Awesome Autumn Pie

This is another tasty vegetarian pie. It is full of veg and color, but just as rich in flavors!AutumnPie2

Awesome Autumn Pie (4 servings)

  • 1 butternut squach, peeled, in 5 mm slices
  • 1 pie dish lined with puff pastry
  • Pie filling:
    • 300 gr spinach
    • 50 gr crumbled feta
    • 50 gr grated parmesan
    • 1 egg
    • pinch nutmeg
  • Sprinkle squash with
  • 1 tsp hot paprika
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 50 gr feta
  • 1 cup of roughly chopped hazelnuts
  • 1 tbsp honey
  1. Blind bake your pie in a 220 degrees C oven for 15 minutes.
  2. Boil your butternut squash slices until just soft enough to eat.
    AutumnPie4
  3. Mix the pie filling.
    AutumnPie3
  4. Fill the base with the filling, cover with the butternut squash slices.
  5. Sprinkle with hot paprika and cinnamon.
    AutumnPie5
  6. Top with feta and hazelnuts.
    AutumnPie6
  7. Drizzle over the honey, season with some freshly ground pepper.
  8. Bake in the 220 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Find more pie and quiche recipes.

 

Recipes for beginners

I realize that this blog contains a wide variation of recipes. Some are the kind you do in the weekend because they take skill and time, but others are easy and quick.

One of my colleagues told me he wants to improve his cooking skills beyond his standard student repertoire. This is why I made my top 10 meals for beginners:

  1. Gnocchi bake with a simple salad Pita3
  2. Home made burgers with home made fries ( you could go crazy and make your own mayo too)
  3. Courgette soup with bread sticks
    BreadStick1
  4. Chicken fingers with my Dutch ceasar saladCeaser
  5. Winter omeletOmelet1
  6. Quiche with spinache or green asperagusAspergetaart
  7. Pizza or flamm kuchenAngrPizza2
  8. Pea puff piesPeaPuffPie5
  9. Tagliatelli with no fuss tomato sauceTPasta2
  10. Mini veggie pizzas and salmon saladMiniPizza3

Cheese scones

I have been having a lot of trouble posting this recipe, every time I want to fotograph these fluffy delights, they seem to disappear. I am glad to post this recipe just before Easter brunch. Because it would be perfect for this occasion!

They also make a great side dish with a salad or a soup (like Dutch pea soup).CHScones2

Cheese scones (for 8 scones)

  • Dry ingredients:
    • 225 gr flour
    • 75 gr cornmeal
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 150 gr grated cheese
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Wet ingredients:
    • 55 ml oil
    • 240 ml milk
    • Optional: friend onions
  • For finishing:
    • coffee milk or 1 egg
    • rock salt

CheeseSconesBWS

  1. Combine and mix your dry ingredients.
  2. Pour in your wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
  3. Form into a round flat disc of about 1.5 cm thick, wrap in cling film.
  4. Let this dough rest in your fridge for 20 minutes to 24 hours.
    Resting your dough will ensure a good fluffy end result!
  5. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.
  6. Cut your disc into 8 triangles with a sharp knife.
  7. Brush your scones with coffee creamer and sprinkle them with salt.
  8. Back them in your oven for 15 minutes.

These scones are best when eaten the same day, to prepare in advance, just make your dough one day ahead. You find my scone recipe here.

Chocolate Cake

This is an indulgent cake recipe for fanatic chocolate lovers. It stays nice and moist. The cake will serve many people, a slice of this is very filling!

Tea_n_Cake4

Chocolate cake

  • 150 gr butter
  • 150 gr sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 3 eggs
  • 150 gr flower
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 75 gr dark chocolate
  • 75 ml cream
  • Chocolate icing:
    • 75 gr dark chocolate
    • 50 gr butter
    • 150 gr icing sugar
  • For the baking tin: 25 gr butter and bread crumbs
  1. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Measure up all your ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients and mix them with the fork. This makes the flour light and airy.
  2. Preheat the oven at 170 degrees C.
  3. Coat your baking tin thouroughly with butter and bread crumbs.
  4. Mix the sugar, butter and vanilla essence.
  5. Mix the eggs in one by one.
  6. Fold in the dry ingredients.
  7. Pour the batter in the baking tin.
  8. Bake the cake for 45 minutes or untill it is golden.
  9. Let your cake on a wire rack before turning it around on the serving tray.
  10. Make your icing:
    1. Melt the chocolate and butter.
    2. Mix in the icing sugar.
  11. Decorate your cake.

Find a banana bundt cake recipe and more baking ideas inspiration here.

Banana Bundt Cake

This is the perfect recipe for using up your overripe bananas. The banana flavor is subtle and the cake is moist. This cake is a great show stopper desert or birthday cake for banana lovers.

Tea_n_Cake5

Banana Bundt Cake

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 100 gr butter
  • 150 gr sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 3 free range eggs
  • 200 gr flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 50 gr shredded coconut
  • Icing:
    • 100 gr cream cheese
    • 250 gr icing sugar
    • Optional: yellow food coloring and banana chips for decorating
  • 25 gr butter and 25 gr shredded coconut
  1. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Measure up all your ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients and mix them with the fork. This makes the flour light and airy.
  2. Preheat the oven at 170 degrees C.
  3. Coat your bundt tin thouroughly with butter and shredded coconut.
  4. Peel the bananas and mash them up with a fork.
  5. Mix the banana mash, sugar, butter and vanilla essence.
  6. Mix the eggs in one by one.
  7. Fold in the dry ingredients.
  8. Pour the batter in the bundt tin.
  9. Bake the cake for 45 minutes or untill it is golden.
  10. Let your cake cool on a wire rack before turning it around on the serving tray.
  11. Mix the icing ingredients and decorate your bundt cake.

Find a chocolate cake recipe and more baking ideas inspiration here.

Let’s bake!

My son and I love making cookies on a rainy day. I know now to make this a truely memorable experience with these nifty tricks:

  • Make the dough a day in advance, and keep it in the fridge. Cookie dough also freezes well, so I like to make a large batch and freeze half for later.
  • While your cookies cool, and your children are otherwise occupied (in my case: building some new Lego creation), create some colorful icing for decorating.
  • Place small amounts of decorations in a muffin tin, this keeps your table organised. When we are done decorating, we put the leftover decorations aside. My son mixes these in a bowl of yoghurt for a festive desert that evening!

    www.cookingwithmykid.com

  • Display your children’s creations on a pretty dish or cake stand. They take a lot of pride in their work.
  • Place the cookies in a transparant zip lock bag, then attach this bake to a decorative tray. This makes a great present for grandma or an aunty with a sweet tooth!
    WrappedCookies
  • Remember your child’s attention span is a lot shorter than yours, don’t be surprised if they are bored after making 3 cookies. In their minds this is still helping and they will take the credit for all the work! This always makes me smile, because it does mean my son takes pride in his creations.
  • Nigella has provided a great cookie recipe in het book “how to be a domestic goddes”. Me and my 4 year old have made multiple batches of these cookies, and they never disappoint! These cookies are tasty, with and without the colorful icing.

CookiesS

  • I love making chocolate chip cookies. All my son does is make dough balls and press them flat, but he has so much fun!
    cookiemonster

Find more tips for cooking with children here.

Snickers cupcakes

Yesterday I descided to try out a new ingredient, Bebogeen. My friend from stoca.nl pointed this product out to me. This product is an excellent substitute for dulce de leche in other recipes.

I have been craving a cupcake that has that lovely combination of savory peanuts and chocolate, brought together by the warmth of caramel. This cupcake definately hits that spot!

Snickerscupcakes3

The sauce is devine by the way, it is easy to make and so glossy! It would be great over vanilla ice cream, topped with some peanuts.

Snickers cupcakes (12 pcs)

  • 100 gr butter
  • 60 gr bebogeen ( or dulce de leche)
  • 100 gr sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 150 gr flour
  • 70 gr pure chocolate, chips or in smallish chunks
  • 70 gr (salted) peanuts
  • Sauce:
    • 40 gr butter
    • 40 gr bebogeen
    • 70 gr pure chocolate
  • Cupcake tin and 12 cupcake liners

Snickerscupcake2

  1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees C.
  2. Mix your butter, bebogeen, sugar, salt and vanilla essence until well combined.
  3. One by one, add your eggs. Wait till each egg is incorporated before adding the next one.
  4. Gently fold in your flour, chocolate chips and peanuts.
  5. Devide your cupcake mix into your cupcakeliners, I like to use an ice cream scoop for this job.
  6. Bake your cupcakes in the centre of your oven for 25 minutes or untill the centre is warm.
  7. Let your cupcakes cool while you prepare the sauce.
  8. In a pan, melt the butter and bebogeen on a low heat. Keep stirring
  9. When the butter and bebogeen are combined, turn off your heat and immidiately add your chocolate.
  10. While gently stirring, your chocolate will melt and you will greate a glossy sauce for on your cupcakes. It will not set and become hard, making it an extra delicious cupcake topping.
  11. You could decorate your cupcakes with hearts, chocolate chips or even chunky seasalt.

Find more baking inspiration here!

Spelt flat bread

These flat breads are the perfect side dish with a curry or a spicy stew. They are also great for dipping in a yoghurt sauce or with a salad. They have a crunchy outside and a soft, velvety and fluffy inside. Perfect for soaking up a sauce. I use spelt flour because I like the flavor it adds, but regular flour will also do.

I like to make the dough one day ahead, this way I can bake it off the next day. The flat breads keep well, keep them in a plastic bag at room temperature. You can reheat them in the oven if you wish.

It can be real fun to let your children help you flatten out the dough!

Pita1

Spelt flat bread (6 pcs)

  • 350 gr (white) spelt flour
  • 7 gr dried yeast
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 100 ml plain yoghurt
  • 100 ml water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Optional: 1 tbsp nigella seeds, for flavor
  • For frying: 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  1. Combine all ingredients in de bowl. Knead your dough for about 10 minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film.
  2. Let your dough proof for an hour at room temperature or in your fridge for up to 24 hours.
  3. Tip your dough onto a flowered surface, roll it into a sausage shape and cut it in 6 even pieces.
  4. Flatten out each ball into an oval shape, about 3 mm thick.
  5. Heat up a large frying pan with a small amount of the oil.
  6. Fry your bread in the pan, I can fit to flat breads in one pan. The bread will puff up and brown on one side.
  7. When one side is warm, lower your heat to medium and wait till this side is brown too.
  8. You can keep your flat breads warm in the oven or eat them right away!

Mmmm monster cookies

The other day I felt a strong craving for some decadent American style chocolate chip cookies. After dome experimenting I found a recipe that works for us.

I made the dough a day in advance and I pulled the dough out when my pre-schooler seemed bored. We had great fun slicing the cookies and watching the oven do all the work.

cookiemonster

After this we enjoyed these satisfyingly chewy cookies with a tall glass of milk, yum!

I turned this recipe into a lovely coloring project. You can download MonsterCookieColoring here.

ColoringS

Monster cookies (8 to 10 cookies)

  • 250 gram selfraising flour
  • 200 gram light brown sugar
  • 100 gram butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of milk
  • 250 gram chocolate chips
  1. Mix the sugar, butter and salt well.
  2. Stir in the eggs and milk.
  3. Combine with the flour and chocolate chips.
  4. Form a roll of about 5 cm in diameter. Wrap the roll in cling film and rest for 30 minutes to 3 days.
  5. Slice your cookies and place them well spaced apart on a baking tray.
  6. Bake at 190 degrees C for 10 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy your baking and coloring project!

mmmonstercookies

Fabulous five Pinterest projects

In case you haven’t discovered Pinterest yet: Pinterest is a great website/app that lets you create you own “pin boards” of pictures that inspire you! Millions of creative people share and organize their pictures on this site. If you create an account you will be able to organize your own finds, but most importantly be inspired by others as well!

What I have discovered is that Pinterest gives you new ideas for cooking, crafts and activities with your kids. I often take elements of the idea of a creative mommy on the other side of the globe, tweak it for my own toddler and make it my own.

These are some of my latest (p)insired creations:

  1. Easy and healthy 3 ingredient cookies, for more baking ideas check out my Bake’nCake Pinterest board
    Koek2
  2. Mini veggie pizza’s, for more cooking ideas check out my Food4Thought Pinterest board
    MiniPizza3
  3. Felt funny bunny, for more felt inspiration check out my Fuzzy felty figures Pinterest board
    bunny1
  4. Personalized coasters
    Coasters4
  5. Magazine upcycling, for more gift wrapping ideas check out my Wrap-a-holic Pinterest board
    Strik

Top tip! Get inspired for Christmas and Halloween and get an early start this year!