Sunday Morning Oatmeal

It's Breakfast Buffet at I Heart Cooking Clubs. Made Ina's oatmeal for breakfast! And I am not an oatmeal person, but this is rather nice. I'm influenced by a talk on wholegrain foods at an organic shop I always frequent, by two lovely young ladies, both are final year degree students in diet and nutrition. So, here's my wholegrain breakfast! 😀

Made it for myself since I am always alone for breakfast, so I've used only 1/3 cup of oats. Did not have any bananas, so I've cut some apple slices and added some homemade granola on top.  Used dried cranberries instead of dried cherries and the lovely golden sultanas are a gift from my neighbour during one of their travels abroad a couple of months ago.  I did not drizzle any syrup or brown sugar, even though I had my jar of orange blossom honey close by.  The oatmeal is sweet enough from the dried fruits and the granola.  I can say that this is a nice breakfast even though I am not an oatmeal person, maybe I'll try a savoury one the next time.

Sunday Morning Oatmeal
(source from foodnetwork.com)
1-1/2 cups whole milk, plus extra for serving
1-1/2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup golden raisins
Pure maple syrup or brown sugar, for serving

Heat the milk plus 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan until it starts to simmer. Add the oatmeal and salt, bring to a boil, then lower the heat ad simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occassionally, until thickened. Off the heat, stir in the bananas, cherries, and raisins. Place the lid on the pot and allow to sit for 2 minutres. Serve hot with maple syrup or brown sugar and extra milk.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Breakfast Buffet !

Toasty Olive Oil Granola

It's Granola week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). The theme for this week, Monthly Featured Ingredient/Dish : Granola! We are free to make any granola we like and feature it in any way we want. I love granola and have seen a recipe from Nigella Lawson which I've been wanting to try ever since I bought her book, Simply Nigella. 

Granola is very easy to make at home. Nigella's recipe uses olive oil, maple syrup, almonds both whole and sliced, brown flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, rolled oats with ground ginger and ground cinnamon. I did not have any maple syrup, so I have used an equal amount of honey.

Mix the ingredients together as per the instructions given, Nigella uses her hands to mix (using disposable vinyl gloves), but I've used a sturdy spatula which did a good job of mixing too. Bake for one hour at 300F, turning the granola over after 30 minutes of baking time, so that they bake evenly. Continue to bake until the granola is a deep rich brown. Let pan cool on wire rack.

Recipe makes quite a lot! This is very good! Very crunchy and not too sweet. Love it! Granola is one of my favourite snack to enjoy anytime of the day. My favourite way to eat granola is to enjoy it by the spoonfuls! The jar above, is the amount of the full recipe. By the next day, half has already gone. I'll be adding some dried fruits to my bowl, as I love having bites of dried fruits in granola, my favourite dried fruits are golden raisins, apricots and cranberries. And for the nuts, definitely almonds for granola.

Crunchy and very addictive! 

Enjoyed it for breakfast with milk and slices of strawberries. A great start to a busy day! Yum!

Toasty Olive Oil Granola
(Simply Nigella by Nigella Lawson)
Makes enough to fill 1x1.5 quart jar
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant, preferably orgainic)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes or kosher salt
3/4 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup brown flax seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (I use honey)

1 x half sheet pan

1. Preheat the oven to 300F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Tip the oats into a large bowl, add the spices and salt, and mix well. 
3. Now add all the nuts and seeds, and mix well again.
4. In a measuring cup, combine the oil and maple syrup, then pour the mixture into the oat, nuts, and seeds and, with either a fork, or hands encased in disposable vinyl gloves, mix to combine. Tip onto the prepared baking sheet, and move it around so that it covers the pan evenly.
5. Put in the oven to toast gently for 30 minutes and then, with spoons or spatula, turn it to help toast the underside as well. Put back in the oven for another 30 minutes, and then sit the pan on a wire rack until the granola's cold.

Store in a sealed jar or an airtight container for up to 1 month.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Monthly Featured Ingredient/Dish : Granola!

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #25 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Baked Eggs

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), it is about Food We Love. We are to select a recipe from Heidi Swanson to showcase our favourite ingredients. I've chosen to make Baked Eggs, which has all of our favourite ingredients ; eggs, cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices. 

Heidi's recipe uses pita bread which is cut into quarters and use to line muffin cups. I have some leftover tortilla wrap so that was what I've used instead. For the filling, Heidi has used spring onions, but she has given the option of using regular onions, so I've used red onions. To cook the filling, heat a little oil, saute chopped onions, chopped garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, and season with some salt. Go easy with the salt, I used one pinch of salt and it was enough (Heidi says to use two big pinches, and I've noticed that Heidi uses a lot of salt in most of her dishes). I cooked the onions about 4 to 5 minutes, and add the cherry tomatoes. Cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes until the tomatoes have softened. 

The tomato filling is delicious. I like the blend of the spices. It would be lovely made into mini tarts, topped with some cheese before baking. For meat lovers, some bacon or ham mixed into the filling would be delicious! This would be great on some toasted baguettes too! 

To make the Baked Eggs, line the muffin pan with torn pita bread, or with tortilla wrap, which I have used, then fill with some of the tomato filling. Crack an egg in the centre. You may find some of the whites could not fit into the cup if the egg used is large. I find it easier to crack an egg in a small bowl, scoop out the yolk with a spoon and place on the filling, then pour the egg whites over until it comes to the level of the muffin cup. The eggs I've used are large, so there are some egg whites leftover. Bake until the whites are set, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately while still hot, sprinkled with some chopped coriander and more chili flakes if desired. 

Baked Eggs
(adapted from : 101cookbooks, Heidi Swanson)
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 big pinches ground cumin
2 big pinches chili flakes
2 big pinches smoked paprika
2 big pinches fine sea salt
1 cup spring (or regular) onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 pieces of pita breads, cut into quarters (I use wholemeal tortilla wrap)
6 large organic eggs
Garnish : finely chopped tomatoes, chili flakes, cilantro (optional)
Special equipment : standard 12 muffin tin

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the cumin, chili flakes, paprika, salt, onion and garlic. Cook until onions soften, just a minute or two. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes soften up a bit, another two to three minutes. Set aside.

Take six pieces (quarters) of the pita bread, gently open each of them and tuck them into the muffin tin - every other slot. If the the pita splits, no worries, just criss-cross the bread into a nest or tart shell of sorts so there is coverage across the bottom so the egg and filling won't run out.

Spoon a bit of the tomato filling into each pita cup, dividing it amongst the six cups. Now crack a single egg into each pita cup. You don't want the cups to overflow, hold back a bit of the egg white if you need to. Also, you don't want the egg yolk to jet up toward the sky, try to ensure it is level with the whites or the yolks can dry out while baking.

Carefully place in the oven (racks in the centre) and bake for another 15 minutes, until the whiles have set and become opaque. Serve hot garnished with a sprinkling of chopped tomatoes, chili flakes and/or a bit cilantro.

Makes six egg cups.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Food We Love

Cherry Tomato Crostini with Homemade Herbed Cheese

This week at Cook The Book Fridays (CtBF), the selected recipe from David Lebovitz's cookbook, My Paris Kitchen, is Cherry Tomato Crostini with Homemade Herbed Goat Cheese. 

To make the herbed cheese, either whole goats' milk or cows' milk yoghurt can be used. Since I always make my own yoghurt at home using whole cows' milk, that's what I used. 

Strain the yoghurt over a mesh strainer lined with a few layers of cheesecloth overnight in the refrigerator. What you get is really Greek Yoghurt, thick and creamy. Transfer the thick yoghurt into a bowl, and stir in finely chopped fresh herbs of your choice, though David did mention that be sure to include chives. So I snipped a few young stalks of chives, and basil leaves, both from my garden pot, and mix it with some fresh coriander. Chop them finely and mix into the yoghurt along with finely chopped shallot and garlic. Season with salt and pepper with a generous pinch of cayenne powder. 

Halved the cherry tomatoes, place on a baking tray, drizzle some olive oil, tuck in some fresh herbs, of which I've used basil and rosemary leaves, both from my garden pot. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper, stir to mix and bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes, stir once or twice in between. David suggested to bake these ahead of time, up to 8 hours in advance, so that the tomatoes have time to marinate in their own juices. 

For the bread, I've used my homemade sourdough bread. I've lightly sprayed the bread with olive oil and toast in the oven until light brown. As soon as they are out of the oven (even though it was suggested when just cool enough to handle), I rub the toasts with a garlic clove. Love it! I did not expect that the garlic would be like almost grated when rubbed onto the surface of the toasts, and find that I need another clove of garlic (for 6 slices of toasts). We are garlic lovers! And the aroma is just fantastic!

Time to assemble  (tummy growling!) ; the herbed cheese, roasted cherry tomatoes, slices of toasted sourdough bread and some fresh parsley for garnish.

Spread a generous amount of the herbed cheese on the toasts, top with a few of the roasted tomatoes, along with some drizzle of the wonderful juices from the tomatoes and garnish with some fresh herbs. 

 Bon appetit! Yummy!

I love the herbed cheese! We had the leftovers as a dip, with more sprinkling of cayenne powder, with some fresh celery and carrot sticks. So good! 

Do stop by CtBF to view everyone's take on this delicious crostini. If you have the book or thought of getting one, please do, and join us! Full details here.

Club Sandwich with Lemon and Garlic Chicken

This week's theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), is "On The Barbie!" It's time to take out the grill or the grill-pan. Since I do not have an outdoor grill, it will have to be the grill-pan in the kitchen! Made Curtis Stone's, Club Sandwich with Lemon and Garlic Chicken,  "simplified"! And it is smacking good!

As with grilled sandwich, what you need are some crusty breads to start with. I've used my homemade Semolina Bread,  great for making grilled sandwiches.

Spread slices of bread with butter (instead of oil as per the recipe) and toast in a grill pan until crispy. 

Chicken breast marinated with crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook in a grill pan about 3-5 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Spread some mayonnaise on one slice of the bread, top with the chicken breast, and some lettuce, then place another piece of bread on top. Enjoy! We certainly did! The chicken was so moist and tasty! This is such a simple yet so delicious sandwich!

I did make some changes by omitting a few steps. I did not make the potato chips to serve with this sandwich, and skip the mayo aioli and avocado. I've used mayonnaise straight from the jar to spread onto the bread, and have replaced the rocket leaves with lettuce instead.

Club Sandwich with Lemon & Garlic Chicken
(adapted from coles, com, recipe by Curtis Stone)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 x 500gm chicken breast fillets
1 kg potatoes, peeled, cut into 5mm batons (omitted)
1/3 cup (100gm) whole-egg mayonnaise
8 x 1cm thick slices Coles Bakery Stone Baked Pane di Casa (I use my homemade Semolina Bread)
cooking oil spray
4 slices prosciutto (omitted)
50gm baby rocket leaves (use lettuce leaves)
1 avocado, mashed (omitted)

1. Combine oil, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and two-thirds of the garlic in a glass or ceramic dish. Season. Halve chicken breasts crossways to make two thinner pieces, Add to the marinade and toss to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat oil to 180C in a medium saucepan over medium heat (when the oil ready, a cube of bread will turn golden in 20 secs). Cook chips, in batches, for 3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel.
3. Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, remaining lemon juice and remaining garlic in a small jug. Season. Heat a barbecue grill or chargrill on medium. Spray bread lightly with oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate. Cook prosciutto on grill for 1-2 minutes each side or until crispy. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
4. Cook chicken on grill for 3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Spread 4 slices of bread with mashed avocado. Top with chicken, rocket, prosciutto and aioli. Top with remaining bread. Serve with chips.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

"On The Barbie"

and

Souper Sundays @ Kahakai Kitchen

Kimchi Pancake

I'm sharing one more of Donna Hay's recipe I've tried, for this week's theme "Monthly Featured Chef : Donna Hay" at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC).  I've made Kimchi Pancake.

Kimchi is a favourite in my house. Ever since I made my first kimchi almost two years ago, I'm hooked! There's always kimchi in my refrigerator ever since then. I have made kimchi dozens of times over the last two years. Right now, I have a new batch of kimchi in my refrigerator, which I've just made almost a week ago, and looking forward to make a pot of kimchi stew, our favourite kimchi dish. For now, it's Kimchi Pancake time.

Kimchi Pancake, served with Kimchi.

The pancake batter,  with lots of chopped scallions and chopped kimchi. After mixing everything together, the batter turns a lovely shade of red from the kimchi.

These are delicious. I've made some of the pancakes a little thicker and some a little flatter, to see which one we like. And we prefer the flatter ones! These pancakes looks rather nice with the red hue from the kimchi. I made these pancake on the weekend for a brunch snack and they are really perfect with a cup of warm tea. Do you like kimchi?

Kimchi Pancake
(from donnahay.com)
Makes 12
1-1/4 cups (185gm) self raising (self-rising) flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1-1/2 cups (420gm) kimchi, chopped
2 green onions (scallions), sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
kimchi, extra, to serve

Place the flour, eggs, buttermilk and fish sauce in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the kimchi and onion and mix well to combine
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. In batches, cook 2 tablespoons of the mixture for 2 minutes each side, or until golden brown and cooked through, adding the remaining oil as necessary. Serve the pancakes with the extra kimchi. Makes 12.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Monthly Featured Chef : Donna Hay

Crispy Tortilla with Ham, Chile, Kale and Fried Eggs

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), the theme is "Sunny Side Up!". Anything that is suitable for breakfast or brunch! I've made Crispy Tortilla with Ham, Chile, Spinach and Fried Eggs for brunch. 

Crispy Tortilla with Ham, Chile, Kale and Fried Eggs, with some Cheddar cheese scattered over the top, broil until the cheese melts, for the two kids.

I've used Wholewheat Tortillas, which are first lightly toasted in a griddle pan until just lightly crisp on both sides. For the ham, I've used Honey Glazed Ham. In the recipe the side veggie used is spinach which is sauteed lightly with some red jalapenos. I have however used Kale and Hot Cherry Bomb Pepper, both from my garden pot. As for the fried eggs, I've used only one for each serving (instead of two). Place the ham on the lightly crisp tortilla, top with an egg and scatter some cheese over, then broil for a minute or two until the cheese melts. Place some of the veggie at the side and serve.

This is mine, without any cheese, but with some sprinkling of black pepper and hot sauce. Yummy!

Hot Cherry Bomb Pepper

Crispy Tortilla With Ham, Chile, Spinach, and Fried Eggs
(adapted from "Relaxed Cooking With Curtis Stone")
Serves 4
Four 10-inch flour tortillas
8 thin slices Black Forest Ham
3 tablespoons butter
1 small red jalapeno, finely chopped (I've used Hot Cherry Bomb Pepper)
8 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach leaves (I've used Kale)
salt
8 large organic free-range eggs
1-1/3 cups (about 5 ounces) shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
Hot sauce (such as Cholula)

Preheat the broiler. Heat a flat griddle pan over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, cook the tortillas for 2 minutes on each side, or until they are hot and slightly crisp (do not allow the tortillas to become too crisp at this point, since they will continue to crisp under the broiler). Set 2 tortillas on each of 2 large heavy baking sheets. Lay 2 slices of ham, overlapping slightly, on each tortilla.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeno and stir to coat with the butter. Add the spinach and saute for 2 minutes, or just until it wilts. Season to taste with salt, squeeze out any excess moisture, and spoon the spinach atop the ham, dividing it equally. (I've added the spinach/kale on the tortilla after the broil, just before serving).

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter on the griddle pan over medium-high heat. Crack 4 eggs into the pan, spacing them evenly apart, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the whites are set and beginning to brown around the edges. Using a spatula, carefully set 2 eggs atop the spinach on each of 2 tortillas. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 4 eggs.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the eggs, and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the egg whites are set on top and the cheese has melted. Transfer to plates, and serve with the hot sauce.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week 

Sunny Side Up!

Cookbook Countdown #4 : Simple Sausage And Bean Bake

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

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Cookbook Countdown #4 : Recipe No. 6 - Simple Sausage and Bean Bake

from my selected cookbook for this month, Bake by Rachel Allen

Just as it is named, this is a simple sausage and bean bake. According to Rachel Allen, you can use any kind of sausage you like for a different result each time. I've used Hot Italian Sausages, and for the beans, I've used borlotti beans since I have that in my pantry. Very easy to cook, firstly, saute the onion and garlic in a little oil until onions are soft, about 5 minutes, Season with salt and pepper, add the tomatoes and beans, and bring to a boil, season to taste with some pinches of sugar. Add the sliced sausages and transfer everything to the baking dish, bake for about 40 minutes until bubbling. 

This is delicious! We ate this with my Homemade Sour Bread (from Rachel Allen's recipe), which I kept frozen and simply thaw and reheat it again, wrapped in foil for a few minutes. We had a most satisfying lunch and request from the kids to cook this again! I will definitely be baking this simple bean bake again, with different sausages the next time. 

Simple Sausage And Bean Bake
(adapted from "Bake", by Rachel Allen or here)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
400gm tin tomatoes, chopped
410gm tin haricot beans, drained (I used borlotti beans)
few pinches of sugar
225gm (8oz) sausages (any type works well), cut into 2cm(3/4 in) thick slices

Medium ovenproof pie dish

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), Gas mark 6.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan set over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook, stirring every now and then, for 5-8 minutes until the onions are soft.
3. Add the tomatoes and beans and bring to the boil. Season to taste with a few good pinches of sugar and more salt if necessary.
4. Add the sausages to the tomatoes and beans, then tip everything into the pie dish and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the sausages are cooked and the mixture is bubbling. Serve with baked potatoes or pasta or lots of crusty white bread.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Cookbook Countdown has a new website :

We are happy to inform everyone that Cookbook Countdown has it's very own website blog, which you can find here. Effective from May 2016, please link your posts at the Cookbook Countdown new website, in the linky provided. We hope to see you there! Thank you!

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Fried Ham and Cheese Sandwich : Cook the Book Fridays

Cook The Book Fridays (CtBF), is a group of bloggers who are currently cooking/baking from David Lebovitz's cookbook, My Paris Kitchen. This week's selected recipe is Fried Ham And Cheese Sandwich, or Croque-Monsieur. 

Of course, with any Croque-Monsieur, what you would need are nice slices of sourdough or country-style bread, ham and cheese. To turn Croque-Monsieur into Croque-Madame, a sunny-side up egg is added on top of the sandwich.

I've used my homemade Sourdough Bread, an easy and quick sourdough version from Rachel Allen's recipe.

There's a bechamel sauce that needs to be made first. The sauce takes sometime to thicken when it was taken off the heat, so best prepare in advance. Mine took about 40 minutes to thicken.

To make the Croque-Monsieur, the bechamel sauce is spread ovenly over the four slices of bread. Place a piece of ham over two of the bread slices, top with slices of cheese, then with another piece of ham. Place the two remaining slices of bread over, and brush the outsides of the bread with a generous amount of melted butter. I thought the ham slices were a little too big, but the photo in the book with the ham slices peeking out from between the bread slices looks so nice.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat, Place the sandwiches in the pan, cover with a piece of foil, then rest a heavy pot or pan over the foil. Cook until the bottom of the sandwiches are golden with grilled marks. Turn over carefully and repeat on the other side.

Scatter some grated cheese over the top of the sandwiches and put it under the broiler to broil the sandwiches until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

I wanted to add a sunny-side egg to make Croque-Madame, but I thought that this Croque-Monsieur is filling enough!

This is indeed very filling! Love the melting cheese and the tasty bechamel sauce.  I made this for brunch, with a cup of warm tea and it was good. If you would like to give it a try, you can get the recipe here. It would be all the better to get the book and join us!

I wonder what the other lovely ladies at  CtBF made, Croque-Monsieur or Croque-Madame? Drop by CtBF to find out! 

Cheddar-Apple Quesadilla

"It's In Your Hands", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). It's about "food you can hold and/or eat with your hands". Ellie has lots of recipes that fits this theme. The challenge is to pick which one! I've selected her super easy Cheddar-Apple Quesadilla for the kids' brunch. They woke up late and should I make them breakfast or lunch? Quick and easy snack for brunch it is, and found this simple recipe from Ellie's book "So Easy". And I have all the ingredients!

"It's In Your Hands" Cheddar-Apple Quesadilla

This is really so simple, so easy and makes such a healthy brunch snack. One thing to note that if you are making with four tortillas, one Granny Smith apple is definitely not enough. I've used about 2-1/2 apples for 4 tortillas, and the apples are large. The apples are cored, sliced and arrange on one half of the tortilla. Scatter some shredded Cheddar cheese on top, fold over the tortilla and place in a hot large skillet, weigh the tortilla down with a heavy pan, and cook each side about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes until golden brown. 

Sliced into half and serve immediately. Both my daughter and son, thought that the combination of apples with cheese is a little weird, but they asked for another one as soon as they've finished the first piece! I thought this was really nice and really like it. If you want a healthy snack, but really rushing for time, this would be great. It comes together in a just a few minutes.

Cheddar-Apple Quesadilla

(adapted from "So Easy", Ellie Krieger)

1 Granny Smith apple, cored, thinly sliced

4 whole-wheat flour tortillas (9 inches in diameter)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Fan out the apple slices over the bottom half of the tortilla and top with the cheddar cheese. Fold the tortillas in half. Working in batches, place the quesadillas in the skillet and weigh them down with a smaller heavy skillet or an ovenproof plate topped with a heavy can. Cook until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are golden brown, about 1-1/2 minutes per side. Cut in half and eat warm.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week,

"It's In Your Hands"

and

Cook-Your-Books #29 at kitchen flavours

Rosemary Croutes

"Bread Ahead", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). We are currently cooking from Nigel Slater's recipes. I was searching for some bread recipes of Nigel when this recipe caught my attention, at least the herb paste did. Originally, this recipe is called Leek and Bacon Soup with Rosemary Croutes, but I have made only the Rosemary Croutes, did not make the soup. 

In the recipe, rosemary needles are weighed at 10 grams. This is the first time I'm weighing rosemary! LOL! I have always seen recipes using either in tablespoons measurement or sprigs, so how much is 10grams of rosemary needles? Snipped two large sprigs from my garden pot, and the above photo is 10 grams of the leaves, about a small bowl. There's really no need to follow the exact measurements, simply get a cupful of rosemary needles, then blend or process it with enough of olive oil until it comes to a spreading paste. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

The leaves are blended with some olive oil to a paste. Now, I tried to cut down on the amount of oil, from 6 tablespoons to about 3.  But I guess, that is not a good idea! I find that I got to use all the 6 tablespoons in the end, to make the paste really nice. Season with some salt and black pepper. It tastes amazing! I thought that the scent of the rosemary might be overpowering, but it is really, really nice!

This is like a simplified pesto! Minus the cheese and nuts. Maybe next time, I'll try it with cheese and nuts to make it Rosemary Pesto! 

Get a couple of sliced baguettes, spread the Rosemary Paste over it, with some of the oil. I've sprinkled some garlic powder over, and place under the hot grill for about 2 minutes until the bread is crispy.
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Serve it immediately. I made this for my kids after school meal with some eggs, ham and green lettuce.  All of us love the Rosemary Croutes. It's really yummy! I will definitely make this again!

Rosemary Croutes
(adapted from guardian.com)
6 tbsp olive oil
10gm rosemary needles
6 slices bread
some garlic powder for sprinkling (my addition)

Make the rosemary paste by putting the olive oil into a food processor or blender with the rosemary needles. Blitz the herbs and oil, with a little salt and pepper, till all is bright green. Cut 12 long thin slices of bread from the loaf above (Nigel has given a recipe for bread, but I have used store-bought baguette). Place them flat on a baking sheet, then spoon over the rosemary oil. (Sprinkle with some garlic powder). Place under a hot grill till the bread is lightly crisp.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week "Bread Ahead"

Old-Fashioned Potato Pancake

I made some "Old-Fashioned Potato Pancake" for one of our Sunday late morning breakfast. It was one of those lazy Sunday morning when everyone woke up late, and nobody wants to go out for breakfast in the hot weather! So guess who has to stand over the hot stove in this hot weather????   

Yummy Old-Fashioned Potato Pancakes

The russet potatoes are peeled and grated coarsely. Place them in a clean tea towel and wring out the excess moisture. I did not use any tea towel. I squeezed out the excess moisture using my hands, as I was lazy to wash my tea towel!  Wow, there's a lot of juice from the potatoes!

The squeezed potatoes are then mixed with eggs, bread crumbs (of which I have used up my leftover toasted homemade bread crumbs, about 3 tablespoons), onions, salt and pepper to taste. I have added in some fresh thyme leaves since I had some in my fridge which I wanted to clear. Mix them all up till evenly combined.

You could use some other herbs if you want to, like chopped fresh corianders, parsley, spring onions or even chives. If your kids do not like any herbs, then follow the original recipe, the pancakes would be just as good.

Heat up some oil in a frying pan, scoop about a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture, place it in the pan, and use the back of the spoon to flatten it slightly,  and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Drain on kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil. This is the first one I fried, to check on the seasoning of salt and pepper. It was perfect, so mommy had the first pancake all to herself!

The pancakes I've made was about 3" across and yield about 15 pancakes.

These Old-Fashioned Potato Pancakes are really delicious.  Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or as a snack in a lunch box.

A simple breakfast but good! The next time when I make this again, I'll add in some chives or spring onions from the garden pot. And some chopped ham would be lovely too! :)

Old-Fashioned Potato Pancakes
(adapted from "The Bread Bible", Beth Hensperger)
makes eight 4-inch pancakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots or tiny white boiling onions, finely chopped
3 large (about 1-1/2 pounds) russet potatoes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons matzo meal or fine dry bread crumbs
salt to taste
fresh thyme leaves, about 1 tbsp (my addition)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
canola oil cooking spray

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook 1 minute to soften. Set aside.
2. Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes for a total of 2-1/2 to 3cups. Place the grated potatoes in a tea towel and wring out the excess moisture. Place the grated potatoes in a large bowl and immediately add the eggs, matzo meal or bread crumbs, and onions, (and thyme leaves, if using). Stir to combine evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and spray heavily with oil. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Using a heaping 1/4-cup measure for each pancake, pour the batter into the skillet and flatten each slightly with the back of a spoon. Cook about 5 minutes, turning once, until crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately.

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I'm linking this post to  Little Thumbs Up - July 2014 Event: Potato - organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Jasline of Foodie Baker .

Cook-Your-Books #14