SerenityBakes&Cooks

Fancy some Red Velvet Brownie Cheesecake for afternoon tea? You can make it yourself with this very yummy recipe, which I have tried and tested. It sounds like such a decadent and sinful cake, but in reality, it is a moist and cake like brownie which is so light. The cheesecake is not heavy and is a great compliment to the chocolatey brownie. Best of all, it is not too sweet! You might just find yourself cutting pieces of it and popping them in your mouth, and it will all be gone too soon! As a mom with 2 growing boys and having to pack school snacks for them everyday, this is a great addition to the snack box. And also a welcome change to the fruits or plain biscuits/cereal that they normally get. Please find the recipe here  Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownie  with detailed instructions and picture illustrations. Some baking tips to share: If you like a pretty swirl, it's advised that you put smaller dollops of brownie batter. As you can see in my picture, my ...

Today's recipe is Ayam Pongteh, a Peranakan dish of chicken and potato stew. I make this dish rather often, but with pre-made paste which is easily available at wet markets and supermarkets. When my sister goes to Malacca with her family, I will ask her to buy packets of the readymade paste for me too. Fast and delicious one pot dish. I usually cook it in the afternoon and the chicken will absorb all the flavours of the sauce by dinner time, making it extra delicious!! Why not make my own from scratch, I thought to myself. The recipes I looked at online seemed simple enough, I had everything in the kitchen: garlic, shallots, even gula melaka (thanks to Sister from her last Malacca trip!). Only item missing was Tau Cheo which is a fermented soya bean paste, which is the essential ingredient that gives this dish its umami and unique flavor. My picture above doesn't do justice to the Ayam Pongteh, apologies that I did not take a better photo when dishing it out. I snapped...

Black beans have a variety of health benefits. It is good for maintaining healthy bones, lowers blood pressure, helps to support heart health due to the fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin B6, and lack of cholesterol contents in the bean. Black beans aid in digestion due to its high fiber content, which in turn also helps in weight loss.  Today's recipe is a double boiled soup that uses organic black beans. Why organic? Simply because there is no soaking of the bean required before you use it, and it apparently softens easily compared to the non organic beans. I am not sure if this is true, as I have only used organic black beans for this soup.  This soup tastes very pleasant, despite the scary looking black colour. And it is so nutritious and good for our bodies! Do give it a try! Double Boiled Organic Black Bean Soup (Serves 4) Ingredients: 1/2 cup of organic black beans 3 red dates (pitted) 10-12 medium sized dried scallops 200g pork ribs 1 ...

I found a recipe for Basic White Bread on a baker's blog and decided to try it out last night. I have made several white breads in my bread machine before, but was never satisfied with the result. This looked simple enough and worth a try, plus I did not have anything for the 2 boys' breakfast. It was well past midnight when I took the freshly baked loaf out from the machine. Left the loaf to cool overnight, and I headed straight to bed immediately after! This morning, I cut a thick slice of the bread, toasted it and spread peanut butter on top. I love the taste of this bread. It doesn't taste yeasty and it is made with 100% fresh milk, full of calcium and free of preservatives! This recipe is a keeper! Goodbye, Gardenia bread! Please find the recipe here, complete with step by step pictorial instructions :  Basic White Bread Some additional tips of my own: Warm fresh milk and butter in the microwave (Heat at medium power for 1 minute). Warming the...