Bacon Cheddar Scones

Sorry, too lazy to write anything. This has been in my drafts for the last three weeks! Tsk, tsk.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups self raising flour
• 1-2 tsp. ground black pepper (depending on your preference)
• 8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1½ cups grated cheddar cheese
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled into small pieces
• 5-6 pcs sun dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• ½ cup milk

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease your muffin pan and set aside.

2. In the bowl, combine the flour and black pepper. Add the cubes of butter and mix until it becomes crumbly and the butter pieces are about the size of small peas. (Alternatively, this can be done in a regular mixing bowl, using a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.) Add in the grated cheese and mix just until incorporated.

3. Mix in the tomatoes, bacon, and yogurt and milk into the flour mixture. Combine carefully (or you can do this by hand) just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to come together, add a little milk to make the dough to come together. Scoop into the greased muffin tray.

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Source: http://www.annies-eats.com

Crispy Wontons

Thanks to Pinterest, my love for food has reached greater heights. Hee hee How can you not fall in love with those photos taken so artistically that will make you salivate just by looking at 'em?!

It was a few months back when I stumbled upon making these crispy wontons in Pinterest. I never thought they could be this yummy without having to be deep fried! And there were a loooot of variations in using them - from appetizers to the usual Asian delights to desserts. Just wonderful!

Since the husband and I couldn't finish the Spinach Artichoke Dip, I thought of using it as a filling for my crispy wontons as appetizers. And they didn't disappoint at all!

What you need:

• Wonton wrappers (the big ones to cover the whole muffin tin, if not, you can use 2 sheets which I did)
• Spinach artichoke dip
• Sausage (optional)
• Garlic & onion for sauteing 
• Olive oil
• Mushrooms (optional)
• Sundried tomatoes (optional)
• 1/3 cup milk
• Cooking spray or oil and brush

Method:

1. Grease your muffin tin and arrange the wonton wrappers to create a cup. Bake for about 10-15 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius or until they turn brown.  Remove from oven and let cool.

2. In a saucepan, saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add mushrooms and tomatoes. Add milk and the dip. Cook until mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat.

3. Spoon the mixture into the cooked wonton cups. Bake for another 15 minutes or until they become bubbly.

4. Let cool for about 10 minutes and serve.

Banana Loaf Crumble

The little girl has been on a banana feeding frenzy since last week. So last Monday, I bought a bunch for her to snack on during the week. But she just didn't want to eat them after a few bites. So I had some leftovers and thought of making my first banana loaf. The husband doesn't eat banana (please don't ask me why) so I guess it'll just be me and the little girl finishing this off!

I tried looking for a recipe that has yogurt. I dunno why but I just wanted to incorporate some vanilla yogurt into the loaf :P Until I got to an article in Huffington Post. Of all places, huh?

I tried tweaking the recipe a bit - added chocolate chips and crumble on top.

Ingredients:

• 2 pcs eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/3 cup yogurt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Crumble (optional):

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup corn flakes (the plain ones, not sweet)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Grease loaf tin and set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine the eggs, oil, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. 

3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and stir to just incorporate; be careful not to over-mix. Fold in mashed bananas and floured chocolate chips. Pour into greased loaf tin.

4. Mix all ingredients for crumble and sprinkle on top of banana loaf.  Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until top if golden. Check by inserting a toothpick in the center and comes out clean.

5. Let loaf cool before serving. Slice and serve with a cup of tea or coffee.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Homemade Churros

When I read Sanna's entry last week, I was reminded of how nice churros are. Crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. Plus the chance to dip it in chocolate, oh just wow!  When my little girl was asking to eat something new, I thought of making churros! So off we went to the kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• Cooking oil

• 1/3 cup sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder to coat the churros when cooked

For the chocolate sauce:

• 3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Equipment: a cloth pastry bag or heavy-duty plastic pastry bag; a large star pastry tip

Water, sugar and salt mixture

Flour and piping bag are ready

Forming into a ball

My little helper

Method:

Combine 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Set aside. Line a plate with paper towels.

1. Using a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, salt and oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add in the flour until everything comes together to form a ball.  Put mixture into a piping bag with the star tip.

2. I used my cast iron skillet to fry the churros. But you can use any frying pan that can do little bit of deep frying.  Make sure the oil is hot enough before you pipe in your churros.

3. Pipe the dough to your desired length. I had mine about 3 inches. Cut the churros to release them into the oil, careful not to drop it into the oil to avoid splatter. Fry until they turn golden brown. 

4. Transfer the cooked churros into paper-lined bowl and coating them with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

5. Prepare the chocolate sauce by melting the chocolate with the heavy cream over double broiler. Stir until mixture becomes smooth. Remove and serve with churros.

Cooked churros sans the coating

Source: http://www.justataste.com/

Spinach Artichoke Dip

The husband and I like the artichoke dip in Italianni's. But when I searched for the recipe, I found out that it has mayonnaise!! Eeep! I don't like mayo. At all. So the quest for no-mayo-dip started last week and good thing I found one, and it's easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• Half a bag of spinach
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 bottle artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp butter (additional)
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cup milk (more if needed)
• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese
• 2/3 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• extra mozzarella and cheddar for topping

Method:

1. In a skillet, melt butter. Saute garlic and add spinach. Cook until the spinach leaves wilt. Remove from heat and squeeze out the juice. Set aside spinach and garlic.

2. In the same skillet, add in the artichokes and cook over medium high heat for several minutes. Remove them and let them cool. Once cool, chop the artichokes and spinach together. For me, I used my immersion blender and pulsed them for a couple of seconds.

3. In the same skillet or a different pot, melt butter and whisk in flour until it makes a roux then pour in milk. Stir and cook until slightly thickened; add more milk if it becomes too thick.

4. Add the cheeses and season to taste. Mix in the artichokes and spinach to the sauce. Stir to combine.

5. Pour into buttered baking dish. Top with extra grated cheese and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with bread or crackers.


Source: http://www.thepioneerwoman.com

Cottage Cheese Biscuits

What else to do with cottage cheese other than put it on a sandwich? Hmm... Biscuits!

I have my new cast iron skillet so let's try using it, shall we? :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• a heaping of shredded tasty cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Prepare (seasoned) iron skillet.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the cottage cheese and the milk, stir with a wooden spoon until dough forms.

3. Knead a few times, just until dough is smooth. It will be a bit sticky but be careful not to over-knead it.

4. You can use a rolling pin and sprinkle flour over the dough to roll it out and cut into rounds using a cutter. As for me, I just dumped little mounds into the skillet to make the biscuits look rustic. CHOZ! :))

5. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.

Source: http://healthyrecipesblogs.com

Biko - Filipino Sticky Rice Cake

Yesterday, the little girl and I had to go to the bank to get my card. On the way home, we passed by the Oriental store and made me think about making biko.  For those who don't know what it is, biko is a sticky rice cake that is commonly eaten as a snack or dessert in the Philippines. It's essentially made of glutinous rice, brown sugar, and coconut milk. Some add jackfruit (langka), pandan flavor, or even nuts as toppings. 

As for me, I was feeling adventurous so I thought of adding a Singaporean flavor, the gula melaka. Since it's generally used by Malays in their kueh making, I thought, maybe it would also be a great complement to my biko! So off we went to buy the glutinous rice, gula melaka, and coconut milk. Time to do the experiment!

Gula melaka in the coconut milk

Ingredients:

• 1 part (250 grams) gula melaka, cut into small pieces
• 1 can 425ml of coconut milk
• 2 cups of glutinous rice, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. Soak the 2 cups of glutinous rice in water for 4-6 hours. Drain the water and cook the rice in the rice cooker with two cups of water. Once the water evaporates, turn off the cooker.

2. In a heavy skillet, pour the coconut milk and mix in the gula melaka and pinch of salt until it turns thick. Make sure not to leave as it easily burns. Take about half of the coconut mixture and set aside.

3. Add the cooked rice into the skillet and mix carefully to coat everything with the coconut mixture. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, just to make sure that the rice is cooked. Remove from heat.

4. Pour the rice in a 8x8 square dish and top with the remaining coconut mixture. Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius or until the top becomes bubble.

5. Let cool for about 30 minutes, cut and serve. Enjoy!

Tadaaah!

Una's Cafe & Restaurant

Menu

Sorry for the long absence. I was enjoying every moment I was spending in Bacolod and Davao. I didn't bother to blog about any food experience I had there. Too lazy, I guess. But now I'm back! Hopefully I can do this more often, if I have the time! :D

We just arrived in Sydney last week. On our first day, the husband brought us to Una's. I didn't know what they were serving until we got there. Wow, schnitzels. It's been a while!

Is he a regular, there?

This dog on the photo above was outside the cafe. I could see him shivering while being carried by his person. I dunno if they are regulars there but I saw the guy feeding steak to the dog, using the fork (!!!) I wanted to tell the staff but I was afraid of what would happen if I did so. :P

Old school coke!

We were given sodas in bottles. And the cap is the kind that you twist, not the bottle crown. I like it!

Potato Salad

If I remember correctly, this was a German Potato Salad. It was cold and fortunately not made with mayonnaise! :D With a sprinkle of paprika on top, it was a great partner with the hot mushrooms we had below.

Crumbled Mushrooms

These were good alternative to fries! There was a sauce that came with it but I liked it with Tabasco. :)

A slice of Vienna Schnitzel (Veal) and Gypsy Schnitzel (chicken with tomato sauce)

The husband had the veal while my brother had the Gypsy, it's chicken schnitzel only with tomato sauce.  I like the Vienna but since I don't really eat beef anymore, I was more concentrated on my plate. :D

Chicken Schnitzel with Rosti

The chicken was cooked to a perfect soft meat with crunchy coating. And I love that the rosti was well done and not too oily, unlike the ones I had in Marche before. The serving was huge so I only finished like a third of my schnitzel and had the rest taken home.

We will definitely come back, to try other kinds of main dishes! And I'm wondering how the Deep Fried Camembert would taste! Hmmm...

Una's Cafe & Restaurant

340 Victoria Street, 

Darlinghurst 2010, Sydney, NSW 

Contact: 02 9360 6885

Website: www.unas.com.au

Tim Ho Wan - IFC Mall

The sign

On our last day in Hongkong, we went to Tim Ho Wan (IFC Mall) - the small shop with the big name. For those who don't recognize the name, Tim Ho Wan started as a small eatery in Hongkong that served some of the best dim sum thus earning them 1 Michelin star! The husband and I have been thinking about visiting their Singapore branch that opened last March 2013 in Plaza Singapura but lining up for 3 hours to get a taste of their heavenly goodies was just too much for us.  Luckily, my mother in law suggested we go for a quick vacation in Hongkong when we go home in July. Was I excited! Not to mention seeing Ms. My Bare Cupboard and my little girl will get to experience Disneyland! :D

We got to IFC almost 10am. Good thing there was no long queue as it was a weekday and just before the lunch crowd came. It was brunch for us. :) All tables were full but we only waited for about 10 minutes to be seated as there were 8 of us. Those smaller groups got in prettily quickly.

Rice with chicken feet and pork rib

I wasn't able to try the chicken feet (because I don't eat it :D) but the pork rib is nice! I love that it's not too salty with the black beans and soft enough.

Vermicelli Roll with pig's liver

Too bad I wasn't able to try this, too. But they said it was really good. :)

Steamed pork rib & Prawn dumpling

I cannot miss out the hakaw/har gow, of course! But I had to stop myself because my allergies were acting up again. I had two of these, just pure heaven!

Steamed pork rib & vegetable dumpling

Can't remember the name hihi

For some reason, I cannot remember how these two tasted. I guess I was too busy trying to concentrate on eating and my little girl going around. I wasn't even able to taste the siew mai! Grrr.

Star of the show - the baked bun with BBQ Pork

My MIL was so smitten with the baked bun with BBQ pork. I think she had two, or three? hehe And she wanted to order more :)) I like it, too. But I guess I want more savory treats when having dim sums.

Chili oil

I was a bit surprised that their chili oil doesn't have any chilis in it! I thought it would be the usual chilis in oil, but it wasn't. Still it was a great complement to the dim sums!

Some items I wasn't able to take photo of were the Pork Dumpling with Shrimp (Siew Mai), Spring Roll with Egg White and

The next time we can go for a visit, I'd want to be able to try everything!


Tim Ho Wan
Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station

Podium Level 1, IFC Mall

Central, Hong Kong

Telephone: 2332 3078

Website: Tim Ho Wan
Facebook: Tim Ho Wan

NAIA's MIASCOR Lounge

I have been MIA for the past month. I have been busy with packing things as we are leaving Singapore. It's heartbreaking to leave friends we have bonded with, but as what they say, life goes on. :)

To start off our break, we went to Hongkong last week. To be honest, I was dreading of the trip. Primarily because of having to go through NAIA 1 to take our Cathay Pacific flight. I haven't been to this terminal for over 15 years, and hearing about bad reviews about the airport made me more scared. To think we have a kid in tow and some oldies, I was a bit hesitant but the husband said it'll be okay. So I trusted him. I guess I tried to. :P

It was good that there wasn't a long queue for check in, I guess it was because it's still early (we checked in 4 hours before the flight) Haha. Don't ask me why. There are so many things that need to be improved in the airport. It's at least 30 years old, it's time to change. Not just a small part of it but everything. The counters are old, the toilets are poorly maintained and the conveyor belts need a makeover. Nevertheless, the husband said it served it's purpose. Blah, whatever.

But the experience that made me happy was our free access to NAIA's MIASCOR Business Lounge. We weren't flying business class but good thing we were American Express cardholders so that gave us the chance to be in the lounge instead of the crowded pre departure area. And best thing was, it was 1 cardholder plus 1 guest! So didn't have to pay extra for our companions. :) Some cardholders were given access but cannot bring in a guest so they were charged $18/guest. For me, I won't be paying that amount for an access to the lounge. I want free! Haha

So in we went, and I was happy. Not impressed but it was good enough. To think we got in for free, it was a bonus to be able to get free food.

Here's what were served:

• Mushroom Congee
• Tomato Basil Soup
• Chicken Biryani
• Basmati Rice
• Conchiglie ala Bolognese
• Chicken Pie
• Mini Pizza
• Tuna Sandwich
• 2 kinds of bars (sweets)
• Crackers
• Plain buns
• Butter & Jam
• Nuts
• Free flow on selection of juices, wine, beer, milk, soda

Also, you have free access to wifi usage, newspapers, magazines, tv and computers with internet connection.

Just what you need to be able to sit comfortably while waiting for your flight. :) 

Big thanks to American Express for giving us this chance to experience comfort for free! As you can see in the photo above, our little tot was sleeping soundly after eating her meal. :) 

Non Food Entry: A to Z About Me!

Thanks to Michi of Michi Photostory who tagged me. At least I'll be posting something different this time!

A. Attached or Single - Attached/Married/Legally bound for life!

B. Best Friend - No specific best friend. Could be the husband or my sister. :D

C. Cake or pie - Hmmm... it's a toss up. Sometimes cake, sometimes pie. But I guess cake will win most of the time. :))

D. Day of choice - Weekends! Nothing beats spending time with family. :)

E. Essential Item/s - Tissue (dry & wet), alcohol/alcogel, wallet, keys, phone.

F. Favorite color - Red/White. I guess it depends. Sometimes I even like orange or green. I know, I'm crazy.

G. Gummy bears or worms - More on sour worms. If only I could eat them all day without thinking about my sugar!

H. Hometown - Davao City, Philippines.

I. Favorite Indulgence - Chocolates.

J. January or July - This year, I like July because we're going on a vacation! But usually, January because that's our wedding anniversary :)

K. Kids - One

L. Life isn’t complete without - Family, food and travel!

M. Marriage date - Nueve de Enero

N. Number of brothers/sisters - One brother and one older sister.

O. Oranges or Apples - Apples

P. Phobias - Cockroaches. Flying cockroaches. Yikes.

Q. Quotes

R. Reasons to smile - My family and the blessings we receive on a daily basis!

S. Season of choice - Never lived in a place with temperate climate before but I think autumn or spring is nice. Just the right coldness for me, but not freezing.

T. Tag 5 People. Ana Lisa :P of My Bare Cupboard, Myla of Postcard Trail, Mrs. Kolca of Pink Magaline, Carmi of Carmi's Caprice, Abi of Belated Bloomer, Fate of VanillaRhumba! :)

U. Unknown fact about me - I'm trying to be a reformed shopaholic. Ahermm...

V. Vegetable - No specific favorite. I eat veggies, not just a big fan. :P

W. Worst habit - Sweet tooth. I have to stop myself from eating a lot of sweets.

X. Xray or Ultrasound - I guess Xray, except if it's Mammogram! :P

Y. Your favorite food - Desserts. I always look forward to desserts!

Z. Zodiac sign - Certified Scorpio!

In The Heat of The Day

I have been MIA the past month. Too lazy, I know. And the weird weather isn't helping, either. The past week, we had rainy and sunny days. Good thing the little girl didn't get sick! And just a few days ago, haze started to cloud the whole city state. It was really bad yesterday, my head hurt and my nose was stuffy. It smelled like burnt wood the whole day. I wish it smelled barbecue! Grrr.

Anyway, it's getting better today. I hope it rains. To cool the day, I made lemonade. Good thing I still had lemons in the pantry.

Ingredients:

Simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)
2 Cups Water
Juice of 4 lemons
Ice

Method:

1. Make the simple syrup by mixing the sugar and water and dissolve over low heat.
2. Juice the lemons and pour in a jug. Mix in the cooled simple syrup. Add water and adjust according to your liking.
3. Add ice.
4. For me, I didn't put ice. I placed the juice in the freezer for about two hours. When it was just icy enough (not hard ice), I used my immersion blender to mix it. Yum-o!

Review: The Club Lounge's Chocolate Buffet

When we stayed overnight at Marina Bay Sands last month, we thought of trying their Chocolate Buffet. A friend of the husband joined us for the buffet so it was a bit more fun, not just the three of us. We didn't ask before making the reservations if they will be serving a la carte food. And we were thinking we could get some pasta or something, especially the little girl is with us. But I guess she was happy with all the chocolates she gobbled the entire time we were there!

The place looks elegant, with the dim lights and gorgeous arrangement of the desserts.  We were seated outside, just ok with me because if we were inside, our daughter might have knocked off a lot of things before we can finish our first plate.

Anyway, I won't be blabbering about all the items in the spread. Sorry, too tired to type. I'll just flood you with photos :D Actually, there were more items but I wasn't able to take pictures of everything.

Souffle

Candied nuts

Several options to coat your chocolate donuts

French Macarons

Black Forest

Cappuccino cups

Pudding

Ganache

Ganache

Several cakes

My first plate

Second plate

Marina Bay Sands Club Lounge

Price: S$38++ (S$43)

Reservations

Operating Hours: 8:00pm - 12:00 am

Telephone: +65 6688 8858

Email: Theclub.fb@marinabaysands.com