I decided to make a kid friendly version of this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe!
Actually, I made the bread to start with and was a little hesitant about the cheese. I used Gruyere and Emmenthal.
The smell that greeted me when I opened the packets was… well… bad!
But I’m glad I persevered.
Once the bread was in the oven, the smell changed and it really surprised me that something that started off so stinky could change so much!
I really did think that there was no saving this baby and had written it off, but suddenly, as the new smell filled the kitchen I felt hope!
I couldn’t wait to taste it and see if it was as good as it smelled.
And you know what? It was really, really good…
I swapped Dorie’s chives and walnuts for ham and shallots in an attempt to make it more tempting to the kids.
But I was enough of a realist to know that while the kids were encouraging, they would like it way more with a good dose of cheddar cheese.
So back to the kitchen and this time I dumped the Gruyere and Emmenthal for a packet of “4 cheese blend”! (It’s a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses).
I know what you’re thinking… Classy!
Hey, it worked! The kids loved them!
If you want to see many more exciting and varied versions of this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe click here!
Kitchen Therapy 
March 4, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Sanya, I love what you did with the bread! I should have made some substitutions myself. “Four-blend cheese” sounds much better than the fancy stuff. The cupcakes look so bright and cheery, no kid could resist them–no adult either!
March 4, 2011 at 11:22 pm
Your muffins and bread look so lovely and golden. I’m so glad your kids liked them with the cheese substitution you made and I do like that you used such brightly colored liners to make them even more attractive to the children.
March 4, 2011 at 11:50 pm
It’s so beautifully arranged on the plate – you know someone’s fingers have been all over it. ~Julia Child
March 5, 2011 at 12:01 am
Your kid-friendly muffins look so good! And, I love your colored muffin cups!
March 5, 2011 at 12:20 am
Those muffins look lovely! Hey, those blends are often my salvation – so you don’t have to apologize here…
March 5, 2011 at 1:10 am
Those muffins are adorable – so festive! Well done!
March 5, 2011 at 1:34 am
They look good and it’s nice your kids loved them! My kids usually prefer muffins over bread! They look good!!!
March 5, 2011 at 1:48 am
Those muffins look packed with flavour. Bit like ham and cheese pie, with in another form. Good job
March 5, 2011 at 4:47 am
Forgot about the kids – I would love these!
March 5, 2011 at 5:29 am
Adorable! So glad the kiddos loved them! 🙂
March 5, 2011 at 5:59 am
I love your kid friendly muffins! So cute!
March 5, 2011 at 6:40 am
Your muffins look great! Good idea to make them kid friendly. Your bread came out lovely, too!
March 5, 2011 at 7:13 am
I love your muffins…a muffin meal! When you know what works, go for it and I’m glad your shared…great idea.
March 5, 2011 at 7:24 am
This would be an awesome weekend brunch item, so big and small people 🙂 Maybe some sausage hidden in the middle too…. mmm I can smell them from here!
March 5, 2011 at 10:13 am
Your muffins look so festive. It was definitely a ‘Bon Idee’ to play around with the substitutions. Four-cheese blend sounds delicious too!
March 5, 2011 at 11:47 am
I think my family would have appreciated your kid friendly recipe, too!!! Great idea~
March 5, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Sanya, The muffins look great. I like your ham and shallots combination!
March 5, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Muffins are a great idea. Making the recipe work for your family is what its all about I think. Love your muffin pictures.
March 6, 2011 at 6:15 am
I had not even considered muffins (ok, I barely got the recipe even done by Friday night – busy week 🙂 but that idea is GENIUS. Gorgeous muffin photo and the colorful papers = kiddo perfect ! Also glad to know that cheese blend turned out well, since in honesty this is more likely to be what I have in the fridge at any given moment. Nana and I will be revisiting these in muffin form in the future.
March 6, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Sanja, I bet the muffins appealed to kids! I did not even think about cheese choices – I used sharp cheddar. I also added slightly sauteed ham and scallions, and omitted walnuts, and the kids loved it! I hoped to make some grilled cheese sandwiches with the leftovers, but they left nothing.
Next time I’ll try the muffins.
March 7, 2011 at 2:42 am
I love the colors and your muffins look hearty and delicious!
March 7, 2011 at 4:09 am
I am inspired. I must make the muffins. It is fun, picking the cheeses to use and the extras. This is the bread of a million faces.
March 7, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Cute! I thought about making mini muffins, but didn’t want to bother with the research for time/temp adjustments. Did you need to alter the temperature or time?
March 8, 2011 at 11:35 am
Those muffins look delicious, and I can imagine the ham was a wonderful addition! It’s been so much fun seeing all the variations people have come up with for this recipe.
March 9, 2011 at 3:30 am
Oh my goodness! These muffins look sooo good…and the bread too! Thanks for sharing! I really enjoy reading your posts!