Coffee and Vanilla

Back To School – Lunchbox # 98 – First One This Year

Margot — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:17:57 +0000

Lunchbox # 98 (for 5 year old girl)

sandwich made from half of sesame bun, butter and pineapple jam
black grapes and blueberries
mini Peperami sausage
Babybel cheese
Munch Bunch Squashum – squeezable strawberry yogurt
100% natural tropical juice in a box (not pictured)
antibacterial gel to wash hands before lunch (not pictured)
wipe wrapped in aluminum foil with a stickers, to use after lunch (not pictured)

Everything closed in EZ-Freeze lunchbox with a freezable lid and placed inside insulated Charlie & Lola lunch bag.

More lunchbox ideas can be found here: Lunchbox Food.

And here you can read about Packing Children Lunches.

Some of the lunchbox accessories can be found in my Amazon aStore.

This week recommended product:
CURLY LIKE ME by Teri LaFlesh
- must have book for any parent of multiracial child with very curly hair
- time saver, no more struggle while combing hair
- effect - naturally curly, healthy & long hair
buy from Amazon.com
buy from Amazon.co.uk

© Copyright Coffee & Vanilla, All Rights Reserved.
Please notify the author at margot (at) coffeeandvanilla.co.uk if you are reading this post in other place than Coffee & Vanilla website or your personal news reader.
Thank you, Margot

Back To School – Lunchbox # 98 – First One This Year

Crisp Custard Pies / Kruche Rożki z Budyniem

Margot — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:28:09 +0000

INGREDIENTS

for the dough

4½ cups plain flour
1 cup golden caster sugar
150g (a little bit more than half of the bar or a little bit more than one stick) of unsalted butter
2 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
some more flour for working surface
icing sugar in a shaker

for the custard filling

2½ cups milk
3 tbs golden caster sugar
4 tbs vanilla custard powder, or twice more than on the packet instructions (custard should be thicker than normal)

EQUIPMENT

3-4 large baking trays lined with baking paper
rolling pin
9½ cm / 3½ inches wide round cutter or glass to cut out dough circles

METHOD

To prepare custard place 2 cups of milk and sugar in a saucepan and heat over low fire until almost boiling, in ½ cup of milk disolve custard powder and add to hot milk stirring constantly, bring to boil, when it is starting to get thick remove from fire and leave aside to cool down.

To prepare dough combine flour, sugar and baking powder, add also eggs and butter and mix and knead the dough until well combined and smooth. Take portion of the dough and roll out on floured surface until about 3-4mm thick. Using cookie cutter or glass cut out circles from the dough. In the middle of each place portion of the custard (heaped 1 tsp), fold and seal the edges. Place on baking tray lined with baking paper.

Make sure not to place pies too close to each other as they will increase the size while baking.

Bake in the oven preheated to 180°C (356°F) for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and leave to cool down completely.

Make 40-45 small pies.

Store in air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Rice Salad with Tuna, Corn and Parsley

Margot — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:48:41 +0000

INGREDIENTS

2 cups (uncooked) easy cook rice
4 cups of cold water to cook the rice
400g tin of sweet corn (drained)
400g tin of red kidney beans (drained) – optional
8 quite large sour cucumbers in brine (drained and diced)
sweet red pointed pepper (chopped)
3 x 200g tins of tuna in brine (drained)
6 tbs mayonnaise
½ cup chopped parsley
sea salt to taste
about 1 tbs herbal pepper or freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

Place rice and cold water in pot with lid, cook covered until ready. Then uncover and let the rice cool down.

In meantime prepare all other ingredients.

In a salad bowl combine everything. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve at room temperature or cooled down.

Make about 4 large servings.

Some of the mayonnaise can be replaced with soured cream.

Jacket Potato with Cottage Cheese & Smoked Mackerel Paste

Margot — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:56:41 +0000

INGREDIENTS

4-6 baking potatoes – about 1½ kg

for the cottage cheese & smoked mackerel paste

300g smoked ready to eat mackerel (skin and bones discarded)
300g light cottage cheese
½ cup chopped chive
½ cup chopped parsley
2 tbs tomato puree, tomato sauce to taste or some hot sauce
black peppercorns
1 tbs thick cream or mayonnaise – optional

METHOD

Make cross cuts on the top of each potato and bake in 200°C (392°F) for about 1 hour – 1½ hours. Use skewer to check if potatoes are soft inside.

In meantime chop herbs, combine them with cottage cheese, mackerel, tomato puree and mix well. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper. If the paste is too hard to mix add some cream or mayonnaise.

When potatoes are ready open them a little bit and top with the paste. Serve immediately with some salad on a side.

Make 4 servings.

I served it with tomato and sour cucumber salad.
This paste can be also used as a sandwich filler.

This week recommended product:
CURLY LIKE ME by Teri LaFlesh
- must have book for any parent of multiracial child with very curly hair
- time saver, no more struggle while combing hair
- effect - naturally curly, healthy & long hair
buy from Amazon.com
buy from Amazon.co.uk

© Copyright Coffee & Vanilla, All Rights Reserved.
Please notify the author at margot (at) coffeeandvanilla.co.uk if you are reading this post in other place than Coffee & Vanilla website or your personal news reader.
Thank you, Margot

Jacket Potato with Cottage Cheese & Smoked Mackerel Paste

Boiled Brussels Sprouts with Breadcrumbs

Margot — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:29:56 +0000

INGREDIENTS

1 kg fresh Brussels sprouts (ugly leaves discarded)
large pot of boiling water (salted and sugared to taste)
½ cup of breadcrumbs
125g /½ bar unsalted butter
sugar and salt to taste

METHOD

Boil Brussels sprouts in salted and sugared water until soft to your liking.
In meantime in a small saucepan melt the butter combined with breadcrumbs, season to taste with salt and sugar.
When Brussels sprouts are ready top them with breadcrumbs and enjoy.

Serve 4 people.

This is maybe not the most healthy but my favourite way of eating Brussels sprouts, boiled until very soft and topped with generous amount of breadcrumbs.

Crisp Almond Crescent Rolls Filled with Sour Cherry Marmalade

Margot — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:59:23 +0000

INGREDIENTS

4½ cups plain flour
1¼ cups golden caster sugar
150g (a little bit more than half of the bar or a little bit more than one stick) of unsalted butter
2 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
400g jar of sour cherry marmalade (I used my mom’s homemade cherry puree)
2 tsp natural almond extract
some more flour for working surface
icing sugar in a shaker

EQUIPMENT

3 large baking trays lined with baking paper
rolling pin
plastic knife

METHOD

Combine flour, sugar and baking powder, add also eggs and butter and mix and knead the dough until well combined and smooth. Divide into 5 portions. Shape each one into a ball and roll out on floured surface until about 3-4mm thick.

Cut across 4 times to create 8 triangles (they don’t have to be perfect).

Top each triangle with a little bit of marmalade on the wider end, roll to create crescent rolls, seal the ends, give them moon shape and place on a baking tray.

Repeat the same with other dough portions.

Make sure not to place rolls too close to each other as they will increase the size while baking.

Bake in the oven preheated to 180°C (356°F) for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and leave to cool down completely.

Make 40 small crescent rolls.

Store in air tight container for couple of days, just like any other homemade cookies.

This week recommended product:
CURLY LIKE ME by Teri LaFlesh
- must have book for any parent of multiracial child with very curly hair
- time saver, no more struggle while combing hair
- effect - naturally curly, healthy & long hair
buy from Amazon.com
buy from Amazon.co.uk

© Copyright Coffee & Vanilla, All Rights Reserved.
Please notify the author at margot (at) coffeeandvanilla.co.uk if you are reading this post in other place than Coffee & Vanilla website or your personal news reader.
Thank you, Margot

Crisp Almond Crescent Rolls Filled with Sour Cherry Marmalade

Sweet & Sour Salad with Beets and Peppers

Margot — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:13:35 +0000

INGREDIENTS

4 handfuls of mixed salad leaves
1-2 shredded beetroots (¾ cup)
1 sweet red pepper (diced or sliced)
1 sweet yellow pepper (diced or sliced)

for sweet & sour vinaigrette

juice of 1 lemon
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs clear honey, maple syrup or golden syrup

METHOD

Combine all ingredients for vinaigrette on the bottom of salad bowl. Add leaves, beets and peppers, mix well and enjoy.

Make 4 servings.

Beetroot can be replaced with shredded carrot.
Taste good on a side with Fried & Baked Chicken in Breadcrumbs or Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry.
In some supermarkets you can get ready mix of salad leaves and shredded beetroot.

Fried & Baked Chicken in Breadcrumbs

Margot — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:17:45 +0000

INGREDIENTS

4 pieces of chicken breast or 8 pieces of chicken legs (skinless, boneless, cut into chunks)
30g unsalted butter or some oil for frying chicken

for the plain breadcrumbs

1 large egg (lightly beaten)
1 cup of fine breadcrumbs
½ tsp sea salt

for garlicy paprika and coriander breadcrumbs

1 large egg (lightly beaten)
1 cup of fine breadcrumbs
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp paprika powder

more flavour variations coming soon…

EQUIPMENT

non-stick frying pan to fry chicken
small baking tray lined with baking paper

METHOD

To prepare breaded chicken, combine egg with spices and salt, deep in breadcrumbs and fry in two or three portions on both sides for couple of seconds, only until golden. Move to the baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in the oven preheated to 200°C (392°F) for 15-20 minutes (chicken breast will bake shorter then chicken legs).

Serve 4 people.

Taste good itself with some juicy salad and baby potatoes, plain variation can be used for Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry. They are also perfect for lunchboxes or as a snack served with dipping sauces.
If you don’t want to discard bones with some meat still on them batter them as well, fry and bake on separate baking tray. They will take longer to be ready than the rest of the chicken.

Wholesome Lunchbox # 31 (August 2010) – The Round-up

Margot — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:18:48 +0000

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are enjoying your holidays!!!

I wasn’t expecting many entries for August edition of Wholesome Lunchbox as it seems that everyone is enjoying well deserved break somewhere on the beach… So I want to say even bigger “thank you” to those that did not forget and send me all those wholesome entries.

I’m already looking forward to see your lunchboxes for next edition of WL. You can start sending them even today and the next round-up will be posted on 15th of September.

Below 16 entries, in order they were arriving. Click on the thumbnails to read original posts and descriptions of what is inside.

Debra – Hapa Bento @ Flickr (Seattle, WA, USA)

Chantale – ChantaleP @ Flickr (Montreal, Quebec, CANADA)

Debra – Hapa Bento @ Flickr (Seattle, WA, USA)

Jenn – Bentobird @ Flickr (Northern VA, USA)

Chantale – ChantaleP @ Flickr (Montreal, Quebec, CANADA)

Debra – Hapa Bento @ Flickr (Seattle, WA, USA)

Jenn – Bentobird @ Flickr (Northern VA, USA)

Chantale – ChantaleP @ Flickr (Montreal, Quebec, CANADA)

Krebstar5 – Krebstar5 @ Flickr (Boston, USA)

Jenn – Bentobird @ Flickr (Northern VA, USA)

Chantale – ChantaleP @ Flickr (Montreal, Quebec, CANADA)

Lia Chen – Bentolicious @ Flickr (Jakarta, INDONESIA)

Cristie - Edible Antics (Wisconsin, USA)

Lia Chen – Bentolicious @ Flickr (Jakarta, INDONESIA)

Libby – The Allergic Kid (Tampa Bay, Florida, USA)

Lia Chen – Bentolicious @ Flickr (Jakarta, INDONESIA)

This week recommended product:
CURLY LIKE ME by Teri LaFlesh
- must have book for any parent of multiracial child with very curly hair
- time saver, no more struggle while combing hair
- effect - naturally curly, healthy & long hair
buy from Amazon.com
buy from Amazon.co.uk

© Copyright Coffee & Vanilla, All Rights Reserved.
Please notify the author at margot (at) coffeeandvanilla.co.uk if you are reading this post in other place than Coffee & Vanilla website or your personal news reader.
Thank you, Margot

Wholesome Lunchbox # 31 (August 2010) – The Round-up

Perfect Buttery Popcorn

Margot — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:59:13 +0000

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of popping corn seeds (I used Island Sun brand)
30g real butter (salted or unsalted)
sea salt to taste

EQUIPMENT

large and wide stainless steel pot with glass lid (so you can see what is going on inside)

METHOD

Place butter on the bottom of pot and heat over high fire until melted.
Reduce the fire a little, add corn, cover and heat shaking the whole pot from time to time (without removing the lid) until corn is starting to pop. Continue heating until there is no more popping sounds, remove the lid, season to taste with salt and enjoy.

I tried different proportions and different pots (also non-stick ones) and this seem to be the best one so far.

Popcorn is crunchy, soft and finger licking buttery.

Make 4 medium cereal bowls of popcorn.

And what is your secret for perfect popcorn? Do you make any delicious flavour variations?