I’ve made no secret over the last few years that I just love meatballs. I make them often and I am always trying to improve on my recipes. So last week when I made my first batch of home-made Ricotta, I wanted to use it in a way I had never done before. I thought of serving the ricotta on top of the pasta, which I did at the end as well, but also decided to mix some of the ricotta into the meatball mixture. I know how deliciously light the ricotta made my Ricotta blueberry pancakes and thought it might do the same with the meatballs. And I was…
Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category
Tiramisu is one of my absolute favourite desserts. I love the creamy mascarpone and I love the mellow coffee flavour but what I love most is that it was one of my moms favourite desserts, and one she made incredibly well! My dad always jokes that my mom put so much alcohol in her tiramisu, after 3 bites you were drunk as a skunk! I remember one year at Christmas she made a huge dish of tiramisu but I never even tasted it…none of the kids were allowed in fact. She confessed that instead of adding a few tablespoons of Tia Maria, she actually added half the bottle! I also…
I have really fallen in love with Ricotta cheese over the last year or two, trying to work the delicate, curdled cheese into everything from Flapjacks with Blueberries, Sandwich toppings and rich fillings for aubergine involtini. At first, shop-bought Ricotta was just fine but in December I was browsing the Donna Hay iPad app and I saw her very easy recipe for home-made, fresh Ricotta. I promised to make my own and have just not gotten around to doing it until yesterday. I was a bit nervous to make my own cheese as I’ve never done anything like it (even though the recipe could not be simpler). It also didn’t…
After watching one of my newest cooking show addictions, Meat & Potatoes (Food Network) this weekend, I was left inspired and motivated. I’ve said before how much I like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri and Meat & Potatoes follows that same guideline, but amps it up a bit by visiting fine-dining establishments as well as the hole-in-the-wall kind of places. And then of course, the focus is on all types of meat & potatoes. This weekend’s episode showed the awesome Josh Henderson of Skillet Street Food making his bacon jam which he serves on burgers with Gorgonzola cheese. “Bacon JAM?” I hear you ask. Yes! Bacon Jam….
If you vowed to start your diet on this Monday, avert your eyes immediately. Because these ice cream Sundaes are so insanely good, you will almost definitely fall off the rails. I have to confess though, that I’m not the biggest fan of ice cream usually. I just feel like if I am going to be eating something sweet and calorie filled, there are so many other options I would rather go for. But with these sundaes I can eat buckets of ice cream. Most probably because the ice cream is topped with the gooeyest of gooey sauces. Sweet with a little bit of saltiness, sticky and chocolatey, this Salty…
Chicken pie is one of my ultimate comfort foods. Probably because my gran made a killer chicken pie and always had an enormous one standing proudly amongst the roasts and delicious vegetable dishes for our Sunday lunches. My gran’s chicken pie was always something rather majestic. She made sure the edges were beautifully crimped but ensured me she did so in a casual manner; the filling was always rich and fragrant with hints of nutmeg, cloves and white pepper. I also loved how she wasn’t shy with the filling and made sure that there wasn’t a ton of pastry compared to the amount of filling. I’m a pastry lover…
I was invited by the fabulous Ian Manley of Manley Communications to join him and some other JHB-based bloggers for a weekend of extreme luxury, amazing food and lots of spa pampering. I contemplated it for all of 2 seconds before replying straight away with a big YES! (Image Courtesy of Manley Communications) I had been to the Mount Grace before and was really excited to be able to stay over for the night as well as experience chef Franc Lubbe’s amazing food once again. The cherry on top was to be able to experience the spa which I have heard such good things about. And I am very happy…
Quesidillas are my go-to meal when I need something quick, tasty and filling. I love it’s versatility and the fact that you an use absolutely anything as a filling. Left-overs are given a new life when teamed with gooey cheese and toasted between two tortillas/wraps. This is not so much a recipe as it is a list of suggestions for fillings as I don’t exactly need to teach you how to make a quesidilla. It really is just a different form of a toasted cheese sandwich. I always like to pair a protein (shredded chicken/pork, slow-cooked beef/lamb, roughly chopped prawns or beans) with vegetables (literally anything goes here, from spinach,…
I saw someone doing marinated tomatoes on tv not so long ago and for the life of me, I can’t remember who it was. I can’t even remember on which channel it was which makes me feel horrible as I can’t give credit where credit is due. I am however very thankful to that person for exposing me to the wonder that is a marinated tomato. I know the thought of blanching then peeling and then marinating cherry tomatoes is not appealing. I thought I had gone crazy when I found myself even considering the idea of trying it myself. You see, I’m a very lazy person. I love…
As one of the Woolworths bloggers for the duration of Masterchef SA, I’m quite invested in the show and I have to say, I was a little nervous before the show started as I really hoped it would live up to all the hype. I have not been disappointed. I think the production value is just incredible and I really enjoy the show as a whole. Of course, it was expected that a lot of the hype would be about the judges and on Twitter, people have definitely not felt the need to keep what they think of the judges to themselves. Some opinions are funny, some are true and…
