Read About January's Birthstone Feature Here
Happy New Year!
A new year has arrived and with it, many more swanderful adventures!
From everyone at The Swan Princess, we hope that 2023 is a swantastic year for you, filled with family, friends and happiness!
We have some delicious winter warmers for you to make and eat, as well as some activities to give your new year a fun-filled start!
Keep reading for swanderful recipes and some royal activities!
Remember to share your creations on social media using #SwanPrincessOfficial
The Magic of The Swan Princess
We know that the stories of The Swan Princess are loved by many people, all over the world. Many fans grew up with the beloved tales and now share the stories with their own children.
However, some of you may still not have discovered that the story of Princess Odette, Prince Derek, as well as all of their family and friends has continued as they journey on brand new adventures across different Kingdoms!
With even more swantastic tales, heart-warming music and new friends to meet along the way, we know fans will love discovering what happens next.
Purchase/Rent the original and new movies here!
An energetic game filled with nostalgia! A great game for adults and children! Be like Prince Derek and save your balloon!
You Will Need:
Balloon(s)
Instructions:
1. Blow up a balloon. Ask an adult for help if you need it.
2. Carefully toss the balloon in the air.
3. Keep the balloon in the air with light taps, make sure it doesn't hit the ground.
To play in teams or against an opponent, blow up a balloon for each person/team and launch the balloons at the same time and see who can keep their balloon in the air the longest.
For an added challenge, launch more than one balloon at Once for each person/team.
Silly Scribbles
This game is great fun for children and adults. You can play in pairs, teams or even on your own.
Use your own ideas for objects/animals or use our list for some suggestions:
• Horse
• Pig
• Mug
• Burger
• Cat
• Dog
• Teapot
• Lion
For a Swan Princess theme, try these suggestions:
• Tiara
• Swan
• Frog
• Turtle
• Locket
• Bow and Arrow
You Will Need:
Paper
Pen
Timer (Optional)
Instructions:
1. Take a piece of paper and cut it into many different pieces - as many as you like, just make sure you have enough room to write a word on each piece.
2. Write the name of an object or animal onto each piece of paper.
3. Place the pieces of paper face down or in a hat.
4. The person who will be drawing should now randomly select one of the pieces of paper and look at the object/animal, making sure that no one sees what it is.
5. The drawer must then close their eyes and has 60 seconds to draw the item whilst other players have to guess what it is. If you are playing on your own, set a timer and get drawing. When the timer is up, open your eyes and check our your drawing!
6. The person who guesses what the drawing is first gains a point.
We used 60 seconds as our time limit but you can have as long as you like or just keep going until someone guesses correctly!
Marvellous Macaroons:
This is a sweet treat that Princess Odette loves and is always excited to enjoy as a snack!
Ingredients:
• 300g sugar
• 200g almonds, blanched
• 2 egg whites, plus 1/2 egg white, optional
• Confectioners' sugar, as required
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. Grind the blanched almonds until they resemble a powder.
3. Sift the almonds to remove the lumps.
4. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
5. Combine the sugar and the almonds in a large bowl.
6. Carefully fold in the two egg whites.
7. Whisk the mixture until smooth. If the mixture is still quite runny, whisk in the additional half of an egg white.
8. Place the mix into a piping bag and pipe 1-1.5-inch-diameter (approx. 3-4 cm) macarons. Make sure to leave enough space between each macaron.
9. Sprinkle the macarons with confectioners' sugar.
10. Bake for 20 minutes or until the macarons are golden.
11. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving.
Scottish Skirlie
Quick and easy yet delicious and warming! This traditional Scottish dish goes great with our steak and kidney pie (listed above) or as a side dish for another meal of your choice.
Ingredients:
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 50g of butter or dripping
• 175g oatmeal
• Salt
• Pepper
Method:
1. Carefully melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the onion to the butter and fry gently until softened.
3. Stir in the oatmeal.
4. Season with the salt and pepper.
5. Cook gently for 10 minutes.
6. Serve!
Steak and Kidney Pie
For a perfect winter warmer, try this delicious homemade pie - a popular meal during the winter months for both the villagers and Princess Odette's family in the castle!
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
• 1 1/2 pounds of beef chuck steak (or equivalent), cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 pound beef kidney, cleaned, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/3 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (plus extra if needed)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter (plus extra if needed)
• 3 1/2 cups of beef stock, hot
For the Pastry:
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
9 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
2-5 tbsp cold water
For the Filling:
1. In a large bowl, toss together the steak, kidney, salt, flour, and pepper until well combined.
2. Using a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the butter and vegetable oil on a medium-high heat.
3. When the butter has melted, add the meat to the pan (you may need to do this in batches).
4. Cook until golden brown, this should take 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Make sure to refresh the butter and oil in the pan between batches when you need to.
5. Place the meat on to a plate as each batch is completed.
6. When all of the meet is cooked, set it aside.
7. Before continuing to the next step, if the pan is dry, refresh with 1 tablespoon oil.
8. Add the onions and carrots to the pan.
9.Cook until the vegetables start to soften, which should only take approx. 5 minutes.
10. Return the meat back to the pan including any juices.
11. Add the stock to the meat.
12. Stir until well combined.
13. Carefully bring the mixture to a boil before reducing the heat to low.
14. Cover the pan and allow the filling to simmer until the meat is nice and tender for 90 minutes.
15. Remove the cover and allow the meat to cook for another 30 minutes, stirring often, to allow the sauce to thicken.
16. Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste.
17. Remove from the heat and carefully add the filling to a 6-cup deep pie dish.
18. Allow to cool completely.
For the Pastry:
19. Add the butter, salt and flour to a large bowl.
20. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
21. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the mixture then use a cold knife to stir until the dough binds together. If the dough is too dry, add more water a teaspoon at a time.
22. Make a disk from the dough then wrap it up and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Assemble the Pie:
23. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
24. Roll out the pastry to 1/8-inch thick, making sure that it is wide enough to cover your pie dish.
25. Cut 1-inch slits in the center of the dough to vent the filling while the pie bakes.
26. Brush the rim of the pie dish with water.
27. Place the pastry over the dish, carefullt pressing it down.
28. Trim the pastry edges to fit the rim of the dish.
29. Crimp the edges of the dough using your thumb and first finger or the back of a fork.
30. In a small dish, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water.
31. Brush the eggwash over the top of the pie.
32. Bake until the pastry is crisp and golden for 40 minutes approx.
This month we are celebrating the birthday of Lord Rogers! He has a zodiac sign of a Capricorn and the garnet as his birthstone.
Capricorns are known for being responsible, disciplined, and excellent managers of both themselves and others. They have good self control and make wonderful leaders. They also tend to have a bit of a know-it-all attitude that can make them condescending and sarcastic.
Capricorns like family, tradition, and quality in both people and innovations. Capricorns dislike, well, everything at some point. But that is what makes a compliment from a Capricorn so sincere!
The garnet is a stone that represents and attracts prosperity and abundance. Its beautiful deep red color is a powerful stone that can bring good luck in a new job or in reaching your goals.
We think this sounds exactly like Lord Rogers!
Is your birthday in January or do you just like the color red? You can purchase your garnet gemstone locket here
