potato salad

i like potato salad so much... this is adapted from the Midweek Meals Made Easy..

5 potatoes, boiled and cubed

2 tbsp dijon mustard

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp plain yogurt

chopped parsley

2 boiled eggs, quartered

1/2 can tuna in water, drained

blackpepper

• prepare the dressing while the potato is warm
• add mustard, mayonnaise, yogurt and parlsey and mix well
• add in parsley and dash of blackpepper
• in a bowl put in the potato, tuna and eggs
• mix in the dressing
• put in the fridge before serving

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

Magic tiramisu

a total hit during Aidiladha...yes, it's magic...because it is sooo speedy, easy to make, yet tastes luxuriously, superbly elegant  and yummilicious! adapted from the Midweek Meals Made Easy...

4 tsp instant coffee granules

100ml boiling water

200g sponge fingers biscuits (saviordi)

2 tbsp caster sugar

160g natural yogurt

500g mascarpone cheese

60-70g plain chocolate, grated or crumbled flake chocolate bars

• dissolve coffee in boiling water
• arrange half the sponge fingers in a 20cm square shallow dish.
• spoon half of the coffee mixture evenly over biscuits
• beat sugar and yogurt into mascarpone, then spread half this mixture over biscuits
• cover mascarpone with remaining biscuits over the second layer of biscuits
• spoon grated chocolate evenly over the top
• chill for 10 min before serving

mushroom, chicken and thyme fettuccine

a yummy, creamy fettuccine...adapted from Donna Hay's pasta, rice+noodles, which i bought at the Big Bad Wolf Books Sale for only RM12...such a good bargain!

500g fettucinne

1 tbsp olive oil

1tbsp butter

3shallots, chopped

2 garlic, chopped

400g mixture of swiss brown mushroom and white button mushroom, sliced

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 cup cream

1/2 cup chicken stock

finely grated parmesan cheese, to serve

• cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10-12 min or until aldente
• drain and keep warm
• heat a large frying pan over medium heat
• add oil, butter, shallots and garlic and cook for 2-3 min or until soft
• add the chicken, mushrooms and thyme and cook for 5-6 min
• stir in the cream and chicken stock and simmer for further 5 min or until the mushrooms are tender
• add the pasta and toss to combine. top with parmesan and serve warm

fresh mushroom soup

from the Mind and Mood Foods book...

1 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
350g fresh mushroom, sliced
300ml vegetable/chicken stock
300 ml milk
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• melt butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for 3 min
• add the mushroom and cook for 5 min
• stir in stock, milk and seasoning, then cover and bring to boil.
• reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 min until the mushrooms are cooked and tender, stirring occasionally
• remove the pan from heat and allow to cool slightly, then puree in food procesor
• return the soup to the saucepan, stir in the chopped parsley, then reheat gently until piping hot, stirring occasionally
• serve with bread or pasta (which my kids love very much)

cream of pumpkin soup

fantastic, lovely soup...kids love it with pasta...i personally like it with toasted bread...

1.3kg pumpkin, peeled, sliced and seeded
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, shopped
2 garlic, chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
700ml chicken stock
creme fraiche (optional)

• cut the pumpkin into chunks. heat the oil in a large pan, fry the onion, garlic and cumin for 2-3 min. add the pumpkin and potato and fry, stirring for 5-6 min. add the dried thyme to the pan
• pour in the stock and simmer for 15 min until the pumpkin and potato are soft. whizz in a blender until smooth, then pour into a pan, heat through and season.

• serve each portion woth creme fraiche, lightly stirred in.

tuna and spinach lasagne

quick and easy...

250g lasagne sheets
2 x 200g cans tuna, drained
450g tomato passata
9 pitted black olives, roughly chopped
225g baby spinach
salt and pepper
250g ricotta cheese
4tbsp low fat milk
2 tbsp grated parmesan

• preheat oven to 200 degree celcius and grease shallow ovenproof dish.
• flake tuna, put into frying pan and add the passata. heat gently. stir in olive and spinach, then add black pepper to taste. cover and simmer gently 5 min to wilt the spinach
• spoon a third of tuna sauce into the dish. cover with a layer of lasagne sheets. spreadh half remaining tuna mixture on top and cover with lasagne sheets, then repeat.
• mix ricotta with milk and season to taste. spoon over top of lasagne, then sprinkle with parmesan. bake for 30 min  or until very hot. serve immediately.

Harira Soup

i made this for Hari Raya and served it with crusty bread..it was a hit...! improvised the recipe form The Star..

2 litres water
500g beef, cut into small chunks
2 onions, diced
1 tsp pounded ginger
1 250g can chickpeas
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stick, chopped
6 tomatoes
1/2 tsp tumeric
juice from1 lemon
100g coriander, chopped finely
salt and pepper to taste

• in a big pot, bring to boil 2 litres of water. add the beef, onions and ginger. let the mixture simmer for an hour
• then add the chickpeas, tomatoes, carrots, celery, tumeric and lemon juice. simmer for another half an hour.
• season with salt and pepper.
• let cool. puree half of the mixture and return back to the pot.
• add the coriander
• serve hot with crusty bread

colourful crab and sweetcorn chowder

the kids simply love this colourful, creamy chowder...serve with crusty bread or pasta...from the mind mood foods book...

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic, crushed
4 sticks celery, chopped
1 green capsicum, seeded and diced
350g potatoes, diced
175g button mushroom, sliced
300ml milk
450ml chicken/vegetable stock
225g canned sweetcorn, drained
225g white crabmeat, flaked
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• heat oil in a large saucepan. add the onion, garlic, celery and green capsicum and cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally
• stir in the potatoes, mushrooms and stock. cover, bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 min, until the vegetables are just cooked
• add the milk, sweetcorn, crabmeat and seasoning. bring back to boil then simmer for 5 min, stirring
• add the chopped parsley, then ladle into soup bowls
• garnish with parsley sprigs and serve with bread (i served with pasta for the kids)

honey and mustard chicken

also from the Mind and Mood Foods Book...sweet and tangy chicken...a lovely dish! it is so finger licking good..!

3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
1/2 chicken, cut into pieces
fresh herb sprigs (i used rosemary and thyme)

• preheat grill to high
• put honey, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and seasoning in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly
• cut 3 slashes in each chicken pieces and place them in a pan
• pour in the honey mixture and mix well
• grill for 20-30 min until the chicken is cooked through

potato, onion and herb bake

adapted from the Mind and Mood Foods Book...

a mouthwatering potato bake...a lovely combination of onion and herbs makes it too hard to resist...yummy!

6 potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh/dried parsley
salt and pepper
6 tbps (or more) milk
2 tbsp butter
fresh parsley, to garnish
sliced fresh mushroom (optional)

• preheat oven to 180 degree celcius
• grease an ovenproof dish. add a thin layer of potatoes over the base, top with a layer of onions and mushroom, sprinkle some parsley, then season with salt and pepper
• continue these layer until all ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of potato
• pour the milk over the potatoes and dot the top with butter
• cover with foil and bake for 1 hour
• then remove the foil and bake uncovered for further 30-45 min, until top is slightly browned
• garnish with chopped parsley