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

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  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.

Breadsticks

This iBreadstick3s the perfect thing for dinner parties. It makes a great side dish with starters like soup or salad. It is also a great way to finish pastry leftovers.

I like to serve bread sticks in a pretty glass, which makes them a decorative item as well.

You could also serve these tasty sticks with a good dip.

To make the bread sticks, simply brush strips of puff pastry with egg, then sprinkle with pepper, salt and any toppings you like, such as grated cheese, seeds and spices such as paprika, thyme or rosemary.

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Read more soup recipes or salad inspiration.

Gnocchi bake

This dish may take you 40 minutes to make, but it is less than 10 minutes work to prepare. You can even create the whole bake a day or two in advance. Which means any person who can operate an oven can finish the dish when you want to eat it.

Gnocchi is a kind of pasta made from potatoes, which gives them a great chewy texture. I like making this pasta myself, but this dish is my “go to” when I want an easy meal.

If you have little oven dishes. You could also make individual servings.

I like to serve a green salad with this dish for some extra veg.

Gnocchi bake (3 portions)

  • 500 grams of gnocchi (1 pack)
  • 400 grams of my no fuss tomato sauce
  • 100 grams of cheese, pick your favorite melting cheese: grated Dutch cheese, cubes of blue cheese and/or mozzerella
  1. Boil the gnocchi for a couple of minutes, your gnocchi is cooked when it floats on the surface.
  2. Strain the gnocchi and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
  3. Mix the gnocchi and tomato sauce.
  4. Top with cheese.
  5. Now your bake is ready for the oven, or for your fridge.
  6. Bake in the oven at 220 degrees C for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden.

Find more oven bakes here or more Italian dishes.

Spinach, egg and mushroom lasagne

This one of those vegetarian dishes which my family just loves. It is so full of flavour and different textures that everybody feels satisfied after eating this green lasagne.

spinach2Unlike a traditional lasagne, there is no need for endless simmering to create a rich sauce. This sauce is made by simply mixing the right ingredients. You might never have tried using egg in a lasagne before, but I can promise you it is a perfect match with the ingredients in this dish. It also helps you get you protein intake for the day.

Like an oven bake, I like to make this dish a day or two in advance. This helps me stay organised with our busy schedules.

If you are an avid meat lover you could easily add bacon cubes or pancetta to the mushroom mix.

Spinach, egg and mushroom lasagne (3 portions)

  • 300 grams of spinach (sliced and frozen, or stir fried and finely sliced)
  • 250 grams of (button) mushrooms
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely sliced
  • 500 grams of “kwark” (replace with cottage cheese and/or creme fraiche)
  • 120 grams of grated cheese
  • 3 eggs, hardboiled
  • lasagne sheets, about 150 grams
  • oven dish of 25 by 35 cm, or a similar size

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  1. Fry your onions, mushrooms and garlic until brown and soft.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the spinach, mushroom mix, half of the “kwark” and half of the cheese.
  3. Season the filling with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
  4. Now you are ready to make your layers:
  5. A layer of filling, topped with lasagne sheets.
  6. Top the sheets with more filling and your sliced egg. Season your egg and top with lasagne sheets.
  7. Another layer of filling, topped with lasagne sheets.
  8. For your final layer. Mix half of the leftover cheese with your kwark and season. Spread this mix over the lasagne sheets.
  9. Top your bake of with a sprinkling of grated cheese.
  10. Now your lasagne is ready for the oven, or for your fridge.
  11. Bake in the oven at 220 degrees C for 30 minutes.

Find my favorite oven bakes here.

Winter sprout quiche

I love eating Brussel sprouts and now I am happy to tell you about a new way to enjoy this winter vegetable, in a quiche. The bitterness of the sprouts is such a great combination with the egg and the cheese! The whole family polished their plates the day I cooked this quiche.Spruitenquiche2

Sprout quiche

  • 1 recipe of short crust pastry or a ready made puff pastry
  • 200 gram of boiled sprouts
  • 1 onion, finely sliced and gently fried till tender
  • 100 gram of small bacon cubes or a handfull of pine nuts for vegetarians
  • 150 gram of grated cheese (cheddar or young Gouda)
  • 3 eggs
  • 150 ml of cream
  1. Pre-bake your quiche base for 10 to 20 minutes until just cooked at 210 degrees C.
  2. Spread your ingredients on your pizza base and fill your pie with a mix of eggs and cream.
  3. Bake at 220 degrees C for 20 degrees or until golden.

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For more quiche inspiration, look at my asparagus quiche or spinach quiche. This quiche taste great with a simple tasty salad. For more sprout inspiration, look at the sprout cappuccino.

Simple pizza alternative

FlammKuchen2If you love pizza, you will love this recipe! You use the same recipe for the base, but the topping is completely different. This German dish is popular with my son and his daddy. We may have stumbled on a new family favorite (after pizza that is).

This dish makes a great dinner if served with a tasty salad but it also makes a great party snack or a simple lunch.

Flamm kuchen (3 medium pizzas)

  • 1 recipe of pizza dough
  •  Sauce, mix:
    • 250 gram Quark (or ricotta if you can’t buy this ingredient)
    • 100 gram creme fraiche
    • Pinch of nutmeg
    • Salt and pepper
  • 200 gram bacon in thin strips
  • 1 onion finely sliced
  • Optional: a few handfuls of grated cheese

  1. Warm the oven up to 240 degrees C.
  2. Roll out your pizza dough and prick holes in the bottom with a fork. (this prevents it from rising to high in the center)
  3. Spread a generous amount of sauce on the dough.
  4. Sprinkle the bacon, onion (and cheese) on top.
  5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

For a vegetarian option you could top your flamm kuchen with blue cheese, union and artichokes. Look up our favorite pizza recipes here.

Cheese fondue

On a cold and wintery day, we just love making cheese fondue.

As a metnlintje first, I made you a (downloadable) decorative recipe! You can just follow the instructions on the FondueSketch to make the fondue. This recipe serves 2 greedy adults and a toddler. Don’t forget to season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
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I grew up in Switserland. This means I am quite a puritan about how you are supposed to enjoy your home made fondue. These are my Cheese fondue guidelines:

  • Serve with cubes of (day old) bread for maximum cheese absorbtion when dunking.
  • Have wine or tea with your fondue. If you don’t, I was told big clumps of cheese form in your tummy!
  • You can also dunk pieces of pear, button mushroom or cherry tomatoes
  • Serve with strong flavored goodies/tappas so your guests can cleanse their pallet and enjoy every moment of cheese sensation. Excellent goodies are:
    • Thin slices of high quality chacutery like salame or parma ham for a salty tang
    • Pickles like gurkins or pickled onions for a sour balance
    • Sweet fruit like grapes, (tinned) peaches or pear
  • Use a thick pan that holds and distributes heat well (le caquelon)
  • Keep your fondue warm on a (matching) warmer.
  • The crust that forms on the bottom is sacred! It’s the best part, so scrape every last bit of the bottom.

My family loves cheese, so everyone joins in for this one at our home. It always makes a festive meal in our home. We light the candles and we take our time to saver the cheese but it also leaves lots of time for conversation. Hope you enjoy it too!

Broccoli feast

I am always looking for a way to make broccoli more interesting. Somehow this veg does not apeal to me, but I love it with cheese! This recipe makes my life easy. Especialy because I can do all preperations the day before. All I need to do when I get home is heat the dish in the oven.brocolli1

We like eating this simple broccoli casserole with roast potatoes and maybe a salad on the side. As the sauce is so rich, we like having this broccoli feast as a vegetarian dinner. As a variation to this dish you could mix in cauliflower or maybe .

Broccoli feast

  • 1 head broccoli, broken into florets
  • For the cheese sauce:
    • 1 onion, finely sliced
    • 30 grams butter
    • 30 grams flour
    • 150 ml white wine
    • 150 ml milk
    • 150 ml stock
    • 1 tsp mustard
    • 2 cups of grated cheese, I like old Gouda or a gruyere for this dish
    • salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
  1. Boil your broccoli until tender. Rince with cold water to stop the cooking process. Place the broccoli in an ovenproof dish and set aside.
  2. Gently fry the onion in the butter intil soft.
  3. Add the flour. Stir this mixture on a low heat for at least 2 minutes.
    Do not skip this stage to prevent a grainy, floury taste.
  4. Add the liquids gradually, while mixing and incorporating into a thick sauce.
  5. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and the mustard.
  6. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
  7. Pour your sauce over the broccoli and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
    (You can prepare this dish a day before and keep it in the fridge.)
  8. Preheat your oven at 220 degrees C. Bake your broccoli for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Brocolli

Quick and easy mini veggi pizza

This is not a recipe for real pizza (Read more about pizza dough and pizza toppings). These mini pizza are delicious glutenfree vegetable bites. My son loves making these and having them for dinner. But they would also make a great party treat or be part of a great high tea.MiniPizza2

Once you have sliced your ingredients, you can assemble these mini pizzas with your toddler.

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Mini veggi pizza’s

  • Eggplant/aubergine in 5 mm slices
  • 1 cup of my no fuss Tomato sauce / or a jar of ready made sauce
  • 1 cup of grated Parmesan
  • 1 mozzarella cheese ball in slices
  • 1 tomato in small cubes
  • optional: 1 onion in small cubes
  • Oregano

Lay your eggplant slices on a baking sheet. Spoon a small spoon of sauce on each slice. Sprinkle with some oregano, then add your tomato and union. Sprinkle with Parmesan and top with a small slice of mozzarella.

Bake in a 220 degrees C oven for 15 minutes and enjoy!

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We tried this recipe with courgette as well, this worked fine but we just love eggplant more.

Read more about cooking with toddlers here.

Pea Puff Pies

This is a recipe that I invented in order to finish our leftovers. Feel free to use any form of leftover vegetables and meat for this recipe. I have also made similar pies using cauliflower, broccoli, spring union or asparagus.

You can also make a delicious vegetarian version by replacing the meat with some tasty nuts or maybe a stronger cheese.

I serve these pies in individual ramekins, this way I can accommodate everyone’s busy schedule. But you could easily make one large pie, just increase your cooking time slightly so the pie is cooked and warm in the middle.

These pies are a simplified version of a soufflé. The egg makes them puff up beautifully and creates a light texture. The measurements below are an indication. Feel free to adjust them to your taste. Add more egg for more rise and a more “eggy” flavor.

This recipe only needs stirring and measurements are not crucial so you could easily make these together with your toddler. For more toddler cooking tips, read this post.

For a simple dinner, serve your Pea Puff Pies with some HP sauce and a tasty salad. You could make these pies as a starter, especially if you use a more fancy vegetable like asperagus.

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Pea Puff Pies (for 4 small pies)

  • 150 gram of mashed potato
  • 2 free range eggs
  • 100 grams of grated cheese (keep some aside for on the top)
  • 100 grams of shredded chicken
  • 150 gram of peas (or any other veg you like)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Simply warm mix your ingredients and spoon the batter into the greased ramekins. Sprinkle some cheese on top.

After preparing your pies you can keep them for a few days in the fridge until you are ready to eat them.

Bake your pies in a 220 degrees C oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until puffed up and golden.

Enjoy!

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