Monthly Mingle - The round-up!

Yes, I know, I know, the Monthly Mingle round-up is late, but you know what life happens to all of us and what does not break us, makes us stronger. I had to wait for a few entries, which of course also gave me the time to put the round-up together.
When I chose this month's theme for the Monthly Mingle, I had no idea that so many people share this affection for apples with me.

Sausage or Boerewors - both perfect for soup. Also a fantastic Give-away!

I am a sausage snob! There, I've said it! I take buying and eating sausage or boerewors as we call it in this part of the woods, seriously. I have tasted and eaten my way through many so called "Champion" Sausages, that I can tell a good one from a really horrible one.

Mushroom Soup with Smoked Paprika for Meatless Monday

I love using mushrooms in meatless dishes, because they bring a certain meatiness to the meal, so for those of us who are still carnivores by nature, are  fooled into eating a meal without meat.

Coconut Chicken and Noodle Broth

Vietnamese Coconut Chicken and Noodle Broth! Just imagine the flavor and textures in this easy soup or broth if you prefer. Creamy coconut milk, the intense heat from the curry paste and the chillies and not to mention the different textures that awaits you in a bowl of this delicious broth.

Chunky Basil Tomato Soup!

A Chunky Basil Tomato soup that you can have on the table in less than an hour sounds like a good idea doesn't it? This soup delivers big on taste, nutrition, color and not to mention the little effort it takes to make. As many of you know, I have two very adventurous eaters as children. An ordinary sandwich or instant noodles just do not cut it for them.

Best Seafood Stew I've ever had......

It really was the Best Seafood Stew that I have ever had......it was fragrant, light and slightly spicy. Although it is still definitely summer around here, yesterday for some reason it was rainy and cold, so I felt like soup, but not a thick and chunky winter soup.

Melon soup to cool you down!

I love Sweet melon and served cold in slices is so refreshing.......or is it??? Our summer here in Cape Town is at its peak and we are experiencing temperatures of 35-40C. Frankly, I do not like the heat, but then again, I love summer fruits so I guess I will have to grin and take the heat! Sweet melon together with watermelon are my favorite summer fruits.. Sweet Melons are the fruits of the muskmelon vine and are related to cucumbers.

Greek Gazpacho - a Kalofagas creation

With all the fighting about copyright on recipes, I am so nervous to even mention other people's recipes, but when I cook someones recipe, it is because I thought it was amazing in the first place. Peter from Kalofagas made this delicious Greek Gazpacho a while back and although it is winter here, I could imagine the flavors...mmmmm!.

Easy mussel soup.....

Desperation led me to this easy Mussel Soup. Desperate for what, you may ask? Well, I was busy with back-to-back catering and time for supper all of a sudden sprung on me, with children asking: "Mom, when are we eating? Second question: "What are we eating?"
I found a bag of mussels in the shell as well as mussel meat in the freezer and first thought about pasta with mussels, but there was no time for cooking the pasta so I opted for a quick Mussel soup instead.

Butternut, Tomato and Light vegetable soup.

Everyone should know by now that I like things to be simple. I DO NOT LIKE THINGS TO LOOKS SIMPLE, but I like a Wow-effect with the least effort. With a little bit of planning ahead you can have this meal on the table in no time, but your guests will think that you have spend hours behind the stove. I chose these particular flavors of soup, because it can be served at room temperature for those of you who are now moving towards summer. You can choose any kind of soup really...why not chilled tomato and cucumber combo? The trick is to make your soup in advance.

First soup for Winter 2008

Finally it is here......winter in Cape Town and I am a happy puppy. I just LOVE winter......the rain, the wind howling, the log fires, the warm coats, but most of all I am a comfort- food- kinda -girl. I just adore soups. stews, slow roasting dishes and...and....... So when the weatherman's forecast was rain, I rolled out the veggies for a hearty soup. There are so many recipes for soup out there, but for me this soup is "home cooking" at it's best. My gran and my mom used to cook soup like this and with just a slice of sourdough bread, this is a bumper meal.

Spice up your day..

This weekend the cold weather finally arrived. On Friday the children were still in the pool and yesterday morning winter was here in all it glory. For me it was quite a shock!!I love winter ....the climate, the clothes and the FOOD!!!!!, but I had to make a quick mind shift and start my winter repertoire in the kitchen. I got a whole bag full of butternut at the market the other day and my family loves butternut, so that was the obvious choice for celebrating the arrival of winter. I was in the kitchen the whole day, not because the soup takes that long, but my daughter, Chloe wanted to make the soup and that slowed down the process quite significantly.