BACK ON TRACK - TEACHING LITERACY

Before Covid I was able to teach literacy at schools telling the story of Huberta. 

 Now we still teaching literacy one on one!

TOUGH TIMES BUT HOPE IS STILL THERE

 We have all gone through so much this past year and today I am sitting talking to you! How wonderful I want to shout yip yip hooray, hello my friends. Covid-19 left us all with so much we have lost but could not take away our hope.

I thought I escaped the Corona virus, I carefully sanitized made sure of distance and wore my mask. What kept me away from blogging?  I was involved in an awful motor vehicle accident which landed me in ICU and hospital, I'm still recovering.

I got into such depression and felt like I was in a deep dark hole but I looked up and saw...........

I was chatting to my husband about old age (he is 85 this month). You know it's like an orange, squeezing the orange producing orange juice throughout our lives then bang it's down to the last drop. Some of us think we now ready for the compost heap (oops). Well I don't think so. As a once food editor I can tell you there is a lot you can do with orange peel, dried, crystallized, grated, just make sure you don't use the pith that is bitter! So, the same in life when we reach the orange peel status you still got worth, just get rid of the pith. What about delicious marmalade and you can make your marmalade in a jiffy in your microwave oven, I'm going to post the recipe.

BACK ON TRACK

Hi everyone, I know I have really neglected posting on my blog no excuse other than, I thought maybe no one is really interested in a mixture of, something about everything with a recipe thrown in.  I'm wrong sorry about that. Can I be really honest with you?  We moved to a retirement village (lovely to live here) and of course packing, unpacking throwing stuff away etc.,  One thing I don't throw away are my books,  I have a large library of cookery books and also those that I have written.  I know you can (if you into using your computer) google recipes and even watch on you tube but maybe it is just a little better when you know the recipe has been tried and tested, not saying that other recipes are not but you know what I mean.

A friend gave me a bottle of orange preserve she had made, it was delicious.  Oranges are easily available and even easier to make when you use your microwave oven.  If you want to give it a try, here is the recipe.

ORANGE PRESERVE

This recipe makes 2 x 500g jars

6 medium-sized oranges
400ml water (just about two cups)
1 kg white sugar
30ml (2 tbs) lemon juice

Method

1.  Thinly grate rind off oranges, leave them whole.
2.   Prick fruit with a toothpick, place in a large heat-resistant bowl, add water and microwave, covered, on 100% that is full power for 15 minutes.  You don't have to stir or turn the fruit over, just microwave.
3.   Remove fruit, cut in half and remove seeds. If you prefer you can cut the oranges in quarters.
4.   Add sugar to water, stir well until dissolved, return to oven and microwave uncovered on 100% that is full power for 5 minutes, now you can stir twice during the cooking time.
5.   Add lemon juice and oranges and microwave covered on 100% power for 20 to 30 minutes or until preserve has set, turning fruit over frequently.
6.   Arrange orange halves in sterilized jars, pour hot syrup over and seal.

 MORE THAN A YEAR LATER......

Whatever has happened with time? Actually time is only part of the problem I'm trying to combine two passions and I am not sure if I am getting this right?  Good food will always feature somewhere in my daily life.  The story of Huberta and her journey is a passion, filled with laughter and sadness. It is a true story of hope, restoration and reconciliation.  A story so needed today.  This is the first picture ever taken of Huberta the wonderful hippo who was born in 1928 possibly in St Lucia Estuary.  I like to think of Huberta and her story for today as from "from hippo's to hope." You will love it!

IS SILENCE GOLDEN?

Hi everyone, 
I know I have been silent and unless I have good news I can't imagine how my silence is going to golden?   I was chatting to a friend and she was expressing how busy work life has become, hardly enough time to enjoy a walk with the dogs in the evening.  And you Jean? well I told her about the blog and microquickmeals.  Her reply was she wanted recipes that fitted the title of my blog, quick and easy.  That got me thinking!  So I am going to not exactly re-design the blog but change the content, give you more real quick meals to make in a jiffy.  How does that sound?  I would love to hear from you.  That does not mean that occasionally I could share a recipe for a special occasion that is not just made in a jiffy!!

BASIC WHITE CAKE

Here is a recipe for a basic white cake, add your favourite filling and topping and you will have a easy handy recipe with many variations. This recipe can also be used for making cupcakes and, of course the Lamington Cake. 

What you need:

125ml (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
250ml (1 cup) castor sugar
2 large eggs
375ml (1 - 1/2 cups) self-raising flour, sifted
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence

1.  Cream butter and castor sugar until light and fluffy.

2.  Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.

3.  Fold in flour and milk alternately and add vanilla essence.

4.  Pour batter into a lightly greased 230 mm round glass dish, the base lined with absorbent paper towel.

5.  Place on an upturned saucer and microwave on 100% (high) power for 8 minutes.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes (the sticky places on top will disappear), then turn out onto a cooling rack.  When cold, ice and decorate as desired.

 

Orange gateau

 

 

To make this cake I used orange juice instead of milk, orange essence instead of vanilla essence.  I then made an orange filling mixing 1 cup of fresh orange juice, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of white sugar.  Then mixing

 3 tbs of custard powder with 4 tbs of water, adding and microwaving on 100% (high) power, six to eight minutes or until thickened.  Allow to cool completely.  If you got any Cointreau add a dash, yummy!

You can top with orange flavoured butter icing, I found topping with a orange mock cream just made this cake special.  I guess I should give you the recipe?