Friday 29 November 2013

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

Wednesday 13 November 2013

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.





Friday 8 November 2013

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.