Coffee Cream

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Who loves Coffee?? Most people, I think, but I only have a cup .. uhm, maybe once every three/four months. Roy enjoys a cup now and then, the kids - not at all.

Two reasons I have coffee in the house - Jacobus is a coffee drinker, and the other reason is Vince, Cheri's boyfriend of the past two years .. now this guy really, really loves his coffee!

I  Prefer Iced coffee, especially after a visit to the supermarket - love the one Pick 'N Pay sells right at the entrance door, and then of course, some kind of coffee dessert. It shouldn't be overpowering but the coffee taste must definitely be there. 

My very first foodie post was actually COFFEE JELLOs which I love to make and definitely to eat!

I did not make two batches, one dark and one lighter as it might look -most of  the coffee "sunk" to the bottom {which is now the top after I removed it from the mold} , however, the flavor is a bit stronger in the darker part but still present in the lighter part.

Ok, I'm jabbering on and you want to see this easy recipe ...

Coffee Cream

adapted by me from the cookbook Lekker Vinnige Etes by Hilary Biller

20g Plain Gelatin

1/4 cup Water

2 cups Fresh Cream

1 t Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Caster Sugar

1/2 cup Strong Coffee (Espresso works best) - I used 2 TB Instant Coffee Powder

Sweet, slightly Vanilla flavored Whipped Cream

Hot Chocolate- / Chocolate Milkshake- or Cocoa Powder to sift over, optional

1.) Sprinkle the Gelatin, using a small microwavable bowl, over the Water until spongy.

2.) Meanwhile, heat the Fresh Cream, Vanilla and Caster Sugar over low heat until boiling point - remove from heat.

3.) Dissolve the Gelatin in the microwave - it is ready when runny and clear. (30 - 60 seconds)

4.) Add the Gelatin together with the Hot Coffee to the Cream - stir to mix well.

5.) Use a wet mold (at least 3 cups capacity) and pour the mixture into the mold - Refrigerate overnight to set.

Decorate and serve with Sweet Whipped Cream {and any of the above Powders sifted over, optional).

Thought I'll leave you with a close-up ...

Hope you enjoy!

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Bobotie

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I do not think there is a more traditional South-African classic dish as Bobotie. It is usually served with yellow rice (spicy or not, with raisins or without). I choose to serve this dish with simple yellow rice, using Turmeric to color.. it does not affect the taste too much and it goes well with the not overbearing spicy-ness of the Bobotie.

We were taught since high school (cooking class) to use the group method when making Bobotie...I have no idea why but 99% of the different recipes for Bobotie uses Groups A, B and C. It is also the only recipe I've ever seen with this, instead of just a jump between the "groups" or 1, 2 and 3, or filling, topping, crust etc.

Although, I have tried many Bobotie recipes, this one from the cookbook Gesinskos by Christelle Erasmus, is my favorite.

 Bobotie

GROUP A:

20ml Ground Ginger
30ml Soft Brown Sugar
10ml Curry Powder (I use medium - we're sissies concerning too hot food!)
15ml Turmeric
10ml Salt
Pinch Pepper
60ml Margarine
5 Medium Onions, chopped

GROUP B:

2 Slices White bread, crustless, dipped in water and then press out the water

1kg Ground Beef (Mince)
150ml Seedless Raisins
60ml Chutney
30ml Fine Apricot Jam
30ml Vinegar
30ml Worcestershire sauce
30ml Tomato Paste

GROUP C:

375ml Milk
2 Extra-Large Eggs

1.) Heat all the dry ingredients of Group A in a pot over medium heat - careful not to burn, you must just be able to smell it (1 - 2 minutes) - Add the Margarine and Onions to the pot and saute until the Onions are soft.
2.) Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F) - Spray a large oven dish with Spray 'N Cook
3.) Add all the ingredients of Group B to the Onion mixture (stir well to combine all) - Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes,stirring regularly. Transfer to the prepared oven dish.
4.) Beat the Milk and Eggs (Group C) together and pour evenly over the meat mixture - Bake 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and let "rest" for 5 minutes, before serving.

Enjoy!

Bye-bye for now,

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Toy-Box to Kitchen Bench

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Another piece of the almost done kitchen ! At least I can get back to baking and cooking soon ;-)

We bought wooden toy boxes for Dimitri & Cheri many years ago, needless to say, it has also been some years since they've outgrown them and threw it out. I am using one in my bedroom  as a foot-end blanket box, which, so far has only been painted and I added some handles .. this is still an incomplete project, ugh!

The Kitchen Bench will mainly be used for storage - we had this very awkward, under counter space and I ran out of ideas as to what to put there - voila ! I needed to do something with the toy box (it holds a lot of craft stuff which I need to use in the kitchen i.e. my candle making stuff).

Because this will be used in the kitchen, I added thick plastic over the material - here is what I did:

The old toy box 

Supplies needed

1.) Black Spray paint  (I used Rust-O-Leum for wood)

2.) White Spay paint for the stencilling (again Rust-O-Leum for wood)

3.) Stencil - I found this "zebra" pattern by chance, after I bought the fabric

4.) Tiny amount of Tic-Tac Glue (to keep the stencil in place)

5.) 10 centimeter (about 4 inch) thick Foam, cut to the exact same size as the top of the lid 

6.) Glue - suitable to use on foam and wood

7.) THICK Plastic - I got mine from the fabric shop

8.) Staple Gun

First, I washed the box and made sure all areas were dry before spraying the four sides with Black Spray paint. After about three hours the paint was dry enough to do the stencilling - I applied a small amount of Tic-Tac Glue, waited a minute or two and stuck the stencil in place - then I spray painted over the stencil with the White Spray paint, all around the bottom of the box.

For the seat, I removed the lid from the box and glued the Foam to the top.

I Cut the Plastic and Fabric large enough to cover the whole (inside and outside) of the lid. First, I layed down the Plastic, then the Fabric (right side facing down) on top of the Plastic - I then placed the lid (Foam side facing down) on top of the Fabric.

Now, I made sure there were no crinkles at the bottom (the seat side) and then started to just "wrap" the lid, almost as you would do a gift, stapling all the sides and seams on the inside.

We replaced the lid and fastened it to the same hinges as before (this was a little tricky as we had to feel the covered lid for the holes - next time I'll make sure we mark it somehow ! ).

I think, by know, if you put all my "pieces" from the kitchen together (the ones I have already shared with you) you should get an idea of the type of kitchen I am trying to create...

Later,

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Banana Caramel Tart

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. 

This is a new recipe to me {although I had it since shortly after I got married}. No idea why I've missed it and never actually tried the recipe ... so unlike me ...

Crust with a layer of Lemon Jelly (Jello) and a filling of Banana and Caramel - you can leave out the jelly part if it's not your kind of thing {I mention this, because all of a sudden Dimitri has a problem with jelly...agh, he ate it and besides the jelly layer, he liked this dessert}.

I read somewhere today - think it was today?? - was Banana Day. National somewhere or maybe International,.. I can not remember. Anyway, that is the reason I settled on this recipe. Option before I decided was HERTZOGGIES - a South African delicacy.

Banana Caramel Tart

1 packet (200g) Tennis biscuits, crushed (or Graham Crackers)

125g Butter, melted

25ml Lemon Juice

1/2 packet (of an 80g packet) Lemon Jelly (If you're using Jell-O, check the weight)

100ml Boiling Water

125ml Cold Water

1 can (397g) Caramel Condensed Milk

5 Ripe Bananas

10ml Plain Gelatin, soaked in 25ml cold water

175ml Fresh Cream

Small piece of Peppermint Crisp Chocolate, grated, to decorate (optional)

1.) Pre-heat oven to 150 deg C (300 deg F) - Spray a 20 x 20cm oven dish with Spray 'N Cook.

2.) Mix the Tennis biscuit crumbs, melted Butter and Lemon juice - press this mixture onto the bottom of the oven dish - Bake 15 minutes - remove from oven and let cool completely.

3.) Dissolve the Lemon Jelly in the Boiling Water - add the Cold Water and refrigerate until about to set - pour evenly over the crust - Place back into the refrigerator until set (15 - 20 minutes)

4.) Meanwhile, beat the Caramel Condensed Milk until smooth - Mash the Bananas and add to the Caramel Condensed Milk.

5.) Dissolve the Gelatin over hot water - keep aside.

6.) Beat the Fresh Cream, whilst adding the Gelatin in a thin stream, until stiff - Fold this mixture into the Banana and Caramel and spoon over the jelly layer - Sprinkle Peppermint Crisp (if using) over the top and refrigerate a further hour or until set.

To serve: best to use a sharp knife to cut straight through to the crust.

Hope you'll enjoy!

Ciao for now,

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Corned Beef & Vegetable Tart

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Dinner tonight! I must have made this dish hundreds of times over the years. The kitchen is mostly back in operation, only a few more touch-ups and finishing off here and there, so I can play in my kitchen again!!!

This tart has a crust at the bottom, a thick layer of cheese and a mixture of corned beef and vegetables. Whether you eat it hot or cold - either way, it is delicious.

We had a side salad and some Portuguese rolls with this dish. Easily enough for 5 - 6 adults.

Corned Beef & Vegetable Tart

CRUST: {tip; mix this in the oven dish you'll be using - less dishes!}

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

50 ml (little less than 1/4 cup) Milk

1 1/2 cups Self-Raising Flour

1/2 t Salt

1 1/2 - 2 cups Cheddar Cheese, grated

FILLING:

1 Large Onion, sliced thinly

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

2 TB Oil

3 Large Tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 can (300g) Corned Beef, cut into small pieces

1 can (410g) Mixed Vegetables, drained

2 Extra-Large Eggs

1 cup Milk

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Pinch Cayenne Pepper

1.) Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F) - Spray a 20 x 30 cm oven dish with Spray 'N Cook.

2.) Mix the Vegetable Oil and Milk well using a fork - it should look murky - add the Self-Raising Flour and Salt - mix until a dough forms - press evenly onto the bottom of the oven dish.

3.) Sprinkle the Cheddar Cheese over the crust and put aside.

4.) Saute the Onion and Green Bell Pepper in the Oil over medium heat until soft - add the Tomatoes and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated - add the Corned Beef and Mixed Vegetables - stir to combine all ingredients.

5.) Spoon the filling over the Cheddar layer.
6.) In a separate bowl, beat the Eggs, Milk, Salt & Pepper and Cayenne - pour over the filling.
7.) Bake one hour - remove from oven and leave to set about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy {our dessert post to follow soon}

Later,

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Coffee Spoon Holder

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Our "Coffee Station" is on the other side of the kitchen as to where we keep all the cutlery.  Since I moved everything, everyone was complaining about the extra distance now needed just to get a spoon for their coffee... Personally, I think 3 meters that way and 3 meters back can only do all of us good, but, then again if one can not have comfort in your own home (yes, even only having spoons close ! ), what's the use.

So, for the past few years I had my spoons close to the kettle, coffee, tea and all the other paraphernalia. I had a cute little glass jar which the spoons were kept in. 

Most of the kitchen's mini make-over is done by now and I started sorting through the mess left behind, only to find my glass jar broken.

Using cans are all over the internet now, and I thought let me give it a go and see what I can come up with to suit the new color scheme of the kitchen. Now, normally, I am not a lacey, frilly kind of person, but when I saw this black lace ribbon, I liked it straight away, had no clue what I wanted to use it for and only bought a meter. {Ok, I do have a thing for ribbon ..if I like it, I buy, without even knowing what it'll be used for}

Here's what I did to create this masterpiece;

A standard size can which I sprayed inside and outside with white gloss spraypaint

I then used a stencil, and just roughly (see the letters are a bit "broken" used a permanent marker to write Coffee on top and Spoons at the bottom. A quick spray over the words with a clear spraypaint - because permanent is not always permanent especially markers! 

For the black lace, I sprayed Adhesive glue to one side and wrapped the lace around the can. to top it off,  a tiny coffee/tea pot was glued over as well.

That's it, I only need to wash all the dirty coffee spoons and fill this can a bit !

Later,

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Shortbread Surprize

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How often do you run to your PC/Laptop/Phone to share a recipe RIGHT after it has come out of the oven? Bet, not as quick as I did now - these delectables (is there such a word?) are still piping hot! For one, I had to get out of the kitchen before I eat them all and secondly, I really want to share this with you.

I made them, in a smaller size, in March as part of Dimitri's "Sweets Table" for his 20th birthday. He is totally into any sweets/desserts - therefore on that day, I made a LOT of different sweet stuff. (if I remember correctly there were about 20 different sweet treats!)

Roy really fell for these - his only complaint? They were too small... this time I made them double the size, hope he'll like them even more. He has been working so hard on the kitchen renovations, so, I thought I'll make him a nice (and of course..if you know my stuff by now ---EASY and QUICK) treat. Naturally, I'll let him think it took me half the morning  ;-)

Shortbread Surprize

200g Salted Butter, room temperature

1/4 cup Castor Sugar

2 cups Cake Flour

100 - 150g Whole Nut Chocolate

Icing Sugar

1.) Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F) - Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

2.) Beat the Butter and Castor Sugar until creamy - Add the Cake Flour and mix to form a dough.

3.) Roll the dough into balls (Mine was about 2 centimeters in diameter - little less than 1 inch) - you should get 20 balls.

4.) Break the Whole Nut Chocolate into blocks - (use one block per cookie ball) The dough is very flexible, flatten each ball a bit, add a piece of Chocolate and close the dough over the Chocolate.

5.) Place the balls on the baking sheet and bake 20 - 25 minutes (It's ready once the underside has browned slightly)

6.) Remove from oven, dust with Icing Sugar whilst still hot and let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Enjoy!

Later,

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Not Your Usual "Lasagna"

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The recipe I want to share today, is a recipe originally shared by one of our star rugby players, Bryan Habana in the cookbook Springbok Kitchen.

I have made it a couple of times, differently each time. This is by far the tastiest of my experiments - it is very filling, but somehow we managed to really over-stuff ourselves. You know, it's one of those recipes where you just can't stop - same as starting with caramel peanuts or popcorn .. you start and don't stop until the whole packet is gone!

I had planned to make a quick dessert afterwards, but halfway through dinner, we all decided against having a dessert as well .. now this does not happen very often at our house !

More than enough for 5 adults plus extra servings ...

Not Your Usual "Lasagna"

1 Large Onion, finely chopped

2 TB Oil

250g Bacon Bits (for this recipe - the bigger the chunks, the better)

800g Lean Beef Mince

1 cup Beef stock

2 TB Tomato Puree

1 1/2 t Paprika

1 t Spices for Mince (or any other MEAT Spice)

1 Large Tomato, peeled and chopped

Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

3 cups Screw Noodles

2 1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese, grated

6 TB Butter

6 TB Flour

3 cups Milk

1.) Saute the Onion in the Oil until light brown and soft - add the Bacon Bits and fry 2 - 3 minutes - add the Minced meat and fry until loose and light brown.

2.) Mix the Beef stock, Tomato Puree, Paprika and Spice for Mince - add this mixture together with the chopped Tomato to the meat mixture - stir well, turn down the heat and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. (15 - 20 minutes). When done, season with Salt and Black Pepper to taste.

3.) Meanwhile cook the Screw noodles according to the instructions on the packet, pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F) and spray a large oven dish with Spray 'N Cook.

4.) Melt the Butter in a microwavable dish (at least 1 liter capacity), stir in the Flour to form a paste - add the Milk little at a time to the paste, scraping the sides and bottom whilst mixing the Paste with the Milk.

5.) Microwave the Milk mixture at full power for 6 - 8 minutes, stirring every 1 1/2 minutes to break up any clumps, until the sauce has thickened.

6.) Once the pasta is cooked, drain and keep aside.

7.) To assemble ; Place half of the Meat mixture on the bottom of the oven dish, followed by half of the pasta, one cup Cheddar cheese and half the White sauce (Layer each addition evenly on top of the other) 

8.) Repeat the layers and end with the remaining 1/2 cup of Cheddar cheese - Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until nicely browned.

Hope you will enjoy this recipe !

Ciao for now,

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Self Service Sign

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First of all, apologies for the bad photo .. it is situated in an awkward corner, below some cupboards as you'll see in a photo further down.

It seems I share little pieces of the kitchen's progress with you as we go along! Must say, we are almost done and then I can share a whole picture (or I should say pictures) with you.

The kitchen's main colors are White, Black and Grey, but I want some bright colors here and there. This is only the first piece, and yes, I agree, not much color but hopefully once I add all the other little bits it will "pull" itself together.

I used an old frame which used to hang in my late Dad's lounge. The alphabet letters I found at Creative Clown's . I Immediately fell in love with these cuties and it took me a while to decide how and where I wanted to use them.

This is what I did:

My Dad's old frame - and some Black Spray Paint

After I sprayed the frame black, I lightly sanded it randomly - just to give it a little bit of a used look

After sanding it down, I gave the frame a final cover coat {clear}

In between the spraying and drying, I did the letters which I had cut out, mostly using scissors, but also my trusting craft knife for all the little nooks and roundings. The black back ground carton was in the frame from my Dad - I decided to stick the letters straight onto the black and then added a white border. As this goes into a frame with a glass front, I did not bother to use mod podge - also, with little things like this, I get bored very quickly and might want to change it in a few months time!

I've put in the final "Self Service Only" piece just to remind everyone they won't get any refreshments unless they make it themselves !{It is meant to look like an afterthought}

A Slightly bigger pic of the area where it is hanging - to the left is the juicer and to the right the kettle, coffee maker, cups and {not in pic} canisters containing coffee, tea and sugar.

I think you're starting to get an idea of my PLANS for the kitchen.. not yet? Ok, maybe another piece will be done tomorrow which I can share  ;-)

Ciao for now,

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Banana Muffins with Crunchy Topping

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With all the kitchen stuff going on, I did not really bake or cook these past two weeks. Nevermind having a brainstorm for a nice, interesting {more Linda style .. lol} dessert.

As it is, my brain is working overtime as the kitchen progresses - I keep on changing my mind, adding stuff, leaving others out ... in a nutshell - I am driving Roy crazy! Poor guy, he does a great job - did you see the Grocery Slider he's built? I gave him the sizes, showed him a pic and voila! I have my extra storage.

Yesterday, I was a copy-cat in the 1st degree - I really did not feel like cooking but had this recipe printed from Jamie over at Love Bakes Good Cakes , she made it sound so easy and it looked delicious with that totally home-cooked recipe name - it was in fact easy, awesomely delicious and only needed a salad to go with it. {More than enough for us 5 adults}. Click on the name of this specific recipe to get all the details : Beefy Jalapeno Corn Bake - just reading it should give you an idea of how good it is.

But, back to today's post - I wanted something not too sweet for dessert and what is quicker and easier than muffins, I absolutely love the crusty topping!

Banana Muffins with Crunchy Topping

source: a recipe I found on Allrecipes last year and have adapted it myself (It was originally submitted by Lisa Kreft)

1 1/2 cups Cake Flour

1 t Baking Soda

1 1/2 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Salt

3 Large Bananas, mashed

3/4 cup Sugar

1 Extra-Large Egg

100ml Butter, melted

1/3 cup Muscovado Sugar

2 1/2 TB Cake Flour

1/2 t Ground Cinnamon

1 TB Butter, softened (not melted)

1.) Pre-heat oven to 190 deg C (375 deg F) - Line a twelve hole muffin pan with liners.

2.) Mix the Cake Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt in a large mixing bowl.

3.) In a medium bowl, combine the Bananas, Sugar, Egg and Melted Butter - {mix this very well}.

4.) Add the Banana mixture to the large bowl with the dry ingredients - mix until just combined.

5.) Combine the Muscovado Sugar, Cake Flour, Cinnamon and Butter until it forms coarse crumbs. 

6.) Spoon the batter into the muffin liners - top with the Muscovado Sugar mixture and bake for 15 - 18 minutes.
7.) Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Later,

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DIY Grocery Slider

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My 100th post !  I can not think of sharing a more delightful, awesome, incredible ... {ok, you get the idea} project with you.

Every week, when linking to Classy Clutter's , linky party, I drooled over the one Mallory made. If you link to their party, I am sure you have seen it too, if not - these are very talented ladies and definitely worth a visit.

To have a look at their's, click HERE.

We made our Grocery Slider much the same as they have done - mainly our sizes are different as we had a bit of a larger opening {our opening was around 200mm and the Slider's final width is 190mm}.

The castors we bought were the swivel type - that did not work too well, and Roy welded them to only run straight, not to swivel.

Here are some more close-ups:

Roy's first reaction was ".. we need more canned food.." for the 2 shelves allocated to keeping our canned food.

We improved a bit on Classy Clutter's design in the sense that we added a sliding mechanism bolted to the side of the counter - this makes sliding much easier - before we added this, the Slider was a bit "wonky" 

Nicely tucked between the refrigerator and the counter !

As we are still busy with the renovations to our kitchen I only took pics of the Slider {I think you know what was the most important part of the renovations, as this is really the only piece that is completely finished !} The rest of the kitchen is still a mess (I only saw the mark on the refrigerator when typing up this post..uhm, sorry).

What we have used:

Double sided White Melamine - cut to our custom sizes - {framework and shelves}

White Masonite for the backing - I glued some wall paper to the inside after we painted it white

Pin nails - for the Masonite backing to the Melamine frame

Handle

4 x Castors {see above about the swivel type}

Side strips which we ironed on to the open sides of the Melamine (available from most hardware stores)

Screws and white screw caps - as the Slider is quite wide, we used three screws/caps per side per shelf/top and bottom

Sliding Mechanism as in the photo above

7 x 12mm Dowel sticks - painted white

The bottom shelf is a little higher than the others as this one will be used for taller bottles - the dowel stick was also placed a little higher than on the other shelves.

Now .. I can not wait to finish the kitchen and share that with you!  

Let me know what you think - total honesty - that's all I expect from you {big whink here}

Ciao for now,

This post has been entered into the THE DOG DAYS (of winter) ARE OVER @

http://www.craftyscrappyhappy.net

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I Am Guest Hosting - SWEET SATURDAY

Pin It Now! Hi there all,

I am a bit out of my depth here {as I have never done anything like this} - see,  the sweet Jessica  from over at Jessica-Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby asked me to be her Guest Host to this week's Sweet Saturday Link Party !

What a lovely surprise, as you can imagine I am very honored to be asked this, - I did however warn her that she's putting her reputation at stake with me {whink}.

Now, I am not including a post of my own here, I'll stick to linking my own  SWEET posts to the party. I mean, there's only so much a girl can do with 24 hours notice, right?



LET's GET THIS PARTY STARTED - SHALL WE !!!!

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and Jessica at Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby . Leave us a comment if you are a new follower so we can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share the button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

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Passion Fruit Tart {no-bake}

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Biscuit crust, Passion Fruit saucy layer, Passion Fruit Yoghurt Topping ... what more do you need?

Oh yes, a dessert which does not go straight to the hips! I have made this several times before, each time tweaking the recipe but this is the best - finally I'm happy enough with the end result to share it with you.

** One thing - this tart cuts like a breeze but be careful when lifting a slice from the dish, as the saucy layer gets a bit slippery and the top might slide off - not a big train smash, just be careful when serving.

Passion Fruit Tart {no-bake}

Recipe adapted by me from the cookbook GESINSKOS by Christelle Erasmus:

3/4 packet (of a 200g pack) Tennis biscuit crumbs - Graham Crackers can be used 

1 t Cinnamon

2 t Sugar

6 TB Butter, melted

2 t Sugar

1 can (115g) Passion Fruit Pulp {Granadilla}

2 1/2 t Custard Powder

Little Water

2 t Gelatin, plain

1 TB Cold Water

1 Box (80 - 90g) Lemon jelly

1/2 cup Boiling Water

2 x 175g Passion Fruit {Granadilla} Yoghurt, low fat

1/2 cup Fresh Cream, whipped to double in volume, but not stiff

1.) Mix the Biscuit crumbs, Cinnamon, Sugar and melted Butter and press evenly onto the bottom of a 20 x 30cm dish.

2.) Heat the Sugar and Passion Fruit Pulp over low heat in a small saucepan - mix the Custard Powder with a little bit of Water and add to the Pulp - simmer 2 - 3 minutes until thick - remove from heat and let cool.

3.) Place the Gelatin together with the Water in a medium bowl and stir - Add the Boiling Water and the Lemon jelly - Stir until the jelly has dissolved - let cool for about 10 minutes.

4.) Add the Yoghurt and the whipped Fresh Cream to the Jelly mixture - stir well to combine.

5.) Spread the Granadilla Pulp over the crust, followed by the Yoghurt mixture - chill until set (2 - 3 hours at least)

Decorate with a few Tennis biscuit crumbs. {optional}

Ciao for now,

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Simple Pizza!

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We spend a LOT of money on take-aways - really, if it's not Pizza, it's Burgers, or Vetkoek or Chinese or Grilled Steaks/Ribs from restaurants.

Since we started renovating the kitchen, we had take-aways ... umm, like every second day!

To make your own Pizza at home is so easy, get everything chopped and grated, put the ingredients chosen in some bowls and {using Frozen Pizza Bases, naturally - otherwise it's not quick and easy}there you go. Everyone builds his/her own custom pizza.

Dimitri had a slight problem with this - he reckons Pizza gets delivered by the dude on the motorbike, still hot because the sticker on the box is still red, you pay him and then you eat. When he heard we're having a self-help pizza night, it did not really sit well with him... but ... he had an option : make his own or eat the Frozen Base as is ! You can guess which he chose ? I think he actually enjoyed it. We haven't done our own in a long time, so, I suppose he forgot it is not that bad.

Tonight I used : Frozen Pizza Bases

                        All Gold Tomato Sauce {richest and much nicer than the bottled pizza                         sauces}

                        Dried Origanum

                        Mozzarella Cheese

                        Sliced Mushrooms

                        Bacon Bits

                        Chopped Salami

                        Chopped Ham

                        Finely Chopped Green Bell Peppers

                        Pineapple pieces

There is a multitude of variations in Pizzas - if you're wondering about toppings - look through take-away menus, these normally specifies what toppings are used in pizzas.

The Frozen Bases normally come with some kind of  "tomato based sauce" but one can hardly taste it or even see anything. In the picture above I gave the bases a nice thick spread of Tomato Sauce and sprinkled over Origanum. 

Now, starting with some Mozzarella Cheese, build your own customized Pizza! I also like to give a final thin layer of Mozzarella (we're a cheese addicted family) ending with a little more Origanum.

Bake at 230 deg C (440 deg F) - straight on the wire rack of the oven - for 12 - 15 minutes. {Remember to place a piece of foil on the lower rack to catch any drippings..}.

Slice and enjoy!

Later,

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D.I.Y with Spraypaint !

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As you know we are giving our kitchen a bit of a face-lift. We bought the house just over 18 years ago and did not change much in the kitchen. The house was re-built in 1991 and we moved in, in 1994.

When we bought the house, the kitchen was the clincher. White with red trimmings. A Few years ago, we knocked out the wall (like a window - to form a breakfast bar) between the kitchen and the passage. Do you know how much bigger a kitchen looks, when you open up into the passage? Fortunately, our passage is fairly wide and can easily accommodate the three bar-type stools that serves as seating at the breakfast bar with enough space for people passing by.

Anyhow, when this was done, we also knocked out one of the windows in the kitchen as we built the Laundry/Scullery next door - here again I installed a counter top which allows us to place dirty dishes on top without actually entering the L/S area each time. Whoever does the dishes, then just takes it from the counter and into the sink on the other side. {or if we have visitors, we can leave it in the sink without anyone seeing it from the kitchen side :-) }

That brings me to the counter tops - they were originally oak in color and as we added the additional counters, we bought the same to match. The kitchen will now be White & Black (plus!) with the Oak colored counters.

Every project has a budget, or at least an estimate, but when we went to buy the mosaic tiles, I absolutely had to choose something a lot more expensive than was the plan ... it happens!  I decided to take the more expensive tiles and to cut a few other corners as with the Paper Towel Holder, the Cup Holder and the Knife Block. Hey, every bit helps! { and to get back to the long opening, this will still go with the color of the counters }.

We bought a few cans of Rust-O-Leum Black Spray-paint for Plastics.  {Cut another corner here!} The Spray-paint was left over from spraying the cupboard handles and trimming which are plastic. At first I wasn't sure whether the spray for Plastic will take on the wood, but it did - very nicely if I may say so myself. The wood just needs to be very smooth and varnished.

The only prepping I had done was to wipe it clean with alcohol. The Cup Holder was a bit rough at the bottom around the base and the Plastic spray made a few bubbles here - I decided to give it a rough sanding to make it look more real than a messed up project ;-) before I used the sealant.

Here are the pics:

My apologies for the photos - I had to work on the floor as it is the only area not totally covered in kitchen stuff - I did do the spray-painting outside though!

I decided on black because... yeah, you guessed it - because.. the kitchen's new colors are White & Black (plus!) I taped totally randomly with masking tape, but still tried to make it look like a set, although these three items were not bought together or has ever been a set.

After I taped the items, I gave it two coats using the Rust-O-Leum Black with 1 hour in between. There was a little bleeding under the masking tape, but not much. I used an earbud, dipped in Thinners, to remove the little marks.

After two hours I sprayed two coats of sealant to cover the whole surface. Six hours later the sealant was already hard as rock, but I'll give it another day or two before actually using these. {Well, I do not really have a choice as the kitchen is taking longer as planned - if only some people would listen to me and do it my way from the start! }

I might not have saved a lot on these three items, but definitely with the re-spraying of the cupboard handles and the trimming - there are 28 handles - I know .. because I removed, washed, sprayed and tidied them.

Ciao for now,

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