Microwave cooking for beginners

Too busy to bake something? Frying too troublesome and messy? Not enough time? Those are some of the compaints people have when they have to cook a meal. You might be one of them. Don't settle for a lousy TV dinner, and you don't have to spend money dining out. Try the microwave.

Microwave ovens are the new way of cooking food. They can handle pretty much anything from rice to meat to vegetables and even soup. They can be used as an alternative to other cooking methods. Microwave cooking is safe, fast and clean.



Some tips on microwave cooking for beginners:

• You can purchase a microwave oven from almost any large departmental store for a reasonable price. Just look under the "electrical appliances" section.
• When microwaving food, try not to leave the food exposed. Put in on a glass or ceramic plate and wrap it in cling film or a microwavable plastic cover. Make sure there is a small gap between the clingfilm and the plate.
• If you use a plastic plate, make sure it is microwave safe.
• Do not put any cutlery in the microwave oven.
• Do not use any metal plates, bowls or containers for microwave cooking.
• Do not use aluminum foil.
• Stand clear of the oven while it is cooking.
• You can cook liquids such as soup, but beware of superheating liquids. As a rule of thumb, allow the liquid to rest for a few minutes before serving.

I hope these tips on microwave cooking have been useful. Enjoy!

Homemade Blended Fruit Juice

Thirsty? Nothing like a good cup of fruit juice to quench your thirst. But with so many preservatives in today's beverages, why not take the healthier option and make it yourself? Fruits contain many essential vitamins and minerals beneficial to the body. And if you make it yourself, you won't have to worry about any preservatives. Best of all, it's fresh!

Preparing fresh fruit juice is actually quite easy. All you will need is a reasonably good blender and some fruit. My personal favorite is strawberry and mango, they make an excellent mouth watering combination.

Mango and Strawberry Ice Blended Fruit Juice

You will need:

• A blender
• Ice
• One mango
• A tray of strawberries
• Some sugar (about 4 tbsp)
  
• Strainer ( not too fine)
  

Instructions:

1. First, peel and cut the mango into little cubes and place them in a bowl. Remove the seed and discard it.
2. Remove the green stalk from the strawberries and place them in a bowl. You may want to cut them in halves if you like.
3. Dissolve the sugar is a little hot water. Only use a little hot water as too much will make the drink diluted. The result should be slightly syrupy.
4. Place the mango into the blender and blend it well for about 30 seconds.
5. (Optional) Pour the result through a strainer and collect the juice. Discard the residue.
6. Collect the juice in a cup and put aside. Add half of the sugar syrup to it and stir.
   
7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 with the strawberries.
8. When finished, take the blended strawberries and put them in the blender such that 1/3 is filled. You may need to repeat a few times. Add in half of the sugar syrup you prepared. Add ice until 3/4 full and blend well.
9. Pour into a cup until cup is 3/4 full. Top up with the blended mango.
10. Enjoy!

And thats how to prepare a refreshing glass of homemade fruit juice. Until next time!

Homemade French Fries

Hello everyone, it's been a while, but I'm back. Here's a new easy recipe that you can try. In this article, you will learn how to prepare some crispy homemade french fries. They are great for a snack and quite simple to prepare. It's really easy to cook and you don't need many ingredients.



You will need:

• Some Russet Potatoes, peeled
  
• Salt, add to taste.
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

• Peel and slice the potatoes lengthwise into thin strips and soak them in cold water for half an hour.
• Heat up the oil in a large pan on high flame.
• When the oil is hot, add the fries into the oil. Make sure the fries are completely covered. Allow to cook until golden brown.
• When the fries are ready, drain and remove them from the pan and allow to cool.
• Leave the oil hot.
  
• Once cool, immerse the fries into the hot oil again for about 30 seconds, then remove and drain any remaining oil. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
• Sprinkle salt in while tossing the fries about to spread it evenly. You may wish to add chili or cheese sauce.
  

Enjoy your crispy golden french fries!

Grow you own organic ingredients

Hello, I hope you have been enjoying the various recipes that i've posted here. Today, i'd like to show you a way you can get the ingredients you need for your recipes, by growing them yourself!



Would you prefer buy and eat this or grow your own organic ingredients?

Not only is it cheaper than purchasing them off the supermarket, it's also a lot healthier! With orgnaic gardening, you can be sure that your ingredients and consequently your dishes are healthy and without risk of pesticides.

Granted, it might be a lot of effort but it's also a lot of fun! Nothing is better than enjoying a meal with ingredients that you grew yourself!

Give it a try with some easy guides at gardening for beginners, a blog dedicated to help people start gardening without hassle.

How to cook chinese fried rice

Chinese Fried Rice



Fried rice is an easy dish that you can whip up for lunch or dinner. It's very versatile and you can adapt it to whatever ingredients you have at the moment. It can be made from yesterday's leftover rice and dishes. It is inexpensive and very tasty.

Ingredients you will need to serve 2:

1 cup of uncooked long grain white rice (alternatively, use leftover rice from yesterday's meal in corresponding proportions)
1.5 cups of water
1 large egg
Some fresh spring onion
Shredded Chicken, precooked
Small Shrimp, precooked
Pepper and salt to taste
5 Tablespoons of cooking oil

As you can see, the recipe is very flexible and you can add in many different types of meat at different proportions as well.

Instructions:

Step 1 - Rinse the rice and cook it with the water. You can do so by boiling it over a stove and stirring to prevent burning and let it simmer or with a microwave.
Step 2 - Heat the oil on a wok or large saucepan under a high flame.
Step 3 - Add in the rice and make sure u spread it up evenly, breaking it into smaller bits.
Step 4 - Make a small opening, pour in the egg and allow to cook for a while before mixing it well into the rice.
Step 5 - Add in the pieces of meat and shrimp, fry evenly.
Step 6 - Season with salt and pepper, add in the chopped spring onions and mix well.
Step 7 - Serve hot.

That's how to make chinese fried rice, brought to you by how to cook - quick and easy recipes. Find more delicious recipes at http://quick-easy-recipes.blogspot.com

How to bake chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies



Welcome to another great recipe for quick-easy-recipes.blogspot.com! In this recipe, we'll show you how to bake some mouth watering chocolate chip cookies perfect for a midnight snack or a homemade gift to your loved ones!

Ingredients you will need:

1 cup of butter.
150g of white sugar
150g of brown sugar
2 medium eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
320g of plain flour
1 cup of chocolate chips (you can chip pieces of your own choice of baker's chocolate as well)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
a pinch of salt

Instructions:

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius
Step 2 - With a mixer, Cream the butter and mix in the two sugars.
Step 3 - Beat in the eggs and ensure the mixture is nice and fluffy.
Step 4 - Add in vanilla extract
Step 5 - Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in another bowl.
Step 6 - Add the mixture from the first bowl into the second bowl and mix well.
Step 7 - Scatter in the chocolate chips and mix a little.
Step 8 - Lay baking sheets on an oven tray and dole out the cookie mixture with a tablespoon.
Step 9 - Bake for 12 minutes and leave to cool before consuming.
Step 10 - Serve and enjoy! You may also want to keep it to consume at a later date.

Enjoy the fresh and delicious chocolate chip cookies! Brought to you by How to cook - Quick and Easy Recipes.

How to make lemonade

How to make lemonade



Despite it's simplicity, lemonade is a very delicious drink that's great for picnics in summer and a refreshing drink anytime. It's easy to make and takes very little time, which makes it very popular. Homemade lemonade tastes much better than commercial lemonade as it's made from freshly squeezed lemons. Here's a recipes on how to make the perfect tasting lemonade. It's extremely simple, yet so very refreshing.

Ingredients you will need:

Enough lemons to get 1 cup of juice (around 5 lemons, depends on the size).
One cup of sugar
One cup of warm water
Four cups of cold water
Ice cubes

Instructions:

Step 1 - Roll the lemons on a hard surface, this will help you squeeze out more juice.
Step 2 - Slice each lemon in half, squeeze it until you can get no more juice. You may want to use a fork to press the insides to get even more juice. Lemon peels can be used for washing dishes.
Step 3 - Strain the lemon juice to remove pulp. You can skip this step, but I enjoy drinking lemon juice without pulp bits in it.
Step 4 - In another container, mix the cup of sugar with the cup of warm water. Stir well to produce a sweet syrup mixture. Ensure that all the sugar is dissolved, if it doesnt, add a little hot water and try again.
Step 5 - Mix the strained lemon juice with the sugar syrup. You now have lemonade concentrate which you can refrigerate for later use. The lemon juice will prevent the mixture from spoiling too soon.
Step 6 - When you want to make lemonade to drink, Add about 5 cups of cold water to the mixture and stir. You can add ice cubes too, but not too many until it becomes very diluted.
Step 7 - Serve and enjoy.

Baking a simple sponge cake

Simple Sponge Cake

A sponge cake is very easy to make. The ingredients can be found readily and the cake can be prepared in less than 2 hours. It's simplicity makes it attractive for bringing to parties, celebrating the birthday of a relative or an emergency resort for the next bake sale.

Ingredients you will need:

150 grams of butter
150 grams of sugar
150 grams of flour
3 medium sized eggs
One teaspoon of vanilla essence
One tablespoon of water*
One teaspoon of baking powder (less if you want a flatter cake)

Instructions:

Step 1 - Measure out all the ingredients you will need.
Step 2 - Mix the eggs with the sugar, then mix in the butter (you may want to heat the butter to soften it up so it mixes easier)
Step 3 - Add in the vanilla essence
Step 4 - Sift and fold in the flour slowly, mixing all the while. Make sure that the mixture is even, press out any lumps you encounter.
Step 5 - If the mixture seems very thick and gooey, you might want to add in a tablespoon of water.
Step 6 - Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
Step 7 - Grease a tin with butter and pour the mixture into in, even it out with a spoon and don't fill too much as the cake will rise.
Step 8 - Bake at 175 Degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes, you may lower the temperature slightly halfway through if your cake starts to char. Try not to open the oven too often while baking. To check if the cake is ready, prick it with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean then it's done, if some gooey cake mix is on the toothpick, you need to bake a while longer.
Step 9 - Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. You may add topping of your choice.

And that's how to make a simple sponge cake, brought to you by quick-easy-recipes.blogspot.com.

Enjoy!

Tip: Slice the cake in half horizontally and spread jam inside for a delicious treat for tea!

How to cook tomato soup

Cherry tomato soup recipe



A nice piping hot bowl of tomato soup is always a great addition to any meal. Especially if you have some fresh homegrown tomatoes, a tomato soup is a dish that truly brings out the flavor of the tomato.

To serve 3-4 people you will need the following ingredients:

• 500 grams of cherry tomatoes, or about 2 whole packets of cherry tomatoes (slice each cherry tomato into half, no need to peel)
  
• An onion, chopped into slices.
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 500 ml of chicken stock
• 5 grams of butter
• A little oil (sunflower or olive is fine)
• Salt and pepper

You will need the follow equipment as well:

• Electric blender
• Medium sized metal pot (at least large enough for everything to go in)
• Wooden spoon
• Large bowl

Step 1 - Melt the butter in the metal pot and add the oil on medium heat.
Step 2 - Add in the sliced onions and fry them.
Step 3 - Add in the chopped garlic and stir, continue frying.
Step 4 - When the onions have started to cook, add in all the cherry tomato halves.
Step 5 - Continue stirring the mixture to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed. Let the tomatoes cook for a while but keep stirring to prevent burning.
Step 6 - Pour in all the chicken stock.
Step 7 - Stir again and bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 8 - Cover the pan and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 9 - All ingredients in your soup should be soft and well cooked. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a while before transferring some of the mixture to the blender.
Step 10 - Cover the blender and blend for about 20 seconds, then pour the soup into the bowl and carry on with the remaining mixture in the pot until everything has been blended.
Step 11 - Pour the soup back into the pot, stir gently to ensure an even mixture, add salt and pepper and garnish with some basil leaves. Reheat if needed. There is no need to sieve the mixture.
Step 12 - Scoop into smaller bowls and serve hot with some toasted bread.

Enjoy!

Welcome to Quick and Easy Recipes

Welcome to quick-easy-recipes.blogspot.com. Here you can learn how to cook quick and easy recipes! Whether you are looking for some simple fare or trying to whip up an exquisite meal, this blog will be of use to you. If you have any feedback on a particular recipe, just leave a comment on the recipe's post. Happy cooking!