Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Sugar and Spice...

I've posted this after the fact because I think Valentines day is overrated. 
Not so however, love. 
It has become our little family tradition to show each other how much we love one another in small ways.


Like this from my daughter...


and this from father and daughter, a real treat.


And then there is of course, the plump, red, juicy and wild, garden variety of love...  

What a day x

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

First Impressions Count

And I have impressed myself no-end I'll have you know. 

This weekend hubby and I set out to try and copy my sister-in-law and my brother's fantastic recipe for homemade pizza on the weber. The results have me still wagging my tail four days later.


Perfect Pizza Topping: Basic tomato mozzarella base with 
Spanish chorizo, fresh rocket, avo, a parmesan-like cheese and pepper...yum.


QUICK PIZZA DOUGH

Makes about 5 large pizza’s

Ingredients:
1 x 10g instant dry yeast sachet
10ml salt
45ml olive oil
45ml honey or sugar
350ml lukewarm water
500g (890ml) cake flour

Method:
1. Mix yeast, salt, oil and honey or sugar together.
2. Slowly add flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a kneading dough is formed.
3. Knead for 10min on a flour-covered surface.
4. Let the dough rise for about 30min (in a warm spot)
5. Knead and roll into a circular base.

Alternatively
Do it my way – throw everything together in a mixer and continue from step 4.

Tomato base:
2 x 250g tins of plumb tomatoes
absolutely masses of garlic (and I do mean at least 5-6 cloves)
salt & pepper
Throw into a blender until smooth

Get your weber fired-up. Hint: your coals should be spread evenly.

We made these on the weber with a pizza pan from Woolies. For toppings start with your basic ‘Margerita’ add anything you can ‘cook’ to that and your fresh ingredients afterwards. I used the fabulous Col’Cacchio’s menu for inspiration.

Not bad for a first try...

Monday, February 7, 2011

Present-A-Cabbage

Every now and then (and it's more now than then) a freshly baked, delightfully fluffy home-baked milktart crosses the road my way, courtesy of the lovely lady who lives across the road from me. How to return the favour? I'm not anyone's idea off a master chef so I turned to my newly grown treasure chest.


Here's how it's done:
Pick one beautiful cabbage head
Cut off the extra leaves
Fold the others over to 'package' the contents
pull it all together with the longest leaf you can find of a Dietes Grandiflora
and hey-presto one freshly packed pressie!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Eat Your Heart Out

Told you it would be worth it. 




Just look at my bounty! How crunchy is that?


P.S. I believe my 'sweat' potatoes might be less successful...oops.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Family Investment

Towards the end of last year we started family veggie & herb beds, boxes and pots. 
Shopping by committee lead to a rather odd shopping list: radishes, mielies, coriander, cabbages, assorted lettuces, basil, onions, spring onions, carrots, watermelon, chillies, celery, parsley, sweat potatoes about covers it. 




The planting bit was just as higeldy-pigeldy, but a good old fashioned dirty bit of fun never hurt anyone. Wait till I show you the proof.