Back to School Lunch Ideas: Fig Cheese Appetizer Recipe

My husband's youngest sister is starting 1st grade next Wednesday. We just met her new teacher and classmates during a lovely potluck picnic this week. Our first "homework" is to prepare a menu for her lunch box. She's very excited about what we will pack for her.

Our family friend Chú Quân had kindly just brought us humongous fist-sized figs from his garden. I immediately thought of a snack my little sis-in-law wouldn't be able to resist. This fig and cheese sandwich recipe is ultra simple. I pack separate containers of the ingredients (fresh figs, fig jam, camembert and pizelle anise cookies) and let her assemble the snack!

I'll be posting more B2S recipes next week as my little munchkin starts school, so stay tuned!

Grilled Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Summer is almost over! It’s hard to imagine, but school starts next week for the girls, so I thought I'd use the barbecue one more time before storing it until next season. I marinated chicken breasts in tandoori sauce (I removed the skin because Lulu's aunt who’s visiting doesn't like it).

A generous amount of plain yogurt is necessary to ensure that the meat is moist. The traditional spices from garam masala are also used (cumin, coriander, red chile and other spices). I grilled the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes and the meat was ready to be served. It’s actually a pretty stress-free recipe if -like me-, you have a ready-made jar of garam masala in your pantry.

How to Make Mirchi Bhaji (Mirchi Pakora Recipe)

My father-in-law really loves spicy food, so I thought I would surprise him with stuffed mirchi pakora, which are whole green chile fritters. Before getting started, I had to estimate the level of spiciness of the chiles. It turned out the green chiles we bought from the Indian market this week were painfully spicy. So I made an incision in each chile and removed all the seeds.

The preparation method I learned from Lulu’s grandmother involves stuffing the chiles with tamarind paste, then dipping them in (besan) chickpea batter before deep-frying them until golden brown.

I have to admit I didn't try any, but in my defense, even Lulu, Daddy and the girls found the peppers really spicy. Don’t get me wrong; they really enjoyed them even though the girls ended up chugging milk to help offset the spiciness. I’m just saying, you’ve been warned!

Pickled Plums and Onions (Home Canning Recipe)

Lulu and the girls gathered 4 large baskets of plums from our garden. I'm the only one who enjoys eating them fresh due to their sour-tasting skin, even though the flesh is sweet.

Instead of making my usual sweet fresh fruit preserves, I decided to pair the plums with the last crop of Creole onions and make plum and onion pickles.

Pickling fruit and vegetables is a lot easier that you might imagine. I made a sweet and sour brine out of white balsamic vinegar and agave nectar in which to submerge the fruits and vegetables. I added several spices such as juniper berries, a bay leaf, clove, garlic and cardamom seeds.

I let the food cure for about 6 weeks. Check back soon and see what I serve the pickles with!

Cheese Sandwiches with White Kidney Beans

I always tell the girls that the most important ingredient for cooking is TLC. Making cheese sandwiches is no exception. There must be several layers that bind together properly for the sandwich to be a success. For this version (made for a picnic during our recent trip to Ashland), I had fresh strawberries left-over. So I blended the fruits into a purée and mixed it with cream cheese, sun dried-tomatoes and chives. I spread the strawberry cream cheese into cheese Kaiser rolls and topped it with cannellini salad, which provides the protein for the vegetarians in my family.

If you too are planning picnics with your family before school starts again, give this easy recipe a try. And if you're looking for back to school ideas for your children, this recipe might be it!