I turn these…

into this…

I have no idea why it’s called apple butter and not apple jam…but if you wanna be technical about it, you can safely call it ultra-cooked apples with spices. It’s great as a bread spread, it’s great as an ingredient in cupcakes and cakes, it’s great even to marinate some ribs for grilling.

So, far, I’ve used it as bread spread and it’s damn good. And healthy too!

I made my apple butter without added sugar since I used Fuji apples that are naturally sweet. So, here’s how you make:

Easy Healthy Homemade Apple Butter Recipe

Ingredients

10 – 15 apples, peeled, cored & chopped finely

1 tsp all spice powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)

1 – 2 cups brown sugar (optional, I didn’t add any sugar to my apple butter)

Instructions

1. Place all the chopped apples into the crock pot / slow cooker.

2. Set the slow cooker on high for 3 hours.

3. Add the spices and sugar. Stir to combine well.

4. Then set the slow cooker to low and let it do its magic for around 10 hours.

5. Stir the softened apples and leave the lid off.

6. Let the butter cook for several more hours until it is done.

7. Do the saucer test to determine if it is done. The saucer test is simple. Just take a dollop and place it on a saucer. If it starts to become watery, then it’s not done. The apple butter, when done, should be able to stand on a saucer without becoming watery (like the picture above).

8. You can immediately bottle the apple butter (or eat it direct hot from the slow cooker…). It can be stored in the fridge for quite a long time and if you sterilize your bottles and subject your bottled jams to a sterilization method (through hot water bath in a pressure cooker), then it can last unopened for months!

Enjoy and find ways to enjoy your healthy homemade sugar-free apple butter!

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So, my daughter turned two recently and since it’s her birthday (and feeling guilty that I didn’t bake her birthday cake because we got her a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake) I thought, I might as well try my hand at making our own clam chowder, I trawled the net or the recipe and was pleasantly surprised that it’s easy to make and you can even ‘cheat’ by using some canned soup. As usual, I look at the recipes and came out with my own concoction which tastes rather good, if I may say so myself!

All you need are the ingredients, some stir-frying and then you just dump everything into the pot, stir occasionally and that’s it. Easy peasy. No fuss. Simple. Easy. And you get steaming bowls of homecooked clam chowder, enough to feed a family of four and with leftovers too (that I distributed to our neighbours).

You have two options of either using canned clams or fresh clams. But with fresh clams, you may need to soak it and make sure that you get rid of all the sand. Then, you will need to boil it for a few minutes, add some salt and use the water as clam stock.

Here’s a collage of the first few steps…

Please look at the sequence in clockwise. The potatoes are last to go in. After adding in the potatoes, you stir fry it a few minutes before adding the clam stock. Let it simmer till the potatoes are soft, then you add the canned soup and cream. You also add the bay leave and thyme for extra flavours. The clam will have to be minced and added last, it is best to be added just 10 minutes before you serve the soup hot from the stove.

Here’s the recipe proper:

Easy Clam Chowder Recipe

Ingredients

1 can creamy mushroom soup / mushroom potage

2 cups thick cream

1 can clams (remove the clams and minced it, reserve the liquid)

1 bay leave

1 tbsp dried thyme

2 large onions, chopped

2 slices lean bacon (about 100g), minced

3 – 4 potatoes, skinned, cubed

1 cup celery, chopped

2 tbsp butter

Instructions

1. Heat up the pot and add butter.

2. Sautee the bacon till fragrant in medium heat.

3. Add the onions and sautee for a few minutes till the onion is about softened.

4. Add in the potatoes and sautee for a few minutes.

5. Add in the liquid from the can of clams. Let it simmer till the potatoes are softened. If it’s too dry, just add some water but not too much or it may become watery.

6. Add in the canned soup and the cream. Stir till well mixed. Make sure heat is either medium or medium low to avoid burning and do not let it boil.

7. Add in the herbs & celery and let it simmer for a few minutes, making sure it doesn’t boil.

8. After about 5 minutes of simmering, add in the minced clams. Let it simmer for another five minutes and immediately serve. If you do not plan to serve yet, do not add the clams yet. Just turn off the heat and let it stand covered. When you are about to serve, turn on medium heat, add the clams, stir and let it simmer for five minutes or so.

And there you have it!

Easy and simple. But of course, if you want to use fresh clams, you buy about 3 cups of clams, wash it, soak it to remove the sand. Then you boil about 5 cups of water, add 1 tsp salt, boil the clams for a few minutes until the shells open(that’s when it’s cooked) and remove the clams. Reserve the water to use as stock in the soup but strain it to remove any residual sand. If you do not want to use canned soup, you simple need to use 1 cup milk, 2 cups thick cream & 1/2 cup chicken stock. Also add salt to taste.

You can even turn it into seafood chowder by adding squids, shrimps, crab meat and fish. However, the stock you use will have to be 1/2 cup chicken stock & 1/2 cup fish stock. Otherwise, you can boil the shrimp shells together with the clams and use the water as the seafood stock.

Clam chowder is great to eat with toast, as it is or as starter to a larger meal. For us, we eat is as accompaniment to pasta, salad and a side of grilled pork ribs.

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This roast chicken is delicious and juicy, your guests will be raving over it. It even looks like it’s professionally done and all you need are just a few basic ingredients and an oven.  Here is the recipe:

Simple, Easy Roast Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

8 tbsp oyster sauce

6 tbsp light soy sauce

8 tbsp honey

1 clove garlic, diced

2 onions, quartered

Fresh rosemary, around a bunch

Instructions

1. Season the whole chicken with the sauces and honey.

2. Stuff the rosemary, onion and garlic into the cavity. Leave some of the garlic and rub it all over the chicken.

3. Let the chicken season for more than an hour or if possible, overnight.

4. Make a few small slits along the sides of the chicken.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

6. Pop the chicken into the oven and roast it for about 30 minutes. There will probably be some leftover sauces in the dish where you seasoned the chicken. Keep it as it can be used to baste the chicken.

7. Baste the chicken with the leftover sauces. If it’s not enough, use a mixture of honey and olive oil.

8. Bake the chicken for another 30 minutes.

9. The chicken is done when juices runs clear and the flesh separates easily. Otherwise, use a meat tester. If it appeared uncooked, baste it again and you can continue roasting for another 15 minutes until it is a golden brown. Test it again.

10. Chicken is best served hot from the oven.

You can serve the chicken with some mashed potatoes, fresh green salad and coleslaw. This makes a wholesome, healthy meal suitable for everyone from small children to adults. Enjoy!

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About the Author: Shaun Connell is a writer who publishes many “how-to” guides on cooking, easy desserts and other topics.

For a wonderful surprise dessert after a great meal, try this cherry cobbler recipe for a great old-fashioned fresh cherry cobbler. Cherry cobbler doesn’t have to wait for a special occasion it is good for any time. Cherry cobbler has been around for a long time and is always a welcome dessert. Cobblers were first made back in the 1850s and have remained a family favorite.

If you want to make a tasty piece of history for your family try this recipe. It makes the perfect ending to any meal.

Fresh Cherry Cobbler Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 cups pitted fresh tart cherries
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons shortening
• 1/2 cup milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°. Blend 1 1/4 cups sugar, cornstarch, cherries, and almond extract in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.

Continue to boil and stir for 1 minute after the mixture comes to a boil. Pour fruit mixture into an ungreased 2-quart casserole. You want to use an ungreased pan because you don’t want the cherry cobbler to be greasy. Place in oven while preparing dough so that it continues to thicken and stays hot.

In a mixing bowl, measure flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add shortening and milk. You will want to cut shortening in several times to work the shortening into the dry mixture.

Then stir until dough forms a ball. Drop dough in about 6 spoonfuls onto hot fruit. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

Serve warm with cream, if desired, or cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Then set back and take in all the compliments on what a wonderful cherry cobbler you made. Everyone loves fresh, homemade food and this cobbler is going to be a big hit. Be warned though, everyone is going to want your recipe and don’t be surprised if you are asked to bake it for the next bake sale.

You can’t buy a delicious cobbler like this in the store. Not only is it fresh and taste wonderful, it is baked and served with love and you just can’t beat that.

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The great thing about cooking this salsa style dish is that it is very versatile and can be eaten as it is or with rice, salad, bread, even spaghetti! It is pretty simple to make too. First, you will need…

carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, potatoes, bell pepper (capsicum), ketchup, balsamic vinegar, ready-made pasta sauce and

quinoa. I used red quinoa because it’s what I have. You can use pearl quinoa (the white quinoa) or black quinoa, whichever one you like. The cooking method for all types of quinoa is the same. After chopping up all the vegetables into chunks…

You will need to heat up a pot with some olive oil. First, you sautè the onions for a short while and then you add the carrots, tomatoes, capsicum, tomatoes.

After you stir it around for a minute or so, you add the potatoes, celery, sauces and water. Also add a sprinkle of dried mixed herbs for extra flavours. The quinoa is the last one to go in, after adding all the other stuffs. Then, you just leave it to simmer over low fire for close to two hours. If you don’t have the time, just dump all ingredients into the crock pot or slow cooker and leave it to simmer on low overnight. It will be ready the next day! And that’s it. Easy and so darn good, you may want to make it again and again!

So, here’s the recipe:

Wholesome Healthy Quinoa Salsa Stew

Ingredients

3 large carrots, cut into chunks

4 large tomatoes, diced

3 large onions, chopped

2 large potatoes, cut into chunks

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 – 2 capsicum (bell peppers), cut into chunks

1/2 cup red quinoa

5 tbsp pasta sauce

4 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

1 – 2 cups of water (depending on how thick / watery you want it to be)

palm-sized chicken breast, skin removed and sliced thinly or minced. (if you want to add chicken or you can leave it out if you want a vegetarian one)

Instructions

1. Heat up a large pot with some olive oil.

2. Sautè the onions and then add the carrots, capsicum and tomatoes. Stir for a minute or so.

3. Add in the rest of the vegetables (potatoes and celery) and then stir in the sauces.

4. Add water and pour in the uncooked quinoa. Stir to mix the ingredients around.

5. Turn the heat up to medium and let it boil. Add the herbs, then add the minced chicken (or sliced chicken, whichever you like).

6. Turn down the heat to low and leave it to simmer for up to 2 hours. Remember to check on it and stir often to make sure it doesn’t burn.

7. If you are using the crock pot / slow cooker, then you can skip the sauteeing part. Instead, just dump everything in, add the sauces and water and leave it to cook on slow.

Special note: Water is important so you must not leave it out and it is important to add more as quinoa absorbs a lot of water and it needs a lot of water to cook. Here’s how to cook quinoa.

This quinoa recipe is great to go with any food. If you are cutting down on calories, you can eat this as it is with salad as I also like to call this recipe an all-in-one meal which contains vegetables, protein (quinoa is very high in protein) and healthy carbs (potatoes).

If you simply must have rice…

or if you prefer bread…

It is pack full of nutrients from all the vegetables and quinoa so it is not only low in fat (especially if you cook it without the chicken), it is very wholesome and best of all, so good you won’t even feel as if you are eating diet food!

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So.

I decided to make it myself. I mean, if I can bake up cakes and cookies, what are scones, right? Right. So, I went searching around the net and found several recipes until I decided to take whatever I feel comfortable with and wing it from there. My main focus is on using the least ingredients and the simplest method. Well, I have to limit my baking time these days as I can’t stand for longer hours nowadays what with a big huge belly and aching back.

And do you know scones are made up of the simplest recipe ever? You only need flour, butter, milk and baking powder. That’s all!

You need to cube the butter and rub it into the flour until crumbly. Then add in the milk.

Knead it into a smooth dough. Then pat into small round shapes (the size depending on you, I like bite-size scones so I made them really small) and place on baking tray. Sprinkle them with some flour and then bake them.

Scones are best eaten with some nice jam and cream.

Oh and yeah, they are damn good hot from the oven!!

Here is the recipe:

Easy English Tea Scones Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup plain flour

40g butter, cubed

1/2 cup milk

3 tsp baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Rub the cubed, softened butter into the flour until crumbly.

3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk.

4. Mix with a spatula until it forms a soft dough.

5. Take the dough and knead it on a floured surface but don’t over-knead it.

6. Shape it onto small rounds and place on baking tray. Sprinkle with flour.

7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

These scones are best enjoyed hot from the oven with some fresh cream and jam.

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So, we gave in to our curiousity and plunge right in to give it a try. Since there are so many food reviews about this place, I think I will just post up the pictures of what we ate and give a brief review of it all. No point writing a 1000-word review when so many others have waxed lyrical about the food there. Okay, I admit, I was just being lazy but well…it’s not like I cooked these food. I tend to feel less passionate about outside food nowadays compared to my own *ahem* delicious cooking.

A Review of Mizi Bistro, New World Park

Something to take the edge off your hunger as you wait for the food to be served…

Over at Mizi’s, they have this wonderful selection of value-for-money set meals that comes with drinks, soup, main course and free-flow of ice cream for dessert. All for RM19.90 only. And when I say wonderful selection, I meant the whole menu. As in you can choose any main course in the menu. A word of caution though, some of the main course may mean you need to add RM6 to the original price.

The above is the soup of the day, pumpkin soup. I am not really a pumpkin person but surprisingly, I do like the soup. Not too cloying or sweet as I’d thought it would be.

This is what I ordered, roast chicken breast with apples. Yes, they did this quite perfectly too, balancing the sweet flavours of cooked apples with the savoury sauces.

I can’t remember what The Food Critic’s dish is called but it’s basically roast chicken in a tomato-based sauce that complements the chicken pretty well. Nothing really to shout about but it still do have loads of great flavors. Like roast chicken in tomato-based pasta sauce.

Finally, there’s the free-flow of ice cream. I LOVE ice cream especially on hot humid days so I helped myself to three scoops and topped it up with chocolate rice and chocolate sauce. I even went for a second helping…mmmm…..

Final note: Food is reasonably good and it is worth the price. They have a nice relaxed ambiance and yes, this is a great place for some casual lunch or dinner. And by the way, if you can’t have enough of their food, you can try the original restaurant, JL Gourmet Corner at Prangin Mall, which was opened years before they open Mizi as a sort of branch.

Rating: 7/10

Price: $$

Mizi Bistro

New World Park

Burmah Road

04-2272921

tarmeezee15@gmail.com

Opening hours: 11am – midnight daily

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One day, I had this crazy craving (and no, I am not pregnant) for ribs so on the way back, I bought about 1kg of pork ribs to prepare for dinner. This is despite the wonderful meal my Personal Chef has prepared for us. Now, we don’t usually have much time to prepare for dinner so I wanted it to be quick, simple and fuss free. Thus, the three-step ribs which turned out like this…

Here’s the recipe for:

Three Step Blueberry Ribs

Ingredients

1kg pork ribs

a dash of salt

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp garlic powder

3 tbsp sugar-free natural blueberry jam

Instructions

1. Rub the pork ribs with the salt, chili and garlic powder.

2. Pour on the blueberry jam and make sure the ribs are completely covered with the jam

3. Grill in the oven for between 20 minutes to 30 minutes until it turns dark brown with a crust.

The ribs should look like this when it's done.

The preparation only takes 5 minutes and after that, just let the oven do the magic while you do other things like preparing a bowl of salad to go with this or take a shower.

Although it may sound weird to combine blueberry jam with pork ribs and chili, let me tell you it is just the perfect combination. The blueberry gave it a sweet fruity flavour while the chili adds some spice to it. So, a bite into the succulent flesh brings forth a burst of sweet fruity flavours interpersed with spiciness. Ahhh..it really do hit the spot (and add at least a few more inches to my hips but I don’t care!). Best of all, we all know that blueberries are one of the food in my fat burning food list so these ribs are not as sinful as it looks.

Of course, if you stick around here more, you may find more baby back rib recipes in future.

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Here’s the restaurant review:

Salsas Restaurant

Now, on to the food… We ordered the set lunch (@RM15 per set) so here’s what the set has

We started with soup, some bread and butter and salad

It’s the usual mushroom soup but at least they didn’t fully use canned soup like some establishments like to do. As for the salad, I love it! Instead of any of the creamy salad dressing, it has the vinegar and olive oil dressing: refreshing and great as a starter.

This is my son's set, double jumbo sausages

I ordered grilled fish

The Food Critic ordered roast chicken

The jumbo sausages are pretty basic and there is really nothing to shout about although it is pretty salty (probably due to their supply of sausages). In the end Mr Picky refused to eat it and I had to exchange with him. Anyway, he usually can’t finish whatever we ordered for him and we’d end up eating his leftovers (and I wonder why I kept growing..sideways). Now, for my grilled fish, it was lightly floured and pan fried and served with some salsa, mashed potatoes and a creamy tartare sauce with some fresh herbs. It is pretty good and not salty at all. I’ll have to say I love their salsa. Now we know why it’s called Salsas. The Food Critic’s roast chicken is pretty good too and it is served with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. It is covered in some slighty creamy sauce and fresh herbs.

Now, on to dessert:

Mini mouthfuls dessert

I love their presentation. And yes, this comes with the set too. We get four tiny mouthfuls of different desserts. A spoonful of vanilla ice cream, a piece of carrot cake, a piece of chocolate sponge cake and a tiny glass of fruits in syrup. Yummy.

My verdict: The food is good, the price is reasonable, the ambiance is great and the choices are varied.What’s there not to like about Salsas?

Rating: 8/10

Price: $$$ (lunch sets @ RM15 each / dinner sets @ RM30 each)

Salsas Restaurant

@ Continental Hotel Ground Floor

Penang Road

Tel: 04-2633923

Opening hours: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 11pm.

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The Senior Citizen's Association at 7, D.S. Ramanathan

Now, although the cafetaria has signs proclaiming ‘member only’, it is open to the public. So, you don’t have to be a senior citizen who’s a member of the association to eat there. I may not be young anymore but I sure as heck am not a senior citizen yet!

The Senior Citizen Association cafetaria is surrounded by lush greenery

Now, let’s get on with their signature dishes…

Mee Sua Tau

The only way to describe the Mee Sua Tau (RM10) is that it is almost like Shark Fin’s Soup except that it contains mostly chicken, mushrooms, crabmeat, egg and rice noodles. The soup base is starchy and quite thick. Here’s a closer look:

Mee Sua Tau

For a medium bowl of this, the portion is pretty big and this being more than merely soup as it is generously full of rice noodles, it is very filling too. I only ate one tiny bowl of this as I am not really a big fan of mee sua tau. Nevertheless, I still like theirs. It is thick and yet not too sticky and yes, it is tasty because it has so many different ingredients.

Fried rice

Not all that remarkable since it is just plain fried rice with the usual ingredients of shrimps, egg, chicken. Still, it is good enough for Mr Picky who ate almost half of the amount!

Roti Babi (right) and Spring Roll

It may look almost similar and it’s ingredients are a tad similar but it is actually different. Both contained chicken, carrots, crabmeat and some jicama (mangkuang).  The only difference is that one is a spring roll while the other one is bread with the ingredients sandwiched between two slices of bread and then the bread fried to a crispiness.

Spring roll and roti babi best eaten with some sauce and chillies

Their spring rolls are simply the best as the skin is very crispy and they don’t stinge on the ingredients too. The best part is the chili laced sauce with generous amount of Worchestershire Sauce.

Quarter roast chicken

I absolutely love their roast chicken although it is not really roasted! The chicken was deepfried before it was served. It is darn good, I tell you.

The prices here are pretty reasonable. Check out the menu:

The menu

So, my final verdict is that it is really worth the price to eat there. For one thing, the ‘chefs’ are definitely really good. This place is like the senior citizen’s best kept secret!

Rating: 8/10

Price:$$

Here are the cafetaria opening hours:

And here’s the location map to the place.

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