Well, the list of plants up and going in my kitchen is getting longer by the day.

At the moment I have dill, thyme, sweet basil, arrat basil, monstrous basil and bay ready for transplanting. The parsley is taking a bit longer to sprout but the seedlings should be poking their heads above the soil in the next couple of days.

Recently moved from the hot press to the kitchen (this morning) are tomatoes (Brandywine, Purple Calabash and Thompsons Seedless Grape), Eggplant (Pingtung Long and Rosa Bianca) and Salsola Soda/Okahijika.

The chillies and bell peppers are still in the press - can expect them to sprout in the next week or two.

How are your spring preparations coming along?

Im suprised no-one has said this.

Am i the ONLY person in JHB? Goodness if thats the case.. why is the crime and traffic jams so bad? :cheeky:

when does this start? what to do? beth has been crying heaps for the last 2 days, real maniac screaming and stuff. not her normal cry. think it might be teething.

Has anyone read this book by DBC Pierre?
Winner of THE man BOOKER PRIZE 2003?

I am only at chapter 3...... weird book, or is it me?

It was a very great shock to learn on Friday night that the baas' Dad had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is to be operated on in April to remove the cancer and to check if it has spread outside the prostate.

I am fortunate in never having had any experience of this cancer, no one else I have ever known has suffered with it. This however leaves me at something of a loss. Can anyone tell me more about this cancer? In particular, survival rates. I have done some reading up this weekend at the prostate cancer charity's website, but I think if I am going to be as strong for the baas as she is going to need me to be, then the more information I have (even bad news) the more I can help her.

Also, we'd both be very grateful for your prayers for her Dad, John, at this time.

Many thanks in advance for any advice or information
Gavin

Can anyone recommend the best deals to Spain for the Easter Weekend ? Hubby and I are planning a little break there and was wondering if anyone could recommend airlines/hotels etc...

Much appreciated....

Just to let you guys know that on Nationwide Airlines your weight allowance for INTERNATIONAL flights between SA and London is only 20KG !! That is what most other airlines allow for domestic flights and the norm for international is 32kg per case and you're allowed two cases each.

When we left Gatwick we were told our bags were overweight but they let us through no problem, different story leaving SA. We were 18kg's over and they "did us a favor" and charged us for 8kg's = R688.00.

Heavens above my hand luggage weighed almost 20kg's I was totally disgusted with them, but just be warned if anyone is flying with them in the future....

Het enige iemand die reeks gesien?
'n Baie goeie vriendin het dit vir my opgeneem en ons het sopas die hele reeks gekyk en baie geniet...sommer ook 'n stukkie oor UK-Kasie 2003 gesien!

My attention was drawn to this trilogy of booksdue to the Big Read last year, and am now onto the second one.
Very much like Harry Potter, I am throughly enjoying the books, and wondered what others thought of them.

Say pavlova and half the world with think of Anna Pavlova, the famous Russian ballerina, and the other half of that delicious meringue-and-fruit dessert by the same name. But what's the connection, and is there one?

Collins English Dictionary describes the pavlova as: "a meringue cake topped with whipped cream and fruit, popular in Australia and New Zealand. Often shortened (Australian, informal) to pav." But the name itself does nevertheless come from that fabulous ballerina. The story goes that, so impressed where the Australians (some say the New Zealanders) with the Russian ballerina's solo performance in Swan Lake when she toured the countries in 1926, they decided to create and name the fruity-meringue dessert in her honour. Bet you didn't know the Ozzies or Kiwis invented anything outside of the sporting arena! Enough said, now's the time to tell you how to make your own pavlova.

Although a pavlova sounds like the simplest dessert - meringue base filled with cream and topped with fruit - getting it right is an exact science. Most challenging is the meringue base which should be crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. Herbert Sachse, once chef at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth, and who's credited with inventing the dessert, added cornflour and vinegar to the basic egg white and meringue recipe to 'soften' it, saying "I had always regretted that the meringue cake was too hard and crusty, so I set out to create something that would have a crunchy top and would cut like a marshmallow."

Every cook has his or her own method for making a pavlova meringue, which doesn't make it any easier for newcomers. But follow this recipe from New Zealand's top pavlova producer, Cowell's Genuine Pavlova Kitchens, and you can't go wrong.

Set oven to 150 degrees C. Beat 4 egg whites and ¼ teaspoon salt in a bowl until soft peaks form (not stiff as most recipes say!). Gradually (very gradually, ie, a spoon at a time) add 1 cup castor sugar while beating. Continue until stiff peaks form. Slowly, slowly, slowly beat in the remaining ingredients: 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 2 teaspoons cornflour. Turn mixture out onto a buttered baking paper-covered tray (lightly sprinkled with cornflour). Shape into a circle approximately 23 cm (9 in) in diameter. Reduce oven temperature to 140 degrees C. Bake for 15 minutes, then further reduce the oven temperature to 120 degrees C and bake for 1 ¼ hours. Cool completely in the oven (some like to do this overnight). That's it. But remember these important points:


Your eggs must be a room temperature
Your bowl (never a copper bowl) and all other equipment must be squeaky clean (no dust or water in sight)
Not a spec of egg yolk should land in the egg white
If you have one, use an electric food mixer, and beat the mix until it's as smooth as you can get it.
Add sugar slowly; sprinkle a dessertspoon at a time across the surface with a good interval between additions.
Add liquids literally a few drops at a time, continuously beating as you do so.
Feel free to fold chopped nuts or top quality dark chocolate into your meringue mixture.
The taller/thicker the pavlova the better, as this ensures a creamier centre: about 15cm tall is ideal.
Cool your pavlova meringue completely in the oven before removing and filling.
You can make the meringue base three or four days in advance and store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Once the whipped cream and fruit are placed on the meringue, it should be eaten immediately, or the meringue will start to soften and go soggy.
To fill the base you can use fresh whipped cream, or whip your cream to medium peaks and fold in 3 tbsp crème fraîche or sour cream; 2 tbsp sugar and about 5 tbsp fresh raspberry juice or fruit Liqueur (Cointreau or Cassis come to mind). If that's not your thing, add a small amount of cocoa powder to the cream before whipping, or fold in chocolate shavings or crushed brandy snap pieces minutes before serving (not earlier or it will all melt). You could also use Chantilly Cream, cream cheese, custard or ice cream instead of or with cream, of course.

Pavlova is traditionally topped with passionfruit (or so the legend goes), but you can use strawberries, bananas, kiwis, grapes, gooseberries, sliced mango, chopped pineapple - in fact any fruit you like. And no-one's going to say no to a sprinkling of chopped nuts or shavings of the best dark chocolate you can find.

So, now you know what you're making this weekend, off to the shop for the freshest free-range eggs, farm-fresh cream and organic fruit. You can work it all off in the gym on Monday.

http://www.food24.co.za/Food24/