.
For the hotcakes for two people, you will need a 250g tub of ricotta cheese, 90g of self-raising flour, 50g of caster sugar (so it dissolves easily), 3 large eggs (free-range or organic preferable), the zest of two lemons, 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (softened).
For the homemade syrup, you will need: 150g blueberries, 3 Tbsp. maple syrup, 4 cardamom pods (slightly cracked open), 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.
Place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan on the hob and bring to a boil. Then turn down to simmering point for about 3 minutes and take off the heat and set aside.
For the hotcakes, using a wooden spoon, beat together the ricotta, flour, sugar, yolks of the eggs, a pinch of salt and the lemon zest. Using electric beaters, beat the whites of the eggs until stiff and fold into the ricotta mixture.
On the hob, place a frying pan on a medium heat and put in it a Tbsp. of butter. Your batter should make 6 hotcakes in total. Put two dessert spoons of batter for one hotcake in the frying pan; make three at a time. Flip them after three minutes and cook for another couple of minutes one the other side. Repeat for the last batch of hotcakes. Serve warm with the syrup. Delicious! You've got to try that one! They are light and sweet and so pillowy. Each hotcake is about 250 kcal if you are interested in managing your calorie intake (I don't care about how many calories I eat, I will never weigh more than 7 stones 3 pounds...lol).
Enjoy the hotcakes and get making Easter crafts...please share any ideas with us;)
