Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Plain Butter Cake


Easiest cake to bake of all and my kids' all-time favourite :)




Ingredients:

250g butter
130g castor sugar
4 eggs
240g self raising flour (sieved)
6 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence


Method:
1. Pre heat oven at 170'C
2. Mix butter and sugar till they are fluffy
3. Add in eggs and mix till even.
4. Add in flour gradually, followed by milk and vanilla essence.
5. Pour mixture into a lined or non-stick 8' X 9' baking tray.
6. Bake for 40 minutes

*Tip - Place an A4 sized paper on top of the cake 10 mins before time's up to prevent it from burning*



Churned out directly from Kathryne's Kitchen...

Oreo Cheesecake

Made this a few times and it's OH-SO-Yummy!!!!!! Sinful yet Delightful :)



Made this for my dad's birthday few years back

Ingredients:

Top Layer (A):
2 blocks of 250g Kraft Philadelphia (Philly) Cream Cheese
3/4 castor sugar
3 tsp gelatine powder (dissloved in 1/4 cups boiling water, leave to cool down)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup cream (lightly whipped)
100g Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie (Oreo)
50g Oreo (crushed)

Base (B):
1 cup Oreo (crumbs)
50g butter (melted)

Method:

1. Mix cookie crumbs and butter evenly to make the base (B)
2. Press into a lined 20cm springform pan and leave to chill in the fridge.
3. Beat the Philly til smooth. Add in sugar and mix evenly.
4. Fold in gelatine mixture, lemon juice, cream and crushed Oreo.
5. Pour filling into the chilled crust base and refrigerate for about 30 mins.
6. Sprinkle the top with the extra crushed Oreo and refrigerate for 2 hours or until it's hardened and easy to cut.



Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Barley Gingko Dessert

Hubby's favourite dessert of all time and best of all, this can be kept in the fridge for up to a week and makes a great thirst quencher too!



Ingredients (for about 5 litres of water):

1 packet of dried winter melon (diced)
1 packet of barley
3 cups of gingko (more if you like)
2 cups of lotus seed
4 large pieces of white fungus
4 pcs pandan leaves (tie into 2 knots)
honey sugar to taste

Method:

1. Put in the barley and winter melon to boil in a large pot. Leave to boil in slow fire for about 15 mins.
2. Add in lotus seeds. Leave to boil in slow fire for about 10 mins.
3. Add in pandan leaves, gingko and white fungus. Leave to boil till gingko is softened.
4. Add in sugar to taste.
5. Can be served hot or cold :)



Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Hokkien Porridge

This is a traditional Hokkien black porridge recipe I got from my mom. I grew up eating this porridge and it has now become my own family's favourite too. It's a simple one-dish meal and it's easy to make too!

Ingredients (serves 5):

2 cups rice
4 tbps chopped shallots
2 cups long beans (cut in an inch long)
3 pieces of white beancurd (pan fried and cut into cubes)
1/2 cup dried shrimps (optional)
1 cup dried oyster (soaked and sliced)
100gm minced pork (marinate with light soy sauce and pepper)
dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Wash the rice and cook white porridge in a large pot. Leave to boil.
2. Heat up about 3 tbsp cooking oil and add in shallot. Fry til golden brown.
3. Add in dried shrimps. Fry till fragrant.
4. Add in oyster and minced pork. Fry till pork is thoroughly cooked.
5. Add in long beans and beancurds. Stir in dark soy sauce according to your liking on the color and taste.
6. Transfer all the fried ingredients into the pot of porridge. Stir and let it simmer til porridge is well cooked and soft. Serve hot.


*picture will be added once I take a shot :) *






Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Simple Dimple Salad

Churn this simple salad recipe out according to my liking. No more hassle of going through the supermarket for the right salad dressing only to be disappointed by the taste. Well, I'm fussy when it comes to the right taste for my saald dressing....most salad dressing found in the supermarket are either too rich, creamy, sour, oily or simply missing the X-Factor I want in my salad :)

So here it is, a tip from a friend and my own modification - a twist of sweet, sour and lemony salad dressing I usually make to accompany my pasta and western dishes. Hope you'll like it :)



Ingredients (5 adult portion):

Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tsp honey
1 lemon (juiced) OR 3 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cups chopped parsley leaves (I use Mc Cormick dried parsley leave whenever I cant find fresh ones)
salt & pepper to taste

Salad vege that I usually use:
2 mini butterhead lettuce
2 zucchini or Japanese cucumber (sliced)
2 carrots (cut into sticks)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 cups seedless grapes (my favourite ingredient for salad :))
2 handful or pine nuts / sunflower seeds / pumpkin seeds

Method:
1. Put in all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Toss into salad vege and serve immediately

There you go! Simple, healthy and delicious :)





Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Baked Pasta

Got this recipe from a bff and modified it myself to suit my own palate :)
Suitable and favoured by kids and adults.

Ingredients (for 5 - 6 adults):

300gms pasta (any pasta of your choice)
2 cans of tuna flakes in water (u can substitute this with either chicken, beef or just plain pasta and cheese. Just remember to season your meat with salt and pepper and fry til they are cooked before adding in the cream of mushroom, etc)
2 cups of sliced mushrooms (any mushroom of your choice. I usually use small portobello mushrooms)
1 can of Campbell Cream of Mushroom
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups each for sauce and topping)
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
black pepper to taste (optional)
Mc Cormick Italian Herbs (optional)

Method:
1. Cook the pasta til al dente and leave aside.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp olive oil and add in garlic. Saute for a while before adding in the mushrooms.
3. Add in tuna flakes. Stir well.
4. Add in cream of mushroom and whipping cream. Stir til boiling.
5. Add in 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Stir to ensure no clotting. Sprinkle in black pepper & italian herbs to taste.
6. Turn off fire and add in cooked pasta. Stir evenly before transfering into baking casserole (pic below)




7. Sprinkle the cheddar and mozarella cheese on evenly on top and bake for 20 minutes at 200'C. (pre heat oven 20 minutes before baking)
8. Serve hot





I usually serve this with some simple home-made salad or sauted mixed vege. Salad recipes can be found in this blog too.


Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Honey Glazed Pork Ribs

This is simple yet delightful...can be eaten with plain Aglio Olio or just white rice.
Made this last week and had it with white rice :)

Ingredients (makes about 800g - 1kg of ribs):

Seasoning (combined)
125ml  light soy sauce (I used the Kikoman Soy Sauce)
4tbsp honey
1tbsp maltose (optional for stickier texture)
2 tbsp chilli sauce (I replaced with tomato sauce because of my children)
1/2 tsp pepper

Method:

1. Marinate pork ribs with seasoning (preferable overnight or at least 6 hours before baking)
2. Arrange on baking tray and try avoiding overlapping them.



3. Bake (uncovered) at pre heated oven at 180'C for 30 - 35minutes and turn over half way through baking.




*You can replace the pork ribs with chicken or beef*


Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Homemade Meatballs Spaghetti Marinara

A success at my very first attempt and it is definiltey in my "frequent dish" list :). The meat balls are easy to make and healthier too because it doesnt include any artificial flavouring. These meatballs can be eaten as snacks as well. I tried to be a lil more creative by making them into meatball spaghetti/linguine marinara.

Meatballs:
Ingredients (makes about 25 medium sized meatballs):

250gms minced meat (beef or pork)
1 cup chopped onion (fried)
1 egg
1 tbsp chopped parsley (I use the bottled one fr Mc Cormick)
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
1.2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix all the ingredients and combine well.
2. Make balls out of the meat mixture and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
3. Bake in oven at 200'C for 20 minutes.









Marinara:
Ingredients:
350 gms spaghetti/linguine - cooked and leave aside
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
10pcs cheery tomatoes (cut into halves)
1 big bottle of Prego Traditional Tomato Paste
5 tbsp bottle of Del Monte Tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:
1. Heat up the wok and add in olive oil. Stir in garlic and sautee for a minute.
2. Add in the cherry tomatoes and fry for another minute or till the cherry tomatoes are half softened.
3. Pour in the Prego sauce and tomato sauce. Add in sugar as well.
4. Leave to boil and and turn off fire. Add in the baked meatballs and stir well.
5. To serve, transfer some sauce (without meatballs) out from the pot of meatball sauce and mix well with the pasta. Pour over the meatbalsl and garnish with coriander leaves.




Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Garlic Honey Sauce Pork/Chicken

This is something similar to the Honey Flavoured Roasted Chicken recipe but with a tad of garlic taste for garlic lovers like me :)

Likewise, this can be served with rice or plain pasta.

Ingredients:
Makes about 4-5 pcs chicken thighs or 1kg tenderloin pork

Honey sauce (A)
200g maltose or honey
30g rock sugar
2 slices ginger
2 tbsp hot water

Seasoning (B)
1 tbsp salt
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tbsp chicken stock powder
1 pc preserved red fermented beancurd (tau chu) *optional*
1/4 Chinese Five Spice powder

Method:
1. Combine sauce (A) in a deep non-stick saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil or until the sauce is thoroughly melted.
3. Cut the chicken thighs into 3 large pieces from each thigh OR cut the pork into 3 long strips. Combine 3 tbsp of the cooled honey sauce with seasoning (B). Stir to mix.
4. Pat dry the meat with kitchen towel to avoid watery meat after baking. Marinate the meat for at least an hour or longer for better taste.
5.  Arranged the meat on a tray lined with baking paper (pic below).


6. Roast or grill in a preheated oven at 220'C for 25 mins. Turn over the meat occasionally applying the meat with the remaining honey sauce (A).
7. Reduce the heat to 180'C and grill for at least 20 mins or more or til meat is thoroughly cooked.




Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Honey Flavoured Roasted Chicken

Absolutely love making this dish, not to mention love the taste too!
You can eat this with rice, aromatic or plain rice or even on a bed of aglio olio, which I make pretty often. I usually top up on some sauteed vege and voila, a complate meal! Just like how I make this. Just replace those spam meat with this yummy honey flavoured roasted chicken. You can get the recipe of aglio olio fom the link above.

My kids and hubby absolutely love this dish and I make it pretty often - about once in every 2 weeks :)



Ingredients:

10 chicken wings or 4 pcs of chicken thighs (i prefer to use chicken thigh as I can avoid feeding my family the skin :) )

Seasoning (combined)
125 ml light soy sauce
4 tbsp honey
1 tbsp maltose (optional) it's ok if you dont hav this in your kitchen.
2 tbsp tomato sauce (you can replace it with chilli sauce if you are cooking for adults only)
1/2 tsp pepper

Method:
1. Marinate the chicken with the combined seasoning (at least 6 hours or preferably overnight for better and stronger taste). Be sure to pat-dry the chicken before marinating to avoid wet/watery result from the baking afterwards.
2. Bake the chicken uncovered at pre heated oven at 180'C for 20 mins before turning over and bake for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
3. Serve hot with rice or spaghetti with sauteed vege on the side :)








Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Monday, March 5, 2012

Roasted Pork (Sio Bak)

Tried this for the first time and it was delish...tho I gotta warn you that it does leave behind an extremely oily oven after that.......nevertheless, it's worth a try!

Ingredients:

1 kg semi-lean pork (sarn chan in hokkien) with skin intact
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper (more if u prefer a stronger taste)
2 tsp 5-spice powder
White vinegar

Method:
1. Rub 5-spice powder all over the pork except the top skin.
2. Rub salt and pepper all over INCLUDING the top skin.
3. Turn the meat upside down and soak the top skin onto a plate of vinegar for 45 minutes. Ensure that vinegar covers the skin (approx 1.5cm high). Pic below.


4. Put the pork (skin on top) on a rack and leave it for marination in the fridge for at least 3 days for better taste. Refer pic below.


5. Preheat oven at 180'C for 20 minutes.
6. Bake at 180'C for 20 minutes and then at 250'C for another 30 minutes or more depending on individual ovens.




7. Enjoy with chopped garlic and light soy sauce; or any home-made chilli sauce as dipping.



Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Chocolate chip butter cake

Kids would love this....well, mine do ;)
It's simple, easy, fast to make and well-liked! Try it!

Ingredients:

250g butter
130g castor sugar
4 eggs
240g self raising flour (sieved)
6 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup chocolate chips




Method:
1. Pre heat oven at 170'C
2. Mix butter and sugar till they are fluffy
3. Add in eggs and mix till even.
4. Add in flour gradually, followed by milk and vanilla essence.
5. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour mixture into a lined 8' X 9' baking tray.
6. Bake for 40 minutes
7. Put a piece of A4 sized paper on top of cake 10 minutes prior to times up to prevent over-burning the top layer.


Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Lemongrass Chicken

Made this a few times and it's ala creamy style but with a tad of lemongrass taste - kampung style ;)


Apology for the unclear photo on how the chicken pieces look like ;)


Ingredients:
5 chicken thigh (cut into small pieces)
3 tbsp turmeric powder
Salt

Ground ingredients:
3 onions
6 cloves of garlic
1 thumb sized ginger
10 stalks lemongrass (bottom part only)
1 can evaporated milk

salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sugar

Method:
1. Marinate chicken with salt and turmeric powder. Deep fry chicken until crispy. Leave aside.
2. Heat 5tbsps oil and saute ground ingredients until fragrant. Add in evaporated creamer and stir well.
3. Put in chicken pieces and tir fry until gr avy thickens. Season with sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Garnish with some curry le aves (optional)



Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Sweet & Sour Spareribs

A kind neighbour (yes! I share a lot of recipes with many SAHMs ard my neighbourhood) found this from the newspaper and emailed it to me. I tried it once so far and it turned out a success! As usual, I made some adjustments here and there according to my liking and it turned out pretty much the way I like it ;). * Yes! I love improvising recipes to enhance the taste and of cos, suitable to my tastebud!*

Will definitely make this again!



Ingredients:
1kg spareribs (you can substitute it with chicken too)

Vege (optional):

1 Tomato (wedged)
1/2 Big onion (wedged)
1 cup pineapples (fresh or canned) - cut into small pieces
1/2 capsicum (cut into small pieces)

Marinade (A)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp ginger sauce
2 tbsp Shao Hsing hua Tiau wine (Chinese wine)
3 tbss sugar (can be reduced if you opt for a healthier cooking)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1.5 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp pepper

Marinade (B)
2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp HP sauce
2 tbsp AI sauce 
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
100ml water

Pickled Cucumber:
1/2 cucumber (seed removed and cut into small pieces - about an inch in size)
vinegar (enough to cover cucumber)
2 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Cut spareribs into bite-size pieces then marinate in Marinade (A) for several hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Prepare pickled cucumber based on the ingredients above and put aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok and deep fry marinated spareribs until golden brown and thoroughly cooked.
4. Combine sauce (B) in a non-stick saucepan.
5. Put in prefried spareribs pieces and simmer gently over low heat until all is well combined and gravy is thick.
6. Add in the vege (tomato, onion, capsicum, pineapples, pickled cucumber) into the saucepan and turn off fire. Serve hot.

*I would love to receive comments and feedback on those who tried my recipes here. Be they positive or negative, all are welcomed!*





Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Marinated Baked Chicken Chop

Got this recipe from my beloved BFF and tried it out for the first time few days back (substituting pork chop with chicken chop fr the original recipe and making a lil changes here & there based on my own tastebud).....AND voila! hubs, my kids and I love it sooo much! 
It's seriously yummy and best of all, EASY to prepare! 




Ingredients:

6 pieces of chicken chop, trimmed. I usually use the whole chicken thigh.
2 tablespoon white soya sauce
4 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoon brown sugar
4 tablespoon tomato sauce
2 teaspoon lemon juice

Method:

1. Marinade the chicken chops 2 hours prior to baking for better taste. Refer to method #4 for marination instruction.
2. Pre-heat oven to 170'C.
3. In a small bowl, mix the soya sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, tomato sauce and lemon juice together until properly blended.
4. Place the chicken chops upside down inside a medium sized baking tray and spread half of the sauce over them. Make sure sauce is evenly spread and meat is covered. *Skip this part if marination is done 2 hours before baking*
5. Bake for 20 minutes, covered. *10 minutes only if you prefer a drier finishing. You will end up with less but sticky gravy on top of the chicken chops*
6. When done, flip the chops over and spread the remaining sauce over them.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, uncovered or until chicken chops are thoroughly cooked with gravy boiling in the tray.
8. Serve with rice or bread or just on its own with a few side dishes ala western style! 

The chicken chops can be substituted with pork as well.

Hope you enjoy making this dish as it's extremely simple; and of cos sharing it with your friends and family! It will definitely be one of my most prepared dishes for mu beloveds! 

Bon Appetit!



Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Friday, January 20, 2012

Vegetable & Chicken Patties


Found this recipe from the newspaper. Tried and tested.....hubby and kids love it! Thats all it matters, isnt it? Here you go....



*apology for the slightly burnt outer layer of the patties...looks can be deceiving! - they are seriously delish.....*


Ingredients:

300g minced chicken (I think u can replace it with other meat of your choice)
1 onion (puree) *just blend it till its all thoroughly soft*
1/2 carrot (puree)
50g spinach (puree)
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1 egg
1 tbsp cornflour

Method:
1. Mash the onion, carrot and spinach puree and add minced chicken.
2. Add salt, pepper, cornflour and egg. Mix untill wel combined.
3. Using wet hands, shape the mixture into patties abt 4cm in diameter and abt 1cm thick.
4. Heat up 3tbsp of oil in a large pan/skillet and fry the patties over medium heat.
5. Serve with sweet & sour Thai chilli sauce.



Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Spam Meat & Prawns

A kind neighbour sent this to me for lunch and I love it so much that I got the recipe from her. One of the most simplest pasta recipes I've ever got! Simple and yummy.....


Ingredients:

Spaghetti or spaghettini
Spam luncheon meat (available at the non-halal section in most supermarkets) - cut into cubes
Prawns (shelled & deveined) *optional*
Coriander leaves
Portobello mushroom (optional) - sliced thinly
2 tbsp onion (slice thinly)
3 tbsp chopped garlic

Method:

1. Boil water & cook the spaghettini til al-dente. Put in a few drops of olive oil to prevent them from sticking to each other. Leave aside.
2. Pan fry the spam meat and prawns. Leave aside.
3. Fry onion and mushroom with some olive oilr and leave aside.
4. Fry chopped garlic with olive oil and toss in spaghettini. DO NOT let the garlic turn brown. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Turn off fire immediately and toss in the remaining ingredients (spam meat and prawns)
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and chilli flakes/coarse black pepper (optional)






Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Fried lo shu fun

One of my lazy dishes and the kids/ favorite....


Ingredients:

200gms minced meat (any meat of your choice)
1 packet of lo shu fun (sold mostly in hypermarkets & wet markets)
any green vege of your choice
1 carrot (cut into match stick size)
3 tbsp of chopped preserved radish (choy po)
fish cake or fishballs (sliced)
1 tbsp each of chopped onion and garlic
1 egg (optional)


Sauce (A)

4 - 5 tbsps Del Monte tomato sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
dark soy sauce to taste


Method:

1. Marinade the minced meat with light soy sauce and pepper for about 2 hours and refrigerate it.
2. Heat up the wok with 3 tbsp of oil. Stir in chopped onion and garlic
3. Add in minced meat and fry til it's thoroughly cooked. Add in fish cake/fishballs.
4. Add in the sauce and stir well before adding in the carrots and vege. Stir fry til vege is half cooked.
5. Add in lo shu fun and stir thoroughly till all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and cooked.
6. Serve hot with cut fresh chillies. Sprinkle some fried onion or spring onion for garnishing.



Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...

Sweet and sour spareribs

Got this from a fren who got it from the newspapers.....tried and tested - superb! As usual, I did some adjustments here and there to get the taste that I like :)


Ingredients:

600gm - 1kg spareribs
1 cucumber (cut into an-inch length) *seed removed*
1 big onion (wedged into quarter)
1 tomato (wedged into 6 parts)
1 capsicum (cut according to your preference)

Marinade (A)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp ginger juice (I dont think this is necessary but no harm adding)
2 tbsp Shao Hsing Hua Tiau Wine (Chinese wine)
3 tbsp sugar 
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp pepper

Sauce (B)
2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp A1 sauce (available at all hypermarkets)
6 tbsp tomato sauce (more if you like thicker sauce with more tomato taste)
1 tbsp chilli sauce (optional if you have children)
2 tbsp lemon juice (u can replace this with vinegar)
1.5 tbsp sugar
100ml water


Method:
1. Soak the cucumber with 2 tsp sugar and vinegar for about 3 hours. Vinegar to cover the entire cucumber pieces. Leave aside. 
2. Cut spareribs into bite-sized pieces and marinate in Marinade (A) for several hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry marinated spareribs until golden brown and cooked thoroughly. Leave aside.
4. Combine sauce (B) in a non-stick saucepan. Add in capsicum and tomato wedges. Stir til capsicum & tomatoes are partially soft.
5. Add in big onions.
6. Put in pre-fried sparerib pieces and simmer gently over low hear until well combined and gravy is thick. Turn off fire. Remove cucumber fr the jar of vinegar and sugar and add into the pot. Stir well and serve hot.





Churned out directly from Aniston's Kitchen...