Get personalised for Valentine’s Day

Finding cards for Valentine’s Day is always a tough one, especially with my busy schedule it’s hard to get out to actually purchase cards. I don’t usually go for the lovey-dovey sappy sentiment so I like having the option to personalise cards and choose what I want it to say.

ChuckleMonster is a great option for those who want to personalise cards with their loved one’s name or by uploading an image to create an extra special Valentine’s photo card.

I was able to choose cards for each my husband and my son to suit both of their personalities and order them in less than 5 minutes, allowing me to get on with my busy day. What’s even better, all Valentine’s cards get free shipping!  If you are in need of cards for any occasion, Chuckle Monster is a way to go.

 

Check out ChuckleMonster’s Valentine’s competition on Facebook where one lucky winner will receive a Hotel Chocolat hamper with a bottle of Prosecco and a personalized Valentine’s Day card, or follow them on Twitter: @Chuckle_Monster.

 

** This is a review for ChuckleMonster, who provided me with free cards to review for Valentine’s Day. All opinions are my own**

Baked with love – (Red) velvet cupcakes

English Mum is hosting a ‘Baked With Love Bakeoff’ and now that Owen, my brand new oven, is in full effect, I had to get involved.  I like making Valentine’s day treats for my sweeties and wanted to do something new, so I tried Red Velvet Cupcakes.  I have seen many recipes for Red Velvet Cake, all of which use quite a bit of red food colouring, but the one from Eric Lanlard’s Home Bake is one that does not.  It’s an American style recipe which relies on the chemical reaction between baking soda and white wine vinegar to create the ‘red’ effect.

It was more like a science experiment than baking, but that was part of the fun.

It started out like your everyday cake mixture using the creaming method: butter, sugar, cocoa…

Then alternately add buttermilk and flour…

But with this mixture you combine baking soda and white wine vinegar. Vinegar in cupcakes?! okaay…

Then keep mixing until it becomes a glossy mixture…

I filled each cupcake cup halfway and popped them in the new oven. (Affectionately named Owen thanks to the suggestion of Leah and Phil).

Et voila… Cupcakes! They didn’t come out as red as I anticipated, but they taste amazing and are actually really velvety in texture.

As these cakes are celebrating Valentine’s Day, I decorated them with marshmallow topping (mini G’s favourite) and heart shaped sprinkles.

And they went down a treat with the little love of my life – mini G…