Toast and kiwi egg ramekins

These make quite a filling breakfast and today I made them even healthier by doing in kiwi fruit.

Recipe for one portion 

Ingredients

1 piece of white bread - edges removed

Some butter (SCS) or margarine ( e.g. Planta)

1 slice of green kiwi ( not too thick)

1 egg

Some salt and black pepper 

1 ramekin greased with butter

1 small baking tray

Grease the ramekin

Prepare the white bread n butter the surface

Place the bread unbuttered side down into the ramekin

Place a slice of kiwi on the bottom 

Crack an egg into the ramekin

Sprinkle a bit of salt on the egg

Oven preheat to 190c

Place ramekin onto tray n bake for about 17 -20 minutes 

The toast should not be too brown

The egg will still be a bit runny

Serve it with a sprinkle of black pepper 

Kiwi on bread

Add the egg

Inside 

Enjoy with your morning cuppa!

Nestum Cookies with chocolate chips

Nestum cookies are not new in Singapore or other countries but it is my first try using it. 

I saw a few recipes online and came across this recipe from Happy Flour. 

http://happyflour.blogspot.sg/2009/07/nestum-cookies-crisp.html?showComment=1437141662038&m=1

I followed the ingredients and steps but I did not grease the tray. Instead I lined it for easy removal of my cookies. 

I also added in chocolate chips into the dough instead of decorating the top of the cookies with chocolate rice.

Some of the ingredients 

Chocolate chips inside the dough

It feels a bit dry to me but the cookies turned out great

I applied milk to the surface before baking

Bake for about 17 mins at 170c 

Original recipe is 175c for 15 -20 until they hardened. Can make 34 pcs of cookies. 

Happy Baking! 

Mixed apples and dates salad

With Hari Raya coming soon, dates are on sale everywhere in the neighbourhood shops and supermarkets.

I decided to use dates and add into apple salad

There are quite a few recipes about apple salads in the web and I adjusted to create my own

Recipe 

Ingredients

1 green apple

1 red apple 

3-4 dates

A handful of sliced almonds

Cider vinegar

2 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoon mayonnaise 

Method 

Salad dressing

Mix 2 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoon mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar together.

Pan fry or toast a handful of almond slices and set aside 

Cut up 1 green and 1 red apple into cubes and put in a medium bowl

Dice up the meat of 3-4 dates and add into the apples

Spoon the prepared salad dressing over the apples and mix

Sprinkle with the almond slices 

Serve as a snack 

I pan fried my almond slices 

Cider vinegar

Dates from Israel

This salad is really good. Try it :)

Chocolate chip cookies

These cookies are quite delicious the exterior is crunchy but the inside is a bit soft. They are suitable for young children.

I think using the Ghiradelli chocolate chips helped as they are large and slightly melted after baking.

I referred to Hershey's recipe and this is how I did it with a bit of adjustments 

https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/en-us/recipes/other/5368/hersheys-perfect-chocolate-chip-cookies

Ingredients 

125gm unsalted butter (Emborg brand)

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 caster sugar

Vanilla extract

2 eggs - use 90gms

2 & 1/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Hershey's cocoa powder

1 cup Ghiradelli chocolate chips

Method 

Beat 125 gm unsalted slightly softened Emborg butter with 3/4 cup caster sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar with some vanilla extract

Then add 90g beaten egg divided into 2 portions and beat well

Sift 2 and 1/4 cup of plain flour with 1 tsp baking soda n 1/2 tsp salt n 1 cup Hershey cocoa powder

Divide the flour by 3 portions and beat in 

It will get harder by 3rd portion 

Add in 1 cup of the chocolate chips n stir in using spatula

Line your trays

Drop heaped teaspoonful onto tray

Bake at 180 c for 10 mins

Cool on wire rack. The cookies will harden upon cooling.

Before baking

After baking

See the melted chocolate chip?

Enjoy these with your hot coffee or tea :)

Cheesy macaroni with minced beef casserole

This wonderful delicious recipe is from Ashley Wagner and her recipe link is here

http://www.centercutcook.com/cheesy-macaroni-and-beef-casserole/

It was full flavoured with cheese and the minced beef.

The top was also amazing with cheese and panko crumbs!

I did mine as a reduced portion and I skipped chili powder

Ingredients (reduced portion)

1/4 piece Onion chopped, 1 large pc garlic chopped, 300 gm minced beef, 1/2 can of diced tomatoes (about 200 gm), macaroni about 200 gm, paprika n black pepper and salt, lite sour cream 1/2 cup, milk 2 tablespoon, oil for frying

Panko crumbs 1/2 cup 

Shredded cheddar cheese slightly more than 2 cups

Method

1. Cook macaroni and drain water and set aside 

2. Prepare beef

Please fry the onions with about 1 tablespoon oil till a bit translucent

Add in the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds

Turn fire to low heat now

Add in the minced beef, salt 1/2 teaspoon, sprinkle black pepper and paprika and fry till beef is browned

You may need to adjust by adding a little oil so that the beef won't stick to base of pan

Now add in the diced tomato with juice and fry for a while more.

Now add in the macaroni, the sour cream n milk n the cheddar cheese 1 cup. Stir for awhile . Off the fire and stir evenly.

3. Baking 

Place into a casserole ( I used a round glass one)

Cover the macaroni top with 1/2 cup or more cheddar cheese 

Top with 1/2 cup of Panko crumbs

Do not expose macaroni or they turn hard

Bake in oven at 190 degree Celsius for about 30 minutes and the top browns nicely . I did turn the dish at about 15 mins for more even browning.

Frying beef with tomato

Added macaroni 

Added the other ingredients sour cream, milk, cheddar cheese

See the cheese melted?

Cover with more cheese  ( I didn't cover enough so a bit of macaroni hardened)

Cover with Panko crumbs 

Browned nicely and smells so great!

The next day I warmed again to eat as lunch

Enjoy the casserole!

Cheese n mixed vegetables muffins

Cheese is one of the best foods - it is tasty n gives us calcium.

I wanted to prepare some food for our church tea break and there are some elderly folks who prefer less sweet foods.

Since I have a block of Kraft cheddar cheese at home I decided to search for cheese muffins to make.

I came across this recipe from Juie Goodwin - wow! She is Australia's first Master Chef!

Looking at her recipe it was simple to do and I decided to adapt it.

I am not really a vegetable lover so I decided to reduce the vegetables and I used frozen mixed vegetables since I have that in my freezer. I will probably add in bacon too next time if I have them.

Please check her link for the full recipe and method http://www.juliegoodwin.com.au/recipe-cheesy-muffins.html

Her recipe ingredients are 

2 cups self raising flour

3 cups veg which can be grated carrot, corn, zucchini, corn kernels, chopped spinach, chopped shallot and fresh herbs. 

1 and 1/3 cup grated tasty cheese

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs and 60 gm melted butter

My recipe ingredients are

2 cups self raising flour

1 cup mixed frozen vegetables which I used Fairprice brand - carrots, corn, peas

1/2 a small onion diced 

1 teaspoon of mixed spice from The Gourmet Collection

130 gm of grated Kraft cheddar cheese

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

60 gm unsalted butter melted n cooled

Method 

I prepared small baking cases (hard type) n put on a baking tray

I boiled the frozen vegetables in a microwave bowl for about 2 mins and drained the water

Put the self raising flour in a large mixing bowl

Add in the cooked vegetables and diced onion and grated cheese and the spice mix and mix well with a spoon 

The ingredients become coated in flour

Mix the eggs and milk together 

Pour it into the flour with melted butter and stir together 

After stirring it becomes paste like and thick

Preheat the oven to 180 deg Celsius 

Use n ice cream scoop to scoop into the muffin cases evenly

Bake on middle tray for 25 minutes

The top will be lightly golden but the bottom will be browned nicely

Remove the muffins n cool on a wire rack 

To keep them for next day 

I kept inside airtight container and kept inside the fridge 

Let them come to room temp about 30 mins and warm them in oven at 110 deg Celsius for about 10 minutes 

Happy baking!!

I used 130 gm of the cheddar cheese

Before mixing

After coating with flour

My spiced mix

Before baking

After baking

Cross section of the muffin

Enjoy them with your coffee!

Steamed cupcakes

These are steamed cupcakes using my electric steamer. If you have tried steamed cakes, they are denser than baked cakes. I kept them overnight in a covered case and they still taste good the next day. 

My friend told me steamed cakes may be less heaty than baked ones as Chinese believe baked or fried foods cause our bodies to heat up internally and may cause sickness.

The original recipe came from SandeeA's blog 

http://www.larecetadelafelicidad.com/en/2012/10/steam-cupcakes-apam-dot-dot.html

My Malay friend says Apam means Kueh.

I followed her recipe and she has made it without using ovalette.

However, I used artificial colours n flavorings. Please follow her link for natural strawberry flavour.

Before steaming - place the paper cupcakes inside my metal chicken pie molds 

After steaming 10 minutes in my electric steamer

For the filling I used chocolate rice and also some blueberry jam

I also tried orange flavoring.

 Orange flavored

Chocolate rice 

Original with pink coloured cross 

Blueberry jam