Crispy Lemon Yogurt Waffles

I can never understand what's the fuss over those waffles sold at neighbourhood bakeries. They are usually green with an overpowering scent of artifical flavouring, and most of all they are soft and floppy. I much prefer the frozen ones that I like to put in my toaster.

These I made from scratch with a waffle iron borrowed from a dear friend. Super yumms! I added some plain yogurt and lemon rind in my batter (milk, butter, flour, baking soda and salt), and I tried adding some dried blueberries to the last few... What a great way to start the morning! Well, Except that I've had to slave over the waffle iron for 45 minutes just to get a decent sized stack going. And real maple syrup for me thanks!

Decadent Chocolate Fudge Cake

This is my favourite cake to make as it is easy, and no one seems to mind a slice of it. I'm never totally satisfied with the way my frosting turns out tho... I like the pretty blue pearls!

Beef and Pork Rissoles (with tons of veggies)

We love to rissoles for our picnic dinners as they are fun to eat without any mess. I like to throw in lots of veges. The usual suspects are leeks, garlic, tomatoes, shredded carrot, cabbage, celery, bell peppers, peas etc. etc. To add some flavour, I like to add some fresh herbs like basil, oregano and rosemary, or corriander powder, tumeric and cumin. The veges should be browned in a little oil first and cooled before you add the meat.

A great way to hide veges for kids (and adults) who won't eat their greens!

Chocolate Orange Pudding

This is a super easy pudding you can make in a jiffy, no baking and very little mess!

1) Dice up some white / vanilla cake (you can use store-bought) and lay in a jelly mould.
2) Heat about 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream, then stir in about 250g dark chocolate.
3) Sprinkle 1 sachet of gelatin and whisk till dissolved.
4) Toss in the grated rind of an orange.
5) Pour into the mould, and chill!

Yumm!

Cardamom Pancakes

I like to make my pancakes from scratch, and add some ground cardamom for that extra kick!



Atta Hot Cross Bun Recipe

I've been teaching my daughter to sing the nursery rhyme "Hot Cross Buns... Hot Cross Buns...". She sings "Hot hot buns... hot hot buns!". LOL

Here is my own recipe for making hot cross buns using Atta. I did without the icing glaze this time, but next week I will make them with icing!

Ingredients:

650g atta flour
2 teaspoon instant yeast (or use 1 sachet)
1 tablespoon milk powder
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup warm water
1 egg
150g mixed dried fruit
egg + a dash of milk for glazing

Combine all the dry ingredients (leave out the dried fruit) and mix well, then add the water and egg.
Knead for about 10 minutes (I use the dough hook on my kitchen mixer)
Combine in the dried fruit until evenly mixed.
Leave to rise for 1 hour.
Shape the dough into balls (about 5cm in diameter) and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to about 210 degrees.
Use a knife to cut a cross on each bun and glaze.
Bake for about 15 minutes.

Yummy Icing:

3 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Place in a piping bag and draw a cross on the buns :)

"Don't take my hot hot bun!"

Creamy Roast Pumpkin Soup (Dairy and Gluten Free)

We often have soups for lunch, and one of our favourites is roast pumpkin. I used to frequent a popular soup chain here in Singapore, but their roast pumpkin does not taste "roasty" at all.

Here's how I make mine...