QUEEN VICTORIA'S BUTTERNUT SQUASH- FLAVOURED MUFFINS

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Cherishing my own country of birth means yearning for appetising delicacies and flavoursome desserts. Last time I was craving for “Puto” (Steamed Rice Cake), the idea of creating my own version just suddenly came into my mind. Moreover, it was even more compelled and supplemented when I bought a whole Butternut Squash.

In cold months, the use of our kitchen oven in the cooking process offers extra warmth which keeps us very snug indoors and also, provides satisfying dishes. What a heavenly feeling to have both! That is why for the past months, I have preferred more the oven cooking process eventhough it takes extra time.

Main Ingredients:

• Prepared Butternut Squash mixture
• 3 tbsps. of Rice Powder (Ground Rice)
• 2 tbsps. of Oat Flakes
• ½ cup of Grated Cheese
• 1 tsp. of Clear Honey
• 1 medium-sized Egg; beaten
• a pinch of Salt and Ground Spice

Butternut Squash Ingredients:

• Half (Lengthwise) of Butternut Squash
• ½ cup of Grated Cheese
• a stalk of Spring Onion; diagonally cut
• 2 tbsps. of Extra Virgin Oil
• a pinch of Mixed Herbs
• a dash of Ground Pepper

Butternut Squash Cooking Procedure:

1. Wash very well the whole Butternut Squash, then dry it with a clean cloth.
2. Place it on the chopping board and use a chef's knife to divide it into 2 halves. Keep the other half in the fridge for future use.
3. Once divided, use a metal spoon to scoop off seeds and scrape out the stringy pulp.
4. Preheat the oven to 190ºC under Bake Mode (electric).
5. Turn over the butternut squash and make a few penetrating vertical lines (an inch) by simply stabbing it with a knife. Turn over it again and do the same (Be careful and avoid hitting your fingers). Set it aside for awhile.
6. Roll-out a substantial sheet of foil or a length more than enough to envelope the butternut squash.
7. Lay the butternut squash in the centre of the foil (pulp side facing you). Garnish it with grated cheese and spring onion followed by sprinkling of mixed herbs and ground pepper. Then, surge it with Extra Virgin Oil.
8. Finally, seal it by twisting the open borders of the foil and just make sure that there are no open edges. If it is not totally sealed, it will decelerate the cooking process.
9. In a baking tray, place the well sealed butternut squash and then, stick it in the preheated oven.
10. Bake for 60 minutes but check after 40-minute to see if the pulp has softened. If it is, take it out of the oven entirely, then switch off the oven.
11. Unseal the borders/edges of the foil and leave it to cool down for 15 minutes.
12. When it has cooled off, use a metal spoon to scoop off the cooked fleshy pulp and place in a deep bowl. Avoid scraping off the outer skin, if possible. 

You now have a pre-cooked Butternut Squash and a bowl of fleshy pulp. The next final step await for you is easier and less complex. What a (butter) nutty!

Main Cooking Procedure:

1. In a saucepan, combine the pre-cooked Butternut Squash fleshy pulp; rice powder (ground rice) and grated cheese. Mix all well.
2. Make a well, then add the clear honey and beaten egg. Beat all well using an electric beater or a metal fork.
3. Once well blended, add the remaining ingredients (salt and ground spice). Mix again until all well blended. Set it aside for awhile.
4. Prepare your electric Food Steamer and fill the boiler pan/base with water up to its maximum water level. Set it aside for awhile.
5. Prepare the steaming barrels/trays, then arrange in each tray loosely (half an inch apart) the silicone muffin cases.
6. Mix again your prepared main mixture in the saucepan (Step 3), then use a metal spoon to fill-in each muffin case. Make sure to distribute evenly the mixture into the muffin cases. 
7. Cover, turn on the food steamer and set its timer at 45 minutes. In 30-minute time, test for its consistency by inserting a toothpick into a muffin and if it comes out clean, you can now soon enjoy your Butternut Squash Flavoured Muffins.
8. On the other hand, if the toothpick comes out moist you must steam the muffins for 15 minutes more.
9. When you are satisfied with the consistency and the outcome, remove one by one the muffins and arrange them on a plate.

I would passionately recommended to eat the Butternut Squash Flavoured Muffins while they are still warmish or fresh from the food steamer. Additionally, you can try glazing its amorphous top either with a teaspoon of caramelised onion chutney or a slither of cranberry sauce. Who knows, with the added piquancy you will end-up eating more than 1 homemade muffin like myself!

QUEEN VICTORIA'S SOUR AND SPICY FLAVOURED FRIED NOODLE

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

Lunch or snack break, it’s a great time of the day to cook a recipe that will gratify your loved-ones. Hearing the “burp” sound of satisfaction and kids saying, “Yummy mommy”, it’s a clear sign that you prepared the best for them and your delicious snack is truly appreciated.

This recipe is a source of carbohydrate, protein and is mixed with vegetables to supplement the body’s needs for nutrients. It is a health friendly dish as it is free from artificial flavouring or E621, which is known as Monosodium glutamate. 

Ingredients: 

•  250 grams. noodles 
•  150 grams. cooking bacon 
•  2 cloves of garlic, crashed and chopped 
•  1 medium-sized onion cut into 4 (separate each layer) 
•  2 medium-sized carrot; organic for extra flavour 
•  Strip slices of cabbage 
•  Chunk slices of lettuce 
•  A handful of green beans (cut both ends) 

Sauce: 

• 3 tsp. of lemon juice 
• 1 tsp. of malt vinegar 
• 2 tsp. of soy sauce 
• ¼ tsp. of cayenne pepper 
• Ground black pepper, to taste 
• A pinch of vegetable stock granules*

Sauce Preparation: 

1. Prepare a mixing bowl. 
2. Mix the lemon juice and vinegar in it. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients. 
4. Stir well and set it aside for awhile in a safe place. 

Cooking Procedure:  

1. Clean and rinse all of your vegetables.
2. Prepare the chopping board, a knife and a frying pan. 
3. Place your frying pan on moderate heat. 
4. Fry the bacon for 1 minute and stir it every 20-30 seconds. 
5. While waiting for the bacon to cook. Crash and chop the garlic using a knife on the chopping board. Peel-off and cut the onion into 4 parts and separate each layer. 
6. Add the garlic and the onion to the bacon. Adjust the flame to low. Mix all the ingredients before covering it with a lid. Cook for 1-2 minutes. 
7. Soak the noodle in a bowl/container with lukewarm water. Just set it aside. 
8. Cut the carrots according to your preferences (strip horizontal slice is the best). 
9. Place the washed and rinsed cabbage, lettuce and green beans on a plate. 
10. Check your bacon mixture in the frying pan. And add the carrots and the cabbage. Stir it gently and add 1/8 cup of water. Cover and set it aside for 1 minute. Set the flame of the burner back to moderate. 
11. Add the noodle and the remaining vegetables to the frying pan mixture. Stir well. Adjust the flame back to low. Cover and set it aside for another 1 minute. 
12. On or before the time (1 minute), gradually pour the prepared sauce mixture. Stir it gently using a wooden spoon. 
13. Cover and cook for 1 minute under the low flame. 
14. Prepare and arrange the cooked fried noodle in a serving bowl.

It is served with sprinkled slices of spring onion on top as it contains anti-oxidant that benefits the health. It is usually eaten with slices of bread as an alternative for cooked rice (for Asians) and glasses of fresh fruit juice as a substitute to fizzy drinks. 

*Some vegetable stock granules and cubes contain E621 (MSG) to be avoided.

QUEEN VICTORIA'S COOKED BROWN RICE

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD
 

Asian's staple food that cannot be replaced in their daily lives is rice. A cereal grain from a monocot plant, Oryza sativa. The seeds of the rice are first milled using a rice huller to remove the chaff (the outer husks of the grain) and then the bran (hard outer layer of grain).

Are you one of these Asians whose daily meal is always complemented with cups of cooked rice or just having it on your table occasionally?

If you like this staple food of us, why not add more flavour into it when cooking. I am sure it will give an interesting sensation in your mouth.

This was just my experiment but the taste of the rice turned very appetising on my taste buds. Here are my ingredients before turning-on the rice cooker.

You will need 2 stalks of spring onions and cut according to your preference. Then, add the sliced spring onions into the rice with the additional ingredients, 2 tbsps. of olive oil, 1 tsp. of mixed herbs and spinach (frozen/fresh). On the other hand, to give it a spicy strength just sprinkle ground pepper/cayenne peper before mixing all ingredients. Cook and don't forget to stir before serving.

You will appreciate not just the aromatic smell but more importantly, the herbal flavour. I highly recommend the use of brown rice for weight conscious people or to those creating/adhering a strict diet regime!

BAKED/GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

 (Before and After)

I usually deep-fry chicken wings but last night, it was entirely different. I was very indecisive to experiment as dinner is not same as baking a cake that is replaceable, if worse comes to worst! At the end, I gave it a try and was very pleased with the outcome and the taste, too. Succulent, delicious and very colourful (very exemplary)!

Main Ingredients:

• 6 medium-sized chicken wings

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 tbsps. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp. of Sunflower Oil
• 3 cloves of garlic; crashed
• crashed ginger; finely chopped
• 1 medium sized red tomato; slice into 8
• 1 medium cooking onion; slice into 4 and separate each layer
• a quarter of yellow bell pepper; cut into chunks
• a quarter of red bell pepper; cut into chunks
• ½ tsp. of mixed herbs
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and vegetable stock granules to taste

Pre-cooking procedure for the chicken wings:

1. Add boiling water in a pot and dip in the chicken wings.
2. Cover and boil if for 3 minutes on a high flame.
   
   

   

   (After 20 minutes of Baking and After 30 minutes of Grilling) 
   

 Cooking procedure:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC (electric). Arrange the crashed garlic in the bottom of the pyrex glass and then, place over the pre-cooked chicken wings.
2. Scatter and arrange evenly the prepared ginger, tomato, onion, bell pepper, mixed herbs and the condiments over the chicken wings.
3. Smoothly pour the 2 types of oils over the prepared chicken wings. Then, cover the pyrex with foil or its lid.
4. Place it inside the pre-heated oven and bake it for 20 minutes.
5. After that, remove the foil or lid and change the Bake to Grill as well as adjust the temperature down to 120ºC. 
6. Place and grill it for 30 minutes. Check it every 10 minutes and glaze everything using its own infused oil.

Better call the people you love in life and let them judge your own way of cooking chicken wings. Don't forget to cook cups of rice grains my dear Filipinos!