The Breakfast Club – Croque Madame Muffins

The new year marked the start of a new event for a group of our friends; The Breakfast Club. We’re taking it in turns to host fortnightly breakfasts in an effort to get together more often outside of the pub on a Friday night. So far we’ve been treated to a good old fry up, an American style brunch of pancakes and corned beef hash, and another intercontinental fusion of Indian eggs and bacon.

This weekend it was our turn, and we both chose a dish each to make for our friends. James went for croque madame muffins for the savoury option, and I chose to make a blueberry monkey bread ring for those with a sweeter tooth. Here I’m sharing James’ recipe for the croque madame muffins; I think as part of a larger spread, one each would be enough, but as the main event, I’d recommend two per person. Recipe adapted from The Little Paris Kitchen on BBC. This recipe makes 12.

Oh my, cheesy chicken and bacon pie!

There’s nothing better on a cold, miserable evening than a nice warming pie – comfort food at its best. This is great for using up any left over chicken you have from your roast dinner, and it’s really simple to make. We actually served this between the two of us with just some steamed veg on the side (yes, we’re pigs) but it would easily feed four with a side of potatoes too. You could even make four individual pies in large ramekins – it’d make dishing up a little easier (less messy)!

Cheesy Waffles

Oh yes! While helping my Mum clear out her attic long before we moved, I came across an old Nordic Ware stove top waffle iron. Not sure of where it came from, she was going to send it to the charity shop, but I claimed it for my own and it got added to our boxes ready for our house move. I finally got around to unpacking it at the weekend and couldn’t wait to try it out! James isn’t one for sweet breakfasts, so we tried a cheesy waffle mix (adapted from here) and served them with crispy bacon (and maple syrup for me). The waffles are so light and fluffy, and I was really impressed with the bit of kit too, especially given that it’s older than I am!

Chilli, Cheese and Onion Mini Quiches

I made these little quiches for a birthday picnic at the weekend as I knew mini ones would be a lot easier to dish out than a big one. They're so quick and easy to make, and they serve as great finger food for summer picnics, BBQ buffets and lunch boxes as they can be eaten hot or cold. Also, you can now follow me on Instagram: @jadebakes89

Creamy Coconut Cheesecake

This is the creamiest cheesecake imaginable. Fact. The flavour is subtle with different textures from the biscuit base, dessicated coconut and coconut cream. It's great served for dessert after a spicy meal.

Cheese and Bacon Biscuits

Another slight variation of these cheese biscuits - great alongside a cheeseboard with onion chutney!