Thanks to everyone for your heartfelt sweet words and kind concerns about my troubling right elbow. I promise more yummy posts to reward you after my full recovery. But meanwhile, I shouldn’t keep you waiting with an empty stomach, right? So, what’s up for lunch? I got some rather “sinful” fries ready for you today. Wanna try?

Potato is always kids’ “best friend” and among adults as well. It’s also one of the first few recommended baby foods during the early stage of weaning. So don’t be surprised if babies know how to utter “potato” first before “papa” or “mama”. Hahaha! Just kidding! 
Potato is so versatile in cooking that you can surely find a potato dish to placate your palate without much problem, even the pickiest eater. That’s the magic of potato! Although potato ia full of carbohydrates and calories, it is not totally bad for health. It does have plenty of healthy benefits if you opt for a healthy cooking option and eat it in moderation.

I have been experimenting oven baked potatoes using various recipes. It turned out that this featured recipe was given the highest rating by my two “bosses”. The original recipe has been modified to suit my family’s liking, like I didn’t add in minced garlic to toss and excluded the usage of cornstarch. This was because burnt garlic during baking gave the potato a bitter taste, while cornstarch a floury taste.

These seasoned fries are so flavourful! The garlic smell is not too overpowering (even with garlic infused oil and garlic powder) and blends so well with mild paprika powder and fresh ground black pepper. Leaving the potato skin intact gives these fries a crispy outer layer while the interior remains soft when done. When I first handed a piece to my son to try out , I was a bit worried that he would reject it as he generally dislikes food spiced with black pepper. Besides that, it’s my first attempt to include paprika in my cooking. Surprisingly, he gobbled it up immediately and kept requesting for more as the temptation for these “golden babies” was just too irresistible! (In actual fact, I ate more as I was addicted to these fries too! LOL!)

I love making these oven baked fries as I hate seeing oil splattering in my kitchen. Apart from that, they are incredibly easy to make! Don’t expect these baked fries to be a 100% substitute for the real French fries. But it’s definitely a healthier choice for those potato lovers who want to avoid deep-frying fries.

If you have to deal with picky eater who is a fan of potato, then you got to make this little treat once in a while to let him/her have a good impression about you, and from thereon slowly gain his/her acceptance to any new healthy food you want to introduce in future. This trick always works for me! Why not give it a try!

>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for OVEN BAKED FRIES RECIPE…………………………….

**This recipe was featured on Yummly - Guilt-free versions of your favourite junk foods on 3 February 2012.

Lately I have tried out many recipes from Annabel Karmel^N1 Family Cookbook magazines (spring and summer editions) in my cooking. I love its wide selection of kid-friendly recipes which are both simple to follow and wholesome. Also, the required ingredients and seasonings are quite basic and easily found in the supermarkets. Besides that, the recipes include many fun and healthy ideas suitable for all ages from babies to adults. From the photos, they look very appetizing!! So far, her recipes haven’t disappointed me. The dishes turned out to be very tasty. More importantly, my family loves them. This led me to bookmark more and more recipes from these two magazines.

If you are interested in Annabel Karmel’s homemade recipes, you can find a number of them in my previous posts such as teriyaki salmon in a parcel, caramel popcorn and power-packed oat bars. Or, you can visit her official website.

N1 Annabel Karmel is an author of books on nutrition and cooking for babies, children and families.

This chicken pie with cheesy mash topping is one recipe from Annabel Karmel Family Cookbook magazine that I tried and found to be Awfully Delicious! My husband thinks that it will be even better if it is served with some gravy to compliment the mashed potatoes which can get a bit dry without it.

I had modified some ingredients and steps in this recipe for the convenience of parents or caregivers who seldom cook Western food. For ingredients, I had substituted leek with celery and opted for dried parsley instead of fresh parsley. Of course, you are free to follow the original recipe if you can find leek and fresh parsley. I find that these substitutions have not affected much the taste of the final dish. As for cooking the chicken breast, I used the boiling method instead of the oven to poach it. This method will suit those who are lazy to use oven (just like me, hehehe!). I included both the original and modified recipes for your reference.

There is only one reservation I have on this recipe. It’s not really a wholesome dish for your toddlers as it uses lots of high calories ingredients such as cheese, butter and milk. But if it is just eaten moderately on an occasional basis, then it will certainly be a great one-dish meal for your family. I’m sure it will put smiles on your toddlers especially your fussy eaters when they see this comforting dish on the dinner table. For those who are bored with Asian food, try this one out for a change!

>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Chicken Pie with Cheesy Mash Topping recipe and more photos…………….

My guest and I got acquainted through a parenting forum 4 years ago. Like me, she also has a son of the same age. We share many common interests and chat online almost everyday with our never-ending topics. It was through her encouragement that I got started on blogging. She is my personal advisor in cooking, baking, and a handy solver for my problems with Adobe Photoshop and highly complicated html code. Though I find her a bit shy, she is definitely a very friendly and generous person. I feel very lucky to have a good friend like her. She has a food blog too. She cooks very well and takes excellent shots even with her point-and-shoot camera.

Do you have any hint who is this mystery woman I’m talking about? She is none other than Ms Alice of Bits of Taste. I am excited and honoured that she is willing to step into my humble kitchen and be my guest. Let’s give her a very BIG and WARM welcome, and enjoy the special dish she had prepared to share with us.

Today, it is an honour for me to be invited by my good friend, LK from FOOD-4TOTS as her guest post. LK places great importance on giving her son and family healthy homecooked food. I am amazed with her ability to explore and experiment with a variety of healthy and delicious toddler’s food. Her recipes come with useful tips and easy to follow steps that even a novice can follow. Her dedication and determination has since inspired me to follow her footsteps.

Last but not least, her blog comes with stunning food photography that makes you drooling. Just can’t keep my eyes staring at those beautiful shots at times.

It took me a while to think of something healthy yet suitable for toddlers to post on her blog. It is indeed a big challenge though. Fish spinach patties came to my mind one weekend when I was about to cook lunch for my son. I love the idea of using fish, vegetables and potato in making patties as a wholesome recipe for toddlers/kids. It’s full of carbohydrate, protein, fibre, vitamins & minerals that a growing child requires. This is also an effective way to coax kids who dislike vegetables to have greens in their diet. Happy trying!

>>>> Click on PAGE 2 for fish spinach patties recipe………………………

Mashed potato is my hubby’s all-time favourite since he was a child. Now it has become my son’s favourite too! I love to use the sweetcorns from this soup to mix with my mashed potatoes because they are extremely juicy and delicious after absorbing all the nice flavours from the soup.

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
2-3 tbsp butter (melted)
Fresh milk
½ corn-on-the-cob
Spring onions (chopped)

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper

Methods:
1. Use a potato masher, wooden spoon or fork to mash the potatoes.
2. Add butter and seasonings.
3. For a fluffier mash, add hot milk in a slow steady stream and keep stirring. Stop when you have reached the consistency you desire.
4. Sprinkle some spring onions for garnishing.

Note:
Instead of using the potatoes from the soup, you can cook your own potatoes. Place potatoes (with skin) in a pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil and allow to cook for 15 mins or until it is fully cooked and soft. You can test it by using a fork to pierce into it.

If you are in a rush and need to cook 1 dish-meal cum soup, then this soup is the perfect choice! It is not only as easy as ABC but also a wholesome soup for the family. All of the ingredients (except for the fish bones) are edible. You can serve it with rice or pasta. Hence it is considered a “ZERO wastage” soup. Guess what have I done to the sweetcorns and potatoes in the soup? I had created another dish. The answer is here!

Ingredients:
380g salmon fish bones (you can substitute with lean pork or chicken bones) – blanch over boiling water, put into a soup bag
2 large potatoes (about 300-400g) – cut into 4 for each potato
2 carrots (about 200g) – cut into chunks
1 large sweetcorn (about 360g) – cut into chunks
3 tomatoes (about 300g) – sliced
1 stalk celery (about 100g) – cut into chunks
1 white onion
2 bay leaves
1500ml water

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste

Servings: 9-10 persons

Methods:
1. Bring water to boil. Add in fish bones, onions, sweetcorns and bay leaves. When the soup re-boils, turn the heat to lower and simmer for 2 hours.
2. After half an hour, add in potatoes, carrots, celery.
3. 5 mins before turning off the heat, add in tomatoes.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Other similar recipes:
- corn chowder
- corn soup
- Italian pasta soup

Ingredients:
½ onion (chopped)
50g chicken breast meat (cut into small chunk; marinated with light soya sauce, sugar and corn flour)
3-4 cherry tomatoes (cut into half)
1 can of baked beans (125g)
1 potato (cut into cubes)

Seasonings:
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
Dash of salt and sugar
Water

Methods:
1. Heat up wok with oil. Stir fry chicken lightly. Dish up and set aside.
2. Sautee onion until transparent.
3. Add in potatoes and water. Cover with lid and cook for a while.
4. Open lid and add in tomatoes, baked beans and seasonings. Mix well, cover with lid and cook with medium heat for a while.
5. Add in chicken and mix well. Serve.