Hot chocolate in Harrow

The chocolate room

We went to Harrow last weekend and I came across a shop called ‘The chocolate room’. We needed somewhere to have a drink and also where Dee can have his mid morning snacks and this seemed the perfect place!

We were amazed by the variety of hot chocolates available. Unfortunately they ran out of coconut and hazelnuts but the staff told me ‘gianduia’ is the best one to have as I wanted to drink something nutty. Dan ordered a double macchiato and a coconut and raspberry slice. We also bought a chocolate that looks like a cake to take away, it looked really cute and was hard to resist!

My hot chocolate tasted amazing!!! I would definitely recommend going there again!!!

Bialetti Moka Express

Bialetti Moka Express

As a belated birthday present for my hubby, he has always liked drinking coffees and we got a cafetière but is always so messy to clean afterwards! He has mentioned that he wanted those coffee makers on the stove and always intrigued how it makes the coffee so i searched online and found one called ‘Bialetti Moka Express’ from Amazon. Since having our Dee, i do love shopping online since it is difficult to go shopping with a baby. I can only shop properly if he is sleeping or my hubby is looking after him. My favourite stores at the moment is Amazon (quick delivery), Mothercare and Kiddicare!!! 🙂

 

My hubby was so pleased with his Bialetti Moka Express! At my old work place, one of the directors was French and he would always make his coffee on the stove and make it really messy because i think he over boils it and you can just smell the aroma of burnt coffee from the kitchen. I personally don’t drink coffee as i don’t like the taste so I don’t get excited about the different types of coffee beans like my hubby does!

Dan was fascinated with the whole mechanism and kept making alot of coffee to test it out As I don’t drink coffee, he has to have the whole pot to himself which is like 6 espresso cups!!! By the end of the weekends, he had a headache!!! Too much caffeine!

He was showing his new toy to my mum as she is a coffee drinker as well, she likes lattes and my mum said she wanted one as well! 🙂 We made her coffee on her electric stove, i don’t think it has the same effect as making it on the gas hob because the heat switches on and off so it is not constant! My mum was still happy though as the coffee is still very smooth and silky like! I can only take their word for it! 🙂

Made of 3 components

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold water is filled at the bottom just beneath the safety valve and the coffee is packed in the middle. Put it on the stove until it boils, it would take about 5 – 10 minutes or so. You will need to watch it because the coffee can burn very fast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee will then start spitting out from the top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The coffee will then start to flow quite quickly and you will need to take it off the heat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very nice coffee! 🙂

All about Smoothies!

Yum-Yum!! 🙂

I have always read in magazines that smoothies are very healthy and it is more nutritional to drink than juices and can act as a refreshing snack as it is packed with vitamins. I have never been to adventurous with my smoothies but I have signed up to the Emerald Street e-newsletter and it was all on smoothies and I will probably try the Sweet Strawberries and Energy Booster recipes. I don’t think I can stomach a smoothie which is made of vegetables like the Enzyme-Rich recipe, it doesn’t sound too appealing!!

All the ingredients ready for blending!

Today, I made a smoothie with 1 banana, a few strawberries and a handful of blueberries. I added 1 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a few ice cubes and blended them altogether. It was delicious! Great for the mornings! 🙂

Smoothies recipes from the Emerald e-newsletter:

SWEET STRAWBERRIES
We drank this at The Breakfast Club in Soho, London and loved its sweet and filling ingredients. They shared the recipe: in a blender, mix ½ cup frozen strawberries, 1 banana, ⅓ cup of oats, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp yoghurt, 20cl whole milk. Whizz until smooth.

NOSH PURPLE SMOOTHIE
Full of vitamins B, E and C, plus protein and fibre, this smoothie is from Nosh Detox founder Geeta Sidhu-Robb. Blend ½ cup of blackcurrants, ½ cup of blueberries, ½ cup of raspberries, one 2.5g sachet of Nosh Superfood, 2 tsp of pea protein and 1 banana with one glass of spring water.

ENZYME-RICH
In Supercharged Food (Murdoch Books, £14.99), Lee Holmes suggests this smoothie for flushing out toxins. Blend 350g spinach, 1 handful mint, 1 handful parsley, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 Lebanese cucumber, a few lettuce leaves, 4 celery stalks, 2-3 cm piece of peeled ginger, then pour over ice.

ENERGY BOOSTER
Nutritionist Madeleine Shaw recommends this berry smoothie, which contains high levels of antioxidants, potassium and essential fatty acids. In a blender, mix 200ml of coconut water, half an avocado, 100g of frozen mixed berries, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of chia seeds.