Pack a Picnic

pack a picnic

Try these simple recipes for a kid-friendly pack-and -go lunch for the family.

Bacon & Egg Baskets

Makes 12

  • 12 slices bread
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbsp ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup finely grated cheese
  • 2 leaves spinach, shredded
  • 2 rashers bacon, finely chopped

> Preheat oven to 180°C. Place all
12 slices of bread on the clean kitchen benchtop. Press a circle into each bread slice using a biscuit cutter or lid, as close to the edges of the crust as possible. Cut out the circle and discard the outsides and crusts.

> Press each circle into a 12-hole muffin tray. Place in the oven for about 5-10 minutes until slightly hardened, but
pull them out of the oven before they turn brown.

> Combine the eggs, ricotta, and milk and mix well. Add the cheese, spinach, and bacon and stir, combining all ingredients together.

> Pour mixture evenly into each
bread case, and place back in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bread
is a golden brown colour.

Strawberry Hearts

Makes about 9, depending on the size of your biscuit cutter

  • 2 square puff pastry sheets
  • 1 jar strawberry jam (or any
    flavour jam you like)
  • 1 egg

> Place the sheets of puff pastry onto the clean kitchen bench. Using a heart-shaped biscuit cutter, cut out as many heart shapes as you can from one sheet. Cut out the same amount of hearts from the second sheet of pastry.

> Lay out the hearts from the first pastry sheet on the bench. Add about ½ tsp of strawberry jam to the centre of each heart.

> Using the second set of hearts, one at a time, moisten the edges of the hearts with water, all around, and then lay on top of the hearts with the jam. Softly press the top edges down on to the bottom edges, forming a seal, and press the sealed edges together with a fork, all around. Prick the centre of each sealed heart with the fork, and place on a baking sheet.

> Scramble the egg with a fork, then, using
a pastry brush, brush the pricked top of each heart with some egg.

> Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cucumber Roll-Ups

Makes 8 – 10

  • 2 sheets mountain bread
  • 1-2 cucumbers, sliced into wide strips using a potato peeler
  • cream cheese

> Lay a piece of mountain bread on the clean kitchen bench and spread cream cheese evenly over it, leaving one of the short ends with some empty space.

> Layer the cucumber strips over the cream cheese. Begin rolling the bread at the opposite of the end with the space, rolling tightly.

> Cut the roll into 4-6 equal pieces and secure with a toothpick. Refrigerate if not eating right away.

Tracie Heasman is a photographer with a passion for styling, shooting, and eating food. She lives in Raglan with her husband and two children

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