Love your Turkey Leftovers!

I am sure that many of you have got lots of lovely leftover turkey and trimmings from your Christmas dinner. I love leftovers. The meals always seem to be even more flavoursome and they are simply too good to go to waste. Today I thought that I would share with you my top leftover turkey recipes and ideas.

Here are my favourite 6 leftover turkey recipes and my top tips...

St Kew Goodwill Basket

Are you still looking for a gift this Christmas? Wanting to take a gift to someone for new year? If so Suttons Seeds have some lovely ideas. From gifts for the garden to gifts for the home, for him, for her and even foodie hampers.

Mincemeat Oat Bites

Last week I shared my deliciously moreish Cranberry, Coconut and Chia Seeds Oat Bites. They were enjoyed so much I decided to add a bit more of a Christmas twist to them. After having my first mince pie of the season on Sunday I am hooked. We all know that pastry is not great for us so I decided to combine my oat bites with mince pies and created these addictive snacks!

This is what I did...

Christmas Dinner Vegetables from Aldi

Anyone that has cooked a Christmas dinner will know how stressful it can be if you have not got everything planned out in advance. But I thought that I would share with you a few ways to make it easier and how you can prepare a lot of the food before the big day. This will not only make it less stressful but it will give you back some valuable time that can be spent with your loved ones instead of slaving over a hot stove!

This week Aldi are certainly making it more affordable this Christmas. Their fantastic 'Super 6' fruit and vegetable offer is for 6 must have vegetables for your Christmas dinner. This week the 'Super 6' are priced at just 19p for the following:

• Broccoli
• Maris Piper Potatoes
• Parsnips
• Brussels Sprouts
• Carrots
• Little Gen Lettuce

So, depending on how many people you will be serving you could potentially buy your Christmas day vegetables for just over £1!

In this post I am going to tell you how to make the perfect roast potatoes in advance, carrots, parsnips and a way to serve up the sprouts that will make you want more!

Cranberry, Coconut and Chia Seeds Oat Bites

One food that I love most at this time of year has to be the cranberry. I adore the sharpness of the fresh berries and they go perfectly in bakes.

This bake has evolved from the healthier Slimming World Baked Oats recipe. But when I made them, both the hubby and I agreed that there was something missing. So I reduced the milk, increased the oats and added some sweet extras. They may not be SW friendly but they are so moreish! You will not be able to stop at just one piece!

This is what I did...

Beer52 for Christmas

There is no denying that the trend for craft beers is here to stay. More and more breweries and micro breweries are coming through and moving away from the big mainstream lager and are creating more unique drinks.

Personally I am more of a gin girl than a lager girl but since tasting craft beers I have found that there are so many different flavours to suit all tastes. The hubby does enjoy craft beers and so far, has tried a wide range of ales, stouts, porters and IPA's.

So when Beer52 asked me if we would like to try one of their festive boxes I jumped at the chance. 

Beer52 is the most popular craft beer club in the UK. They have sourced the best craft beers from around the world to showcase in their subscription boxes. Their boxes of brew are sent out each month and are priced at £24 and can be taken on a rolling month to month basis. Each month you receive 8 different, exclusive craft beers and their magazine telling you all about the beers, Ferment. They guarantee that you will be receiving the freshest beers which will be in your glass just 4 - 6 weeks of being brewed.

Look what came in their festive box.

Christmas Desserts from Aldi

Now that we are getting closer to Christmas I have started to get stocked up with as many foods for Christmas day as possible. This definitely helps the budget and makes the Christmas shopping trip quicker and easier.

During my shopping trip last week my focus was on desserts for Christmas day! It is the perfect time to allow yourself to indulge in some sweet treats. In true Aldi style they have a wide variety of desserts that are perfect for Christmas and are at a fantastic price.

Before I tell you about the desserts that I will be serving on Christmas day I have to show you the latest addition to our household!

Finally I have managed to get a Kevin the Carrot! Kevin the Carrot is the star of Aldi's Christmas adverts and also their fundraising star. This soft, plush carrot toy is being sold both in store and online and 100% of the profits are going to Barnardo's to help vulnerable and disadvantaged children across the UK. So if you do see one while out shopping, pop one in your trolley!

Now onto desserts!

Christmas with Warninks Advocaat

This time of year is certainly one for reminiscing. Remembering childhood Christmases, remembering loved ones and remembering Christmas traditions and passing them on to the next generation.

When Warninks Advocaat contacted me about our favourite Christmas moments my mind immediately drifted back to my teenage years, standing in my grandparents conservatory, behind their bar, taking orders and making snowballs. I loved the moment that the lemonade hits the Advocaat and froths up. No Christmas is complete without a trusty snowball. Before I tell you about some easy snowball recipes I thought that I would share with you our Christmas traditions and how they are being passed down from generation to generation.

Once December arrives all of our attention goes to Christmas. One tradition that we have started since the twins were two is going to buy a real Christmas tree. This was something that I had always wanted so when we decided that it was going to be a memory for our children to treasure I was excited. The whole experience of going out to select the tree, watching it get wrapped up in the net, trying to get it in the car to bringing it inside and decorating has become a much loved occasion. Once the tree is ready for decorating the Christmas music goes on and the kids get busy. Before, I used to be so particular about how the tree was decorated. But seeing how excited the children get when they are adding the decorations that they have made is so much more important. Gone are the days of colour coordination. They have now been replaced with sentimental ornaments. This year our tree is full of memories from baubles that were my grandparents to home made ornaments, from decorations that Santa has left in the children's stockings to keepsakes that the hubby has bought for me over the years.

Christmas Bakes

Christmas is a great time for bakes. I would love to have the time to bake more for Christmas but life simply gets in the way and I am not able to bake everything that we love. Thankfully Aldi have got a deliciously tempting range of Christmas bakes this festive season. Whether you are looking for tempting sweet bakes or some savoury baked snacks you can be sure to find what you are looking for. Today I am going to show you my top Aldi finds of sweet baked products and share with you a healthier Christmas cake recipe.

Before I tell you all about the sweet treats let me tell you about a little bit of news. You may have seen in the media how this year Christmas dinner is going to cost more, that everything is more expensive, however if you shop at Aldi this is not going to be the case. Yahoo recently published an article how this year, thanks to Aldi, your Christmas dinner will be the cheapest in 8 years! The Good Housekeeping Institute have conducted a comparison survey of the main supermarket retailers and found that Aldi was the cheapest, coming in at just £22.03 to feed a family of eight! That is just £2.75 a head! This is yet another reason to go to Aldi and save money!

Now back to the sweet treats!

Here are my top sweet baked treats from Aldi this Christmas...

#CookBlogShare Week 48 - Festive Treats Round-Up

Now that we are in December I am in full Christmas mode. I am loving all of the Christmas foodie treats that are everywhere. But what I enjoy most is reading each unique twist on the good old traditional recipes that we all know and love at Christmas. That is the beauty of them, they can be made to suit all tastes.

Last week CookBlogShare was hosted by Eb at Easy Peasy Foodie. As always there was a lovely variety of recipes shared, but Christmas was definitely coming through and I expect to see more and more over the next couple of weeks.

This weeks round-up is all about four festive treats. One is all about how to style your fondant, another is a firm traditional favourite, one has been given a complete new twist while the fourth is a fun family activity!

Here are my four favourite recipes from week 48 of CookBlogShare...

Leftover Christmas Dinner Soup and Lots of Christmas Inspiration!

𝅘𝅥𝅮 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas 𝅘𝅥𝅮

Yes, December is here and all of our focus is now on Christmas! I am planning meals, we are planning shopping trips and we are all planning our decorations. When it comes to Christmas food I always do a traditional turkey, that is a must. But I also love to plan what we will be having after Christmas day and how I will be using up any leftovers from Christmas dinner.

As much as I love Christmas dinner I always enjoy the leftovers the following day. There are so many ways for you to revamp leftover to create a whole new meal. But one of my favourite leftover meals has to be a good, warming soup. A couple of weeks ago I shared with you a post all about a fantastic five bird roast that is perfect for Christmas dinner. I purposely cooked extra vegetables just for the leftovers!

All About the Drinks! Christmas with Aldi

This weeks is a fun week! Today I am going to tell you my top drinks and bargains from Aldi. In true Aldi fashion they have great, top quality drinks at a price we have come to expect from Aldi.

Today I thought that I would showcase a bit of all sorts. I have got some wines, gins, liqueurs, beers and even champagne. They really do have something for everyone and to suit all budgets! 

But you do not need to take my word for it. In a recent study by Which? Aldi champagne, malbec and even their turkey has been voted by the experts at Which? as their best buys!

Aldi Specially Selected Five Bird Roast

When we think of Christmas dinner we all immediately think about turkey. But there are so many other options for Christmas dinner. This year I will definitely be cooking a turkey but I am also planning on cooking a second meat. After sitting and looking through the meats that Aldi will have this season I was tempted by so many other meats. Unfortunately the fresh meats are not available until nearer the time but Aldi do have some frozen meat dishes in store that can even be cooked from frozen!

So far I have narrowed it down to the four delicious meats pictured.

• Goose - The fresh British goose from Aldi is free range and from the fields of East Anglia.
• Beef - This Specially Selected beef rib joint is from herds that have been reared in the great outdoors. They have been grass fed and slow grown to give the meat a high level of marbling.
• Venison - From 19th December Aldi will be stocking fresh venison haunch joints. Raised on open pastures of New Zealand this premium lean meat is complimented by a juniper berry jus.
• Lamb - Lamb is often associated with Easter but it is a versatile meat that can be enjoyed all year round including Christmas. This whole leg of lamb will be available from 19th December.

Christmas Preparations

Can you believe it is Christmas day in just 5 weeks? Now that we are almost in December my thoughts are definitely turning to the festive preparations. I am starting to write my lists of what I need to do and what I still need to buy.

Being the foodie that I am Christmas dinner is top of my list!

Photograph courtesy of Pixabay

So far I have got ideas for the big day but I am planning on having a few trial runs over the next few weeks to find the perfect centre piece for the traditional Christmas turkey. Over the coming weeks I will be sharing how I get on and how I will be preparing my turkey on Christmas day.

Then I need to plan what I will be serving alongside the turkey. The vegetables, side dishes, starters, desserts, snacks, drinks, oh the list goes on!

Then there are the presents to buy!

Christmas Gift Guide - Foodie Men

This year I thought that it would be fun to do some gift guides on the run up to Christmas. Finding the perfect gift for loved ones can be hard as we all want to find a gift that we know our loved ones will love! Today I am going to share with you my top gift for men who love dining out! Who does not love a good foodie treat or going out for a lovely meal. The whole dining experience, great food, getting dressed up. This can make a fantastic gift.

I have been looking around for great foodie gifts for men and have found the following...

Christmas with Aldi

Yes I have mentioned the big 'C' word!

The Christmas adverts are on the television, shops are putting up the trees and the shelves are now being stocked up with Christmas goodies. Instead of my regular Aldi recipe post, this week I am going to be telling you all about the Christmas foodie posts that I have got planned, showing you this years Christmas advert from Aldi and show you some fantastic foodie gifts!

But first check out the star of the their advert this year Kevin the Carrot...

Back in July I was invited down to London to experience Aldi's Christmas in July event. At the no expense spared event Aldi showcased the best of their products this Christmas season. While I was at the event I had the opportunity to speak to some of Aldi's chief buyers. Being able to speak to them in person helped me to understand the ethos of the buyers. They clearly stated that what they look for when hunting out products is for the items to have a high end supermarket quality but one that they are able to provide for their customers at a bargain shop price. This is just what customers want. When shopping at a budget shop you do not want to compromise on quality and Aldi are able to allow us to get both!

Whilst I was at the event I was able to taste many of their outstanding Christmas products and over the next 5 weeks I am going to be showcasing my favourite high end products alongside recipes and ideas to make your Christmas table truly spectacular this year.

Saving Money for Christmas

In just over 10 weeks it is going to be Christmas. I do not know about you but I have a habit of leaving things until last minute. This includes saving money for the big holiday. We all love Christmas time. It is a real family affair and we always splash out. We buy lots of foodie treats and drinks and of course plenty of presents. As much as we love to give on Christmas not going over our budget is a must. Nobody wants to spend months paying off the credit card due to over spending. Today I thought that I would share with you my top saving tips. 

Leftover Turkey Recipes

Now that Christmas is over and we are now looking towards new years eve I thought that I would share with you a few of my favourite leftover turkey recipes instead of a meal plan. You know that I love to meal plan but this week I am stepping back and enjoying some time with my family so we will decide together what we will have.

One thing that I do love about Christmas dinner is the leftover turkey. I always enjoy the challenge of revamping the leftovers into a new, delicious meal.

Here are some of my favourite, past leftover turkey recipes...

A Christmas Curry is a must! We always enjoy a good old leftover curry. The beauty of this dish is that you can add anything that you have got leftover. The more leftovers the better, add meat, add vegetables even add leftover stuffing!

Parragon Love Food - Christmas Recipes and Crafts

One thing that I love about Christmas has to be the food. Sometimes I think that it would be great to enjoy some of these flavours throughout the year.

The latest Christmas Recipes and  Crafts book from Parragon Love Food Books is full of delicious, festive recipes and craft ideas. But what I love about this book is that a lot of the recipes that are in this book can be enjoyed throughout the year. I have got so many ideas for Sunday roast dinners and breakfast which would make the perfect, lazy Sunday breakfasts.

Today I thought that I would give you a taster of what this festive book gives, and how I plan to use this book throughout the year...

Festive Mulled Port Loaf

This year I decided to make one of our favourite tea loaves into a more festive bake. The ingredients are more or less the same but to give it a true feel of Christmas I have exchanged the tea for mulled port, added some dates to the fruit and added some sweet, nutty marzipan.

The trick with this tea loaf is patience. Leave the fruit to soak up all the mulled port for a day before you are ready to bake. Believe me I have tried it both ways and the longer the fruit was left the more moist and rich the end result!

This is what I did...