Chocolate Chip Cookies

Right. The best ever chocolate chip cookie. This was passed down from my mother's mother to her then to yours truly. It has never failed me! So I'm going to break my family's recipe vault and share these delicious best ever Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with you.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients for chocolate chip cookie

• 75g butter (or margarine)
  
• 75g white vegetable shortening
  
• 150g soft brown sugar
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
  
• 200g all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 cup chocolate chips
  
• 1/4 cup nuts (chopped) - optional
  

How to make the Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie

• Preheat oven to moderate
  
• Mix and sift all the flour ingredients (flour, bicarbonate soda, salt)
  
• Set asside
  
• Using an eletric mixer, cream together the butter, vegetable shortening and sugar
  
• Add in the egg and vanilla essence
  
• Continue to beat till the mixture changes color (ie. becomes lighter)
  
• Add the rest of the ingredients (chocolate chips and nuts) and mix well
  
• Using two tsp, drop the mixture into little mounds onto a greased tray
  
• Bake for 12 to 20 mins or till golden brown and firm to touch
  

These cookies will store well in a tight-lid container for a week or so. Best eaten with a friend or family and a glass of cold iced milk!

Fish and Chips Your Kids will LOVE!

I kid you not! This twist on the classic fish and chips recipe will have your kids begging for more.

Fish and Chips Your Kids will LOVE!

Ingredients for fish and chips

• 4 potatoes (cut into even strips)
  
• 1 lb fish fillets (cod, pollock even salmon works fine)
  
• 2/3 cup flour
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
  
• 1 tbsp vinegar
  
• 2/3 cup water
  
• enough oil for deep-frying
  

How to make the best ever fish and chips

• Heat oil in deep fryer
  
• Deep fry the potatoes (chips) - put in one at a time so they don't stick together in basket
  
• Use a long metal stick or fork to stir to keep them from sticking more
  
• Fry till golden brown
  
• Drain on paper towel
  
• Place potatoes in a single layer on cookie sheet and keep warm in oven
  
• Do the rest till you finish with all the chips
  
• Cut fish fillets into bite-size pieces
  
• PAT DRY with paper towel
  
• In small bowl, mix in baking soda with vinegar
  
• In a larger bowl, add the flour
  
• Slowly add in the water to the flour, whisking as you go
  
• Add in baking soda mix and whisk till there are no lumps
  
• Dip fish into batter, allow excess to drip off
  
• Fry about 4 to 5 pieces at a time (don't use the basket), turning fish once till golden brown
  
• Drain on paper towels
  
• You can broil the fish and chips in oven for a bit to make them warm and crispy
  
• Just before serving, sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt
  

Strawberry Crepes

This delightful recipe came from France. I've made quite a few batch for a morning breakfast. Though it takes a bit of time, the results are well-worth the effort. You can freeze leftover crepes in your freezer.

Strawberry Crepes from France

Ingredients

• 1 egg
  
• 1 1/4 cup milk
  
• 1 tbsp butter (melted)
  
• 1 1/4 cup sifted flour
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 4 cups fresh strawberries (or frozen)
  
• 3 firm ripe bananas
  
• 3/4 cup water
  
• 2 tbsp corn starch
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  

How to make Strawberry Crepes

• Beat the egg, milk, butter, flour and salt till smooth
  
• Lightly grease a small skillet with oil
  
• Heat skillet, remove from heat then pour in 1/4 cup of batter
  
• Tilt pan to cover bottom quickly
  
• Return to heat, browning on 1 side only then cool on paper tower
  
• Makes about 7 or more crepes
  
• Stack between wax paper
  
• Make Strawberry Crepe Glaze: Crush 2 cups strawberries in a saucepan
  
• Add water and bring to a boil
  
• Simmer for 2 mins
  
• Sieve strawberries
  
• In the same saucepan, add in sugar and corn starch
  
• Add in the sieved strawberries, stir constantly till mixture bubbles
  
• Remove from heat
  
• Reserve 1 cup of the glaze
  
• Stir in 1 cup sliced berries into remaining glaze
  
• Spread 3 tbsp on unbrowned side of each creap, place them on a serving dish
  
• Add last cup of halved berries and sliced bananas
  
• Pour remaining glaze over all
  
• Cover and keep warm till serve time
  

Sesame Cookies from Greece

Martha from Greece gave me this recipe which was handed down from her grandmother then her mother and now to her. Thank you Martha for letting me share this recipe with the rest of the world.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies, depending on how big you make them so share them out with friends and family during teatime.

Sesame Cookies or Koulourakia

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb butter
  
• 6 eggs (keep 1 egg white aside)
  
• sesame seeds
  
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 6 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 6 cups flour
  
• 1 tsp vanilla essence or 2 tsp grated orange peel or 1 tsp nutmeg
  

How to make Sesame Cookies or Koulourakia

• In a food mixer, cream the butter
  
• Add in sugar gradually
  
• Beat in eggs one at a time
  
• Add in the vanilla essence (or orange peel or nutmeg)
  
• Sift the baking powder, flour and salt together
  
• Add them to the mixture to make a medium dough so it can be handled
  
• Pinch off pieces to a size of a walnut
  
• Roll the piece between hands and shape into twists (or whatever shape you want)
  
• Brush lightly with beaten egg white
  
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds
  
• Place on a greased cookie sheet
  
• Bake for 20 to 30 mins at 350 degree F. till golden brown
  

Easy Peasy Short Bread Cookies

Unbelievable as it may sound, you too can make your own easy short bread cookies. They're so delicious and you can store them in cans or bake enough to impress your boss or co-workers.

Short Bread Cookies

• 1 cup butter
  
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
  
• 1 1/2 cup instant white flour (I use Robinhood flour)
  
• 1/4 cup corn starch
  
• 1/4 cup rice flour
  

How to make Short Bread Cookies

• Knead all above ingredients till soft and blended
  
• Alternatively: use a mixer to mix everything well then place on floured board and knead for 10 mins
  
• Roll out into 1/2 inch thick and cut into small rectangles
  
• Baked them on a greased tray for 1 hour in moderate heat oven
  

As soon as it comes out of the oven, you can sprinkle with superfine sugar if you want.

The Oh My Goodness Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is unbelievable. If sin is the word, then this chocolate cake fits the profile. I made this the other day and everyone just loved it! I adjusted the sugar quantity so it's a bit less sweet but you can add more sugar if prefer. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and stawberries on the side and watch this disappear within minutes!

This makes a big quantity of cake so start off slow with your mixer then up the speed and make sure everything's incorporated.

The Oh My Goodness Chocolate Cake aka Rich Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 185g butter
  
• 2 tsp vanilla essense
  
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 2 cups self-raising flour
  
• 2/3 cup cocoa
  
• 1 cup water
  
  
  
  
  Chocolate Icing
  
  
• 90g dark chocolate (chopped)
  
• 30g butter
  
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
  
• 2 tbsp hot water (approx)
  

How to make The Oh My Goodness Chocolate Cake:

• Grease a 23cm deep round pan
  
• Combine butter, essence, sugar, eggs, flour and cocoa and water in a large bowl
  
• Beat on low speed till everything's combined
  
• Increase speed to medium till everything's smooth and changes in color (creamy brown)
  
• Spread into pan
  
• Bake in moderate oven for 45 mins or till done
  
• Stand 5 mins on wire rack to cool before you start with the icing otherwise icing will melt!
  
• To make chocolate icing: Melt chocolate and butter in bowl over hot water
  
• Gradually stir in shifted icing sugar
  
• Mix enough hot water to a spreadable consistency
  
• Spread icing on top of chocolate cake
  

Almond Biscuits

I can't believe this recipe is so easy to make and the biscuits taste extra yummy! This is an awesome recipe to make with kids.

Almond Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
  
• 225g flour
  
• 75g butter
  
• 50g sugar
  
• 1 to 2 tbsp condensed milk
  
• Handful of almonds (chopped)
  
• Egg yolk for glazing
  

How to make Almond Biscuits:

• Using an electric beater, cream the sugar and butter
  
• Add in egg
  
• Slowly add in flour and condensed milk
  
• Should be a firm dough-like consistency
  
• Roll out dough on a floured board to 1/2 cm thickness
  
• Use a cookie cutter to cut out the biscuits
  
• Glaze biscuits with egg yolk and sprinkle with chopped almonds on top
  
• Place in baking trays
  
• Bake in moderate oven for 20 to 25 mins or till brown
  
• Cool before storing
  

Nutty Cornflakes Bars

So easy, your friends won't believe it!

Nutty Cornflakes Bars

Ingredients:

• 100g chocolate chips
  
• 25g sultanas or raisins
  
• 25g walnuts (chopped)
  
• 75g cornflakes (crushed)
  

How to make Nutty Cornflakes Bars:

• Melt chocolates into a bowl using microwave
  
• Mix sultanas, walnuts and cornflakes into chocolate and stir gently till all cornflakes are covered with chocolate
  
• Lightly greased a 12 cm square tray
  
• Press cornflake mixture into tray
  
• Place tray into the refrigerator to set
  
• When mixture is firm (after about 1 hour), remove tray from refrigerator and cut into bars
  
• Use knife in jug of warm water to cut
  
• Store bars in air-tight container
  

Souvlaki

This easy to make souvlaki is one of my favorite recipe. No need to buy store-made marinate when you can make this at home easily.

Greek Souvlaki

• 1 lb lamb or beef (cut into cubes)
  
  
  
  
  Marinade
  
  
• 3 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
  
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
  
• freshly ground pepper
  

Soak meat in marinade for several hours or overnight. Place meat on skewers and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat source. Broil for about 5 to 7 mins per side till done. Brush with marinade while broiling.

Rosemary Massage Oil

Found this delightful concoction of Rosemary, Lavender and oil. I made a few batches for a few friends who love them.


Rosemary Massage Oil

• 1 handful freshly cut rosemary
  
• 1 spoonful thyme
  
• 1 spoonful lavender flowers
  
• a few mint leaves
  
• 1 cup sweet almont or sunflower oil
  

Mince the leaves and flowers, place in a bottle or a jar. Cover in oil and allow to soak in sun for a few weeks, stirring from time to time. Filter and pour into attractive bottles.