Meat Dishes

As Promised - Some Simple Summer Salads and A Crackling Good Pork Belly

As Promised - Some Simple Summer Salads and A Crackling Good Pork Belly

Posted in Recipes / Vegetables / Meat Dishes / Salads / Starters

OK. If I loathe one thing, it must be a promise made and not kept. I can remember Butch’s mom Bets’ disappointment when a lady at her bible study (nogal) PROMISED to visit and never did. She was profoundly hurt. The person who made the glib promise (as we so often do.. “Oh we must get...


The Final Whispers of Winter – Recipes to charm

The Final Whispers of Winter – Recipes to charm

Posted in Recipes / Vegetables / Meat Dishes / Salads

I can feel it in my bones; spring is in the air. I hadn’t forgotten the recipes for our warm get together with friends last week. I’m in a reflective mood today, reminiscing good times around the island in the kitchen. The cookery classes I attended and the meals my children and I had at home...


Weekend Inspiration - Moroccan Soup With Spicy Beef Meatballs

Weekend Inspiration - Moroccan Soup With Spicy Beef Meatballs

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes / Soups

I’ve been preparing three meals a day for 43 years and counting.  There were days that I wished someone would tell me what they felt like for supper, or suggest a change in menu.  Inspiration is what we all need.  Some of the best meals were simple ones like a fresh, crispy  French loaf with...


Winning Winter Warmers When It's Welly Cold

Winning Winter Warmers When It's Welly Cold

Posted in Recipes / Vegetables / Meat Dishes / Starters / Baking and Cakes

Recipes to warm your heart – Cinnamon Pancakes, Beetroot Risotto and Lamb necks on the braai. This quotation inspires today’s blog “Don’t think about making art, get it done.  Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.  While they are deciding, make even...


Around The World With A Wooden Spoon And Spatula

Around The World With A Wooden Spoon And Spatula

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes / Desserts / Soups / Drinks and Beverages / Travel

Pfft, to armchair travel we might think.  For the foreseeable future, it’s a new reality whichever way we look at it. The thought of not travelling is like telling a ladybird she may not save her children burning in their house. Dreadful. Unthinkable. Depressing. Every morning I throw back...


Bolognaise Arancini - Flavour Bombs

Bolognaise Arancini - Flavour Bombs

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes / Starters / Miscellaneous

Arancini is an Italian dish consisting of small balls of Arborio rice, stuffed with a savoury filling, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. Arancini is synonymous with Sicily. If you’ve never tasted arancini or made it yourself now is a golden opportunity to impress. Here it’s raining, cold...


My Saucy Pepper Beef Pie

My Saucy Pepper Beef Pie

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes

We thought the pie was delicious.  Butch’s mouth has been salivating for something like this for a while so I thought “Well why not?”  I didn’t make my pastry but bought a ready-made Puff pastry instead.  We all have our favourite one, I like using the Woolies All Butter Puff Pastry Sheets. ...


Sunday's Roast With Sweet Onion Tarte Tatin

Sunday's Roast With Sweet Onion Tarte Tatin

Posted in Recipes / Vegetables / Meat Dishes / Salads

Using staples from our store cupboard is always a bargain, especially over a weekend when you don’t want to put a foot wrong,  or into a shop. On most Sundays we like to take things easy, meals should be hassle free, but, always, delicious and preferably with something new. My parents often...


Sunday AKA The Wife's Day Off

Sunday AKA The Wife's Day Off

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes / Starters / Festive and Christmas

In South Africa husbands give their wives “the day off” when THEY cook. This often happens on a Sunday Fun day. What it means is that we don’t have to stand in front of the stove, (normally a barbecue fire), and sweat it out. This day off doesn’t come cheap though. We earn it. Before we...


Safari On Super Suppers And Snacks

Safari On Super Suppers And Snacks

Gosh it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that spring in my step. A new shop opened in town, Nibbly Bits. As the name suggests they stock all sorts of delicious nibbly bits. I went all out and got us some treats. After my spree I met up with friends en-route to Prince Albert in the Karoo and...


Comfort Food Prince Albert Style

Comfort Food Prince Albert Style

Posted in Recipes / Vegetables / Meat Dishes / Desserts

Whenever I think of the Karoo and food there is only one thing that comes to mind.  It has to be lamb. Karoo lamb with lots of Rosemary.  Of course at this time of the year you might imagine a roast leg of Springbok, that’ll do too.  Treat it as if its lamb and the results are spectacular....


Keep Korma And Curry On

Keep Korma And Curry On

My new favourite quote, especially when my tiara slips fractionally.  Yes!  Sometimes it takes a change of heart, a change of attitude and courage to be in control of our minds and emotions.  It’s unlikely that we all wake up each morning and feel on top of the world.  Years ago someone said...


Dumpling Delicious

Dumpling Delicious

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes

We don’t have central heating, so our homes are colder inside than outside sometimes.  This has advantages, we warm up our homes with huge log fires, burn candles, have heaps of blankets and throws, we wear pajamas and bed socks, we fill our hot water bottles and switch on heated blankets. ...


Don't Mind The Gap

Don't Mind The Gap

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes / Musings / Videos

Age gaps and generation gaps are getting narrower and narrower at my age.  I have a beautiful friend who turns 18 today and shares the day with another who turns 80, yet another BFF turned 70 last week, I’ll be celebrating my 40th for the 21st time in a few days, later on I’m going to enjoy...


I Can Conclude I'm No (Food) Prude

I Can Conclude I'm No (Food) Prude

Posted in Recipes / Vegetables / Meat Dishes / Soups / Fruit / Musings / Videos

My beloved, who eats anything and everything, never complains and always says “thank you that was a delicious meal” (even when, on the rare occasion, we have deli pies, accompanied by a good dose of salts, for lunch) decided he had a weekend menu; comfort food.  On the one hand I was delighted,...


What's Cooking Good Looking?

What's Cooking Good Looking?

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes / Videos

A few weeks ago Butch went off to the butcher to see what we could braai (barbecue), we regularly enjoy a steak, especially on Fridays. This time he returned with a Brazilian cut, PICANHA, recommended by the butcher.  Tender, packed with flavour.  Really hard to beat. Picanha is a cut of...


Celebrating Effortless Summer Fare

Celebrating Effortless Summer Fare

I am so inclined to repeat my menus that it takes a luncheon with friends to inspire me to delve into old recipe books, files and faded food magazines, those I hoard. I always find inspiration as the clock ticks ever nearer and my “to do” list gets longer.  Our guests arrived dressed to the...


Bang! My Bubble Burst

Bang! My Bubble Burst

Like a shot in the dark. Unexpected, frightening and loud. That’s how 2017 set the standard. And look! A twelfth has almost gone, right before our very eyes. Fortunately I have no guilt feelings about not accomplishing one New Year’s resolution last year, I didn’t even try compiling a list for...


Stocking Up

Stocking Up

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes

In December all roads lead to Cape Town, Hermanus and Plettenberg Bay. But, in July, we take revenge and as soon as the school bags slam shut we flip our lids and head north to warmer climes, crossing the Orange River in droves as we migrate. Planning and packing the Engel (camping fridge) is...


Around The World In A Coffee Cup With A Storm Brewing

Around The World In A Coffee Cup With A Storm Brewing

Posted in Recipes / Vegetables / Meat Dishes / Desserts / Baking and Cakes / Fruit

A whirlwind weekend wandering is possible from home, one just needs to know how. When the seasons change as they do every Easter weekend we have four seasons in a day. It’s hard to pack considering the weather. The only certainty is that it’s time for comfort food. We travelled the world...


Hot Chick Spicing Up The Kitchen

Hot Chick Spicing Up The Kitchen

Winter food to spice up your life, add heat to your menu with colourful spices, bring out the tartness of Citrus with a saucy pudding, go tropical with a pod of Vanilla and pick up an exotic thread of Saffron.  Wrap up snugly in rice paper and fry up some Spring Rolls.  These multinational...


Friday My Day

Friday My Day

Posted in Recipes / Meat Dishes / Desserts / Soups / Salads / Fruit / Drinks and Beverages

The clock ticks, January draws to a close, not a day too soon either. It’s been a long month. A fortnight ago my bank balance passed zero. My tan’s faded and I’m not as diligent about counting calories anymore. Thank goodness its Friday my favourite day. To celebrate we’ll have dessert....


Scintillating Sunny Salads

Scintillating Sunny Salads

Posted in Recipes / Vegetables / Meat Dishes / Salads / Fruit

It’s a mellow-yellow Saffron day, it’s hot, sticky and slightly sultry. I awoke with melons,  songs and nasturtiums on my mind a Yellow song and it was Coldplay! A good theme for Thursday. This is a pedicure and cafe day.  Provence is yellow, reminding me of Les Girls, pottery and...