Dedicated to South Africans living abroad...and all lovers of
Traditional South African food

New subscribers, right click here to download your free eBook (Grillmaster)

Anyone into scrapbooking? I have two nice eBooks on scrapbooking, I will mail copies to the first 10 requests I get. If you don't hear from me you are #11 plus :-)

I have just completed a Camping Food Recipe Book (in Afrikaans) but found some outdoors recipes in English for the Newsletter, scroll down to the recipe section and try something new!

So you love camping? Sometimes miss having an oven? Then try this!

Cardboard oven

1 large cardboard box with at least 5 sides (solid top)
Heavy duty Reynolds aluminium foil
Staple gun
About 4 wire coat hangers

With sharp knife or razor, cut around 3 sides of solid top so it will lift up as a lid. Cover all sides on inside (top included) with 3 layers of foil, shiny side up. Secure with staples. Straighten wire coat hangers. Poke through box on both sides to form rack a little above halfway to the lid. Bend both sides of hanger down on outside of box to
form a hook. Repeat with other 3 hangers with equal distance between them. To Use: Start charcoal fire. Put single layer of hot coals in 22X30 cm metal pan. Set box on top of coals, open side down. Make sure lid is closed. Now you are ready to bake. When baking, make sure you check every 5 minutes or so. This oven has tendency to bake faster than regular oven. Inexpensive thermostats may be used to gauge oven temperature.

We all love to travel and inevitably are faced with weight restrictions on our luggage, here are some tips from Fodors.com:

9 Tips for Packing Light
Let's face it, no one ever came back from vacation saying: "I wish my bags had been heavier." A good traveller's goal is to carry the bare essentials and leave the excess at home. How to put your luggage on a diet? Follow these easy tips:

1. Do your homework. Call the hotel, motel, friend's house where you're staying and ask the following: do they have a hairdryer, iron, ironing board, beach towels, bathrobes, sand toys---basically anything that's bulky and that you'd rather leave at home? If the answer is yes, do not under any circumstances bring your own.

2. Check temperatures and events at your destination. Only pack what corresponds---do not bring "just in case" clothes.

3. Choose a central colour to pack around. A neutral such as brown, black, or tan is a good place to start, then bring accessories and accent pieces that go with this colour palette.

4. The numbers game. A good rule of thumb for trips less than one week is one shirt per day, one layering jacket or sweater, one bottom per every two days (but never less than two pairs of pants), no more than two pairs of shoes (one you wear and one you pack), underwear for every day, and seasonal additions, like a bathing suit.

5. Wash it out. If you're travelling for more than a week, follow the same numbers as above and plan on washing clothes instead of bringing more. If you're in a country with a good exchange rate, or aren't on a tight budget, take advantage of the hotel laundry service or dry cleaning. Otherwise, bring individual packets of Woolite and a travel stain-treatment stick (Tide to Go is the best one).

6. Write it down. Make detailed lists of everything you plan to bring. That way you can easily see if you've allotted six pairs of pants for a four-day trip. Be honest, note everything---including socks and underwear---and then stick to your list when packing.

7. Downsize toiletries. Pick up travel-size versions of your favourite products whenever you see them, not just when you're getting ready to travel. If you can't find miniatures, buy small plastic bottles and decant from larger products.

8. Wear your heaviest shoes, sweater, and jacket. That way, you don't have to pack them.

9. Pack outside your bag. Before you actually pack your suitcase, pile everything you plan to bring on your bed or dresser. This is your opportunity to eye your clothes and cull a few more items. If you pack directly into your suitcase, you'll be tempted to throw in a few extra items (trust us, you will). Once you've made the final edit, pack only what's in front of you. If you've followed our advice, your suitcase should now be a lean, mean, travelling machine: happy travels!

Can you decipher this:..?

A research team of two proceeded towards the apex of a natural geologic
protuberance, the purpose of their expedition being the procurement of a
sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size of which
was unspecified.

One member of the team precipitously descended, sustaining severe damage to
the upper cranial portion of his anatomical structure; subsequently the
second member of the team performed a self rotational translation oriented
in the same direction taken by the first team member.

In simple English what does this translate to??

Scroll down for answer...

Thank you, Nina, for the following:

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over"
I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.
"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time,Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her. "I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car.
" How far will we have to drive?"
"Oh...just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "But I'll drive. I'm used to this." After several minutes, I had to ask,
"Where are we going? This isn't the way to the garage!"
"We're going to my garage the long way,"
Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around."
" It's all right,Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.
It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and it's surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange,creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow.
Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like it's own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.
"Just one woman," Carolyn answered."She lives on the property.
That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.
On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The
second answer was, "One at a time,by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was "Began in 1958."
For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this
woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.
That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing,learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it "one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way.
"Start tomorrow," she said.
She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays.
The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask,

"How can I put this to use today?"

Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....

Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 5 kg.
Until you gain 5 kg.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die...

The Kruger National Park is one of our favourite destinations, we try to go there as frequently as possible. Even if we only go for a weekend we take precautions against Malaria, here are a few tips:

Malaria Can Be Prevented In The Following Ways
The most important and effective way of preventing Malaria is to prevent mosquito bites. The following measures can be taken:
*Wear long-sleeved shirts, and long trousers towards evening. Socks and closed shoes are also recommended. Mosquitoes tend to be active in the early evening.
*Apply insect repellents to exposed skin areas every 4-6 hours.
*Burn insecticide oils or electrically heated insecticide tablets in the bedroom at night.
*Spray knock-down insecticide for flying insects inside the bedroom in the early evening with windows/doors closed if there are no window screens.
*Screened mosquito proof windows and doors and Mosquito nets guard against Mosquito bites.

Medication
As the names of medication vary from country to country, we suggest contacting your local Travel Clinic.

Malaria In Pregnancy, Infants, Small Children and Other Special Cases.
Travel to Malaria areas is not recommended during pregnancy.

Because Malaria has a faster and harsher effect in infants and young children, extra care should be taken to prevent Mosquito bites.

It is important to take the medication as instructed, which usually includes several weeks after leaving a malarial area.

Should you be undergoing medical treatment of any sort, please consult a medical professional prior to taking Malaria prophylactics.

From Carmen in North Pole, Alaska:

The new Supermarket near our house has an automatic mist machine to keep the produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of a thunderstorm!

When you approach the milk cases, you hear cows mooing.

When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cackle and roosters crowing.

So far I have been too afraid to go down the toilet paper aisle.

Never buy another recipe book again.
I have put together my South African Traditional Recipes in English and Afrikaans plus another 36 recipe eBooks on one CD. Click here to take a look and also get your free Low Fat recipe eBook

From Jenine:

Do you think petrol is expensive?

Diet Coke 100ml @ R2.80 = R28.00 per litre
Lipton Ice Tea 200ml @ R3.50 = R17.50 per litre
Energade 250ml @ R3.00 = R12.00 per litre
Brake Fluid 100ml @ R6.00 = R60.00 per litre
Vick's Nasal Sprayl 50ml @ R9.00 = R180.00 per litre

And this is the REAL KICKER...

Evian water 500ml @ R15.00 = R30.00! R30.00 for WATER!

So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on Water, Coke, or Vick's Nasal Spray!!!

Just a little humour to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump...

How Do the People of Okinawa Stay So Thin?

According to Bottom Line Personal newsletter, the people of Okinawa are the longest-lived people on earth.

There are 33.6 Okinawans over age 100 per 100,000 population. This compares to only 10 per 100,000 in the U.S.

What can you do to live such a long healthy life. You might try imitating the eating habits of the slow moving people of Okinawa.

Doctors attribute the Okinawans longevity to several things... but primarily their diet. There are very few overweight people in Okinawa. They consume an average of only 1900 calories per day... the Americans consume 2500.

The typical diet for Okinawans is sweet potatoes, soy-based foods, grains, fruits and vegetables. They do consume some fish and a small amount of pork.

Their cooking is done primarily by high heat stir frying in a wok... using a small amount of canola oil.

I have started a Traveller's Forum (in Afrikaans). If you want to go take a look, click here.

Why not subscribe to my Afrikaans newsletter?

Ever tried Rooibos tea?

As promised, another recipe containing rooibos tea:

Rooibos tea sauce for pudding

250 ml sugar
25 ml butter
500 ml Rooibos tea
50 ml lemon juice
25 ml golden syrup (optional)
pinch of salt

Mix all together and pour over pudding before baking

Glenacres Superspar newsletter recipe.

PORK & BEEF BRAWN

750g pickled pork knuckle
750g boneless shin
2 bay leaves
8 peppercorns tied in a muslin bag
2 Tbsp gelatine

1. Cut the meat into small pieces
2. Cover with cold water and add spices
3. Cook gently for 3-4 hours until meat is tender and shredding
4. Add the gelatine and stir until it dissolves
5. Remove the peppercorn bag and any bones and shred the meat with a fork, breaking down any big pieces
6. Pour the mixture into wetted moulds and leave in the fridge to set

Glenacres Superspar sends out a really nice newsletter full of super recipes. To subscribe, click here and send the blank email. 

Another Wacky Sarmie

Go take a look at my Wacky Sarmies page, there are some great sarmie ideas!

Leoni van Loggerenberg

My wacky sarmie is peanut butter and crispy, finely chopped bacon on fresh wholewheat bread - simply delicious! You can also do bacon and prunes. These sarmies are made all the more delicioius and tasty if you use real butter. I also enjoy things like marmite and syrup. Having grown on up on a farm, my Mom used to make kastaiings (pork or lamb fat cubes fried to make lard) and those crispy bits of fat with freshly baked farm bread were to die for!

For the dieters or if you are watching your cholesterol, try this:

No-Cholesterol Omelet

Serves: 2 person(s)
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

No cholesterol and big on flavor!
Suggestions: Powdered egg replacer is available from your market. 1 teaspoon is equivalent to 1 egg.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 tsp polyunsaturated oil
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp powdered egg replacer
1/2 green pepper, diced

Directions:

Heat oil in pan and fry onions and pepper for 5 minutes.
Prepare egg replacer according to directions om packet and pour over fried vegetables. Allow liquid egg to run underneath the sides of the omelet.
When nearly set, place tomato slices on top and fold over omelet.
Remove from pan and serve hot.
Author: Family Health Network

Nutritional Info
(Per Serving)
Calories: 64 cals
Kilojoules: 267 kJ
Fat: 0.0 g
Carbohydrates: 10.0 g
Protein: 6.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 200 mg
Saturated Fat: 0.0 g
Fiber: 2.0 g
Calcium: -
Total Sugars: -
Note: A dash indicates no data is available.

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 am for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 am" He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."

Looking for a specific South African recipe? Email me and I will do my best to find it for you!

Every issue I feature an interesting website:

When you have had a look at the recipes below, click here to visit the main recipe page on my site. 

Any comments, positive or otherwise on this Newsletter will be appreciated!

That's it for now,
Take care,
Peter

Looking for Accommodation???
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I have started a free email penpal service for Afrikaans speakers in the Afrikaans section of my website. If you would like to meet other Afrikaans speakers just click here and leave your details. Until further notice everyone placing an ad gets a free copy of my recipe eBook with traditional South African recipes (in Afrikaans, of course!)

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 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_se_kombuis@yahoo.com
There is no delay  or postage to be paid as the book is emailed to you.

Interested in herbs?? Click here

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The Recipes
See Links for Metric Converter

Eggs in the nest

1 can corned beef
6 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Butter or margarine

Make six, 15 cm squares with aluminium foil. Butter each square. Make a nest with corn beef hash on each square of aluminium foil, big enough to hold one egg. Heat nest on foil for 2 minutes in skillet. Break egg into centre of nest. Salt and pepper to taste. Add one teaspoon water to skillet and cover. Remove from skillet when eggs are done. Serve
with toast for great breakfast.

Hobo supper

Raw hamburger patties
Onion slices
Carrot slices
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced potato

Wrap hamburger patty, onions, carrot, potatoes, salt and pepper in piece of aluminium foil. Place on coals and cook until tender.

Potatoburgers

2 kg ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup grated raw potato

Mix together and form into patties. Fry on each side until done.

Peanut butter French toast

Make a peanut butter sandwich. Dip entire sandwich into egg and milk beaten together. Fry in butter or margarine, as you would French toast. Top with jam or anything sweet.

Grandpa's Potatoes

10-12 potatoes, scrubbed & sliced
2 onions, chopped
2 bell peppers (red, green or both),
chopped
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper
Butter or margarine
Optional: for variety add 1 or 2 scrubbed & sliced sweet potatoes

Layer potatoes, onions, spices and butter on a large sheet of aluminium foil. (Double foil for extra strength.) Repeat 2 to 3 times until all potatoes have been used. Top with more foil and crimp edges to seal.
Cook on bbq or in coals, turning frequently to prevent burning, 60 to 90 minutes. This recipe is also excellent cooked
in a frying pan for breakfast. Just cut down the quantity and stir all together.

Foil Chicken and Rice

4 chicken breasts
1  can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup uncooked instant rice

Cut 4 (35cm) square pieces, doubled aluminium foil. Place a chicken breast in the centre of each one. Mix soup and rice together and spoon over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with paprika if you wish. Wrap securely in foil. Place on grill 12cm from hot coals. Cook about 40 minutes or until done, turning once. Serves 4.

Cake Cooked in an Orange

1 white or yellow cake mix
10 to 12 oranges

Mix cake mix according to package directions. Slice off 1/3 down from top of oranges. Spoon fruit out of bottom 2/3 of oranges, leaving an empty shell. Fill the hollow shell 1/2 full with cake batter. Place lid back on orange. Wrap orange in  piece of foil. Place in coals 10 to 15 minutes. Yields 10 to 12 servings.

Foil Dinners

½kg ground beef or any other meat
3 or 4 potatoes
3 carrots
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

This is good for the kids, they can make their own dinner! Use heavy foil; pat ground beef into a patty and lay on foil. Add potatoes, carrots, onion and season to taste. Wrap with foil and put in camp fire to cook. Anything goes with this, add corn, beans, cheese or whatever you like.

Fried Bread

2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 tbsp. sugar
Warm water

Mix dry ingredients at home and place in plastic bag. When ready to cook, gradually add enough warm water (about 1 cup) to make a soft dough. This can be done in the plastic bag. Flour dough lightly. Pat small amount into circle (very thin). Fry quickly in hot oil. (Dough that is over-handled will tend to make a tough bread.)

Breakfast in an orange

Orange
Egg
Muffin batter
Ziplock bag

One of each ingredients per person. Cut orange in half and carefully remove the meat of the orange without tearing the cup shaped peeling. Break on egg into one orange cup and fill the other with your favourite muffin batter mixed in a ziplock bag. Place each cup on its own square of double thickness foil, then bring the four corners of the foil to the top and twist securely to seal. (Be sure to leave enough room for the muffin to rise.) Set the foil enclosed cups on hot coals for 10 to 15 minutes, then enjoy a delicious breakfast of orange slices, eggs and muffins.

Camp pudding - here is something to keep the kids occupied!

Any flavour instant pudding mix
Milk
Ziplock bag (4.5 litres)
Ice cream cones

Put pudding mix and milk directed on package in ziplock bag. Seal bag and "depress" to get out excess air. Have group sit in circle and pass bag around getting each person to squeeze the bag about 30 seconds.
After 10 minutes, open one corner of the bag and squeeze into ice cream cones.

Walkie Talkies

Peanut butter
Lettuce
Bananas

Take a piece of lettuce and lay it out like a piece of paper. Spread peanut butter on the piece of lettuce.  Put banana in the middle and wrap with lettuce.

Decipher this answer: 
Jack and Jill went up the hill
to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
and Jill came tumbling after.

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