Dippy eggs recipe

Baked dippy eggs

This fun, easy recipe has been specially created for children aged 3-6 - so they can make you breakfast

Makes 4

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 15 - 20 mins

Cook 20 mins

Ask a grown-up helper to switch the oven on to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put 4 ramekins in front of you. Cut the ham and spinach into strips with your scissors. Put some in each ramekin.

1. Squash the cherry tomatoes into a bowl using your fingers. Spoon 2 tomatoes and some juices into each ramekin.
2. Break an egg into a bowl. Scoop out any pieces of shell with a spoon, then tip the egg carefully into the ramekin. Do the same with the other 3 eggs.
3. Grate the cheese and sprinkle some on top of each egg.Ask a grown-up helper to put them in the oven on an oven tray for 15-18 minutes or until the egg white has set.

Equipment

You'll need a pair of children's scissors - decent plastic ones are good. A rotary grater is kinder to little knuckles.

Vary the veg

You can easily vary the vegetables in this dish depending on what your child likes. Frozen sweetcorn, frozen peas, snipped red or yellow pepper or spring onions all work well.

PER SERVING

304 kcalories, protein 17g, carbohydrate 23g, fat 17 g, saturated fat 8g, fibre 2g, sugar 3g, salt 1.49 g

frozen yoghurt pops recipe

Frozen yoghurt pops

Prep time: about 1 to 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 8-oz. container of your favorite flavor of yogurt

Utensils:

• small paper cups
• wooden popsicle sticks (available in craft stores)
• plastic wrap

Directions:

1. Pour yogurt into paper cups. Fill them almost to the top.
2. Stretch a small piece of plastic wrap across the top of each cup.
3. Using the popsicle stick, poke a hole in the plastic wrap. Stand the stick straight up in the center of the cup.
4. Put the cups in the freezer until the yogurt is frozen solid.
5. Remove the plastic wrap, peel away the paper cup, and eat your pop!

Serves: 3 to 4
Serving size: 1 pop
Nutritional analysis (per serving):
127 calories
5 g protein
2 g fat
21 g carbohydrate
0 g fiber
7 mg cholesterol
73 mg sodium
262 mg calcium
0 mg iron
Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.
Variations and suggestions:
If you like, you can make this recipe using plastic ice-pop molds instead of the paper cups and popsicle sticks.
For a cool-looking snack, fill your cups only halfway with one flavor of yogurt in Step 1. Follow Steps 2, 3, and 4. Remove your pops from the freezer, take off the plastic wrap, and spoon in another flavor of yogurt that's a different color. Put the plastic wrap back on and freeze once more. When your pops are frozen, you'll have two-colored treats!

Tasty tots recipe

Tasty tots

Prep time: 1 hour

What you need:

• 1½ pounds sweet potatoes
• ¾ cup chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), undrained
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Cooking spray

Equipment and supplies:

• Measuring cups/spoons
• Knife
• Food processor
• Large bowl
• Sheet pans
• Oven/stove

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Steam or boil sweet potatoes until barely tender, approximately 15 minutes. Let cool.
3. Peel cooled potatoes. Shred them using a grater or food processor.
4. Puree chickpeas, including liquid, until smooth.
5. Combine shredded sweet potatoes and chickpeas in a large bowl.
6. Add oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and cinnamon. Mix well.
7. Spray sheet pans with cooking spray.
8. Scoop heaping tablespoons of the mixture and place 1 inch apart on prepared sheet pans.
9. Bake in oven for approximately 10-12 minutes, until starting to brown.

How much does this recipe make?Six servings

Christmas log recipe

Christmas log

5 eggs

140g light muscovado sugar

100g self-raising flour

25g good quality cocoa powder

caster sugar , for dusting

FOR THE ICING AND FILLING

• 285ml/9½fl oz carton double cream
• 450g fondant chocolate , such as Lindt Lindor
• icing sugar , for dusting

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 30 mins
Cook 20 mins
Plus cooling

Freeze for up to a month

1. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter and line the base and sides of a 30 x 35cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.
2. Separate the eggs, putting them into two large mixing bowls. Add the sugar and 2 tbsp water to the egg yolks. Using an electric whisk or tabletop mixer, whisk the sugar and yolks for about 5 mins until the mixture is light in colour and thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk blades are lifted. Sift in the flour and cocoa, then fold in lightly, using the whisk blades or a large metal spoon.
3. Using a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, then fold into the cake mixture in three batches, again using the blades to preserve as much air as possible.
4. Pour the mixture evenly over the prepared tin, then carefully spread to the edges. Bake for 10-12 mins, or until the cake feels firm to the touch. Put a large sheet of baking parchment on the work surface and sprinkle lightly with caster sugar. Turn the cake out onto the parchment and peel off the lining paper. Cover with a clean tea towel, then leave to cool completely. Trim a little cake from all the edges, then score along the edge of one of the long sides of the cake and roll up from there, using the paper to help you, rolling the paper inside the cake.
5. To make the icing and filling, bring the cream to the boil in a small pan, remove from the heat, then break in 400g of the chocolate. Stir until it is melted and smooth. Leave to cool, then chill until it is spreadable, about 1 hr. Chop the remaining chocolate, spoon a third of the icing into a bowl, then stir them together to make the filling.
6. Carefully unroll the cake, then spread all the filling over to within 2cm of the edges. Roll up the cake again using the paper to help you, then set on a board.
7. Cut a thick diagonal slice off one end of the cake. Transfer the larger piece of cake to a board or flat serving plate. Spread a little icing over cut side of the small piece of cake and fix it to the large roll to make a stump (as photo). Spread remaining icing over the cake, then dust with icing sugar to serve.

Snowball carrot muffins recipe

Rudolph's snowball carrot muffins

Get the children to create their own Christmas magic with these fluffy muffins, perfect for Rudolph and Santa

425g can pineapple in juice

200g self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

85g golden caster sugar

50g desiccated coconut

2 eggs

85g butter , melted

150g pot natural bio-yogurt

175g grated carrots

TO DECORATE

• 50g creamed coconut
• juice from pineapple can
• 100g icing sugar
• 50g desiccated coconut
• orange writing icing
• crystallised angelica

Serves 12

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 10 mins

Cook 18 mins

Freeze un-iced

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice, then crush the flesh with a fork. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, melted butter and yogurt together and pour into the bowl, along with the carrot and pineapple. Stir quickly, then spoon into muffin cases and bake for 18 mins or until risen and golden. Can be frozen at this stage for up to a month.
2. To decorate, mix the creamed coconut with 5 tbsp pineapple juice and stir in the icing sugar. Put the desiccated coconut onto a plate or tray. Peel the muffins from their cases and put on a rack. Spread the icing over until completely covered (this can get a bit messy), then roll in the coconut. Leave to dry for a few mins. Pipe a carrot on the top of each muffin using the writing icing, with strips of angelica as stalks.

Green grape caterpillar recipe

Grape caterpillars recipe

These cute little green grape caterpillars tick all the boxes when it comes to healthy and easy. Serve them up at parties or keep them in the fridge for a tasty snack.

Ingredients:

• 300g green grapes
• short wooden skewers
• 1 x 50g tube writing fudge, white chocolate
• mini milk choc bits

Method:

Step 1. Remove grapes from stalks, wash and dry well.
Step 2. Thread grapes onto skewers.
Step 3. Trim points from skewers with scissors.
Step 4. Dot writing icing onto the back of the coated chocolate chips and place as eyes on each caterpillar.

PS. Make sure you trim off the sharp tips of the skewers!

Cheese Tacos recipe

Cheese Tacos Recipe

This method makes delicious, buttery, cheesey tacos. If you are avoiding butter, or frying oil (which you could also use), you could make these in a microwave. Soften the tortillas first in the microwave. We use 20 seconds on high per tortilla, with the tortillas sitting on a paper towel in the microwave to absorb moisture. Once they've been softened this way you can add cheese and fold them over and heat them a few seconds more, just until the cheese melts.

Ingredients

• Corn tortillas (as many as tacos you want to make, packaged or homemade)
• Butter
• Cheddar or jack cheese
• Salsa

Method

1 Heat up the cast iron frying pan on medium high heat. While the pan is heating, prepare your ingredients. Cut some slices of cheese. Get the salsa out of the fridge. Thinly slice as many slices of apple as you want tacos. (3 tacos, 3 apple slices). Cut, remove seed, slice, and remove from skin the avocado slices you want. Slice some lettuce and any leftover meat you want to add in.

2 When the pan is hot (sprinkle a few drops of water on it, they should sizzle) lightly butter one side of one tortilla and place it in the pan, butter side down. Using a spatula, quickly flip the tortilla over to the other side, and back again, repeating until there is melted butter on both sides of the tortilla. Let the tortilla sit in hot pan until pockets of air start to form bubbles in the tortilla.

3 Add slices of cheese to one side of the tortilla. Make sure to allow room for the cheese to melt and not spread all over the pan.

4 Flip the side of tortilla without the cheese over the side with the cheese, as if you were making an omelette. Move the folded cheese taco to one side of the pan. Add a second tortilla, lightly buttered on one side, and repeat the process. You can tell when the taco is done by pressing down on it with a spoon or fork or edge of the spatula. If it gives easily, the cheese is melted and you can remove the taco from the pan.

5 You are basically done with the cheese tacos. Now all you have left to do is assembly. Open up each taco and add the ingredients you want. A slice of avocado, a slice of apple, a piece of chicken, a little bit of lettuce. Don't over do it or you won't be able to hold the taco and get it in your mouth. :-)