Lava Queen

More and more restaurants are coming up with the 'dining in a jungle'  concept,  or offering their patrons a dining area that looks out onto lush greenery . Saw photos of this Bistro Richard (though this restaurant isn't new) on Facebook recently and the idea of lakeside dining with a French flavor seemed not bad, so I suggested for us to have our Father's Day lunch celebration there.  This bistro is nestled beside our famous Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center (KLPAC). We were told that they close for the afternoon session at 3pm when we called up earlier. We arrived at about 1.45pm and there were 2 tables occupied. They left shortly after, so it felt like we kinda 'booked' the whole place to ourselves. Hehe. Having said that, it was lucky that they left because our princess threw a tantrum fit and refused to eat her lunch, or else we would probably get evil looks from the other customers for robbing them of the serenity they deserved >.<. Though th...

Kitchen reopens after being away for a week! Brought some local avocados back from Kota Kinabalu but unfortunately LO doesn't like eating them plain anymore :(. So I had to think of ways to 'hide' them so LO will eat without knowing. Haha :P. When I told my hubby I wanted to try making avocado and blueberry muffins, he laughed and said, "Huh? Sounds like a weird combination!" To prove him wrong, ta-dah! Eat them for breakfast, teatime or anytime! These avocado and blueberry muffins have reduced calories, fat and cholesterol with increased 'good fats'. There are nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients in avocado, not to mention the nutrition in blueberries. And the taste? These muffins are moist and surprisingly delicious!! The local avocados have smooth skin and the texture is slightly less creamy than the usual Australian ones that we buy. Ingredients: (Makes 6) 1 cup all purpose flour  1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking so...

An easy peasy no egg, no milk and no butter chocolate cake! It takes under 45 mins to whip up, using a bowl, a fork and, of course, the loaf pan (Or, you could choose to mix everything in the cake pan so you'll have 1 less thing to wash haha!). LO got to enjoy the taste of chocolate for the very first time :D. She seemed to like this more than the banana walnut cake (The recipe for the banana walnut cake is  here ) that I made previously...  Guess most people just love chocolate, eh? ^^ You can also decorate it with berries, ganache or frosting. It's chocolatey, moist and quite tasty. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour  3 tbsp cocoa powder  1 tsp baking powder  3/4 cup castor sugar (Originally 1 cup of granulated sugar) 1 tsp white vinegar  5 tbsp vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil) 1 cup water 1 tsp vanilla extract (Optional. I didn't use) Some icing sugar, for garnishing (Optional) Preheat oven to 170°C and li...

This is another easy recipe (Adapted from something I saw online the other day). All you have to do mostly is chop, chop, chop, mix and pan-fry, that's all. They are yummy and packed with goodness! A good way to trick kids into eat veggies as they won't know there are lots of them hidden in these small little patties! They are pretty filling too due to the oats. Not only do they smell good, they are delicious! LO couldn't stop eating them :D Ingredients: 3 tbsp quick/steel cut oats 2 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese 1 tbsp shredded carrot 1 tbsp finely chopped baby asparagus  1 tbsp finely chopped corn kernels  1 tbsp finely chopped red Chinese spinach  1 tbsp finely chopped fresh button mushroom 1 egg, whisked 3/4 tbsp chia seeds Olive oil, for pan-frying The ingredients. Soak quick oats in hot water for 5 mins. Strain and discard excess water (Try to strain it as dry as possible). Mix all ingredients in a large bowl til well com...

A simple pan sauce of chopped mushrooms, onions and fresh thyme that enlivens the basic chicken breasts (I left out the dry white wine as I didn't think it was suitable for my LO yet). Mushrooms are often underappreciated in vegetable recipes. It’s true that they don’t share the bright color of tomatoes or carrots, but they taste a lot better than they look. Since chicken breast is quite a lean meat on its own, the mushrooms in the sauce are perfect for making this recipe hearty and satisfying.  An easy chicken dish topped with a savory mushroom sauce for a tasty meal. You can use whatever species of mushrooms you like best. I used white button mushrooms.  Ingredients: Approx 1/2 a chicken breast 1 medium-sized fresh button mushroom, finely chopped  1/2 tsp all purpose floor 1/2 tbsp butter 1 slice yellow onion, finely chopped  1 clove garlic 1/4 cup homemade stock 1 sprig of fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stem  Some baby as...

This  is a favorite in our home now - b anana and blueberry pancakes, with a touch of cinnamon and a hint of coconut aroma.  These  easy, delicious banana and blueberry pancakes  are moist, subtly sweet and full of juicy blueberries and mashed bananas. You can also make a vegan and gluten free version of them by substituting fresh milk with almond milk and using gluten free/whole wheat flour. Had mine with blueberries, rose apple and maple syrup, while LO had hers with just fruits. A good way to start the day! Yumzzz. Ingredients: 2 medium bananas (Approx 140g), mashed  1/4 cup fresh blueberries  3/4 cup all purpose flour  2/3 cup fresh milk 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon  Virgin coconut oil, for pan-frying Mix mashed bananas and milk in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together, except blueberries. Pour banana/milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir til just combined. Gentl...

I've been cracking my head thinking what to cook for my LO the past whole week as she's going through the so-called 'I-only-eat-fruits-and-drink-soups' phase >.<. Was so glad to see her finishing her rice during dinner yesterday. This morning, as usual, I was standing in front of the fridge wondering what to cook (and also the fact that I needed to clear the fridge since we're going outstation tomorrow) when  I remembered seeing someone posted some baked pasta with sweet potato a couple of days ago .  I happen to have 1 sweet potato sitting on my kitchen counter, which I've no idea what to do with it, s o I  tried cooking my own version of sweet potato baked pasta with whatever leftovers I had in the fridge. This is the result... Made with simple ingredients but rich in flavor. The leftovers: pork, carrot and baby bok choy. Ingredients: 1 small Japanese sweet potato Cooked macaroni, depending on personal appetite  1 clove garlic, mi...