Reflections in, on and round about…with a lot of cooking on the side
The heart of it all: food is essential for life and the centre of many things. One of my favourite things is to cook and share food. Join me for a virtual breaking of bread…..
Foreword This post first appeared in 2015, and since then, the recipes have gone through a number of developments/iterations/whatever word you'd like to choose. Originally, it was carrots, two ways. Now, I've added a third. Growing carrots Our soil is rocky and very clayey. Certain root vegetables grow, but very differently from what one would … Continue reading Carrots – yes ways – three ways
I'm in a pickle: in my day job, we are reaching the end of a project which means that a deadline is looming. My week was long, very hot and I had writer's block. I'm tired. My colleagues are tired and stressed. A bit of a pickle. And pickles need time. I've not had much of that lately, it seems.
I can't remember the first time I ate this dessert. It's one of our favourites - when I "do" dessert. I don't often. I don't have a sweet tooth. I am was not much of a baker. My chef friend and market pal reckons mine are among the best she's tasted. I brimmed with pride … Continue reading Marvelous Malva
In December 1999, I spent my last Christmas with my father. Three days earlier, we'd bade my mother a final farewell. As I've probably said before, her death was a shock. Six weeks prior, she'd had surgery. By all accounts, it was successful although the procedure meant a protracted stay in hospital. Cleared of nasties, … Continue reading Not killing mother
There were certain things about Sunday Suppers that were always a juggle: the kitchen arrangements, for starters. It's an open plan space and in large part occupied by the stove and other appliances. Working surfaces are limited, so I have to be super organised. To begin with, there was a lot of juggling which, with … Continue reading Jambalaya Juggle
Words fascinate me and I confess to choosing to eat something - just because its name appeals to me. I live in a country with eleven official languages - plus dialects. Also, in South Africa, are peoples of Bushman descent whose languages are ancient and have either been lost, or are in danger of being … Continue reading A stew is as stew – or is it?
It's a funny old world we live in. As I write, we are in day 501 of South Africa's National State of Emergency (aka lockdown), and thanks to the vagaries of the Interweb and erstwhile hosts, this is the second iteration of a post with this recipe. The original post was three years ago. How … Continue reading It’s no bull…
Other than beer, there were three things that my Dad cooked. One was stovies, another soda scones and the third, tattie scones. My mother claimed she couldn't bake anything, let alone scones. Realistically though, neither of these scones were never baked - baking happens in the oven, right? Rather, they are cooked on a girdle … Continue reading Dad’s Famous Tattie Scones
It's a truism that if one's never had or enjoyed something, one doesn't miss it. When I was in my 20's, I discovered that I had a problem with caffeine. And, a couple of years later, with pseudoephedrine. Both give me a buzz, stop me from sleeping and the latter gives me serious nightmares. That’s … Continue reading Fabulous Fungi
When I wrote this just over a hear ago, South Africa, had been in the throes of loadshedding. I was reminded of this post because it marks a nasty trip that I took. I cannot believe that was a year ago, and how much, in so many ways, things have not changed. Loadshedding has made … Continue reading Tripping the Light Fantastic