5 Breakfast Ideas Any Beginners Can DO! (Recipes included)

Most of us have fantasize your partner serving you breakfast in bed, as the aroma of toast and freshly grounded coffee filled up the room. There are only two scenarios. You are the one lying in bed, OR you are the one waking up earlier to make the breakfast. Morons can infer you're the latter (like yours truly) since you're looking at this post.

During the weekends, when I get to work from home, I tend to wake up earlier to whip up a simple breakfast for my family. No breakfast in bed after you have kids by the way, so we had everything proper on the dining table. To save any hassle, most of my recipes here will need less than 20 to 30 minutes of cooking and prep time. Combined. So you can get your beauty sleep as well.

Without further ado, I present to you my easy breakfast ideas that even any noob chefs can make. All this have a pretty high success rate since, you're either using the oven or waffle/pancake machine. If you do not have these equipment, not to worry, most of them can be cooked over the stove as well. If you're one of the noob chefs,  please make sure you have fire insurance beforehand.

Notes:

1. I got to emphasize that all ingredients are flexible. You just pop open your fridge and see what's there to use. As with every recipe, this serves only as a guideline. Like tomatoes? Add more. Don't like you food too sweet? Minus the sugar. Don't have fruits lying around? Sub with raisins. You get it.

2. If you're cooking for more people, apply your primary school multiplication on the recipe.

3. Unless otherwise stated, all ingredients are to be of room temperature. This helps for easy mixing and acquiring the desired texture.

Recipe: The Most Fluffy Cheesecake Ever

Don't you just adore cheesecakes that wiggle and jiggle like a pair of uh, Jigglypuffs! Okay, I am not talking about New York style cheesecakes, which are much denser and cheesier than their Japanese counterpart. My mother loves cheesecake, but she dislikes cheese - oh, the irony. After experimenting with several recipes, I finally found one that delivers the fluffiest and moist cheesecake. Now you can enjoy homemade cheesecake (and the fun) at a fraction of the price you pay in bakeries!

Recipe: The Best Rainbow Cake Ever

Ahh. Quite a few of you have asked me to bake this, I've succumbed to you guys, and there you have it - the almighty Rainbow Cake a.k.a the happiest cake on this planet. I mean, who in the right mind wouldn't want a slice of this unicorn fart. Sorry, I should mind my language since we are talking about food. Okay, some of you might be daunted by the idea of baking this cake. Don't worry, this is way easier than it looks (you just need a little more patience). For the smiles (or maybe girls) you can get with this cake? Worth it.

Brighten up anyone instantly with this slice of heaven.

Recipe: Egg Benedict + Literally Pay Lesser with Paylesser!

What's up my beautiful readers, because today, you are in for a treat. Ever thought of making cafe-grade brunch but you're not confident of your cooking skills? Or perhaps you are afraid to mess up your kitchen? I feel you, because that's what I used to be like this. Cooking is supposed to be fun, delicious, and seeing the smiles (hopefully) of people eating your creations is just worth it.

Okay, I am saving my saliva, or rather my finger strength for something else (if you know what I mean - to make more food la. Don't think dirty hor). Presenting to you limbeh's version of Egg Benedict, completed by toasted English bread, fresh Arugula salad, crispy prosciutto ham, and a beautifully poached egg slathered with homemade hollandaise sauce. Sounds complicated? (Actually it's just putting stuff together. lololol)

Recipe: Blueberry Pies

Recently I am fascinated by the flexibility of puff pastries. This store-bought ingredient is so bloody versatile that you can turn it into anything that you want, chicken pot pies, (fake) croissants, pies, strudels, or delicate, bite-size pastries. They consists of many folded layers which is filled with butter goodness. The result? Flaky, light, pastry. The best thing? Fuss-free. Here's a recipe that you can easily whipped up in 30 minutes. 

Like strawberries? Substitute the blueberries with sliced strawberries. Like apples? Chop some up and throw it inside the pies as filling, you will have your very own home-made apple pie in a moment.

Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Pasta

Pasta. One dish, many variations. The best thing? You throw in whatever ingredients you like, paired it up with your favourite pasta, and BOOM, dinner ready in less than 30 minutes. Well, on the other hand, you are able to use whatever left in your fridge to whip up a simple lunch. In my case, I had a ton of chicken thighs and blocks of Parmesan lying in my fridge. So,

I have a Parmesan. I have a chicken thigh. UHHH. Chicken Parmesan.

Recipe: Linguine alle Vongole

The Linguine alle Vongole (means linguine and clams in Italian) is no doubt my all-time favourite pasta dish. No cream, no cheese, no tomato sauce, which makes it a pretty healthy alternative if you need your pasta fix. Do not belittle the vongole though, it's light, yet at the same time, packed with flavours from the chopped garlic, parsley, the sweet brine of the clams and the aroma of white wine. To be honest, this dish is not that difficult to make, but still scores high on the impressiveness level. 

Recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Who in the right mind would resist a healthy dosage of red velvet cupcakes? Oh well, to be honest, I can't think of anyone. These cupcakes usually fly off the shelves of bakeries, because these babies are so darn pretty with their velvety red colour and cream-cheese frosting. And the best thing? It's suitable for every occasion! Add a sugary heart for Valentine's Day, pop a whole mandarin orange for Lunar New Year (just kidding), or just sprinkle some Oreo crumbles to make it a real crowd-pleaser. 

Recipe: Cinnamon Choco-chip Bread

Thank God for it is Friday! If you have nothing on during the weekends, bake this bread (adapted by Sally's Baking Addiction), you will not regret it. For one, this bread is incredibly easy to make (no dough kneading or waiting for the yeast to rise, etc.). Two, your kitchen will probably smell like a bakery when you're baking. Three, you don't even need any glaze for this, because the bread is awesome as it is. Four, well... you got nothing to do at home right?

Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls

Second only to bacon, the smell of cinnamon bread baking in your oven is so damn irresistibly awesome. If you're tired of eating cinnamon rolls that are rock-hard on the outside, dry and tasteless on the inside, you should really try this awesome recipe by the kitchen goddess, Laura Vitale! Although the process may be slightly long and messy, the result is definitely worth the wait (and mess, well.. until your mum scolds you for making a mess). 

Recipe: Homemade White Sandwich Loaf

Bread is so fun to make, I swear. Before this, I thought I would need a bread maker to literally make a bread. But oh hell no, this recipe is so darn easy (even for a cooking noob) and requires only your good o' oven. The result? Simply amazing - a nice crusty exterior with a soft, fluffy centre. 

Recipe: Curry Chicken with Toast Box Asian Delights

To commemorate Singapore's 50th year, Toast Box has recently launched their Asian Delights ready-to-cook paste, which features the nation's all-time favourite: Curry Chicken, Mee Rebus, Mee Siam, and Laksa. 

These little packet of babies are good for 2-3 persons, and contain no artificial trans fats and coloring. The best thing is that only a little preparation is needed to whip up an impressive meal for your family and friends.

Recipe: Making the Perfect Rosti

Do you know that rosti is the national dish of Swiss? The reason is simple - rosti is amazing stuff. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's not exactly healthy, but it is delicious as hell, and super easy to make. If you are craving for Marche's rosti one fine day, tell you what, make it yourself.

Why leh? 

(1) A hell lot cheaper, and (2) a hell lot better. 2 reasons enough or not?

Recipe: Breakfast Scrambled Eggs Croissant

Weekends are coming! Spoil yourself with some really easy croissant paired with fluffy and luscious scrambled eggs, and some cheesy cheddar. Christmas mornings are over, but that doesn't excuse you from making this super awesome recipe. 

If you are adventurous enough to make your croissant from scratch, this beautiful recipe by Izy (from Top with Cinnamon) is highly recommended. Otherwise, you could simply just get any ready-made or store-bought croissants, which could save you A LOT of kitchen work. But well, you just don't get as much satisfaction with the final product.

Recipe: Broccoli and Razor Clams in Silky Egg White Sauce

Tearing your brains out just to figure what to cook for your New Year's lunch or dinner? Well, fret not because here's a simple recipe that one could whipped out no more than 15 minutes. 

This recipe is contributed by my dear mother, who turns simple ingredients into magic since I was born. We had this can of razor clams from New Moon, and she turned it into an awesome home-made dish, featuring florets of broccoli, chopped carrots and well, obviously, the clams. Boom!

Recipe: Potato Pancakes

It's been a while since I posted any recipes on the blog, so here's one made out of mainly leftover mashed potatoes, bacon, eggs and cheddar cheese. Yeah, isn't that like the four heavenly kings of breakfast? This recipe is a revamped version of Kelly Senyei's and is simply perfect for breakfast. What's better than to clear out your leftovers and whip out this amazing dish? Well, I can't think of any.

Recipe: Mango Tart

Fruit tarts are such lovely treats to have around, especially on a tea party during the hot seasons. This recipe contributed by Han Lin is a work of art - exquisitely decorated mango slices set upon delicious pastry cream, encased in a crumbly wall of homemade pastry shell. This is set to impress your friends. Allergic to mangoes? Fret not. Simply replace the mangoes with your favourite fruits, say strawberries, raspberries, kiwi and what's not. Sprinkle mint leaves on it and do your own customisation, just have a take on this. 

The perfect recipe for summer time.

~

Difficulty: Medium

Yields 1 9-in Mango Tart

Ingredients

(tart shell)

2/3 cup caster sugar 

1/8 teaspoon table salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1 3/4 cups flour 

(pastry cream)

1 1/2 cups whole milk or half-and-half

4 large egg yolks

1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want it

1/4 - 1/3 cup flour, depending on how thick you want it

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

(deco)

2 ripe mangoes

~

Steps (Tart shell)

1. Preheat over to 170C

2. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Let it cook, stirring constantly, until the butter browns.

3. In a bowl, whisk together flour and salt.

4. Add all the sugar in one addition and stir well.

5. Add all the flour in one addition and stir till a dough forms.

6. Pat the dough into a 9-in tart pan. Let the dough “dry” for 20 minutes (this helps the baked tart to be more crunchy).

7. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Chill before filling.

Steps (Pastry cream)

1. Heat the milk in the saucepan over medium-high heat until it's barely simmering. Set it aside until it's cool enough to touch, but still warm. 

2. In one of the mixing bowls, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth and thick. Whisk in the flour and salt.

3. Slowly pour in the warm milk in a thin stream down the side of the bowl, while whisking the egg-sugar mixture constantly. Make sure the eggs do not scramble. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan.

4. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly with your spoon so the bottom doesn't scorch. It will quickly start to thicken to the consistency of pudding. When large steamy bubbles start to pop through the liquid, the pastry cream is nearly done. 

5. Continue stirring for 1-2 minutes longer. Set the strainer over a clean bowl and strain the pastry cream to get out any lumps. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

Original recipe for Pastry cream here.

Assembly

1. Slice mangoes into thin slices. 

2. Beginning with the longest slices, line the edges of the tart with these slices of mango, overlapping from one slice to the next. 

3. When you have completed one full round, start a new ring closer to the centre. Form increasingly smaller rings of overlapping mango slices, working inwards in concentric circles. The mango slices should overlap each other within the same ring, as well as the previous ring before. This is to prevent any pastry cream from being visible when the tart is complete. 

4. When you reach the centre, with a space of about 4-5cm in diameter, form a mango rose and place it there. (To form a rose centre, take a strip of mango and roll it up. This is the very centre. Place shorter strips – long enough to go half to 3/4s around the centre, around the centre, overlapping each other)

Notes

You can use the pastry cream recipe as a good base for any other flavors you might want to add. You can infuse any number of ingredients into the milk while it's heating in the first step. Try cinnamon sticks, dried lavender, or coffee beans. You can also use any other extract besides (or in addition to) vanilla to add flavouring. To make a chocolate pastry cream, melt a handful of chocolate (about 2 ounces) into the pastry cream in the last minute of cooking.

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!

~

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.

~

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.

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?

Recipe: Best Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire pudding is such a delight to have in the kitchen. First, it is one of the simplest food you can make, yet it taste no less awesome. Second, if you drizzled the puddings with some brown sauce, it makes a good sidekick beside good ol steak. Can't finish the pudding? Store them into the freezer for up to a month, they make pretty desserts with some ice cream and honey too.

For mine, I paired the lovely puddings with homemade marinara sauce (recipe will be up soon) and a serving of scrambled eggs for a quick and easy weekday brunch. There's a third reason to why the pudding is such a delight, but well.. you just got to make them to find out.

Enjoy!