Recipes
As Promised - Some Simple Summer Salads and A Crackling Good Pork Belly
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...
Dessert The Winter Chills And Berry It
No matter the occasion or the poshness of the menu, my eyes inadvertently always seek out the desserts. You might think I'm the spitting image of Queen Victoria and suggest I don't succumb to the desires of my sweet tooth. I’ll skimp on starters and nibble on lettuce leaves but, don’t deny...
The Final Whispers of Winter – Recipes to charm
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...
Fully Vaxxed We Celebrate Family, Friends and Firstborns
I've raged against injustice, prayed with prayer sisters for healing, we’ve wept for the grieving and consoled friends, colleagues and acquaintances in mourning; we’ve given thanks for healing and been enthralled by those who’ve recovered, often miraculously. While we wait for these...
Weekend Inspiration - Moroccan Soup With Spicy Beef Meatballs
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
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...
From Mexico To Kathmandu
Every sign and forecast pointed to a wet, wintry weekend. Soon we had the wall heaters blazing, our non-skid socks and fleecy jumpers on. We lay in late, dipping rusks into hot coffee, occasionally casting an eye outside. At this rate, we’d spend the weekend in bed. Nope, we needed to...
Let's Go Mexico
The weather’s turning, and we need a quick fix. There’s no time to beat about the bush. I’m ready and packed, just waiting for Butch to finish up at work. Seeing as we’re in for a spell of cold weather, I thought I’d give you this quick recipe for a really good, simple chowder/soup. ...
Rainy Days And Sundays - Butternut Relish
Inclement weather is expected to ease in October. The rain running in rivulets down the window panes as I type surprises me. Shouldn’t be, you’d think, but we’ve had such good weather for eight straight weeks that I was ready to rip out the old bather to wallow in the shallows with my...
Beefy Brown Onion Soup For The Ego
“Don’t worry, we all look terrible with these masks on, Maricha,” Said an acquaintance I greeted in the grocery store today. All I’d said was “Ha-wow!” as my mask ballooned into my mouth. It’s a reminder that we’re all navigating these times together, which can make you feel less alone. I...
Wandering Closer To Home - Slanghoek - Kraalkloof Camp
Butch and his colleagues meet in their library every morning for coffee. He says, “Sometimes we talk law, but mostly we just catch up and chat.” His description was spicier. Everyone knows our story by now, and we often share good travel ideas. Last week, he was tipped off about a secluded,...
Around The World With A Wooden Spoon And Spatula
Pfft, 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 from a burning house. Dreadful. Unthinkable. Depressing. Every morning I swallow a fistful...
Rooting For Beets
My farm-to-table produce box from Groenstoor included, among many delicious offerings, a bushel of beetroot, a bunch of carrots, and root vegetables, including sweet and bitter salad leaves. This morning, while I was grating an apple and pear for my breakfast Bircher, I remembered how, as...
Bolognaise Arancini - Flavour Bombs
Arancini is an Italian dish using small balls of Arborio rice, filled with a savoury filling, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. Arancini is synonymous with Sicily. It’s raining, cold, and miserable. Everyone has fires roaring in the grate, and comfort food is calling, creating a cozy,...
Honey Badgers Don't Hibernate
I stopped laughing. My one redeeming attribute is that I enjoy a good laugh. Some start deep in my belly; others I try to suppress as they tickle my spirit, but overall Butch and I enjoy a good old-fashioned chortle. When did merriment leave us? Sometime, I can’t pinpoint, probably during...
COVID-19 Confessions - EASY ORANGE SPONGE CAKE WITH ORANGE CURD FILLING OR CRÈME PATISSERIE.
COVID-19 stumped even the writers of Horoscopes, who didn’t predict this devastating pandemic. No, as far as psychics go, we’re still in plain sailing. They’ve let us down miserably. My prediction for today. Cancerian. “Since Mercury is just about to turn retrograde, it’s best to keep...
My Saucy Pepper Beef Pie
We thought the pie was delicious. Butch’s mouth has been watering 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
Using staples from our store cupboard is always a bargain, especially at weekends when you don’t want to put a foot wrong or go into a shop. Explaining why this is helpful can inspire readers to feel more confident in their pantries and enjoy stress-free cooking. On most Sundays, we like to take...
Breakfast Inspiration - BIRCHER
Sometimes we all need a little inspiration. I find we slip into a routine very quickly, especially when it’s just Butch and me. Every meal is a repeat of the day before, as we’re both busy and meals at home serve their nutritional purpose, keeping us sustained and hopefully healthy. It was on...
Quiche Me Quick
When it’s sunny and days can be spent on the beach with a book, there’s no time to linger in the kitchen. Quick, easy meals like these help you enjoy your day without stress. Having a few vegetarian recipes in your arsenal is always a good idea, especially when on holiday. I find we need...
Sunday AKA The Wife’s Day Off - Potjiekos recipe and my Polenta
In South Africa, husbands give their wives “the day off” when THEY cook, often on a Sunday, to let them relax and enjoy some leisure time. It means we don’t have to stand in front of the stove and sweat it out. This day off doesn’t come cheap, though. We earn it. Before we can twiddle our...
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 many 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 we...
Spicy Mexican Chicken and Corn Soup
Before I do anything else, I want to share this easy and delicious Spicy Mexican Chicken and Corn Soup. I whipped it up quickly last week, and we all agreed it's a recipe anyone can master. It's perfect for any season, bringing summer vibes to wintry days and keeping winter chills...
12 Fun Things To Do During A Wet Spell And Beetroot Risotto
Here are my 12 fun things to do during a wet spell. Bragging rights in the car industry are earned when your new VW outruns the competition and goes from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds. Our summer went from balmy sunshine days to cloudy and wet overnight, and Autumn kept it up for 7 days. Suddenly, we...
Authentic Seafood Paella Recipe
A traditional Spanish paella, packed with authentic spices and ingredients, designed to inspire home cooks and food enthusiasts alike. In a previous life, I was a caterer, and this Paella recipe was a firm favourite among clients. It is foolproof, easy, and takes centre stage at the table. I...
Not Pie In The Sky - Old Fashioned Apple Pie With Nuts and Cranberries
Did you know? The apples we buy fresh have been hermetically sealed in a cold storage facility for at least a year! Cold Storage works something like this: Organic-Hermetic storage, or “hermetic storage”, consists of a sealed storage system containing a modified atmosphere. This means...
Cape Salmon Is Summer - Fish Cakes
There’s no sense in living by the sea and never enjoying fresh fish, so I appreciate the importance of choosing quality ingredients. When we wanted to buy Cape Salmon caught at this time, we couldn’t find any in Hermanus. Cape Salmon is the queen of the seas, and I'll always go for that option....
Comfort Food Prince Albert Style
Whenever I think of the Karoo and food, only one thing comes to mind. It has to be lamb. Karoo lamb with lots of rosemary. Of course, at this time of year you might imagine a roast leg of Springbok; that’ll do too. Treat it like lamb, and the results are spectacular. Like the French, I...
Romancing the Mill Stone - Sandra's Easy Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread
Here is a divine vegan whole-wheat loaf. Please ensure you use stone-ground wheat that contains no additives, unhealthy preservatives, or sugar, and isn't so refined that it resembles something you can make lines with and sniff. If you’re wheat- or gluten-intolerant, give this recipe a try; I...
Scones, Simply Whey Too Easy
My Mother-in-law was the Julia Child of Karoo Kwezeen (Cuisine). We were an excellent combination on the food front: she cooked it, and I ate it, until I became quite poorly from overindulgence. Although very kind and patient, I doubt she thought I had any mentionable talents, and not in...
Churning A-Whey Homemade Butter
I am so excited. I made my butter! It was simple to make, and I can’t imagine why everyone doesn’t do it too. Since most people are Banting or following Tim Noakes's full dairy revolution, cream and butter have become quite expensive. A liter of cream still costs much less than 500g of...
Keep Korma And Curry On - Curry Recipes
My new favourite quote, especially when my tiara slips a fraction. Yes! Sometimes it takes a change of heart, a change of attitude, and the courage to control our minds and emotions. It’s unlikely we all wake up each morning feeling on top of the world. Years ago, someone said, “The woman of...
Dumpling Delicious
We don’t have central heating, so our homes are sometimes colder inside than outside. This has advantages: we warm our homes with huge log fires, burn candles, have heaps of blankets and throws, wear pyjamas and bed socks, fill our hot water bottles and switch on heated blankets. Meals...
Don't Mind The Gap
Age gaps and generation gaps are getting narrower as I get older. 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, I’m going to enjoy High Tea at...
I Can Conclude I'm No (Food) Prude – Moroccan Lamb Shanks, Françoise’s Famous Brown Onion Soup, Orange Flavoured Oxtail, Malva Pudding
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 (or garage pies, as they’re colloquially known) with a good dose of salt for lunch), decided he had a weekend menu: comfort...
Mooching In My Flannel Pyjamas On Sundays
On Sundays, as the good book commands, I take a day off. Late out of bed, I enjoy my coffee and a rusk made by Butch; it’s too cold for my tootsies to shuffle downstairs to make coffee. I read, catch up with friends on Social Media, read messages from my children and watch the short videos...
Giving Chicken A Spicy Pineapple Kick
Sweet and spicy are always a winner and go so well with chicken. We decided to spice up our Sunday roast with a curried pineapple stuffing. Chickens tend to be rather thick-skinned, and flavours don’t penetrate the skin, so we loosened the membrane beneath the skin and popped our stuffing...
Easy Brinjal, Bacon Bake For Autumn Luncheons
Aubergine, brinjal, or eggplant must be the king of versatility. Nothing could be easier than this Brinjal bake, so perfect for long lunches on the veranda when leaves turn and days become shorter and cooler. No one wants to spend hours indoors now. I see beautiful mousebirds are very busy...
Tantalizing Tomato Teaser
Last week we treated ourselves to a Fine-Dining experience at the Conservatory, a pop-up restaurant, Lekkerlek by Likoke (Lick Okay), inspired by the renowned Belgian Michelin-starred chef Piet Huysentruyt, who is rounding off his world tour in Franschhoek. The taster menu, inspired by...
BUCEANDO TORTE DE CHOCOLATE MEXICANO
Best chocolate cake in Mexico. Carla and I can attest to that. On a recent visit to Mexico, we enjoyed this magnificent chocolate cake. Moist, packed with chocolate, yet light and not overly rich. It certainly ticked all the boxes after a night out when one needed a Caffè and Torte....