No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

This is a delicious, moist, old-fashioned butter cake full of almondy flavour.  It looks pretty with the almond flaky top, certainly a crowd pleaser.   This cake is best consumed on the day it's freshly baked because of the crunchy nutty top but leftovers can still be kept chilled and reheated before serving. Almond Butter Cake ~ 杏仁牛油蛋糕    (adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients 250 gm butter 100 gm caster sugar 4 eggs 150 gm self-raising flour 75 gm plain flour 90 gm almond meal Almond flakes to garnish Method Sift self-raising flour and plain flour together.  Set aside. Beat butter and sugar till light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mix well. Add in the flour, mix well, followed by the almond meal.   Mix till  just combined. Scoop batter into a lined 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle almond flakes on top. Bake @ 170 deg.C for  40 to 45 mins.  Test with a skewer till it comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 15 mins. before unmouldi

The ruins of Dunnottar Castle at Stonehaven is perched on a gigantic rocky outcrop with sheer cliffs of 160 ft high.  It is one of the most beautiful medieval fortress in Britain and the site of some of the most fascinating and dramatical historial events in British history.   Sometimes the castle may be closed due to high winds in the castle. We also visited Trump International Golf Links located at Balmedie in Aberdeen which was opened in 2012.

A refreshing salad for a hot day ~ consisting of  a stir-fry chicken from the pan,  paired with freshly blanched rice vermicelli, julienned carrots, lettuce and topped with roasted peanuts.  Rounded up with a lime and chilli dipping sauce.  This makes a satisfying main-course salad or even a wholesome meal on its own, fuss-free! Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Salad   ~  越南米粉沙拉 Ingredients 200 gm dried Vietnamese rice vermicelli 200 gm chicken breast, seasoned with some salt, light and dark soya and sugar 1 small carrot, julienned 3 limes, chilli padi, romaine lettuce, roasted peanuts Sauce Mix 4 Tbsp lime juice with 2 Tbsp sugar and 2 Tbsp fish sauce or to taste. Method Season the chicken breast and pan-fry till cooked with some sauce.  Let cool and cut into slices. Soak the rice vermicelli till slightly tender. Boil a pot of water and toss in the vermicelli, stir and drain when noodles are al dente, cool uncer running water.  Fluff and leave in straine

St. Andrews (Old course) in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland overlooking the North Sea is a world renowned golf course for avid golfers and is the largest public golf course in Europe. The ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral,  Scotland's largest and most magnificient medieval church.  It is a prominent landmark highly visible from the sea. We stopped by for lunch in this cafe and for the first time, I tasted savoury waffles.  More often than not, waffles are served with honey, maple syrup or jam but I must admit that savoury ones are truly very delicious. Home made soup served with a warm savoury waffle and salted butter ~ 4.95 pounds Smoked streaky bacon with lashings of maple syrup ~  5.95 pounds Pan-fried steak & caramelised onions, topped with rocket and watercress, dressed with a whole grain mustard sauce, served with fries  ~  9.95 pounds Home made chilli con carne, served with tortillas, cheddar, guacamole,  creme fraiche & sals

These old fashioned Chinese baked sponge cakes bring back fond memories of my childhood of  yesteryears.  They taste somewhat like the CNY Kuih Bahulu and I remember snacking on them when I was little.  I've tried making this twice, googled and tweaked the recipe from here and there but the cakes turned out chewy instead of soft and moist.  I was about to raise the white flag when I told myself that I might be third time lucky and thankfully I managed to get what I wanted on my third attempt.  So perserverence does pay! The recipe may look easy but the beating of the eggs to 'ribbon' stage and the folding/whisking of the flour into the egg mixture can be tricky ...... that's why I had to try thrice before I could achieve what I wanted.  I kept two cakes in a container and they were even softer the next day.... Yum is the word! Traditional Chinese baked sponge cake ~ 烤鸡蛋糕 Ingredients  2 eggs  (65g to 70 gm with shell) 60 gm plain flour 1/2 tsp

Guinness Storehouse is Ireland's No. 1 visitor attraction and a 'must see' should one ever visit Dublin.  More than a million people a year visit the home of Guinness.   Also known as 'Black Stuff', 'Black Custard' and 'Irish Champagne', Guinness was born in the 18th century when water from the River Liffey, Ireland's river which flows through the centre of Dublin was too polluted to drink.  Guinness stout is made from water, barley, roast malt extract, hops and brewer's yeast. Guinness Brewery i s located at St. James's Gate and housed in an old fermentation plant and the story of the black stuff began 250 years ago. We bought tickets for the 7-storey self-guided tour of the Guinness Storehouse to learn all about the world renowned Guinness Stout.  The tour ended with a complimentary pint of Guinness or a soft drink at the Gravity Bar.  When you arrive at the Gravity Bar, whichever way you turn, you will enjoy a breathta

My blog has been left idle for quite a while as I took time off for a short vacation to Dublin, Ireland and a short stop over in Aberdeen, Scotland.   So, for a change, I'd like to share with you some pictures of my recent trip and food tasted along the way.  The first stopover is ~ Dublin. Bell Tower of Trinity College built in 1842 Trinity College Dublin is internationally recognised as Ireland's premier university and is one of the world's leading research-intensive universities.  Founded in 1592 it is the oldest university in Ireland and one of the older universities in Western Europe. The Library in Trinity College is the largest single chamber library in the world.  The 65 metre long main chamber of the Old Libary, the Long Room was built between 1712 and 1732 and houses 200,000 of the Library's oldest books. When built, it had a flat plaster ceiling, with shelves for books on the lower level only, and an open gallery.  By the 1850's these sh