When I saw this recipe from my local newspaper,  I was so inspired to give it a go as it looks quite simple.  Crepes also make good lunch box meals as they can be reheated warm before eating and they taste just as good as they were just made.

This recipe below makes five French crepes for my 28 cm pan.  If you use a 25 cm pan, you could probably make six to seven crepes.

Ingredients for crepes:

• 200g plain flour
• 20g sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 300ml milk
• 50ml water
• 10g butter, melted

Ingredients for savory filling (you can modify the amount according to your preference):

• 3 slices of picnic ham, cut into strips
• 5 fresh mushrooms (preferably baby portobello, but I could’nt get them on the day and used white button mushrooms instead), sliced
• About 80g of cheddar cheese, diced

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Place the flour, sugar, salt and eggs in a blender.  Switch on the machine and gradually pour in the milk and water, processing until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

Step 2:  Pour the batter into a container, add the melted butter and stir until incorporated.  Refrigerate one hour before using.

Step 3:  While waiting for the batter to settle down, you can cut the ingredients for the crepe filling.

Step 4:  To make the crepes, heat a crepe pan or non-stick pan over medium heat until it is very hot.  This is important as how hot the pan is determines whether the batter gets cooked fast enough the minute it goes in.

Step 5:  Pour in about 70 ml of batter (I just use a medium sized soup ladle to approximate the amount), take the pan off the heat, and swirl the batter to cover the base of the pan and little up the sides.  Return the pan to heat and cook about one minute or until the edges start to come away from the pan.

Step 6:  Gently run a silicone spatula around the edges to loosen, then free the bottom of the crepe from the pan carefully.  If your batter is done correctly, the cooked crepe should come off very easily and not stick on the pan at all.

Step 7:  When the crepe is light golden brown at the bottom, you can flip it over and cook the other side for another 30 to 45 seconds.

Step 8:  When both sides of the crepe are golden brown, remove it to a large plate and make sure the pan is hot (go back to step 4 again) before you pour in the next batch of batter.

Finish making all the crepes and stack them up.  Don’t they look delicious?

Step 9:  It’s time to put the stuffing, so firstly saute the sliced mushrooms in a little olive oil and place them in a bowl.

Step 10:  Return one crepe on the pan and when it is starting to warm, sprinkle the cooked mushrooms, ham bits and diced cheese cubes on half of the crepe.  You can vary these ingredients according to your liking.

Step 11:  When the cheese starts to melt, use the spatula to fold the other side of the crepe to form a semicircle shape.  The melted cheese will hold the sides together.

Step 12:  Repeat for all the crepes you want to stuff with savoury filling.

You can keep one or two for dessert too, where you can drizzle honey, chocolate fudge or just strawberries and cream.  It’s up to your imagination!

This crepe recipe is great for a lunch box.  It’s easy to pack and can be warmed up.  For adults, two of these can make you really full!  Yes, I tried it on my Hubby and he could not stomach anything more than two.  Haha.  You can cut the crepe into quarters for your children to bring as snacks too, I bet they will love it!

Fast forward 25 years later, this is the current lunch box that I have been recently using.

It is an improvised type of tiffin carrier which can keep the food warm.  There are three individual food containers in the set, great for a staple (rice/ noodles) and 2 dishes (meat/ vegetables) or even soup.

To transport it, just stack up the three containers, clasp the handles together and they will be secured in place.  It is very easy to carry around and best of all, the surface is not hot as the exterior is insulated by plastic.

Sometimes, I also use it as a dinner box for Hubby if he comes back late for dinner as the food can be kept warm for about four to five hours.

A tip to share about using food thermos containers:  Fill the thermos with some hot water before you use it.  Pour the water away just before putting the food in and it will stay warmer for a longer time.

I do use microwaveable food containers at times too, but this lunch box does without the need to heat the food up as long as it is consumed in a short time.

Sometimes I feel so lazy and hungry that the thought of opening up these boxes and being able to start eating immediately is just bliss!  Haha.

Almost 25 years of age!

My mum kept these in her kitchen cabinets all these years and when I got married, she gave it to me as part of the dowry.  Haha.  Isn’t it amazing?

Although it may look like any simple lunch box and water bottle, but they bring back fond memories for me.  We got this lunch box and water bottle for my first year of school.  I remember we went to a now-defunct Japanese department store to buy them.  At that time, Made In Japan products were pretty expensive but I liked them so much that we got them all the same.

The square lunch box is really very small and I remembered all I could fit in was a slice of peanut butter bread or some cornflakes.  I also remember an incident where this cute lamb water bottle leaked and my whole bag of books became wet as a result.  I was really scared then, being so new to school so I think I cried buckets.  Haha.  Fortunately, my teacher did not scold me but comforted me instead.  She even helped me lay the books out in the sun to dry.

Looking back, it’s really embarrassing right?  But kids will always be kids and at that age, I did not know how to handle the situation, except to cry and look pathetic.  And now it has become something that we always laugh at when we recall our childhood days!