The easiest, quickest, 2-ingredient Homemade Chocolate Sauce; and Homemade Milkshake

We've been having a heatwave of late.  It's been scorching hot in the last two weeks, so I thought of making some cold milkshake for the kids as a treat, especially when they come back from their evening playtime in the park.

Fluffy Banana Pancakes

You must be thinking - not another banana pancake recipe again!

Apple Tarte Tatin Deconstructed

I am a fan of all things baked with apples; and am constantly on the lookout for easy recipes using this fruit.

Banana and Chocolate Kuih Bingka

A few weeks ago I was craving for banana chocolate cakes.  Yeah, not just banana cakes or chocolate cakes.  It HAS to be a banana chocolate cake.

Banana Pikelets

What do you do when you went to bed early and woke up at 4am?

Well, you make banana pikelets, of course!

Apple Butter with a gingery zing!

Lately, hubby and I have been frequenting a nearby morning market to get our supply of fresh fruits.  I stocked up on loads of green apples and used some to make Apple Butter.  I love all things apple, especially baked goods and spreads, so the idea of having hot toast with apple butter sounds totally irresistable. 

Durian Mini Muffins - Bake Along's 2nd Anniversary

We had a small tub of durians left, so i decided to make a cake with it.  I had originally wanted to make this Durian Yogurt Cake, but realised I didn't have yogurt and enough eggs.  Too lazy to run out to the minimart nearby, so I googled around abit and found this easy muffin recipe.

Avocado Back-to-Back : Avocado Mousse with Gula Melaka

 

This dessert is really bad for me.  It combines four of my favourite ingredients, so I ended up eating triple double portion.  I go weak at gula melaka, so I kept stealing extra spoonfuls to flood my mousse.  If Gasing Hill was next to my house, I could have sprinted up and down the entire track several times just on a sugar high LOL!

Avocado Back-to-Back: Creamy Avocado Pasta

 It's strange, but I think that a perfectly ripened avocado, cut into half to reveal its creamy yellow flesh, is a most beautiful sight to behold.  

Pomelo Cooler

Pomelo - the chubby and rotund fruit that hails from my hometown of Ipoh. 

Easy Homemade Durian Icecream

I made this a few weeks ago in anticipation of the dwindling durian season.

Thirst Quenchers : Post #2 - Rosemary Lemonade

When I first saw this recipe, I was a little skeptical.  Rosemary in a drink??..but i went ahead and try it anyway, since there were lots of positive reviews.  

Thirst Quenchers : Post #1 - Passionfruit Cooler

The hot weather is back!  Time to switch from "winter-warming" soups and stews to chilled drinks and cooling soups. 

Sweet Seaweed Soup with Red Dates and Longan

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you can look back at 2012 with fondness at the good things that have happened, and learned from the not-so-good things that took place.  Indeed we look forward to better things in 2013 - good health and safety, successes and achievements, more great recipes (mustn't forget that!) and for us Christians, a closer walk with Jesus. 

Righto! I thought it would be nice symbolically to start my first post on the first day of this new year with something sweet - a classic Chinese sweet soup/"tong sui" with red dates, dried longan and seaweed. 

You might ask - seaweed?

Yeah, think of it as a more cost effective alternative to bird nest ;P  Beauty food really - packed with calcium and collagen.  I recently did another post on using this white seaweed from East Malaysia - check it out here

Sweet Seaweed Soup with Red Dates and Longan

• 120g seaweed, rinsed weight (very small handful is sufficient, it will expand once soaked)
• 20 jumbo red dates, deseeded
• 1/2 cup dried longan, rinsed
• 200g rock cane sugar
• 1.8 litre filtered water

1.  Soak the seaweed for about 3 hours, changing water 3-4 times until there is no briny or fishy smell.  Snip into short pieces.

2.  Bring the water to a boil, add in the red dates and longan and turn down to simmer for about 30min.  Use the back of a ladle to flatten the red dates to release more flavour.

3.  Add the cane sugar and simmer until it has completed melted.

4.  Finally add the seaweed, bring to a quick boil and switch off the fire.  Let the soup rest for about 15min before serving.

Lemon Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze

This is a no-frills, comfy cake that's perfect for a lazy afternoon tea, as a simple dessert or to bring to an informal gathering of friends or family.  Totally understated. 

Strawberry Jam

Never in my whole life have i ever managed to get such cheap and fresh strawberries - so happy! Tesco had a (re)opening promotion for these Cameronian beauties - at RM1 per punnet...an absolute steal.

Perfect to make that strawberry jam I have been thinking about for quite a while.

Banana Sorbet - Can't Get Any Simpler Than This

This is truly a one ingredient recipe, believe it or not. 

Durian Yogurt Cake

Since we are in the midst of a glorious durian season, it's the best time to try some durian based recipes. 

Juice Boost : Post #2 - Boost for Your Eyes

This juice has all the nutrients necessary for maintaining good eyesight.  It includes many of the superfoods that are rich in essential nutrients for the eyes such as :

Juice Boost: Post #1 - Blueberry Smoothie with a Difference

 

 

Much has been said and written about the health benefits of juicing.  Our family started a regular juicing routine when we bought a Ladyship super blender last year.