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?

 

  

MICROWAVE LAMINGTONS

The sauce will coat only 16 - you will need to make two batches.  For a variation, add 15ml (1 tbs) dark rum (not essence) to the chocolate sauce.

Cake:

3 large eggs
250ml (1 cup) sugar
500ml (2 cups) cake flour, sifted
20ml (4 tsps.) baking-powder
pinch of salt
2.5ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla essence
250ml (1 cup) milk
60ml (4 tbs) butter or margarine

Chocolate Sauce:

500ml (2 cups) icing sugar
60ml (4 tbs) cocoa powder
45ml (3 tbs) butter or margarine
125ml (1/2 cup) hot water

To complete:
200g desiccated coconut

Step 1:  Beat eggs and sugar until light and creamy, add sifted dry ingredients, blend well.   Add vanilla essence.  Place milk and butter in a glass bowl, microwave on 100% (high) power, two to three minutes, add quickly to mixture, blending well.

Step 2:  Lightly grease a 230mm square container (you can use plastic), line base with absorbent paper towel.  Pour in mixture, microwave on 70% (medium-high) power, five minutes, then on 100% (high) power, four to six minutes, allow to cool completely in container.

Step 3:  Cut into 16 squares, then half again to make 32/

Step 4:  Combine sauce ingredients, microwave on 100% (high) power, four minutes, stirring twice.  Allow sauce to cool completely.

Step 5:  Coat cake squares with Chocolate Sauce - using meat tongs and a spoon helps prevent crumbs from falling into sauce.  Drain on wire rack roll in coconut, allow to set.

Makes 32

 

Picture courtesy of Annette Human

 

 

LAMINGTON CAKE

Lamingtons are delicious little cakes, also known here in South Africa as "Ystervarkies", translated "Little iron piglets".  My husband loves these little cakes.  A Lamington cake recipe has been doing the rounds and was first published in the South African magazine Sarie.  I must say looking at the picture it looks delicious, taking a closer look at the recipe I found it rather expensive to make.  The filling alone has 300g of white chocolate, 125ml cream, 1 x 230g cream cheese and 100g dark chocolate.

 

Most South Africans are getting use to the load shedding, this means at certain times of the day electricity is off.  We are all trying to save electricity,  I find using my microwave oven a good way of saving. 

 

I am going to give you my recipe for microwaved Lamingtons and, how to make a plain white cake which you could use to make the Lamington Cake.  Let's try! 

BE MY VALENTINE BISCUITS

I had a group of children making valentines biscuits, if you don't mind a messy kitchen the results are rewarding. 

 

 

Microwaving is a safe method of cooking, when children cook adult supervision should always be at hand.

 

 

 

What you need:

 

125g butter or margarine, softened

60ml (4 tbs) soft brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence

500ml (2 cups) flour, sifted

 

Decorations:

 

Butter icing

food colouring of choice

Smarties or decoration of choice

 

How to make the biscuits:

 

1.  Place butter and brown sugar in a mixing-bowl.  Using an electric beater, beat until light and fluffy.  Beat egg and vanilla  essence until well combined, add to mixture.

2.  Sift flour into butter mixture, knead until soft dough is formed.

3.  Place dough on lightly floured surface.  Roll out to 5 mm thickness.  Use heart-shaped cutter to cut out biscuits.

4.  Line a shallow baking dish with absorbent paper towel.  Place biscuits in circle, refrigerate 10 minutes, until well chilled.  Place in microwave oven, microwave on 100% (high) power, one to two minutes, or until crisp when allowed to cool.

5.  Repeat until all dough has been used. 

6.  Coat biscuits with various colours of butter icing.  Decorate with Smarties, glace cherries or chocolate vermicelli.

7.  Share with friends on Valentines Day.

 

 

 

 

 



LEMON CURD

I was reading in the Women's Weekly that Mary Berry's use of lemon curd in her recipes resulted in the sales of lemon curd to soar.  You don't have to buy the commercial product a cup of fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons) will give you two 500g jars. 

What you need:

250ml fresh lemon juice,
125g butter
625ml (2 1/2 cups) sugar
4 extra-large eggs, beaten

How to make it:

1.  Place lemon juice and sugar in a large heat-resistant bowl, microwave on 100% (high) power, five minutes.  Stir every minute.
2.  Slowly add beaten eggs to the hot mixture whisking continuously.  Microwave on 100% (high) power, six minutes, stirring well each minute.  Allow to cool before bottling.
3.  Mixture will set after cooling.

PIZZA PASTA

Ingredients:

1 onion
half a green pepper, seeded
2 x 175g Alfredo Pasta and sauce
750ml (3 cups) hot water
250ml (1 cup) milk
30ml (2 tbs) butter or margarine

Topping:

2 firm tomatoes, sliced
250ml (1 cup) Cheddar cheese, grated

1.  Chop onion and green pepper

 

2.   Place onion and green pepper in a small bowl, microwave on 100% (high) power, two minutes.

 

 

 

Notice how the braille has been put on the panel

 

 

 

3.  Using a large bowl, carefully add 750ml hot water.  (They positioned the thumb so as to feel the level of the water in the measuring cup).

 

 

 

4.  Add milk, butter and pasta, microwave on 100% (high) power, two minutes.  Stir twice.   Add contents of sauce sachets, stir well.   Microwave, uncovered, on 100% (high) power, six to eight minutes, stirring frequently.

 

 

 

5.  Lightly grease a large pizza plate.  Spoon mixture into plate, smooth over with spoon.

 

6.  Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with tomato slices around edge.   Then the tricky part, place it under a preheated grill to brown.  Serves six to eight

 

Our tastebuds are usually tantalized by sight, and it looked great to me, but these students had only their sense of smell to go by.

 

What a highlight for me and a humbly experience, I once again salute them. Well done!

 



THE RIGHT TOUCH

Many years ago I visited the Pioneer School's Home Economics class at the Institute for the Blind in Worcester.   I know that microwaves are a boon to those with a handicap, but what a surprise that day when their Home Economics teacher, told me her students had Brailled the microwave oven, and that microwave cooking was part of their curriculum.  I developed this pasta recipe for them and they surprised me.  These children cook purely by sound and smell, giving food and cooking an entirely different dimension.  What started out as a learning experience for them, turned out to be a most humbling experience for me, and the look of joy and contentment on those faces I still remember, and will remain etched in my memory.  Here's how they did it!

Starting 2015 with a promise of loadshedding!

I have had a wonderful Christmas and ready for the New Year!  The shock is that from next week we are going to experience some serious load shedding..........we got to save electricity!!  Hopefully we can look at a few hints on how to be a power saver.   I have sung the microwave oven's praises for many years, that is one way of using less electricity.  

I seriously want to have a look at what is packed into the school lunch-box?  Children need more nutritious lunches, snacks and drinks.  Less sugars and fats so we going to look at some ideas for healthier lunch-boxes.

LOW-FAT  APPLE  MUFFINS

250ml (1 cup) flour, sifted
1 large Golden Delicious apple, peeled.
cored and grated
125ml (1/2 cup) wholewheat flour, sifted and husks replaced
45ml (3 tbs) soft brown sugar
10ml (2 tsps) baking-powder
25ml (1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
125ml (1/2 cup) skim milk
30ml (2 tbs) polyunsaturated oil
2 egg-whites, lightly beaten

1.   Combine flour and apple in a mixing bowl.
2    Add wholewheat flour, brown sugar, baking-powder, cinnamon and salt, mix well.
3.   Combine milk, oil and egg-whites, add to mixture.  Stir gently.
4.   Lightly grease a microwave muffin pan, fill with mixture three-quarters full.  Microwave on 50 percent (medium) power, three to four minutes.

Makes eight to 10

Hint:

If you don't have a muffin pan use paper cups and line the bases with absorbent paper towel.

To bake conventionally:
Three-quarters fill lightly greased muffin pans, bake at 190 degrees Celsius, 25 to 30 minutes.

Note:  The microwave oven saves electricity.