Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My mommy is here to visit for a few months and she has been busy in the kitchen! It just so happens that she can bake (while I am absolutely hopeless) which works out perfectly because I am forever having strong pregnant cravings for buttery and sugary baked goods. I was so stoked when she baked these cookies... I swear they are the best Oatmeal Raisin cookies I've tasted and they are soft and chewy which is such a bonus. Needless to say, the whole batch was completely gone in a couple of days.

Recipe to follow...

Sundried tomato and spinach bowtie salad

This one is probably one of my fave pasta salads and it's super easy to make. I hate heavy sauces on my salads and pastas (much to my disappointment, my hubby has the complete opposite view). So I love salads that are light but has a mixture of great flavours. Strangely enough, I actually tasted this salad in a western cafe in Singapore. I really enjoyed it and luckily had a pen and paper to jot down all the ingredients.

Once again, will definitely get the recipe up shortly!

Bo Luc Lac

I feel so horrible for not having any new postings for such a long time!! It's not like I haven't cooked, I've just been really busy with my business and have had no time for post anything! So I decided I'll post some pics first even if I don't have time to write down the recipe. At least having the pics up will give me the motivation to follow with the recipe later... i hope!!

This is a very famous Viet dish and one of my faves! I can never make it as tasty as my mother-in-law does but at least it still looks pretty! Recipe to follow...

Orange-Glazed Pork Chops

Pardon this poorly composed photo, it really doesn't do must justice to the taste of the dish. I've found a very quick way to marinade and bake pork chops. The wonderful thing about pork chops is that it is not easy to under or overcook, unlike beef and fish. So bottom line is, it's really quite hard to screw up! ;)

The marinade used was delicious and after the taking the pork chops out of the baking dish, I poured the leftover juices from the dish into a little bowl so we could spoon it over the pork chops.

Ingredients
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 ground ginger
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp water
1/2 cup orange juice (3/4 cup if you like it more "orangey")
2 tbs honey
2 tbs lime juice
3 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 (3/4 inch) thick bone-in pork loin chops

Method
1. In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, ginger, soy sauce and water until smooth. Stir in the orange juice, honey, lime juice, oil and garlic until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir mixture for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Place the pork chops in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Spoon glaze over pork, turn to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until pork juices run clear.

Chicken with Risotto and Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

So I decided not to wait for the hubby to make me risotto again because I could be waiting til my next birthday. And this is a really great recipe that is probably quite similar to his but doesn't use tomatoes. The caramelised onions and balsamic vinegar are a must for adding that unique flavor to the dish.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (this one you should vary depending on how strong you like the taste)
1/2 tsp of white sugar
3 1/2 cups boiling chicken broth (keep in separate pot simmering as you cook)
1 tbs butter
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast (I simply marinaded with salt, pepper, and garlic and then fried in pan)
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups of sliced button mushrooms
100g sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Method
1. heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over low to medium heat. Stir in the onions and saute for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for a further 5 - 10 minutes until onions are a dark golden brown. Remove from heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar and sugar and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Stir in the rice and mix well. Let heat for about 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and start pouring in the simmering broth about 1 cup at a time. Add more broth as each cup is absorbed. Continue in this manner until the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.
3. Stir in the reserved onion mixture and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
Serves 2.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

I just discovered one of my favourite salad dressings... I guess I have a sweet tooth because I love anything with raspberries and sugar, even if it's not a dessert!

I have made this dressing so many times and never bothered to measure the portions of ingredients I mix in... so here's my best guess:

Ingredients
4 parts raspberries, finely crushed (I used frozen raspberries from Coles, just thawed them for 10 minutes)
1/2 to 1 part balsamic vinegar
2 parts extra virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 part white sugar

Method
Just mix it all together and serve over salad, it's really that simple! (The salad shown below was made of baby spinach, shopped nashi pear and apple, avocado and slivered almonds... basically what I happened to have in the fridge!)

Mushroom and Cheddar Beef Burger

I was going to make beef patties from scratch, I swear, but then I saw these lovely ready-shaped and already spiced patties at Coles for the same price as the beef mince, and I just couldn't help myself! They are absolutely yummy too!

If you are making your own patties from scratch, I think the trick is to use beef mince that is not too lean and not too fatty, and to not to make the patties too thick as they do expand when pan-fried. I tried making patties with extra lean beef once and they came out very tasteless; super healthy, but tasteless.

Anyways, with this particular burger, I started by making sauteed mushrooms and red onions and put them aside. I then pan-fried the patties, and then added shredded cheese and sauteed mushrooms on top and put in the oven at 180 degrees celcius for 5 - 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

I then served the patties on soft sesame buns, and had lettuce, tomatoes and sauteed onions on the side to dress the burger.

Served with a side of seasoned wedges.

Chicken Quesadillas

Making quesadillas are funny and easy, and a great way to have Mexican food while avoiding making a total mess like you tend to do with tacos! We quite enjoyed having these last week, unfortunately we only had salsa to eat with it, but next time we will do the works with sour cream and guacamole as well.

Ingredients: 180g skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced into small cubes
3/8 packet fajita seasoning
1-1/4 teaspoons olive oil
3/8 onion, chopped
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
100g baby spinach leaves
240g shredded tasty (cheddar) cheese
1/2 corn kernels, cooked
Other optional toppings: capsicum, bacon bits, mushrooms, monterey jack cheese

Method:
1. Preheat the broiler. Grease a baking sheet.
2. Toss the chicken with the fajita seasoning, then spread onto the baking sheet. Place under the broiler and cook until the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and chicken. Cook and stir until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Brush a thin layer of olive oil on one side of the tortilla. Turn tortilla over.
6. Layer half of each tortilla with the chicken and onion mixture, then top with baby spinach, corn kernels and tasty cheese. Fold the tortillas in half and place onto a baking sheet.
7. Bake quesadillas in the preheated oven until the cheeses have melted, about 10 minutes.

Chicken & Sun-dried Tomato Risotto - secret recipe (for now!)

Hmmmmmmm look at this! One of my favourite dishes, made by my cutie hubby for my birthday. I have been waiting for him to make me this dish for a really long time. I tried to get the recipe off him so I could post it on my blog, but he refused... not sure whether (a) he wants to keep it a mystery; or (b) he actually has no idea how much of any of the ingredients he uses; or (c) he's just too lazy. Probably a combination of all the above I reckon!

Anyway, one day I will spy on him in the kitchen and put together the recipe for this blog! But for now, all I know is that he uses arborio rice, chicken broth, chicken breast, mushrooms, canned diced tomatoes (lots!), tomato paste and tasty cheese.

Well, as long as he continues to make this for me, maybe I don't really need to discover the recipe so soon.... :)

Hell's Kitchen on Tuesdays 9.30pm!

Alright, fine. So this is no recipe, but I have to rave about the new season of Hell's Kitchen that is showing on Channel 7 on Tuesday nights. (I am sure it is considered an old season in most other countries, but TV shows are REALLY slow to air down under).

People either love or hate Gordan Ramsay. I'm not sure whether I should be embarrassed to admit that I really do love him. He is such a jerk sometimes but just so incredibly funny and entertaining! And at the end of the day, he makes amazing food and he respects people that are good chefs. Just some of the outrageous things he managed to do last night:

- call a contestant a mop head repeatedly

- told a contestant he needs to lose weight
- made all the contestants take the previous night's garbage out of the dumpster and sort them by hand
- told a customer he was working with a kitchen full of muppets
- asked a contestant why he didn't just become a hairdresser because he had no skills in the kitchen
- vetoed the elimination nomination process he created himself, and picked his own choice to kick off the show

If you haven't watched the show before, you have to try it and tell me what you think!

Ramsey is scheduled to come to Sydney in July, and of course, charging an arm and a leg to see him at the food and wine show. No doubt the tickets will sell like hotcakes.

Breakfast Parfait

Another Donna Hay recipe I found online. I enjoyed her spaghetti bolognese recipe so I figured I'd give another one a go. This is basically homemade raspberry yogurt with muesli. It's lovely because it doesn't taste annoying sweet like the store bought yogurts out there, yet tasty, textured and full of healthy ingredients. I'm thinking this would also be good with a muffin on the side.

Ingredients
1⅔ cups (250g) frozen raspberries
500g thick natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon icing (confectioner's) sugar
1 cup (130g) toasted muesli (I used rolled oats in mind because I didn't have any muesli)
⅓ cup (80ml) honey
frozen raspberries, extra, to serve

Method
Lightly crush the raspberries with a fork, fold through the yoghurt and icing sugar. Divide the muesli between 4 glasses. Top each with 1 tablespoon of honey. To serve, spoon over the yoghurt mixture, top with the extra raspberries and spoon over remaining honey.
Serves 4.

Grilled Lamb with Lebanese salad and tzatziki

By far the yummiest thing I have made to date!! Love this recipe... my hubby and I used to travel an hour west to have good Lebanese food, and after I made this dish, my hubby is so happy that he doesn't see a need for us to travel out again. The lamb is so juicy and goes perfectly with the tzatziki and Lebanese salad.

Ingredients - tzatziki
1 large Lebanese cucumber, coarsely grated and squeezed to remove juice
1 cup thick natural Greek-style yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbs lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper

Ingredients - lamb and lamb marinade
8-12 French or trimmed lamb cutlets
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
salt and ground black pepper

Ingredients - sides
Salad: 4 tomatoes thinly sliced and 2 red onions, very thinly sliced
Salad dressing: 2tbs lemon juice, 1 tbs olive oil, 1/2 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp mint, and salt & pepper to taste
grilled Lebanese/pita bread or Turkish bread
lemon wedges, to serve

Method
1. To make tzatziki, place cucumber, yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve. Season tzatziki with salt to taste just before serving.
2. Combine oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in a large shallow dish. Brush lamb cutlets with cumin mixture. Place cutlets in a shallow ceramic dish, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer if time permits).
3. To make the dressing to be poured over the side salad, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, coriander, mint, salt & pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Place lamb cutlets in a preheated 180 degrees celcius oven and bake for 15 minutes each side. When I took the lamb cutlets out of the oven, I also seared the surfaces of the lamb cutlets in a hot oiled pan to get the nice grilled look and taste.
4. Arrange lamb cutlets on serving plates. Arrange sliced tomatoes and red onions on plates and drizzle dressing on top. Serve with tzatziki, lemon wedges and grilled Lebanese/pita bread or Turkish bread.
Serves 4.

Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette

My friend Trisha asked me to post my recipe for the lemon vinaigrette used for my salad in the March 24 entry, so here it is! What I want to emphasise is that I think salad dressings are very personal. Some people like it more tangy, some like it sweeter, and some like a fairly neutral taste. So the portions below are just a guide. Feel free to modify the portions to your liking!

Sorry I do not have a photo of this one, but I will try to upload it the next time I make the dressing!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1/2 clove garlic, minced (optional)

Method
1. Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, making certain the sugar is dissolved.
2. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Shake or stir just before serving.
Serves 2.

Favorite Sauces & Seasoning

I am officially on a holiday from cooking for 2 weeks. My hubby is away on business and for some reason, cooking just isn't so much fun for 1 as it is when you're cooking for 2. So instead of a new dish, I thought I would share some of my fave sauces and seasonings that I use in my cooking.

I'm always curious to know what others use but too embarrassed to poke around in their kitchen! As you can see from my dishes, I like to cook simple meals using simple ingredients, and the sauces and seasonings are no exception. I don't think you need to get all these fancy schmancy sauces to make your food taste great. Just a little love will do :)

So below are some faves that I use in a lot of my cooking:



From the top, left to right:

Product: Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce
What I use it for: Asian cooking and marinades
Why I love it: Great all round soy sauce, tastes great, and fantastic value for money (I bought this large bottle at Flemington for only $1.80!)

Product: Moro Extra Light Olive Oil
What I use it for: Everything!
Why I love it: Good for general cooking, great value for money, and produced and packed in Spain

Product: Berri Lemon & Lime Squeeze
What I use it for: Marinades, salad dressings, pasta sauces
Why I love it: I try to use juice from fresh lemon and lime where possible, but these taste no different and last a lot longer when kept in the fridge.

Product: Leggo's Tomato Paste
What I use it for: Pasta sauce, pizza sauce, risotto
Why I love it: This is the only tomato paste I ever use. It is great quality and such an essential part of many Italian dishes I make.

Product: Praise Extra Virgin Olive Oil French Vinaigrette
What I use it for: salads
Why I love it: I like light tasting salad dressings (so that I can still taste the veggies!) I was so happy to discover this one. Everything else I have used before is usually too heavy or too tangy for my taste.

Product: Always Fresh Sundried Tomatoes in Canola Oil
What I use it for: risotto, pasta, salads
Why I love it: True to its brand name, it is always fresh!! Kept in a jar and can last in the fridge for a long time. If I ever want a little kick in my dish, I just reach for the jar!

Product: Masterfoods Smokey BBQ Marinade
What I use it for: ribs and chicken wings
Why I love it: When I don't have time to make my own marinade, I always go with this marinade. Sometimes it tastes even better than the marinades I make! Great with most meats.

Product: Dried herbs & spices from Molly MacKenzie Food Products
What I use it for: many different dishes, depending on which herb or spice
Why I love it: Ever tired of having to throw away half a container of dried herbs because the expiry date has passed? It happens to me all the time! What I like about this product, compared to other brands like McCormick's, is they seem to last whole lot longer. It's probably a little more expensive, but it's worth it because you don't waste half of it. For example, I bought these ones in early 2008 and they last until 2011 or 2012!

Classic Spaghetti Bolognese

I am a sucker for a good bowl of traditional spaghetti bolognese. When I used to work in an office, I'd always come home late and tired, and the only type of pasta I managed to cook up would involve warming up a jar of ready-made pasta sauce. Don't get me wrong, there are some decent ready-made sauce on the market, but nothing beats pasta sauce that is homemade with fresh ingredients and lots of love! I got this recipe from Donna Hay, and it does take over an hour to make the sauce, but if you have the time, the final result is well worth it.

I also tossed together a simple salad out of whatever veggies were available in the fridge. I think this one consisted of lebanese cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots and avocado. So simple yet always a great all-round side dish. It will pretty much go with any of your favourite dressings.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1kg beef mince
⅓ cup (90g) tomato paste
2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
1 bay leaf (I didn't have any, but the pasta still tasted great)
sea salt and cracked black pepper
400g spaghetti
flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve

shaved parmesan, to serve

Method:
1. Heat a large deep frying pan over high heat. Add the oil, onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute or until the onion is soft.
2. Add the mince and cook for 5 minutes, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring to combine. Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until thickened.
4. Place the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and keep warm. Divide between bowls and top with the Bolognese, parsley and parmesan.
Serves 4.

Rosemary Chicken with Orange-Maple Glaze

I just came across one of the best chicken breast recipes ever, YAY!!! Just the name of the dish itself sounds delicious. This was a huge hit with the hubby for sure. As I was cooking, the smell of the orange-maple glaze flowed through the apartment and my hubby kept coming into the kitchen and checking out my progress! The chicken breast was tender and just perfect with the orange-maple glaze.

I put together a quick salad to go with the dish, consisting of baby spinach, walnuts and sliced nashi pears, topped with a homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing. Apparently, some cubes of blue cheese will finish the salad off nicely, however we prego women are not allowed to eat those!















Ingredients
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup dry white wine (but the dish still tastes good without)
1/4 cup maple syrup or maple-favoured syrup
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method
1. Bring orange juice and wine to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat slightly, but keep high enough to continue a low boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in maple syrup and continue boiling for another 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until glossy and just slightly thickened. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl mix together the rosemary, salt and pepper. Rub mixture on both sides of chicken breasts, and set aside.
3. Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts, cover skillet and saute for about 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Pour orange-maple mixture over chicken (mixture will boil and bubble). Reduce heat to simmer; cover and let cook for another 10 minutes, basting occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has turned into a rich, thick glaze.

Potato Salad

I love carbs and I love potatoes. So it follows naturally that I get cravings for a nice potato salad once in a while. I don't like my potato salads fancy... just a chunky, creamy salad with bacon and egg will do just fine. I think you'll like this one too!

Ingredients
4 medium sized potatoes
2 eggs
5 ounces bacon
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
3. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
4. Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on. Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, onion and celery. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for an hour before serving.

Baked Barramundi Fillets

I am probably one of the last people on earth that would freely choose to eat fish over other meats... I'm just not a big fan at all... but I've had to give fish a try ever since discovering that the omega 3 is pretty important for my bud whose been growing inside my tummy. Plus, it's Lent season and we've been trying to do Fish Fridays.

So I tried this simple fish recipe, and have to admit that it worked for me and I'll probably do it again in the future, even after my buddy leaves my tummy!

Ingredients
1 clove garlic, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 (6 ounce) fillets barramundi (or other white fish like halibut are also great)

Method
1. In a stainless steel or glass bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and parsley.
2. Place the fish fillets in a shallow glass dish or a resealable plastic bag, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover or seal and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
3. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees celcius.
4. Place fish fillets in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until fish is done when easily flaked with a fork.

Makes 2 servings

Homemade Pizza Party

We made pizzas today and they just turned out brilliant. This was the first time that I made my own pizza sauce and I tell you, once you go homemade you can never go back to store bought pizza sauce! The toppings just worked so well with the pizza sauce and the thin pita crust... and it all looked so pretty too!

Ingredients - Pizza Sauce (makes 4 servings)
3 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of diced Italian tomatoes
1 1/2 tbs dried oregano

Ingrediants - Crust and toppings
The amount of crust and toppings you buy really depend on how many people you are serving and how much they like to load on those toppings (if you have more males you can never go wrong with lots of meat!)
For the crust I used 8-10 inch thin and round pita bread
For toppings I used:
salami pepperoni
hungarian salami
sliced bacon
canned pineapple bits
sliced button mushrooms
sliced cherry tomatoes
shredded mozzerella and tasty (cheddar) cheese

Method
1. Preheat a saucepan over a medium high heat then add the olive oil and onion. Sauté until the onions soften and begin to turn golden, and then add the garlic. If you add the garlic with the onion, it will burn in the time it takes the onions to begin browning. Continue to sauté for a few more minutes, being careful not to scorch the garlic.
2. Add the tomato paste and canned tomatoes and stir well, crushing them with the back of the spoon. Add oregano, while continuing to stir then bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes, until thickened. If you like, puree in the food processor until smooth.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Place each piece of pita crust on a sheet of aluminum foil.
4. Ladle some pizza sauce into the middle of the crust and spread the sauce evenly over the surface of the pita, leaving "unsauced" about 3/4" to 1" of the crust. This will allow the edge of the crust to rise a little and crisp more quickly. Remember how thin the crust is, so a thin layer of sauce will do.
5. Layer some shredded cheese over the sauce.
6. Place your favourite toppings on the pizza and finish off with another layer of shredded cheese.
7. Place the pizza and aluminum foil on a cooking sheet and bake in the oven for 8 miinutes or until the edge of the crust is crispy.

Spring Spinach Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

I'm not sure why I call this the Spring Spinach Salad. Maybe it's the alliteration, or maybe the dish just looks like the colourful springtime with all the fruity bits! It's a great looking (and tasting!) salad that is super easy to make. The Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing complements the salad well by giving it a sweet and tangy taste (sorry I forgot to take photo of the dressing but I'm sure you can imagine!)

Ingredients - salad
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds

Ingredients - dressing
2 tbs balsamic vinegar (a little less if you want it less tangy)
1 tbs honey
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Toss salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, put dressing ingredients together and mix well. Pour over salad and serve!

Makes 3 servings.

Bacon and Mushroom Linguini

First of all, a tribute to my lovely friend Li Yin and her sister Ai, they have a cooking blog (http://www.sowhatscooking.blogspot.com) that inspired me to ultimately create my own, so of course I'm going to feature one of their recipes right off their blog (thanks ladies)! I can't emphasize how simple this dish is to make and yet how much it pleases. I don't have kids yet, so at the moment the quality of my dishes is based on my hubby's response (a very complex algorithm).

Simply put:
Quality Quotient = Speed at which hubby eats x Volume that hubby eats x Decibels of his slurping

Or something like that! But it is a very very reliable formula! Anyway, this dish scored very high in Quality. I made 4 servings so that we would have some left-overs, and he ended up eating 3 servings!

Ingredients
320g linguini
1/2 Tbsp olive oil or cooking oil spray
200g rindless short-cut bacon, chopped
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200g button mushrooms, sliced
375ml can light & creamy evaporated milk
1/2 cup shredded parmesan or light tasty cheese
1/3 cup shredded fresh basil

Method
1. Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until its al dente or just follow the instruction on the packet. Drain and return to the pan.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan over moderate heat. Add oil or spray bacon with oil. Cook bacon and onion for 3 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms; cook for another 3-4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Reduce heat.
3. Add milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in cheese and basil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add sauce to pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.