Making Paneer on RSG in anticipation of a weekend at the Cheese Festival

Make your way to the Cheese Festival near Stellenbosch this weekend, otherwise you will be missing out big time. If you are a cheese-o-holic like me, this is the place for you! You can sample the best cheeses SA has to offer and watch demonstrations and even learn to make cheese yourself at one of the many hands-on workshops.

Halloumi Wraps with Curried Peach Chutney

With these Halloumi wraps we jumped right back into the no-meat phase after we cheated a quite few times this weekend. I started cheating already on Thursday, but hubby only realized he was eating  meat on Saturday morning when he was already halfway with a Boerewors Roll at the children's athletics.....it was downhill from there! A braai with all the trimmings on Saturday night and we are ready for the next couple of meat free weeks.

Honey and Mustard Pork Sausages with Roasted Onion Dip

These Honey and Mustard Pork Sausages with Roasted Onion Dip was not only a mouthful-title for my post but also most delicious mouthfuls to eat. The flavors were so perfectly balanced with the sweet from the honey, slight tart and bitterness from the mustard  and then the creaminess of the dip with the smokey, rustic roasted onions.......delightful, even if I have to say so myself.

Ricotta and Edemame Bean Pate for New Year's Eve!

The Ricotta and Edemame Bean Pate is ideal for a festive end to the old year, but at the same time sets the trend for a healthier and lighter 2012. With all the Christmas Festivities behind us where everybody overindulged in meat and rich foods, a lighter vegetarian pate seems like such a welcome idea.

Bacon, Camembert and golden syrup piled on corn fritters - heaven on a plate!

Bacon.......Camembert and  syrup must rank right there at the top of my favorites-things-to-eat-list! Let me begin by saying, this recipe is not for the faint-hearted....it will not be found in any diet manual, come to think of it, eating a meal like this, should be considered illegal!

A Blue Cheese Dip for my Stout Hearted Onion Rings

Blue Cheese...you either love it or hate it. There is no "in-between" in this love affair.  People(like me) who love blue cheese will have it with and on everything, like Blue Cheese and Mushroom on Ciabatta, Blue Cheese Quiche, Butternut Gnocchi with sage and Blue Cheese,

Meatless Monday Feta Cheese Puffs

We are really getting the hang of Meatless Mondays these days and I find that we are even having meat free meals on other days of the week too, which is a good thing! I think my husband tells me every Monday: "Lovey, I do not want to eat meat for at least a month!"

Sweet Onion and Goat's Cheese Quiche - Scrumptious!

This Sweet Onion and Goat's Cheese quiche is without a doubt the most delicious quiche I have ever made....and I make many! With quiches I can prepare and cook my meals in the morning so that my afternoons are free for my other full time occupation, driving Mom's taxi. On Tuesdays my son plays cricket, 50 overs to be exact and it takes forever to finish a game, with the result we only arrive home at 6.30. To arrive home knowing that supper is just a quick green salad away, is bliss!

3 course Sandwiches for Meatless Monday

"3 Course Sandwiches!" was my answer to his question. "What are we eating tonight?" After I've said it, there was this long prolonged silence which ended in a deep sigh. "Is there a problem honey? I asked very diplomatically. (Sigh)

Butternut Gnocchi with Sage and Blue Cheese

Gnocchi  in the middle of November is not at all strange for people in the Northern Hemisphere where winter has finally arrived, but we are supposed to be in the middle of summer and yet it is cold, rainy and not at all summer or salad weather.

Fairview Bloggers Competition - let the voting begin!

Fairview Bloggers Competition, sounds easy doesn't it? Recipe has to include Fairview Camembert, still no problem right? Wait until you see the food gurus I am up against and you will know that I am stress  beyond belief, because no longer am I the cook with the one I in the land of the blind bloggers.

Rissotto has only one "s" - Risotto!

Rissoto/risotto, I am ashamed to say, only crept into my foodie repertoire a few years back. I can't tell you why I was is intimidated to try this Italian classic, but the truth of the matter is, I was too afraid to even try. I don't remember what inspired me to try for the first time, but I tell you, when I took my first spoonful of that creamy, salty and cheesy risotto, I was hooked for life.

Soufflé with Smoked Snoek and Goat's Cheese

Making a Soufflé has always been kind of tricky for me up till now. I've made some disaster soufflés in the past, yet I keep on trying, because I have this thing about giving up on recipes. The thought of making a soufflé came to me when my Mom and Dad arrived with some Smoked Snoek from the West Coast. My family is not keen on eating snoek because this fish has so many bones. So whenever I use snoek, I use it in de-boned and flaked form.....

Melanzane Parmigiana - Eggplant Parmesan

Melanzane Parmigiane, Melanzane alla Parmigiana, Melanzane di Parmigiana....I'm confused! What the heck is the correct spelling? In my house we simply call it Eggplant Parmesan or baked eggplant. I do not care much for the correct spelling, what I do know is that it is cheesy, comforting, healthy(in a way) and utterly delicious.

Phyllo Baked Camembert with Red wine and Onion Jam!

Share Camembert is one of the most famous French Cheeses and it is definitely my favorite cheese. Finding empty cheese wrappers every time I open the cheese compartment in my fridge, is enough reason to believe that I am not the only one in this family that likes Camembert Cheese.

Quiches - Tomato, Spinach and Ricotta is a perfect combination!

Quiches of all kinds and flavors go down very well in my household. I love making quiches, so when I decide "ok, today is quiche day", it normally means that friends and family can be sure of a warm "surprise" around dinner time. My arrival with a quiche on their doorstep is normally preceded by a phone call that says "Don't make supper!"

Wrap it - Blackforest Ham, Watercress and Camembert !

If I say the word "wraps", I bet your mind will immediately go to "Mexican food", "spicy food" or even KFC. We had quite a few cold and rainy days in the last week or so and when the weather is miserable, the food of choice in this house will always be starchy, stewy but most of all heavy, warm and comforting.

SA Cheese Festival 2009!!!

I was fortunate to receive 2 complimentary tickets to the annual SA Cheese Festival , compliments of Jenny Morris(thanks Jenny!!!). The drive out to Franschhoek was a treat because it surely is one of the most beautiful parts of South Africa, but then you arrive on the farm,

Easy snacks - Ricotta Crumpets with Mulberries!

Crumpets or flapjacks as we call them here, are my children's favorite snack when days are cold and rainy like yesterday! So when they got into the car at school, it was like a chorus from the back seat: " Mommy, will you please make us some crumpets, please, pretty please!!!

Mushrooms and Blue Cheese on Ciabatta - perfect for a back-to-school lunch!!!

Light lunches or a mid-day( at 2 o'clock when school comes out) snack is always a problem for me, because we have our dinner at night, so it can't be too heavy, but the children do want something a little more substantial. Well today they were in luck! I had some mushrooms and blue cheese and in no time I had these delicious open sandwiches ready!