Dinner with Laura from Lettie Belle
Laura Marsden lives in Hatfield (UK) together with her husband Nick and her 3-year-old daughter Scarlett. Laura designs unique lifestyle accessories, all handmade and gorgeous (for kids’ rooms as much as for adult interiors), which she sells in her sweet boutique Lettie Belle. Here is her dinnertime story!
Food plays a big part in our family life, but having a 3-year -old means we don’t always experience meal times together. During the week, my husband usually gets home from work between 7-8pm. This is too late for dinner as a family, but he usually does story time. I sit with Scarlett at the table in the kitchen/diner while she eats dinner at around 5pm. She has a very healthy appetite, and snacks on fruit, nuts and raisins during the day (as well as odd treats). By dinner time she can be quite tired, so although she will sit down, it can take a long time for her to finish!
Luckily Scarlett will try anything and loves strong flavours. She prefers a choice of foods on her plate, rather than a one-pot dish. So, typically she will have pasta or chicken/fish/omelette with two types of vegetables such as home-made potato/butternut squash wedges, peas and she has cucumber batons with every meal! Some fruit, yoghurt or a lolly finish off her dinner with something sweet. We have recently gone through a phase of lolly-obsession, which made dinner rather prolonged! Scarlett loves to pick herbs from the garden to put on her dinner, and her Grandparents have a big vegetable/fruit patch so she has a good understanding of where some food comes from. (more…)
Drop scones (or maxi blinis?)
This recipe comes from an interior magazine I had a peak at in the dressing room of my Pilates class. I snatched a photo of the recipe with my phone, and tried it for breakfast this past weekend. It was yummy, and so easy to make! In the magazine they were called drop scones, but they reminded me more of blinis. Maxi blinis, that is.
Here’s the recipe:
- 125 self-raising flour
- salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 2 eggs, separated
- 150 ml milk
Put flour and a little seasoning in a bowl, and drop in the egg yolks. Add a little milk and whisk, gradually pouring in the remaining milk to make a paste. Whisk egg whites until peaking, and gently fold in paste to form a batter. Heat a thin foil of oil in a frying pan. Take a spoonful of batter and drop in the pan so it spreads to about 8cm in diameter. I could fry 3 scones at the same time in my frying pan, of course it depends on the size of your pan how many you can fit in at the same time. When golden flip over and cook for another minute or so. Keep warm while you prepare the rest (this recipe made me 10 scones).
For the topping, mix crème fraîche with fresh parsley and chives (chopped), and a bit of black pepper. Serve the scones with the crème fraîche, smoked salmon, and a squeeze of lemon.
Bon appétit!
xxx Esther
Dinner with Jordan from Oh Happy Day
Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy Day is one of the most creative people we know. Her blog is super inspiring, and we love her adventurous nature — she recently spent a year living in Paris with her husband, Paul (an artist), and their two cute boys Moses and Roman. Here is her dinnertime story!
My husband Paul and I both work and we both share the childcare responsibilities. I do the menu planning and a big grocery trip once a week while he does the small trips through out the week. Our dinnertime happens about 7pm. Paul cooks dinner most of the time. But I do the prep work for dinner in the morning after breakfast. I hate that feeling late in the day of having to prepare dinner but you don’t have any food or ideas. So I eliminate it by preparing food in the morning. Then Paul just has to throw it together.
My kids are still small (2 and 4) but we try to all sit down for dinner together in the dining room. We don’t have any real rules but the kids have to at least try the main course to be polite. There are certain vegetables my kids love like fresh peas and haricot verts so we usually have a side of those and then make sure there is some sort of protein. One of the best things about France is the bread and cheese so we have a baguette and cheese with our dinner most nights. About once a week we do green smoothies. Our kids love them and it’s our last resort for getting vitamins in our kids when they are feeling picky. (Basic recipe is: 2 bananas, 1 cup of orange juice, ice, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, and two giant handfulls of baby green spinach and water as needed to blend.) Since we moved to France we don’t do take out very often but we do have regular easy meals like one night a week where we buy a rotisserie from our local butcher. And when the weather is nice we grab a pizza on Fridays and go to the park across the street from our house for a picnic. Besides that we eat lots of soups and bean and vegetable salads. I’m really inspired by 101 Cookbooks and Ottolenghi Cookbooks. I usually prepare a salad in the morning then we eat it for lunch or as a side dish for dinner. My favorite salad is this lentil salad. I make it 2-3 times a week. It’s so good, simple and fresh.
- Jordan
Dinner with Zoe from Zoe & Drew
Zoe Grant studied Creative Arts at Birmingham University, and loves creating and designing and has a passion for prints and patterns. She, her husband Drew and their five (!) children (Connor (13), Jack (12), Lucy (11), Amber (9) and Kitty(5)) all live in a little village in Suffolk, UK. We’re so impressed that Zoe still finds time to write her blog Zoe & Drew! Here is her dinnertime story.
Dinnertimes for me, in our house are the most important time of the day. It is the time when we all catch up on each others days and also helps my children to take turns in conversations. With five children life can be incredibly chaotic, especially during the week with Brownies, Guides, orchestra practices and sports matches. However apart from Tuesdays we manage to eat as a family everyday, with the occasional exception. We eat between 6 and 6.30pm everyday, which may seem a little late as our youngest is only five but with a healthy snack after school to stop the tummy rumbles, Kitty is more than happy to wait to eat all together. (more…)
Dinner with Elizabeth from Babyccino Kids
Elodie and I have a ritual of going to the sunday farmer’s market to get fruits, vegetables, and flowers for the following week. I tell her I am on the lookout for a bunch of beets or some mandarins and she gets so excited with this game of treasure hunt. My husband travels a lot for work but when he is home we definitely eat together. Elodie loves choosing the napkins for the table every night and is always in the kitchen helping me put together the evening’s meal.
Living in Southern California means we eat a lot of mexican food and when I’m a little rushed I turn to my go-to meal of quesadillas or molitas (recipe below), black beans and rice with a salad on the side. We mainly prepare vegetarian dishes at home and save the meat eating for dinners out. We try and use whole grain tortillas such as ezekiel rather than flour tortillas as they have loads more fiber and protein. We sometimes have black beans with just a dash of cumin and salt in them for added flavor or i will make an avocado and black bean salad. A simple pear, strawberries or whatever is in season works for dessert!
We make it a point to feed Elodie the same food we are eating. She eats a wide variety of cuisines because of this and hasn’t really said no to anything just yet. Still, getting a toddler to eat at dinnertime can be quite challenging. Someone recently said told me, “It’s not what they eat in a day but what they eat in a week that counts” which has helped me to relax a bit but i’m still known to bribe her every once in a while!
Molitas
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (anything that can handle heat, like canola)
- pinch of kosher or sea salt
- 2 taco sized corn tortillas (2 for every molita)
- 1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup beans (refried, whole, or black beans)
- 1/2 cup fresh white corn (optional)
- 1/4 cup spanish rice
Heat a cast-iron skillet, flat griddle, or other frying pan over medium heat.
Sprinkle the cheese on one tortilla and top it with a 1 1/2 tablespoons each of rice, beans and corn.
Cover the bottom tortilla with the top one.
Brush one side with the oil and put that side down in the skillet, then brush the other side with oil.
Cook for several minutes on each side, until it is developing beautiful crispy brown spots.
Avocado Black Bean Salad
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can (14–19 ounces) black beans, drained
- 1/4 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado (8 ounces), cubed
- ground black pepper optional
Place the lime juice or vinegar in a large bowl and gradually whisk in the oil. Stir in the beans, bell pepper, garlic, salt, and black pepper (if using). Taste and add more lime juice or vinegar if you like. Stir in the cilantro. Add cubes of avocado just before serving.
- Elizabeth
Dinner with Sarah from Nyom Nyoms
Sarah from Nyom Nyoms is a full time mummy of 2 little children, Noah (6) and Matilda (4). She lives in Bushey (about 20-30 minutes outside of London), and is passionate about children’s clothing and interiors, and easy-to-prepare dishes. Here is her dinnertime story!
Ok…let me begin this by saying that when I was asked by Esther to guest post my dinnertime rituals, I was thrilled!! So that night, when pesto pasta was on the menu, the camera came out hoping I could get some great snapshots. The kids were enthusiastic to help. Fantastic, I thought, I should get some fab pictures! Then within the next 10 mintutes my son Noah smashed one of my favourite glasses after I’d told him to calm down for about the fifth time, one of the cats was sick over the kitchen floor and the pan of water cooking the pasta boiled over and put out the gas on the hob….which I hadn’t noticed!! I became monster mummy!!!! Aggghhhhhh!!! Of course it isn’t always like this, but some days it is… (more…)
Shortbread
Here in France we have some great patisseries, from croissants to profiteroles. But sometimes there is nothing more delicious to eat with a good cup of tea, than a piece of shortbread. I think even the French would agree…
My friend Audrey and I have made it our mission to put together the perfect recipe and, over the last week, we have been taking turns at turning up at work with a box of freshly baked shortbread. We have been accused of trying to sabotage people’s waistlines, which could not be further from the truth! Finding the perfect shortbread recipe is a serious endeavor, and sacrifices need to be made!
I find it particularly interesting how many variations there can be for a cookie that is made out of 4 main ingredients: butter, sugar, flour and a pinch of salt! Who knew? So here is our recipe, I would love to hear what your think about it, especially if there are some genuine Scots out there who might have some secret tips!
Shortbread:
- 100 g of white sugar
- 170 g of soft butter
- 200 g of flour
- 100 g of rice flour
- 1 pinch of salt
Mix together the sugar, salt and the butter until the mixture colour and becomes pale yellow. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and the rice flour and add it to the butter/ sugar mix. Mix it until if becomes a big round ball. Wrap the ball in cellophane and let it cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Pre-heat the oven to 160° Celsius. Roll out the dough to make a rough square and cut the dough into fingers. They should be about 5mm thick. Prick them a couple of times with a fork and bake until barely golden. Sprinkle with a bit of extra sugar. By the way you can replace the rice flour with normal flour, it just gives the cookie an extra bit of crunch.
- Emilie
Dinner with Joslyn from Shak-Shuka
Before she had her two children, Joslyn Oppenheimer was a professional chef. But she had to think of a career change after her first baby was born: late nights were spent breastfeeding and not at the stovetop of a restaurant! And thus, she started the wonderful and well-known online eco boutique, Shak-Shuka. Joslyn currently lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with her husband, two children (Uma (4 years old) and Zev (4 months old)), and a giant St. Bernard dog. Here is her dinnertime story!
Even being a trained chef, I find dinner time to feel like a battle: me versus the gastronomic enemies ahead. At one meal I have to think about a meat-loving husband, a vegetable-despising child, and a veggie me – all while caring for a newborn baby! At times, I like to imagine what we look like as I’m preparing dinner (picture it: child running around in a tutu while the baby cries and I’m cooking and rocking the stroller with my back side!) and I just have to laugh and give in. I think if you give into the chaos and not try and fight it (ie – control it like I think we want to do) then it works out better and you might even have fun. (more…)
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Personalised notebooks from Sloane Stationery• When do you start giving chores?
Hot Cross Buns
So what’s your favourite Easter treat? Personally I’m a hot cross bun addict! Chocolate eggs are fine, but if I had the choice… a nice, toasted hot cross bun, dripping with melted butter would get my vote every time! The other day I decided to try and make them myself. I will not lie to you — it takes time to make your own hot cross buns. But if you are having a lazy day at home this Easter, have a go. They are really delicious.
Here’s the recipe for 16 buns!
Hot Cross Buns:
- 375 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons active yeast
- 565 grams flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 cup sultanas
- 3/4 cup currants
- 1/4 cup chopped mixed peel
Crosses:
- 63 grams flour
- 6 tablespoons water
Glaze:
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon gelatine
- 1 tablespoon water
Heat the milk until almost boiling. Stir in first measure of sugar and butter until butter melts. Set aside until lukewarm. Sprinkle yeast over and leave in a warm place for 15 mintues or until frothy. Combine 500 grams of the flour, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in second measure of sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour yeast mixture in. Beat to a soft dough, adding more flour if the dough is sticky. Mix in sultanas, currants and mixed peel. Turn onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic or until dough springs back when lightly touched. Lightly brush bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl. Brush top with oil. Cover and leave in a warm place until double in size. Punch dough down in the centre and knead lightly. Divide mixture into 16 even-sized pieces. Shape into balls. Place buns 2cm apart on a greased oven tray. Cover and leave in a warm place until double in size. Pipe crosses on each bun. Bake at 200 degrees celsius for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and brush with glaze. Cool on a wire rack.
Crosses: Mix flour and water together until smooth and able to be piped. More water may be needed. Place mixture into a small plastic bag. Snip across one corner to form a hole for piping. Twist top of bag to hold dough firm, and squeeze to pipe.
Glaze: Put all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat until sugar and gelatine have dissolved, stirring constantly.
(Recipe from The Edmonds Cookery Book)
Steph xo
Dinner with Celina from Babyccino Kids
Ah yes, dinner at the RDM family can be the greatest time of the day or the most stressful one! Either we are all sitting at the dining room table and finding out how everyone’s day went or it’s that time of day where I use my bargaining powers, false promises and even blackmail desperately trying to get my kids to stay seated and eat!!! Honestly, the stress starts even before then, I like to think I’m a creative person, but when it comes to cooking I lack all imagination, I don’t even like to do the groceries. To top it off, my kids have opposite tastes and they both don’t like potatoes, so I can’t stuff them with all that starch! Lastly, my husband doesn’t cook at all, so it’s all up to me; at least he does all the cleaning up…
On the weekdays, I usually pick the kids up from daycare around 5PM and by the time we walk home it’s usually 5:30PM, so while the kids play I try to cook some dinner, it has to be something relatively easy and quick. My kids have a snack at school around 3:30 and they get pretty hungry around 6PM. My husband doesn’t get home until 6:45, so usually by the time we start eating, the kids are having their desert. Thursdays, it’s just the kids and me, so I try to make something they really enjoy, like pasta or grilled cheese. Fridays we alternate and eat at my mom’s or my in-laws and finally, the weekends are pretty chill, we sometimes eat out, order in, eat leftovers or frozen pizzas and sometimes I’ll make crepes.
My daughter is a “snacker”, she would rather eat a little all day while standing up (don’t ask!), and she could live on bread and butter, cheese and ice cream! She doesn’t like pizza, she doesn’t love pasta and I need to cut her grilled cheese in cute shapes, like a bunny for her to eat it, she has just started to eat meat and some chicken, but at least she likes fish. One meal both my kids enjoy is toasted bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, and I usually serve that with some fresh veggies and avocado.
My son on the other hand could eat pasta every night… He enjoys beef fajitas, pizza, grilled cheese and any type of raw vegetable; fish on the other hand he has a hard time with. If the kids want dessert, which usually consists of yogurt, applesauce or some type of berries, then they must eat a little and try at least one bite of whatever is on their plate. Dessert is always a great motivation or bargaining tool in my home!
The one meal the whole family can agree on is Spinach Quiche. This is pretty easy to make and you can substitute the spinach for so many different ingrdients such as mushrooms, asparagus, ham, olives… The kids will have some veggies with their quiche and us grown-ups will have a tomato and mozarella salad or a green salad of some sort.
Here’s my QUICHE recipe…
-Celina
Dinner with Stephanie from Babyccino Kids
We try and sit down at 6:00pm everynight and have a family dinner. I would like to be able to have it earlier during the week but my husband doesn’t get home until 6:00pm and I think its important that he gets to have dinner with the kids and we can all talk about our day. We always have dinner at the dinner table. Our dining room is off the kitchen and has windows that completely open all around it so in the summer we have the windows open so it feels like we are outside. It’s a really relaxed place to eat. I love it!
Dinner is usually fuss free in our house. I don’t spend a lot of time preparing dinner and we mostly eat homemade food. If we have take-away we would buy fish and chips. My husband makes a mean pizza which is far better than a take-away pizza so if we feel like pizza we would have homemade. Eating out in New Zealand is expensive so for us we only eat out for special occasions. I have no problem with taking the kids to a restaurant though as we would often take them out when we lived in Holland and they are well behaved (most of the time!).
We are quite strict on manners at the table and the kids have to ask to leave the table. They also have to eat everything on their plate. Unless they really don’t like it and they have at least tried it. My daughter will eat pretty much anything (except lettuce!) but my son is a bit more picky. He is getting better the older he gets though. If they don’t eat much dinner they know there is no more food until the morning. The kids usually have plain unsweetened yoghurt with chocolate sprinkles for dessert. In the weekends we may have ice-cream as a treat. (more…)
Dinner with Emilie from Babyccino Kids
For us dinner can be the best of times and it can be the worst of times…. For my daughters and I, it is such an important moment to catch up after a long day. It can also be a moment of frustration,when 3 tired females have different opinions on how the meal is supposed to go down and what is edible and what isn’t…
As I work full time, I only pick the kids up from school at 6pm, so it is a mad rush getting home, getting a meal ready, doing homework, squeezing in a bath and a bedtime story. I try to pre-cook at least 3 meals during the weekend, so I don’t have to think when I get home during the week. Big favorites are lasagne (a simplified variation on this one) and shepherd’s pie (with as many vegetables squeezed in as possible) and all sorts of soups (from vegetable to chicken noodle) — basically dishes which can be easily re-heated. I also often pre-make some pasta sauces in big batches and freeze them.
A BIG treat is crepes: the girls get the toppings ready while I make the batter and everyone is allowed to put together their own concoctions. Last time we did it, Violette insisted on a houmous and tomato crepe…. who can argue with that? I think I it is even possible to pre-make to batter the night before but I have never tried this! I do usually serve up a grated carrot salad first, as there is very little interest in vegetables once the crepes are ready. I do think that kids will survive if they don’t always get a freshly cooked meal made from scratch. Scrabbled eggs with toast and a salad is totally ok, too. The girls are given a fairly healthy 3 course meal for school lunch here in France, so I feel that dinner can be simpler. (more…)
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Personalized Letter Puzzle from Mooo• Goodbyn lunch boxes from Toyella
Dinner with Courtney from Babyccino Kids
I am going to admit straight away that I actually don’t really love dinner time. In fact, I sometimes even dread it. My kids are tired, my patience is usually gone by then, and trying to keep three kids at the table until they finish their dinner is exhausting (remember this post?). I’m also not like Esther — I’m not super passionate about cooking. I mean, I do it… but it’s not something that I really love (my husband is the passionate chef in the family). But, I think dinnertime is incredibly important for a family, and the lessons of sitting at the table together, using proper table manners, trying different foods, taking turns in the dinnertime conversation, etc. are all such important lessons to teach our children.
During the week, I usually make the kids their dinner and serve it to them around 6ish. I usually give them a bath before dinner, so they eat dinner in their pyjamas (see photo), and then when my husband comes home around 7pm, he can read them a book and put them to bed. I usually make something simple for them or I give them the left-overs from our dinner the night before. My kids are pretty good eaters, although there are some meals which go down better than others (pasta is usually a winner). After dinner I usually let the kids have a little square of chocolate if they’ve eaten their dinner. We’re not big dessert people, but we do like our chocolate! (more…)
Dinner with Esther from Babyccino Kids
Dinner time usually occurs around 6.30 pm in our house, because that’s when my husband comes home from work. Cooking is my thing — my husband usually takes care of breakfast (I’m worthless in the morning!), but dinner-time cooking is my task and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I love to cook, I love the creativity of it! With three little and hungry children it’s not always a relaxing time though, so I often turn on a movie when I start to cook so they can relax a bit and I can focus on what needs to happen in the kitchen. Or, when I have enough patience and time, they like to give me a hand. Six-year-old Sara already makes a fantastic salad Caprese, and Pim (5) is quite proficient at slicing cucumbers and other salad ingredients. I also quite often ask our nanny Katherina to stick around ’til my husband gets home to help me keep little Ava (1) entertained. This is a huge help and it makes this time of day much more pleasant than what it used to look like: me cooking with an upset, crying one-year-old on my arm, and often ending up overly tired, frustrated and angry. Not worth it!
Because I work full-time and often don’t start cooking until 5.30 or 6 pm, I usually cook something within an hour, or even half an hour. But since my work is fairly flexible, on occasions I am able to prepare dinner beforehand and I can make more time-consuming dishes. Sometimes I’ve had such a crazy day and I’m un-inspired to cook, and we order in: usually pizza, Thai food, or sushi (our favourite!). Or we prepare an easy dinner like cheese fondue (exception to the homemade rule: this comes from a package — always handy to keep in the fridge for an easy and quick dinner that we all love). On weekends, we occasionally take the kids to a restaurant, a treat! (more…)
Shake it up
Lately I have been using juice and smoothies as a way to get my daughter the extra nutrients she might be missing from her meals. She’s sometimes dubious of the green juice but if I add a striped paper straw she’ll usually drink it right down! Here are some of our favourite recipes…
Simple Green Smoothie/Juice:
-add a handful of spinach to 125 ml of pineapple juice
-2 ice cubes
-blend
(If your child likes kale you can use that, but blend it really well!)
Coconut/Pineapple Shake:
-a handful of pineapple (fresh or frozen)
-almond milk (soy or cow’s also works)
-2 teaspoons shredded coconut
-1 tsp flax seed oil
-¼ of a banana or avocado
-2 ice cubes
(You can also add coconut water if this is too thick from the avocado.)
Almond Butter/Date Smoothie:
-one tbsp almond butter
-almond milk (soy or cow’s also works)
-2 dates
-1 tsp flax seed oil
-½ of a banana
-2 ice cubes
I’d love to hear some of your favorite smoothies and juices!
-Elizabeth
Bircher Muesli
We’re currently enjoying a few days in Germany (in a little village called Diemelsee, very pretty!), and on the menu each morning is something called ‘Bircher Muesli’. Such a coincidence, as last week I spotted the same dish in my Sophie Dahl cookbook, Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights
Here’s a rough how-to for 4 people, but you can totally vary!
Mix together:
- 2 cups porridge oats
- 2 cups plain yoghurt (you can also use (soy)milk)
- 2 apples, grated, immediately mixed with juice of half a lemon to keep the apple from colouring
- some dried fruit like sultanas, raisins, apricots, dates, or cranberries (any of these or combination)
- some (chopped) nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, flax seeds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (any of these or combination)
- optional: a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
Cover and place in the fridge. Leave overnight. Next morning, serve for breakfast with toppings like extra yoghurt, extra flaxseed, honey, and fresh seasonal fruit like banana, berries, melon, grapes, whatever you have. Or just some jam!
Bon Appetite!
xxx Esther
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Win! Les Tricots de Margot gift certificate• Cabbage and Flea — nicknames for children?
Provençal cabbage gratin
Every Friday morning my doorbell rings and a box is brought in to my kitchen filled with seasonal, organic and local vegetables, bread, cheese and meat and/or fish. It’s always a great surprise to find out what’s in the box each week! I find it important to try to eat seasonally and locally — I believe it to be more healthy and sustainable in the long run, and I love the challenge of being creative with the contents. Downside in wintertime is an insane about of cabbage! Every winter I’m slightly overwhelmed by the amount and variety of cabbage in my crate: green cabbage, red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, kale, etc. etc. So my kitchen creativity has been challenged to the top and I’ve been stir frying, making soups and quiche — all contaning some sort of cabbage. One of my favourite recipes (found while desperately searching the web for cabbage recipes), is the ‘Gratin of white cabbage & lentils in a Provençal sauce‘ by Sophie Grigson from the BBC Good Food website. It’s a very unexpected mix of ingredients, but it’s really yummy, super healthy, and it can easily be made in advance and just put in the oven just before dinner time. My kids love it too!
xxx Esther
PS The company delivering the organic box in Amsterdam is ‘De Krat‘, and in London I liked Abel&Cole.
PPS Cabbage recipe suggestions are very welcome!
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Love Bugs Print from Famille Summerbelle• Hip photo sharing with Instagram
Apple Cars, a fun little snack
My kids don’t need any prodding when it comes to eating fruit. They LOVE it! But when I made up these little apple cars after school yesterday, they went absolutely crazy for them. After gobbling them up, they insisted they make their own… so it ended up being a fun activity which took up a large portion of the afternoon. My kids were so impressed when they realised the cars actually go — the wheels (grapes) actually turn! Fun!
(This was another idea I spotted on Pinterest. I’m telling you — that site is soooo great!)
x Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Cute Party Invites from Little Baby Company• Dallas Clayton’s Top Ten List
Ricotta pancakes with honey butter
I posted this photo on Instagram a few weeks ago… and then got some requests to share the recipe. So here it is! These fluffy ricotta pancakes are sooooo yummy. We make them nearly every weekend these days… (*Update! The recipe comes from Bill Granger’s restaurant in Sydney where apparently his ricotta hotcakes are more famous than the Australian sunshine itself!)
Ricotta Pancakes with Honey Butter:
- 1 1/3 cups of ricotta
- 3/4 cup of milk
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 50 g of butter
Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl and then add to the ricotta mixture and mix until just combined. Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form (usually around 3-5 minutes). Fold egg whites through the batter in two batches with a large metal spoon. Make pancakes! Top the pancakes with sliced banana and honeybutter (honey and butter mixed together to form a syrupy-like butter). Sprinkle icing sugar on top… for a little bit of extra yum!
Mommy, let’s cook!
Our daughter Sara (6) still wants to become a chef, and I couldn’t be more over the moon with her current career choice. Imagine a daughter who’s a chef ! (She’s also secretly in love with Courtney’s son Easton so if all goes to plan, Courtney can consider herself a lucky mother-in-law too.) Anyway, I recently got this cookbook ‘Mummy, let’s cook!‘ and both Sara and I LOVE it. Recipes are organised in chapters such as ‘Sunday Brunch’, ‘Spring Picnic’, ‘Mother’s Day’, and ‘Santa Claus is coming!’. There’s a guide to setting the table (don’t forget the wine glass for mummy and daddy!), kitchen cleanliness and safety and table manners. All very nice, but best of all are really the recipes, accompanied by gorgeous (GORGEOUS!) photos. Risotto with crispy artichokes. Chocolate buns. Couscous with chickpeas and vegetables and gingered chicken. Wild strawberry and honey smoothie. Tuna, cheese and arugula filled bread. Sounds appetising? And this is only a small selection of the wonderful recipes. A book to recommend!
xxx Esther
