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...