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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A birthday and a thank you ♥

Life is rushing by and August is over.....
Last Friday, the 26th August, we celebrated our gorgeous Wesley's birthday in true Terblanche style and on the day a special package arrived from Hudson ♥ for me.....how special that her present should arrive on that day...as only Monique knows how.....

I am......forever grateful to you, Monique....Il est beau!!..........
And to you, my special son.......my wish for you is pure and simple.........a lifetime of  love, laughter and wisdom!

  See you all soon!
  Shel ♥

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Food for my soul ~


Life throws you many curve balls. To deal with them you need to remain focused, keep your eye on the ball and smash it.  ....quote from the page in my diary today.

Friday, August 19, 2011

A winter tea~

A busy week is behind me......just a little time to escape this morning, doing what I like best,  the flowers, photographing and having a cup of tea.......



Arranging flowers in various shades of  green..........




Old books and a tea set from a much loved elderly couple.........

  And that votive candle to make me smile...

 
And who can resist these even if just plain and simply iced.......

    A special glow ..........


 Sprinkles of fairy wishes for you from me....



 Indulge!


Just love the green flowers with the old beaten silver.... 








See you soon!
Shel

Monday, August 15, 2011

Menu ideas from Solomon~

Everything's coming up "broccoli" in my garden.....it's thriving in this winter's cold!
Here are a few planned menus for this week......

Baby Chickens on a bed of smashed potatoes......


4 small chickens.
51/2 oz butter
2 tsps fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh parsley
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
streaky bacon to wrap around the chickens

Mix the herbs and 4 1/2 oz butter, spring onions, honey and salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 200deg C
Lift the skin gently with your finger tips.
Gently push the butter between the skin and flesh
Tuck the wings inward
Lay the chickens on a grid of the roasting pan.
Layer the bacon over the chickens and brush with remaining butter and juices.
Bake for 30 mins and serve on a bed of mashed potatoes and seasonal veg.



Broccoli and Chicken Bake
I don't have and exact recipe for this.....a real family dish....

One head of broccoli cooked until tender
White meat of a whole chicken
500g of cheese sauce
250ml chicken stock from poaching the chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp nutmeg
2 chopped leeks
1 stalk of chopped celery

Break broccoli into individula florets.
Poach chicken in a pot of water with bayleaf, salt, pepper, carrots and onion.
Discard the veg once the chicken is cooked.
Break the white meat into fair size chunks
Fry the leeks and celery  until translucent
Make a quantity of cheese sauce.
Add the chicken and broccoli, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Add around 250ml chicken stock.
Adjust the flavouring.
Pour into a casserole dish.
Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs and bake at 200deg C for +-45 mins until golden.
Serve with a salad of greens.


Butternut, Feta and Baby Tomato quiche


you will need~
a quantity of shortcrust pastry (I use a cheese pastry) to fill your pastry case
1 small butternut, peeled and cut in wedges
200g feta cheese
300g rosa tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp crushed chilli ( I don't add this)
1 tbsp butter
red onion
1/2 cup cream
2 tbsp creme fraiche
2 eggs
Rocket to serve

Preheat oven to 200deg C
Arrange butternut wedges on a greased baking tray and season with salt, pepper, brown sugar.
Roast for 30mins until slightly charred
Remove from oven.
Heat butter and fry onions until lightly caramelised.
Allow to cool.
Reduce oven temp to 180deg C.
Spread cooled onion over the pastry shell. Top with butternut wedges, tomatoes and feta.
In a large jug, beat 2 eggs with cream and crem fraiche. Pour egg mixture over the veg in the tart shell.
Bake for 30 mins until the skewer comes out clean.
Serve topped with the rocket.

And how about a good South African Favourite as a pudding ......click here for the recipe.


Good old Bobotie.....

 

You can click here for this recipe of  traditional South African fare ....

Lamb Knuckle Stew and Herb Dumplings.....


Recipe. (for 4 - 6 people)
800g lamb knuckles
1 large onion sliced
fresh herbs (thyme and parsley)
salt and pepper to your taste
1 tin chopped Italian tomato and onion
1 Tbsp tomato pasata
2 carrots roughly chopped
2 leeks chopped
5 potatoes
1 lt of chicken/vegetable stock.
Fry your meat dusted with flour and seasoning together with onions and leeks until browned.
Remove from pan. Add to cooking crock together with carrots, tomato and onion and pasata, herbs and stock. After about an hour and half when meat is tender add the potatoes. Cook until tender.

Mix together a cup of flour, 2 tsps baking powder, herbs, salt and pepper. Add a beaten egg and milk.water to form a wet dough. Drop spoon fuls on top of the stew. Steam with lid on until nicely risen then turn over just before serving!

Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.

Bluecheese and Broccoli Salad.



Serves 4 to 6 ~
200 g tender stems of broccoli
100g fresh green asparagus
1 handful of leaves (red lettuce)
100g blue cheese cut into blocks
100g green olives
2 avocados, cut into small blocks
2 spring onions
Salad dressing
100ml olive oil
40ml lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
5ml grainy mustard
1/2 tsp dried italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste

Drain in cold water.
Place salad leaves in serving bowl.
Mix all the ingredients together and carefully arrange on top of leaves.
Mix the ingredients for the salad dressing and pour over the salad.




Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Food for my soul.


    'He will cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you will find refuge.'

     (Psalm 91:4)



Monday, August 8, 2011

Venison Sosaties and Roosterbrood~


Kudu Sosaties and Roosterbrood on the fire.

Ingredients for the sosaties.

2kg kudu/venison meat/ lamb.
Pork back fat cut into half the size of the meat cubes.
2 onions
12.5ml curry powder
6ml tumeric
25ml sugar
20ml maizena
15ml salt
100ml chutney
1 cup dried apricots soaked to soften
4 bay leaves
250ml buttermilk

Method~
Quarter the onions and cut through the root end. Place in a pot with little water and steam til clear. Pour off and fry til lightly browned. Add curry powder and tumeric and keep on the heat for about 2 mins.
Add all the other marinade ingredients, except the buttermilk and bring to the boil.
Allow to cool and add the bay leaves and buttermilk.
Place meat in a casserole dish, pour marinade over and stir to cover all the meat.
Allow to marinade in a cool place for 2 days, stirring occasionally. Any wild meat should marinade a day or 2....(I've tried to marinade a few hours, but it always ends up tough!)
Place meat on sosatie sticks that have been soaked in water.
Approx. 6 cubes of meat with 2 apricots, 2-3 pieces of fat and onion slices between meat cubes.
Braai over a low heat so the marinade does not burn.

Roosterbrood.
Store bought dough cut into small squares...left in a warm place to rise and then braaied over a low heat turning often until done.

Serve hot with sosaties and butter and apricot jam!

Sheer indulgence and not good for the waistline!!


 I'm joining a new menu party over at Yvonne. Do come along,you are sure to find many menu ideas here!
And it's the most exquisite blog too!

Faithfulness.



Friday, August 5, 2011

Mount Camdeboo...take 2

Mount Camdeboo...the scenery and wildlife..............






























The scenery at Mount Camdeboo is breathtaking, nestled at the foot of the Sneeuberg Range....making it ideal territory for various antelope species.
On this tranquil reserve, guests can see Cheetah, White Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Giraffe, Mountain Zebra, wild cats, Sable, a host of antelope birds of prey and a unique collection of fauna and flora and ancient ruins of the battles fought here.
Mount Camdeboo blends a unique safari with spiritual wellbeing.....

Shel

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve~ take 1...the homestead

On our way to Somerset East and the Biltong Festival first....


                            A sunrise at Coega, the new harbour outside Port Elizabeth....

  
       A very pretty stall full of biltong and droewors .........



 Pity the lady wasn't so friendly....


    This stall was so typical of rural South Africa.....we loved how they displayed their menu....


and she greeted us with such a warm smile......


just look at her beautiful turban.....

                 
 



A pretty old church in the centre of  the town, Pearston....just outside Somerset East.


And on we journeyed to Mount Camdeboo Reserve.....along an expanse of "dirt" road! This reserve is a unique escape, concentrating on rehabilitation of endangered species, hence no lion.....
Needless to say, it kept us on the edge, as we walked  tracking a cheetah and came within a metre of it...my heart was pounding, this must have been the most exhilirating memory that will remain with me forever..., walked in a camp with Sable Antelope and discovered old ruins of the Anglo Boer war...
Truely a little piece of heaven on earth.....enjoy the photos....

Just had to sneak this one in.....



There are 3 Cape Dutch homesteads which have been lovingly restored to former glory.....this one was our home from home.....







  The resident tierboskat


The boma for the evenings.........



   Breathtaking views from the lawns............


Preparing for our afternoon tea.....


 The cupcakes the chef was preparing...so pretty with a sprinkling of fairy dust!




Romantic bedrooms.......sheer indulgence




Evening turndown after returning from your game drive.....so spoilt....









One of the hand reared "tierboskat's" with our guide


 I really fell in love with this little creature.....I wanted to bring him home!



African tablescapes around the boma..... (my photos don't do these next settings justice)





Animal print overlays and quills for the serviette rings.....gorgeous.....




So off to dreamland and I'll bring you the next episode in the morning





And who can resist these chocolates, a warm fire and some champagne awaiting!

See you in the morning!
Shel