QUEEN VICTORIA'S GARLIC ROASTED CHICKEN

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

I like eating delish meat!

Cooking food at home is my magic wand and they all appreciate everything about it; from the preparation of ingredients to eating together. This is one great reason why I don't buy processed food or indulge myself in buying instant products at the supermarket. It doesn't mean I dislike them!

I have eaten Roasted Chicken that was cooked and bought from the supermarket, in particular, Garlic Roasted Chicken. The taste was really finger licking good; scrumptious!

When I was at the supermarket last time, I bought a whole chicken and challenged myself to cook my own recipe version of Garlic Roasted Chicken.

Sauce Ingredients: 

• 5 cloves of garlic, crashed 
• 2 slices of onion, chopped 
• 3 tbsps. of Wine Vinegar 
•  ½ tsp. Ground pepper 
• 2 tsps. of honey 
• a pinch of mixed herbs 
• 3 stalks of lemon grass, cut each into 2 (ginger is an option) 
• salt to taste

Sauce Preparation:

1. Mix the garlic, onion, vinegar and honey in a saucepan. Stir well.
2. Add the pepper and mixed herbs. Stir well again. 
3. Add and soak the lemon grass in the mixture. 
4. Once all mixed, bring it to the boil for 3 minutes on a moderate heat. 
5. Let it cool for 5 minutes before adding it to your chicken.

Main Ingredient:

• A whole chicken (free range, if possible as the extra flavour is worth the money)

Marinating Procedure:

1. Wash and rinse the chicken. 
2. Prepare a container and lay the meat in it. 
3. Use a spoon to pour the sauce mixture over the meat. Turn-over and do the same. 
4. Cover the container and leave it for a night (marinating process). 
5. After marinating the chicken, don't throw the sauce mixture. Bring it to the boil and use it as a greasing ingredient when roasting the chicken.

Roasting Procedure:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. 
2. Prepare a roasting tray with rack on it and lay the marinated chicken. As we are using an oven, the tray will hold the excess oil while roasting. 
3. Roast it for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. 
4. Check it every 25-30 minutes and turning it occasionally. Brush the chicken with the boiled sauce mixture.

This is a flavoursome way of roasting a whole chicken and an addtional recipe to be served on the table for your loving family and closests friends this Christmas season as well as the New Year!

MY HOMEMADE LEFTOVER FACE AND BODY SCRUB

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

I love drinking filtered coffee because its yumyumyumyumyum...

The ground coffee beans have a rich full-flavour which brings out the intense secret aroma. However, the addition of steamed and frothy milk smooths its distinctive strong taste. Shall I say, it’s simply delicious every time I sip it from my mug. This mighty hot shot drink always gives me a delightful morning and more importantly, keeping me vigorous the whole day! 

Many years ago, I would just throw the leftover brewed coffee granules in the sink before washing up my handy cafetiere and the rest of the utensils. Why would I save the leftover granules? Was it worth re-using them like I do with the traditional tea bags? I don't think so, as there would be very little strength in the used granules and would be innocuously bland for my palate. In those years once brewed and drank, the coffee granules would just be thrown and washed away. 

I visited a close friend who was just fresh from his Latin America Road Trip and he was very eager to show me his captured photos. While we were happily scanning all of his collected images onto his desktop, he also showed me the souvenirs he bought from one state to another. Surprisingly, one souvenir really caught my eyes and it's a personalised ceramic container with my engraved nickname in it. Weird to have read it but it was indeed my nickname! Aside from my engraved nickname, it contained clay mud mask with coffee granules ideal for the face and body. Actually, it was meant for me as a special gift for being a trustworthy and loving friend. It was a very touching idea of his and didn't know I was that special. He handed over it to me but with a very amusing reminder in his deep tonal voice, "You have to use the content, Vicky!". 

The clay mud mask lasted roughly for a month and after that, I was unable to find one of the same quality. That is why, I experimented and came up of the idea of utilising the leftover granules from my brewed coffee. I spooned the leftover out of the cafetiere and placed them in a shot glass with the additional nourishing ingredients, 2 tsps. of table salt and a tbsp. of honey. I mixed them using a teaspoon first before using a milk frother in order to coalesce the 3 ingredients into one. 

 

This homemade face and body scrub of mine acts like an exfoliation when you rub it into your skin. During the application, you are getting rid off the dead skin through a process called microdermabrasion. The coffee granules, as a major ingredient, has a natural chemical that achieves a gradual brown skin tone or for myself, it maintains my glowing brown skin without the need of a tanning salon. Moreover, the other two ingredients have benefits too. Such as honey which has antibacterial properties and hefty serving of skin-saving antioxidants while salt can reduce inflammation and flush out toxins- removes bacteria from the skin and unclog pores. 

Apply it all over your body and on your face too either with your hair down or pulled up. Leave it for 12-15 minutes but within that time, abrasive action is essential as it invigorates the skin and helps to improve circulation. If I were you, play your list of favourite music before you apply this regenerating face and body scrub. Music will help you become excitedly suffuse and makes the time run fast while enjoying the healing application all over you. 

Nowadays, my coffee granules are no longer wasted as the leftovers are very effective for maintaining the radiance in my face and the smoothness of my body. It is indeed a mighty hot shot drink in the morning which is both very practical and efficient!