Writing It Randomly

I surprised everyone in the kitchen this week. This revelation might seem trivial to you, but it's almost unheard of in my Kitchen Catastrophe world, and I'm super proud of how the meal turned out. Every Tuesday Night is Girls Night, and this week was my turn to cook. In keeping with my  #healthspo journey  goals, I scoured recipe books (and Pinterest, of course!) to find something suitably low in carbs. At the same time, I knew we had some tomatoes and baby spinach in the fridge that was hanging on to the far edge of freshness (you know - that last day before mould sets in), so I had to come up with something to include those because I hate wasting food. Here's what I made (and it was delicious): Prawn, Spinach & Tomato Bake Ingredients : 200g cherry / small vine tomatoes (you can use more, but might just have to increase seasoning) olive oil, for drizzling PnP pizza & pasta seasoning mix, to taste^ 1 tbsp chermoula paste 1 squirt lemon jui...

A total of 2.6 kg (5 pounds / 3.6 stone) lost so far. Not much is it? As I write this, I have two choices: I can focus on how little progress I've made, OR I can celebrate the fact that I'm slightly lighter than I was on Halloween and that I can now walk 3 - 4 km with little/no breaks. Being thankful for little mercies does wonders for a journey to joy , so this year I chose to be thankful for the progress I have made so far. [Also for the fact that Thanksgiving food isn't a thing down here too. #DodgedACalorieBullet] How It All Went Down Weeks 1 & 2 There were no exercise goals for the first 2 weeks, but the end of October was already looming and I knew I had to start  something  right away. Basically, most of the talking happened over these first two weeks. Having already quit smoking in August, I resolved to make sugar my first priority (ie avoiding it - must read those labels!). The rest of the babbling also brought forth these nuggets ...

This wasn't my first tango with a cheesecake. First time around (a few months ago) it came out all cracked and spotty-looking, despite the fact that I had set my sights on the simplest recipe I could find. Before my second attempt I changed tactics. I did some online research before firing up the mixer and it totally paid off! No cracks, an even colour all around and a way creamier texture. I found this 3-Step Recipe on Pinterest  (of course!) I'm THE WORST at absolutely everything in the kitchen, so to all my fellow Kitchen Catastrophes out there - here's what I did differently for Baby Brother's 21st birthday lunch @ Mom's: Cream Cheese - looks like Philadelphia Cream Cheese disappeared from South African shelves, so I used 3 tubs of  LANCEWOOD® Full Fat Cream Cheese  instead. Cookie Crumbs - using my mortar, with a double-lining of cling wrap to keep the crumbs from sticking to it, I pestled a box of  BAKERS Nuttikrust ®  biscuits until reduce...

We're in love with Alyssa Rivers' Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken. I found it on Pinterest , saved it, and haven't stopped referring to it again and again. I'm a terrible cook. I always forget something, or take shortcuts when following recipes, and usually that means the whole thing implodes. Not the case with this batch of deliciousness. PC: From the Original Recipe here . There are a few differences between the creative genius' version and ours (some you'll notice straight away, others maybe not): The original recipe calls for garlic powder & chopped spinach (amongst other things). We have a brand-spanking-new garlic press, so fresh garlic (3tsp) was a "necessity" & I bought the wrong spinach, so we used baby spinach leaves. Her kitchen, camera and photography skills are miles ahead of our own. We should've browned the chicken a liiiiiittle longer. Our sauce is a little too yellow. Not sure why, but it still tastes gr...

First, let me ask if someone has ANY idea which South African magazine this recipe comes from? I cut and pasted it into a recipe file years ago, and from the looks of it, it might be Fairlady / You? I'd love to give credit where credit is due, but I really cannot remember where I found it. What I do know for sure about this recipe, is that it's f#$^% amazing!!! Let's be honest. No potato will ever come close to a hassle back potato, or a traditionally roasted-in-fat potato, but as far as healthier options go, these are pretty low in fat if you keep your butter and sour cream dollops small, they're very tasty and super easy to make (although you do still need about 2 hours to get them done). Cook's Note: I also found clean-up a breeze. The salt sort of caked together, without sticking to the baking tray. After lightly scraping out the salt with a wooden spoon, the dish just needed a quick soapy wipe and rinse.

Regrettably, I have no photo(s) to share of my dish. I actually tried to take a few for you, but I was unable to get the right angle without showing you the dirty spots on my stove top. Eventually, not wanting to keep my guests waiting, or serving cold food, I gave up and we dug in. I do feel, however, that I can confidently vouch for the deliciousness of the Spinach & Hake Bake Recipe  I found on  Pinterest  - even if I can't prove that my final product looked great (everyone thought it looked delicious, but I must say, not EXACTLY like the image to the left). Slight Tweaks I made some slight changes to the recipe as I went along, because I'm the laziest person you'd ever meet. The two small changes I made were: Not preparing the spinach at all. I just took the pre-rinsed leaves from the bag and chucked them in raw at the bottom of my oven-proof dish before arranging the hake fillets on top and pouring the sauce over it. To add crispness to the ...

Ingredients 1    cousin 2    tickets to  Secret Sunrise  (preferably of the grassy kind) 1/2 day off work (minimum) garnish with a quick brunch Method Sorry to say, but this dish takes some serious preparation, but trust me - it is more than worth the time and effort it takes to slap it together. Preheat your mood on high until excited. To get the temperature exactly right, it is strongly recommended that you book your tickets at least two weeks in advance so that the anticipation has enough time to rise. Prepare yourself & your cousin in ridiculous outfits, laid out the night before - that way time getting ready is reduced, because you need to arrive at the venue before an adult consistency is reached. Serve at dawn, followed by a brunch course. Enjoy! Cook's Notes Feel free to substitute the cousin with a sibling / friend - more than one will also work, as long as you can always be yourself around them.

Everyone who knows me well, knows that I am dangerous in any kitchen - even if only equipped with marshmallows. I have made chicken breast you could stone someone to death with, baked a chocolate cake of which the topping had to be cracked with moderate force using the handle of a bread knife (so we could break off the "slices") & I've also almost set fire to the entire office with an unfortunate 2-minute noodle incident earlier this year. Then my culinary courage was renewed after starting The Yuppiechef Online Cooking School's Art of Baking course; and hubby's birthday on May 4th created the perfect opportunity for me to try baking something all by myself. Without my mother's help (not even a phone call to her or my Mother-In-Law). For the first time EVER. I had no idea which recipe to take on, so just like we all turn to Google for answers these days, I turned to Pinterest for ideas. It had to be a regular sized cake according to Step 1 of the Cou...