Summer is in full force in Pretoria at the moment. The sky is brilliant blue, the Jacaranda trees are sporting brand new purple blooms and it is already ridiculously hot. When the season changes, people swarm to the gym and healthy food is a priority once more. And this glorious weather also inspires me to eat lighter, healthier food. This salad is one of my staples at the moment. I eat it for lunch on its own or as an accessory to grilled meat for dinner. I like to marinate the tomatoes and bocconcini (mozzarella) while the broccoli is steaming to really allow the flavours to mingle and…
Simply Delicious
A general food and cooking blog. I like to experiment and try all different types of cuisine and I have a passion for food photography and styling.
Posts Tagged ‘Tomato’
Isn’t it funny how the simplest of foods can sometimes be the most calming and comforting? I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster of emotions the last couple of weeks with the knowledge that my book will be hitting the shelves in a month’s time. I’ve asked my team from Penguin to involve me as much as they possibly can and so, I’m doing a lot of the behind the scenes stuff which I’m enjoying but of course, with extra work comes extra stress. And when I’m stressed, I eat. Not good, wholesome foods…no, I like sugary, carb-loaded foods that make me feel good all of one second…
It’s confession time. Along with all my other food obsessions, I can now add sandwiches, in every way, shape and form to that list. I’m not talking about a cheese sandwich on ‘plastic’ bread or a regular peanut butter & syrup sandwich, I’m talking about good quality breads topped with simple but great ingredients cooked/prepared with love and attention. It’s almost impossible to go wrong when you follow those guidelines. Another confession, I never liked BLT sandwiches. They were always sub-standard and almost bland, the bacon being the only component to add any flavour. I felt the tomatoes washed out all the flavour and so steered clear of them…
These may seem finicky and like they take a lot of trouble but I can assure you that could not be further from the truth. These gorgeous and delicious tartlettes are so easy to make, I would trust my 19-year old brother to do it (please note that my brother can barely make himself toast and he’s a master at making 2-minute noodles! What is important to remember when working with phyllo is that whatever filling you add needs to be relatively dry or else the pastry will go soggy and that kind of defeats the purpose as you want the pastry to stay beautiful and crisp. These tarts are…
Everywhere I look lately I see tomato soup recipes and photo’s. This might be the reason why I was so amped to make it last week, and why my husband was so surprised to find out that I’d never made or eaten tomato soup before. I think it’s the fact that in our high school Home Economics class, the teacher always said you can’t make tomato soup in certain pots, I think it was Aluminium, because the acid in the tomatoes react with the Aluminium and this gives the soup a metallic taste. The thought of that petrified me and I was always too scared to make it. Meanwhile, we only…
As a mom, I’m always looking for new and fun ways to present the same old things to my kids. I am constantly making sushi out of bread, ham and cheese or threading bread and vegetables onto skewers to make it seem more interesting, even though they had the same thing the day before. If you’re a mom, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it can be tough to be creative for kids’ lunches. So when I came up with this idea, I was quite chuffed with myself. My kids absolutely love Bruschetta with tomatoes, so I thought why not do the same thing on a skewer, and they…
Yesterday, whilst thinking about dinner, I knew I wanted to do something with Lamb. But I was so not in the mood for the regular stuff I do with it. I was after some serious inspiration but none of the 100′s of websites I visited gave it to me. I needed something fresh, and something I could make my own. After about an hour of Googling and searching, I gave up and started going through my cookbooks. I went through about 9 before I gave up on that idea. There was just nothing that was grabbing my attention. Out of pure desperation, I reached for the cookbook we all had…
Now, it might not be ‘comfort food’ season in South Africa but it certainly is in the Northern Hemisphere. And quite honestly, yesterday I needed comfort food. It was one of THOSE days where I was irritated and the twins were acting up. I often wonder why kids have this ability to be at their most difficult and challenging when you are on edge and out of patience. But good news, we made it through the day and we were all in need of this comforting, rich and delicious meal. Of all the cuts of Lamb, the shank is my absolute favourite. I love how it goes soft and sticky…
I’m still working on getting my mojo back 100% but I find it hard to concentrate on cooking and recipe development when I have SO much other stuff on my plate. I’m planning a Nautical Baby Shower, a Vintage Candy Shoppe themed second birthday for my twins and our December holidays. While that’s going on I still have events to attend, I’m worried about my brother who is madly in love and writing his matric finals (never a good combination) and I’m trying to keep my family fed, bathed and just generally alive. Now I know what you’re thinking, especially if you are a working mother, “I do all of…
