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

The ruins of Dunnottar Castle at Stonehaven is perched on a gigantic rocky outcrop with sheer cliffs of 160 ft high.  It is one of the most beautiful medieval fortress in Britain and the site of some of the most fascinating and dramatical historial events in British history.   Sometimes the castle may be closed due to high winds in the castle. We also visited Trump International Golf Links located at Balmedie in Aberdeen which was opened in 2012.

St. Andrews (Old course) in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland overlooking the North Sea is a world renowned golf course for avid golfers and is the largest public golf course in Europe. The ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral,  Scotland's largest and most magnificient medieval church.  It is a prominent landmark highly visible from the sea. We stopped by for lunch in this cafe and for the first time, I tasted savoury waffles.  More often than not, waffles are served with honey, maple syrup or jam but I must admit that savoury ones are truly very delicious. Home made soup served with a warm savoury waffle and salted butter ~ 4.95 pounds Smoked streaky bacon with lashings of maple syrup ~  5.95 pounds Pan-fried steak & caramelised onions, topped with rocket and watercress, dressed with a whole grain mustard sauce, served with fries  ~  9.95 pounds Home made chilli con carne, served with tortillas, cheddar, guacamole,...

Guinness Storehouse is Ireland's No. 1 visitor attraction and a 'must see' should one ever visit Dublin.  More than a million people a year visit the home of Guinness.   Also known as 'Black Stuff', 'Black Custard' and 'Irish Champagne', Guinness was born in the 18th century when water from the River Liffey, Ireland's river which flows through the centre of Dublin was too polluted to drink.  Guinness stout is made from water, barley, roast malt extract, hops and brewer's yeast. Guinness Brewery i s located at St. James's Gate and housed in an old fermentation plant and the story of the black stuff began 250 years ago. We bought tickets for the 7-storey self-guided tour of the Guinness Storehouse to learn all about the world renowned Guinness Stout.  The tour ended with a complimentary pint of Guinness or a soft drink at the Gravity Bar.  When you arrive at the Gravity Bar, whichever way you turn, you will enjoy a breathta...

My blog has been left idle for quite a while as I took time off for a short vacation to Dublin, Ireland and a short stop over in Aberdeen, Scotland.   So, for a change, I'd like to share with you some pictures of my recent trip and food tasted along the way.  The first stopover is ~ Dublin. Bell Tower of Trinity College built in 1842 Trinity College Dublin is internationally recognised as Ireland's premier university and is one of the world's leading research-intensive universities.  Founded in 1592 it is the oldest university in Ireland and one of the older universities in Western Europe. The Library in Trinity College is the largest single chamber library in the world.  The 65 metre long main chamber of the Old Libary, the Long Room was built between 1712 and 1732 and houses 200,000 of the Library's oldest books. When built, it had a flat plaster ceiling, with shelves for books on the lower level only, and an open gallery.  By the 1850's thes...

Yum Tis my first time celebrating Chinese New Year away from home and although it was a short break, I enjoyed myself tremendously in the company of loved ones.  And where did I go?...... Melbourne Dragon Head in front of Eureka building, Southbank, Melbourne Fireworks at Crown casino. Our reunion dinner at Pacific Seafood BBQ House, Toorak Road, South Yarra. B raised Lobster noodles, big portion, very delicious.  The lobster was very fresh and the dish was very well done. Waiter in action! Braised pork knuckle.   Meat was tender and tasty as well. Garlicky  Kai Lan  Braised mushrooms with Broccoli, also tasty but I find that the sauce is a wee bit too thick. And to round off our reunion dinner, we headed for dessert at Stokers in South Melbourne Pancake Suzette  pancakes with orange zest, butter and orange segments, drizzled with flaming Grand Marnier. Monkey Business ~  What ...

We spent the weekend up in Cameron Highlands, the leading producer of fresh flowers in Malaysia.  I was lucky enough to snap some pictures of the beautiful flowers in the garden of the bungalow we stayed in, albeit intermittent rain and grey skies. Hibiscus of different colours and different number of petals Dahlia Birds of Paradise So excited to catch this bee entering the flower bud for honey Anthurium Very minute fungus growing on a rotting tree stump Lavender Calla Lily