Spring is in the air and what better time to get rid of the winter dust-bunnies in your kitchen! By following a few easy steps, you will be able to spring-clean your kitchen in no time! Read more further down.
Foodies are spoilt for choice in September with the following expo’s, shows and festivals in Gauteng:
- Joburg Festival of Beer – 6, 7 and 8 September (Pirates Sports Club, Greenside, JHB)
- The International Food and Drink Event Africa (IFEA) – 18 to 20 September (Sandton Convention Centre, Sandton, JHB)
- Good Food & Wine Show – 21 to 24 September 2013 (The Dome, Northgate, JHB)
- Pick ‘n Pay taste of JHB Festival – 26 to 29 September 2013 (Montecasino Outdoor Event Area, Fourways, JHB)
On 24 September South Africans country-wide will once again be celebrating Heritage Day by remembering the cultural heritage of the many cultures that make up the population of South Africa. It is of course also National Braai Day. I love the fact that there are no rules when choosing what you are going to braai – whether it is tjops, wors, chicken, ribs, etc. You can braai whatever lights your fire! Seeing that food safety rules applies whether you are cooking indoors or outdoors, I decided to include a few pointers on the do’s and don’ts when handling raw meat. Surely you want your family and friends to have memories of a good time at your last braai and not of ending up in hospital with food poisoning! Read more further down.
I have chosen this month’s recipes with National Braai Day and warmer weather in mind. I have included Spatchcocked Chicken (with step by step instruction on how to spatchcock or butterfly a whole chicken), Baby Marrow Pasta With Pesto, Mushrooms With Blue Cheese & Bacon and Corn Salsa. And for dessert, Blueberry Buttermilk Cake. As usual, I have also included a few recipes from Carolié de Koster’s popular Art Of Cooking Recipe Book. They are: Fish & Bacon Kebabs With Fruity Curry Sauce and Classic Caesar Salad. Read more further down.
The Lunchbox is in my opinion the best thing since sliced bread (excuse the pun!) In a nutshell, they will assist you with providing nutritious and healthy school lunches for your children. Each lunchbox consists of 21 bags, numbered from Day 1 to Day 20 and one bag called Treat Day. Each day will have a different combination of items. This means enough variety for school lunches and in-between snacks. Read more further down.
Is your child possibly the next Junior Masterchef? Make his/her next birthday party extra special with a “I made it myself!/Ek het dit self gemaak!” cooking party. The format is similar to the popular “I Can Cook” series on DSTV’s CBeebies. Each recipe is demonstrated to the children step-by-step and each child makes his/her own recipe from start to finish. Kids get to take the fruit of their labour home and tell Mom and Dad: I made it myself! Most of them eat it right away though!” Read more further down.
I specialize in tailor-made cooking lessons – whether for yourself or your domestic worker, housekeeper or nanny. When you book four cooking lessons with me, you will receive a manual that covers topics such as Food Safety, Kitchen Safety, Kitchen Hygiene, Food Storing and much more! The manual can be used as a reference guide in the kitchen. You choose what you would like to learn to cook. The possibilities are endless! Below is what one of my satisfied clients had to say after I trained her domestic worker: “Jeanri is extremely professional, comes fully prepared for every lesson and puts every effort into making sure that your domestic worker learns to cook. She even spent time with mine, teaching her maths so that she could halve recipes, double up on portions etc. Jeanri goes shopping on your behalf and makes sure that you have everything you need for a lesson, even down to the equipment needed in the kitchen so that there is no delay in lesson time. Everything she taught Fredah to cook has been delicious and we have used her recipes over and over. My domestic worker has gained a lot of confidence in the kitchen. Jeanri ensures that your domestic is able to write up a shopping list, keep to excellent hygiene standards in the kitchen, cook, bake, and tidy up properly afterwards. Definitely money well spent, I can only highly recommend her.” Kelly, Parkview. Read more further down.
The special offer on Carolié de Koster’s popular Art Of Cooking recipe book and the Art Of Cooking CD is still running. Get yours now! Read more further down.
In this newsletter:
- September 2013 Recipes
- Food Safety Revisited
- Spring-clean Your Kitchen
- New Event: For The Boys
- New Product: Setta Kitchenware
- Introducing: The Lunchbox
- Cooking Parties For Kids
- Private Cooking Lessons In Your Own Kitchen
- Art Of Cooking Recipe Book & CD – Special Offer
- Cooking Up A Storm’s Services
Happy cooking!
Jeanri
Note: Please click on each heading to read the full post.
This month’s recipes are inspired by Spring and National Braai Day which will be celebrated in South Africa on the 24th of September. As usual, I’ve included a few recipes from Carolié’s popular Art Of Cooking Recipe Book.
After the success of my Cupcake Couture class for Moms and daughters, I thought it only fair to do one for Moms and sons as well. It will take place on Saturday 5 October from 14:00 to 16:30. The theme will be aeronautics, so you and your son(s) will have the opportunity to spend quality time together while “building” things than can fly!
New Product: Setta Kitchenware
Cooking Up A Storm is a stockist of the Setta range of kitchenware which consists of a selection of exquisite Japanese knives and beautifully designed cutting boards. Setta manufactures two types of cutting boards: bamboo and solid surfacing. My favourite is the solid surface board with the La Linea cartoon on it (photo above).
Whether you are cooking indoors or outdoors, don’t forget that food safety rules always apply! You want your family and friends to have memories of a good time at your last braai and not of ending up in hospital with food poisoning.
Winter is something of the past and your kitchen is probably in dire need of a good spring-cleaning. Below are a few tips of how this can be done in a few easy steps. Try to get into the habit of doing this exercise every 3 months. It will make a world of difference!
If you would like to book an “Ek het dit self gemaak/I made it myself!” cooking party for your child’s next birthday, please secure the date with me as soon as possible. Especially if you want it to take place on a Saturday!
Private Cooking Lessons In Your Own Kitchen
If planning meals and cooking for your family is driving you up the wall, and you would like to hand the responsibility over to your nanny or domestic worker, all you need to do is tell me when and where. You will not only empower your employee, you will have time on your hands to do other things! The lessons will take place in your own kitchen and are tailor-made to your preferences, i.e. your domestic worker will learn to make recipes that you love to eat!
Art Of Cooking Recipe Book & CD – Special Offer
Carolié de Koster’s Art Of Cooking recipe book consists of more than a 1000 recipes and is the most comprehensive cookery book in South Africa. Written by a renowned food consultant it offers everything for everyone’s needs – from the beginner and home cook to the career chef, caterer and trainer.
- Tailor-made private cooking lessons – in your own kitchen! For yourself, your kids, your domestic worker or nanny.
- Cookery demonstrations on a variety of topics (in your own house if you prefer!)
- Cooking classes and parties for kids in Afrikaans or English
- Hands-on cookery sessions for social or corporate events or staff training
- Recipe development
- Consulting to Guest Houses, coffee shops, etc.
- Motivational talks and individual consultations on healthy eating
- Weekly or monthly healthy meal plans with grocery lists for the busy cook
- Supplier of a variety of quality cooking utensils & equipment, e.g. Wizbake reusable baking sheets, silicone bakeware, etc.
- Kitchen accessory, bakeware and gadget demonstrations.
Happy cooking!
Jeanri