Sophia Lindop - A Unique Food Experience

Revenge is SWEET!

OK, before you ask - I am not pregnant!  But, when last did you open a can of condensed milk and stir a few thick, creamy spoonfuls into your coffee?  I just did!  Gosh, it was amazing!  And so sweet! 

I have been planning so many menus for upcoming functions this past week.  August is virtually booked up!  But, right now I have a wonderful meal in the oven for our dear friends, Wanda and Jason, who moved house over the weekend, and the same for Paddy and I.  All I want to do this evening, is enjoy an early dinner with my husband, and tuck in...I feel very tired.   

But before I sign off to check on the two dinners in my oven, here's one for the guys...  Revenge!

Steroids and Alcohol

OK, so I have cholesterol on my mind lately (Paddy had his annual check-up, and his is too high...)  Mostly the word does not cause people to do cartwheels, but look at it this way - it is a combination of steroids and alcohol - now do I have your attention?  Then read on...

I think it's time we all became more aware of what we eat!  Paddy and I have embarked on an anti-cholesterol campaign by just eating more sensibly.  We are eating less cheese, removing the fat from those yummy little lamb chops before we eat them, buying skinless chicken, eating more pulses like lentils and oats, and more.  There is a whole lot more about this in my next newsletter, so sign up now...go to my website and subscribe at the bottom of the homepage.

I thought I'd share a recipe that contained a lot of the healthy stuff. 

Chop! Chop!

Last night we were cooking up a storm (excuse the pun) at Euro Appliances' Viking Active Kitchen.  The purpose of the events that we host every month, is to invite people to actually use the equipment because, once you've tried it, you will want to buy it!  We were expecting a larger than normal turn-out, and I decided to resuscitate the Mongolian braai idea - what a stroke of genius.  It was a fun, interactive and successful evening!

Making memories...

So there I was staring down the barrel of my Canon PowerShot on Saturday, ready to 'shoot' a most memorable pic, when I realised what was staring back at me...  On the counter top stood an empty bottle of Raka Quinary with more medals on it than Field Marshall Montgomery, and behind it stood an entire platoon of empty bottles, all in a row, at attention - and behind them I saw four smiley faces.  And then I realised that, not only had we consumed about 16 pizzas amongst 5 of us, but we had left a heap of dead bottles in our wake as well!  What a lunch!

Once again my pizzas were a hit!  They are rumoured to be the best in Cape Town.  Well, I certainly think so after watching them being gulped up again on Saturday.

Where have all my good words gone?

Sundays will never be the same again!  Tinus, Nico and Liezel came over for lunch.  I made them wait for their food, but I think the reward was worth the wait...  Well, actually my reward was worth their wait - I so enjoyed having special friends sitting around the kitchen table, laughing, enjoying wine, and talking pure nonsense while I was chopping and stirring! 

I have had a verbal blockage lately...  Call it Noble Verbal Demise if you will.  I can't seem to put the words together on this here blog, and I don't feel like talking much.  What's happening to me?!  I'm the verbal diarrhoea girl!  OK, back to business...

So on Sunday I did something that can serve as a base for so much - in fact I used the same formula again on Monday evening. 

Speaking in tongues

Häagen-Dazs - aaahhh!  I am sure it is Scandinavian for "died and gone to Heaven!"  Let me see...

Oops.  Here's the real story.  It's an American brand of ice cream.  The business was established in the Bronx, New York, in 1961.  Contrary to popular belief, the name is not Scandinavian - it was made up by the original owners, however it was meant to look Scandinavian.  Apparently this is called foreign branding - clever!

Late yesterday afternoon I felt tired - I had had a very early start to my Tuesday as usual and was getting ready to go on my 'date' with my husband (our Tuesday evening thing...), but I actually felt like taking a hot bath and crawling into bed!  I needed a quick attitude change!  I tried to focus on Bruce Willis (we were going to see Die Hard 4.0)...  Not even Bruce did it for me.  What got me perked up, though, was the thought of f-o-o-d!  I felt hungry and was fantasising about last nights amazing chicken curry that I created!  The combination of spices and sweetness was delicious!  Paddy and I ate it all...  And then Paddy arrived and I returned to earth.  We set off to the Waterfront.

Own creations...

I had one of those evenings the other day - when you throw together a few ridiculous ingredients and come up with a masterpiece!  And being a generous soul, I thought I'd share it with you...

Something pure on this Sunday morning...

This was a speech made by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen at  the graduation ceremony of an American university where she was awarded an Honorary PhD.

"I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. 
Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. You will walk 
out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else 
has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same 
degree: there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do 
for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole 
custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not 
just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at 
the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your 
heart. Not just your bank accounts but also your soul.

People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much 
easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is 
cold comfort on a winter's night, or when you're sad, or broke, or 
lonely, or when you've received your test results and they're not 
so good.

Here is my resume:

Footprints...

I attended a dinner hosted by the Eziko Cooking and Catering School in Langa last Thursday evening.  It was a humbling and inspiring experience, and I met many wonderful people - people who are fighting to teach the youth of today to carve out a space of their own in the hospitality industry.  Check out their website...

One of the guys from Prue Leith Chefs Academy said something in his speech that was very profound - he said that in South Africa we do not have enough of a spread of traditional dishes, and that, if we wanted to leave a mark on the world-map of cuisine, we would have to increase our footprint by incorporating dishes from all around Africa.  I found that quite sad - that in this diverse country, with its rich tapestry of flavours and history, we have not developed enough clout to stake out our claim as one of the 'main ingredients' in the 'soup of the world'!

BB (Biltong Bonanza)

In my diary, on today's page, I found these wise words by David McCullough: "Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love." 

It made me realize how fortunate I am (although, I am convinced that one creates ones own reality!) to be filling every day with my true passion - good food!

I spent most of today with one of my oldest friends who has just had another baby - I drove out into the countryside to be with her.  And, mostly I was amazed at how she has changed!  Firstly, she is now preparing regular and healthy meals for her family, and secondly, she's having fun doing it!  She was always the career girl, and I was the domesticated one.  And now our roles have changed - she has the family, stays at home and plays 'mom', while I am childless and running a business that keeps me occupied 24 / 7!  We had a good laugh...!  Things aren't always what they seem...