Italian Sandwich Filling & Honey Cake

Still reviewing cameras after mine got stolen in London (read the story here). It really is the weirdest feeling taking pictures with the Handycam, but I am glad to have it so I can continue my posts.

I went to the supermarket yesterday and bought the whole store out! Now everything is filled back to the rims and I am a happy mum!

Morning Snack: I made an Italian sandwich spread. Just playing around with a few ingredients and testing some different tastes. The reason I called it Italian is because I used some Italian mortadella ... oh and some olive oil.

Mortadella, chopped up. Peas, carrots, corn, pickled gurkens, white beetroot and red pickled bell peppers all cut up (where necessary). Mix this in a bowl with the mortadella, add a shot of the olive oil. Natural quark or yoghurt and a tablespoon of low-fat mayo. Mix well and cool.

I used this to fill a bier brötchen, a beer roll (see here). Crunchy cucumber batons are really refreshing and Soeri always enjoys them. With this a nice natural yoghurt with small chocolate biscuit balls. He saw me adding the yoghurt this morning and wanted straight away to taste "Mummy, let me try if you added enough of those biscuit balls. It has to be perfect for your blog!" This from a 3 year old!

Afternoon Snack: I bought this organic spongy honey cake yesterday and it tastes really fantastic. We had tried some sometime 2 weeks ago at Soeren' music school. A mum had bought this along and it was spread lightly with butter and covered with another slice of the cake. Soeren seemed to take a real liking to it, which surprised me. It tastes of honey but also a bit of ginger and cinnamon. Soeren is not such a ginger fan and I normally use small doses when I cook so that he does not discover the taste and strike out on me! This cake, however, seemed to have made the eat all you can list.
I decided to add this just the way he liked it at the music school. Lightly spread with butter and covered with another slice. I also added a few cashew nuts and today's fruit container has a yellow plum and half an apple.

Adult Variation: I know the Bier Brötchen is not available everywhere in the world. So, you can substitute a ciabatta roll here. It is an italian spread after all. For us adults I recommend always adding a few lettuce leaves. Argula, rock or a lollo mix are great and crunchy. Instead of just cutting up the cucumbers you can make a nice cucumber salad. Simple slice up the cucumbers finely and salt these so that the liquid comes out of them. Drain all access fluids and chop up an onion. Mix this with a yoghurt salad dressing and take a few croutons on the side. I want to make a honey cake like this on my own soon. When I do I will definitely pass on the recipe. In the meantime check out your bakeries and supermarkets for something similar. I think this will taste fantastic with a nice cup of green tea. You can certainly use any other dry cake in the meantime!

Back to KIGA!

Easter break is over and it's back to KIGA and packing lunch boxes. Tom and I had a great time in LONDON (yes some of you got it right and a postcard from the pulsating city is on it's way!). I have quite a bit to report so tune in to The Family Buzz (my personal blog) later tonight. I was a little handicapped (and still am) so don't expect too many photos. That's right my beautiful Sony DSC F 717 got stolen!!

The pictures you see here are taken with my Sony Handycam, so please forgive the quality. But I cannot leave you all and the show must go on, right folks?

Since our refrigerator and pantry was a huge empty gapping hole I pretty much scavengered what I had left. Here in Germany stores and supermarkets were all closed during Easter break and if you did not shop on Thursday you were left with rests like I was until today. Being in London over the break and Soeri at his grandparents I did not feel the need to buy anything, as it would not be fresh when we got back.

Morning Snack:I think I managed quite well. I had made a few vegetable/beef mince frikadellen (that's German for a flat meatball or hamburger) before we left and froze these. They are filled with finely chopped carrots, broccoli and cauliflower and taste amazing hot or cold. On toasted Finnish bread I spread a thick layer of herb cream cheese. On the side a few carrots sticks and half a juicy papaya.

Afternoon Snack: A soft french chocolate croissant baked in the oven. A fresh juicy tangerine and a cool passion fruit and peach yogurt! Not bad eh?

Adult Variation: I would suggest that you fill the Finnish bread or a dark bread roll with the hamburger, add a fresh leaf of lettuce and a few slices of chopped tomatoes, pickled gurken and spread some dijon mustard for a tangy taste. The papaya is just perfect as a light fruit dessert. As I always say, kick back and enjoy the afternoon snack. When the weather allows go out into a park and with the chocolate croissant get yourself a frothy latte. This little break will give the right kick to go that extra mile sometimes needed.

I say old boy, this appears to be a charming tiffin!

Charming indeed! Reminds one of afternoon tea at The Orangery Tea House in .... and sets the mood for our trip to .....!
I think the tiffin today is a huge hint. No idea what I am talking about. See this).

The last post for this week as we head off on our Easter break. We'll be back next week and until then Soeri and I wish you a very Happy Easter!

Morning Snack: A soft rye sunflower toast with the edges cut off (naturally) spread with herb cream cheese and thin slices of fresh cucumbers. A few crunchy orange bell peppers to accompany the sandwiches and a Easter egg - hard boiled of course. The fruit for today are juicy white grapes and a few apple chunks. Of course I included a little Easter treat.

Afternoon Snack: The delish Chunky Chocolate Chip Scone was a must again today and he wanted to take the last piece. A few slices of canned juicy mandarin slices. Not in syrup but in own juice and so fantastically refreshing. Yes, another Easter treat!

Adult Variation: Cucumber sandwiches taste really great. They are light and one can eat more than just one ;-). So try this out. The egg is also lovely with it. One bit of the sandwich one of the egg ... ummm! Try this out for dessert. Keep the grapes and apples and just pour some custard over the top. Leave to cool overnight and by lunch you will have a superb fresh fruit and custard dessert.
The scones are a must. As I said yesterday enjoy these with some cream, clotted cream and a cuppa!

Happy Easter!

Scones & Tuna

I think yesterday I out did myself in the kitchen. After making some delicious Tuna Tacos, Soeren and me spent the afternoon making some gorgeous chocolate scones (Recipe here). The whole house had this fantastic fragrance of baking. When Tom came home the first thing he asked "Smells good, what's for dinner, honey?"

Morning Snack: I reserved some of the filling from the Tuna Tacos for today. Then I spread some herb cream cheese on a lightly toasted Finnish bread and filled it with the tuna filling. I know he will be picking the kidney beans out because yesterday evening he decided he did not like kidney beans! The fruit container is crammed with sweet organic grapes.

Afternoon Snack: The scones turned out so luscious that we really had to stop ourselves from eating them all yesterday. Therefore Soeri wanted two today. I know he will manage to eat both these. Hopefully he'll have room for the yummy peach yoghurt too!

Adult Variation: The lunch box is just great the way it is today folks! Just one thing though a bit of lettuce and a splash of salsa in the tuna sandwich adds a bit of crunch and spice. The scones can be taken with a bit of cream or the very British clotted cream! Enjoy. So, I think I'll go down and get myself a cup of coffee and one of these scones ;-)

Teenage memories - Cottage Cheese Honey Pitta

Do you know that feeling when you bite into something and the taste throws you back years to some memory of your younger years? You can picture every detail of that memory. If the memory was a good one, your lips turn up into a slight smirk and your eyes get a light sheen to it. Well that's what happened to me as I prepared Soeri's snack box today.

Morning Snack: The cottage cheese pitta spread with honey was something I used to fix myself as breakfast on the way to school back when I was about 15/16. We were in Doha, Qatar at the time and I was going to the Doha College. I'd quickly make myself this little sandwich, grab myself a chocolate milk and run downstairs to wait for my best friend Shima. She too would come with some kind of breakfast in her hand and together we would sit on the wall of our compound, munching away and waiting for our parents to take us to school. Once in the car we would hit the car stereo and sing to Madonna, Duran Duran and A-Ha all the way to school (thanks parents for putting up with that!).
I had a huge smile on my face this morning as I fixed this for Soeri. I think he too will like the combination. As I mentioned yesterday, I have fruit en masse at the moment. So, he also got a few juicy chunks of watermelon along with it.

Afternoon Snack: A lovely fresh pancake filled with cranberry jam is something that is not only quick to fix but tastes great. I added a little Easter treat and the fruit container has a yellow plum and a few dried cranberries.

Adult Variation: Go ahead and try out my cottage cheese honey pitta combination. The smooth cheese combined with the sweetness of the honey in the bread is something you will remember for a while too. If you are not the sweet tooth type of person then keep the cottage cheese in the pitta and add a few pieces of chicken breast. Add a nice mustard, a few herbs and a fresh lettuce leaf. I am sure this will fill you up. The watermelon is light and refreshing after such a filling sandwich.
If you do not want to make the cranberry jam pancakes then get yourself a cranberry/blueberry muffin. I would definitely recommend the pancake though. It tastes great with a frothy cappuccino.

Fruits galore!

Over the weekend I bought so much of fruit that my refrigerator is overflowing. It is, therefor no surprise that the snack boxes are crammed with fruits today, in my special edition of "Fruits Galore!"

Morning Snack: On the menu today for the morning snack, Sir Soeren will be eating a fine rye bread, spread with a smooth layer of cream cheese. With this he will enjoy light and herby meatballs accompanied with a few cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes. For dessert, a ripe and succulent papaya.

Afternoon Snack An exquisite creation by Chef Mum, is this light Forest Berry Mascarpone Tart. Furthermore, some soft and luscious slivered pears top off the afternoon snack.

Adult Variation: No, I have not lost my marbles ;-). Just getting myself in the mood for our trip over Easter. Where, you ask? Guess!.
Back to your lunch! Make a bit of pasta, like penne, and add a tomato pasta sauce to it. Throw in a few of the meatballs and you have a nice pasta dish that can be eaten cold or warm. You can even chop up a zucchini and a carrot and quickly steam these. Add together with the pasta sauce. Papaya are absolutely delicious and so nourishing so make sure you take a huge slice.
If you do make this tart (when I post the recipe) I hope you enjoy it. The combination of ginger and cinnamon in the mascarpone is really tantalizing. Cut yourself a big slice and enjoy this with a nice Latte Macchiato.
Toodle-loo my jolly ole fellows!

Guest Blogger at Chef Michele's

Hi Folks,

Don't forget today, I am guest blogging on Michele's Weekly Guest Blogger Event.

I am honored to have this opportunity and hope you all will join me at Chef Michele's today. I'll be telling a little story and presenting a recipe that I picked just for the event. As it always is on What's for lunch, Honey?, it has been tried and tested by my jury prior to the presentation.

Hope to see you there!

Ham & Cheese Croissant

Croissants .... love them in every form and with every filling. When the French "invented" this flaky pastry did they know they would be creating a cult around the world? Probably not!
I have even used croissants as a base for a quiche type dish!!
Morning Snack: Nothing so fancy for the lunch box today though. These croissants we bought this morning were so fresh and flaky that I had some trouble cutting them and filling them. It looks sort of dilapidated in the picture doesn't it? I spread this one for Soeri's lunch box with cream cheese, a slice of turkey breast and some lovely butter cheese with sunflower seeds. I was going to slice the tomatoes and place them on the croissant too but decided it might get too soggy by the time he actually eats this so I just put a few Italian cherry tomatoes on the side instead. The fruit department today contains chunks of chilled juicy melon.

Afternoon Snack: Fresh milk bread from the baker this morning (by the way, on some days the baker comes door to door with his van and delivers his goods fresh, nice eh?). These are filled with chocolate chips. A fruity strawberry lime bar and a little Easter treat goes into the box too. Today's yoghurt is actually my favorite ... natural yoghurt with a bit of grape sugar, raisins and oat flakes. It's the first time that I am giving Soeri this yoghurt so let's see what he thinks.

Adult Variation: Keep the croissant the way it is. Nice change from the usual roll or bread. The flakiness is just too tempting to substitute. How about taking a soup along with this? You can try out the Spinach Coconut soup I made. I think it is just perfect for this April weather. Instead of the milk bread make yourself a large container full of Fruit Salad and you have a perfect lunch box with all the necessary goodness for the day. Have a happy weekend!

Egg & Beef a la Pret and a Nussecke

Every now and then I travel to London on business. It is such an invigorating and pulsating city and I enjoy spending my free (always little to spare) time taking in all the sights and sounds London offers.

There is one other reason I like to visit London - Pret A Manger (Pret). The sandwiches taste great and the whole concept behind it is exceptional. Everything is made daily, from natural ingredients and at the end of the day the leftovers go to the homeless.

A while back I had the opportunity to meet one of the people behind the scenes pulling one or two strings. We chatted for a long time and I mentioned that it would be "awesome" (he found that word "so typical American") if we could get some of the recipes to be able to make these great sandwiches at home. Well, on their website they now have a "Pret DIY" section where a few of the recipes are available.

Morning Snack: I took the Pret All Day Breakfast as an inspiration and made it with my own variations. A nice and just a tad bit spicey merguez, which I cut up in slices and fried it in a pan. Beat up an egg and added it to the pan, scrambling it together with the merquez. On a sunflower seed toast spread cream cheese. When you take the egg/merguez out of the pan allow to cool and then add a teaspoon of Miracle Whip. Spread this on the toast and press gently together. Not exactly the real Pret All Day Breakfast but you can see the similarities. I also added a few cucumber slices to crunch along with the sandwiches. The refreshing chocolate yoghurt has a few of the cereal squares and dried cranberries to sprinkle on top.

Afternoon Snack: A nussecke is pastry made from shortcrust dough and spread with a variety of nuts and honey and one side is covered in chocolate. It really is so delicious that both me and Soeren can never resist going past our bakery without getting some of these. With this I cut up some juicy Pink Lady apples and added a few organic grapes.

Adult Variation: You could do the Pret All Day Breakfast (you'll find how here). It really is a huge thing and quite filling. So, I think the yoghurt makes a light dessert to this.
I am not sure if everyone will be able to find the "nussecke" but you can also take a slice of the Cranberry Mandarin Loaf. As this already contains fruit you can treat yourself to a nice espresso

Bagels & Waffles

Phew! After the hectic, but good b-day celebration yesterday (it was only the 3 of us!), it's back to the lunch box. Yesterday's birthday menu was received well by my jury. I had made up a delicious Tart Ratatouille with warm goat's cheese and scrumptious Mousse au Chocolat. As a matter of fact I was hoping to use a piece of the tart in Soeri's lunch box today, but there was nothing left over (only one portion of the mousse but sssshhhhhh!).

Morning Snack: I decided to go for bagels this morning. Lightly toasted a sesame bagel and spread a thick layer of cream cheese. Added a slice of juicy turkey breast and snuck in a lettuce leaf (I expect it to be picked out and brought back home - with a comment or two from Sir Soeren!). A few italian cherry tomatoes I got at the organic market keeps it all nice and succulent. Refreshing organic plain yoghurt with a helping of fresh strawberries is what we had for breakfast today and Soeren wanted to take more to the KIGA. I added a little sprinkle of grape sugar which tastes great, plus keeps the energy flowing for those wild play days at the KIGA.

Afternoon Snack: Nutella Waffle sandwich! Soeren did not see me making this so I expect him to have a smile on his face when he opens the snack box this afternoon. On the fruit side we have two juicy yellow plums.

Adult Variation: Bagels can be filled in a variety of ways, so go for what you like best. Pastrami, roast beef or salami. A few lettuce leaves, tomatoes and cucumbers adds the necessary vitamins (that we as adults also forget about ;-)). I hope you like the yoghurt with fresh strawberry combination because it is fantastically refreshing and a great low-fat dessert.
So, now you can throw that low-fat outta the window and add up the cals. I think we deserve to sin. So, go ahead and make yourself that nutella waffle sandwich too. If you really can't get your conscious to do it, then I suggest a fruit mousse to accompany the waffles. If you find yellow plums then please do buy them and try them out. They really taste succulent.

Meatball Sandwich

I think kids love meatballs in every form and in every dish. When I make meatballs I make a truckload and freeze them. This way I can use them in all the forms Soeri likes them.

Morning Snack: Today I tried something new. I decided to make a meatball sandwich. I spread some cream cheese on a bread roll cut a few meatballs in half and placed them on top of a slice of cheese. A little shot of ketchup holds everything in place. Crunchy carrot batons go well with these. The organic grapes in the fruit department are juicy and sweet.

Afternoon Snack: Soeren loves raisin buns, spread with a little butter and honey is something that he devours anytime of the day. A few cashew nuts give the snack the crunchiness and lovely watermelon a nice refreshment.

Adult Variation: Meatball Sandwich for us adults should be a little different. Try this out: Sliced red onion, a few jalepeno pepppers and hot salsa sauce. Yum! A few baked potato wedges and lunch is ready to go. Don't forget those grapes!
Try out the raisin bun the way Soeri likes them and get yourself a nice hot chocolat to go with it. Ever heard of watermelon sprinkled with a bit of black pepper on top? No? Try it ... it's an amazing tingle of tastes! Let me know what you think.

Ham, Egg, Cheese & Rice crackers

A favorite sandwich at our place is definitely the ole' ham, egg and cheese trio. Something about the combination of all three that really makes it a filler for all types of breads.

Morning Snack: So, as I did not want my boiled egg for breakfast yesterday I had it leftover today. I chopped it up added a teaspoon of Miracle Whip Balance (mayo), a few herbs and used this as a sandwich spread. I put a thin slice of ham and a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of a nice fresh rye bread. The red bell peppers are the juiciest and sweetest and they are great to crunch on, on the side. That melon you see there .... ummmm! It is so juicy and as it came fresh from the refrigerator was nice and chilled.

Afternoon Snack: On Saturday we went for a little hiking trip nearby the place we live. I bought a few of these rice crackers to munch on as a little snack. Soeri and his little girlfriend took a liking to these straight away, so I decided to pack two in his snack box today. I love eating them with the dried cranberries as there is something about the combination that tastes great. I also gave him a small chocolate chip mini cake and a cool forest berry yoghurt.

Adult Variation: The filling would go really well in a French crispy baguette. So, you could try that out. Instead of the mozzarella you could try a stronger cheese like gruyere or maybe even a camembert. I would suggest taking a bell pepper salad along with this. It is easy to make. Cut up the peppers in slices. Add some slices red onion and a handful of sweet corn. Sprinkle with extra-virgin olive oil and some white balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste and a few nice basel leaves to top it off. It makes a great side dish to the baguette. The melon is a must and instead of just one mini cake you can always take two! I also recommend the rice cracker/cranberry combination - great to snack on and not all that fattening!