Ham & Asparagus Carbonara (Jamie Oliver)

I saw this recipe during Jamie Oliver month for Cook Like A Star and I instantly fell in love
So glad I had the chance to try out, and true enough, it's easy and delicious!

Recipe is from HERE

What you need:

2 egg yolks
1/4 cup half and half (original recipe used heavy cream)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter
250g fusilli (original recipe recommended penne, linguine or spaghetti)
200g ham (original recipe used bacon)
100g baby asparagus
salt, pepper
chopped fresh parsley to garnish (I didn't use)

Method:

1. Combine egg yolks, half and half and parmesan cheese and stir in butter
2. Cook pasta as directed
3. Cook ham then add in asparagus, add in pepper
4. Add in pasta and toss
5. Off the heat. While still hot, drizzle in the egg yolk mixture and stir continuously til pasta coated with lots of cream
6. If too thick, add in water from drained pasta 1 tbsp. at a time til you get the consistency you prefer
7. Serve immediately

 

 

This post it for Cook Like A Star 2nd Anniversary Cooking Party March & April 2014 hosted by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, Mich from Piece of Cake and Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, where we can cook or bake like Donna Hay, Barefoot Contessa, Jamie Oliver, Masterchef, Martha Stewart, Delia Smith, Curtis Stone, Nigella Lawson, Ree Drummond and Bill Granger

 

Egg In A Cup

Simple and yummy breakfast I doubt anybody will say no :)

 

 

There's no recipe for this

You simply need to put beaten eggs, sliced ham, chopped broccoli and a pinch of ground black pepper in a bowl. Mix well with fork

Spoon on a lightly oiled (or buttered) muffin pan, sprinkle grated cheddar cheese and bake in a preheated oven of 200degC til golden brown

 

That's it! It's that simple

You may use any available preferred meat and veggies if you're not into ham and/or broccoli

 

 

 

 

This recipe doesn't need salt. The saltiness comes from the ham and cheese

It's so tasty and I love the texture, too. Slightly crisp on the outside, soft and moist on the inside

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by me, Alice from I Love.I Cook.I Bake

Pasta with Ham, Peas & Cream (Nigella Lawson)

There's no a week passes without me cooking a pasta dish, that's my kid's request order LOL They love pasta so much they never get sick of it!
I always in search for pasta recipes. Cook Like A Star is a great means, with so many guest chefs featured :)

This month is Nigella Lawson's month. This is her pasta recipe I tried, and it's wonderfully accepted by my family :)
Not only delicious, but it's so easy to make, too. In fact, I have bookmarked many of express recipes from her site. Now I'm so tempted to purchase her book, Nigella Express :)

Recipe is from HERE

 

 

What you need:

 

200g farfalle pasta (I used fusilli)

100g frozen peas

150ml double cream (I used cream)

150g diced ham

2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

 

Method:

1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions in plenty of salted boiling water, and then after 5 minutes add the peas to the pasta water
2. When the pasta is cooked, drain with the peas
3. Put the dry pan back on the heat with the cream, ham and Parmesan and warm it through
4. Add the pasta and peas back to the pan, tossing everything together well

 

 

 

I'm submitting this post to Cook Like A Star, organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Anuja from Simple Baking where this month guest chef is Nigella Lawson

15 Minutes Pizza With Ham & Mushroom

Anything quick and easy always excites me
So when I saw Ann from Anncoo Journal posted 15 Minutes Pizza, I knew I would make it
And I did yesterday. All gone very quickly. Everybody loved it :)

 

 

What you need:

 

1 pack of 5 wholemeal wraps

pasta sauce of your choice (I used Prego traditional sauce)

sliced honey baked ham

sliced shitake mushroom

grated cheddar cheese

grated mozzarella cheese

 

Method:

 

Place each wholemeal wrap on a lightly oiled baking sheet

Spread pasta sauce, followed by arranging ham and mushroom

Sprinkle both cheeses and bake in preheated oven of 200degC for 15 minutes

Serve immediately

 

 

This was the wrap I used, really value for money with great taste, too :)

 

 

The next day after school Abby asked to have this pizza again for lunch. I had to tell her that I had no more left.
Looks like I will make this again sometime soon :)

This post is for  Little Thumbs Up May - Mushroom, organised by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and  Doreen from my little favourite DIY, hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours

 

Mac & Cheese With Corn & Ham Gratin

My kids love pasta, hence my excitement when I saw this recipe at Let's Get Wokking
I immediately gave a try and it's so well accepted by my family :)

 

 

So creamy so yummy :)

 

What you need:
(I modified a little)

240g macaroni
200g chopped ham
a few handfuls of frozen sweet corns
8 tbsp parmesan cheese

For the sauce:
60g butter
200ml fresh milk
200ml cream
480ml water
4 tbsp plain flour
200g grated cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Cook macaroni in salted water according to the package or till just done, pour them in a oven proof dish and set aside
2. Melt butter in a pan on low heat, gradually add in the flour and whisk till smooth
3. Turn up the heat to medium low and gradually add in the milk and cooking cream while whisking, repeat the same for the water
4. Add in the ham, followed by corn
5. Add in the cheese in the sauce till melted and all has blended in
6. Pour the sauce over the cooked macaroni, you may mix them
7. Top it with parmesan cheese
8. Bake in preheated oven of 220degC til golden brown, about 30 minutes (baking time is shorter if using smaller baking dish)

I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up April - Corn, organised by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and hosted by Esther from Copycake Kitchen.

Cheesy Baked Rice With Ham, Mushroom & Corns

It's been a while since the last time I made baked rice. Suddenly the crave set in :P
Saw one recipe at Ju's blog, The Little Teochew, looked so yummy!
And yes, it was, indeed!

 

I didn't use carrots but added sweet corns since my kids love it. I used frozen corns

Also I added fresh button mushroom, sliced

 

What you need:

(for two portions)

 

7 tbsp chicken stock

2 tbsp cream

1 tsp corn flour, diluted with a little water

2 rice bowls overnight cooked rice

breakfast ham, sliced

200g sliced button mushrooms

a few handful of frozen corns

a knob of butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

grated cheddar and mozzarella

grated parmesan

 

Method:

1. In a saucepan, bring chicken stock and cream to a boil. Add corn starch liquid. Stir till the mixture thickens. Set aside
2. In a wok, melt some butter. Fry the garlic till fragrant. Add ham, followed by corns and mushrooms. Add rice. Break up all lumps. Mix well
3. Pour butter fried rice into a casserole dish. Pour chicken stock mixture over. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
4. Top with lots of grated cheddar and mozzarella
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 10mins (it's for small casserole, for bigger size, please adjust the timing accordingly) at 200 degrees C or until the cheese browns to a golden crust. Serve piping hot

I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up April - Corn, organised by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and hosted by Esther from Copycake Kitchen.

Fried Ham & Cheese Bread Balls (Bitterballen Roti Tawar)

So happy to find another great recipe for leftover white bread - this is really another superb alternative if you just dun feel like eating bread pudding :)

Found the recipe at Hesti's site - another avid talented Indonesian food blogger with numerous wonderful recipe - I always drool a pail everytime visiting her blog :)
So glad to know she does participate in this month's AB event too :)

Crisp on the outside, soft in the inside

1 recipe yields 30 balls - gone in an hour - very very positive feedback from the whole family - thks, Hesti! :)

Originally this snack does not use bread, but instead potatoes
This Dutch influenced snack is very popular in Indonesia but in Dutch itself, the recipe only uses flour, no potato or bread used

Those with bread make more bouncy fluffy kind of balls rather than those with potatoes which make more dense type - but both are yummy :)

What you need: (modified to my preference)

50g margarine

1/2 onion - chopped

70g ham, cut small

50g plain flour

6 white bread - use only the white part

200ml warm fresh milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

50g grated cheddar cheese

oil to fry

For coating:

4 egg whites. lightly beaten

200g japanese breadcrumb

Blend milk and bread til smooth, set aside

Heat margarine on the pan, stir fry onion til fragrant and soft - off heat

Add in ham and plain flour, stir well til forming lumps

Add in the bread+milk mixture, stir til smooth

Add in salt, pepper, nutmeg, cheese - mix til well incorporated

Form 1 tbsp of the batter to balls, dip into the breadcrumbs, eggwhites then breadcrumbs again

Heat alot of oil til real hot, fry the balls til golden brown - keep on rolling the balls to get even color

Eat with bottled chilli sauce

Absolutely delicious! :)