MICROWAVE MAGIC

As a single person, I use my microwave a lot. Here are some of my favorite recipes.

ALL TIMES ARE FOR TOP POWER and assume a microwave with a bottom that turns the food.

BROCCOLI

Cut the tops off the broccoli, arrange the broccoli tops top side up in a two inch deep glass soup bowl or glass pie pan. Put in about a half inch of water, salt the top of the broccoli, sprinkle ROSEMARY on top of the broccoli, and zap for about 5 minutes. Microwaves greatly depend on the amount of food and water, so it is better to under cook, taste and then zap again. Drain and serve.

ARTICHOKES

Cut the top two inches off the artichoke. Cut the stem off the artichoke at the point where the leaves start. Put artichoke in a glass bowl with about an inch of water. Sprinkle about a quarter teaspoon of salt and a some garlic salt on the top of the artichoke on the cut off leaves. Put a tablespoon of butter on top of the salt and garlic. Zap for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size. Artichoke is done when you can easily pull off the leaves. Drain the water, put some butter in bottom of the glass bowl and eat. You can dip the leaves in butter or mayonnaise, but usually with this method, you can eat the artichoke without dipping.

HOW TO EAT THE ARTICHOKE

Start with the lowest leaves. Scrape the leaves on your teeth to eat the part that is the least green at the point where the leaf joins the plant. When you get down to the leaves you can almost see through, take a fork and gently remove the entire leafy part from the stem part that is now left. Be careful, some of the leafy part is the "choke" in artichoke. Eat the stem part that is left. The stem part is what is called the heart of the artichoke and is REALLY GOOD. Remember that many people dip the leaves and the heart in butter or other dressing.

SOFTEN BUTTER

There is nothing worse than taking the butter out of the fridge and trying to butter your sour dough bread. So put the wrapped butter quarter pound stick into the microwave and zap it for 10 SECONDS, and you will have soft butter. Zap it more and the butter will melt. Some butter has metallic wrapping, so put that butter on a plate before zapping.

MELT BUTTER

To melt butter for popcorn or to dip artichokes, put it in a small glass cup that would hold at least a cup of water. Put just the butter into the cup and put the cup into the microwave for one minute and WATCH IT MELT. When it starts to boil up, TAKE IT OUT. DO NOT LEAVE THE BUTTER. Butter is expensive and a pain to clean up after it gets all over the bottom of the microwave.

VARIATION OF MOM'S OYSTER STEW

Mom's oyster stew is just canned oysters cooked in hot milk. It is probably an aquired taste.

Start with a deep glass bowl. Put in garlic salt or a garlic clove put through a garlic press. Drain the oysters and put in them in the bowl. Add milk to more than cover the oysters. Add two tablespoons of butter. Zap for 3 or 4 minutes. The butter should be melted. Sprinkle on dried or fresh chives. Eat with oyster crackers.

I prefer to microwave recipes that call for heated milk as the milk will not burn in the microwave.