Yesterday my folks and I traveled down south across the border and one of the stops was Aldi, I cannot believe how cheap they are compared to Denmark, and we went saussage mad...

But now the question has arisen, which is the best way to prepare these saussages, boil, fry or braai ???

The ones I am uncertain about are called:

Mettende - they look like russians, are vacuum sealed but were not in the fridge or freezer.

Can anyone help ?

My mom will be calling me later to tell me the types she bought and I'll pass them onto you when she does...

I want to set up a simple home page, as my service provider gives some space as part of the deal.

Who can point me towards some self help, or simple resources that I can look at to do this myself?

Thanks folks!!!

Hi Folks,

we have recently moved to a new place and now have access to a small piece of ground to grow some of our own veggies.

Now in SA I have an idea of how to do it.

To keep costs low I want to sow some seeds in some small planters and keep them indoors until it is OK to plant outside.

Does anyone have any experience in the UK about doing it this way?.

What I have in mind is

Chillies, capsicums ( peppers etc) tomatoes, and maybe radish and other nice things for salads in the summer.

Any pointers etc would be appreciated.

http://www.perrypubliclibrary.org/Kids/P...rhymes.htm

I was trawling the Net for a certain nursery rhyme which apparently has more words to it than I thought and came across this website. What a great resource,... although I wish I knew some of the tunes to them!

Does anyone or has anyone sung "Clap Handies, clap handies for Daddy to come" with further words? This nagging feeling that my baby is missing out on something vital is killing me!

Has anyone been been to this SA eating establishment?

The Boombar 18 Crouch End Hill ??

sounds good
heres a link:

http://www.placetoeat.co.uk/boombar.htm


http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/info_restaurant_774.html

http://www.sanza.co.uk/pub/109.asp

http://www.restaurantspy.com/boombar.htm

Thinktank here......

(not a book discussion but several books and characters)

What do u guys think of this, having this thread on asking questions or discussing a character u find strange.....

Specially when certain parts of a book stump u, i think it would be nice to get another person's point of view and how they see that part.....

What do u think?? Let me know...

Thought we could learn abit about vanilla......

Vanilla pods


Vanilla, one of the most expensive spices in the world, is the only edible fruit of the orchid family. After years of being stuck in tiny essence bottles, the real thing - vanilla pods - is conquering the kitchens of the world.

It was the Aztecs who discovered vanilla; they collected moist pods that had fallen to the forest floor from the climbing orchid, and used the seeds to flavour chocolate. According to the website http://www.vanilla.com vanilla first left Mexico in the early 1500s. It was originally believed only to have value as a perfume, but by the seventeen century vanilla was used to flavour drinking chocolate, a popular drink amongst the European 'hoi polloi'.

Today, Mexico, Indonesia, Reunion and Madagascar produce the most vanilla in the world. The pods, which are extremely delicate and easily damaged, resemble green beans in shape (and colour, while unripe) - in fact, some people call the pods 'beans'. They remain on the plant until the green pods turn yellow at the tip, when they are harvested by hand and the curing process begins. At this stage they have no smell or taste.

The harvested pods are plunged into baths of boiling water and then left to sweat on wooden frames, wrapped in cloth, to activate the enzymes that create the aroma and unique flavour. They are then placed in ovens that are set at a very low temperature and left for several weeks, until a fine frosting of white crystals appears. This is a sign that the finest flavour has been achieved.

During curing, the pods turn dark brown to black. Although the pods can grow up to 30 cm in length, the best are usually 15 cm long, pliable and a deep chocolate brown colour.

The real thing
Real vanilla is nothing like the artificial flavouring we know as vanilla essence, which is rich, sweet and syrupy. Vanilla extract - the natural extract from the beans - is infinitely preferable to the essence. But the best flavour of all comes from using the vanilla pod with its tiny black seeds and soft pulp.

Vanilla lore
It has been estimated that more than 90% of vanilla used as a flavour or fragrance is synthetic, so make sure you choose the real thing.
When selecting vanilla pods, choose those that are slightly soft, ribbed and pointed at one end, with a frosting of crystals. These will have the best flavour.
Split the pods with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds and pulp. Add to a milk or cream mixture, with the split pods, and cook over moderate heat until bubbles form around the edge. Bring to the boil and immediately remove the saucepan from the stove (don't allow to boil for more than a few seconds or you'll destroy the delicate flavour). Cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Remove the pods.
If whole pods are used for the infusion, they may be washed and dried thoroughly and used again.
Don't use split or scraped vanilla pods again for cooking; dry them off and place them in a jar of vanilla sugar.
To make your own vanilla 'essence', chop up whole vanilla pods and steep them in vodka or white rum for at least a week. Use the vanilla-flavoured liquid in baking and desserts.
To keep moist pods fresh, wrap them in cling film.

(taken from my recipe book)

Just read a test between a £1000 turntable and a CD player of equal price. Both were very highly regarded specialist machines, very well thought of in their respective markets. Nearing the end of the road for CD sales and still it gets beaten by vinyl for sheer sound quality. Now to scratch the £1000 together for the turntable......

PS Edmonsta it is the acrylic Pro-Jekt again!

http://www.samp3.com - take a look at the mp3's on this site. Some excellent SA trax to listen to! as always tho peeps if you do hear some good music then do the musos a favour and buy the albums. SA musos face a hard time and need every penny they can get.

Can someone help me please?