On the menu...

Did you know...Dinosaur-broccoli-trees taste better.
“Cool names can make for cool foods,” says Brian Wansink, author of 'Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think'. In his study he found out that kids prefer food with cool names.
Four-year-olds were given regular carrots and, on other lunch days, they were given the same vegetables renamed X-ray Vision Carrots. On the latter days, they ate nearly twice as many. Whether it be 'power peas' or 'dinosaur broccoli trees,' giving a food a fun name makes kids think it will be more fun to eat.

Dr Wansink says the same effect works on adults. This may explain the Facebook page 'When I eat Broccoli, I pretend I'm a Dinosaur Eating Trees'.

It seems that sparking the imagination sparks the appetite!
Let us know, what's your creative suggestion for a renamed vegetable?

But of course you can also try this kids favorite:
Mashed broccoli with Frankfurter sausages

for 4 persons:

500g broccoli
500 g potatoes
nutmeg
8 Frankfurter sausages

Boil the potatoes and broccoli separately in salted water.
When the broccoli is cooked, pour cold water on it to keep his fresh green color.
Mash the vegetables, add some olive-oil or butter.
Flavour with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Heat the sausages in hot water.

Tasty on a cold day just before spring!

Lemon delight

What to do with ricotta cheese, a few eggs and a lemon?

Create this delicious little dessert...
Lemon De-light

How to?

Whip eggs (3) with cane sugar (50 g).

Add the ricotta cheese (250 g),
stir in the zest and juice of the lemon.

Mingle well and fill muffin cups.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 180°C, until done.

Enjoy hot or cold.

Summer tomatoes

I'm still working on my package for the Celebrate Summer Swap. It is almost finished...But as my sweet Kids want to add some summer creations of their own too. This means it won't be ready to ship tomorrow. And as the 20th of june actually was our deadline, I'm in doubt...
On the other hand I guess my swapping partner won't mind finding some extra surprises. Do you, Kelly?
To compensate I'll give you a look at our favorite summer recipe. This is a simple recipe, ideal for a quick lunch or at a cosy picnic party on a lazy, hot summer day.

On the menu...

Doesn't every parent loves to see his/her children eat vegetables?
No big problems here with veggies and my kids but here is a real favorite:
Dish of Minced Meat with Mashed Carrots

for 4 persons:
1 kg carrots
1 kg potatoes
bouillon
milk
nutmeg, majoram
sugar

Peel and cube potatoes and carrots.
-kids love to help on this one, and gobble up the little dices-
Boil in the bouillon till the potatoes and carrots turn tender.
Mash the vegetables, with milk, pepper, salt, nutmeg and majoram.
You can add a little sugar.

750g minced meat
1 sliced onion
oil

Heat oil and fry the onion and minced meat. Braise for ca. 10 minutes.

As an adult I enjoy when food looks beautiful on my plate.
Even for an easy and simple recipe as this one!
So remove and place in an oven dish.
Heat some minutes in the oven.

I'm curious, what's your home success recipe with vegetables?
I would like to try it out!

Can there ever be too much chocolate?

After filling our basket at home, Easter egg hunting at generous grandparents houses and even my granny keeping the tradition going on, we come pretty close to it.
It will take forever, or at least till the next holidays, for this chocolate to be eaten.
Have you recovered from your Easter egg chocolate overdose yet?
Here is a fun way to use up any left overs, great to make with the kids: Sticky chocolate grapes.


Chop up pieces of the chocolate into a bowl.
For melting the chocolate you can use a microwave.


Add some milk and the paste is ready for dipping the grapes into it.
As you can see, we used slices bananas too.


Arrange fruit on wooden skewers.
Let cool a moment in the fridge.


Serve to hungry kids!

Birthday -close to Easter- Treats

This week we celebrate Little Lady's birthday. See three little fingers popping up. And she enjoys: sitting on the special birthday chair, wearing a birthday crown, a lot of little extra privileges and of course, treats for the class!
How delighted she was, carrying this big biscuit box, filled with chocolate muffins -oh so carefully- to school.
My mummy heart filled with a warm glow... Our baby girl turns into a beautiful little lady, but way to fast.

Recipe for about 1 dozen:

100 g chocolate (dark with praline filling)
3 eggs
80 g powdered sugar
100 g butter
80 g plain flour

Preheat oven to 220°C.
Melt together the butter and chopped dark chocolate.
Whisk together the eggs and powdered sugar until it foams.
Stir the chocolate and the flour in this mixture. Make sure the batter is smooth and the chocolate is evenly incorporated.
Fill muffin tins and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.

These are decorated with some candy eggs in a chocolate nest.
Yummy mummy!

Spring recipe to swap

I'm finishing my package for the Celebrate Spring Swap. Tomorrow it will be ready to ship, all the way to Canada. Curious to know what's in it? Patience, my friends. It had to include a handmade seasonal decoration, your family's tradition to welcome spring and your favorite seasonal recipe.
My first swap, I'm so excited! It was fun putting the package together. Matching things and colours together until everything fits just right, I just looove it.
Just as much as receiving surprises. So from now on, I'm keeping one eye on our mailbox and an other one on the Seasonal Celebrations Flickr group.

Oh all right, here's for you the release of a delicious spring recipe...

Asparagus quiche!

Leftover Salad with WhiteLeaf

I don't like wasting food. Regularly you can find me in the kitchen making a stock-list of what's left behind. And what's better than give these leftovers a second life by creating a delicious lunch salad?
Ok, in wintertime a good warm, tasty soup would do. But since we felt a little spring in the air, we prefer to chop the rejected portions into nice little chuncks, mingle them with some creativity and finish it with some imagination as some extra flavor.

After looking through the fridge I've made this salad with WhiteLeaf, also known as chicory or Belgian endive.

Recipe:

Slice the Iceberg lettuce and chicory into 1cm thick strips.

Toss together with bit sized cubes of apple.

Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep the whole fresh.
Place chunks french cheese eg. Brie on top of it

and add some raisins.

Dress with warm honey.

Result: A good-tasting salad and colleague-eyes gazing into my lunchbox. Bon Appetit!