Janice Tripepi

This year is already challenging the living be-jivers out of me.  I am not one to fall about fainting – my head goes down and my natural instinct is to fight back with every ounce of my fibre.  It all started on New Years Day,  there I was swanning around the pool at the Wild Coast Sun – loving life, the smell of sunscreen and swimming pool in the air.  

The Tripepi Troupe was about 20 strong – we were having a good laugh about our New Years Eve bash at the hotel.  Sun International scored a solid 2 out of 3 in our assessment of the bash – was the general consensus.  Food – excellent  Midnight Fire Works display – excellent  – Live Band (consisting of only 3 members had a combined age of at least 155) – not good.  They would definitely have been better suited to a pub evening.  Anyway – as the fire works banter grew – my mind went to my dogs.  Phoenix (mummy dalmation) is absolutely -positively – 190% terrified of bangs – she vomits and will run full tilt into a wall at the sound of fireworks.  Her daugher (half bull terrier half dalmation aka - my damnation) doesn’t flinch.  She is liable to run and chase them – WHICH, IT WOULD APPEAR is exactly what she did.  I called home to check up on my dogs and Bubbles was “missing”!!!!!!!!

Arrangements had been made for the dogs but Bubbles had a different agenda.  I shan’t go into a lengthy discription of how we found our lost puppy!!! In only two hours we had the whole of Durban mobilised into “Find Bubbles” cadres.  Bubbles is a celebrity dog now and i quote, “A scared Bubbles was one of many dogs who panicked and fled as fireworks exploded in durban on New Year’s Eve. ………. She was found running down South Ridge Road jsut after midnight. …. “We caught her and kept her in the house for the night.  She is wearing a red collar with the name Bubbles in glitter AND LOOKS WELL FED.”  While the family made a fuss of the frightened dog, their pet pig Leonardo da Piggy was less than impressed and gave a grunt of relief when the SPCA van drew up outside the house on New Year’s Morning” ………… need I say more “Well Fed” – she is a Tripepi after all - AND may I just add – that our Bubbles had been on diet!!!!! 

The article had an accompanying pic of Bubbles with the young lass (14yrs) who found her and took her in.  Our deepest thanks and gratitude to a wonderful young lady Vicky, who loves animals so much that she did not just turn a blind eye to a Bubbles in need.  Vicky puts the “kind” in the word humankind. 

In keeping with our weight-loss programme, here is a quick and easy summer salad of prawns and mango with a red pepper dressing.

Ingredients

Butter Lettuce

1 Mango

200g peeled – deveigned prawns (Woolies sell them already prepared)

A handfull of cherry tomatoes (these came FROM MY GARDEN)

Broccolli – stalks off

A handful of sprouts – lentils and chick peas

2 chopped spring onions

1 handfull of either fresh basil or coriander (whichever you prefer)

Arrange the salad in individual bowls and top with the prawns

Red Pepper Dressing

You have 2 choices here –

A.  In a blender place some red Pepperoni (see my pepperoni antispasto recipe)

 or

B.  Place 5 tbl spoons of Woolies organic Red Pepper Spread in the blender

add – the juice of one lemon

a good grinding of black pepper

salt to taste

1 tbl spoon of white balsamic vinegar

1 tbls of honey

1 tsp of origanum

1 tsp of cayenne pepper or a chopped red chilli (for a nice bite)

Blend the above together – no oil needed – taste the dressing and adjust is to your liking -

once you’ve got it just right dress your salad with this tangy bright red dressing.

Hop on the scale – and marvel at the weight you have lost!!!!

Buon appetito!!