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Greetings everyone!
And a special welcome to all the new subscribers!
Ever wondered what's
really happening in Zimbabwe? I have started a new page, the
Zimbabwe Letters, just
click here and get the news first hand!
Feel free to leave comments!
We have just come back
from a week in the Kruger National Park,
click here to take a look at some of the photos I took!!
I have added more
wildlife photos to my
Photo CD!
In this newsletter, I
will continue with the baby and toddler recipes, this time for toddlers
from 10 months to 1 year! I hope you find this useful! Scroll down to the
recipes.....
Looking for Accommodation???
Travelling on a tight budget? Up to 50% off!
We have 284 establishments currently offering special deals.
The following
article was written by a friend of mine, Elizabeth Scrimgeour.
You know you're
living in the 21st century when you feel compelled to give vegetable
stock equal time with chicken stock, due to the conscientious objectors
in your life. I think all of us have at least one friend who's a
vegetarian, so why make a soup they can't eat?
I use vegetable
stock for all the soups I make unless the word "chicken" is in it...You
can apply all of these tips to your basic chicken stock and suddenly,
it's not so basic anymore. Remember, you have to do it to get good at
it.
.........A
Special Valentine's Day Message...Just In.........
Not everyone can
take their darling out to dinner and buy them expensive roses. And in
my opinion, nobody ever said you had to.
I believe if you
really love somebody, every day should be Valentine's Day. Just as
every day is a celebration of your child's birth and so on. For what is
Valentine's Day, but a time set apart, with planning and thoughts about
the other, even if it's only your dog. It's setting aside the cares of
the world to focus on what is truly important: the people in your life
you claim to love. I think this soup is good enough to have for a
romantic dinner any night, maybe even for lunch at noon...what says "Ilove
you" more than a nice warm bowl of homemade soup? And remember to do as
much prep work ahead of time as possible, you want to be relaxed and
happy for dinner. Food doesn't taste as good when love is absent from
the heart.
Vegetable
Stock
If you want your
stock to have a richer flavour and darker colour, sauté the vegetables
in a little oil and butter until a golden brown colour. Alternately,
roast them in a 400 degree oven for approximately 25-30 minutes,
depending on your oven. The aromas will remind you to toss them around
every now and then.
Throw about six cups
of roughly chopped vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions, fennel,
leeks and peppers. Mushrooms add a really nice meaty flavour. Use
hardy herbs such as thyme, parsley stems, bay leaf or rosemary. Fling
in a little garlic and ginger and always throw in a few red pepper
chilli flakes. It adds a nice zip and it's good for you. It purifies
the system. Bring to a boil and simmer about 20 minutes. Strain and
voila, homemade vegetable broth.
And now,
what to do with your stock. Obviously the permutations are
endless, that's why I'm writing a book. But for our purposes today, I
would like to share a recipe that is so good and easy, you'll amaze even
yourself.
Capellini in
Rich Chicken (or Vegetable) Broth Dusted with Parmiggianno
Serves four
as a first course or two as a main course.
This dish is as
sublime as it is simple. Drain the pasta while it is still a bit
crunchy. It continues to cook and soften in it's own heat after it is
drained.
2 1/4 cups stock
1/2 lb. Capellini
3/4 cup freshly
grated Parmigianno-Reggiano
Bring a large pot of
salted water to a boil. In a large skillet add the stock, bring to a
boil and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Drop the cappellini into
the water, and boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain, add the pasta to the
skillet and toss with the stock. Working quickly, transfer the
capellini to individual heated bowls. Top with cheese and serve.
It's imperative
that you use fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano. It seems like you have to write
a check for it, but mark my word, it's worth it.
And for you men out
there, nothing says "I care about you as a person" as much as a meal
made with your own hands. Women eat that stuff up! As I close, my son
reads aloud a quote from his Haiku,
"Make woman dinner.
she reward you 10
fold."
Have fun!
Elizabeth
Scrimgeour worked as an instructor and assistant with Susan Lee at her
London Cooking School for 7 years. She has been "Cookin' As A Mama"
for 22 years, 30 if you count cooking for her little brother.
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This landed up in my
Inbox from friend, Mel, hope you find it interesting and informative:
Sixty Uses Of Salt
Although you may not realize it, simple table salt has a great number of
uses other than simply seasoning your food. The following list will give
you sixty uses of salt, many of which you probably didn't realize:
1. Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.
2. Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.
3. Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off
easier.
4. Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker for easier pouring.
5. Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting.
6. Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad
ones float.
7. Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked
egg will stay in its shell this way.
8. A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.
9. Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.
10. Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.
11. Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will
last longer.
12. Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.
13. Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.
14. Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of
their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break
it open easily.
15. Boil clothespins in salt water before using them and they will last
longer.
16. Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar,
thickened with flour
17. Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a
longer life.
18. Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak
up the stain.
19. Clean you iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing
surface.
20. Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double
boiler will make the food cook faster.
21. Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.
22. To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and
starch, with just enough water to make a stiff putty.
23. Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.
24. Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a
sore throat gargle.
25. Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.
26. Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.
27. Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.
28. A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.
29. Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for awhile.
30. A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea.
31. Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.
32. Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from
freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent
the clothes from freezing.
33. Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent
yellowing.
34. Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.
35. Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.
36. Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them
next day to remove burned-on stains.
37. Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.
38. Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.
39. Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.
40. Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash.
41. Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.
42. Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.
43. Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.
44. Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove
stains.
45. Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.
46. Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.
47. Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.
48. Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odour.
49. A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee.
50. Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.
51. Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.
52. Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later.
53. Remove offensive odors from stove with salt and cinnamon.
54. A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.
55. To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts
alcohol.
56. Salt and lemon juice removes mildew.
57. Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass
growing.
58. Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a brighter look.
59. Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt
water.
60. If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of
the spilled juice. The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light
crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.
For those of you
whose mothers are still alive show them some extra appreciation today, a
hug or a phone call Enjoy this story....
Mother's Hands
By Louisa Godissart McQuillen
Night after night, she came to tuck me in, even long after my childhood
years. Following her longstanding custom, she'd lean down and push my long
hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started annoying me - her hands pushing my
hair that way. But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough
against my young skin. Finally, one night, I lashed out at her: "Don't do
that anymore - your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in
reply. But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar
expression of her love. Lying awake long afterward, my words haunted me.
But pride stifled my conscience, and I didn't tell her I was sorry.
Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that
night. By then I missed my mother's hands, missed her goodnight kiss upon
my forehead. Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away.
But always it lurked, hauntingly, in the back of my mind.
Well, the years have passed, and I'm not a little girl anymore. Mom is in
her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still
doing things for me and my family. She's been our doctor, reaching into a
medicine cabinet for the remedy to calm a young girl's stomach or soothe a
boy's scraped knee. She cooks the best fried chicken in the world . . .
gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could . . . and still insists
on dishing out ice cream at any hour of the day or night.
Through the years, my mother's hands have put in countless hours of toil,
and most of hers were before perma-pressed fabrics ! and automatic
washers!
Now, my own children are grown and gone. Mom no longer has Dad, and on
special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with
her. So it was that late one night, as I drifted into sleep in the bedroom
of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly stole across my face to brush the
hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow.
In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my surly young
voice complained: "Don't do that anymore - your hands are too rough!" I
reacted involuntarily. Catching Mom's hand in mine, I blurted out how
sorry I was for that night. I thought she'd remember, as I did. But Mom
didn't know what I was talking about. She had forgotten - and forgiven -
long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and
her caring hands. And the guilt I had carried around for so long was
nowhere to be found.
Do you want to
learn Afrikaans?
Click here!
Making Diabetic Cooking Easy.
The book contains 177 recipes and is available for only R65. Overseas
payments also accepted via Paypal. Contact Annie at
0822946799 or by email at
anna@minimax.cc There is no
delay or postage to be paid as the book is emailed to you.
LekaGape is a Non-Profit Organisation acting in a former township
called Lulekani in South Africa. We organise 6-week Experience Camps,
where young people from all over the world stay in Lulekani and get to
know African lifestyle, traditions and everyday life. They get background
information on the country, its history and people, join the work of our
organisation and discover the different departments of our work. With lot
of trips to the surroundings, like to Kruger National Park, Swaziland,
Blyde River Canon and plenty of activities in Lulekani, like helping at
the Mopani worm harvest, joining a teacher’s day or assisting with
knotting mats, the participants get a deep insight to the real African
life, that differs so much from what you see on a usual journey through
our country.
Links:
LekaGape Organisation:
www.lekagape.de
Experience Camp South Africa:
http://www.experiencesouthafrica.de
Children - HOW
DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
(1) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like
sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the
chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10
(2) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to
marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who
you're stuck with.
-- Kirsten, age 10
WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
(1) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by
then.
-- Camille, age 10
(2) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married.
-- Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)
HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
(1) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at
the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
(1) Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8
WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
(1) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know
each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)
2 ) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually
gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10
WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
(1) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the
newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-- Craig, age 9
WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
(1) When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7 (thats the way kiddo)
(2) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with
that.
-- Curt, age 7
(3) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry
them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-- Howard, age 8
IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
(1) It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone
to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)
HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
(1) There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8
And the #1 Favorite is........
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
(1) Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
-- Ricky, age 10
Interested
in Traditional South African Home Remedies? (Boererate).
My Afrikaans eBook,
Boererate has now been completed,
click here for more info.
We are currently
working on an English version.
AND
My CD,
containing both Boererate (sorry, in Afrikaans only at this stage) and
Boeremusiek (traditional South African folk music) is now available.
Click here for details and to order.
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Search my website,
type in any key word and if that word is on my site you will see it in
the results, search for recipes, ingredients, place names etc |
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The Herb
Section - PARSLEY |
One of nature's most amazing plants, parsley has become known as
the multivitamin in a leaf. Half a cup of parsley contains lots of
beta carotene (more than 2 large carrots), vitamin C (more than 2
oranges), and 20 times more iron than 1 serving of liver. It is
also full of calcium, about ten times that of a cup of milk.
Parsley is also a good deodoriser, masking the smells of rich food
and alcohol.
Parsley needs at least 7 hours of full sun per day. A rich,
well-composted soil and a good watering two or three times a week,
and your parsley with thrive. Remember, the more you pick parsley,
the more it grows.
Cut off the flowering heads of your parsley, as this encourages
growth.
Planted under roses, parsley deters aphids. Next to beans,
tomatoes, broccoli and spinach, it is a growth enhancer. Next to
strawberries it is superb, giving support and protection to their
berries as they ripen, and repelling fruit flies and aphids.
MEDICINAL USES
Parsley has been used for centuries as a diuretic herb in the
treatment of gout, arthritis and rheumatism.
Parsley is also widely used for cystitis, fever, delayed
menstruation, flatulence, nausea and the control of high blood
pressure.
1 or 2 cups of infused parsley tea sipped during the day helps
with painful bladder infections and prostrate problems. (¼ cup of
leaves in 1 cup of boiling water. Stand for 5 minutes, then
strained.)
CULINARY USES
Parsley is surely the world's most favourite herb.
A very mild tasting herb, it can be used on every savoury dish and
salad.
Parsley is also widely used as a garnish.
There is no dish that parsley cannot enhance.
COSMETIC USES
It's high vitamin content makes it a natural toner for the skin
and brightens the eyes.
Vitamin A and C and it's phosphorous content ensures elasticity,
healing and toning throughout the body.
Fresh parsley, eaten daily, clears the skin, breaks down oiliness
and heals acne and pimples.
A simple parsley lotion or bath, is an instant toner.
Parsley Lotion
Simmer 1 cup of parsley leaves and sprigs plus 5 cloves in 1 litre
of water for 15 - 20 minutes.
Stand to cool, then strain and use.
We have almost covered all the better known herbs. I must either
start repeating some of the earlier ones, which some of our
subscribers missed, or else do something else, perhaps household
hints.
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Thanks to everyone who has mailed us fridge magnets depicting your
State, City or Country. If you collect fridge magnets, I will gladly
swop with you!
Please
email me
and we can make arrangements. Thanx a lot! |
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My website highlights:
Add your sarmie to my
Wacky Sarmies page
I have a
Gallery with great pics!
Elephant Stew - add to the recipe
Add to my
Cocktails collection
Visit my
Afrikaans pages
South African food and products overseas?
Click here!
Read the Zimbabwe Letters
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Why not post a message on the
Discussion Forum. The topic can be food, wildlife, travel or
photography related, or anything else of interest. Let's see if we can
get some interesting discussions going |
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Healthy Kiwi Mash
Ingredients:
1 kiwi
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup infant oatmeal or multi-grain cereal
a teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
Instructions:
1. Dice or mash a kiwi with fork.
2. Add cottage cheese, infant oatmeal or multi-grain cereal, and a little
maple syrup (optional).
**Variations:
Add some wheat germ for an extra nutritional punch. Remember that vitamin
C helps the body absorb more iron. There is vitamin C in the kiwi and iron
in the infant cereal and wheat germ.
**You can also use banana or peaches; instead of cottage cheese, you can
use yogurt. Banana adds iron, but not much vitamin C, so serve with orange
juice or some other high vitamin C juice
Ingredients:
2 cooking apples
1 pear
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp of water or apple juice
dash of cinnamon
1. Peel, remove core and dice the apples and pear into small pieces.
2. Add the lemon juice and water (or apple juice) Simmer on low in a small
saucepan until soft, about 20 minutes.
3. Mash or puree the fruit.
4. Wisk in the egg yolk and sugar until smooth.
5. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 min or until set. Cool before
serving.
Lightly beat 1 whole egg yolk with one tablespoon of milk. Melt one
teaspoon of butter in the top of a double saucepan and pour in the egg.
Cover and cook over gently boiling water until the egg begins to set
underneath. Stir lightly and cook until just set.
Serve with fingers of buttered bread or soft toast.
Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to the boil and add a teaspoon
of lemon juice or vinegar (this helps to keep the white attached to the
yolk).
Stir the water briskly in one direction only. Break a fresh egg into a cup
and slide into the centre of the swirling water. The white should
immediately wrap itself around the yolk. Simmer until the white is firm
and the yolk softly cooked, aboud 1 1/4 mins. Lift out with a slotted
spoon.
Use only fresh eggs. Older eggs tend to seperate, and the white runs off
in strands
Soak a quarter slice of wholemeal bread in milk until softened, tyhen
squeeze out the milk and break the bread into tiny pieces. Beat 1 egg
lightly, mix with the bread and 2 teaspoons of milk.
Melt 1/2 teaspoon of butter in a small frying pan and pour in the egg
mixture. Cook gently until lightly coloured on the underside, then turn on
the other side until cooked through.
beat 1 egg into 2 tablespoons of left over mashed potatto and steam or
microwave in a small sigh or fry in 1 teaspoon of butter until the egg is
set.
Boil 1 med sized potato, well scrubbed in its jacket until tender.
Slit open and scoop out the centre. Pass half a hard boiled yolk through a
sieve and mix with 2 teaspoons plain yoghurt and the potato, well mashed.
Return to the potato case, add some grated cheese and bake till cheese is
melted
Break about 60 g of fresh or frozen cauliflower into small sprigs and
boil or steam until tender. Mix 2 tablespoons milk with 1 teaspoon dry
milk powder or ricotta cheese and 3/4 teaspoon cornflour. Stir in a small
saucepan until thickened. Drain the cauliflower throughly, chop or mash,
and stir into the sauce.
*use this recipe also for diced carrots, tiny sprigs of broccoli, dived
asparagus or pumkin.
Place a 60g peice of white fish in a small saucepan and add milk to
cover. cover the pan and simmer for 3 - 5 min until tender. Boil a small
new potato with 1 - 2 teaspoons of frozen peas until tender. Drain , peel
the potato and mash with the peas and a little milk from the fish. Flake
the fish and serve with the veggies.
In a small saucepan place about 90g of lean beef steak or veal, 1 new
potato, 1 small carrot, and a small pickling onion. Add a small piece of
bay leaf and a sprig of parsley, then cover with water. Cover the
saucepan, bring to the boil, then simmer gently until the meat is tender.
Add more water as needed. Grind or puree the ingridients with a little o
the cooking liguid. Discard the bay leaf and parsley.
1 filet of any white fish such as cod, haddock etc..(unbreaded and
cooked)
1/8 c of milk
1 tbsp melted butter
1/8 cup mashed peas
1/8 c mashed carrots
1/8 c mashed potatoes
Combine all ingredients and blend/puree until creamy - Serve warm
1/2 cup cubed cooked beef
1 peeled potato
¼ cup shelled fresh or frozen peas
1 peeled carrot
1 stalk of celery
1/4 cup uncoooked macaroni
4 cups of water
Wash vegetables thoroughly and chop very fine.
Simmer the veggies for 20 minutes or until softened
Add the macaroni and cook for 10 minutes longer or until very soft.
Drain but save the water.
Mash or puree the mix until it is of a consistency adequate for your child
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