A guest post by Karen Lancaster

These gorgeous little cakes are great to make with children. Decorate with shapes cut out of ready rolled icing, such as Christmas trees, stars and snowmen. Easy to adapt for all occasions.

Ingredients

I have a confession to make, come closer, let me whisper in your ear... I haven't spent much money on my flat at all and it's in serious need of a makeover. My flat is lovely and a decent size but in the time I have lived there we have never spent that much money on it and it really needs a lick of paint, some new furniture, a new bathroom and a new kitchen. 

We went looking for bathrooms this week. They were reasonably priced but how much did they want for labour!? I was shaking in my boots when I heard. So that is one thing on the back burner for now.

We have been in our house for 12 years and in that time we have painted a few walls and carpeted some rooms but I have to admit we would rather go on holiday. But now we have decided we should do something about our living room.

My sofa is in a right state, I cover it over with a throw and it hides the ripped material, but I really need a new one and my living room has blinds that are the beigest of beige and that are quite austere for a living room. I want to soften the windows with some curtains and bring some life back into the room. Some new soft furnishings would be the icing on the cake.



So to look for a sofa, I have seen a few nice ones on the Furniture Choice website. I like the classic contemporary look and this Mission sofa below, ticks all the boxes. I think I may order a swatch of the material, and if do place an order soon I could have it in time for Christmas as well. When I bought my old leather sofa 12 years ago it was over £700 and this sofa below is half that price.





For the curtains I want a weighty pair and I like these natural and black luxury velvet curtains from Next. They also fit into the black, brown and cream colour scheme of my lounge. These curtains look beautiful and what I save from buying the sofa I can spend on these curtain for a touch of class.









* PR collaboration

At this time of year I have great difficulty finding that special gift for my dad. He doesn't play sport, he doesn't read, he has almost everything he needs. One thing I know he would love though is a hip flask. Buy A Hip Flask is a speciality site with the widest range of flasks I think I have ever seen.

From contemporary to traditional hip flasks, Scottish and Welsh hip flasks, pewter or leather wrapped hip flasks and personalised hip flasks, they are all there on their website. It's a one stop shop for all your hip flask needs!

I am keen to support British business and this business has been around nearly 10 years, in fact they say they are "made with pride in Sheffield". With a range of nearly 400 flasks and free shipping, why don't you have a browse and see if you can find that perfect gift for that awkward man (or woman) you know? 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

When I was asked to pick my Thorntons Christmas Hero and bring a smile to someone's face I immediately thought about my friend Lynn.

Lynn is like a ray of sunlight, always cheery in the face of adversity she really makes me smile. However recently she has been having a tough time. She is a single mum and has always looked after her mother herself. Her mum couldn't be left alone for long and Lynn was always there for her and her son Evan. Evan helped his mum out as best he could but it was difficult on times for Lynn.

On a rare day out with her son, her mum passed away. Lynn was devastated and took it really badly. Since that day Lynn has been really low, and the worse thing is due to circumstances she may have to vacate her house by Christmas.

We have a small group of Facebook friends who look out for each other and Lynn in one of them.

I chose this - Christmas gift bundle for her, a gorgeous selection of treats, besides a massive selection box, and advent calendar for her son.





When I asked some of the others to sum Lynn up these are their words.

"She inspires me to help others with her kind & generous nature, helping others is second nature to her which she does without a second thought"

"She's a huge heart, full of laughter, witty and lights up any room with her beautiful smile"

"Despite whatever personal problems Lynn is having she always puts others before herself. She is a truly selfless person and I feel honoured to know her."

I love Chicken Tikka Marsala but I try to avoid oil and cream when I can. So this is my version of a low-fat Chicken Tikka Masala. I hope you like it!

Ingredients

Sunflower oil
4 tablespoons Tikka Masala Curry Paste
2 Peppers (a mix of colours is nice)
1 Onion (optional)
4 Chicken breasts or thighs chopped into chunks
1 large tin of Chopped tomatoes (400gms)
100 ml of hot chicken stock
4 tablespoon Tomato Puree
2 tablespoon Mango Chutney
3 tablespoons of Natural Yogurt

Some chopped coriander for serving