Macaroni, Broccoli, and Bacon Loaf

Another yummy recipe for the boys, perfect for school lunch or snack after school. Here I share you the recipe :

Macaroni, Broccoli, and Bacon Loaf

Ingredients :
- 1 layer of store-bought puff pastry, thawed
- 225 gr Macaroni, boiled until al dente 
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200g middle bacon rashers, trimmed, chopped
- 1 bunch of broccoli, boiled and chopped
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat grated tasty cheese
- 1/3 cup self-raising flour
- 5 eggs, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper to taste

Method :
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. 
2. Grease a 6cm-deep, 10cm x 21cm (base) loaf pan. 
3. Line base and sides with puff pastry. Prick it with fork randomly. 
4. Boil macaroni in salty water until al dente. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. 
6. Add onion, garlic and bacon. Cook, stir often, for 4 to 5 minutes until bacon is starting to brown. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
7. Add bacon mixture, chopped broccoli, cheese, flour and egg to macaroni. 
8. Season, and mix until well combined. 
9. Pour into prepared pan. 
10. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until golden and firm. 
11. Cool in pan for 15 minutes.
12. Transfer loaf to a chopping board and  slice.
13. Serve it with tomato ketchup or sweet chili sauce.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Macaroni, broccoli, and bacon loaf with sweet chili sauce
2. Homemade apple pie
3. Honey dew jelly
4. Rockmelon cuts for recess

A similar lunch for my youngest son, but he preferred tomato ketcup for the loaf instead.

Potato Croquettes Bento

The potato croquettes remind me of my childhood back in Indonesia. I used to go to the market with my mom, and she always bought me this croquette for a snack. Now I make them for my sons, and they are fond of them too :)
Here is the recipe :

Indonesian Potato Croquettes

Ingredients :

Potato Mash:
600 gr potatoes
1 lightly beaten egg
pinch of nutmeg
1/8 tsp white pepper

salt to taste

Filling:
250gr minced chicken
1 small onion
1 large garlic clove
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
2 pcs carrots, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas and corn
1 tsp white sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Coating:
2 large eggs
1 to 1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 to 2 cups breadcrumbs 
+ oil for deep-frying (canola or peanut oil)

Method :

For potato mash :
1. Peel the potatoes and boil them in slightly salted water for 25 minutes until completely tender.
2. Drain the potatoes and sprinkle in the nutmeg and white pepper. Start mashing until creamy and lump-free.
3. Let the potatoes cool off a little before adding the egg. 
4. Stir in the egg. This will make it rich, creamy, and a lot easier to work with.

For the filling :
1. Chop the onion. Heat a little butter and sauté the onion until it turns soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add minced chicken and break it up with a spatula. Cook until it loses its pinkness.
3. Add the diced carrot, peas and corn.
4. Crumble in a bouillon cube, black pepper, nutmeg and pour in the kecap manis. Let it simmer for a minute or two and let the mixture cool off.

For finishing up :
1. Use 3 shallow plates and fill them with flour, lightly beaten eggs and breadcrumbs.
2. Grab about a 2 tbs mashed potatoes, flatten it a bit, place a tbsp of the meat mixture in the center, gently fold the mashed potatoes around the meat.
3. Roll the croquette in the flour and shake off the excess flour, do the same with the egg and breadcrumb.
4. Repeat for all the mixture and the mashed potatoes.
5. Cover the croquettes with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Preferably overnight.
6. Deep-fry the croquettes (don’t overcrowd the pan) at 180ºC for 4 to 5 minutes until beautifully golden brown and crunchy on the outside.

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Potato croquette
2. Chicken, bacon, and leek pie (recipe here)
3. Corn on the cob
4. Carrot sticks
5. Sultanas
6. Kiwi for recess

 

My eldest son had the similar lunch with his brother, but he had apple cuts for recess instead.

The lunches are packed in Easy Lunchboxes. You may find them here :

Delicious Pies Bento

The chicken, bacon, and leek pies are definitely our favourite pies. I make them quite often and they freeze well too. You may find the recipe here

Details as below :

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken, bacon, and leek pie
2. Corn on the cob
3. Milk jelly and nata de coco
4. Brocolli and cheese
5. Carrot sticks
6. Crab meatball
7. Orange wedges for recess

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken, bacon, and leek pie
2. Corn on the cob
3. Milk jelly and nata de coco
4. Carrot sticks
5. Crab meatball
6. Green seedless grapes for recess

Chicken, Bacon, and Leek Pies

Chicken, Bacon, and Leek Pies are really comforting food. This is my first time to make it and I really want to share the recipe with you because it tastes absolutely delicious!

Chicken, Bacon, and Leek Pies 

Ingredients :

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

1 egg yolk with 1 tbs milk, lightly whisked

sesame seeds as needed

Pie filling:
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 leek, thinly sliced
6 rashers bacon, chopped
600g skinless chicken thigh fillet, diced
2 sprigs thyme
½ cup plain flour
375ml chicken stock
1 lemon, zested and juiced

Method :
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. For the pie filling :
- Place butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add leek and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add bacon and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and thyme and continue cooking until chicken is just cooked through, about another 5 minutes.
- Add flour to pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 
- Add chicken stock and 375ml water and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously until sauce has thickened.
- Stir through lemon juice and zest and season. Set aside to cool.
3. For the pastry :
- Cut 3 circles of pastry to fit muffin tray (I used egg ring). 
- Prick the base with forks to release any trapped air, which is what causes the centre to rise up.
- Spoon filling into cases.
- Cut another 3 circles of pastry that slightly bigger than the egg ring to cover the pastry with the filling. 
- Pressing firmly around the edges. 
- Make a few small holes with a fork in the top.
- Brush the top of the pies with egg mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Place in the oven to bake until the pastry is golden and crisp and filling is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

tips : I used the leftover cuts of the pastry to make mummy dogs. Just wrap the pastry around the hotdog. Brush it with egg mixture and bake in the oven until the pastry turns golden and crisp.

Details as below :

For my eldest son, the lunch consists of :
1. Chicken, bacon, and leek pie
2. Corn on the cob
3. Siomay with fish roe on top (recipe here)
4. Checker & rabbit apple cuts for recess

For my youngest son, the lunch consists of :
1. Mummy dogs
2. Corn on the cob
3. Siomay with fish roe on top (recipe here)
4. Kiwi fruit for recess

Apple Pie bento

Each box consists of :
1. Apple pie
2. Corn on the cob
3. Milk jelly with nata de coco
4. Banana for recess


This apple pie recipe is my kids' favourite, and so easy to make. Using store-bought puff pastry for a shortcut, here is the recipe :

INDIVIDUAL APPLE PIE
makes : 4 pcs

Ingredients :
1 pcs store-bought puff pastry (I'm using Pampas brand) - divide into 4
1 pcs Granny Smith apples - divide into 4 and dice
4 tsp of castor sugar
Cinnamon powder

Method :
1. Get 1 part of a quarter of puff pastry, prick with fork, then line a quarter of diced apple on top of the puff pastry.
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and a teaspoon of sugar.
3. Fold the other half of puff pastry to cover the side with apple on it, and seal the edges.
4. Repeat the process for the rest of the puff pastry.
5. Bake in preheated oven 180C for about 30 minutes or until turning brown.

Leftovers Bento

Two different bentos using leftovers in my fridge.

Details as below :

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken, leek and mushroom pie (recipe here) with BBQ sauce
2. Carved carrot, crab stick.
3. Tamagoyaki (egg-rolls)
4. Corn on the cob (with Carrot "flower", black sesame seed, and dill)
5. Kale leaf as baran
6. "Checker and rabbit" apple cuts for recess

And for my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Smoked salmon, sour cream and dill pinwheel
2. Corn on the cob
3.  Carved carrot, crab stick and corn flakes
4. Tamagoyaki (egg-rolls)
5. Kale leaf as baran
6. "Checker and rabbit" apple cuts for recess

Cute Mice Bento

The best thing about Bento is that you can use the same ingredients but present in different formats/layouts, so the kids will still be excited on opening their lunches. I used chicken, leek and mushroom pies, the same ingredients as the previous bento. You may find the recipe here.

This time the kids have the similar bento box, each with :
1. Chicken, leek and mushroom pie
2. Corn on the cob with "flower" carrot and sesame seed on top.
3. "Mouse" hard boiled egg (nori, black sesame seed, carrot)
4. Chicken roll
5. Ham and cheese rolls
6. Banana with "Eat me" carving

Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie Bento

I love baking! These chicken, leek and mushroom pies are perfect for winter. I made individual pieces so that they're ideal for lunch box and snack after school for the kids. Here is the recipe :

Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie
source : Mindfood

Ingredients :
1 tbsp olive oil
6 x 150g chicken thigh fillets, chopped
250g swiss brown mushrooms, halved
40g butter
1 leek, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves
¼ cup plain flour
2 cups milk
375g piece frozen puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp poppy seeds

Method :
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken and mushrooms and cook, in batches, for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan, set aside and keep warm.
Reduce heat to low, add butter, leeks, garlic and tarragon to the pan and cook for 7-8 minutes or until softened.
Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk, salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes or until thickened.
Return the chicken and mushrooms to the sauce. Spoon the filling into a 20cm skillet.
Roll out the puff pastry to 3mm thick and place on top of the filling. Trim and press the edge to seal. Score shallow lines in the pastry with a sharp knife and brush with eggwash.
Sprinkle over poppy seeds and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and puffed. Serve.

notes : I modified and used muffin baking tray instead.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie with BBQ sauce
2. "Car" hard boiled egg (with carrot)
3. Corn on the cob
4. Banana with "I luv u" carving

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie with tomato ketchup
2. "Fish" hard boiled egg (with carrot abd black sesame seed)
3. Corn on the cob
4. Banana with "I luv u" carving

Tools I used for today's post :

Butterfly Beef Mince Pies Bento

Butterfly beef mince pies, perfect for winter season and easy to make. Recipe as below :

Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
400g minced beef
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbs sugar
Pinch of oregano
Handful of shredded cheese
3/4 cup salt-reduced beef stock
5 sheets ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the beef and cook, stirring, for 6-8 minutes until browned. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, sugar and stock, and bring to the boil, stirring. Add the cheese. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until thickened. Set aside to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lay out the pastry on a chopping board. Cut out 36 rounds with a 6.5 cm round cutter. Gently push the rounds into three 12-hole mini (30 ml) non-stick flat-based patty pan tins.
Divide the beef mixture between the pastry cases. Using a 5.5 cm round cutter, cut 36 rounds from the remaining pastry. Use a butterfly-shaped cutter to stamp out shapes from the centres of these rounds and then place the rounds on top of the pies. Brush each top with egg.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden. Makes 36

And use the leftover for lunch box the next day...

For my kindy son, I prepared :
1. Butterfly beef mince pie with tomato ketchup
2. Hard boiled egg
3. "Tulip" sausage
4. Mandarin
5. Rose carved carrot and leek leaf for baran

And for my year 2 son, I prepared :
1. Butterfly beef mince pie with tomato ketchup
2. Hard boiled egg
3. "Flower" sausage
4. Broccoli

Shepherd Pie Bento

Special request from my sons, their favourite food ever..Shepherd Pie. Beside making in one big tray, I also made few in ramekin for their lunches.

This bento for my kindy son. It consists of :
1. "Cat" shepherd pie (eggsheet, nori, and black sesame seed)
2. "Crocodile" sausage (cucumber, angel hair pasta and black sesame seed)
3. Tamagoyaki
4. Baby carrot and cucumber
5. Jelly

And for my Year 2 son, I prepared :
1. "Fishes" shepherd pie ( baby carrots, nori, and black sesame seed)
2. "Fish" sausage
3. Tamagoyaki
4. Broccoli
5. Jelly


These bento tools can make your work faster and easier :