WAFFLES

This is one of my bribing foods of choice - as easy to make as pancakes, but they look like if you have made much more effort to the kids. Add whipping cream on top and you will get them to do anything.

You need:

- a mug of  plain flour

- three quarters of a mug of milk

- two eggs

- a pinch of salt

- two teaspoons of baking powder

- two teaspoons of sugar

- a quarter of a teaspoon of vanilla essence

- 100 gr of melted butter

- a waffle pan or waffle maker ( we have an electrical one from Robert Dyas that costs around £20 and you can use to make panninis as well)  

- icing sugar

Mix all the ingredient expect for the butter (we blend them with a hand held mixer). Brush the waffle maker with the butter (on both sides). Add the mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the waffle with lots of icing sugar. 

LEGO CANDY

I am trying to encourage the kids to stop watching random youtube (though I have little credibility on this as I could not stop watching the 'what are those?!' vines a few months ago). In my search for  science experiment sites, I have become hooked onto the Crazy Russian Hacker and The King of Random. Absolutely addictive stuff: experiments with  liquid nitrogen, melting cans and making green slime, and also plenty of plainly weird but compelling-watching videos about domestic tricks, from how to cut a watermelon to opening packs of crisps. Who would have thought I would end up discussing with a teenager whether it is better making candles with butter or with mandarine peels. Live to believe…

King of Random has this recipe for Lego candy that in a moment of weakness I agreed to try on.
You need:
- 250 ml water
- 125 ml corn syrup
- two packets of unflavoured powdered gelatine (or 10 leaves that you should pre-soak )
- a packet of Jell-o (they sell it in many supermarkets and in Amazon)
You also need lego silicon moulds that you can also buy in Amazon.

Mix the water, corn syrup, gelatine and Jell-o. Heat the mixture in a pan over medium heat for 8 minutes. Put in into a tall heat-proof container. Let it rest for 3 minutes. with a spoon, take the top crust that would form on the top and discard it. Pour the remaining clear liquid into the moulds and let them rest for 5 hours. You should be able to de-mould them easily by then.