Who would have thought mashing boiled individual baby potatoes and then baking them with butter, condiments and cheese would give us a delicious potatoe side dish? That's what we are going to get from this quick recipe. unbelievably easy and unbelievably yummm.... 

​Ingredients (for 4 servings)
10 baby red potatoes
​2tbsps butter
2 tbsps olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsps garlic granules
​3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
​A handful of English Parsley chopped and extra for garnish at the end  

Method
1) Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20 mins.

2) Preheat the oven to 200 deg C. Grease a flat baking tray.

3) Melt the butter and then mix with the olive oil.

4) Drain the potatoes, pat dry with kitchen paper and place them on the baking tray. Slowly mash each of them flat.

5) Top each with the melted butter and olive oil mix. Season with salt & pepper.  Bake for 20 mins.

6) In the meantime, mix the parmesan with the chopped parsley.

7) Remove the smashed potatoes and now top with this parmesan & parsley mix, garlic granules and drizzle some more butter olive oil mix.

8) Put back into the oven for another 10 mins to become all crispy and golden brown. Serve warm, garnished with extra parsley. Didn't I say EASY? :)

An easy french toast recipe that allows you to whip up these sweet delicious protein rich bread triangles in minutes!

​Ingredients (3 servings)
3 slices of bread, cut into triangles
2 eggs 
1/2 cup fresh milk
​2 tbsps caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
​A pinch of salt

Method
​1)Mix all the ingredients and whisk them till well combined.
​2) Dip each triangle into the egg batter and let it soak for a few minutes.
​3) Heat a skillet and swig a little canola oil.
​4) Fry the dipped bread triangles  in batches. 
​5) You can have them on their own or serve with honey and whipped cream too!  
​

There are tons of pancake recipes out there. Why is this recipe so special? Well, this recipe is from my sister June who passed it to me years ago. It has been very well received for years in my family and friends. It’s a simple basic recipe for fluffy soft melt in your mouth pancakes and so many other variations can be made out of this one basic recipe. Like you could add mashed bananas, blueberries or raspberries or choc chips etc. I added chop chips this time round at the request of my younger Daughter Riya.

Ingredients ( for 6 pancakes)
1 cup self raising flour
2 tbsps caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

1egg, beaten
3/4 cup fresh milk
2tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Other additions ( Optional)
Mashed Bananas
Choc Chips
Blueberries
Raspberries

Method
1) Mix all the dry ingredient first and then add all the wet ingredients.
Get a pancake pan ready and when hot, grease it with a mix of butter and canola oil. Pour the batter in and add the chop chips on TOP. Drizzle a few drops of butter and canola oil mix.

2) When the bottom looks light brown, flip over and let it brown on the other side.

Enjoy with a drizzle of maple syrup on top and butter on the side.

Method
​1) Mix all the ingrdients for the marinade in a bowl.

2) Cut the firm tofu into triangles (or cubes if you prefer) and pour in the marinade. Let it sit in the marinade for 20 mins. In the meantime, prepare the vegetables and get all the sauces and garnishes ready.

3) After 20 mins, heat a wok or a skillet and pour in the canola oil. When heated sufficiently, add the marinated tofus. Be careful the oil will splatter because of the water in the marinade.

4) Flip over the tofu pieces till all the sides of all the tofu pieces are browned nicely. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain the oil.

5) With the same oil in the wok or the skillet, add in the sliced onions and start to fry till translucent.

6) The sliced ginger pieces go in next. Fry for 2 mins.

7) Add in the white parts of the spring onion and the following sauces :
​2 tbsp Oyster sauce
​1 tbsp light soy sauce 
2 tbsps Chinese wine
​1/2 cup water
​Mix thoroughly.

8) Now, add in the marinated tofu pieces. Turn it over constanly and let it cook in the sauce for 10 mins on low heat.  Add in the rest of the spring onions just before turning off the fire.

9) Switch off fire and serve with a bowl of rice. Garnish with more spring onion, a few rings of onion, topped with bird's eye chilli and a sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds.

I was about to post about Cheesy Baked Rice (my earlier post) when I realised that the stir fried spinach and mushrooms which I use as a filling can be a dish on its own. Simple to whip up and again simply delicious, it will make a perfect side dish at any meal or a get together. I'm sure you are already aware that spinach will wilt and reduce in quantity when cooked, so increase accordingly for a larger group of people. The mushrooms I have used in this recipe are the Narcissus brand canned button mushrooms very commonly used in Asia. You can, of course, easily substitute them with fresh button mushrooms. Last note, chilli flakes are completely optional.

Ingredients (for 2 as a side dish)
2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps olive oil
​6 garlic cloves, minced
​200 gm mushrooms, drained from tin and washed
​100gm baby spinach, washed
Salt & Pepper
​1/2 tsp Chilli flakes ( optional )

Method
​1) Heat a skillet and melt the butter. Add in the olive oil. When heated start frying the minced garlic.

2) Once lightly browned, add in the button mushrooms. If you are using the canned version, they have already been boiled so they need only 3-5 mins of frying. However, if you are using the fresh kind, you may need to fry longer till the mushrooms are cooked and their water evaporated and the skillet is mostly dry.

3) Now, add in all the spinach and cook till wilted. Add salt and pepper. Check for heat before adding in the chilli flakes.

4) Switch off fire and serve warm.