Autumn must be one of my absolute favourite seasons. I love that the mornings and evenings have a proper chill in the air while the afternoons are pleasantly warm. It is however a bit of a tricky season when it comes to food as you need something that is comforting without being heavy like a proper curry, stew or pie. This Thai meatball curry is exactly that. The fresh and zingy flavours work so perfectly well with the coconut milk and chicken meatballs and results in a meal that is comforting and warming without leaving you feeling weighed down. I like to make my own chicken mince by placing free-range…
When I think of Steak and egg (with chips of course), I always think of my dad and one of my mom’s favourite films, Shirley Valentine. I think about my dad because when I was younger this was the one meal that stood out for me which my dad made really well. His steak was always melt-in-the-mouth and his chips were the best chips in the world. I think about Shirley Valentine because of her husband who always demanded his steak & egg on a Monday, I think it was. She eventually got fed-up, threw the steak & egg against the wall and went to Greece to have love…
The first time I saw these doughnut muffins in one of my favourite food magazines, BBC Good Food, my heart literally skipped a beat. I was absolutely in love and I knew I would just have to make them for my family (but mostly for me)! Their original recipe calls for Raspberry preserves which I didn’t have so I used my current ‘preserve obsession’ which is Bonne Maman’s Blueberry preserves. I love how deep and deliciously dark this jam is while the flavour is pleasantly sweet and very blueberry, just what you want right? These muffins were incredibly delicious and I didn’t have to offer them twice. Within a few…
The thing I love most about eating ribs (any ribs) is how your hands are left sticky and how you are forced to lick your fingers afterwards. My mom would be mortified that I’m advocating finger-licking but gosh, who could blame me? These riblets are incredibly easy to throw together and don’t require any marinating. They are great on the braai but I prefer making them in the oven and allowing them to cook under the grill for about 30-45 minutes until the fat has rendered out. It’s important to turn them often (as the marinade will burn easily) and continuously baste them so the marinade becomes sticky and gooey….
This is one of those show-stopper cakes that will impress your guests to no end. It does take a little work but it’s all very worth it. I first saw a crepe cake on Martha Stewart’s site and have wanted to try it ever since but knew I needed a special occasion for it and Easter is just the occasion I’ve been waiting for. You can play around with the flavours and omit the Amarula if you wish but it definitely adds a lovely creamy taste and flavour. I would love to try it again with lemon curd as a filling and a lemony glaze drizzled all over the…
When it comes to baking, cupcakes must be one to the easiest things to throw together and with these easy recipes, you have no excuse not to spoil your family this Easter. The chocolate cupcakes are super moist and to decorate them I simply piped the icing in a ‘nest’ around the top of the cupcake and then filled the hollow with colourful speckled eggs I bought. They look adorable and kids and adults alike will fall in love with them. The coconut cupcakes are delicate and light with a lovely coconut flavour. I like topping it with shredded coconut (which you can toast in the oven for a…
When the wonderful Michael Olivier from Crush! Online magazine asked me to do a feature for their March issue I agreed without hesitation. I love Crush! and am so honoured to be one of their contributors. I decided to do a Easter baking feature as I just love having lots of yummy things to eat when guests visit over Easter weekend (6-9 April, 2012). This bread is just delicious and really easy to make. I use my Kenwood K-Mix to knead the dough which makes it even easier. It’s a delicious bread to serve as part of a breakfast buffet with fresh fruits, yoghurt and home-made granola as it’s…
When Woolworths approached me to be one of their Masterchef SA bloggers, I was over-the-moon. Not only is Woolworths my first choice supermarket for groceries (and shoes, clothes, handbags…), they are also one of the best brands in South Africa (in my opinion). So being associated with them is just wonderful. And to do be blogging about Masterchef SA is the cherry on top! I just love the Masterchef franchise and if last week’s first episode was anything to go by, this is going to be a very exciting series! Go have a look at The Pantry on the Woolworths website to see all the recipes, ideas and tips….
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you’ll know that I shared some very (read: VERY VERY VERY) exciting news late last year. Before I get to that news here, on my blog, however, I need to start at the beginning. I started my blog two and a half years ago when my twins were about 10/11 months. I was a stay-at-home-mom who had been a make-up and hair artist before I fell pregnant and had to stop working/studying due to being pregnant with twins (standing 12 hours a day is not exactly healthy when you are carrying twins). My blog was a way to not only share my…
With Autumn very quickly making her way back into our lives (double yay!), I find myself needing comforting yet light food. I want something with ‘body’ but I need to feel like it’s not going to give me more body…if you know what I mean! These amazing tacos do just that. They are comforting and filling enough but don’t leave you feeling stuffed! I decided to use short ribs as, along with beef shin, it’s one of my favourite cuts of beef. It’s quite a fatty cut which gives it tons of flavour and if you braise it for long enough, it falls apart if you just look at…
