Fabulous five: Cooking with toddlers

Posted on June 1, 2015 by elsje

My toddler is always exploring the world and bursting with energy. From the moment he was born he has been observing me in the kitchen. From the moment he could, he has been my most eager little helper. I always indulge him and find a way for him to help me. I find it important he understands what he eats and he learns to appreciate how much work goes into making his dinner.

My toddler surprised me with his cooking. He loves to help create something, and he loves eating his creations. However grown-up I thought the recipes were, my son knows what he likes.

If you are wondering what your toddler can do in the kitchen here’s some things my toddler can do:

Knead, shape and roll out dough (as he has plenty of practice with play dough)
Cut soft food like mushrooms, cucumber, cheese with a table knife
Add ingredients and sprinkle seasoning
Pealing your boiled eggs
Stirring (although this does require lots of practice, my toddler toppled over the pancake batter once!)
Cleaning up afterwards, my toddler can really enjoy washing up, drying and placing utensils back in their right place.
Tasting and testing

A last and final warning for all young parents: lower your expectations. With their short attention span, toddlers help you for 5 minutes and leave a mess that might take you 10 minutes to clean up. Ironically, they will tell everyone they made this food (with no help what so ever, haha). With time, this will improve, and I promise you the pride on their faces when they get to eat their creations makes it all worth while!

These are our favorites recipes:

1. Pizza – my toddler gets to pick his own toppings. When his creation is done, he can’t wait till the pizza has finished baking. Find the recipe for pizza dough or our favorite topping.

2. Cookies – I make the dough beforehand (without my busy toddler slowing me down). The dough rests in the fridge until my son and I have a moment to make cookies together. We still want to make funfetti cookies together some day!

3. Pancakes – my toddler loves helping me mix the batter and we break eggs together, doesn’t any toddler love breaking stuff? He is in charge of ladling the batter in the pan, I am in charge of frying and flipping the pancakes in the air. Find my pancake recipe here.

4. Sushi – making simple sushi is perfect toddler fun. My toddler eats the (healthy) ingredients before they are even made into sushi! Molding the rice and placing the ingredients in the roll is his task and mommy rolls the sushi and we eat them together.

5. Bread – my toddler loves kneading dough with me. He gets to mold his own rolls, brush them and sprinkle them with his favorite seeds. You could also let your toddler make bread sticks.

Simple Seasonal treat: Spinach quiche

Posted on May 30, 2015 by elsje

As you might know. I like making vegetable quiches and pies. This is a lovely way to eat your spinach!

For a vegetarian alternative I would replace the bacon with a handful of toasted nuts like pine nuts.

Spinach quiche

Pastry:
- 100 gr flower
- 60 gr butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 50 ml water
Filling:
- 300 gr of fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100 gr Bacon cubes
- 125 gr soft goats cheese of feta cheese
- 3 free range eggs
- 75 ml cream
- Pepper and ground nutmeg to tast

Prepare your base as described in my asparagus pie recipe.
While your base bakes:
1. Clean your spinach leaves.
2. Fry your leaves in the oil until all spinach has wilted.
3. Place your spinach in a collinder and let the access water drain out.
4. Fry your bacon cubes until they are crisp.
5. Wisk and mix your eggs and mix in your cream.
Build your pie:
1. Divide your spinach and bacon over the base.
2. Pour over the egg and cream mixture.
3. Crumble the cheese over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes in a 200 degrees C oven.

Happy Birthday me! My inspiration countdown

Posted on May 25, 2015 by elsje

It’s official! I have made it to 34 and I feel balanced and strong thanks to the people around me and stories that inspire me. In honor of my own birthday I would like to share with you my personal top 5 most inspiring characters.

5. Pooh and friends – Children and their stories will always inspire me. The simplicity in which they approach life should inspire every grownup. Pooh loves and lives whole heartily. Whenever I join my son in watching Pooh movies I find myself smiling, sighing and shedding the occasional tear, so simple and so beautiful!

“Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.”
A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

What I learned from Pooh? Be in the moment and don’t worry to much.

4. Amélie – If you haven’t seen this movie, I recommend you watch it soon! In this French movie you see the modern fairy tail of the shy Amélie. I myself used to be shy as a kid. Sitting quietly in the corner I would observe and enjoy the world. This is why I always root for the shy ones.

“I like to look for things no one else catches. I hate the way drivers never watch the road in old American movies.”

Why Amélie inspires me? She reminds me to stay curious and to look at the whole world in wonder.

3. Nigella Lawson – This kitchen goddess showed me the beauty and simplicity of cooking and being a housewife. As an educated women I was always puzzled how to play all these rolls in my life: wife, friend, colleague, mother, daughter, sister…. As a perfectionist I want to be the perfect wife, friend….and in the mean time I wanted cozy family meals with home cooked food.

“I think cooking should be about fun and family. I’m not a trained chef. I don’t pretend to be and I think part of my appeal is that my approach to cooking is really relaxed and not rigid. There are no rules in my kitchen.”
Nigella Lawson

Nigella showed me that by simplifying, and with some shortcuts, you can cook a great meal, be a good hostess, and most of all, that in the mean time you need to enjoy all of these activities!

2. Parker Schnabel – In the reality show Gold Rush on Discovery channel you follow modern day gold miners on their quest to find gold. My favorite mining team is run by Parker Schnabel. He grew up helping his grandfather in the summers in his mine. From the age 16 he runs his own mining operations. For me it is awe inspiring how he just does all these complicated things, regardless of his age.

“The biggest thing I learned this summer was how to just go for it, not worry about the consequences of what could go wrong, just striking out and going for something, whether it has to do with going up to the Klondike or dealing with people.”

What I learned from Parker is that you should let no one tell you what you can or can’t accomplish, the sky is the limit!

1. Mothers – I have recently concluded that every women becomes a superhero when she becomes responsible for her own child. The things we endure, complicated medical procedures, giving birth, letting go when they go to school….the list never ends…it’s a job for life. I see it around me every day, women that excel at loving in their own unique way. Every mother inspires me. We should keep inspiring and encouraging each other, and not be afraid to admit where we could learn.

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
Abraham Lincoln

My mother showed me how you can overcome anything, if you keep loving.

My grandmother showed me the value of saying grace.

My colleague, also a mother, showed me how you can sell, buy, re-model your house and take care of your toddler in a few months!

My college friend, also a mother, showed me that you can bond and love your tiny newborn despite all stress and separation.

The list if inspiring mothers keeps growing. Thank you mothers for inspiring me!

Simple Seasonal treat: green asparagus pie

Posted on May 20, 2015 by elsje

I love eating vegetables at their absolute best. Asparagus are one of the most seasonal vegetables for me. During the asparagus season I am always looking for simple dishes that do this tasty ingredient justice.

The cheese and eggs in this recipe enhance the asparagus flavor. Serve it with a salad , a glass of white wine and you have a complete and healthy spring meal.

Feel free to use ready-made short crust pastry or quiche dough, for an even easier meal.

Because I am a busy mom, I like making pies ahead. That way, I can play with my toddler when I get home from a busy day while the pie warms in the oven. To warm up your pie place it in a preheated oven of 160 degrees C for twenty minutes.

Asparagus pie

This recipe is for a 25 cm quiche mold.

Short crust pastry:
- 100 g flower
- 60 g butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 50 ml water
150 gr green asparagus
Filling:
- 3 free range eggs
- 75 ml cream
1 cup of grated strong cheese like old Gouda or Parmigiana
Pepper and ground nutmeg to taste

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C.
Make your short crust pastry:
1. Rub the butter into the salt and flower until the texture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Combine the crumbles into a dough by stirring the water in gradually. Combine the dough, don’t knead it. If you fuss around less with your dough, your dough will be more crumbly. For an even more crumbly result, wrap your dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Make your pie base:
1. Roll out your pastry to a 5 mm thickness.
2. Line the a greased quiche mold with your delicious pastry.
3. Line your mold with some baking parchment and fill your pie with dried beans or actual baking beans.
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
While your base is in the oven, prepare your asparagus:
1. Remove the hard section of each asparagus. This is usually about 2 cm, depending on how fresh your asparagus is.
2. Place your asparagus in a pan of cold water. Bring the water to the boil.
3. When the water boils, immediately take your pan of the heat and cool your asparagus in cold water.
4. Let your asparagus dry.
Prepare your filling by mixing the cream and eggs.
Take your base out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. (Leave your oven on!)
Build your pie:
1. Cover the base of your pie with cheese.
2. Pour in half your filling.
3. Sprinkle with pepper and nutmeg.
4. Arrange your asparagus. You might need to trim your asparagus a bit for this step. Try to make one nice even and neat layer of asparagus.
5. Add the rest of the filling.
6. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
Bake your pie in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees C.

Enjoy!

BBQ favorites: simple and fast marinade

Posted on May 18, 2015 by elsje

This marinade is our favorite for “speklapjes”, a cheap but delicious cut of pork translated as fatback. It works well with any cut of pork and even livens up a simple sausage. This marinade is loved equally by both children and grown-ups.

The secret to this marinade is using good quality sweet pepper. Most spices you can just buy in a supermarket, but for paprika you should really go to a deli. I stocked up during our holiday in Spain. Both the sweet and the spicy version are worth the effort. you can use these blends to liven up your fried potatoes or your chicken, and it is a must-have for Mexican dishes.

Sweet red BBQ marinade

4 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp good quality sweet paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt

After mixing the ingredients, apply generously to your choice of meat. Grill your meat on a barbecue or in the oven.

Special tray

Posted on May 11, 2015 by elsje

My mother in law is such a treasure! She loves butterfly and floral designs. When I got into ceramic painting, I really wanted to make her a lovely platter. Here’s how it turned out:

How I made it? Read more here.

BBQ favorites: mustard chicken

Posted on May 11, 2015 by elsje

We love having barbecues! This year I will be sharing our favorite recipes for this occasion.

This is our favorite way for eating chicken from the barbecue. You might think that this marinade is way too sharp, but this one of those recipes where heating really transforms the flavor. The mustard transforms into a sweet and delicious crust when grilled.

This marinade is bold in every way, with a whole garlic bulb and lots of thyme, preferably fresh. Don’t hold back on the salt, chicken needs a large amount of salt to bring out all of it’s flavor.

Another advantage of using this marinade: the crust it forms seems to keep the meat tender and moist. This mustardy chicken is delicious with my potato salad and some green salad.

Mustardy chicken

1 jar of sharp Dijon mustard (250 ml)
1 head of garlic, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp course sea salt
Free range organic chicken:
- 1 chicken – This marinade is enough for a whole roast chicken. For a barbecue cut your chicken into manageable pieces.
- or 6 chicken breasts – This recipe could also be used for chicken breasts if you don’t like eating of the bone. If you cut the chicken breasts in half, you get a nice size.
- or 12 chicken wings for smaller snacks.

Apply your marinade ingredients straight on your chicken and spread your marinade evenly. This marinade should form a thick coating that crusts up.

Always test if your chicken is cooked by slicing into a thicker section. If the liquid running out of it is clear, and the meat is white, your chicken is ready to eat.

If you are going to cook your chicken on the barbecue. The key is turning your chicken over frequently above medium heat coals.

If you are going to use the oven:

1 whole roast chicken – about 1 hours at 200 degrees C for a medium size chicken
6 chicken breasts – about 30 minutes
12 chicken wings – about 20 minutes

Our little garden…growing strong

Posted on May 5, 2015 by elsje

Earlier this year my son and I created a gnome garden. Read more about it here.

Homemade mayonnaise

Posted on May 4, 2015 by elsje

I know it’s easy to buy mayonnaise ready made in the jar. I recommend you make this delicious sauce at least once, because;

you see what ingredients go in
you can determine the quality of the ingredients used, adding your own favorite ingredients
and of course it really does taste much better.

Once you have mastered the basic recipe below, you can start varying the ingredients to make your personalized version by;

Using your favorite vinegar or citrus juice like flavored vinager or lime juice instead of lemon juice.
Using your favorite mustard.
Adding 1 or 2 garlic cloves to the mustard and egg yoke, creating garlic mayo or Aioli.
Substituting up to 125 ml of the neutral oil by olive oil or yoghurt for a healthier mayo.

As a Dutchy I love my mayo with chips. It is also great for making a potato salad.

Keep your leftover mayonnaise in a jar in the refrigerator. The lemon and the mustard ensure that you can keep your mayo for at least a week, if it lasts that long that is….

Basic mayonnaise

1 egg yolk
1 tbsp mustard
half tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
275 ml of neutral flavored oil, I use sunflower

Combine your yolk, mustard, vinegar and salt and whisk until well combined.

Keep whisking and gradually add your oil. After adding all the oil you should have a thick and glossy mayonnaise.

If you add your oil too quickly, the mayonnaise will split. Try whisking vigorously. If this doesn’t rescue your mayo, put this batch to the side. You will have to start over. When you are halfway adding your oil, add your split mayo instead, essentially creating a double batch of mayo.

Potato salad

Turn your mayonnaise into potato salad by adding it to some boiled sliced potatoes. Add some capers and sliced spring union for some freshness and a splash of green.

Fabulous five! Mothersday

Posted on May 3, 2015 by elsje

Mothers day is in exactly 1 week (in the Netherlands). My mom is getting a homemade gift, from the heart. Here are my top 5 picks;

My mom loves reading. A personalized bookmark would be a good idea!
A heartfelt sweet message on a board or a card
Make an egg cosy with some felt! Perfect combined with a surprise breakfast in bed!!
through Ariadne at home
Say it with food! Bake a special apple pie
Make a simple and personal card

metnlintje

the art of gifting