Christmas Countdown Day 7- Gluten Free Gingerbread House

Christmas activities are not just for kids, they're fun for all ages, especially when sweets, biscuit and chocolate are involved! Today my friends and I made a gingerbread house, something that I had never done before and was keen to try! My parents are both gluten free and so I have included a great gluten free recipe which is easy to make with clear instructions! When making it, the quantities of ingredients seems quite vast, but trust me, its worth it! 

My friends and I had great fun decorating this with smarties(great for a path!), edible gold and silver balls, chocolate buttons for roof tiles and lots of icing sugar! To make our Christmas trees, I made stars with the remaining dough that decreased in size and then put them on top of each other. 

Here's the link but I am going to post the method too: http://www.glutafin.co.uk/recipe/gingerbread-house/

Ingredients

Gluten Free Melting Mix:
225g Molasses sugar
225g Golden syrup
225g Butter
3x 5ml tsp Ground mixed spice
2x 5ml tsp Ground ginger

Gluten Free Dried Mix:

975g Glutafin Gluten Free Select Multipurpose White Mix
2 ½  x 5ml tsp Gluten free baking powder
3 x 5ml tsp Xanthan gum
3 Medium eggs

The Icing Glue:
2 Egg Whites
500g Icing Sugar

Method

1. Combine Gluten Free Melting mix ingredients in a covered bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes until melted. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

2. Sift the Glutafin Gluten Free Mix, baking powder and Xanthan gum together and place into the melted mix. Stir in the eggs using a wooden spoon and then by hand. Bring together to make a sticky ball of biscuit dough.

3. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

4. On a floured surface flatten the dough into a 2cm thick round, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

5. To make the gingerbread house, first make templates with paper to the following dimensions - front and back panels 12.7 x 17.7cm. Two side panels 12.7 x 15.2cm. Two roof panels 11.4 x 17.7cm with a gable end. This template is referenced from referenced http://uktv.co.uk/download/uktvfood_gingerbread_template.pdf.

6. Place a piece of parchment on a work surface dust with flour and roll out a quarter of the dough to 5mm thick. Place one of the paper templates on top and with a sharp knife cut around. Repeat the process with the other templates using the remaining dough and rolling up the trimmings – until you have a front and back wall, two side walls and two roof panels.

7. Carefully move the pieces on their baking parchment to baking trays and bake for 12 – 15 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and allow stand for a few minutes to firm up. Cut out a door on the front wall and windows on the side walls and reserve the cut-out pieces for later. Place on a wire rack for a few minutes, then turn over and peel off the paper and allow to cool completely.

8. To make the icing ‘glue’: Place the egg whites and sift in the sugar, stir to make a thick, smooth icing. Spoon into a piping bag with a small star-shaped nozzle.

9. To assemble the house Pipe generous lengths of icing along the vertical edges of the gingerbread walls. Using a bowl to support the walls from the inside – prop up the walls and hold the sides gently in place with your hands until the icing is dry. Leave the roofless house to dry for at least 30 minutes until the icing is set.

10. Once dry remove the supporting bowl and pipe a line of icing along one long side of the roof piece and along the top edge of all the walls. Stick the two roof sections at an angle and set the two pieces on top of the house. Leave to dry for 30 minutes.

11. While the roof is drying attach the door to the doorway with icing so it looks slightly ajar. Stick a small piece of ‘flake’ chocolate into the roof as a chimney.

Love 

Lottie :) x

Christmas Countdown Day 2

I'm sticking to my word so far with my Christmas countdown in which I'm attempting to post everyday in the run up to Christmas!

Today's post is about something I cherish close to my heart.... BREAKFAST!  I almost always have porridge for breakfast which I'm sure a lot of people would find boring. However, today I am going to show you how to spice up your porridge with the warming flavours of Chai, perfect for keeping the cold wintery breezes away. If you've never had a Chai Latte (where have you been all your life? Go to Starbucks/ Costa immediately and go and buy one!) it basically consists of hot milk with lots of spices like cinnamon and cardamom to give you an amazing kick of loveliness!

To make this amazing yet healthy breakfast you will need:
180ml semi-skimmed milk
4 Tablespoons of Porridge Oats
4 Teaspoons of Chai Latte mix
1 Small saucepan
1 Banana (optional)

Firstly, scoop your 4 tablespoons of porridge oats into the saucepan

Measure out 180 ml of milk and pour this into the saucepan with the oats.

Next add 4 teaspoons of Chai Latte mix (available in most supermarkets)...

and put the ring on at a medium-high heat.

Stir well to combine all ingredients.

Lower the heat. 

Now you can put the lid of the saucepan on but remember to keep coming back to stir so that it doesn't burn! 

When the porridge is much thicker in consistency, you're finished!

To make the porridge extra delicious, I added chopped up banana and sprinkled some granola on top! Enjoy!

love

Lottie ;) x 

A Healthier start from a healthier breakfast

As we all know 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'. Many people skip breakfast but I personally start to feel quite unwell without it and don't feel I can make it through to lunchtime! 

Although I'm quite into being fit and healthy, I am not one to put off a slice of cake every so often or just eat fruit everyday for breakfast. 

This morning I indulged in some soda bread toast (which is yeast free, so reduces bloating), providing energetic carbohydrates and just tasting damn tasty! However, this toast had a beneficial twist provided by my new favourite Manuka Honey and the unusual Almond butter (similar to peanut butter). 

Lots of supermarkets and health food stores provide alternatives to the average spreads, usually filled with large quantities of sugar. However, the two spreads I had this morning both contain healthy aids for your body. 

Almond Butter has a large amount of benefits. 

It can help  lower the rise in blood sugar and insulin after meals, provide good brain function and can reduce heart attack risk. The phosphorus in almonds also help to build stronger bones and teeth. 

Manuka Honey can be bad for you in large quantities because of the sugar it contains but nevertheless it can help reduce bloating and it's antiviral properties can also help when you detect the first signs of a cold. 

So take it from me, breakfast can be both health beneficial and delicious without tasting bland and boring!