Lulu Carter: the lunchtime swindle

I call it a swindle because those sweet little faces so often stare you right in the face and tell you they ate the lunch you made.In reality they ate something the kid with the wanting pokemon cards supplied them with after some bribing from your child and a covert operation where money changed from one small hand to the other at the checkout and the sweet treat you would never order for your child is paid for by another and then passed stealth like into the eager hand of your child.A card for a stick of licorice.Which brings me to-what the hell is a primary school canteen doing selling licorice???? Sorry-back to the task at hand.Salad sandwich? Where? Whats it look like???? Wow-kind of reminds me how we used to buy alcohol while still underage.Hmmmm.

This is a regular solution to the 'so empty that you just know nothing inside it was actually bitten on its way to the great big bin in the playground'(that bin must STINK by Tuesday-I'm sure it is full by then aren't you? ).

I cannot claim this is a recipe of any sort-more a partnership between what you have in the fridge and the freezer with the only stipulation being that you do need eggs and frozen puff pastry.After that anything you wish to thicken the mix with and add for variety is up to you.On the days this goes to school there is always telltale evidence of munching in the bottom of the lunchbox.Guaranteed.Actually its a good idea to make a few as they invariably want it for dinner as well.Ha.I am mummy hear me roar!!

Okay.The 'not really a recipe' recipe:

Puff pastry-one sheet per pastry surprise(Two children with different tastes = seperate baked goods)

Eggs - two per sheet

Cream cheese/greek yoghurt/buttermilk(not the best choice but it does work in moments of empty fridge desperation) very technical term here = 'dollop'

Feta/Bocconcini/Parmesan depending on child-small handfull

Filling-chopped olives/prosciuto/ham/halved cherry tomatoes/spinach-quanitity depends on child

Put the oven on about 200C and lay a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray.

In a bowl beat together the eggs with a large dollop of cream cheese or the like and beat adding some pepper.

Add you filling and mix until combined.

When the sheet of pastry has defrosted dollop the mix on one side of the sheet (leaving the edges clear) and quickly fold the other half of pastry over the top.Squish the edges and fold them up and over on themselves pinching to seal.make a tiny slit in the top of the package to let the air out and brush the top with a little milk or egg glaze.

Pop it in the oven and keep an eye on it as it will only take about 15 minutes depending on your oven.

I let it cool on a rack so the bottom does not go soggy and then it gets sliced and sent to the fridge when cold.

A small tub of tomato sauce is sometimes sent to school aswell but mostly they just wolf it down as is.

*In the spinach version I use one small box of frozen spinach-defrost it and squeeze out the excess moisture before mixing it in.This one is easily the favourite!

** It is widely known that during the day that creature known as the SAHM gets somewhat hungry.They have been spotted snaffling this from the fridge thinking the ctv is not working.Not so.Make extra just in case they break in.

xxxx