Category: South Africa

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Teach Your Children to Cook!

when children cook... it's wonderful!
People are not really all that surprised when a man says he can cook… we’re all getting used to that. It does raise an eyebrow in surprise, when folks discover that your children cook very well… and they naturally ask how ?

Here are a few thoughts:

1) Children — boys and girls alike — enjoy cooking food that they will eat, especially if a) it is something they will enjoy and b) it is relatively simple to make.

I was only a few years old when I cooked up my first pot of rice… it burned at the bottom , I then added butter and I was in heaven!

2) Desserts are usually the first things children are willing to learn. Roughly 80% of all cookies baked are Chocolate Chip, so this is a good place to start. Getting children involved in holiday cookie making, cookies for school birthdays and cake making starts to expand their baking experience!

Karen’s first effort was “Death Cupcakes.” A chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting smothered with chocolate chips and topped with a “Blow-pop”. Obviously, Karen brought cola to school to add to the excitement of her birthdays!

Both Kristin and Karen enjoyed making  Mudbars  for themselves and their friends!

3) Personally, I never forget the wonderful smell of bread. Baking bread the old fashioned way or with a breadmaker is a logical next step.

Kristin loved her bread and her yummy cheesey breadsticks!

4) Simple meals are next: learning sandwich making, the art of the barbecue and a home made Pizza are always interesting for children!

My nephew Scott loved my “Meat-za Pizza”! Although I don’t know if he ever made one for himself?

ahhhhh... wonderful!
“Bobotie”  is an easy ‘fun’ dish to make from South Africa!

5) Children are ready for a more ‘academic exercise”… some people call it ‘learning.’ This is where I present them with a simple cookbook (Better Homes and Garden’s is perfect).

Once you get to this point there is  no stopping them … Plus… then even Mom and Dad van take a break now and then!  Karen  & Kristin have developed their own style.

Mom taking a well deserved rest!

Roger Freberg

PS. When everyone is ready, Seafood Gumbo  is fun to make and can be frozen in many little contaniers to extend the enjoyment for the days ahead!
 

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Jenny Craig & Event Planning

It's a whole new world being thin

Part of losing weight is how good you feel. Everyone tells you this, but when you actually get there, you discover to your amazement that it is actually true! You feel great!

I weigh myself only once a week, and if the results are there ( meaning progress to the goal weight which is now only 2 lbs away)… then I plan an event.  Karen  being a PR guru knows all about ‘event planning.’

My events are simple meals. Smoorvis (South African) and Fried Catfish & Hush Puppies  ( Huck Finns in Tennessee)  are two fun meals I have on the horizon. Huck Finns will be easy as they supply everything… but the catfish.

As Forest Mars Sr. was fond of saying, ‘there has to be a prize for playing this game.’ And in the game of  Jenny Craig  it is ‘event planning.’

Roger Freberg

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Vilafonte winery of South Africa

Vilafonte series M

Vilafonte’ Wines has a wonderful web site  with a pleasant interview with one of the founders fellow Californian Zelma Long. All three partners have a long history in wine making, production and marketing… and it seems like a fun group.

Like many blends with Cabernet, I prefer mine to have a sizable helping of Merlot to smooth it out… and their ‘2003 Series m’ does not disappoint. After sampling, I bought the Bevmo’s last three bottles on-line   … but more are available elsewhere, such as at  Southern Wine.  I suspect that the 2003 series might not be Zelma’s favorite…. although sentimentally the first.

South Africa seems to be dotted with many boutique style wineries and if you are looking for something special, this is very enjoyable. Be advised, most small wineries do not produce the quatities , so a bit of searching will be required.

What to use Vilafonte’ Series M with is really not a question. They describe their wine themselves as very versatile. Excellent with poultry, chicken, duck and the main fare of holiday meals ( such as ham). I was amused that they mentioned it was good with South African ‘Spingbok’. As an aside, Zelma did say that it could be served with many South African dishes known for their ‘fruity components’. I cannot think of anything better than the ‘Series m’ along with a healthy serving of ‘ Bobotie’ on Saffron Rice!

Looking for something fun and different… check it out!

Roger Freberg

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Food Preparation before Refrigeration

For many people on his planet, they can remember a time before air conditioning and before refrigeration. Cooking was challenging and methods of preserving then restoring food became quite an art… some of those recipes from an older technology are well worth trying…. here’s a couple I have been working on:

Key Limes and the unique preparation make all the difference

Take one of my favorite recipes for Key Lime Pie. It was a great deal of time before air conditioning, refrigeration and steady power came to “the Keys of Florida.”. (Some folks still complain… they do have hurricanes that swamp certain areas. I remember one restaurant that measures each flooding with high water marks on its walls.) Back to the dessert, this famous but simple pie (the State Pie of Florida) is made with Key Limes ( not to be confused with the Persian variety) and condensed milk  … most delicious on a graham cracker crust!

This next brings me to the South African dish called “Smoorvis”… a wonderful meal of fish, rice, vegetables and Cape-Malay spices! The fish historically used were dried, salted and preserved in the sun. An effort was then made to reconstitute and ‘plump’ the fish prior and during cooking… today, many folks use smoked salmon ‘straight from the box.’

However, I am preparing it the old fashioned way… and it looks intriguing. Recipe to follow.

Roger Freberg