Chewy Nutella filled Valentines sprinkle cookies

My memories of Nutella go right back to the beginning of my childhood in England - I was around 9yrs old and Mum bought one of those little white lidded jars from our local shop. She didn't know what it was but it looked chocolatey and she knew her eldest had a sugar addiction like no other, so she decided to take a chance and buy a jar. And I'm sooo glad she did.

We'd typically indulge in Nutella on toast as an after school treat - but I'd typically indulge in eating copious amounts off a spoon when no one was looking. Alas, it was an indulgent and expensive treat so a jar would only frequent our cupboards on rare occasions.

Giant red velvet cookie cake with white chocolate buttercream

Red Velvet is taking over the world. I mean, you can even buy a red velvet boxed cake mix at Tescos now which is surely a sign that we're knee deep in the midsts of a full on red velvet invasion in the UK...

I love red velvet cake. The flavour is hard to sum up but it's a mix between vanilla and chocolate cake with a tang to it. I'm not sure if it's the food colouring or vinegar but it's not as sweet as most cakes and I find it's especially popular with men. Traditionally it's paired with cream cheese frosting but I think it works well with white chocolate too.

Cinnamon and hazelnut biscotti

In an unprecedented twist to my dinner out last weekend, I finished my meal with a coffee. Now, whilst this might be a standard trait for many of you I simply cannot drink coffee after 6pm. If I even *look* at a caffeine filled beverage in the evening then rest assured I'll be awake until the wee hours.

But I was shattered by the time dessert came around and decided to opt for a Baileys coffee, I think the alcohol kinda cancels out the caffeine so I figured I was on safe ground. And with my coffee came a micro piece of biscotti - which turned out to be an amazing compliment to my hot drink.

Hazelnut and white chocolate chip flapjacks

I woke up today with a flavour in my mind, I have no idea where it came from but there it was hanging over me like a thought you just can't shake.

The flavour combination was white chocolate and hazelnuts. Now, I've always been a big fan of hazelnuts (or anything nutty really) but I do find white chocolate a little too sweet so I worried that putting this combination of ingredients into anything like a cake might be too overwhelming.

Looking back, looking forward

Let's get this clear, I'm no good at New Years Resolutions. Tell me I can't do something and it'll be the first thing I do. I'm kinda stubborn like that.

So this year I've decided to set a few goals for myself instead. 2013 has been full of change and I'd like to get back to finding a bit of 'normality' in my life so here are my top 3 aims for a fabulous 2014...

Christmas tree brownie pops

 It goes without saying that I love Christmas, I'm practically Pollyanna-esque in the run up to the big day and I love nothing more than getting in the kitchen and baking treats for the family. It's the one time of the year when we all get to sample the delights that are generally reserved for customers and thanks to Pinterest - my baking to do list is massive this year...

I started off my baking a few weeks ago and my first bake was the simple Christmas tree brownies. I popped them on suitable festive lollipop sticks and the kids loved eating them as a special treat with hot chocolate after we'd finished putting up our own tree.

Make your own Christmas decorations

Regular readers of my blog will know I'm a frugal being, living on a budget doesn't have to mean scrimping on the good things in life and luckily for me this time of the year is all about 'making Christmas' so I can be frugal and it's deemed more acceptable - even *whispers* cool. Bonus!

Myself and the boys have created an advent calendar activity list and each day the boys open an envelope which has a promise or Christmas related activity on it for us to do that day. I'm trying to instill a sense of Christmas spirit in the kids as I don't want the whole season to be ALLLL about the toys! Obviously, that will be their priority (I was exactly the same at their ages) but doing something a little festive each day helps me feel Christmassy and makes sure I set aside a little time with them each day.

White chocolate and gingerbread fudge pops

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I am such a massive fan of Christmas, my Mum was the same and I am determined that I will instill that festive spirit in my boys - whether they like it or not...ho ho ho!

It makes me a bit sad that so much of Christmas is now fuelled by materialistic things like over the top toys and having to send £100's of pounds just to get your kids the 'right' gift for the big day. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure if I had a more affluent lifestyle then I'd probably spoil my little ones but I want them to associate this time of the year with fun and love and the spirit of giving - so we're doing little and lots this month to make that happen.