One of my new year’s resolutions is to try and make the contents of my kids’ lunch boxes a little more interesting.
I often find myself in friends’ kitchens marvelling at the print-outs from websites or articles from magazines stuck to the fridge providing healthy ideas for tasty lunchtime treats for children. And then I find myself feeling guilty.
Now while I love being creative in the kitchen I’m generally thinking about ideas for the main family meal. Not for things my children can take to school.
Look at one of my weekly meal plans and you’ll generally see the uninspired “rolls” listed for weekday lunches. Definitely must-do-better in 2012.
So today my kids took a hot dog muffin each with them to school and nursery. Their lunch boxes were empty this evening so I’ll take that as a good sign. And the youngest asked if they could have another one when they got home, so another good sign.
The muffins are really very simple, combining a strong Cheddar cheese with hot dog sausages, which in my experience all children love.
I’ve adapted the recipe from one I found in Baking With Kids by Linda Collister. When I first tried the recipe I didn’t have in the two main ingredients, chorizo and Emmental, and so I substituted hot dogs and Cheddar. I later baked them again using the correct ingredients but found I preferred my version.
Next time I make them, I’m going to try adding some chopped tomato and sweetcorn…
Hot dog muffins
Makes 12
500g plain flour
2 tsps baking powder
Pinch of salt
Black pepper
230g mature Cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
100g chopped hot dog sausages
2 large eggs
100g butter, melted
350ml milk
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Add the cheese and hot dogs and mix well.
Beat the eggs and pour into a well in the flour mixture, along with the butter and milk. Mix it all together and then spoon into muffin cases in a muffin tray.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Bangers & Mash 