Recipe: Hawaiian Tortilla Pizzas

If you have some tortilla skins lying around in your larder, why not step away from the boring wraps and create a homemade pizza that you could call it your own? I mean, there are probably a thousand and one of ingredient combinations you could incorporate, from pineapples to olives, bell pepper cubes to minced beef, and you could even utilise the leftover ham from yesterday's party. Now, how convenient is that. Without further ado, here's one classic (and safe) Hawaiian version you could start with:

Enjoy!

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Difficulty: Easy

Yields 2 tortilla pizzas

Ingredients

2 whole wheat tortilla
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup shredded mozarella
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
pineapple chunks
capsicum, chopped into cubes

Optional Ingredients: Onion, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, olives, pepperoni, ham, etc.

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Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Using the back of a spoon, spread the marinara sauce evenly on the wheat tortilla.

3. Sprinkle the shredded cheeses on top.

4. Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients over the cheese layer.

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how crispy you want, or until crust turns golden-brown.

Din Tai Fung @ Junction 8, Singapore

Ranked as one of the world's 'Top Ten Best Restaurants' by The New York Times, Michelin-starred Din Tai Fung is the one place to head for authentic Taiwanese xiao long baos (steamed pork dumplings). Its roots dated back to Taiwan 40 years ago, when Bingyi Yang stopped selling oil and switched to making xiao long baos for a living. Businesses grew quickly with customers boasting about its exceptional quality and taste. Today, Din Tai Fung has became a widely acclaimed, international brand, offering customers distinctive culinary and service culture.

It was the 60th birthday of girlfriend's father and I thought, what's better than to celebrate over a table of signature dim-sum. As expected, getting a table on Friday evenings is pretty difficult and they do not bother with reservations under 8 persons. However, orders could be placed beforehand to minimise waiting, so food arrived even before we warmed our seats.

Baba Charlie Nyonya Cake, Melaka

In the straits of Malacca, there is a saying: "think of Nyonya cakes, think of Baba Charlie". Little did I know what was Baba Charlie prior to this tour visit, and little did I expect that such a treasure was hidden in a quiet alley along Lorong Tengkera Pantai 2C.

Established on 1988, Baba Charlie (now 3rd gen) was a door-to-door business which sold nyonya popiah and less than five types of nyonya cakes. Businesses grew and soon, Baba Charlie has made its name in the night markets (pasar malam). It was not long before it became a household name, catering their traditional delicacies to major hotels, restaurants, private functions and parties.

Jones the Grocer @ ION Orchard, Singapore

Lauching its first outlet in 1996, Jones the Grocer not only set the benchmark for premium Australia gourmet food, the iconic store also hosted Sydney's first and largest walk-in cheese room, serving a wide array of breakfast and brunch items, as well as atas gourmet food and desserts. Unlike other cafe or restaurants, Jones the Grocer serves breakfast daily (8.30am -12pm) with additional brunch hours (12pm - 3pm) on weekends. I am a brunch person, but getting to Orchard before 3pm seems like a tall order for either myself and my partner, as we both love to sleep-in late on weekends. Hence, dinner, it shall be.

The outlet that we patronised for our third year anniversary was nestled at the high floors of ION Orchard. As expected of a gourmet food store, Jones the Grocer has a lovely, elegant ambience with lighted candles and lovely wood furnitures, completed by a cold shelf of assorted drinks, such as fruit juice and wine, and dozens of cheese varieties. 

EwF by Everything With Fries @ Orchard Central, Singapore

Established by the owners of Awfully Chocolate, EwF is slightly different from its origins, or rather a spin-off from the main branches of Everything with Fries. Nestled at the ground floor of Orchard Central, EwF is a conceptualised fast-food outlet decorated with the simple elegance of pink and white furnitures. As I was saying, EwF is a fast-food outlet, like MacDonalds or MOS Burger, hence it is all free sitting. Having said that, EwF is usually packed especially during meal times, so do expect hungry people waiting to occupy your table when you are more than halfway done.

The thing I like about Everything with Fries (as well as EwF) is that they make their food and sauces from scratch, using only the freshest ingredients. Besides their burger classics (S$6.90 - S$7.90), such as Battered Fish Burger and Slider, EwF also serves unique creations such as my personal favourite Har Jeong Kai, which is whole boneless chicken thigh marinated with Cantonese prawn paste, as well as the newest addition of Pork Belly Burger.

Recipe: Potato Salad

Outdoor activities, barbeque and children's party - potato salad is just perfect for every occasion. The reason is obvious: delectable, creamy potato salad made using the most common ingredients with the littlest effort. For me, I love using the classic russet potatoes, but again, potatoes, or rather cooking is always personal - you can always add in your favourite ingredients and call it your own. Now, what's better than that?