Food Recipes

I may have not expressed this, but I love food. Not just eating, but also cooking. I don’t see myself as a chef, but I do see myself as a cook. I was a student once, and my diet would normally consist of take-out, pizza delivery and Ramen noodles. Eventually, I got sick of it and took the time and patience to experiment in the kitchen.

I cook from the heart and soul, and my philosophy is all about quick and easy meals that won’t hurt your wallet. I’m also all about sinful meals, so be warned. These meals are so easy..

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Economical Microwave Mac ‘n’ Cheese

A spoonful of Macaroni
3 Cheddar Cheese Slices
A cup of full cream milk
Salt, Pepper and Chicken Bouillon/Stock/Seasoning
One tablespoon of butter
Sauce pan
Microwave

Before you get down and dirty, start boiling your macaroni in a pot of water al dente.

In a saucepan, heat up your butter but careful to not let it burn. Pour in the milk and let it simmer (do not boil). As its heats up, sprinkle some of the chicken season, salt and pepper for flavour.

Tip. You can use bacon grease for more y'know..Bacon-flavor.

Once the milk starts to thicken, turn off the heat and sieve the macaroni and place it in a bowl. Pour milk into a bowl, and stir the pasta in. Don’t worry about the milk collecting like soup at the bottom. You can choose to stir in a small amount of butter to get it yellow and buttery.

Tip. You can also add half a teaspoon of mustard to give it a bit of a tang and color.

After the pasta is well mixed with the milk, start layering the cheddar slices on top of the pasta. Slice them up for better coverage. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top, and microwave on medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Once its done, use a spoon and mix the cheese so that it spreads all over. The milk collecting at the bottom will work well with the cheddar to give it some moisture, and that gooey stickiness.

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Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Olive Oil

10-12 Cloves of Garlic
Salt
Dried Chili Flakes or Dried Chili (sliced)
Parsley
Spaghetti

I love making Aglio e Olio at times when I’m just too tired, and this stuff is just effortless.  The easiest thing to make when you’re hungry and foolish.

I like mine with a lot of garlic, so I throw in like 10 cloves of garlic to accomodate a handful of dry spaghetti. Oh, and two red chilies (fresh or dried), sliced. I also like throwing a heaping tablespoon of dried chili flakes.

What can I say? I like it hot!

Chop your garlic up. Don’t worry about chopping it so finely. Chop it randomly. But not too big either. I like it when the garlic are chopped to look like flakes.

In a hot pan, pour 1/4 cup of olive oil, and throw in the garlic, and smell that gorgeous aroma. Throw in a tiny dollop of butter too, if you like. It’ll smell like heaven. You know what else smells good? Sautéing onions in butter with a cinnamon bark. How do you do that? In a pan on medium heat, let some butter melt and heat up with a cinnamon bark. Your kitchen will smell like bakery. And once you throw in the onions.. It’s ecstasy!

Oh, yes! The spaghetti! While your garlic cooks, remember to cook your spaghetti al dente and drain the water. That’s important. Remember to make sure that your garlic does not turn brown. If it does end up so, don’t worry. You can re-use that as a topping/deco to go with your parmesan and parsley.

As your garlic cooks, throw in the sliced chilies, let it sit for a minute or two, then throw in a dash of salt, and then throw in your pasta and stir it around so that every drop of oil coats every inch of the noodle.

Stirring gets fun when you toss the teaspoon of chili flakes in. Add in more salt, some pepper and some parsley flakes, and you’re done.

Toss it onto a plate, top it with some parmesan cheese or some extra pepper. Or some mint leaves if you have any.

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Ice Cream Cake

Vanilla ice cream
Peanut Butter/Nutella or both
1 Crunchie Bar
1 Snickers Bar or any of your favorite chocolate candy bars
White Toblerone
Cookie Dough (no egg)
Chocolate biscuits or bourbon biscuits
A muffin of your desired flavor (optional)
Whipped cream
Caramel/Butterscotch syrup for topping (optional)
A round aluminium pan
Aluminium foil
A big bowl and a big spoon to mix.

I was inspired by Nigella. In fact, if it’s anything wildly creative and rustic, you bet it’s the work of Nigella!

First, leave the ice cream in the fridge to soften. Meanwhile, start chopping up the candy bars and Toblerone into small chunks and place them aside, then start crushing the biscuits into small tiny pieces as well. Also, if you’re incorporating a muffin or cookie dough, chop it up into tiny little chunks and set them aside.

Next, take out the ice cream and set aside how much you can fit into your pan. Once you’ve made an estimation, place the ice cream into a big bowl, and then mix your ice cream with two dollops of peanut butter or Nutella, based on your preference. Once the ice cream’s got that flavor, start throwing in all the ingredients and with your spoon, mix well. Once that’s done, pour the mix into your aluminium pan. Make sure it is sitting on a plate to avoid any spills, etc. Then, cover the pan with a sheet of aluminium foil and freeze for an hour or two. If you want, you can take it out once its frozen to place a layer of Nutella for a dark base.

Once the ice cream is completely frozen and ready to be consumed, take out the sheet, turn it upside down and slowly push the ice cream down onto the plate. Then, you can choose to sweep another layer of Nutella (like frosting) or get down to business with topping it with some syrup and whipped cream! Lastly, grab out the spoons and play some Nina Simone for a sweet, romantic delight!

Tip. If you’re chopping up a Crunchie bar, you’ll notice some shavings of the honeycomb scattered around.. Save it as a topping!

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Grandma’s Sweet Milk Tea (For a big 300ml mug)

Three bags of English Breakfast tea
5 oz of evaporated milk
300ml of hot water

Brew the tea in hot water for a minute until its thick and glowing in dark amber, then stir in evaporated milk until it forms a light milky caramel-like tone, similar to a latte. As for the sweetness, it generally is sweet, but definitely suit your preference. When its ready, sit outside on your porch, or open up your window, and sip!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate and Banana Waffles


1 Banana sliced
Peanut Butter-Chocolate swirls/ Peanut Butter/ Nutella 

Gardenia’s Maple Wholemeal Waffle (2 waffles in a pack)
Non-stick Pan

First, spread on peanut butter and chocolate on each waffle, then arrange bananas neatly, and sandwich together.
Then heat up the pan, and drop a small bit of butter and let it spread around the pan, then place the waffle on the pan for about 2 minutes on low to medium heat. Change sides and let it sit for 2 minutes.

The waffles come in a variety of flavors as in the picture, but I like the Maple better, and since its made with wholemeal, I guess it adds on some goodness to what’s already quite sinful! Yum!

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