We have just returned from a week at Ekuthuleni, click here for my report and some pictures.
You can also see some more photos here

Since Ekuthuleni we have also been to Hazyview Cabanas, for my write-up and pictures click here

We are just back from a really nice trip to Mozambique - Morrumbene Beach Resort

We have just returned from a glorious week at Mnarani Club, Kilifi, Kenya

We also had a really nice stay at Hole in the Wall and Caribbean Estates

The FunkyMunky Herb eBook is now available. 48 popular herbs, descriptions and uses with photos. Immediately available, will be emailed to you. Only R50 , send me an email for payment details.
I'm very impressed with what I've read so far. What I really like is that your book is a combination of medicinal and culinary advice, unlike many other herb books I've read.
And the format is great - thanks very much. I have an ambitious project to make a herb garden this year - so your section of herb gardens will come in very handy - Shelagh 
 

Zimbabwe update

For the latest on happenings in Zimbabwe, go to:  http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/  and subscribe to their newsletter, a really good source of current information

Cathy Buckle has started writing again from Zimbabwe, her letter is below.

Here is Cathy's letter:

Dear Family and Friends,
We all wondered what would happen when there were no more farms left to grab and this week we got the answer. It's not diamonds as we thought, those are undoubtedly destined only for the very deep, velvet lined pockets of the really big wigs. It's the companies and businesses that are next.

After a year of appeals, conferences and seminars to try and attract investors back to Zimbabwe, everything was wasted in a single stroke this week. A new regulation has just been gazetted requiring that all local and foreign owned companies must hand over at least 51 per cent ownership to "indigenous" Zimbabweans. Multiple thousands of companies are going to be affected and economists predict that many local industries will be forced into bankruptcy.

An article in the UK Daily Telegraph quotes an expert who explains the implications in simple language that anyone can understand:  "Daniel Ndlela, Zimbabwe's most eminent regional economist said: "There will be no foreign investment into Zimbabwe. Why would anyone come into Zimbabwe with $100 and be left with $49? ... those who might have invested in Zimbabwe will now never come."

This new regulation does not just affect foreign companies but also those belonging to Zimbabweans whose skin happens to not be black. It affects men and women who were born here, went to school and university here, built homes and businesses here and have lived in Zimbabwe all their lives - people who know no other country but Zimbabwe.

Standing chatting to a young "indigenous" Zimbabwean one evening this week he said to me:
"It shames me to say that nowadays if you are white you are always in the wrong. Even if you are in the right, if you are white, you are wrong."
"Like it was for blacks before 1980?" I suggested.
He laughed and said :"I don't know, I wasn't even born then!"
We slapped hands in that Zimbabwean way of sharing a good laugh and changed the topic.

We've just heard that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is talking about elections in April next year. "Park and proceed" is what the PM is saying. Everyone knows that the endless stalling and so called
negotiations between Zanu PF and the MDC are never going to be resolved. As MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said this week: " We don't want to keep Zimbabweans in suspense and anxiety. We are holding everyone to ransom."

They are indeed because all we want to do is get on with our lives, change, improve, prosper and stop going backwards. So lets park that rusty old bus and proceed. What a good idea.
Until next time, thanks for reading,
love
cathy

www.cathybuckle.com
. For information on my new book: "INNOCENT VICTIMS" or my previous
books, "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears," or to
subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter, please write to: cbuckle@mango.zw
 

This South Africa - news headlines

Source: SouthAfrica.info
The all-in-one official guide
and web portal to South Africa.  
 

Recipe Requests

Looking for a specific South African recipe? Email me and I will do my best to find it for you! 
 

The Recipes

Cookies, Tarts and other lekker goodies:

Chocolate Cappuccino Log

1 x 200 g packet Bakers Boudoir Biscuits (cappuccino flavour)
45 ml brandy
200 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
4 eggs
350 g soft butter
200 g castor sugar
15 ml coffee granules
250 ml cream and melted chocolate to decorate

Line a small loaf tin with cling film or foil. Arrange the Boudoir biscuits over base and sides of tin.
Sprinkle the brandy over the biscuits in the loaf tin.
To make the mousse, melt the chocolate pieces in a small bowl over boiling water or in the microwave and set aside.
Place the eggs, butter, castor sugar and coffee granules in a food processor, add the melted chocolate and process until smooth. Turn into the loaf tin and smooth the top. Place another layer of biscuits on top and cover with cling film.
Chill overnight in the fridge or for a couple of hours in the freezer, then turn out and decorate with cream and chocolate works.

Minty Caramel Tart

2 x 360g cans caramel
65 ml lemon juice
2 x 125 ml Orley Whip cream, stiffly beaten
3 x 50 g peppermint crisp chocolate bars, coarsely grated or chopped
1 x 200 g packet Bakers Tennis Biscuits

Whisk together the caramel and lemon juice. Fold in the cream and set aside.
Spray a square dish or a loaf pan with non-stick spray and place a layer of Bakers Tennis biscuits in the bottom. Spoon one third of the caramel mixture over the biscuits and sprinkle with one third of the peppermint crisp, followed by a layer of biscuits. Repeat the layers until you have used all the ingredients, ending with a layer of caramel cream, topped with a final layer of peppermint crisp.
Place in the fridge to set before serving with fresh mint leaves.

Nuts ‘n Seeds Snack Bars

500 ml Bakers Betta Snack Original Biscuits, crushed
500 ml puffed rice breakfast cereal
90 ml honey
65 ml crunchy peanut butter
125 g butter
125 ml brown sugar
125 ml peanuts, chopped
65 ml sunflower seeds
60 ml sesame seeds

Combine the crushed biscuits and puffed rice in a large bowl and set aside.
Place honey, peanut butter, butter and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the nuts and seeds and remove from the heat. Add the seed mixture to the biscuit and puffed rice and mix well. Press firmly into a greased and lined 20 cm square baking tin, and place in the fridge to cool and set. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container.

Date Fingers

1 x 200g packet Bakers Marie Biscuits
185 g butter
125 ml sugar
250 g pitted dates, chopped
10 ml vanilla essence
coconut for sprinkling

Break the Bakers Marie Biscuits into smaller, but not too fine, pieces. Place them in a bowl and set aside.
Combine the butter, sugar and dates in a saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the melted mixture onto the broken biscuits and mix well.
Spoon the mixture into a Swiss roll tin (roughly 25cm x 15cm) and press down firmly.
Sprinkle coconut over and place in fridge to chill. Just before serving, cut into fingers, squares or bars.

Pecan Pie

1 x 200g packet Bakers Tennis biscuits
125 ml melted butter
500 ml pecan halves
65 ml butter
3 large eggs
90 ml golden syrup
180 ml packed dark brown sugar
65 ml cream
10 ml vanilla essence
large pinch salt

Preheat oven to 190 ºC.

Place the Bakers Tennis Biscuits in a processor and process into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Press into the bottom and sides of a 24 cm spring form flan ring.
Place pecans in a large pan and turn heat to medium high. Cook pecans for 2 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat slightly, add butter and stir-fry until the butter melts and browns - take care not to burn. This should only take about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
In medium bowl, stir (do not beat) together eggs, golden syrup, brown sugar, cream, vanilla and salt. Add the melted butter/pecan mixture then pour the filling into the unbaked crust.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is golden brown and appears set. The pie should still be slightly jiggly in centre. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Serve cold with whipped vanilla cream or warm with ice cream.

Ginger & Apricot Trifles

200 g Bakers Gingernuts
125 ml brandy liqueur (like Van der Hum)
425 g canned apricots, drained and quartered
450 g marscapone cheese
125 ml castor sugar
10 ml vanilla essence
250 ml cream, beaten until thick
125 ml fresh root ginger, cut into julienne strips
Oil for frying
125 ml castor sugar, extra
125 ml flaked almonds, toasted

Break the Bakers Gingernuts coarsely. Place a third of the biscuit pieces in the bottom of 6 pretty glasses. Sprinkle with a little of the alcohol and top with a few apricot pieces.
Combine the mascarpone with the sugar and vanilla and spoon half the mixture over the biscuit layer. Add another layer of biscuits and sprinkle with a little alcohol. Add a few more apricot pieces to each layer. Spoon the balance of the mascarpone mixture over and end with a final layer of biscuits over which you sprinkle the last of the alcohol and the last of the apricots.
Spoon the cream over the final biscuit layer and set aside. Fry the fresh ginger in a little oil until crisp. Drain and place on kitchen towel to remove the excess oil. Dust liberally with castor sugar. When cool, decorate the trifles with the ginger and sprinkle with almonds. Serve.

Tutti Fruitti Triangles

250 ml Bakers Nuttikrust Biscuits, coarsely chopped
375 ml sugar
125 ml coarsely chopped walnuts
10 ml vanilla essence
250 ml coconut
250 ml mixed glace fruit, chopped finely
375 g unsalted butter, melted
300 ml icing sugar, sifted
50 ml warm water
45 ml orange zest
45 ml lemon zest

Place the Bakers Nuttikrust Biscuits, sugar, walnuts, vanilla, coconut and glace fruit in a bowl and mix well. Add the melted butter and mix. Press the mixture firmly into a square tin. Mix the icing sugar and water together, stir in the zest and spread over the mixture in the tin. Place in the fridge to chill a couple of hours before cutting into small triangles.

Tiramisu

125 ml strong black coffee
65 ml brandy
125 g Bakers Boudoir Biscuits
2 large eggs, separated
45 ml castor sugar
10 ml extra brandy
150 g Mascarpone cheese
30 ml cocoa powder

Combine the coffee and brandy. Dip the biscuits into the mixture and lay them in the bottom of a square, shallow serving dish.
Cream the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy coloured. Add the extra brandy and cheese and whisk until smooth.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the cheese mixture. Pour the mixture over the biscuits.
Chill until firm and sprinkle with cocoa before serving.

Caramel Choc Praline Truffles

2 x 200g packets Bakers Caramel Chock Romany Cream Biscuits
1 slab peanut brittle
90 g butter, melted with 65 ml golden syrup
Melted caramel chocolate or milk chocolate

Coarsely crush the Bakers Romany Cream Biscuits and peanut brittle together. Add to the melted butter and golden syrup and cool until firm.
With a teaspoon, form into small balls and place on a tray and refrigerate. When firm, dip the tops of the truffles in chocolate or drizzle chocolate over them and allow to cool on a baking tray.


Cinnamon Tarts

1 x 200 g packet Bakers Betta Snack Original
5 ml ground cinnamon
125 ml melted butter
30 ml butter (extra)
45 ml castor sugar
5 ml ground cinnamon (extra)
750 ml toffee flavoured ready-made custard
4 large eggs, beaten
5 ml vanilla essence
6 short sticks of cassia bark
mixture of ground cinnamon and Demerara sugar

Place the Bakers Betta Snack Biscuits in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. Add the 5 ml cinnamon and 125 ml melted butter and pulse until combined. Push into the bottoms of mini loose-bottomed flan rings that have been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Heat the extra butter in a small pan and add the castor sugar and extra cinnamon. Allow mixture to cook for a few seconds to develop the flavour of the cinnamon then whisk into the custard together with the beaten eggs and vanilla.
Pour the mixture into the prepared crusts and stick a short cassia bark into each centre. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 ºC for 20 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the cinnamon and Demerara mixture and allow to cool before removing from rings, leaving the cassia bark in tact.

Noogy Tarts

3 egg whites
250 ml sugar
12 Bakers Nutticrust Biscuits, broken into small pieces
50 g walnuts, chopped
5 ml baking powder
Whipped cream and glace fruits for decorating

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add sugar gradually, beating after each addition until incorporated.
Fold in the Bakers Nutticrust Biscuits and nuts, and then fold in the baking powder.
Place small spoonfuls of the mixture into a greased pie dish. Bake at 180° C for 25 – 30 minutes or until light and crisp.
When cool, decorate with whipped cream and chopped glace fruits. Serve.

Custard Slices

200g (1 pack) Bakers Tennis Biscuits
50 ml butter
1.25 liters milk
250 ml sugar
125 ml cake flour
125 ml corn starch
125 ml custard powder
Pinch of salt
3 eggs, separated
125 ml cold water
10 ml vanilla essence
300 ml icing sugar, sifted
50 ml lemon juice, heated
Lemon zest
Castor sugar

Arrange half of the Bakers Tennis Biscuits in a greased square pie dish.

Place the butter, milk and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and stir until mixture reaches boiling point, then remove from the heat. Combine the flour, corn starch, custard powder and salt. Whisk together the egg yolks and water and mix into the dry ingredients. Add about 125 ml of the warm milk to the flour mixture and whisk. Pour into the warm milk mixture return to the stove and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and add vanilla essence. Place the saucepan into a very large bowl containing ice cubes and water. Allow to cool down a little.
Meanwhile, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Then fold into custard mixture. Spoon mixture over Tennis Biscuits, smooth the top and arrange another layer of Tennis Biscuits on top of the custard layer.
Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice to form a smooth paste. Spread over top layer of Tennis Biscuits. Combine the lemon zest and castor sugar and sprinkle on top. Place in fridge to cool and firm up. Serve sliced.

Rich Chocolate Tart

200 g (1 pack) Bakers Marie Biscuits
45 ml cocoa
125 ml castor sugar
150 ml melted unsalted butter
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
65 ml castor sugar
125 ml cream
400 g dark chocolate, melted
10 ml vanilla essence
Orange zest and fresh strawberries, dipped in chocolate, for garnish

Crush the Bakers Marie Biscuits finely and add the cocoa, half the castor sugar and all the butter. Mix well. Push into the base and sides of a 24-cm loose-bottomed flan ring.
Beat the egg yolks, whole egg and castor sugar until thick and creamy. Fold in the cream, chocolate and vanilla. Pour mixture into crust and bake in a moderately slow oven (160 – 170ºC) for 30 minutes or until set. Dust top with extra cocoa powder, and allow to cool before un-molding from the ring. Garnish with orange zest and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Eet•Sum•Mor Biscuit Fudge

250 g butter
5 ml vanilla essence
500 g icing sugar
5 ml coffee powder
45 ml cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1 packet (200 g) Bakers Eet–Sum–Mor Biscuits

Melt the butter and add the vanilla essence, icing sugar, coffee, cocoa powder and egg and mix well.

Place the Bakers Eet–Sum–Mor Biscuits on a board. Break or cut into coarse crumbs, leaving a few chunky pieces. Mix the biscuits into the butter mixture and pour into a greased baking dish, about 18 cm x 26 cm. Refrigerate until set and cut into squares.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge
Makes about 16 squares

Pear and Ginger Cheesecake

1 packet (200 g) Bakers Gingernuts, crushed
125 ml butter or margarine, melted
1 can pears, drained and diced
65 ml finely diced or chopped preserved ginger
500 g creamed cottage cheese
250 ml castor sugar
2 eggs
300 g sour cream
30 ml lemon juice

Mix the crushed biscuits with the butter and press into a greased 20 cm spring form pan.
Combine the pears and preserved ginger and place on top of the crust. Set aside.
Process the creamed cottage cheese and sugar in a food processor until smooth, add the eggs and process again. Add the sour cream and lemon juice and process to combine. Pour the filling over the pears and bake for 1½ hours at 150˚C or until the filling is set.
Chill well before serving.
Serves 8

Baked Peaches with Nutty Crumble

1 packet (200 g) Eet-sum-mor Biscuits
100 g skinned almonds, lightly roasted and coarsely chopped
65 ml unsalted butter
2 cans peach slices, canned in their own juice
65 ml Amaretto or 5 ml almond essence - optional

Crush the Bakers Biscuits coarsely and combine with the nuts and butter.
Place the peaches with their juice in a saucepan and cook rapidly without a lid until the sauce has reduced by half. Stir in the Amaretto or essence if using. Transfer to a greased oven-safe dish. Sprinkle with the biscuit mixture and place in a moderate oven (180 ºC) for 10 minutes. Serve with cream or ice cream.
Serves 4 - 6

Lemon Cheese Cake

1 packet (200 g) Bakers Lemon Creams
125 ml melted unsalted butter
2 x 200 g creamed cottage cheese
2 x cans condensed milk
125 ml lemon juice
250 ml sugar
125 ml lemon zest

Place the Bakers Lemon Creams, broken into smaller pieces, in a processor and process into fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse until combined. Push into a large (30 cm) spring form flan ring: bottom and sides.
Whisk together the creamed cottage cheese, condensed milk and lemon juice and gently pour into the crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 ºC for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the flan ring.
Meanwhile, heat the sugar over medium heat until melted. Add the lemon zest and stir until lightly caramelized. Un-mould the cheesecake, slice into 8 portions and arrange on a serving platter. With a whisk or two forks, drizzle fine strands of the sugar mixture over the top of the slices. Allow sugar to cool and harden well before serving.
Serves 8

Marshmallow Snow Drops

120 g butter
1 x 397 g tin condensed milk
45 ml drinking chocolate powder
2 packets Bakers Marie biscuits, finely crushed
175 g mini or small marshmallows
100 g desiccated coconut

Melt the butter and condensed milk over a low heat. Add the chocolate powder and biscuits to form a stiff mixture. Set aside for 3 - 4 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
Wet your hands slightly and place a dessert spoon of mixture into the palm of your hand. Flatten and place one marshmallow in the centre. Form a ball around the marshmallow with the mixture. Roll each ball in the coconut, place on a baking sheet covered with wax paper and leave to firm in the fridge.
Yields about 25 – 30

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

1 packet Bakers Boudoir Biscuits
Cherry liqueur or cherry cordial
500 g fresh strawberries, hulled and finely chopped or puréed
Castor sugar
2 litres vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream and whole strawberries to decorate

Line a deep soufflé dish with cling wrap. Arrange the boudoir biscuits, standing upright, along the inside of the dish. Sprinkle some cherry liqueur or cordial over the biscuits.
Mix the strawberries with a little castor sugar to taste. Add 400 ml of the ice cream and mix well.
Spoon half of the remaining ice-cream into the centre of the prepared dish, top with half of the strawberry mixture, then the remaining ice cream and finally the remaining strawberry. Freeze until firm.
Turn out onto a serving platter and remove cling wrap. Decorate with whipped cream and a few extra strawberries.