Jacket Potato

Jacket Potato. The name I learned when I was in UK. I used to stay in the Halls of Residence back then and was always wondering why those British people just love to eat their potatoes with stuffing on it. I can never understand that and I never try it, not even once.

To be honest, I was never really a potato fan. Doink has changed me tremendously. He loves potato so much so I had no choice but to find different methods of cooking potatoes. After a while, I fell in love with the potatoes and realise that there are really lovely. Then I realise that there is a potato dish I had never tried. That's jacket potato.


Generous amount of filling

It's actually a baked potato with additional fillings on it such as cottage cheese, shredded cheese, tuna, chicken etc. A good baked potato has a fluffy interior with a crispy skin. That's where you need to baked your potato for about 1-2 hours in an oven depending on the size of your oven.

Bacon!!!

However, I'm an impatient person and I know a quick method to cook my potatoes. It's by using microwave. For just 5 minutes, your potato is ready to be served. Although you won't be getting a crispy skin like the ones baked in the oven, but I think it's good enough. And make sure you don't forget to prick your potatoes with your fork so that it allows air to escape during the cooking process. If you don't do so, your microwave may explode. I ain't joking.

As for the filling, I decided to be greedy and make something all in one... I wanted my jacket potato to have eggs, cheese, bacon and sausage. So I boiled some hard boiled eggs and mix them with some mayo and season it with salt and pepper. I also added shredded cheese and sliced some sausages to mix with the egg mixture. Scoop the lovely mixture into your jacket potato whichyou already have split it into two lengthways. Before serving it, topped with some bacon bits. *drool* And be generous with your fillings to enjoy fully the "good times and great taste" of the jacket potato.

Yummy!

Well, if you are concern about your diet, here is a dish which you can be savouring. There is a popular misconception that potatoes are fattening but baked potatoes can be used as part of a healthy diet. But just beware of the fillings you put in such as butter, sour cream, cheeses, bacons which will all adds up your calories. You can always opt for low fat cottage cheese which taste absolutely gorgeous or egg with low fat mayonaise or even some salsa sauce which I think will taste great although I have never tried it before. *lol* Well, I will let you know how it taste like once I experiment it.

More stuffing is needed I think. Hehe...

Ooh, I definitely enjoyed my jacket potato. Now I realise why the Brits love their potatoes coz I'm loving them as well. *I'm loving it* Gonna make more for myself next time. *grin*

A Simple, Fast And Delicious Cake

Mixes are always very simple to make and I remember when I first learn how to bake, I am always using those biscuit mix, cake mix, cookies mix etc to make something yummy for my deary Doink then. (This is to make him think I'm an expert in the kitchen so that he feels that he had an amazing girlfriend then) *LOL* They are so simple to make and you can't really go wrong with it. But note that most of the mixes doesn't taste as good as you bake your own ones.


Anyway, mom's friend bought a box of Cake Mix from Australia sometime a few months back. She knew I love baking and therefore she went to get a brand called Golden Plains - Vanilla Cake Mix as she was saying that this cake mix taste really good.



Golden Plains - Vanilla Cake Mix

The instructions is written at the back of the box and the extra ingrediants that are needed is butter, eggs and milk. Just put your cake mix, add butter, eggs and milk and mix mix mix. Than pour the batter in the baking tin. Chuck it in the oven and bake it for about 20 mins. Tadah, your cake is now ready to be served. Isn't that sooo simple.


Smells really fragrant when it's freshly baked from the oven


Now, you are probably going to ask how does the cake taste like. I have to say, it's one of the best cake mix I ever had. The cake is soft and fluffy and even my dad who doesn't have sweet tooth loves it.

This is definitely a good pressie. Hehe... The cake is great for brekkie, tea or supper. If you want, you can spread butter cream or cream cheese on top of the cake. But to me, I love the cake the way it is especially when it just came out from the oven. Soft, warm, fluffy.... oooh, it's so addictive. Now I wish to have more. Anyone going to Australia soon? *grin*



Perfect for anyone, anytime, anyday

Anyway, I feel like preparing Mexican food for Doink next. I'm kinda sure he will like it. Now it's time to research and prepare for the ingrediants so that I can make him a special dinner. Woohoo, I'm all so excited for my next dinner project. Gonna make it another special one.

Refreshing Fruity Ice

What is the best refreshing dessert where you can have it to complete your meal or to just have it as it is especially on a pretty hot day and at the same time it's not sinful at all? What I'm talking about here is Sorbet.

Sorbet is a frozen fruit dessert typically made with a sweetener and a fruit puree. It also tends to be lower in fat or practically fatless compared to ice cream, yogurt, or any other desserts you can name of. It's a dessert that instantly cools your body down and it's so refreshing that you do not feel sick after having too much of it. However, beware as you might get brain freeze if you eat it too fast when it's too cold. *lol*

So well, cutie as usual being in the kitchen in action trying to prepare sorbet thinking that it will be a great dessert to prepare for Doink. So I got some oranges, lemon, lemon rind orange concentrated juice, water and sugar thinking that I will make a good sorbet without an ice cream machine.


Sand? Orange Salt? Definitely don't look like a sorbet...

After heating up the above ingrediants and adding a sugar a little add a time to ensure that i don't make it too sweet, I allow it to cool down before freezing the mixture. After about 4 hours, I took it out and use my hand held mixer to break down the ice. And that's what happen to it after breaking down the ice. It looks like some kind of grainy sand or some thick salt. Hehe...

Ever 4 hours, I will take out the mixture and break down the ice so that the sorbet will be smoother. I think I repeated this process for about 3 times. However, it's still a bit lumpy. I guess I either need a good mixer or an ice cream mixer to make a good sorbet.


This is more like a sorbet

But nevertheless, the sorbet still taste as good as ever. Doink and I enjoyed every bit of it. I purposely made more of the sorbet so that I can keep it in the freezer and savour it whenever I want. But then, these beautiful dessert don't last long there.


And it's mine now!

If anyone of you are tempted to prepare some simple dessert, I guess this sorbet will be a good one to prepare ahead. Well, for a different flavour, you can use strawberries or raspberries instead.

Anyway, it's the weekend here again. I bet everyone looks forward to it. Have a good weekend and may you guys enjoy the best out of it before Monday! Hugz!

I Have Been Tagged - Meme: What's Inside My Bag?

I hardly got tagged and even if I do I'm kinda reluctant to do it most of the time. But this is the first time I'm doing it. Not too sure why. And what more this tag is quite personal as I had to reveal all my personal items.

Anyway, Christy decided to tag me in this Meme which is themed "What's Inside my Bag?" Thanks dear for the tag!!!

Now moving to the questions...

Describe the contents of your handbag.
What's the most important thing in your handbag?
What's the most embarrassing thing in your handbag?
What's the smallest thing in your handbag?
Is there anything ILLEGAL in your bag?

First, here is what is in my bag and is where I'm going to describe the contents of the stuff in my handbag.

Hmm.. looking at my handbag stuff, I don't think I have a lot of things compared to most girls.

Basically I bring around my:-

1) Purse

2) Coin Pouch

3) Handphone

4) Hair Clip

5) Pen

6) Lip Gloss

7) Ikea Measuring Tape

8) Green Tea Bag (I found this in my bag... I think it was Doink who past it to me the other day and I'm still leaving it in there)

9) Water Bottle
10) Keys (Both car and house keys)
11)Tissue Pouch -which is getting a bit dirtier (which carries no tissue but loads of other things e.g. vouchers, blood donation book, papers)

There are a few things missing in my bag as I had not put it in. I usually carry tissues and panadols too. And on some occasions, I will carry along my camera and my ipod along.


My camera pouch. Where's the camera then? I'm holding it of course. Otherwise how am I suppose to snap this picture.


My dearie ipod

Now on the next question, What's the most important thing in your handbag?
To be honest, I don't need to bring my bag out on certain occasions. I just need my purse and my handphone will do. Hehe... So I guess that's what is important.

What's the most embarrassing thing in your handbag?
I don't think there is any. Oh ya, I do carry panadols around in case of emergency and water is a must no matter where I go. Don't know if that's embarassing as I'm behaving like an elderly old woman = aka "SI LAI"

What's the smallest thing in your handbag?
Could be my 5sen coin or my ikea measuring tape after it's being rolled up.

Is there anything ILLEGAL in your bag?
Probably you could say panadol can be illegal if the intention of using pandol is to drug people. Haha... Gosh, I'm sounding so legal.

Now do I want to pass this tag on. I would like to but then again I don't want to force people to do it. So guys, if you feel like having some fun, please do this tag. It's fun in a way but then you have to reveal your personal stuff. Hehe...

Alright, that's all for now. Have fun and enjoy laughing at my personal items. Hehe....

Baked Chicken With Tomato Sauce

I had an enjoyable holiday yesterday. Went for a nice movie and dinner. I watched Mama Mia and I had to say I loved the movie so much. I never really like musical movie much and it's hard enough to watch such movie in my laptop or tv, what more in cinemas! But surprisingly after reading so many good reviews about Mama Mia, I decided to give it a try.



One thing I love about this show that much is because I really love Abba songs. I remember those good old days in UK, when I was working in Greggs, we will usually play Abba songs while working. It was really nice and fun. Sometimes we will sing along while working. Hehe... Those are good memories and I miss it dearly.



I guess that's one of the reasons why I like the movie so much. Coz the songs brought all the good memories to me. And of course Meryl Streep is an amazing actress in this movie. She is like superbly awesome! I was like so surprise to see the way she was jumping on her bed like a teenager which was amazing.... I just don't know how to describe it but you gotta watch it. I guarantee you will love it.

Alright, enough of Mama Mia, back to foodie time.


Baked Chicken

I made something simple for Doink for his dinner. It's just Baked Chicken with Tomato Sauce. No no no.... It's not ketcup. It's a sauce I just created out of nowhere. Yeap, you heard me, out of nowhere. I just felt that the chicken had to go with some sauce if I don't want it to be that dry. So I decided to use tomatoes. As I love to put onions and garlic together with my tomatoes, so how I can leave those behind. Add those and cook with the tomatoes (without the skin) and season it.


Yummy

The baked chicken idea also came out of the blue. I was wondering what to do with the chicken legs I bought. Decided to oven baked it so that it will be healthier. hehe... So just put breadcrumbs, seasoning, parmesan and baked till the chicken is cooked. Of course, deep frying will taste waymuch tastier and juicier. *slurp* But I guess when you deep fry it, you don't need the sauce to go with it.

Juicy chicken

Well, a simple meal for my simple doink. Hehe... You gotta try preparing this dish one day. Healthy, delicious and good.

Gosh, I'm missing the show now. Feel like watching the movie again. Anyone wants to go for the movie? Hehe... Now I feel like singing and dancing the Abba songs. *lol*

"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the Dancing Queen...."

More Pizzas

I'm sure by now I have made quite a number of pizzas already and seriously I just can't get enough of it. Well, it's just so delicious especially I'm a bread lover.

So here are more pizzas to share with everyone else. I was also making meat pizzas. There are bacons, sausages, meatballs (home made) and onions. It's really meaty and lovely. This is a special request from Doink since he is such a meat lover. The more meat there is, the happier he will be.

Meaty pizza

And I just love to add an egg to the pizza. But of course if you prefer the authentic pizza taste, don't bother doing this.

I was being mischievious and before Doink could take a photo of it, I was poking the yolk (for fun - without the intention of bursting it) and the yolk burst. *lol* Well, otherwise I think it will be a perfect round egg. Anyway, when I cut open it, the yolks were all flowing out and the center of the pizza were coated with the yolk which is absolutely good and yummy! Excellent as a brekkie pizza.

Brekkie Pizza

Well, since I'm such a prawn lover, I have to reward myself with a special pizza. A prawn pizza. Simple, tasty and delicious pizza. I used a baguette and spread with some pizza sauce. Than I topped it with the prawns which are already half cooked with marinated herbs. Put in the oven and baked it for like about 8-10 mins and it's ready to be served. This is my favourite. Prawns is so good. Now I feel like having more.

Prawns Pizza

Actually I would like you guys to share with me what sort of pizzas do you really enjoy eating? If you have a choice, what toppings do you want to put on top of your pizza. As I was going through the recipes and websites and even restaurants menu, I find that the pizzas toppings are nothing special. I'm still trying to see if there are any special pizzas out there being served. Hehe...

Alright, to all my blog readers hope you have a good week ahead. And of course also have a good holiday since Hari Raya is just a few days away. Hmm.. now I'm thinking of the next meal to cook during the holidays.

More Mushrooms

Just can't get enough of mushrooms. They are lovely, taste absolutely delicious, low in calories (about 26 calories per 100g), almost 0 fat.... how can you say no to such a beautiful vegetable. I definitely can't.


Portobello mushrooms


With the lovely portobello mushroom that I had bought, I made Portobello Mushroom Pizza. *slurp* And I also discovered a new recipe for the pizza dough. So decided to try it since I was planning to make this pizza for quite some time. This recipe is much easier to make and the base is much thinner and crispier. Definitely a better recipe.


More mushroom and cheese please!

As usual making pizza is fun as you get to play with the ingredients and put as much cheeses as you wish. This round, Doink did help me in the preparation. Well, he helped me to put the ingredients on the pizza. So he is the chef for the day! I think pizza making is fun for couples. Hehe.... It helps to bond the relationship as well. But that's provided your other half enjoy being in the kitchen.


I want my slice now!

You must be wondering why are my cheese not grated. Well, that's because I was lazy to grate them. I bought a block of cheese and instead of grating them I tear them and put on top of the pizza. Saves time and energy. *lol* Don't know whether there will be any difference with the outcome of it but then again, the pizza still taste good.


Enough of posing. You are going to be executed right now!

Oh, next round when making pizza, I will use buffalo mozarella. I always watch them on television but I had never gotten the chance to taste it. I know how it's made, how the texture is like, but just never manage to taste it. All I know is that it's a delicious cheese.

I think my pizza skill is getting better compared to the first few attempts of making them. I'm so happy with it. Doink says that it's the best pizza that I had ever made. And that just made me sooo happy!

Yummy Mushrooms

Mushrooms!!! Love it and it's my favourite food. Cook it in anyway, whether it's either grilling or frying, it still deliciously good. But I guess Portobello Mushroom has got to be one of my favourite mushrooms. It's one of the more expensive mushrooms which can be obtained at any major hypermarket.

Well, I bought a packet the other day and decided to make Stuffed Portobello Mushroom after Jarrod and Rawlins at 1 Utama provided me with that idea when I passed by their shop. They were displaying their sausages, cheeses and mushrooms. The stuffed portobello mushroom caught my eye and I knew that will be the next dish I'm going to prepare for Doink and myself. Hehe...

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom

It's superbly simple to prepare this dish. Just clean your mushroom and cut the stem out. Than put loads of shredded mozarella cheese and than add with bacons. As I had ran out of bacon, so I had to put luncheon meat instead. Finally just sprinkle some olive oil over it and put it in the over for about 12 mins till the cheese melts. It's ready to be served. Ooh, gooey cheese with the lovely mushroom. This is good!

Mushroom and cheese... *drooling*

I'm definitely hungry for more! I also used the remains of the portobello mushroom for another dish. What is it? Well, you gotta stay tuned to my blog. I will be blogging about it soon =)

Baked Potato Skin

What's the best recipe to satisfy your picky little tastebuds and growling tummy? Well, there are plenty but this is definitely in the top of my list. A plate full of crispy potato skins, filled with melty cheese, topped with bacon bits, and green onions. If you like a hint of spiciness, add some red chili. It does bring out the flavour which is absolutely delicious. Oh, by just thinking about it makes me drool.

I remembered the time when I was dining at Tony Romas with Doink. We ordered this starter that serves potato skin. It was absolutely delicious and I just could not stop munching those away to the extent that I wanted to eat Doink's portion as well. *lol* However, the potato skin served in Tony Roma is not crispy enough.


Lovely potato skin with tons of stuffing

Since I'm so crazy over it, I try it for the first time to make Baked Potato Skin. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
2 large potatoes
Olive oil
3 strips of bacon
grated cheddar cheese
green onions, chopped
chilis (optional), chopped

1 Scrub the potatoes clean then either bake or microwave the potatoes. I choose to use microwave as it's faster. All you need to do is to cook on high setting for about 5 minutes on the potatoes. However,if using an oven, bake in a 200degrees celcius oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through.

2 While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Cool and crumble the bacon.

3. Remove potatoes from the microwave and let cool. Cut in half horizonally. Then use a spoon to sccop out the insides. Reserved the scooped potatoes for another use. As for me, I use it to make my favourite mashed potato. Then rub the potato skin with olive oil. Place on a baking pan.

4. Arrange the potato skins on the baking pan. Sprinkle the insides with salt and black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Bake it for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with green onions and chilis. Serve immediately on its own or with sour cream.


Good Food, Great Taste with Potato Skin

Will this be the last time I make these? Definitely not! In fact it will be one of the things I will make it very very often. Just wonder who has that brilliant idea to invent such a dish. Using potato skin to come up with this fabulous dish. I absolutely love it so much. So did Doink as well!

Birthday Cake

It was my mom's birthday last month. So I made her a simple and nice birthday cake - Carrot Cake. I had made carrot cakes a couple of times and I find it's very easy to make and what more, the cake is delicious. Light, moist and tasty with the creamy cheesy topping over the cake. Yummy!!!

As I'm not a fan of nuts, I did not add walnuts in it, but instead I added raisins. I find the raisins goes well with the carrot cake.



Well, baking a cake is never a problem for me and most of the time the cake turns out alright unless I'm being clumsy or impatient. *lol*

The only problem I have is presenting a cake nicely so that when people see the cake they will go "wow" or "aaaahhhh". And to them the cake taste good even before they try a taste of it yet.

So yes, I just make this simple decoration on the cake so that it looks nice before it is being served. Not to say it's really nice but I think it's better than plain, isn't it?

Toasted some almonds and put it on the side of the cake. Did I not just mention that I don't like nuts? *lol* Hmm... but then again, I didn't have a choice as I needed to decorate the cake. Oh, Doink loves the almond on the side as he finds the almonds complements the cake really well.

A slice of the lovely cake

Well, I do hope that everybody that night did enjoy the cake. Me going to get another slice to savour now. *grin* Didn't have a choice as my dear friend, Jasonmumbles, who came all the way from Melaka wanted one too. So I had to bake it specially for him. Hope you like it. :)

And of course, Happy Birthday to you again, Mom!!!