Good Luck Cafe {Illovo}
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Coffee & Pancakes
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Chocolate Almond Biscotti {recipe}
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Ingredients
3/4 cup (110 grams) blanched whole almonds (you can blanch them yourself *click here* or do what I did and buy them already blanched)
2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (110 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bite-sized chunks (can use chocolate chips)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Toast almonds for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool & set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the sugar and eggs on high speed until thick, pale, and fluffy (about 5 minutes). At this point beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and beat until combined.
Fold in the chopped almonds and chocolate.
Transfer the dough to a well floured counter and roll into a log shape, about 30 cm long and 9 cm wide. You may have to flour your hands to form the log as the dough is quite sticky. Place on your baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutesor until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Transfer the log to a cutting board and cut into about 1.25 cm slices, on the diagonal.
Place the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Chickpea Stripes with Yogurt Sauce {recipe}
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I am feeling very much the domestic goddess after three days of cooking up new recipes for my hubby. After reading through my favourite SA magazine Ideas, I decided to try everyone of their
{Easy Suppers}...this recipe was one of them.
Super easy to make, it only took 20 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
Ingredients
1 tine chicpeas, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
30ml chopped parsley & coriander
3ml ground cumin
30-50ml flour
sunflower oil for frying
tortilla wraps
grated carrots (I used spinach)
fresh coriander
Sauce:
100ml plain yogurt (I used chunky cottage cheese as I didn't have yogurt in my fridge)
15ml chopped parsley (I used coriander)
15ml lemon juice
15ml tahini (I used sesame seeds)
Step 1: Blend the chickpeas, onion, egg, the herbs & cumin in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Stir in enough flour to bind the mixture slightly and season to taste. Flour your hands well and shape the mixture into flat strips
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| take care to remove rings and other jewelry...the mixture gets very sticky! |
Step 3: Mix the ingredients for the sauce together. Serve the strips with the sauce in a wrap with carrots, and fresh coriander/parsley.
Soft White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies {recipe}
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Ingredients
makes approximately 25 cookies
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used cake flour)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white chocolate chips (I used a milky bar chopped up)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions
*In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. On low speed, mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in white chocolate chips & dried cranberries.
*Chill dough (covered) for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
*Preheat oven to 180C. Drop balls of dough onto cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. Do NOT cook them longer than 9 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack.
*Do not drop dough onto warm cookie sheets. Allow cookie sheets to cool completely between batches.
{thanks to Sally's Baking Addiction for the recipe!}
*Do not drop dough onto warm cookie sheets. Allow cookie sheets to cool completely between batches.
RedVelvet CheeseCake Brownies {recipe}
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I did a little baking recently, and after all the comments on Instagram (@roxypearce if you'd like to follow along) I just could not keep this recipe to myself :)
If you find the step-by-step photo's a little confusing, all you've gotta do is click here to download the free printable I whipped up for you...it's designed to fit on an A4 page when printed, but printers can be a little funny sometimes, so make sure to check your 'print preview' before printing :)
Columbo Coffee {Durban}
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Deep in the heart of the city (now when I say deep, I mean deep! Think factory centre of the city deep) lies an awesome place to get your hands on freshly ground coffee.
I am inserting the blurb from their website, as it does a pretty fine job of explaining what Columbo is all about...
"The Colombo story began many years ago when a young James Brown Richardson, who was employed by Thornton Tea and Coffee, was called to service during the First World War. An Australian veteran of the Siege of Ladysmith, he decided to move to South Africa some years before as he had grown fond of this charming land during a visit. After catching Malaria in East Africa during WW1, he was invalided out. When James (fondly known as "Jas B") returned, he found that his employers had gone under and that he would have to carve his own path in order to continue in the industry that he loved. In 1917, Jas B opened his own shop in Johannesburg, South Africa and began to provide Tea and Coffee to the mines in and around the Transvaal (now known as Gauteng). But in 1922, when Jas B could not deliver to strikers during the Rand rebellion, he was forced to pack up his shop and move to Durban due to the threats of the strikers involved.
It was in 1923 that Jas B together with his son, Norman Richardson (who was only 17 at the time) founded The Colombo Tea Agency in a basement of the old Barnes & McFie Arcade in Durban. The Colombo Tea Agency was based on the Richardson family’s knowledge and “nothing but utmost value” approach to Tea and Coffee. The Colombo Tea Agency, specialists in Tea, Coffee and Cocoa, would continue to make their mark on the people of Durban through harsh times and dark realities, to the silver lining and even brighter future.
Fast forward to the early seventies - the Richardson family business was well supported in their decision to turn down offers in buying their West Street property (the original micro-coffee roastery and shop) as a part of a development project in 1972. In refusing to give way to big business, Norman Richardson, then MD of the company, quickly became a people’s hero receiving a flood of appreciative letters from all over the country.
Colombo Tea & Coffee Co. has undergone many changes, but time has taken kindly to the Colombo legacy and the preservation of our ideals. Our Mission since 1917 has been "To never compromise on the value of fine Tea and Coffee and Cocoa, and to spread our love of these fine beverages to all that we come into contact with". We now have the opportunity to communicate this message with the entire International community, showing our knowledge and skills, passed down to us through generations of passionate research and development. Our young team is comprised of passionate roasters, blenders and baristas dedicated to the artisan science of flavour, especially the complex characteristics found in tea and coffee. Lead by Victor Richardson (fourth generation director of Colombo) and Kyle Fraser (the young blood and breath of life into Colombo) commitment to the local audience and web of local ‘business partners’ we are destined to spread our unique message to an eager market!"Who wouldn't want to pop in for a cuppa now?!
Colombo Tea & Coffee Co. PTY (Ltd)
369 Gale Street, Durban, KZN, SA
Email: info@colombo.co.za
Tel: (031) 205 3283
Fax: (086) 591 5539
OPENING HOURS
Mon-Fri 8:00-16:30
Sat: 9:00-14:00
Public Holidays: CLOSED
{CupCake Decorating}
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What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon, than with lovely ladies, butter cream icing, and blank cupcakes...ready for a splash of colour! A few pic's of the cupcake decorating course I attended this weekend:
Thanks for a wonderful afternoon ladies!
Chocolate Brownies {recipe}
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125g butter
45g cocoa powder
2 large eggs
200g castor sugar
150 self raising flour
60g chopped dark chocolate
makes 12 brownies
**I doubled the recipe and ended up making about 35 delicious, melt-in-your-mouth brownies**
**Bake in a heated oven at 180C for 20 - 25 mins, or until cooked through but still moist**
Planning a Location Wedding...{4 months before}
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| {Image Source} |
a) cater for your number of guests (in our case 160- 180)
b) specializes in your particular food style
c) is able/happy to cater for your function at your location
d) is available!
Let me tell you something, to find someone who does all of the above is no easy feat! I spent many hours trawling the internet to find 'the one' and, after much frustration and anguish, was referred to Sarah from Harris and Homes in Durban.
Sarah has been incredible to work with so far, with a menu that includes the likes of "cream cheese stuffed dates skewered with parma ham" and "marinated lamb cutlets with coriander and honey" I am hoping that I have enough time in between greeting guests to fill my tummy!
Sarah has been incredible to work with so far, with a menu that includes the likes of "cream cheese stuffed dates skewered with parma ham" and "marinated lamb cutlets with coriander and honey" I am hoping that I have enough time in between greeting guests to fill my tummy!
Farmboy and I met with Sarah last weekend when she came to see the farm and chat to us about the logisitics of catering for the number of guests we are having. She was amazing at giving us loads of practical advice when it came to the many bumps and niggles we came across, while also giving us idea's for things we hadn't even thought about yet.
Sarah, Farmboy and I are happy that you will be catering for us for our wedding, and we are so looking forward to the food!
The Harris & Homes website is under construction, but in the mean time you can contact Sarah direct on 074 183 8745
The Harris & Homes website is under construction, but in the mean time you can contact Sarah direct on 074 183 8745
{Macaroons} What not to do...
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Today I am very proud of myself, I unhooked, carried, loaded, refilled, carried, reloaded and re-hooked my first ever gas cylinder! What a day, and boy are those cylinders heavy, wowee! And to celebrate having a fresh tank of gas, Candice and I decided to try out what looked like a very easy Macaroon recipe in the latest edition of Ideas.
And while they didn't quite come out liked i had hoped (I didn't even get to a point where I needed to make the delicious creamy white chocolate centre!), I still had fun. And i now have squishy balls of sugary mess to munch on in the cold winter nights while Farmboy is away in Ethiopia.
I thought maroons were as easy as:
This is what was supposed to happen when the above steps were followed:
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| {source} |
Instead, this is what I am left with...
But they (or it) is still very yummy! Not sure where exactly I went wrong...not using greaseproof paper was a big mistake, as well as having my oven a little too hot.
I will just have to give them another go i think???
A different take on *Lasagna*
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Another easy dinner idea, this time mixing things up a little with an old favourite.
Ingredients:
I pack diced bacon (or streaky/back bacon cut up)
1 punnet rosa tomatoes
275g parmesan cheese (we mixed this up with about 100g of cheddar added into the mix)
white sauce (either store bought or make your own suing milk, flour and salt heated up in the microwave)
2 big handfulls of spinach
1 box Fattis & Monis lasagna
handful of fresh basil
1 clove garlic (to tatse)
Step 1: Heat Oven to 180C. Blanche the spinach (pour boiling water over the leaves and leave for about 25s, then drain)
Step 2: Fry the bacon bits in a pan until nice and crispy
Step 3: Start layering your lasagna ingredients starting off with a layer of white sauce. Then add lasagna (we broke the sheets into smaller layers to make it go further), adding cheese, tomatoes, bacon and basil leaves as you go. Repeat until all your ingredients are used up. Finish off with basil and a fresh tomatoes as garnish.
Step 4: Bake in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes, until cheese is crispy.
Serve and Enjoy!
*Chocolate Chip Cookies* for Valentine's Day
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This Valentine's Day Farmboy and I decided to keep things simple...I decided to whip up some Chocolate Chip Cookies, Martha Sterwart style and surprise him with them after our early morning gym session (*the gym session was needed after I stuffed my face last night with cookie dough!). The results were heavenly, melt in your mouth, choc filled bites of yummyness, see for yourself!
Ingredients:
200g butter, just melted (not too hot)
¾ cup of brown sugar
¼ cup of Castor Sugar
1 large egg and one large egg yolk
2 tsp of vanilla essence½ tsp of salt
2 cups and ¼ cup of cake flour
½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda
1 cup of dark chocolate chips
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 160C°. Place one rack at the top and the other in the middle of the oven. Have two large baking sheets ready. Combine the melted butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric whisk
Step 2. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Add one cup of the flour, then the bicarb and the remaining flour. Combine on slowest speed.
Step 3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 4: Grease the baking sheets with butter or Spray ‘n Cook. Roll the dough into golf-size balls and place on the baking sheet, allowing about 6cm between each ball for spreading. Place the baking sheets into the oven and bake for about 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Half way through baking, turn the sheets and switch racks, so the cookies can bake evenly.
Step 5: Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets. Remove from the baking sheets with a flat spatula and serve warm if possible. They will be just fine served cool as well and should be stored in an airtight container.
Lastly, wrap up to look like fancy smancy cookies, and present to your loved one...be ready to receive lots of smooches of appreciation :)
*Recipe borrowed from here*
Corner Cafe, Durban
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Looking for a place that offers good service, scrumptious food and a friendly local...then pop into Corner Cafe in Glenwood, Durban.
After a hasty 'Help! Looking for fun places to visit in Durban' message on Twitter, the lovely Nadia from CupCakeCourture suggested I head to Corner Cafe for a fill up. She had also suggested Mooi & Wakaberry which have since been plugged into 'Favourites' on my GPS!
After a quick caffeine fix, I was bouncing off the walls while being given a delightful breakdown of other cool spots to check out in Durban by Corner Cafe's owner, Judd.
Thanks for all the helpful info Judd, We will be back!
CornerCafe also boasts its own vintage store full to the brim with treasures that are "Resurrected and Recycled".
Address
Corner of Cromwell and Brand Roads
Glenwood
Durban
Phone 032 201 0219
Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday 07h00 - 17h00
Click here to visit Judd's blog, and click here for Corner Cafe's Facebook Group.
Wakaberry, Durban
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Having found this yummy pit stop on a recent tour of Durban, I can't wrap my head around the fact that they aren't on every street corner!
It's all so easy...grab a cup, choose a flavour, add a gazillion topics, pay, and you're A for Away.
And because it's all frozen yogurt as opposed to ice cream, it's pretty guilt free! Well, that is until you top yourself up with ever sour worm, flake and turkish delight under the sun.
Location:
217 Florida Road
Morningside
Durban
and
Shop 3
41 Mackeurtan Avenue
Durban North
and coming soon to Hillcrest and Ballito!!!
Opening Hours:
Mon - Thu:10:00 am-9:00 pm
Fri - Sat:10:00 am-11:00 pm
Sun:10:00 am-9:00 pm
Happy snacking!
Pop into *Churchill House* Durban
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If you're in the neighbourhood and feel like a rest stop, why not pop into Churchill House. The staff are wonderful, always smiling and serving an endless supply of 'Holy Wine' in the sweetest glasses...
The food is good (except the Health Bread as the portion is tiny) and my favourite thing to eat is the savoury muffins. Here is my new favourite, the brinjal and sun dried tomato 'potted' muffin:
And when you've stuffed your face, take a walk around the rest of the shop which is home to an amazing collection of antiques and collectibles...
Directions:
Corner of Churchill Road and Windmere (now Lilian Ngoyi)
*Milk Cafe* Ballito
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Spending a weekend in Ballito is never complete without a stop to my favourite ice cream chop...Milk Cafe. With super friendly staff and really really yummy ice-cream, it's the perfect place to hang out this summer...
Directions
18 Compensation Drive Ballito
032 946 2310
click here to visit their Facebook page
Homegrown goodness
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These bad boys are all from Farmboy's very own veggie patch...
*Note: when/if eating greens from the garden, make sure to give everything a good wash first and to do a thorough *pest* search...we had to throw away a HuGe gem squash and baby pumpkin due to some nasty creatures.
Pair with some lemon and garlic cous-cous and a healthy side portion of spinach dessed in balsamic vinegar and you are a-for-away...enjoy!
*those funny pink bits are actually ham....ya I know, sort of totally destroys the Veggie vibe but was yummy nonetheless :)
*Note: when/if eating greens from the garden, make sure to give everything a good wash first and to do a thorough *pest* search...we had to throw away a HuGe gem squash and baby pumpkin due to some nasty creatures.
A very proud Farmboy :)
Pair with some lemon and garlic cous-cous and a healthy side portion of spinach dessed in balsamic vinegar and you are a-for-away...enjoy!
*those funny pink bits are actually ham....ya I know, sort of totally destroys the Veggie vibe but was yummy nonetheless :)
Bloom Cafe...Natal Midlands
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Nestled in Nottingham Road, between a hair salon and an Antique Shop, lies the marvelous Cafe Bloom. The perfect stop for a dose of caffeine and to fill up your hungry tummy after a long day of meandering.
Address: R103 Old Main Road, Nottingham Road
Hours: 08h00 - 16h00 Wednesday - Monday
