because we were home on a Friday night: PB&J Ice Cream

We found ourselves home on a Friday night. As has been the case for most nights since the COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Singapore last month. We decided to put ourselves on social quarantine in addition to other precautionary measures, given my compromised lung condition.

So, we found ourselves home. For our amusement, we decided to try our hands at making ice cream. Since we do not have an ice cream maker, we opted for a custard based recipe and hoped for the best.

Simple Joys: Walnut Bread

I take solace in baking bread: the comfort of a familiar process, the contentment of dough in my hands, the glee at a loaf out of the oven. Simple Joys.

This walnut bread is one of Loving Husband’s favourites so I make it once a week. It is packed with walnuts & wholewheat flour (read: healthier) and is great for slathering with butter. For those who are not fans of kneading, this recipe happily does not require a great deal of it. 

Honey Spice Cake: Healthy Holiday Bake

I have tried many of  Anita Bean‘s (The Runner’s Cookbook) recipes for healthier bakes as they are easy to make & delicious. This recipe came up on Instagram last week and I’ve made it twice already.  It is a delightfully light spiced cake that can be whipped up in no time at all.

Honey Buttermilk Biscuits

I fell in love with Biscuits (not cookies, not scones) during my six years in Texas – with gravy, of course. I still remember Tanglewood Farms in Waco, off the I-35 with much fondness for their epic breakfasts plates, which often included, Biscuits & Gravy.  Poking around Google, I see they shut their doors more than 2 decades ago.

reminisce with a healthy yogurt drink

One of the joys of a vacation are memories made. Another is the inspiration to incorporate travel flavours into our home eating. The day after we returned from Tokyo, Inspired Younger Daughter decided we had to recreate The Yogurt Drink, a daily staple we picked up from one of the many Convenience Stores around the hotel.

in love with this Basic Boule

I don’t make white loaves much. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good crusty white as much as anyone else, but we tend to favour wholegrains in our family when it comes to everyday bread-eating.

Comfort Food: Vegetarian Tau Yu Bak (Braised Tofu in Soy Sauce)

One challenging aspect of being almost vegetarian is when I am in need of comfort food. Most of the things I crave from childhood inevitably contain meat of some sort. Hence, I am almost vegetarian: I typically pick around the meat in a dish, especially when I am eating out.

Buckwheat-Spelt Loaf

The nutty aroma of today’s bake fills my kitchen as it rests on the wire rack. Sigh of relief follows when the loaf is finally cool enough to slice. One of the joys and tensions of trying out & substituting new flours is wondering if it will all work out. Looking forward to slathering it with butter. Maybe I will use some to make sandwiches for Loving Husband’s Lunch Bag tomorrow.

Banana Walnut & Date Cake

Is this a banana cake or banana bread? I’ve done some reading and I don’t think there really is a clear divide or definition. Whatever it is, this is a wonderful recipe, taken from Anita Bean’s The Runner’s Cookbook, which is healthier (on account of the wholemeal flour, lower amount of brown sugar and vegetable oil) moist, tasty, and it keeps for a long long long time. I freeze mine and take it out over a few weeks  to refuel after my runs, or to enjoy with my cup of tea.

Homemade Muesli

It all started when the store ran out of my regular muesli. After several trips to check on availability of My Favourite Brand, I decided to take the matter into my own hands and research making my own muesli. To my surprise (and delight!), I discovered just how easy it is to throw together my personalised concoction. I don’t know if My Favourite Brand ever came back onto the shelves; I haven’t looked.