Cheese Scones

Time really flies, Christmas was just over and it is already time to say goodbye to Year 2009 and welcoming Year 2010. It was like just busy putting up the Christmas tree, decorating it and now it is about time to think of how to celebrate the coming New Year. We had a jolly good time during the Christmas long break! Christmas was really busy for all of us as we had plenty of visitors this time. It was busy cooking, eating and cleaning up! Thus, we had plenty of cakes, tarts and desserts this time and it was really a sweet-Christmas for all of us. I even served them with one of my good friend cum foodie's Icebox cheese cake and guess what? They loved it to bits including my family. Thanks LK - Food-4tots for sharing this recipe! If you are reading this post right now, I am giving you a "thumbs up".... I will surely make it again and watching the weighing scale's needle increasing! haha...

What is your New Year resolution? Mine? As always, good health comes first. Be more happy and appreciate every moments in life, that will eventually bring us GOOD HEALTH. May God bless all of us with good health, peace and joy! Not forgetting to have more delicious, tantalizing, scrumptious healthy food.

For this coming New Year, I would like to begin with something simple and basic for this celebration. Cheese scones - this recipe was adapted & modified from Betty Saw - CAKES & TREATS mini cookbook! In her recipe, she called for bacon and cheese, but I have omitted the bacon and increased the cheese amount. With grated Cheddar cheese, the scones turned out to be savoury and appetizing. My son loves it so much and keep on asking for more! It is indeed a convenient snack to bring along when he is going to kindergarten next week.

Scone is a small British quick bread which uses basic ingredients such as flour, milk, eggs, butter, salt, baking soda and sugar, unlike yeast breads which often take hours to rise. All the ingredients are combined and gently bring together until it forms a lumpy dough which is rolled out on a lightly floured surface. The dough is usually made in a round shape which cut into triangles/squares, cut it with round cookies cutter or just shape it with hands. The top of the scone is often glaze it with egg and milk before sprinkled with sugar and put into the oven to bake.

There are many ways and methods in making scones, some common additions to scones include spices like cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Some adding dried fruit such as raisins, dates or cranberries. More hearty scones include bacon or cheese. You may have many types of flavours according to your own preference.

References from:
• wikipedia
• wikipedia-Quick bread
• wisegeek

This cheese scones recipe is easy to follow and taste savoury, you can just cut them into half, spread it with butter, jam or peanut butter and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. What a delicious and relaxing way to eat your scones in this new year! See you in 2010!

This recipe was adapted and modified for my own preference: Makes 18 scones Ingredients: 240g Self-raising flour 60g Butter 120g Grated Cheddar Cheese 170ml Milk (I used fresh milk) Egg glaze: 1 Egg yolk, beaten 1 tsp Water Methods: 1. Beat egg yolk and water together to make glaze. Set aside. 2. Sift flour into a bowl. Lightly rub in butter with fingers or blend with a pastry cutter. 3. Stir in cheese, mix with milk to form soft dough. Rest for 5 mins. 4. Line a square baking tray with baking paper. 5. Dust some flour on your hands. 6. Place 1 - 2 tbsp of batter on your hands and roll them into a ball. Approximately 4cm diameter. 7. Place them on the baking tray. (I did not use cookies cutter as I don't have an appropriate size cutter). 8. Bush the top with egg glaze. 9. Bake in a preheated 200ºC (400ºF) oven for 12 - 15 mins, or until scones turn golden brown. Serve. Note: • The best is to eat scones while it is warm and finish them within 2 days. Original version (Makes 14 scones): 1 Egg yolk, beaten 1 tsp Water 240g Self-raising flour 60g Margarine 90g Cheddar cheese, grated 90g Bacon, chopped 170ml Milk Methods: 1. Beat egg yolk and water together to make glaze. Set aside. 2. Sift flour into a bowl. Lightly rub margarine with fingers or blend with a pastry cutter. Stir in cheese and bacon. Mix with milk to form soft dough. 3. On a lightly floured board, roll dough to 1 - 2cm thickness. Cut into 5 - 6 cm rounds with cookies cutter. Place on lightly greased trays. 4. Bake in a preheated 200ºC (400ºF) oven for 12 - 15 mins, or until scones are golden brown. Serve.

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Christmas Delight | Butter Cake

Hey! Christmas is around the corner! Few days more we will be celebrating this joyful moment with friends and family at home. Food and desserts are the main attention during Christmas besides a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Have you decorated your Christmas tree?

As usual, on Christmas Day, we will be busy feasting and celebrating this day in Church and at home! Also, not forgetting weight-watching too... haha... This year, our list consists of the mixture of Western and Asian dishes, such as chicken debal/devil curry (one of the Eurasian dishes), prawns sambal, roast chicken, roast pork, vegetables, soup and not forgetting our must-have cakes! It has become a norm every year for my Mother-in-law to make some homemade cakes for Christmas, such as fruit cake and butter cake. I have also hooked to these 2 delicious home made cakes since then.

Today, I would like to feature one of her all time favourite and popular cake among the family, traditional BUTTER CAKE! Butter cake has become one of the popular cakes for everyone and it is simply easy to make and tasty! You can make this simple butter cake more unique and mouth-watering by choosing the right ingredients! We found out many ways to enhance this simple cake by using a good quality/premium butter and the technique in making it. I hope by sharing these few tips, you too can enjoy a simple yet extra-ordinary butter cake!

Till then, before I opt for Christmas break, I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday! Have fun and enjoy! Stay tuned for the next delicious pastry for New year!


glitter-graphic.com

Ingredients: 250gm Butter (Use S.C.S butter/premium butter) 1 3/4 cups Self Raising flour 3/4 cup Castor Sugar 1/2 tsp Baking powder 1 1/4 tbsp Full Cream milk (use Dutch Lady) 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence 4 eggs (separate egg yolks & egg whites) Methods: 1. Line a 20cm round baking tray with baking paper. 2. Sift self-raising flour & baking powder together. Mix well, set aside. 3. Cream butter & castor sugar with mixer for 10 mins or until mixture is creamy and fluffy. 4. If you are using hand whisk, whisk in one direction for 15 mins. 5. Whisk egg yolks and egg whites in separate bowl. 6. Put egg whites in the batter, then egg yolks. Whisk at low speed. 7. Fold in half of the flour and mix well. Repeat with another half. 8. Add in milk and vanilla essence. Mix well in one direction. 9. Transfer batter to a baking tray. 10.Heat up oven for 10 mins. Baked for 20mins at 400ºF until top is golden brown. 11.Switch off oven. Leave in the oven for 5 mins. Test with a skewer. Note (below is some of the tips from our observation and enhancement): • Use premium butter will enhance the taste and make the butter cake more moist and creamier. • If you are using hand whisk, whisk in one direction. • Use full cream milk will make the cake soft and moist.

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One Pot Dish

One pot dish is always the working moms' favorite. It is not only save us some time to prepare a wholesome meal for the family, it's also easy to prepare and clean up! Sounds great working moms? Since it was a busy day for me the last one week and everyone in the family had caught the cold bugs that fly in the air including me, the thoughts of cooking seem tiring too. Thus, I have to prepare a quick and simple but nutritious dinner. One pot dish is my best choice, all can be done in a short period of time.

This time, using a claypot is the best choice for this one pot dish. By using braising method with claypot, it brings out the flavour of the ingredients and also enhances the taste of the dish. I have selected variety of ingredients this round, chicken fillets, prawns, mushroom, fish cakes, carrot & broccoli. Not forgetting the main ingredient here, the Egg Tofu - 玉子豆腐. Since my family enjoys egg tofu so much, it was a wise decision to add them in the pot. The joy of making this dish is; you can "mix & match" according to your family's favourite ingredients. Ok Mommies, start wokking and enjoy!

Ingredients: 2 tubes Egg Tofu (Japanese Tofu 玉子豆腐), cut into 2 cm thick 4 stalks Mushroom, washed & soaked (Trim away the stems) 1 strip of Chicken fillet, cut into chunks 10 pcs large Prawns, removed shells - retain tails 1/2 Carrot, sliced 10 florets Broccoli 2 pcs Fish cakes, cut into 2 cm thick 3 cloves of Garlic, minced Sunflower oil Seasonings: 2 tbsp Shaoxing Wine (Chinese traditional fermented rice wine 绍兴酒) Reference on Shaoxing Wine here Salt to taste (I used 2 tsp) Thickener (adjust the thickness according to your taste): 3 tsp Cornflour / Tapioca flour 100ml Chicken broth Chicken broth (600ml) Chicken bones, about 20 pcs Broccoli stems (use the remaining broccoli stems) 1 liter water Methods for chicken broth: 1. Blanch chicken bones with boiling water. Drained. 2. Bring 1 liter water to the boil. 3. Add in chicken bones and broccoli stems. 4. Simmer for 1 hour or until it is concentrated and sufficient for 600ml. Methods for main dish: 1. Marinade chicken fillet and prawns separately with salt and pepper. Set aside for 10 mins. 2. Wash mushroom thoroughly. Soak with hot water for 10 mins. Drain, trim away the stems. Set aside. 3. Blanch broccoli with some oil in boiling water. Drained and set aside. 4. Heat up oil in a claypot, saute garlic till fragrant. 5. Add in chicken fillets, stir fry for a minute. 6. Add in mushroom & fish cake, stir fry for another minute. 7. Pour in 500ml chicken broth. Braise at medium heat for 10 mins. 8. Add in thickener (adjust thickener) & braise until sauce is a little concentrated but not too thick. 9. Add in prawns & seasonings. Simmer for another 2 mins. Add in salt to taste. 10. Add in egg tofu, do not stir the tofu to avoid breaking. Cover with lid, simmer for another 2 mins. 11. Open lid, off fire. Add in broccoli & dish up. Serve while hot. Note: • Adjust the amount of chicken broth & the thickener according to your own preference. I prefer more gravy as it is suitable for kids to have them with rice. • Add in prawns lastly so it will not over-cooked. • You may substitute chicken broth with concentrated chicken stock. You need to adjust the water portion according. • You may add your own selection of ingredients or other ingredients such as cauliflower, spring onion, celery, leek, seafood (fish slices, crab sticks or clams), fish balls or meat balls.

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Pita Tuna

I first encountered Pita bread was few years ago from one of my colleagues. Since then, we consumed pita bread with various of fillings very often especially during lunch time. It was one of our diet plan.

Pita bread is very versatile, we can stuff plenty of fillings in it, such as chicken meat, lamb, beef, tuna, sardines, baked beans, vegetables, sausages or any of your own preference. Pita bread, spelled “pitta bread” in the UK, is a round leavened flatbread that is consumed all over the world in many different cultures. It is generally made with wheat but can also be made in multigrain and whole wheat varieties. Reference from wisegreek. We can make pita bread at home too. It is a healthy and indeed easy-to-find bread around. I would prefer wholemeal as it contains more fibre in it and much healthier. Pre-packed pita bread comes with variety of flavours, such as original, cheese, wholemeal & garlic.

Since my son will be going to pre-school next year, I have to pack some snack or light-meal for him to bring along for his break time. Pita bread with tuna is just one of the simple and healthy snack for all time. Tuna is also a good source of protein, Omega 3, vitamins and minerals. A prefect choice for a growing up kid.
This recipe is simply good for those who is on the run or on diet plan. I would love to have it for my breakfast as I am always rushing to work in the morning! Having something that is tasty, healthy, high in nutrients and easy to make for breakfast is such a convenient way for working parents and kids! Do you agree with me?

Simple yet delicious! A prefect snack for kids and you!You may also try out this simple snack of Tortilla!

• Check on this video on how to make Pita bread at home
• Benefits of Tuna from WHFOODS

Ingredients: 185g Tuna Chunks in Sunflower oil (canned tuna) 2 Wholemeal pita bread, cut into half 1 medium-sized Tomato, sliced 1/2 medium-sized Japanese cucumber, sliced 1 small-sized Onion, minced Dash of black pepper Dash of dried basil leaves Methods: 1. Cut pita bread into half. Set aside. 2. Drained tuna & retain the oil. 3. Heat up the tuna oil, saute onion until translucent. 4. Add in tuna, loosen the tuna and stir fry until fragrant. 5. Sprinkle some black pepper and basil leaves, mix well. 6. Open up pita bread, arrange tomato slices in it, stuff in tuna. 7. Stuff in cucumber slices and it is done! 8. Repeat with the rest of the pita bread. 9. Serve as breakfast or snack or even lunch!

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Sushi rolls 寿司卷

Sushi roll is such a healthy snack, moreover it is also easy to make. It has been my favourite when I dined in the Japanese restaurant. Since then, I wanted to learn it at home and make for my family. After watching some online tutorials on how to make sushi roll, I find it is indeed easy to follow. I would say : "Practice makes perfect!" It is a challenging and fun job to roll it on! Do you want to try it too?

All you need at home are a sushi rolling mat, seaweed sheets, Japanese rice (short-grain rice) with vinegar (if you prefer), raw vegetables (Japanese cucumber, carrot or even avocado), tamagoyaki - Japanese omelette (if you prefer), crabsticks, prawns, tuna, unagi (eel), soft shell crab or any items that you can find in Japanese sushi rolls. I began with some basic and simple sushi rolls. It is such an exciting dish to make especially for kids. The colours are attractive & the shape makes it more appetizing. It is so satisfying to eat it with some wasabi and Japanese soy sauce! Making sushi rolls at home is such a cost-saving event as sushi is an expensive food outside. At the same time, we can have fun and also save some money! Isn't it great?

For this recipe, I have combined tamagoyaki with Japanese cucumber & crabsticks in the sushi rolls. Simple, quick & healthy!

This recipe can make 3 sushi rolls: Ingredients: (Instruction on the pack for using rice cooker) 1 cup Japanese sushi rice (short-grain rice) 2 cups Water Seaweed sheets, square large-sized Tamagoyaki, cut into few longish strips Crabsticks Japanese cucumber, cut into thin longish strips Sushi rolling mat Cling film for wrapping the mat Methods: 1. Cook sushi rice according to the instruction on the pack. Dish up, cool it and set aside. (I omitted the vinegar) 2. Prepare Japanese cucumber & crabsticks. 3. Prepare tamagoyaki (see below video). 4. Wrap sushi mat with cling film tightly and neatly. 5. Lay sushi mat on the table. Put a seaweed sheet on it. 6. Coat hands with some oil or water, spread sushi rice evenly on the seaweed sheet. 7. Arrange tamagoyaki, crabsticks & Japanese cucumber at the middle of the rice. 8. Spread some water at the end of the sheet. Roll it up with the help of the mat. 9. See video tutorial below to get the rolling technique. Bravo! Here are those useful online Video Tutorials: How to make Tamagoyaki video tutorial How to make Sushi rice video tutorial How to make Sushi rolls video tutorial Note: • Use a sharp knife to cut the sushi rolls to have a nice and neat cutting.

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