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I Am Woman Show Experience

May 13, 2013 in Uncategorized

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Look who cried on national TV….

 

Few months ago I got an email from I Am Woman show producer, Antoinette; a part of me was excited.  On the other hand, I was thinking “Oh my goodness!”……

According to her they got to know about me from the Mail and Guardian Book of Women 2012.  I knew I had a story to tell but I wasn’t really sure if I was ready to share it.  My story was something that I have kept to myself for a few years.  I’m embarrassed to say this but I ignored that email and hoped she would forget about it…..

Antoinette was so persistent; she sent a message to my facebook page.  I spoke to a couple of friends, my sister, my mom and asked for their advice…

My mom said…”don’t you think you have a story? Why don’t you do it?”

I had several other things to consider.  Firstly, I was in the process of moving into my own place, my stuff was at a storage unit and at that particular time I was sharing a tiny living space with a friend.  If I was gonna have a show featuring me and my life I wanted it to happen at my place.  Continue Reading…..

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My Fervent Attempt At Becoming A Robertsons Spice Master!

May 11, 2013 in Uncategorized

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Imagine the time when you meet one of your favourite food personality / food hero!

That is exactly what transpired today!  I met the one and only, Chef Reuben Riffel.  Seven bloggers  were competing for the ultimate spot of being a Robertsons Spice Master, Chef Reuben was chairing the event.  Yours truly was one of the bloggers competing.  We had to prepare one dish using the ingredients presented to us and of course Robertsons Spices.  Luckily, I had polenta at my disposal and cooked it in white stock with a bit of butter, freshly ground pepper and some salt.

My initial thought was to prepare some morogo, butterfly chicken breasts put morogo on the breasts, tie everything up and season with chicken spice, salt and pepper then roast in the oven.  To do that I had to sauté spring onions, chilli, garlic and a tomato.  I seasoned it with fresh coriander and Italian Herbs.  You can’t go wrong with Italian Herbs!   In another pan, (because I had time) I sautéed juliene carrots with a bit of red wine vinegar, sugar, and garlic salt.

Then it came to plating, sheesh!  I went the minimalist way taking into consideration that one would have a starter and a desert.  Overall my plate looked great!  I hope the food tastes as good as it looks.  What do you guys think?

Mmmmm!  Surprisingly I was very calm throughout the contest!

 

 

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Baked Morogo Jeqe / Ntlaphoyi (Morogo Mealie Bread)

May 8, 2013 in Uncategorized

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For the next two to three months I’ll be working in conjunction with Sasko Flour.  Each month I’ll be posting two recipes using one of their products form their range…..

I don’t know about you but whenever I go shopping for flour or bake mixes I always find myself drawn to their products, especially the flour.  Not only because of the reasonability of the prices but I’ve never had any quality problems using it.  My breads and cakes never flop! 

This month I’ve decided to start off with Ntlaphoyi/ uJeqe recipe.  Whenever one mentions Intlaphoyi  or Ujeqe the first thing that comes to mind is an idea of a “steamed bread” with maize meal. That’s right.  We grew up with our parents steaming the bread in enamel bowls or in plastic bags.  I remember sometimes when a colourful plastic bad was used, the steamed bread would end up with some of colours from the plastic bag.  Hehe! Continue reading…….

This time around I’ve decided to just switch things around a bit.  Have you ever tried baking Ujeqe/ Intlaphoyi?  I mean, one of the reasons our grand parents steamed the bread was because they didn’t have ovens right?

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Creamy Amadumbe and Basil Pesto Mash

May 2, 2013 in Recipes

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Amadumbe, brown hairy potatoes also known as Taro potato originating from South East Asia and India…..

I got to cook them for the first time (I grew up in theEastern Cape and we don’t have Amadumbe there).  My friends from Mpumalanga and KZN are forever raving about Amadumbe and all the noise they have been making got me curious enough to look for them but I was always told they were not in season.

I happened to see a street vendor selling them in Joburg last month and she explained how to they are prepared.   A colleague of mine from Mpumalanga cooks them in their skin, peels them off and eats them like that without adding salt.   I’ve tried eating them like that but hey…different strokes for different folks!  Besides, it doesn’t hurt to play around with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Continue reading…..

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Chakalaka Chicken Evuzisa Izinkcwe (Mouth-Watering)

May 1, 2013 in Recipes

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I have to give props when they are due, the first time I prepared this recipe was one of those days you get back from work and don’t feel like cooking but you are hungry and you’ve got to eat….

For me chicken is one of the easiest items to prepare.  I had (still have) a cupboard full ofRhodescanned items which I got as one of the prizes from Dinner Divas.  So, I thought, Chicken + opening a can = Brilliant Idea! I placed the chicken on a baking dish without adding any seasoning to it, I poured a can of Rhodes Mexican Style Tomato, Onions & Green Pepper relish over the chicken and cooked it in the oven.  The end results were seriously amazing.  

However, the foodie in me also likes preparing recipes from scratch hence the recipe below, but hey if you feel like a quick meal do not feel like chopping feel free to just open a can.  Continue reading…..

 

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What’s For Dinner Moroccan Beef and Date Tagine

April 5, 2013 in Recipes

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I got myself few goodies at the Eatout Foodnetwork Awards including several packets of the Knorr Stock Pots.  Luckily, they were given away freely with recipes to try out including the Moroccan Beef and Date Tagine recipe. 

I’ve owned a tagine for two years now and never actually used it.  So when I saw this recipe I thought here’s an excuse.  Luckily, I happened to have all the ingredients used in the recipe.  The chilly weather is upon us a

One thing, the recipe was easy to prepare and I got to relax and do other things while it was simmering away.  The aroma coming from the kitchen was enticing.  It reminds me in the rural areas, when you are cooking and the food smells amazing the neighbours would come and “ask for salt” or just say “hi”.  I served the dish with rice.  The end results were delicious and my kids (brother and nephew) loved it! I also love that the recipe doesn’t have salt and from the taste it is not necessary.  Get the recipe….

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Chicken Hearts, Carrots and Mushroom Stir-Fry

April 4, 2013 in Recipes

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Early this morning as I was on my way to the Expresso studios to present this recipe then BOOM! Out of nowhere, another car comes to my lane hitting my car on the passenger side. 

Anyways, I didn’t get to the studio as we had to wait for the traffic officers and take statements…..

Back to the dish….

Today is International Carrot Day and I was asked to prepare a recipe using carrots.  I came up with the stir fry recipe below.  Carrots are a good source of the antioxidants, good for your eyesight, vitamin c, folic acid and many more….

Personally, I love snacking on baby carrots.  Those packets of ready to eat baby carrots were made for me.  If they are used in a recipe, I do not want them to lose that crunch. 

The recipe I’m presenting uses chicken hearts.  For some reason people struggle to get them.  I’ve received a handful of emails asking where to get them.  Even the guys at Expresso could not get them (I’m told they went to three different stores) therefore I had to go buy them myself.  The one place tat sells chicken hearts in Cape Town is the Gugulethu Spar.  I travel to Gugs whenever I’m looking for items such as chicken hearts….Continue reading and get the recipe here……

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Restaurants: Sakhumzi’s Restaurant, Vilakazi Street, Soweto

April 3, 2013 in Uncategorized

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When I started blogging I did a couple of restaurant reviews, i.e. restaurants offering South African cuisine, your Shesa Nyamas etc.  Now, I’ve been getting a lot of requests to suggest restaurants in Cape Town and in Joburg.  I thought I would bring it back. So here it here is.  Back by popular demand….

A friend of mine, Mbasa, (my Jozi restaurant guide), from Alexander inSowetoknows all the hip and happening places around that area.  Whenever I’m in Jozi I ask him to recommend a restaurant.  He recommended Sakhumzi’s in Alexander Street. 

“Sakhumzi Restaurant is nestled in the heart of Soweto in Orlando west’s famous vilakazi Street. The Street has a rich historical background that boasts two Nobel prize winners namely: Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu who happens to reside right next to the restaurant and former president Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela who’s former house -turned museum is just a stones throw away. A few minutes walk will also lead you to the Hector Pieterson Memorial.” ~Sowet.co.za

First and foremost, one thing I noticed is the car attendants were friendly and not demanding.  Pardon me but I’m used to the guys outside Mzoli’s telling you “I’ll look after your car for R20 upfront”.  Not hearing that was refreshing!

 

Our waiter was a guy called Zimvo, he was attentive and had his eye on our table without being in our faces.  I am told it gets full at times but on that particular evening it was quiet and just chilled.  The music was on point.  They played the old school jams, which was good for a weekday summer evening. Continue Reading…..

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Chicken, Sausage and Potato Tray Bake By Drizzle and Dip

April 3, 2013 in Recipes, Uncategorized

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I have my two boys (my brother and nephew) visiting for the school holidays….all the way from theEastern Cape.  Now my challenge is to cook them delicious meals everyday as they are at home all by themselves during the day.  Both of them have a huge appetite.

Having them helps because I have not one but two more that willing guinea pigs to try out my dishes.  So, with them around I remembered Sam Linsell’s cookbook, Drizzle and Dip which I got as one of the prizes from Dinner Divas.  I’ve already tried the pan-fried calamari recipe from the cookbook so I wanted to try out something else, preferably something meaty.  We are a family of meat lovers!

Don’t know about you but I don’t like the idea of going shopping everytime I want to try out a new recipe.  So I looked for a recipe that requires ingredients I already had in my fridge and cupboard.  I looked at the ingredient list for the Chicken, Sausage & PotatoTray Bake recipe and compared to the items I had at home……

Olive oil√ chicken √ pork sausage √ chicken stock √ thyme √ dry white wine √ potatoes √ marmalade (its not “fresh-cut” marmalade as described in the recipe but marmalade is marmalade, therefore..)√

All was needed was to just follow the recipe and prepare the dish.  Continue reading and get the recipe….

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Product Review: Maize in a Minute and a Brownie Recipe

March 8, 2013 in Product Reviews, Recipes

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The ladies working at Bowmans Ingredients’ New Product Development team (they are in my Food Technologist/ Scientist Clique) gave me a sample of Maize in a Minute last year already……

 I took the sample home and read the labelling.  According to the instructions on the label, one can prepare breakfast porridge, stiff porridge (stywe pap) and phutu pap (umphokoqo).  After reading it I was thinking “Ok, how can you just add boiling water and then you have umphokoqo?  That means there is no aroma, no ntshela mos!”  I just looked at it as a lazy product and never bothered to try it out. 

They gave me the product again early this year with some recipes to try out (including the brownie recipe I’m sharing below).  I thought, oh well let me give it a try. 

I followed the methods for each type of pap and they all came out as promised.  It is a good concept for people that do not want to spend time stirring pots especially after a hard day’s work.  I reckon it comes in handy for camping purposes as well.  Personally, I’m a farm girl.  I prefer making my own pap from scratch.  However, I tried the Maize in a Minute on a brownie recipe from Ouma Hofmeyer’s blog.  The brownies that came out are divine and they melt in your mouth.   The maize gives them a somewhat chewy texture.  I kinda like it.  Get recipe here…..

 

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