Sounds of the sea!

It's quiet in the house for the first time today. With a party of 8, stillness is hard to come by. Not that I want it. I'm used to noise. Especially considering that 5 of the eight are always in our own house. The laughter, banter and friendly combat is what makes a home feel joyful and me happy.

I think I'm the only one still awake, with only the waves crashing on the rocks outside in De Kelders, Western Cape to keep me company. 

A pleasant flight to Cape Town and a beautifully scenic drive brought us to Gansbaai earlier today for our much anticipated visit to enjoy Great White Sharks in their natural habitat. A wonderful lunch at Café Jacks cannot be left unmentioned - the lamb burgers and Angel fish both accompanied by delicious potato wedges prepared by this unpretentious establishment in Betty's Bay (who make their own pasta) deserve some airtime.

That said, I can't help pondering on the fact that I feel absolutely no fear for our adventure that awaits tomorrow morning. I cannot explain it. Maybe the reality is yet to dawn on me, for surely hanging out with sharks is meant only for dreams.....

Sounds of the sea!

It's quiet in the house for the first time today. With a party of 8, stillness is hard to come by. Not that I want it. I'm used to noise. Especially considering that 5 of the eight are always in our own house. The laughter, banter and friendly combat is what makes a home feel joyful and me happy.

I think I'm the only one still awake, with only the waves crashing on the rocks outside in De Kelders, Western Cape to keep me company. 

A pleasant flight to Cape Town and a beautifully scenic drive brought us to Gansbaai earlier today for our much anticipated visit to enjoy Great White Sharks in their natural habitat. A wonderful lunch at Café Jacks cannot be left unmentioned - the lamb burgers and Angel fish both accompanied by delicious potato wedges prepared by this unpretentious establishment in Betty's Bay (who make their own pasta) deserve some airtime.

That said, I can't help pondering on the fact that I feel absolutely no fear for our adventure that awaits tomorrow morning. I cannot explain it. Maybe the reality is yet to dawn on me, for surely hanging out with sharks is meant only for dreams.....

Slow down!!!

It's too easy to get caught up in the rush and fuss of everyday life and forget about the little things that give life purpose and joy.

I've gotten seriously caught up recently but I'm glad that as the holidays creep up on the horizon I'm taking stock and doing more of what makes me happy. My bread is in the oven having fermented for the mandatory 9 hours. A slow, beautiful process that never disappoints with the amazing smell wafting from the kitchen and that wonderful texture and real flavour.

I was also reminded that we've been too absorbed to commit ourselves to meat free Mondays. Last nights vegetable tikka masala went down beautifully!!! Spicy and flavourful with fluffy basmati rice, perfect for our cold nights to warm the soul. Compliments all around without a piece of meat in sight. I hope we'll stick by this going forward and not allow ourselves to stop thinking and putting an effort into what we eat.

I used a recipe (very loosely) from the latest edition of House and Leisure - I'm not known for following recipes but they do guide my thoughts and ideas. This is a really easy meal, especially if you use the bought tikka masala paste - Woolworths does a really good one - but making your own hardly takes much time. Tons of recipes for this on google or read the ingredients on the Woolworths packet.

And there's the timer! Bread's done!

Yummy lunch boxes!

Spread a little good quality mayonnaise inside brown pita breads and fill with chicken cubes cooked in a little olive oil with onions and garlic seasoned with chilli flakes, salt, pepper and mixed dried or fresh herbs. Add some shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and avocado. 

No boring sandwiches in sight!

Friday Night Chinese!

A couple of smoked pork fillets, bottled Chinese barbecue sauce, a fresh asian slaw all wrapped in a Chinese pancake! Tantalisingly delicious!

What really pulls this meal together perfectly is the asian slaw. Shredded cabbage, carrot and red onion in a wonderful dressing.

Dressing
2 tbs grape seed oil
1tbs fish sauce
1tbs light soy sauce
1 red chilli chopped
1tsp sesame oil and 1tbs of sherry vinegar.

Mix and allow to stand covered in the refrigerator while you prepare everything else. Sprinkle lightly toasted sesame seeds onto the salad just before serving.

Woolworths sells ready smoked pork fillets which I just rub with salt, pepper and olive oil (tonight I added chilli flakes) and sear in a pan on all sides before placing in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes - this is specific to my crazy oven which has never really bothered to reach the exact temperature on the dial. Once rested, slice the fillets thinly and put back into the pan with the juices and some Chinese barbecue sauce and coat well.

I decided to make my own Chinese pancakes today - not convinced I'll do this again - from a recipe I found on Epicurious.com. Half of them came out deliciously tender and perfect for wrapping (the second batch), the other (first) half just brought back many memories of many an attempt to master the art of roti making, some too crispy to fold and others worthy of medieval weaponry. 

Place all the components on the table with a bowl of thinly sliced spring onions and let everyone help themselves assembling their pancakes.

Quick & Easy Meatball Pasta

It's exam time so kids are either home before lunch or at home studying, so cooking lunch everyday is  standard. I'd spend my entire day in the kitchen if not for quick and easy meals like this one.

Grab 500g lean minced meat and add salt, pepper, dried oregano, a tablespoon of olive oil and a crushed clove of garlic. Mix and form little meatballs, smaller than a golfball - this is meant to be quick and easy so you can forego all the fussy bits.

Brown in a tablespoon of olive oil, this takes under 5 minutes. Without removing the meatballs from your pan, add one chopped onion and a crushed clove of garlic - I add two red birds eye chillies because my children can handle it and it's winter so we're boosting the immune system wherever we can. Allow this to gently cook on a low heat before adding two teaspoons of tomato paste and a can of chopped Italian tomatoes, season to taste with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of dried oregano. Cook for 10 minutes (not even) while you boil the pasta in well salted water.

Serve!

This meal takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and tastes really good!