♥ spatchcock chicken with greek yoghurt and indian spices ♥

here the bird is opened out and flattened – see the instructions in the recipe method or ask your butcher to do it for you. i tend to cook this recipe all together in the oven, but if you’re using a grill or on the braai, you will need less of the marinade. You don’t have to stick exactly to the marinade recipe, try mixing and matching your favourite spices if you want. moroccan flavours like cinnamon, cumin and apricots would also work well with the yoghurt

serves 4

what you'll need...
MARINADE
♥1 tsp fennel seeds
♥1 tsp fenugreek seeds
♥2 tsp black onion seeds
♥1 tsp ground turmeric
♥2 tsp dried oregano
♥2 tsp peeled and finely chopped garlic
♥2 tbsp peeled and finely chopped root ginger
♥250ml plain greek yoghurt whisked until smooth
♥4 tbsp lime or lemon juice
♥2 tsp sesame oil
♥salt and black pepper
♥1 tbsp olive oil or water (optional)

CHICKEN
♥1 x 2kg chicken spatchcocked (see above)
♥300g cherry tomatoes

what you'll do...
1.to make the marinade, first grind all the seeds for 1 minute in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, or using a pestle and mortar, then mix with the remaining ingredients, adding the oil or water to loosen the mixture if necessary.

2.to spatchcock the chicken place it, breast side down, on a chopping board and use scissors to cut through the flesh and bone along both sides of the backbone, in a strip about 5cm wide. cut from tail to head end, completely removing the backbone.

3.open out the bird, like opening a book, by gently pulling the two halves apart. use a sharp knife to lightly score the top of the breastbone. run your fingers along and under the sides of the breastbone and attached cartilage and pop them out. Spread the chicken out flat, then turn over and make a slit about 2.5cm long in the skin between the lower end of the breastbone and the leg, on each side. stick the end of the leg on that side through the slit and repeat on the other side.

4.spread the marinade all over the chicken, then place on a plate or baking tray, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or ideally for up to 24 hours.

5.when ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

6.remove the chicken from the fridge and place in a roasting tin. bake for 25 minutes; if it seems to browns too fast, cover with foil for part of the time as necessary. add the cherry tomatoes to the tin after the first 25 minutes and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes or until cooked through. remove from the oven, allow to rest for 10-15 minutes then carve the chicken into slices and serve with the tomatoes and some boiled rice or a dressed salad.



Serve with yummy roasted veggies and



and crisp avo and couscous salad!

♥ yummy smummy bran muffins ♥

i don't think there's anything better than a perfectly baked muffin or scone with my morning cuppa - if there is, i'm yet to experience it! i can't remember where i found this recipe, but i've made it a gazillion times before and i can almost swear that it keeps on getting better and better every time i make them!

yummy lil bites of heaven!

what you'll need...
♥2 cups digestive bran
♥2.5 cups flour
♥2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
♥0.5 tsp salt
♥2 eggs
♥2 cups brown sugar
♥0.5 cup oil
♥2 cups milk
♥1 tsp vanilla essence

what you'll do...
1. beat the eggs, then add the sugar and beat until creamy. 

2. add the oil and continue beating.

3. add milk and vanilla essence.

4. beat all together.

5. fold in all the dry ingredients.

6. place in a greased muffin tray and bake for 12 minutes at 180C

make sure to store these lil bits of heaven in a air tight container and they'll stay yummy for about 3 days.

best if served warm with a lil butter and grated cheese but they're also just as good cold with a warm cuppa! 

the spot i enjoyed my daily muffin while on holiday for neets birthday!

♥ mucking famazing chocolate brownies ♥

we're heading to the mountains this coming weekend to celebrate my mucking famazing husbands birthday. there's no electricity, no cellphone reception - pretty much no anything! we have to pack everything ourselves and take everything we might possible need with us.


so as soon as they boys started taking about braai wood and how to keep the ice frozen the whole weekend, i obviously started thinking about how to keep our tummies nice and full! can't imagine anything worse than being stranded in what could very easily be the set of a horror movie and that without foodies - sweet and savoury obviously!


so to start the list of recipes i'll be making in preparation for this coming weekend, i just had to start with the love of my life's fav! he is the birthday boy after all!

serves 16 


what you'll need...
♥ 1 cup water
♥ 125g margarine
♥ ½ cup oil
♥ ¼ cup cocoa
♥ 2 cups sugar
♥ 2 cups flour
♥ ½ tsp salt
♥ ½ tsp bicarb
♥ 1 tsp vanilla essence
♥ 2 eggs
♥ 1 cup pecan nuts, finely chopped 

what you'll do... 
1. Melt and blend the water, margarine, oil and cocoa in the microwave.
 
2. Add the sugar, flour and salt. Whisk together.
 
3. Add the bicarb, vanilla essence and eggs.
 
4. Beat with an electric beater for about three minutes.
 
5. Add the chopped nuts and mix throughout.
 
6. Pour into a greased Swiss roll pan and cook for 20-30 minutes at 180°C.
 
To make the icing:
melt 62.5g margarine, 2 tablespoons cocoa and 2½ tablespoons milk in the microwave, then add 2½ cups icing sugar. 
More milk may be needed if icing is not runny enough. Cut the cake when cold, after spreading icing when hot.

come on everybody... lick those lips! teehee! 

♥ neets amazing bolognese recipe ♥

my husband is a precious gem all by itself, but every now and then he lets a reason to brag out of the bag - like this recipe! he first made this for me after we've only dated for a very short while and today this remains one of my absolute-lick-your-lips-favourites! it's suppose to go on top of macaroni, smothered with cheesy white sauce and extra cheese on top, but i prefer the simple version, served on top of fettucini.

what you'll need...
 ♥250g mushrooms - chopped
 ♥1 onion - chopped
 ♥about 1 kg extra lean mince
 ♥1 packet tomato paste
 ♥1 tin chopped tomato
 ♥1 tbls worcester sauce
 ♥3/5 bottle tomato sauce
 ♥2 tbls sugar
 ♥fresh herbs

what you'll do...
1. fry the mushrooms and onions in a little butter

2. add the mince and cook until its almost done

3. add the packet tomato paste - mix through

4. add the tin chopped tomatos - stir well

5. add the tomato sauce

6. add the worcester sauce

7. add the sugar and herbs and let it cook to perfection!

i'm sure you'll enjoy this as much as we do - time and time again!

♥ what the bleeeeeep-bleeeeeep ♥

so i've been in love with the australian masterchef and have been pretty much as hooked to that show as a person can be BUT last night my lil obsession reached a skyrocketing high with this increadibly edible candle made by super chef heston blumenthal - i couldn't resist! i just had to go and find the recipe, sure i was in for a lil surprize as soon as i read the "how to", but what the hell, i'm always up for a challenge with such a oh so very yummy ending!

i haven't yet made this baby, but i'm def planning to do so - in the meantime though - i just had to post the recipe. i just kknow it will become one of my fav's, so i might as well blog about it already! teehee :)

the recipe's in ounces, so just incase there's not enough work involved already, go ahead and start converting!

what you'll need and special equipment needed:
♥32 ounces white chocolate, tempered
♥powdered food colors
♥8 ounces cocoa butter, melted
♥8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, tempered
♥candle molds (each mold has 3 parts - 2 candles pieces and a base)
♥rubber stamps

what you'll do...

1. Make the candle base and the candle: Use a ladle to fill each mold (2 candle halves and a base) with chocolate. Tap the mold on the counter to encourage the air bubbles to depart. When the mold is full, set it aside and let it harden. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for several minutes to help the chocolate to harden. Repeat with as many molds as you would like.
2. For the homemade transfer sheets: Place the powdered food colors in small bowls. I used orange, green and blue. Add a few tablespoons of cocoa butter to the food color and stir until well combined. Pour a little of the colored cocoa butter onto a clean dishtowel. This will serve as a blotter or ink pad for the color. Place the sheet of acetate on the work surface. Press the rubber stamp into the blotter and then press onto the acetate sheet. Continue using this same process to create as many colors and stamps as you like. Be sure to clean the rubber stamp between colors. If you need to reheat the cocoa butter, use a hair dryer or heat gun.

3. When the stamped transfer sheet has set, use an offset spatula to spread a 1/8-inch thick layer of white chocolate over the acetate sheet. Break the cooled colored chocolate into interesting free-form shapes.

4. Fill a cornet with bittersweet chocolate and use it to write names onto the transfer sheet shapes. This will be the place card for the candle.

5. To stick the candle halves together: Invert a flat baking sheet over a pan of hot water. Press one half of the candle against the warm surface. When the chocolate begins to melt, press the other half of the candle into place. Press the candle bottom onto the warm pan. Center the melted candle bottom on the base. Allow it to set until hardened.

6. Make the flame of the candle: Use an offset spatula to spread some white chocolate candle flames onto a sheet to acetate. The chocolate should be tapered at one end to resemble the flame. Allow it to set, then remove from the acetate. Press the bottom of the flame onto the warm baking sheet. Then adhere it to the top of the candle.

7. Place some powdered red food color in a small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of cocoa butter to the food color and stir until well combined. Use a paintbrush to paint the flame with the color.

8. Place a small amount of white chocolate in a cornet. Pipe white chocolate at the top of the candle until it runs down the side. This resembles the melted wax of a real candle. Place a small amount of bittersweet chocolate in a coronet and use it to make small dots for the candles' eyes.

9. Use more tempered white chocolate to glue the nameplate to the base of the candle.

♥ a well loved fav in our house ♥

i ran to the shops and got my copy of the woolies taste cookbook pretty much as soon as they unpacked the boxes they arrived in! i love woolies and just knew that the book would (as it did) become one of my fav things.
one of the recipes that i've made quite a few times - like today - is this lil puppy! my family and most of our friends love basil pesto and all things cheesey - it obviously didn't take long before this recipe entered the "best loved" list in our house!

basil pesto loaf
serves 4-6 and takes about 3 hours

what you'll need...
♥15 roma tomatoes
♥olive oil
♥240g flour
♥2tsp baking powder
♥6 free-range eggs
♥1 cup milk
♥250g basil pesto
♥320g parmesan cheese

what you'll do...
1.preheat the oven to 140ºC.

2.halve and season roma tomatoes, then drizzle with olive oil and slow-roast in the oven for 2 hours.

3.remove and allow to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 180ºC.

4.Combine flour and baking powder. In a bowl, beat  eggs then lightly mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture.

5.Add milk and basil pesto, and stir through. Fold half the tomato into the mixture then stir through grated Parmesan cheese.

6.Spoon into a greased, medium-sized, Teflon-coated loaf pan.

7.Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the pan.

8.Top with the remaining tomato and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Best served with loads of love and eaten on the day! :)

♥ peppermint crisp tart to die for ♥

my mother in law loves this tart, and as a belated mothers day snackie i've decided to make it again. just reading through the recipe got my mouth watering again and have me clock-watching like you wont believe! i can't wait to get home and cracking!

what you'll need...
♥250ml orley whip, whipped

♥2 packets of tennis biscuits (although you will probably use less)

♥375g caramelised condensed milk

♥20ml caster sugar

♥3 peppermint crisp bars crushed

♥3-4 drops of peppermint essence (more, if you like)

what you'll do...
1. whip the orley whip and then add the caramelised condensed milk castor sugar and peppermint essence

2. beat until well mixed and then stir in 2/3 of the crushed peppermint crisp
3. place a layer of whole tennis biscuits in a buttered 29x19x5cm dish

4. spoon 1/3 of the caramel mix over the buscuits and spread evenly. continue in layers, finishing with a layer of filling on top.
5. refrigerate for at least 4 hours. decorate by sprinkling the remainder of crushed peppermint crisp on top. cut into squares and serve.

you can substitute whipping cream for Orley Whip, but the outcome may be even richer than this pudding already is! for caramelised condensed milk, you can use dulce du leche or you can make your own by boiling a tin of normal sweetened condensed milk.

♥ oh so heavenly-heart-healthy-chix ♥

so the love of my life decided that it's time to shape up a bit - not that i can see any reason why, but that's another thing all on its own! i'm obviously 110% supportive but i will admit that the first time i heard about his new plan the first thing i though about was "what the hell am i going to do with all the yummy recipes that i still want to try out" - obviously all the deep fried, covered in batter, 5 million gram fat recipes went out the window faster than you can say Big Mac - all i could do was to get creative and find some oh so very yummy and healthy recipes, all in one.

so last night i made this puppy - heart healthy and oh so delicious! the pic isn't mine, also not 100% what it looked like, but it should give you some idea what i'm on about...

healthy oven baked barbecued chicken

what you'll need...
♥1.5 kg chicken
♥1/4 cup water
♥1/4 cup vinegar
♥3 tbsp oil
♥1/2 cup tomato sauce
♥3 tbls worcestershire sauce
♥1 tsp mustard - powder or prepared
♥1.5 tsp salt
♥1.5 tsp pepper
♥1 small chopped onion
♥1 tbls brown sugar or 2 pkgs equal

what you'll do...
1. combine all the above ingredients except the chicken and simmer for ahout 10 minutes

2. place the chix in a large baking dish

3. pour sauce over chicken

4. bake, uncovered, at 180 degrees for 1 - 1 hour 15 minutes

5. turn chix every 20 minutes, spoon sauce over chix the last time you turn it.

6. serve with yummy veggies!

im definately making this again in a few days

♥ ridiculously chocolately chocolate lava cup ♥

the love of my life has been going on about me making him one of his fav sweet desserts - chocolate fondant. so being the good wifey that i am (blush - teehee) i dove into my millions of food mags and found what looked like the perfect one. after reading the recipe, i could feel my veins clogging up from all the sweetness, but we had to mission forth and the perfect chocolate fondant had to be made!

i feel like i should add - if you're on a diet, considering going on a diet or even remotely feel like there might be any weight loss activities in the near future - this might not be the ideal recipe for you BUT should you make this and devour it like all of us did, it will change your life and add a lil more love to your heart.

chocolate lava cup:
makes 12 - takes 30 mins

what you'll need...
♥400g good quality dark chocolate
♥400g butter
♥6 large eggs
♥4 large egg yolks
♥200g sugar
♥200g cake flour
♥12 blocks white chocolate

what you'll do...
1. preheat oven to 200C

2. melt the chocolate and butter together - the original recipe asked for double boiler, i did this in the microwave, much faster! stir constantly and let cool slightly once done

3. beat the eggs, yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy

4. gradually add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture - mixing well after each addition

5. slowly add the flour, a tablespoon at a time, stirring until smooth

6. lightly butter 12 medium-sized ramekins - pour mixture into the ramekins up to 3/4 full (i used cook and spray instead of butter and i also used tea cups instead of ramekins, it just adds a little something)

7. bury one block of white chocolate in each pot. bake until crisp on top, but gooey inside - about 12 to 14 minutes and serve immediately (with a scoop of ice cream)

8. prepare bed or couch for when you're done eating - you will need about an hour to just lay down and not move any part of your body!

♥ best pancakes in the world! ♥

what you'll need...

1. ♥150g plain flour
2. ♥2 tsp baking powder
3. ♥½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
4. ♥35g caster sugar
5. ♥2 large free-range eggs
6. ♥125ml buttermilk
7. ♥25g butter, melted
8. ♥olive oil, for frying
9. ♥8 thick streaky bacon rashers
10. ♥maple syrup, to serve

1. what you'll do...
2. 1. sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. add the sugar, mix and make a well in the centre. in another bowl whisk the eggs, then add the buttermilk and melted butter. pour this into the well of dry ingredients and gradually whisk in. the batter is ready to use now or it can rest for an hour or so.
3. 2. heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and oil it lightly. drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the hot pan, leaving spaces between them. cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface, then use a fish slice to turn them over and cook on the other side, until golden brown. keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining pancakes.
4. 3. meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the bacon rashers until crisp. serve the pancakes in stacks with rashers of crispy bacon and maple syrup to pour over.

i obviously had to go a wee lil bit overboard and served it with scrambled eggs, grated cheese, fried mushrooms and even more bacon than the recipe asks for! yummmmmmmy :)

Nutritional info

Per serving (based on 4): 500kcals, 26.9g fat (9.3g saturated), 17g protein, 50.8g carbs, 19.5g sugar, 2.8g salt

♥ making the easter bunny proud! ♥

other than 2010, this is the first easter that i'm not with my family celebrating easter as if we had it confused with christmas - enough food for a small african country and lil chocolate easter eggs and bunnies just where you look! normally we have the braai out, and not like it's that much different from our average weekend with the fam, but eating non stop - the awesome thing about easter, just like christmas is that for some reason - it's ok. it's ok to have so much pudding you can't even stand just looking at the dish it came in, it's ok to have a 4th and 5th helping at lunch and dinner and it's ok to eat choccies as if all the factories in the world will be closing down tomorrow. this easter though, my hubby and i decided to come to clanwilliam so that we can enjoy what seems like the last weekend with weather nice enough that we can take the boat and the wakeboards out on the dam - we're staying with good, good friends of ours, but it is their weekend/holiday house so we're not as spoiled as we would be in our kitchens back at home. so no lamb and veggies and baked puddings this weekend. i did however remember to bring my magazines with and in one of them i discovered a little piece of heaven. a chocolate guinness cake! i know, i know - at first i also felt a little iffy about this one, but trust me after reading the article, i can't wait to get home to try this lil fella out! and on that, i def couldn't wait to share the recipe, so here goes:

chocolate guinness cake (om nom hommmmm)

15 minutes to make, 40 minutes to cook plus cooling!

what you'll need...

♥250g softened unsalted butter plus extra for greasing

♥200g soft dark brown sugar

♥100g good quality dark chocolate, melted

♥2 large eggs

♥200ml guinness

♥275g self raising flour

♥30g cocoa powder

♥1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

for the icing:

♥200g cream cheese

♥75g icing sugar

♥1 tsp vanilla extract

♥4 tbsp sour cream

♥125g white chocolate, melted

what you'll do...

1. preheat oven to 180C. grease and line a 23cm loose bottomed cake tin.

2. beat the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy - about 5 mins... gradually beat in the melted chocolate until smooth, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

3. gradually whisk in the guinness. you will have a smooth batter at this point. sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then carefully fold it into the chocolate mixture.

4. pour into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. leave to cool in the tin, turn out onto a cake plate.

5. for the icing - beat the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth, then mix in the soured cream and melted chocolate. spread evenly over the cake and serve!

some useful info:

per serving - based on 12 servings

*455 kcals, 33.9g fat (21g saturated), 4g protein, 35.7g carbs, 33.4g sugar and 0.6g salt

a little piece of heaven on earth!

♥ yummy winter snackies to go with yummy winter cuddles ♥

today's probably the first winter day for 2011. i'm sitting at my desk warmly wrapped in my obviously oversized scarf sipping on about my 4th cup of coffee. just as summer reminds me of watermelon and drinks next to the pool, winter comes with its own wants and needs. pancakes with the most amazing fillings, home made hot chocolate and a daily dose of ten times the recommended amount of calories anyone should take in on a daily basis. I love sweet snackies almost as much as i love watchin my hubby devour my sweet home made snackies! BUT being a 17 week preggo comes with its own battles - as much as i'd love to work through all my recipe books and make all the sweet lil things i can lay my hands on - after a day at work, i also find it extremely hard to keep my eyes open past 20h30 - so a recipe that wouldn't require my to stand in front of a stove or oven is exactly my cup of tea - excuse the pun.
a few minutes ago i googled a few recipes for some new information, so without any further adleu, please find below my sweet lil treat for this week!

OM NOM HOM CHOCOLATE FINGERS:

What You'll Need...
♥225g butter or marge
♥1 egg beaten
♥1 teaspoon vanilla essence
♥450g icing sugar
♥1 table spoon cocoa
♥1 packet marie biscuits

What You'll Do...
1. melt butter over medium heat. mix in egg and stir well.

2. add icing sugar and cocoa and stir into creamy mixture.

3. take off stove and stir in vanilla and biscuit pieces.

4. mix gently to cover biscuits with chocolates.

5. put in greased tin in fridge

im smiling already!

♥ a fresh new, vanilla scented, start! ♥

i've had this idea to start my own food blog for some time now, and everytime i think about it i tend to add something to it! not necessarily a bad thing, just a new thing. as mentioned in my intro i love food! as soon as i wake up in the morning, my 1st thoughts are pretty much based around what i'll be putting on the toast that i'll be having with my tea this morning! as soon as i get to work and i'm done with my first batch of e-mails and my second cup of joe i start to peek at my blackberry every other minute to see if a lunch invitation has been extended to me from my gorgeous husband (which if i could, i most def would eat up) this is where my day normally splits up. if 1) i do get that bbm saying: "lunchie?" i smile and i jump in my car to meet him at our fav lunch spot - gourmet - in cape town. if 2) i don't get that bbm and i'm left to find something to numb the cravings - i'll probably have to take on the ever so exciting streets of sea point, cape town. nando's opposite the road, a REALLY questionable cafe below our office, a whole string of indian food shops and fisheries and the odd lil shop with tinted windows that you'll never ever find me in. luckily for me i'm pretty close to the v&a waterfront and luckily for them there's this one lil place that i would die for...... the caviar deli! part of the beluga/sevruga and blonde chain of restaurants - this lil place gives me butterflies just thinking about it..... i love the lil sushi lunch boxes as i call them - perfect size to just grab and enjoy at my desk back at the office OR the chicken roll - that's not the real name, it literally blows my mind every time i have it - no wonder i can't remember the name! a spicy chicken mayo mixture on the most divine roll you'll ever have! do yourself a fav and grab one next time you're in the area.... but it's 16:14 now and probably time for me to start thinking about what i can make for dinner tonight - can't be very complicated and can't take too long - not that i mind, it's just it's monday and that means it's master chef! can't think about anything better than a fabulous plate of food watching a fabulous foodie show with what is undoubtedly the worlds most fabulous husband!