Mothers Day: Reach out to someone you know struggling to conceive

I have this great need to write a blog post on mothers day, to pay special tribute to those who have and are struggling to become mothers  either naturally, through ivf, surrogacy or adoption; because it's an unspoken truth that 1 in 6 couples that you know at this very moment are struggling to conceive.  This quote sums up the core of this struggle so eloquently -  " There is a unique pain that comes from preparing a place in your heart for a child that never comes. "

Sam and my journey fails in comparison to the hardships others face to become what I believe is a basic human right- a parent.  We've had a bit of bad luck trying to eradicate an error in our offspring's genetic coding, whilst working around scarring from abdominal surgery I had when I was 7 years old (who thought?),  and recently suffered a  6-week miscarriage.. . It's nearly 2 years down the line of countless hormones, scans, testing, acupuncture and more; and we've had it easy! You're probably thinking how is this having it easy?  Because it's been our choice and many people don't even get to make this choice, because financially they cannot afford it, or lack the physical resources to do so...

Today I would like to honour all the women in the world who have either fought hard to bring a child into this world and those struggling for life's greatest privilege of doing so... Many of whom suffer in silence each and every day. Take a moment to reach out to them and show them the love, support and more importantly understanding they so desperately need in this hard time. It will be emotional for them, but being understood is one of life's greatest gifts we can give to another. Don't offer advice, and don't try fix anything, just let them know that you understand how hard it is  for them today (or any other day) and let the know that you are thinking of them.  They will be grateful for your brave attempt to reach out, as they'll no longer need to suffer alone, and sharing their struggles will lead to greater understanding from others and so this beautiful cycle will continue :-)

Happy Mothers Day to mothers, grandmothers furry kid mothers, godmothers, and those on the journey to becoming a mother.  And for those struggling on this  journey, a women who I admire deeply once said to me- "Be brave, strong and true. If you can stick to this you will make it through."

Do you have a story you want to share?

What I’ve learnt from my Vizsla Raffa. Part One.

#1 Hard work really does pay off. Giving up will always be a mistake. 

When we got little Raffa she was the most challenging 3-month year old pup I thought anyone could ever have. No it wasn’t that it was hard to potty train her or that she was sickly,  it was that she was extremely hyperactive and overly verbal ALL THE TIME. She really pissed buzz off with her incessant ear biting and pawing, she ate the couch several times, dragged toilet paper all over the house, chewed 5 pairs of my sandals which included my one and only expensive pair of Errol Arendz sandals. Daily she would dig up the flowerbeds and excavate craters into the lawn.

 It eventually got to the point where I considered giving her away on Gumtree. My thoughts: “I mean I’m not selling her, I’m giving her away, so someone awesome with a good home and big property will want her right? Anyway, who could resist her gorgeous face…?”  There were some days I really meant it and others not as much, but you get how I was feeling.   Eventually 10 months passed and I realized that things weren’t so crazy anymore. A few days went by that I didn’t think about what a mess she had made but rather how lovely she is. Was it that everything I had put up with was  so completely and utterly worth it? I think so…

Her personality is one of a kind and her affection towards me is on a human-like level if that is even a term.  The bond we have is unbreakable. If I had not pushed through the trying times with Raffa, my life right now would be very empty. In fact she has helped me through some of the hardest months of my life this year. Her excitability when I walk through that door makes every ruined grass blade, torn rose bush, “confettied” toilet paper and chewed up sandal strap worth it. She is so easy to love and that’s not because she doesn’t dig up the garden anymore (because she does), that’s because she brings so much energy, positivity and happiness into my life. If things had come too easy, perhaps I wouldn’t appreciate her as much as I do, and I certainly would not be writing a blog post about her either. Giving her up would have been a very BIG mistake. 

{Right now she is curled up next to me. It took her about 4 times to get into a position that would touch every inch of my body surface area…}

A Cape Town Mussel Po(s)t in Winter

Studying pastry means that I've been less inclined to spend time in the kitchen after hours. That's the thing with studying a hobby, it can take away from ones passion initially (another blog post all together).  Luckily, I've had a little rest from the kitchen and I've been inspired to combine my pastry and bread skills with time cooking in the "hot kitchen".  I love cooking as it allows me to experiment with ingredients, flavours, and textures without being too precise.The opposite applies to pastry, cakes, confectionary and bread making. Dont get me wrong, I love pastry and baking but its nice to find a balance between the two completely contrasting approaches to food.  

The other night I made a mussel pot with crusty home made Kitka bread. I was in my element as it was the perfect combination of playing around with flavour and baking! 

Mussel pot with homemade crusty kitka bread

Sam my husband was seriously blown away by the end  result and reckons it was the best mussel pot he has ever had ("even better than Den Anker" were his words) . Of course he is bias but I'm so appreciative of his love of food, his support of my culinary endeavours and weird experiments. 

I looked at a few recipes and came up with my own concoction of heart warming ingredients. My recipe goes something like this but you can play around with herbs if you like. For example use thyme instead of bay leaf (or use both), leave out the celery or add spring onion.  The Dijon mustard adds another layer to the flavours which I feel gives the recipe a unique finish.  

Keri's Mussel Pot with Kitka bread ( serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1kg fresh mussels if possible (Woolworths Cavendish sometimes have)
• 2 small onions finely diced
• 2 celery sticks finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• A handful of chives
• A handful of parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 10ml dijon mustard 
• 350ml cream
• 150ml white wine 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Wash mussels and discard any open ones. Saute the garlic, celery and onion in butter until softened. Add the bayleaf and wine and bring to the boil. Add mussels to wine and cover lid. Allow to steam for 5 minutes. Once steamed stir in the cream and add the chopped chives, parsley, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Stir and leave to simmer for a minute. 

Serve: with  a sprinkle of fresh parsley and chives and serve with crusty home made bread, Ciabatta or Kitka. Kitka recipe to follow!

Basque Country (and Silwood)

When I started writing this blog post my social media students had just completed their blogging assignment which prompted me to look at my own blog. At the time (April) I had literally not blogged in over 3 months- shocking, atrocious and not a very good example to set. It's just been extremely busy with studying patisserie at Silwood. The course is part time (2 mornings a week) but as most of you who have worked  or studied part-time know,  you end up putting way more hours in. Class starts at 7:30am and ends around 1pm. Just like working in a kitchen we don't really have a break, so its a full on 6 hour day! The prep work before each prac is very time consuming and consists of studying for a weekly test,  shopping and sourcing ingredients, weighing them up and then packing everything. Not to mention the costings and production schedules which we need to put together so that we know what order we need to make everything in. In our Fridays Pracs we can make up to 5  things at a time so we need to plan our processes pretty carefully. Who thought Pastry could be so stressful? This may be a bit naive but I always pictured myself  in a Julia Child type scenario, wearing my red lipstick and pretty apron, singing along to the radio whilst whipping up whimsical treats to melt the hearts of those I love so dearly.  (Okay, so I kind of knew this would not be the case but I really wanted to believe it). The kitchen environment is generally a high stress environment- not sure why it has to be this way but I've come to accept that it's just the way that it is! 

We're half way through term 2 and exams are looming ahead, and I've learnt to make all kinds of pastries, cakes, puddings, breads and confectionary. One of the easiest and most simple desserts we've made is Mousse Au Chocolat Basque (Basque Chocolate Mousse) which I thought I would share with you. Its easy, simple, rich and super delicious.  This dessert is probably one of my best presentations out of all of my pracs, mostly because it was so early on in the year and I reckon I nailed it with my modern interpretation of this traditional dessert.

 Mousse Au Chocolat Basque  (Silwood recipe)

(Makes 4-6 small pots)

Nailed it!

160 g dark chocolate (below 50% cocoa)
5ml instant coffee dissolved in 1tsp boiling water
10 g butter
10 ml liquid
Pinch of salt
2 eggs separated 
Chantilly cream (to garnish)

Method 
Melt 160g chocolate chips with 5ml coffee (dissolved in 5ml hot water), 10ml sherry and pinch of salt over warm Baine marie. Remove from heat and beat in the 2 egg yolks one at a time. Allow to cool and thicken.Whisk the egg whites until soft peak stage and stir in 1/3 into chocolate. Then fold in the remainder. Pour into mousse jars/dishes.

To Garnish Make chantilly cream by whipping 250ml whipping cream to soft peak stage and fold in a few drops of vanilla essence and sifted icing sugar to taste.   Fill piping bag and pipe or spoon on top. Top with chocolate chards or grated chocolate and serve immediately. Double the recipe to make 8 -10 pots. 

Food and fun times from Oviedo to Barcelona. July 2014

 In August last year I was luckily enough to visit Basque country (a unique part of Northern Spain and France). It was a very good friend Natalie's  wedding in Oviedo, her moms home town.  A handful of us (Lisa, Ali, Steve, Sam and myself) decided to make a road trip of it.  Soon after the wedding we made our way to San Sebastian in Basque Country via The Guggenheim  in Bilboa and 2 nights in the rural mountains of Cantabria where we stayed in a quaint B&B called Casona de Quintana .

We eventually made it to San Sebastian with both Steve and our car intact. Here we literally ate ourselves into a a coma. San Sebastian is the food capital of modern and molecular cooking. Whilst known for their molecular cooking their traditional  Pinxtos ( Norths version of tapas) it is an important aspect of daily life in basque country. In fact Parte Vieja (The Old Town) has more bars per square metre than anywhere else in the world. There are so many different types of Pinxtos bars- day and nights spots, coffee bars, noisy bars, foodie bars that have put San Sebastian on the map and more traditional Pinxtos bars laden with Pinxtos and people spilling out on the streets.  As a tourist you generally visit a couple of bars a night for dinner. Nights in San Sebastián start late and go until the wee hours making it very different and exciting social eating experience. Do yourself a favour if you are planing to go to Spain- visit the North for the experience of the food. This is something you have to experience for yourself if you are ever afforded the opportunity. 

After San Sebastian we treated ourselves to one night at Casa de San Martin in the Pyrenees  via Pamplona and then made our way to Barcelona for 3 nights. Naturally I fell in Love with Barcelona- a vibrant city filled with art, historic sights,  awesome people and again fantastic food. Below are a few memories shared with awesome friends on the trip! If you have any questions about Spain and where to go or stay , please  just leave a comment :-) Spain is my most favourite European holiday destination, if not in the world.

  Happy holiday dreaming and happy eating!

The crazies we travelled and ate with...

The person you really need to marry... yourself

A happy new year to you all, its been quite a while... It's now that time of year to get serious about stuff. I think 2015 is going to be a particularly awesome year, which started off on a very good note when I came across this extremely honest and sincere TED Talk by Mad Men writer Tracy McMillan. The title of the talk "The person you really need to marry" made me a bit skeptical at first; it sounded like a self help how-to get hitch type of talk and I was intrigued to hear what she had to say about the topic. Luckily it turned out that the title of her talk was very misleading and for good reason... The TED talk is actually about marrying and accepting oneself, which she references as- "walking yourself down the aisle exactly where you are." 

Tracy McMillan is a television writer (Mad Men, United States of Tara) and relationship author who wrote the book Why You're Not Married...Yet, based on her viral 2011 Huffington Post blog. She also appeared as a dating coach on the NBC reality show Ready For Love.

Whilst I'm often unsuccessful I really do try hard to be mindful and love myself every day, yet I have never thought about making a deliberate commitment to myself using the same vows I made when I married my husband. Over the past few days I've been agonising over this very fact, however, I have decided to accept and love myself for where I am right now and rather do something about it by writing this blog article. Powerful stuff really.   

The vows explained by Tracy are the most important set of vows we can ever make to anyone EVER. Why? Firstly, we are the small portion of the population who are privileged enough to worry about concepts such as "being whole", our "best self"  aka self actualisation, so lets make it count for ourselves and for others. By loving, helping and accepting ourselves we can wholly accept others and help them get to a place where the concept of  "self worth" becomes tangible. Inevitably this leads to more love, and so the cycle continues ( as cliche as it sounds, it's true). Tracy makes reference to this in multiple instances.

And as Tracy puts it so clearly- "The only relationship you’ll ever have with another person is the one you’re already having with yourself.”  So, I have decided to put a ring on it, walk myself down the aisle and make these vows to myself (with the intention of those closest and dearest to me holding me accountable. You know who you are ;-) :

1. I vow to love myself unconditionally everyday (even when I feel insecure, directionless, physically awkward or overwhelmed). To love myself as I expect my family, good friends and husband to love me, and to love myself for both my positive and negative character traits. 

2. I vow to accept that I will make mistakes and to understand that I will get thrown the same challenges until I learn from them... and then actually learn from them (with the understanding that it is in the face of the hardest challenge that I have the most to give.)

3. I vow to love others right where they are and for who they are right now, and to be purposeful in the relationships I nurture (in an unselfish way). 

What vows are you going to make to yourself in 2015?

Salmon Pear Thai Curry

This is a little recipe inspired by a thai curry dish served by one of my favourite Cape Town  restaurants,  Kitima's. To put it simply, their Salmon Penang with poached pear is to die for and I order it just about every time I go there for dinner. So about a year ago I decided to make up my own  version  by adding veggies to break the richness and topping the dish with fresh mint and basil to bring out all the fragrant flavours. I also alternate between using a penang and red curry paste- both are equally good to use!  I'm one of those sweet and savoury nuts (think brie and onion marmalade, dates and bacon and salted caramel... you know here I'm going with this) and it's the salty salmon- sweet pear combination in this dish that has me making this dish over and over again.  

I recommend coupling these magical thai flavours with a wooded chenin blanc or a glass of buttery chardonnay. I'm much more of a wine than a cocktail drinker, but do yourself a favour and try Kitima's  Strawberry Rose martini infused with basil and clove;  it must be the best cocktail I've ever tasted this side of the continent! 

Salmon Pear Thai Curry (my version)

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 800g- 1kg of fresh shashimi quality salmon cut into 125-150g pieces
• 2 x 400ml cans of quality coconut milk (Wellness Warehouse have a mean selection)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (if required)
• 2 x packet Penang Thai curry paste (or use red curry paste)
• 4-5 pears sliced into 8 pieces each
• 1-2  sliced red peppers (length ways and 1 cm wide)
• 150g green beans
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2.5 tablespoons fish sauce
• A big handful of basil and mint
• 4 red chilli's
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Scoop a table spoon or two of cream off  the top of the coconut milk and mix in the curry paste in a heavy pan. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes until the oil seeps to the top. Tip: This is known as "cracking" the coconut milk which involves separating the cream into its oil, and then using the oil to fry up the spices.  Coconut milk however is homogenised and therefore the oil can be lacking. To avoid this I recommend adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to the coconut cream to ensure a more fragrant thai curry flavour emerges.

2. Add the pear, red peppers and green bean and cook for 2 minutes, then add the coconut milk and stir the ingredients. Let this simmer for another 3 minutes.

3.   Finally add the salmon so that is mostly covered by the coconut milk and then immediately turn down the heat and let the ingredients simmer in  the coconut milk for  another 5 minutes or so, until the pear has softened.  Be careful to not over cook the salmon. You want to poach it in the coconut milk so that there is a slightly translucent pink colour in the very middle.

4. Tear up the basil and mint and stir into the curry just before serving and garnish with chopped red chilli's.  You can use salt to taste if required but I usually find it's unnecessary.

5. Serve with Jasmine rice or cauli-rice lightly fried in coconut oil.  

Too much cooking and not enough blogging

Sho! Its been a while since I've written a blog post. I've literally been making, baking , shaking and all that good stuff. Strangely enough I've also discovered yoga which has taken some of my blogging time. I wouldn't call myself a yogi by any means! Not just because I'm curvy but because I'm one of those uncoordinated dorks who places my mat at the back of the class hoping no one will see me, when actually I should go for the middle row to see what everyone else is doing! I think this is the first time in my life that I am actually on time for anything as I simply HAVE to be to join in. Late equals no entry! Even then I'm still late in 'yoga time'- huffing and puffing my way up the stairs to the studio. Theres just nothing zen about it. By the time I arrive it looks like I ran to class from home (which I probably should do as it is around the corner). Anyway, I will keep you updated on how long the yoga lasts for, but I have a feeling this is a long term maintenance thing for me.

 Oh, and we have a new puppy called Raffa. That makes not just one but two crazy pooches to deal with. On second thought I think this adjustment ( putting it ever so mildly) has taken up a lot of my time whilst trying to fit in my GetSmarter course work.  

So here are few things I've managed to cook over the past few weeks:

Orang souffle's, chocolate fondants with ginger, vegan chocolate-avo tarts, red velvet cake, angry duck pancakes, tom yum soup, salmon-pear thai red curry, butter chicken (with Naan of course) and buttermilk aubergine!  Notice a bit of  an asian trend by any chance? Well here are some pictures or more like excuses for not writing enough posts over the last 2 months...

I'm going to write a few separate posts about my top favourite dishes soon, so watch this space for some asian inspiration.  

Some curry with that naan?

Yup it't that time of year for curries and stews. I don't know about you but it's been quite an adjustment getting into the winter swing of things. One of my favourite winter dinners is a good old hearty indian curry.  

My friend Nina came around for dinner the other night and we decided to concoct our own curry with left over vegetables in our fridge. We had enough fresh ginger, garam Masala, cinnamon, cumin, and crushed coriander seeds to make it work! We also added a bit of paprika, regular curry powder and some dried crushed chilli's for an extra kick. The base of the curry was tomatoes and some yoghurt at the end.  We added a squeeze of lemon juice, some sugar and salt to get the "tomatoey" balance right.

Whilst the curry was tasty, the naan bread was the highlight of our dinner. I found an easy stove top recipe online and just changed it a bit here and there.  It is so easy to make and FLOP proof. The breads are soft and puffy but solid enough to scoop up the curry. You will knock the socks off your dinner guests by making  this, and the best part is it's so easy! I've made it 3 times over the past 3 weeks. 

NAAN BREAD RECIPE:

Makes 6 small Naan breads  (10 cm ovals)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of flour ( or use a mix of tapioca and almond flour for a carb-free version)
• 20 ml sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2.5 ml  baking soda
• 70ml yogurt a little water if dough too dry
• chopped garlic (optional) or crushed coriander seeds for a variation

Method:

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together.  Add the Yoghurt and Knead in the bowl until smooth. Cover for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough int 6 balls and roll into oval shapes 40 millimetres thick using flour on the surface and rolling pin to prevent sticking. 

Heat up a cast iron pan with a tiny dash of oil  or butter ( even tastier) and fry for 25 seconds either side or until the dough puffs up and browns ever so slightly. 

Once cooked I brushed some garlic butter on mine to give it a bit more flavour. Only Including the garlic in the dough is also very tasty  or you can even do both, or leave the garlic out all together depending on what you prefer. 

Serve with any Indian curry or stew : -)

TIP: You could also take this exact recipe and make pita breads

If you get a chance to make this recipe, please let me know how it goes!

Yummy and healthy home-grown take away options in the southern suburbs

I’m not one to get Take-away very often. I think it also has a lot to do with how I was brought up. Take-away’s were never an option in our household and eating out was a big occasion, which we would get excited about for days. (Some things never change though- I still get excited days before trying out a new restaurant or cooking a new recipe). 

When I was young the Tomblin household would make use of the Spur Kids Club membership where you get a free burger meal and a chico the clown for your birthday. (Not sure if it still exists but I guess I will find out when I have kids). This guaranteed both my sisters and I at least three Spur outings a year! Score :-)

My taste buds have 'grown up' since then yet some things never change- Spur is still one of my favourite happy places. I’m not sure if it is the nostalgic feeling of eating food we weren’t allowed at home, the smell of Spur’s basting sauce, or leaving home with helium balloons which we would suck the life out of to impersonate Alvin and the Chipmunks.

But moving along to my blog post… There comes a time when I feel completely uninspired to cook dinner and I really don’t feel like going out for dinner or missioning in general. The only option is to not eat which is not an option, or get  a healthy home-grown take-away option. I choose the latter.

Here are some options in the southern suburbs area where you can get healthy home made tasty food from.

1.    Eat out the box:

Based in Wynberg and Rondebosch they deliver throughout the southern suburbs for free. Menu options include burgers, salads, pasta’s, pizzas, ribs and whole chicken meals for the family. The owners Deon and Marius whom I‘ve both worked for back in my waitressing days (circa a decade ago) started this yummy alternative to regular take away food.  I can vouch they are both awesome chefs who really care about their end product and people in general. (And no they have not asked me to write this post they have no idea.)

What do I love about the concept?

All their food is fresh and hand made using locally sourced ingredients sans preservatives and the packaging used is 100% biodegradable.  They also provide a carb-free banting option for pasta’s using courgette noodles.  Their pizza menu comes with a gluten-free option, which you pay a meagre extra R10 for. And did I mention the food is delicious and oozes wholesomeness?

My menu favourites:

• My favourite meal is the Fetamari Pasta- succulent tubes of calamari with creamy feta, roasted cherry tomato’s and freshly tossed spinach – its yummy with the carb-free courgette noodle option.
• My favourite burger is the Rhino burger with bacon, avo and feta. You simply cannot go wrong with his option- Bacon and avo the two most inseparable ingredients in the world and R5 goes to The Saving Private Rhino Organisation .
• And finally the Castaway salad is divine and it comes with an awesome dressing on the side. Whatever you chose you won't be disappointed. 
• Download a PDF of their menu here.

How to make an order?

You can call to make an order depending on where you are located Rondebosch: 021 674 0813 Wynberg: 021 761 9831 or better yet just hop online where you can place and pay for your order here www.eatoutthebox.co.za.  The system keeps you updated with sms’s and emails. Great service, excellent food and it’s easy!

2.     SushiBox Newlands

SushiBox in Newlands which is quite easy to miss, is tucked behind the corner near Melissa’s. This sushi establishment does incredible sushi at an incredible price. You can collect orders; eat at the simple asian set-up or request delivery.  To indulge try the fusion box, not far from Willoughby’s 4 x 4 platter. And if you are a salmon junkie try the Omega 6 box. I especially love how they package their sushi. Call: 021 674 0820 or visit www.sushibox.co.za for more info.

3.     Make an Omelette

If you have a little bit of energy- make an omelette. This is the best way to use up leftover ingredients in your fridge and all you need is egg to add to it! Which reminds me- you can get amazing organic free-range eggs from Gogo’s very close to SushiBox in Newlands. Their meat is fantastic too. I only buy my fillet from there these days… Visit their Facebook page to find out more: https://www.facebook.com/GogosDeli

3 awesome home and decor places to check out

Last year we renovated our Victorian home and it was during this process that I came across some fantastic furniture and decor resources, shops and websites to get unique furniture, decor, lighting ideas and products from.

LIM

LIM is probably one my favourite lighting and furniture stores in Cape Town at the moment. Their store is set in the the city's trendy Kloof Street and their designs are very minimalist which is great, because the product can fit into any interior look and feel. Their slogan "less is more" coined by the famous international style architect Le Corbusier pretty much sums up the sparse Scandinavian vibe they are going for.

LIM free-standing lamp

I have quite eclectic taste and appreciate all kinds of styles from art deco, art nouveau through to Victorian and kitsch-modern- this works brilliantly with this free standing copper floor lamp that I brought from them last year. I decided on this lovely piece to divide an open-plan space which was a bit too exposed. The lamp divides the wine library/office from the entrance passage which I coupled with 2 modern retro chairs.  It definitely did the trick which you can see in the photo above! On that note I have had my eye on this coffee table for over 9 months now... I think its time to hit LIM and replace our current coffee table. I've waited long enough! 

Talking of which; currently our coffee table is a make shift restored suitcase form recreate which has a round glass top that my mom picked up from a moving on sale (my mom really knows how to find the most random things at a good price- thanks mom :-). That brings me to the next place that you have to checkout.

I need. I want.

Make-shift coffee table 

MOVING ON 

It's a cool concept that facilitates people who want to sell the contents of their home. There are private sales and non-private sales which you can attend on weekends (usually saturdays). There's a fair amount of really naff stuff, but If you use your creativity or have a love for bargain-hunting and restoring old things this is for you. There are some great finds- from big pieces of furniture to a second hand kitchen aids or antique salad servers for example. Pretty awesome if you ask me. I really need (more like want) this fondue set, but I don't think I will get a chance to go this weekend.

SUPBERALIST 

Tretchikoff print from Suberbalist and the LIM lampshade 

Lastly Supberalist (once CityMob) is an online store that sells art, decor, furniture, clothing, shoes, jewellery and kitchenware and more. The stuff they curate is awesome, some of which you can't find anywhere else, or items that you might have to mission to find.  I have taken a particular liking to their graphic prints that I've framed independently as wall hangings around the house.  All orders are made online and most of their items are delivered for free. The site is easy to navigate and their service and delivery time impeccable.  They make it a bit too easy... (Cha-ching. Cha-ching.)

Swimmer in Summer print from Supberalist

The print above our fireplace

The Life of Walter Mitty and The Music

I recently watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty thanks to the suggestion made by my sisi Carona. Coupled with a bit of flu and the long weekend her suggestion came at a good time. I Loved, loved, loved this Movie.  The quirkiness the awkwardness, the happiness and hopelessness. 

My take on the movie and the message I got from it is pretty simple.

The movie trailer. Listen out for the Monsters and Men song- Dirty Talks 

We tend forget our true potential and greatness even though others know  what we are capable of,  but it doesn't matter what they think until we believe it and live it. Sometimes it takes something as big as conquering a fear or simply doing something thats a wee bit out of comfort zone to realise how great we truly are. 

It all sounds pretty emo, but the movie is entertaining and pretty damn funny at points. We can all relate to in some way or another (okay the shark infested scene was a bit OTT but it added a bit of action). If I had to choose, that would be the movie low.

The movie highlight was the ending OBVIOUSLY ( I won't spoil it for you) and when Ben Stiller skateboards for 16 miles with stones strapped to his palms as wrist guards.  So Classic! The music playing at this point was José González's band JUNIP- Far Away which made the scene even more awesome. The sound track for this move is incredible. I was "shazaming" every song that played. Here are  few artists and songs I discovered (and rediscovered.) 

- Joze Gonzalez - Stay Alive.   You know the guy who did the bouncing balls Sony Ad a while back? Well, it's his new stuff. It seems to be a bit more upbeat which I think I prefer. (Don't read too much into the upbeat part- its still quite melancholy) 

- Of Monsters and Men- Dirty Talks. An icelandic Indie pop folk band which reminds me of a folky (less electronica) version of The XX. Love the XX ( thanks  for discovering them Neil)

I think you will dig watching the movie. Would love to know what you think... 

Poaching an egg the fancy way (and a recipe)

After running the Two Oceans Half Marathon on Saturday I made a new carb-free concoction of eggs bacon and spinach.  It's not like I'm on the Noakes' LCHF diet or anything but I had no bread in the house. Damn this was tastier than most breakfasts I've had in a while. Maybe it's time to turn to the other side?

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Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Bacon ( shoulder bacon rounds are preferable)
• Spinach
• Greek yoghurt
• Red chilli- medium to hot
•  2 cloves Garlic 

Method:

1. Firstly make the chilli oil: chop up some chilli removing the seeds. Place in a small ramekin and add olive oil to cover the chilli. Add salt and pepper and a bit of crushed garlic and let it marinate while you whip up the rest of the breakfast. 

2. Fry the bacon rounds until brown and crispy. Shoulder bacon has less fat than other cuts so it wont go crisp-cripsy if you know what I mean...

3. Wipe out the pan with roller-towel and add a dash of butter or olive oil. Fill the pan with fresh baby spinach and toss lightly with a clove of garlic on top to infuse a little bit of the flavour. It shouldn't take more than 2 minutes- you don't want it to be too soft.

4. Fancy Poached Eggs: To Poach the eggs bring a  medium sides pot of water to a rapid boil. Make sure that there is enough water to cover the egg. Add a dash of white spirit vinegar. (If you don't have its not a biggy- not sure how much of a difference it makes but hey mine have worked every time doing this.) 

5. Crack en egg into a small pyrex jug. Slowly pour the egg into a serving spoon resting on the inside edge of the pot which helps shape it and keep it all together. It may look  a bit messy but give it 15 seconds or so to settle. If the white isn't sticking together carefully push the white toward the yolk. Cook for 3 minutes for a soft egg and a bit longer for a medium egg.  Repeat the above for each poached egg. I'm usually able to do 3 in a pot at a time.  It's really not that difficult and it looks so professional. I find it harder to fry and egg to be honest- I break it every time....

6. Now that the main ingredients are ready you can start stacking!  Start with bacon rounds, add spinach and then the poached egg on top of this. Layer a tablespoon of Greek yoghurt on top and add a half a teaspoon of the chilli/garlic oil. 

7. Top with salt and pepper to your taste. 

Devour.

Healthy Banana Flapjacks

A while ago an email went around going on about an easy 'Carb-Free' Banana Flapjack Recipe, ever since I have been making these as a healthy alternative to the real thing. The truth is that Banana's are filled with sugar- hence their lovely sweet taste, so the name isn't entirely accurate and certainly not suited to  Noake's LCHF diet.  However the recipe is gluten, wheat and dairy free which is a pretty good start!

Banana's are low in salt and loaded with potassium which is particularly good for sportsmen to prevent muscle cramping. Potassium also aids metabolism and lowers blood pressure. These yellow jacketed guys are also packed with fibre. Green unripened banana's are even better as they contain less sugar and a natural pro-biotic bacteria which helps with good colon health. How awesome? 

Enough about the health benefits and on to the yumminess of it all!  So, here is the recipe. I can't really call two ingredients a recipe but I will also suggest some healthy and not so healthy toppings ;-)

Healthy Banana Flapjacks:

1. All you need is one medium sized banana and one egg to make approximately 3 flapjacks. You can add a tablespoon of oats or psyllium  husks if you would like more bulk but I tend to leave it as is.

2. Mix the two together to form a batter. You can whisk it in manually using small slices of banana and then mashing it up with a potato masher OR use a handheld blender of some sorts to get it even smoother. 

3. Once the batter is light and fluffy you can heat up a pan with coconut oil (or any other kind). It's totally fine if there are banana lumps in the batter.

4. Spoon in two tablespoons of the batter to make a 6cm flapjack. These guys can be a bit tricky to turn, but flip it over carefully and you shouldn't have too much trouble. I usually don't put more than 3 in at a time.

5. Top with a topping of your choice.

Healthy version: 

Berries, strawberries with low fat or double cream greek yoghurt, drizzled honey, home-roasted cashews or almonds with a dash of cinnamon. 

My Healthy Banana Flapjacks: with berries, greek yoghurt, honey, home-roasted cashews and cinnamon. Yummmm

The not so healthy version:

Roasted figs, Marscapone cheese, and bacon drizzled with syrup or honey. (There 's just something about bacon and banana together....)

Or do both for a big group...

A weekend away with friend. Hemel and Aarde `Valley. Stylist: Sam Paddock :-)

More than just city planning...

Having recently visited New York for the very first time I had to share this inspirational Ted Talk- "How public spaces make cities work".  Not because it's a city I fell in love with, but because the talk outlines the importance of making the world a better place to thrive in. The speaker is Amanda Burden who was appointed the director of the New York City Planning. She was given the arduous task of creating more space in New York to accommodate the city's growth. So how did she do this?  

She did this by understanding people's intrinsic social and spatial needs which gave her the insight to create public spaces and places that people actually want to spend time in.

This inspiring talk goes into detail about how important it is to make public spaces a place where people want to be, meet and share - a fundamental human need, which I feel we could all pay more attention to personally and professionally.   I particularly love how she ends off her talk with this analogy: "Public spaces are like parties, people stay because they are having a good time."  So simple. But it sums up why we choose to be where we are or want to be. 

In Cape Town we are are so privileged to have beautiful natural public spaces and parks surrounding us (something I admit I take for granted). But a city like New York can only go up so any under-utilised spaces need to be carefully considered. Despite the odds Amanda Burden did this successfully by planning  New Yorks innovative park- The High Line.  The park is an elevated rail line that's been transformed into a public park on the West Side of Manhattan, which has become a favourite public space for local New Yorkers as well as a visitor destination for tourists. Particularly beautiful in summer this is a must see attraction if you get the chance to visit this awesome city.

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Do you have any public spaces you've visited in Cape Town or in other parts of the world that you would like to share? A personal favourite of mine is a small walkway next to the Liesbeek River canal that runs alongside Paradise Road near the circle. A local resident has made it his mission to maintain the park with beautiful timber swings, stools and plant beds so that it can be enjoyed by families in the area. It's such a privilege to live so close by and my border skollie dog buzzy "digs" it too!

Our 'border skollie' Buzz at Paradise Park

Salted Caramel Macaroons

One of my favourite food author / chefs at the moment is Yotam Ottolenghi. I was introduced to him by a very good friend of mine Ali, who loves to cook and bake as I do. She introduced me to 3 of his well known cook books and since then I've managed to acquire 2 of them-  Jerusalem and Ottolenghi -The Cookbook. The only one Im missing is Plenty which is well known amongst vegetarians. Its on my list to buy before the end of the month! If you are planning to buy any of his books I would buy Ottolenghi or Plenty first!

My goal this year was to teach myself how to bake exciting and different sweets and cakes. I have tried to bake something new every second week in my quest to master the ins and outs pastry and cakes. When I came across Ottolenghi's Macaroons recipe in Ottolenghi the cookbook I had to give it a try. Yup, I threw myself in the deep end, considering I tried to make an orange Chiffon cake the week before  which flopped horribly!

Macaroons are delicate almond delights with a melt in the mouth meringue like texture. In France macaroon shops are on every street corner and that's all they sell. Its incredible but not surprising when you consider the level of awesomeness that you get when you take your first bite of the crunchy shell and reach the melt in the mouth centre! 

The recipe was a success as you can see in my very proud photo's. I followed it step by step leaving no room for error. These 'little guys' are not easy to make, but follow a sound recipe carefully and voila you have it! Package them beautifully and it makes the perfect thoughtful gift. 

The recipe is on Page 247 of Ottolenghi -The Cookbook and he gives 3 variations: Salty peanut  and caramel , lime and basil or chocolate variations. I went for the 1st option because I had all the ingredients. The Lime and basil is on my to do list though! Here is the recipe... It makes about 20 ( I wish it made more so next time I'll double up). 

Salty peanut and Caramel Macaroons:

• 110g icing sugar
• 60g ground almonds
• 2 free range egg whites ( approx. 60g)
• 40g castor sugar
• 20g natural roasted peanuts roughly chopped

Caramel Filling:

• 20 g natural roasted peanuts finely chopped
• 100g dulce de leche ( otherwise you can use Nestle caramel treat by stirring it to a smooth consistency)
• a pinch of salt to your taste. I added a tiny bit more salt to offset the sweetness of the caramel and the macaroon itself. 

Method:

1. Heat oven to 170 degrees celsius.

2. Sift icing sugar and almond flour through a regular fine sieve.  You can grind your own almonds to make almond flour using a magi-mix or food processor. Make sure it is a very fine consistency if you do this. I ground almonds with the skin and it still turned out like a treat. 

3. Mix egg whites and caster sugar to form a a think aerated meringue that is firm but not too dry ( which means it must still have a slight sheen to it)

4. Take a third of the meringue mixture and add it to the sifted  almond and sugar and fold it in carefully. Do this again and then again, until the mixture is finished.  The mixture must appear smooth and glossy. You can fold by using a metal spoon which you turn slowly in a figure of 8 as to not lose the air created. It's this air that forms the basis of the light meringue like texture.  

5. Using baking parchment you can dot the mixture onto a baking tray to keep it in place. (genius;-) Draw circles on the paper which are about 2.5 - 3 cm in diameter with a bit of space in between.  

6. Spoon or pipe the mixture onto each of the circles. This is probably the trickiest part of the recipe, so use a steady hand and give it your best shot. I had some which looked extremely peculiar and others which worked out perfectly. Over time you will master it. (I will let you know how that goes by the way.) 

7. Hold the tray firmly and tap the underside vigorously to get the mixture to smooth out. Leave the macaroons out and uncovered for about 15 mins before baking. 

8. bake for 12 minutes. They might take longer depending on the oven you use. You know they are ready when you can easily lift them off the paper using a palette knife. its important to take them out at this point so they don't over bake! Let the macaroons cool down completely.

9. Mix your filling together and spoon or squeeze  a pea-sized amount on the flat side of the biscuit.  Carefully sandwich them and squeeze together!  

10. Leave at room temperature to set and VOILA!

Do you have any awesome macaroon recipes to share?

My first personal blog post

What a journey it has been to get here... A thoughtful and inspiring one may I add!

For some reason writing about oneself,  ones interests and passions is more difficult than I ever imagined it to be.  Perhaps I'm cautious to wear my heart on my sleeve on such an open platform, or maybe I'm just a shy person who's journey is to overcome this hurdle.

Either way, my blog is about the little things in life I discover and love,  which I feel  deserve to be explored and shared with others. I had to think long and hard about why I want my blog to be about this, so why do I?

I think it's about  growing and learning about myself.  And if others want to join me on my journey and be inspired, I will be honoured (in fact I would be flattered). That's why we were put on this earth- to share and connect with one other.

Don't get me wrong, It's not that I want my blog to be about enlightenment (but if that's what it becomes about then I'll be happy with that too). For now its a simple concept, a journey or an experiment if you like,  where anything could happen :-)

Now the challenging part begins- writing a few posts every week...  

Wish me luck!