No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

After stuffing myself with so much goodies during the festive season, it's time to revert to a healthy and nutritious diet.   So for breakfast I had these Overnight Oats and as the name implies these oats were prepared the night before, kept refrigerated.   I sprinkled on some granola and had them with some fresh cherries. Overnight Oats ~   隔夜麦片 Ingredients 1/2 cup instant oats 3/4 cup milk 1 tsp chia seeds 1 tsp sultanas 1 tsp dried cranberries granola fresh fruits of your choice Method Mix the instant oats, milk, chia seeds and dried fruitsin a container, preferably with a cover. Cover and keep refrigerated. Add in some granola and serve with fresh fruits of your choice.

The sweet aroma of this cake filled the air in my kitchen as it was baking in the oven.  The crunchy top is delicious which gives a perfect finishing touch to a moist and delicious cake.  This cake will double up as a luscious and fragrant breakfast treat as well! Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake  ~   蓝莓细末蛋糕 (adapted from 'here'   with slight adjustment) Ingredients 250 gm plain flour 100 gm caster sugar 2 tsp  baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 large egg 1/2 cup milk 113 gm butter 125 gm frozen blueberries (unthawed) 100 gm lightly toasted walnuts, chopped 1 tsp vanilla Streusel Topping 50 gm caster sugar    50 gm cold butter, cut into cubes  80 gm plain flour      1 tsp cinnamon Method  To prepare the streusel : combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon, rub in with the cold butter till it resembles breadcrumbs, set aside. Sift or whisk the flour, baking powder and sal...

These non-baked Cranberry Snowskin Mooncakes make an ideal gift for your friends during the Mid-Autumn festival.  Making these mooncakes is not so time-consuming as you don't need to  bake them and they do look cute and pretty when made in different colours.  These Cranberry Snowskin moonies remain soft and chewy even after being chilled in the fridge for four days. Cranberry Snowskin Mooncake  ~   蔓越莓冰皮月饼  2016 Ingredients   100 gm kao fun 100 gm  icing sugar (sifted) 32 gm Crisco shortening 125 ml ice water  (boil 1 cup of water with some pandan leaves, strain and leave  in the fridge) 350 gm cranberry lotus paste (storebought) a drop or two of pink food colouring Method Sift kao fun and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Rub in shortening till it resembles bread crumbs. Measure 125 ml chilled pandan water, add in a drop or two of pink colouring, mix well. Gradually add in chilled pink coloured water ...

These muffins, bursting with fresh blueberries are simple and quick to make.  Moist, with a cakey crumb and perfect golden brown top, they can be enjoyed as a snack or with afternoon tea. Blueberry Muffins  ~   蓝莓玛芬 Ingredients 260 gm plain flour 100 gm caster sugar 1 large egg 125 ml plain yoghurt 125 ml milk 1/3 cup (80 ml) canola/corn oil 1 tsp vanilla  Zest from 1 orange or lemon 1.1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp  baking soda a pinch of salt 1 to 1.1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries Method Whisk the plain flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, zest and salt.   Whisk the egg, yoghurt, oil and vanilla, thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir till just combined. Fold in the blueberries gently.  (If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them). Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the paper lined muffin pan till 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 deg.C f...

These oatmeal cranberry cookies are quick and easy to prepare and they can be a hit with both the kids and adults.  Rolled oats are used in these cookies and the ingredients are easy to put together.  You can bake them in a shorter time if you prefer them to be soft and chewy in the centre or if you prefer crispy cookies, just bake them a little longer.  You can also make this as a gift for X'mas and the batter can be prepared, keep refrigerated and the cookies baked the next day. Recipe for Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies  Ingredients 226 gm butter 195 gm plain flour 100 gm soft brown sugar 30 gm caster sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp salt (reduce or omit if you're using salted butter) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 260 gm rolled oats 100 gm dried cranberries 40 gm choc chips Method Sift flour with bicarbonate of soda and salt, set aside....

To combat the haze I made this Mulberry Chrysanthemum tea as it's caffeine free and Chrysanthemum is a natural coolant which helps to lower the temperature in our body, lower cholesterol, brings relief to sore throats, redness, itichiness and dryness in the eyes.   Chrysanthemum flowers come in many colours, white, yellow, purple and while the disc florets are yellow, the main types used are those with white or yellow petals.  Mulberry leaves on the other hand contain more  calcium than green tea thus help in strengthening bone mass.  Mulberry leaves are also caffeine free and are also a great source of vitamins A,B and C, minerals and amino acids.   Wolfberries , native to China helps in improving eyesight, general well-being and strengthening the immune system. Recipe for Mulberry Chrysanthemum Tea  ~   桑叶菊花茶 Ingredients 2.1/2 litre water 25 gm dried chrysanthemum flowers 20 mulberry leaves 6 honey dates (mut choe) 10 gm...

I'm sure that many of us are now planning a cookie list for the coming Chinese New Year.   I made these during the holidays and they were well received by my family members.   These cookies are quick and easy to make with crunchy cornflakes and  chewy cranberries.  Furthermore they are delicious and absolutely addictive! Recipe for Cranberry Cornflake Cookies     蔓越梅玉米曲 奇 Ingredients 250 gm butter 5 oz/140 gm caster sugar 10 oz/280 gm self-raising flour 160 gm cornflakes, crushed and more for coating 100 gm cranberries 2 Tbsp milk 2 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt Method 1.      Cream butter with sugar and vanilla till creamy. 2.      Add in sifted flour on low speed till just combined. 3.      Add milk and mix till dough just comes together. 4.      Stir in the crushed cornflakes and cranberries till well combined. 5.     ...

Making Apple Strudel from scratch can be a laborious task because it's difficult to make the Filo pastry and obviously I don't know how.  However, making the apple strudel with store bought Filo pastry is quite easy to master.  This flaky pastry with a mildly sweet apple and raisin filling can be served in many ways.  You can simply dust it with icing sugar like what I did, or  serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream,  whipped cream or custard.  But if you do not have these at hand, you can always fall back on the good old cup of hot coffee or tea. :D   Recipe for Apple Strudel Ingredients 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly 12 sheets Filo Pastry, about 1 pound.   (4 sheets for 1 roll of Apple Strudel) 1/2 cup melted butter/vegetable oil (I used canola oil) 1/2 cup raisins 1 egg lightly beaten 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon Method Soak the sliced apples in some salt water to pr...

These raisin filled Chelsea Buns are a perfect accompaniment to a cup of hot coffee or tea.  They're not very sweet as I've omitted the glaze for the topping, instead I just sprinkled some brown sugar on top just prior to baking.  If you prefer a richer Chelsea Bun, you can add on a smear of butter for a more creamy taste :) Recipe for Chelsea Buns ( adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients 500 gm high protein/bread flour 1 tsp salt 2 tsp dried yeast 300 ml milk 40 gm unsalted butter 1 egg brown sugar for sprinkling (optional) Can dust with icing sugar before serving. Filling 25 gm butter, melted 1 orange zest 75 gm Demarara sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 100 gm raisins 100 gm craisins Glaze  (I omitted) 1.1/2 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp water      Method Melt butter in a small saucepan, add in milk, stir.  Heat till lukewarm. Sift flour, salt into a large mixing bowl, mix well. ...