tommy crabbie bruschetta

this is another version of mine - tomato crabmeat bruschetta...this time using french baguette

6 slices of french baguette

extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic (for rubbing)

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

a bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped 

5 sticks crabmeat, sliced thinly

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlics, chopped

lime/lemon juice

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

• preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• cut/slice the bread and arrange in an ovenproof pan
• rub the garlic on top of each slice of bread, then dash some olive oil on top
• toast the bread in the preheated oven for about 5 min
• meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan, saute half of the onion, garlic and crabmeat.
• remove from heat
• mix the tomatoes, the remaining chopped onion, coriander leaves in a bowl. add in the crabmeat mixture
• add the lime/lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
• remove the toasted bread from the oven. top the bread slices with the crabmeat mixture.
• sprinkle some parmesan cheese
• return back to the oven for another 5 min or until the cheese melted
• serve warm

creamy mushroom bruschetta

this is my very own version of bruschetta...i didn't have baguette at home so i ended up using the normal wholemeal bread cut into triangles...


4 slices of bread (or baguette)
1 garlic, peeled
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
button mushroom, sliced
cooking cream
chopped parsley
parmesan cheese

• preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• cut/slice the bread and arrange in an ovenproof pan
• rub the garlic on top of each slice of bread, then dash some olive oil on top
• toast the bread in the preheated oven for about 5 min
• meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a frying pan. saute the onion and mushroom till soft. season with salt and pepper
• add 1-2 tbsp of cooking cream until all the ingredients are well coated
• add some chopped parsley
• remove the toasted bread from the oven. top the bread slices with the mushroom mixture.
• sprinkle some parmesan cheese
• return back to the oven for another 5 min or until the cheese melted
• serve warm

spaghetti carbonara

tried out spaghetti carbonara from Donna Hay's book...tip for this recipe, it needs to be served warm immediately...i added some mushroom to add some kick to it..

500g spaghetti
300g beef/chicken bacon strips
5 fresh button msuhroom, sliced
3 small onions, sliced
4 egg yolk
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp chopped parsley
extra grated parmesan cheese to serve

• cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 min or until al dante. drain and keep hot
• while the pasta is cooking, heat a non stick frying pan over medium heat. cook the bacon, mushroom and onions for 3-4 min.
• whisk the egg yolk with cream and parmesan in a bowl and toss through the hot pasta, coating well. 
• stir in the bacon and parsley and top with extra parmesan

fragrant chicken stew

my kids simple love chicken so much..thus, any chicken dish will satisfy their tastebuds...this is such a wonderful, aromatic, lip-smacking dinner...adapted from Sophie Conran's Soup and Stew book

1 tbsp olive oil
1 chicken cut into 8 pieces
1 knob of butter
3 small red onions, peeled and chooped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 inch fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
few sticks of baby carrots
4 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
500ml chicken stock
2 strips of lemon zest
1 handful chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
1 pinch of saffron threads

• preheat oven to 220 degrees. heat oil in an ovenproof pot with a lid, on a medium to high heat, brown the chicken pieces on both sides. remove the chicken from the pot and put them aside on a plate until needed
• reduce the heat, add the butter to the pot and getly fry the onions until soft
• stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin and cook for 2 min.
• add the potato and carrots and gently fry for 5 min. stir in the tomatoes, saffron and stock and gently bring to simmer, then remove the pot from the heat
• submerge the chicken pieces and lemon zest in the vegetables, then season well with salt and pepper. give a final stir through, put the lid and pop it in the oven for 1 hour
• take out of the oven, season to taste and stir in the chopped parsley

totally terrific tiramisu

another version of tiramisu...i love both of the version..this one taken from At Home Cafe book...

2 oz dark chocolate, grated
1 cup mascarpone
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brewed coffee
20 sponge fingers

• combine mascarpone, cream cheese, sour cream and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and thoroughly combined
• pour coffee into a shallow dish. dip each sponge fingers lightly into coffee
• place sponge fingers at the bottom of a 20quart glass dish
• cover them with a layer of cheese mixture and sprinkle with little grated chocolate
• repeat layers, finishing with cheese mixture. sprinkle the remaining chocolate and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving