It was 5 in the evening, we were hungry and there’s nothing to snack on in the kitchen since I haven’t got the chance to go grocery shopping due to the super tight schedule. Oh, and we’ve been eating takeouts quite a lot too since I just don’t have the time! Don’t we all wish for MORE TIME?? However, I do have some leftover mashed potatoes sitting in the fridge from last night. No gravy, which I assume that the mash will end up in the bin soon. I hate to waste so I made some tater tots for snacking. Yeay! fried food! (sorry weight watchers, this ain’t for ya)

Tater Tots are just hash browns in mini cylinder form popular around the US, a regular menu item in their fast food chains. Well, again, tsk tsk tsk. But we were hungry and too lazy to go out! If you don’t have leftover mash, grate the potatoes, put the potatoes into a kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess liquid and just mix them with the ingredients below.(this is actually how they’re originally made)

You’ll need:

• Oil, for frying
• 2 1/2 -3 cups of mashed potatoes (I made mine with 4 russet potatoes boiled, butter, cream cheese, black pepper)
•  1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder(optional)
• Salt and pepper
• Panko Crumbs/ Bread crumbs

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pot.
2. Mix all the ingredients above. Shape them into little cylinders.
3. Coat them in bread crumbs.
4. Let them sit for a while and fry em till golden brown.

Serve hot with chilli sauce, ketchup or what ever you prefer to go with your tots! nyum nyum!

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The other night I tossed and turned on the bed trying to sleep but my eyes just won’t shut. So many things ran through my mind and I was completely restless. So I dragged my duvet in front of the TV hoping to fall asleep while watching all repeated shows. Flipping through the channels I stopped when there was this closeup shot of a beautiful potato crusted chicken on the food channel, made by Anna Olsen. Now that I’m intrigued, she made my eyes wide open again. Sigh. Well, anyways, she made prosciutto wrapped chicken with potato slices arranged into fish scale pattern on top.SO Gorgeous! Obviously I can’t eat prosciutto but I figured the potato ‘fishscale’crust could just go on top of anything! Light bulb! Somehow I fell asleep right after the show ended. Maybe I just needed something fresh to doze me off.

The next day I made baked garlic chicken with the potato crust for lunch and it turned out pretty just like Anna’s!

Plus my 4 years old critic and husband said it’s definitely a keeper!

Serves 2:

Marinate 2 Chicken Breast (skin on) with:

• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• olive oil to coat
• salt and pepper

Take one small potato(skin on)and slice it thinly or slice using a mandolin slicer to get uniformed slices.Drizzle some olive oil and season with salt. Arrange it like a fish scale pattern starting from the top like in the image below.

Bake in a 200 degrees preheated oven for 25 minutes and serve with your favorite sides.:)

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Biscotti are twice baked biscuits originating from Plato, Italy.  Centuries ago, these dry biscuits are nonperishable food that was particularly useful during journeys and wars. Made its comeback by staring at customers from a jar or individually, beautifully packed on the counters of cafe chains; it can pretty pricey for a slice of dry, coffee dunking bread. So I decided to Google up how this yummy biscuits are made and turns out, even though it’s twice baked, they are pretty easy to make. ( hey, the next time I heading to Starbucks, Imma sneak some for dunking..hihi) There are endless variations to this biscotti but since Pumpkins are pretty popular at the end of October you know why, my first attempt of making biscotti includes this vibrant fruit..or is it a vegetable? oh well. Here’s the recipe I got from http://www.simplyrecipes.com

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How to:

Makes great dinner party dish. Makes perfect baby food if you mashed them up. (7 month+)

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Among other things we share interest in, my husband and I have 1 very special thing in common, WE HEART STEAK. I mean, the biggest fan!! Especially char grilled with all the fatty bits on and we could have it everyday if it doesn’t lead to any cardiac arrest or make us fat like cows. Now my 4 year old is starting to show her love for steak too! We’ve become pretty boring when ordering at a classier restaurants because we’ll end up ordering steaks as if there’s nothing else new or special is on the menu. Seriously, this needs to change! (not that easy). Ok, apart of having the steak the classic way, you know with potatoes and veges on the sides, we love it in sandwiches and fajitas. This simple wrap we had for dinner a couple nights back is easy to make and definitely one of our fav too!

1. Prepare Hummus – The  recipe from a previous post.
2. Heat a pan and drizzle some oil. Saute sliced onions and sweet peppers for a minute just enough to wilt it a little bit. Season with salt and black pepper.
3. Season Steak with salt and pepper. Pan grill it with a little bit of olive oil and butter.

• A medium rare steak should be warm through the middle with a hint of red. Most of the center of the steak should be pink. The sides should be well browned, the top and bottom charred to a dark brown color. This steak should have a firm surface but soft in the middle.
• Grill this steak as hot as you can for about 2 to 3 minutes per side (depending on your grill). (55 to 57 degrees C in the centre) 
• This is the recommended level of doneness for a good steak. Ask any chef how they like their steak prepared and they will, say medium rare. -about.com

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• 1 to 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley fresh or dried
• 2 cups mint leaves
• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp honey

How to:

1. Whiz everything up in a food processor.
2. Enjoy!

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Seriously, dead easy.

Filling: Canned Peaches, 1-2 tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Pastry: Store Bought Puff Pastry

Put filling mixture on top of pastry and top with another layer ( make lattice pattern) and press the edges.

Brush with egg wash or just egg white.

Bake in 210 Degrees preheated oven until they puffs up.

Half way through, brush with remaining syrup of the canned peaches and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until golden brown.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

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My Medina is reaching 10 months soon and she is now showing more characters everyday, including fussiness about food! Before this she could easily eat the same dish twice. I guess her pallete has become more matured and probably has her own preferences by now. The other day the family was having pancakes for breakfast and I made her a baby version of it using baby cereal. She loves it. Phew! I’m glad because this little boss of mine is very hard to please! and the fact that she had 4 of these pancakes even after her milk, clap clap clap! This recipe is definitely a keeper since my 4 year old loves it too!

12 pieces 2.5 inches pancakes

Suitable for 7 months+

• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup baby cereal (I used wheat and honey flavored cereal. Rice, oat and barley works just fine)
• 1 egg yolk or whole egg if your baby is ready
• 3/4 cup +- of milk/ water/ juice
• 1 tbsp of melted unsalted butter

Mix wet to dry ingredients. Add in liquid gradually and mix batter into a normal pancake consistency.(not too thick or too thin) Increase or decrease amount of liquid if needed because different type of cereal dilutes and expands differently. Drop spoonful of batter onto heated nonstick pan and cook it just like a normal pancake.

Serve it just as is or with fruit puree of your choice to replace the maple syrup. Applesauce or mashed banana are yummy!

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Pumpkin is a humble vegetable that is incredibly rich in vital antioxidants, and vitamins. Good for you, good for your baby too! I usually add pumpkin into my baby’s rice porridge, fritata or puree them alone. But the other day on a family get together weekend, my sister in law Hajar,(who rocks! making baby food) made pumpkin pancakes for her 11 months old son which is predictably shared with my forever hungry Aleya. She loved it! She made them with pumpkin puree, flour and raisins. Thanks for the great breakfast idea!

Anyways, I wanted to make some today and while searching for raisins in the cabinet (which is nowhere to be found) I found oatmeal instead. So why not add a little bit more nutrition in it? To get most of the benefits from a pumpkin puree, steam or bake them. Avoid boiling the flesh because most of the nutrition will drain out into the boiling water. Ok, bare in mind that this pancake is not as fluffy as the normal pancakes as there’s no levening agent included. They are soft and a little chewy; 7months above baby friendly.

Serves 1 hungry baby

• 3 tbsp pumpkin puree
• 1  tbsp  oatmeal
• 1 1/2 tbsp wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp melted butter
• Enough water or milk to mix them into oatmeal porridge consistency. ( approx 3-4 tbsp)
• Optional : 1 tbsp chopped soaked raisins and dashes of cinnamon powder

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I love ginger snaps and I love scones. This gingerbread scones makes THEEE perfect combo. The house smells nice baking it too! Great for breakfast on the go or even a  tea party food.  I know most recipes bakes them in triangles but I prefer them round like this. This recipe of a sweet spicy crumbly pastry will definitely be used over and over again!

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 egg yolk (reserve white)
• 1/3 cup molasses/ treacle
• 1/4 cup milk
• 
  

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar (the original recipe calls for 2 cups.yikes!)
• 2 teaspoons milk or cream

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