Tag Archives: marmite et ponpon

Spinach lasagna roll ups


spinach lasagna roll ups|marmite et ponpon

If you never tried these delicious lasagna roll ups, put this meal on top of your must make list! You will fall in love with it, as much as i did. The combination of flavors are soooo good you will be tempted to eat right out of the baking dish.

This irresistible meatless dish is worth a try. You will need to make it:

8 lasagna noodles, cooked as per box instructions

for the tomato sauce:

  • 1 medium onion finely diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 500 ml crushed tomato
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • salt to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onions and saute until translucent. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, garlic salt, dried basil and salt. Cover and allow the sauce to simmer for at least 20 minutes over low heat.

tomato sauce |marmite et ponpon

For the filling:

  • 2 cups spinach, i used fresh but you can use thawed frozen too
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded and 3/4 cup slices for garnish
  • 1/2 cup emmental cheese shredded
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • salt to taste

to be all mixed in a bowl.

how to do lasagna roll up |marmite et ponpon

Once the noodles have cooled to touch, lay them down on a working surface, spread ¼ cup of the cheese filling evenly along length of the noodles. Roll the noodles to the opposite end. Pour 1 cup of tomato sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Place the lasagna roll ups into the baking dish, seam side down. Add remaining tomato sauce on and place the mozzarella slices on top.

Loose cover with foil, make sure it doesn’t touch the cheese or it will stick. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven to 200ºC.

spinach lasagna roll ups|marmite et ponpon

spinach lasagna roll ups|marmite et ponpon

spinach lasagna roll ups|marmite et ponpon

One great thing about making these roll up style instead of layered lasagna is that they don’t seem like too much of a splurge because they can help with portion control.

spinach lasagna roll ups|marmite et ponpon

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog please let me know the result, I love hearing from you!

And if you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

spinach lasagna roll ups|marmite et ponpon

 

Beetroot and feta tart


beetroot feta tart |marmite et ponpon

The best recipes are the ones calling for few ingredients, done in no time and effortless! Served at anytime of the day is a bonus! I am describing my recipe of today; beetroot and feta cheese tart.

beetroot feta tart |marmite et ponpon

Beetroot, better called “superbeet”, is a round dark red vegetable, sweet, earthy and tender. Whilst beetroot has a sweet taste, its leaves, which also are edible, taste bitter. This vegetable is linked with better stamina, improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure. It was popular in Roman times to treat fever, wounds, skin problems and was used as an aphrodisiac.

beetroot | marmite et ponpon

If you don’t want fuschia hands, better wear gloves while working with it. No wonder why its color can be extracted and used as a natural food coloring. Try it with eggs at Easter time for a nice vibrant color!

For this recipe there is no exact measurements. You will need to roll out a sheet of puff pastry and cut it in medium squares (around 10x10cm), so it’s depending on how many squares you will make. I made 6 puffs, so i used a sheet of 300g. For that you need:

  • one medium beetroot boiled, and coarsely shopped into small pieces
  • 180g feta cheese crumbled
  • 2 tbsp thyme
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • egg wash

beetroot feta tart |marmite et ponpon

Heat the oven to 180ºC. Roll the pastry out into six squares as i already mentioned and score a 1cm border around the edge and brush it with egg wash.

Place them on the baking tray, scatter evenly the feta cheese, then the chopped beetroot. Sprinkle on top the thyme and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is well puffed and golden.

beetroot feta tart |marmite et ponpon

Leave it for 5 minutes to cool down then drizzle the olive oil and two drops (or three maximum) of balsamic vinegar and it’s ready to serve! Alone or with a salad it tastes just delish! If you are not fan of balsamic vinegar you can skip and it will still taste amazing.

beetroot feta tart |marmite et ponpon

I used rocket leaves for garnish, you can also use thyme or any other green leaves you fancy and it’s at hand. Bon appetit!

beetroot and feta tart |marmite et ponpon

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog please let me know the result, I love hearing from you!

And if you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

beetroot feta tart |marmite et ponpon

Spiral butter cookies – mini chefs in the kitchen


spiral butter cookies - mini che|marmite et ponpon

In previous posts, i mentioned the reasons you should enjoy cooking with your kids, for how much benefits it has. To recapitulate:

  • Literacy (building vocabulary): cooking with kids gives you the opportunity to introduce new words. You will be talking about the ingredients which gives them food knowledge. They will be observing and talking about the process  as well (like creaming, whisking,…). It’s good  to mention the new words several times and put them in a sentence they will understand and repeat after you. And when you read for them the recipe (if they can’t read yet) they will learn also that there is a method and instructions to follow. When am with with my son i enjoy mostly the open conversation we have all the time of cooking.
  • Brain development by exploring their senses: sensory experience is essential for the brain development. Cooking engage all the senses of your kids; seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting (especially smelling and tasting). My son is the curious type he likes to taste everything!
  • Motor skills: Developing fine and gross motor skills is as important as the sensory experience. They will be training their tiny muscles (fingers, hands, arms and even all body) by stirring, whisking, beating, kneading….. I love watching my son doing all this, i see a small proud man using his beautiful hands magically 🙂
  • Math and logic: By counting and using the measuring cups or spoons to follow the accurate recipe.
  • Self esteem: you will experience the look of confidence and pride on your kid’s face when he sees the outcome and especially when he offers it to others. When i bake with my son, he keeps on telling what he did to everyone he sees, and insists on offering some of “his creations” and waiting for the rewards for his efforts.

All these benefits go without neglecting the amount of fun we have and the quality time together which is sacred for me.

The most important thing though is you don’t force the learning to happen, it should flow naturally. The golden rule is to enjoy the time with your kids in the kitchen.

If you like to cook with your kids but you are struggling to find simple recipes to do, here is one easy recipe, Nady shared with his friend Gia mae.

spiral butter cookies - mini che|marmite et ponpon

You will need:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 300g butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • food coloring

Mix butter, flour and sugar, and rub them until they become like sand. Add the eggs then vanilla. Mix well but don’t over mix. Divide the dough in half. Take one part and divide it as much as colors you want to use. We did 5! Roll the first half in rectangular shape, then the colored ones as strips within a rectangle. Put The colored rectangular dough on top of the first part and roll, following the scheme. Let it rest in the fridge for at least half an hour before cutting it.

how to do spiral butter cookies

Bake on a parchment paper for 8-10 minutes on 180°C. Let it cool before serving.

spiral butter cookies - mini che|marmite et ponpon

spiral butter cookies - mini che|marmite et ponpon

spiral butter cookies - mini che|marmite et ponpon

No doubt, cooking with kids takes more time and effort, but for the many learning experiences you can embrace while your kids are in the kitchen, and the fun you share, i encourage you to do it more often.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

spiral butter cookies - mini che|marmite et ponpon

Turkey-mozz braid appetizer


turkey and mozzarella herbs|marmite et ponpon

I heart appetizers, actually we (my husband and I) heart appetizers. I believe this love runs in the blood, as we are Lebanese, we come from the land of birthplace of mezze.

I confess, sometimes we only order a variety of these convivial small dishes and we never reach to the main dish.

Turkey and mozzarella braid is one of our favorite appetizer, prepared with few ingredients and served on your table in less than 20 minutes.

turkey and mozzarella herbs|marmite et ponpon

You will need:

  • one sheet of puff pastry (300g)
  • 100g turkey (5-6 slices)
  • 100g mozzarella (4-5 slices)
  • 1 tbsp red fruits jam
  • 11/2 tbsp pesto
  • egg wash before baking

how to do turkey and mozzarella braidRoll the pastry dough into a 30 cm x 30 cm square. Lightly divide it (without cutting) into 3 equal rectangles. Using a rotary cutter or simply the pizza cutter cut about ten strips, on the side rectangles. Leave the center rectangle intact. Remove the corner sections from each of the 4 corners strips.

Spread the jam in the center followed by a layer of turkey, i chose the one with herbs, then mozzarella and finally pesto. Start by folding the top right strip over the filling slightly diagonal and press lightly to adhere. Then fold the top left stripe in the same manner. Repeat with the remaining strips until you reach the end, but before folding the last two strips make sure you folded the bottom flap.

Follow the scheme for a easy tutorial of this no fail braid. Brush the top with eggwash and bake on 200°C for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve it with extra red fruit and pesto dip.

turkey and mozzarella herbs|marmite et ponpon

turkey and mozzarella herbs|marmite et ponpon

turkey and mozzarella herbs|marmite et ponpon

Bon appetit!

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts yet to come, stay tuned!

turkey and mozzarella herbs|marmite et ponpon

Angry birds Easter eggs – DIY


angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon

Following my last few posts, i am sure you were expecting angry birds Easter eggs. And yes it is. If your kids are fan of angry birds too, it’s a very easy to do. Kids can do it all from A to Z.

how to do easter eggs angry birds |marmite et ponpon

Color your eggs in red for red, black for bomb, green for pigs, yellow for chuck and blue for jay , jake and jim. Click here to download a printable sheet of angry birds faces to cut out and paste on the eggs after the colors are completely dry. It’s A3 size paper, and you can adjust it since it’s a vector one.

After the eggs are ready, get a white sheet serving as a table cloth, draw sun and clouds, lay a tree branch and build your nest to put the eggs inside. The nest is a ready made wreath i bought form a shop that sells tools for gardening.

how to do tablecloth angry birds eatsre eggs|marmite et ponpon

You can also add gadgets of angry birds if you have them among your kids toys, like TNT boxes, catapult….

angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon

1-angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon

2-angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon

3-angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon

4-angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon

All i can say Nady and Joud are extremely happy to have the eggs they wished for. Happy Easter to all of you المسيح قام حقاً قام

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts yet to come, stay tuned!

angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon

angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon

angry birds easter eggs |marmite et ponpon