Time for a hit of Omega-3 again. As always, I have to disguise the salmon as much as I can so Adriano and Dario will eat it. I found this recipe on thecomfortofcooking.com with hubby's favourite grain, couscous and knew I was on the right track. The zucchini and tomatoes rounded the meal out and voila - another of my favourite all-in-one dishes. Dario bought me a new tripod and a reflector umbrella today. He even deigned to let me borrow his flash. Now he has his degree in architecture, he is doing a diploma in photography at Unitec so I get to use some of his equipment - if I am a good girl. Unfortunately my point and shoot can't be synched with the flash so it was a bit of guess work but I think I got a reasonable photo in the end. The following recipe is not low Fodmap with the couscous, which is made from wheat, but you could replace the couscous with rice to make it suitable. Salmon Couscous Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini Print Author: Suzanne Perazzini … [Read more...] about Salmon Couscous Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini
How to not cook dinner – the samosa lady
Once every three weeks, this gentle woman, dressed in a long gathered skirt and peasant blouse, comes into our office with a red-riding-style basket full of the freshest, home-baked vegetarian samosas and apple pies. The pastry is light and flaky, the fillings plump and the tastiest thing since forever. They cost $3 each or 2 for $5 and are big enough for a meal. Today, I didn't just buy one for my lunch, I bought a heap for dinner too and it all cost me $13 total. My family fell in love with them too. How she makes any money from them I sure don't know but I am grateful that she sees fit to bake for us. The surrounding cafes are not keen on her but stay silent as long as she only comes around every three weeks. So she has a wide circuit she services over the three weeks and then gets back to us and I welcome her each time with open arms. If you want to try these little gems, you can contact her here: Prem Pastries, Shiree 022 643 2933 or Chandra 027 823 9717 … [Read more...] about How to not cook dinner – the samosa lady
Lemon & Vanilla Beauties – my first attempt at the all-popular cupcakes
So, I've bent under the mounting pressure to make cupcakes. Every food blog I visit is making cupcakes, red velvet ones, carrot ones, ginger and caramel ones - you name the flavouring, it's out there in blogland. There are two reasons I don't bake these days. One - Adriano and Dario prefer not to eat sweet food. Two - I have very little time with a full time job. But this weekend is Easter and so the time issue doesn't exist and I do happen to like sweet food so, if absolutely pressed to, I can eat them all. The criteria for what sort I would make rested with the ingredients I had in the cupboard. Vanilla and lemon mightn't be a traditional combination but that's what I came up with. Vanilla in the batter and lemon in the icing. It was really quite simple - a bit of sifting, a bit of beating and the cakes were done. While they baked, I threw the icing together and searched high and low for my icing piping set. You know what I mean - that bag thing with different shaped nozzles to make … [Read more...] about Lemon & Vanilla Beauties – my first attempt at the all-popular cupcakes
My Favourite Place in the World No. 4 – elephants galore
In the same year we visited my uncle in Zambia, we took a trip into Chobe National Park, in northwest Botswana. We had just been to Kruger Park in South Africa which had given birth to my love of safaris with the beauty and wonder of seeing such exotic animals free in the wilderness. We went on a small tour through Botswana to the Okavanga Delta in the ricketiest van I have ever had the misfortune to meet and, on the way, we stopped off at Chobe Park which has one of the largest concentrations of game in Africa, in particular elephants – an estimated 50,000 elephants to be exact. We were there in the dry season when the elephants sojourn in Chobe River and the Linyanti River areas and they were everywhere - babies, mothers and fathers. They have this peaceful elegance about them but it mustn’t lull you into a false sense of safety. If their ears go back and their trunks down, then get the hell out of there. If their ears are forward and trunk up, then it’s all bluff, but it’s probably … [Read more...] about My Favourite Place in the World No. 4 – elephants galore
A Love Story
If you have female genes, then you enjoy a good love story, be it in the form of a movie or a book. I will watch most kinds of movies except horror stories (too much adrenaline) and never again a Transformer movie – I’d rather ban chocolate from my diet for a year (and that would make me suffer intolerably). But if I have to choose between a good action movie and a soppy love story, the latter wins most times. I was just on Lauren’s Latest reading about how she met her husband and it threw me back a good while to when I met mine. I had arrived in Italy a few days before to au pair for a delightful family who I am still in touch with and I met up with Maria, a lovely Scottish lass who au paired for a family in the same village. All day Sunday and Wednesday evenings were the designated free times for au-pairs – don’t ask how a whole city (Turin) of au pairs managed to get their bosses to allow them all loose on the town at the same time but this had been established long before I … [Read more...] about A Love Story
Grilled Prawn Spaghetti – to celebrate Dario’s graduation
This has been a great day - Dario graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture. He spent a total of four years in formal education, receiving the rest of it at home and yet here he is with a degree. For his celebration dinner, I cooked a recipe I found in Food magazine and then we had a bought cake afterwards. Unfortunately there is no time at night to bake so bought it was. The recipe had a long name - Grilled Prawn Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Capers, Gherkins & Feta and it basically included all the main ingredients. It looked great in the photo and it tasted just as good. Grilled Prawn Spaghetti Print Author: Suzanne Perazzini Ingredients Olive Oil 1 tsp garlic-infused oil 1 spring onion - chopped (green part only) 1 red chilli - finely chopped zest of 1 lemon 400g can diced tomatoes 3 medium-sized gherkins - thinly sliced ¼ cup capers Gluten-free spaghetti - I used a full packet Large prawns Salt & pepper 50g feta - crumbled Method Fry spring onion in … [Read more...] about Grilled Prawn Spaghetti – to celebrate Dario’s graduation
