Happy Mother’s day to all mothers out there. Amidst going through the same motion of cleaning, cooking, washing, marketing blah blah blah, you are blessed because children are a gift from God. I do admit, some children are easier to handle than others but God knows each and every one of our strength. My children are a visual reminder of God’s faithfulness in my life and I believe yours are too. God bless you all!

I have not been diligently making pancakes for breakfast, but of late, my children were craving for some, especially my daughter. Lazy breakfast mornings are a hit during school holidays, so we whipped up some lovely milky ones for a cool rainy morning.

You may add dried fruits, chopped nuts, muesli or herbs into the pancakes if you like.

This is a pungent mixture of anchovies, garlic and black olives. Best eaten with toasted baguette or french loaf. There is no cooking involved, just some grinding in the mortar and pestle. Reminds me of sambal belacan really! except this is French and the latter is Malaysian.

I love eating home-made stuffs especially when I don’t have to make them myself, but I guess this is only wishful thinking. If I eat this for breakfast in a cafe, I wonder how much it will cost me. As you can see later in the recipe, the cost for making this breakfast is pretty much very affordable.

Mom will always make this scrumptious breakfast on the 2nd morning of Chinese New Year and names it “Hoy Lin Choe Chan” in Cantonese. An array of waxed meat from duck to livers and even oyster waxed meat is served together with a good quality chinese tea and fluffy white rice. I usually skip my morning cuppa coffee on this day.

When morning came, leftovers were assembled into canapes using slices of french toasts spread with pure butter, garnished with some leaves from yesterdays’ greens. Top off with thin slices of leftover sirloin beef drizzled with steak gravy.

French toast has been a favourite in my home for as long as I can recall. If I have slices of thick lovely bread, when I dip into the egg batter and pan fry it to perfection and coats it with sugar, just makes my day.

Yam Cake, a popular local savoury kuih ‘snack’ made from cubed yam steamed with rice flour is a favourite in many local homes. The truth is, it is so popular that you can get it just almost anywhere from a little stall on a busy street to a cafe in an elegant shopping mall. Moreover, it can be eaten as breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or even supper.

Ever got addicted to corns? I just did. Saw these little delectable babies in a grocery store last week and thought I give them a try since they look so beautiful with their plum kernels of white and yellow bursting out at me. Even their silky threads were almost silver in color and glowing in the light.

This homemade kaya earned its name ‘Beluga Kaya’ because of its tiny round texture which looks a little like caviar compared to its counterpart which is creamy and silky. Many people I know prefer this kaya mainly because this kind of texture is more or less equivalent to ‘homemade’ and most importantly NO PRESERVATIVES! I admit I am not a kaya fanatic but my hubby can never resist a good bread, butter and kaya snack anytime, anywhere.