Thanksgiving Goodness

Eliot and I realized last night that this is our 4th Thanksgiving together, and in the past 4 years we've celebrated it in 4 different countries and on 3 different continents! Although it is an American holiday, he seems to love celebrating it just as much as the rest of us. This year we were really lucky to also be able to celebrate it with my parents who are in South Africa visiting. We didn't have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (much too hot now in SA to roast a turkey, + we didn't want to spend a whole day of my parent's holiday cooking), but we haven't actually had any "traditional" Thanksgiving dinners for the past 4 years. So I guess we kind of kept up with our own tradition in that sense.

So..... This year I'm thankful for:

Travel! And being able to do so much of it with the person I love the most.

Here's rundown of our past 4 Thanksgivings.


~2006: Cashew Chicken feast on Similan Island #4 in Thailand~


~2007: Snowboarding at Okemo in Vermont~


~2008: Roast Chicken Dinner in Fuyang China with our ex-pat friends~


~2009: Spaghetti feast in Cape Town South Africa~

Can't wait to see what the years ahead bring us, maybe next year we'll do something new and spend it in the states with a proper turkey! Happy Holidays everyone :o)

Comfort Food for a Rainy Day

So our beautiful Cape Town weather disappointed us a bit this weekend. We woke up Saturday morning rearing to go kite boarding, and were very disappointed when we got up to our spot and there was way too much wind. There were no other kiters out (never a good sign in Cape Town), and we watched 2 people put their kites in the air, almost fly away and drop them back down again without even attempting to get in the water. Plus, the rain was starting to set in, which was making things even more unpleasant.

Sunday we woke up to our roof shaking, and sideways rain. Before we even got out of bed we decided it would be a great day to spend indoors. Eliot had some work he wanted to do and I thought it would be a great afternoon to do some baking in preparation for all the visitors that are about to arrive. (I do mean ABOUT, Holly's plane lands in just a few short hours.)

On a side note, I went on a diet and Eliot lost weight. There's something really really unfair about the differences between men and women's bodies, and how he loses weight because I make the effort to cook differently. Anyways, it doesn't matter, I don't think I'm fat, but I'm just trying to rein in my recent eating habits that have been spiraling out of control since we left China and entered the world of wonderful food again (aka the world of bread, pasta and other delicious carbs that I haven't felt the need to deny in any way...until now).

(*I realize that this blog doesn't really go along very well with my low carb diet plan, but you should know I've been practicing the BEST self control within my abilities.)

Here's the menu for Sunday afternoon:

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough to freeze for quick Chocolate Chip Cookies in a pinch

(Didn't take a photo, wasn't that exciting)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (At Eliot's request)



Lemon-Sour Currant Coffee Cake- A recipe I got from THIS LOVELY FRIEND



Coconut Cupcakes with Curry Lemon Curd and Basil Cream Frosting


~Baby Cakes with Curry Lemon Curd on top~


~Applying the Basil Cream Frosting~




Recipe For Cupcakes:

Sweet Basil Cream
1 1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream
1 bunch Fresh Basil
6 C confectioners sugar
8oz. packet cream cheese

Sweet Curry Lemon Curd
1 C Sugar
2 eggs
2 Tsp. Mild Curry Powder
3/4 C Lemon Juice (about 3 lemons)
3 Lemons zested
1/4 C Unsalted Butter (melted)

Coconut Cupcakes
1 (18.25 oz) Package of White Cake Mix
1 1/4 C Sweetened Flaked Coconut
3 eggs
1/3 C vegetable oil
2 Tsp Coconut extract

Sweet Basil Cream
Heat whipping cream in saucepan until hot (not boiling). Turn off heat and add bunch of basil, let seep for 1 hr. Allow to refrigerate overnight, strain and discard basil.

Sweet Curry Lemon Curd
In lg microwave bowl whisk white sugar, 2 eggs and curry powder until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter. Cook in microwave stirring at one minute intervals until thick. Should do this in reasonably large bowl, it tends to grow and bubble a lot while it cooks. Pour through and sieve and refrigerate at least 3 hours (I did mine overnight) until it's the consistency of pudding.

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius (347 degrees F)
Combine white cake mix and coconut flakes in mixing bowl. Stir in water, 3 eggs, vegetable oil and coconut extract. Scoop cake batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown (about 20 min) and cool completely.

Frosting
In a chilled bowl whip basil cream and 3 C confectioner's sugar until stiff peaks form. In separate bowl beat cream cheese and remaining 3 C confectioner's sugar until smooth and soft. Fold in whip cream and mix gently until completely combined.

Spread 1 Tsp curry lemon curd on top of cupcake and then put on a dollop of basil Cream frosting. Garnish with baby basil leaf (if you so wish).


~Yummalicious~

It was a great day to take advantage of the weather, stay inside and fill the house with lovely warm aromas coming from the oven.

So now I have tons of Curry Lemon Curd and Sweet Basil Cream Frosting left over. Does anyone have any good ideas to utilize these? I would love any suggestions.
xxx

A Little Escape

*Warning: Lots of Photos.

This past weekend was the last weekend that we would have to spend with Mike and Jenny before they buzz back up to England. We thought it would be nice for us all to go away together for the weekend and see a new part of South Africa that none of us have witnessed before. After studying the map and trying to decide on a place that wasn't too far of drive for a 2 day stay we decided on Swellendam, a small, very Dutch town embedded in the countryside and at the foot of mountains.

Rolling hills for miles.

Beautiful Blue Cranes

The drive there was amazing, and was very similar to the rest of the drives we would have over the weekend. Fields and fields of nothing but rows of corn and wheat with the occasional vineyard thrown in. Sheep grazing, and every once in a while we'd pass a field of Ostriches (Ostri), or a dusty windmill that looked as if no one had serviced it for ages.

Friday we arrived at our guest house to drop our bags and freshen up with some gin and tonics before heading to fill our bellies. We went to the house next door for dinner, a place called The Powell House, named after someone who used to live there. It was run by a lovely couple. The husband served the meals in the dining room and the wife worked in the kitchen preparing the incredible things that came out. It really was just a house that was converted into a kitchen (something we would find out was quite common in this little town). But the ambiance was lovely, the wine tasty, and the food phenomenal.

Saturday, first on the agenda, was heading to the Bontebok national park to see if we could find any of the protected Bontebok. It turns out they aren't as scarce as we thought (at least not in the park). We also saw some zebras and other gorgeous things.

Loads of Aloe plants everywhere.

A little fishing spot in the park.

I think this Bontebok is pregnant, look at her big belly.

They let us get quite close.

Tortoise.

We even saw zebras!

After the Bontebok park we had a quick bite to eat and then wanted to head to the coast to another nature reserve called De Hoop. There is supposed to be loads of whales, some zebra and the occasional leopard (unfortunately we never saw the leopard). We hiked up the stunning sand dunes down by the beach and watched the whales for a bit. A really spectacular place.

Eliot in the dunes.

Whales! Tons of them hanging out in the surf.

Mike, Jenny and Eliot.

Proof that the Bontebok are recovering their numbers. We saw so many babies.

After De Hoop we'd had a full day of Bonteboks, whale watching and driving. On the way back we rode the "Hand Ferry", a ferry completely operated by hand. It's not too far over the river, but could you imagine doing this everyday? What a great workout. The ferry is R35 and can carry up to 3 cars.

Swing your chain around the wire.


Walk away from where you're headed, and repeat.


Pretty simple concept really.


You can even drink a beer while doing it...


...or talk on the phone to your best mate!




That night we went for another homestyle dinner at a restaurant with no menu. Again, run by a husband and wife, with the husband out in the dining room, and his wife helping in the kitchen. It was definitely the type of place where you feel like you should help clean up afterwards, very warm and very welcoming.

The menu for the evening was:
Starter~ Fresh baked whole wheat bread served with butter and pate.
Soup~ Creamy broccoli soup- love love love broccoli!
Main course~ Beef fillet served with mushroom sauce, Pork fillet with a chili soy sauce, Meatballs wrapped and cooked in spinach leave and roasted potatoes. Not for the vegetarian, but could definitely make a vegetarian consider changing their ways.
Dessert~ Vanilla ice cream with raspberries and drizzled with Port wine.
We were all completely filled to the brim in the best of ways.


The Connection restaurant.


Dessert!


Coffee and wine, what's better than that?

Sunday we explored the small town of Swellendam. There are a lot of historical buildings in the town, so we checked out the museum and the surrounding structures. The first of these building was built in 1747, so a lot of history, and some really interesting stuff to see.


Most of the houses had thatched roofs.


This guy was our tour guide for a lot of the time.



We took the scenic trip home through all the fields and vineyards and stopped along the way for lunch and viewpoints. I'll admit, there's something about a moving vehicle that causes me to crash out and I slept through most of the photo ops. But we had a really great weekend with Eliot's parents, and we experienced parts of South Africa that we didn't even really know were out there.

A Weekend of Tastings

This was definitely a weekend where you still feel full into Wednesday. With Eliot's parents in town we have been doing A LOT of tasting. Needless to say, I'm feeling quite motivated to get my butt up at 4:30am this week to help balance everything out a bit.

Saturday I had my first taste of kite boarding! It was a lot of fun. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. I have this paralyzing fear of sharks, (yeah, even after spending most of my life in the ocean) and South Africa isn't short of them in any way. Saturday wasn't about trying to get up on the board, but was mainly just working on kite control and doing body dragging exercises with the kite. The boat dropped me off in the middle of the lagoon (by myself) and the instructor told me to go for it and practice body dragging to the left. It was all fine and good when the kite was up in the air, but when it crashed into the water (which happened often) and I had to work on re-launching it, I started getting the sharkies*. I couldn't help but think I was the perfect bait in the middle of this lagoon. Despite all that, flying the kite and launching my whole body out of the water, even without a board, was really fun. I have the second half of my lesson today where I'm going to try and get up on the board. Stay tuned to hear if I survive another day in Cape Town waters without being gobbled by something.

While I was at my lesson, Eliot and his parents headed to our favorite Saturday farmer's market in the city. It's mostly vendors who are cooking up delicious mouth watering meals dishes. But there's also lots of breads (which we can't seem to get enough of these days) and sweets. The three of them tasted lots of great food and, proof that he loves me, Eliot brought me home two beautiful little cupcakes since I missed out on those activities. The first one I tasted too quickly to snap a photo, but this one hung around just long enough, before it was tasted and gone.

~Vanilla Sponge Cake with a Marshmellow Frosting (the other was chocolate; you uderstand why it didn't last)~

Sunday, the weather wasn't great with little spits of rain everywhere. But we decided to venture out into Stellenbosch to do some wine tasting, which is always a fun thing to do no matter what the weather is like (and a must-do when we have visitors in town). There are so many wineries around, and within them there is a lot of rich history. I love the buildings that hold these estates, very rustic and warm with the casual sense of being at home when you walk through the old farmhouse doors. Also knowing that some of them have been here since the first Dutch settlers arrived and planted their first vines back in the 17th century, a lovely taste of history they are.

~Vines waking up after the winter and getting ready for summer~

After our first tasting we headed to another winery that I've been wanting to taste since we arrived here. We've tried to go there before, but it's always packed with people for lunch. The place is called Fairview and they're known not only for their great wines, but they also have goats! And they magic up a wide range of cheeses and other deliciousness from goat's milk. For lunch we all had paninis, mine was made with salami, a creamy brie, tomato and pesto. And we ordered a large platter of different cheeses to taste and share. The overall favorite at the table was the cream cheese with Chakalaka (malaysian curry spices). All the cheese was tasted up in no time, so afterwards we had to venture into their little market and stock up on some of the gems that Fairview offered.

~This guy posed so nicely for me, doesn't he look proud?~

~Our tasted cheeses~



~Eliot~

A really wonderful weekend, with lots of new foods, wines and experiences to savor. Now just to get through the week, and hope for another great weekend to arrive on our doorstep.

*sharkies- thinking too much about what may or may not be moving around beneath you when you're in the ocean.