tipsy bacchus

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

What better way then to celebrate with some tasty treats from What Katie Ate | Apple, Ginger & Cranberry Vodka Cocktail and Home made Burgers
Yum!

Fab finds

2011-06-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Oh my. What a great site: My black book

I can spend hours going through all her finds. A real day to day inspiration.

Enjoy!

Dear Diet

2011-06-09T06:19:00.001-07:00

ile de pain

2011-05-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

I apologize, it's been so long since my last entry, but I have been obsessed with baking bread! Yes, you heard right! BREAD ... and not just any bread. I have been practicing how to perfect the art of French Artisan bread.

We went on an amazing 4 x 4 trip awhile ago & stopping over in Knysna for a few day's we stumbled upon this beauty: ile de pain

What an amazing bakery-cafe. Liezie Mulder & Markus Farbinger have created, together, the unique culinary landscape that is ile de pain ("Island of Bread"). Their shared vision culminated in the opening of the bakery-cafe in Knysna, with it's wood-fired oven, in the Farbinger family tradition dating back to the 1700's.

We totally fell in love with this delectable little cafe & after tasting their lip-smacking fresh bread I just had to purchase a cd teaching you the art of making the real mccoy. French Artisan bread.

An estimated 5 hour process & I can't start explaining how much I love it. I think it's very therapeutic & the end process is so satisfying that I just want to start from scratch again. Instant gratification.

I will have to take some pictures on the next round, the bread disappears way to quickly, no time for a snap shot ... I blame Hubby ;-)

I have a new found love for bread ... and BUTTER! Who can resist a slice of hot fresh bread with a smeer of butter melting into it... YUM!

Rainy Weather = Comfort food = Pasta Bake

2011-04-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

It's rainy and cold outside and whenever the season's change my appetite increase. I believe that I might have been a bear in my previous life and hibernation mode kicks in every winter.

Last night we went over to Football Engineer's house for some guru assistance in compiling a killer music compilation for my office. After work I went home to whip up dinner so long, so it's easy to take to his house and we don't have to spend too much time in the kitchen and focus more on music, drinking wine & indulging in some play station games.

Ingredients:
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
fresh basil chopped
3 can's of whole Italian tomato
5ml of tomato paste
3 Zuchini's sliced
4 pieces of skinless chicken breasts
30g butter
2 chilli's chopped (optional)
1 pack of preferred pasta
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Boil pasta in boiling water until Al Dente, drain & put aside.

Fry garlic, onion and zucchini in butter until brown, slice chicken breast into strips and fry in remainder of butter on a high heat to seal and brown. Turn down heat and add your garlic, onion & zucchini mix, 3 tins of Italian tomato & 5ml of tomato paste. Stir, turn down heat & simmer for 20 to 30 minutes till reduced. Add fresh chopped basil at the end, stir well.

Mix your pasta and sauce together and scoop into oven dish. Top with grated Parmesan cheese (now this last step I only did at Football Engineers home) & grill in oven till cheese is crispy and brown. Serve with a BIG glass of red wine.

Football Engineer opened a gorgeous bottle of Rustenberg Syrah 2008. Beautiful marriage between this rich pasta dish and the smooth oak, old wooden barrel Shiraz.

A must try.

Cheers Y'all!

Plump!

2011-04-11T01:03:00.000-07:00

Wine for thought:

Plump
A plump wine has low acidity but tastes full and rich due to lots of fruit flavors and glycerol. A plump wine is often delicious, though it may not age well due to its low acidity. When there's too little acidity, the wine is criticized for being flabby: as equally unattractive in wine as it is on thighs and underarms.

via Natalie Maclean

Well, interesting lesson for the day, but if you ask me I will rather just be oblivious to the last sentence ;-) mmm, what to make for dinner?!

My passion!

2011-04-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

I'm really loving this video of food extraordinaire What Katie Ate. She's so adorable and I always LOVE seeing even just a glimpse of photographers behind the scenes! :)

La Video

Tasty Tuna Pie

2011-04-06T01:16:00.000-07:00

What a delicous dish! Quick, Easy & perfect for a chilly rainy day.

Ingredients:

1 x Tin Tuna in brine (drained)
30 ml Butter
1 x Onion
4 slices of bread (crust removed)
2 large eggs
5 ml baking powder
250ml Milk
Fresh Basil finely chopped
Fresh Chili finely chopped
300 ml Grated Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Grate the onion, add butter & fry it in a saucepan. Break bread into small pieces and add to the onion, keep frying until the onion becomes golden brown. Add mixture, but keep a 1/4 of the cheese and baking powder aside. Mix all ingredients together and allow to simmer for 5 minutes over a low heat. Add the baking powder, stir, take of heat & scoop mixture into a greased dish. Top the pie with the remainder of cheese. Bake in oven for 15 minutes & then grill until golden brown, serve with crispy green salad. Enjoy!

Culinary Getaways

2011-03-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

mmm - My dream Job: Culinary Getaways

Take a journey through Tuscany, Paris, Provence and Napa Valley ... easing through each town exploring their delicious dishes and wine... what more can I ask for?!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day all you Leprechauns!

2011-03-17T04:59:00.000-07:00

Another great excuse to go for a drink with my Irish friends and celebrate green little men. Are you planning anything for St. Patrick's Day?

Drinking and eating goes hand in hand on this lovely day and What Katie Ate had the best mouthwatering ideas for my tummy:

A Fish called Panga

2010-11-29T06:48:00.000-08:00

Missing our Spanish lunches I decided to celebrate food, yet again & prepare a platter for lunch with bits and pieces of mouthwatering delicacies that reminds me of Spain.

Walking down the isles of Pick & Pay I started to fill my basket with Parma Ham, olives, fresh bread, cheese, asparagus and then ... I saw this interesting little creature ... a pink fish with a white underbelly staring at me with his big vague eyes and sharp little teeth - a fish called Panga.

Now that would be the perfect finish to our lunch. I have never heard of this fish before & was pondering how to prepare and cook it. Of course the intelligent way would be to google it and find a tested recipe, but that's just boring ;-)

I decided to prepare it easy and fresh, sticking with the usual fish ingredients I trust. Chopped fresh garlic, basil, yellow pepper, chopped ginger, olive oil, salt & pepper.

I stuffed the fish with the sliced yellow pepper, garlic, basil & ginger. Coated it in Olive Oil and sprinkled salt & pepper over it before grilling it in the oven.

While Panga was happily frying in the oven, I prepared the rest of the lunch ...

The fish came out perfectly tender and soft and yummy taste ... oh Yeah ... must be all the butter in the middle oozing out in a dance of garlic & basil.

What a delicious lunch. We had some Fat Bastard Chardonnay with this and it was a perfect soft & buttery combination with a smooth soft aftertaste.

Out of interest I decided to google this fish anyway and see if I can find some different recommended recipes. I came upon a nice and simple one... You place the fish in a glass steam-able dish, cover the fish in soya sauce, sesame seed oil, slivers of ginger and chopped spring onion. Steam for more or less 8 minutes & serve.

Now that also sounds delicious & a little more healthier than my butter infused one ...

NIGELLA LAWSON - Forever Summer/WHITE 1

2010-11-19T02:32:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love her?!
She knows how to pull of Sexy voluptuous finesse in the kitchen . Her joy of cooking & the cinematography is so perfectly combined I just want to stay in the kitchen the whole day and "cook" with her.
Now here is a nice breakfast idea to spoil that someone special tomorrow morning.

No idea what to make for dinner tonight?

2010-11-17T06:25:00.000-08:00

How about this easy 10 minute recipe from Do it delicious. We all know her husband & I am loving her work - here is Jessica Seinfeld via Youtube ...
enjoy

Some of my favorites

2010-11-17T05:32:00.000-08:00

As you know I am already a big fan of What Katie Ate ... her food pictures is enough to send you drooling to the kitchen ...

today I stumbled upon this little gem for those of you who can happily skip the main course and move straight towards the delectable yummies ...
Tartelette

she must have a real sweet tooth with all these mouth watering recipes! Can't wait to try some.

Now a little food tip, I did not know: How to get roast potato's in the oven lekker crispy?

Glad you asked :)

After boiling your desired potato's for a few minutes, drain all the excess water and keep in pot, close lid and shake it all around. You basically just want to bruise the potato's. Then empty the pot into the baking tray, drizzle with Olive Oil (Spanish Olive Oil preferably), ground black pepper & salt, sprinkle some rosemary & daarsy -roast until crispy. Extra crispy like your Mom used to make it.

Justin Bonello dinner - YUM!

2010-11-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

Parked half on the street half on the curb I dragged Hubby hastily into The Local Grill to meet up with our friends &... Oh My meet Justin Bonello.

What an amazing evening.

Meeting Justin was definitely the highlight for me. An interesting man. Well traveled, very honest, extremely funny and on top of that all - What a Chef!

Already having respect for his unique cooking skills he blew me away by his very open life story of hitting rock bottom, picking himself up, starting over and striving harder for what he loves and enjoy out of life - Family, traveling, food & good friends. The important things in life - ♥ Live Simply ♥ Laugh Often ♥ Love Deeply ♥

Our delicious menu for the evening:

Starter platters …
House salad and freshly baked Local bread
Chicken liver stack
Falkland’s calamari with sweet chilli jam and creamy lemon butter

Main course … a choice of
Grilled 250g Grain fed rump or sirloin, rubbed and butter basted and served with a trio of sauces
OR
Chicken breast grilled, served with red wine glaze and sweet chilli jam and basil pesto
OR
Grilled linefish with lemon butter cream
All the above are served with fries, mashed potato, pap and polenta stack and Local veggies

Dessert … a choice of
Chocolate brownies with malted chocolate sauce and home-style vanilla ice cream
OR
Home-style vanilla ice cream with Lindt chocolate and bar one sauce - YUMMY!

Lipsmacking Delicious. Our meals were complimented by Porcupine Ridge (one of Boekenhoutskloof's wine selections). Well chosen and well rounded.

Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc: Herbal with citrus notes. Refreshing and zesty but calm so it’s also a great aperitif. Not an overpowering acidic taste at all.

Porcupine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine is complex & had a nice earthy rich aftertaste that lingered, very nice.

Thank you for an inspiring & calorie infused evening Justin. I for one can't wait to try some of your new recipes ... Well, maybe not the Waterblommetjie potjie ;-)

(left: tipsy, middle: Justin, right: Leaine)

Dinner with Justin Bonello

2010-11-15T06:05:00.000-08:00

Under African skies you will find this very talented South African filmmaker, chef and television personality best known for starring in his own cooking and travel show, Cooked, since 2006.

Exploring & cooking his way through Southern Africa with a talented television crew by his side to capture his embrace to the wonders of life, spending time with good friends, delicious cooking skills & his travels through our beautiful Africa.

Culinary genius? Definitely!

Being a 4x4 & food fanatic I fell in love with Justin Bonello’s cooking adventures, how could I not? He is doing exactly what I would love to do.

Paging through the Travel & Food section of the Sunday Times on Sunday I came upon this little treat: An evening with Justin Bonello at The Local Grill in Parktown North, Wednesday evening.

First thing this morning I jumped onto the net to book a table for us, excited beyond words, only to get a Sold OUT reply...

The friendly lady on the other side then replied again saying that it was so popular that Justin decided to do it tonight as well.! Yipee.

Knowing there is one other enthusiast that will kill for a seat I forwarded the invite to Leaine from Leaines Kitchen.

I have goosebumps!

Dinner with Little One

2010-11-08T03:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight Little One is coming over for dinner. What to make?
I feel like a traditional Italian pasta, nom nom....

That's exactly what I am in the mood for - Spaghetti & Meatballs!

Smiling

2010-11-05T00:57:00.001-07:00

This morning I woke up with a huge SMILE, happy beyond happy! Why? mmmm .... just happy, I suppose, or might it be the amazing evening I had with Hubby last night?!

We stood in the afternoon rain, ice cold beers in our hands & staring at this amazing sight:

Now isn't that something? Double Rainbow! When last did you see something this exquisite?

Norah Jones, Come away with me

2010-11-04T04:40:00.000-07:00

today I wish I could just climb into my car & drive ... listening to this ...
I am having a sad day & want to be swept away by beautiful music, ocean breeze, a glass of buttery Chardonnay & my soul mate....

Natalie MacLean's Wine Blog

2010-11-04T04:39:00.000-07:00

One day, when I grow up, I will have a blog like this: Nat Decants
She is an inspiration to me & covers all aspects of wine & food that I love.
There is even this amazing little food & wine pairing search on her website, just so awesome.

Enjoy!

Little Morocco

2010-11-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

Little One, my gorgeous sister & her fiance just came back from a trip to Morocco & she decided to cater our usual Sunday lunch with her newly acquired Moroccon cooking skills.
Lamb Tagine & Cous Cous with Steamed Vegetables was on the menu.
I have been day dreaming about that lunch ever since. DELICIOUS! She prepared Cous Cous in a way I have never seen before... her whole movement through the kitchen was like a perfected dance of love. Moving ever so gracious between the stove and her trusty co Chef who was awarded with kisses for his perfect chopping skills.

In silence we enjoyed each bite with sighs of happiness.
Haha, I even had to sneakingly unbutton my pants...

Well done Little One & when can we come over for dinner again?

(picture via homemade-recipes)

Wednesday, mmmm

2010-11-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

So I am having one of my "productive" days ;-) Sigh.
All I can think about is what to make for dinner tonight & I think I will surprise Hubby with his favorite - Mac & Cheese!

The only difficult part about dinner is picking a wine perfect enough to suit Hubby's palate and amazing enough to compete with his favorite Mac & Cheese.

Cheers!

Liquidity

2010-11-02T04:33:00.000-07:00

So the oh so talented De Toren family has an addition to their talents: Liquidity

Now this is an amazing company and they specialize in the importation and distribution of premium and super-premium wines and spirits. These products are often rare or hard-to-find, yet they are essential in the quest to satisfy a growing local demand for specialized products and an ever increasing tourism industry where guests don't want to settle for less.

At WineX I sipped a glass of wine each night for the duration of my evening - a gorgeous Chenin Blanc and became quite fond of this, Jean Daniel Wine. I am not a huge fan of Chenin Blanc, but this little number converted me. Delicious & beautifully rounded, easy drinking.

Do yourself a favor, try this AND another foreign number from Liquidity: Viña Cobos. Gorgeous red wine from Argentine - Felino. Delicious.

Both these wines will be added to my wine cellar. :-)

Have a great day.
Cheers!

WineX & De Toren

2010-11-01T04:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I worked at WineX for my lovely wine family De Toren & it was Amazing! I enjoyed selling wine more than I could have ever thought & the fact that I am good at it did not hurt ;-)

The only downside to WineX this year is that I was sober! Eeeek.

Fusion V is the crown of the De Toren Cellar's labour - a tasting sensation and ageing jewel! My favorite Red wine by far. a gorgeous well matured, well rounded Bordeaux.

Strange as it may sound at first, it is the uniqueness of a wine that gets the consumer's attention - not just sheer quality. Wine taste is subjective and individualistic in nature.

A little interesting note:
The estate huddles closely to the ocean - that explains why the five classic cultivars of Bordeaux - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot - thrive in these vineyards.
The wine is the result of painstaking attention in the vineyards and meticulous care in the cellar. Throughout, the emphasis is on the careful conservation of the differences between each block of vines, so that the final result is unique and showcases only the finest quality fruit. The symbol of this care reflected in the tower of De Toren - an innovative lift that ensures that no pump ever needs to be used in the cellar, it's all gentle gravity. Amazing right?

Cheers all.

Dinner with Whiskey eyes & Lovely Lady

2010-10-20T02:06:00.000-07:00

Whiskey Eyes & his Lovely Lady is coming for dinner tonight. Now the exciting part, accept for Hubby cooking, is Whiskey Eyes is bringing the wine. He got this amazing selection of to die for, must have wines from his father & I am so excited to see what is on the list tonight.

Cheers all!

Relaxing after a hard day at work:

Pick a wine you can sip slowly, like a German riesling: low in alcohol but high in flavor, so you won’t pass out on the sofa at 7 p.m.