Slippery when wet : zero calorie Valentine's Day gifts and more...

Greetings everyone! Thank you so very much for all those inspiring comments on my previous post! I am indeed touched and have that "warm" feeling inside me when I hear that you also miss me when I am gone ha! ha! I had no idea. Well the feeling is very mutual! You are my support system!

I have been busy with Valentine's Day soap baskets and also a few baby showers ( all these moms- to- be are going to have boys!!! I had to work really hard during these past two weeks so that I could go skiing on the weekends! Let me tell you, I have been making soap in my sleep! These soaps have Goats milk, olive oil, shea and cocoa butters and essential oils.

A Recollection

I still remember the day, I wanted to attempt the art of saponification( soap making). I had the audacity to think that it was not that hard to do. Boy! was I mistaken! It can in fact be very laborious and dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I, for one, do not like to resort to an absurd hyperbole and discourage people from trying, by saying that it is so difficult, it will break your entrepreneurial spirit. All I am trying to convey here is that when you follow certain precautions, have a " mise en plus" work ethic and little bit of inspiration and patience, will your anticipated results turn out half way decent and not like crap! Hey, even if the result turns out to be a piece of crap, you will get over it and start afresh!

I would like to think that I am actually a soap diva ha! ha! especially since I spend so many hours making them. Let me tell you when I want "to turn down the volume and tune out annoyances," I turn to this satisfying hobby. It keeps me sane!

A message for my South African and Dutch friends:

Ek kan nog altyd onthou die dag toe ek wou leer hoe om seep te maak. Die vraag was hoe swaar was dit werklik? Wel, ek het my lekker misgis want verseping was nogal nie so maklik nie! Ek will ook nie oordryf en se dat dit te swaar is om te leer nie. Wees verseker my doel is nie om u te ontmoedig nie "Probeer is nogmals die beste geweer."
Voorsorg maatreels moet toegepas word en met geduld en n' bietjie inspirasie kan jy hierdie kuns vermeester en leer liefkry. Wees ook gereerd vir uitslagte wat sal misluk!
Verseping is n' stokperdjie wat ek terdee geniet en dit is ook n' wyse van inkomste vir my!





If you are looking for love, then two Cupids are
better than just one! Hope you have a swell
Valentine's day!

A Chanel#5 type of fragrance!




If Cupid can't do the job, then maybe these cupcakes will set that amorous tone!
Chocolate and mulberry fragrance ( cupcake swirl)
Click on this picture!





This "ball and claw tub" served the purpose of my
Valentine's gift baskets. A zero calorie cupcake while
soaking in the tub! What more does a girl want?
Seduction in the making!!! Work it girl! .........and boys?












Here I used a leather tool to "write" on the
soap. Click on the picture to see the words
more clearly.





One of my customers' wanted this pina colada fragrance
pineapple soap in the basket. Who am I to question?
Ask and you shall receive! I kinda dig this pina colada
fragrance!

]



"Its a boy" Yay!!!!!Soaps for the baby
showers!

Chocolate and vanilla fragrance ( cupcake swirl)






Banana and pineapple fragrance ( Finally a bug that I like!)





Platypus and duckies( baby powder fragrance)
Click on the picture !



Click here for older baby soaps

Please enjoy!
Nazarina A.

Grass-fed, organic beef cooked low and slow and fru-fru potatoes: It's what's best for dinner!!

Just like a steamy cup of Milo( malted cocoa) and that infamous ritual robe can evoke a fuzzy sense of security on a cold winter's night, so too, can a pot of beef cooked low and slow and not forgetting a crispy potato topping, capture that efficacious effect. Yes, patience is truly virtuous when adopting this mode of cooking. Intense rich gravies, juicy rumps and tender loins are but a few of the many rewards when" slaving over a hot stove." In this case your "pot runneth over" with flavor and goodness and who knows who will join you at the dinner table! I can assure you that even a raucous "obligate carnivore" ha! ha! or even a meat loving motor head for that matter will be on his/ her best behavior just to get a piece of this pie no matter how fru fru!

Here the cook will be graded if you will on this slow cooking method and the love put into the dish and not the intramuscular white fat content found in grain-fed beef which is all the rave with certain restaurateurs and others and frankly may very well be the cause of modern health concerns. For me the slogan"more fat, more flavor" which is revered by so many is far from the truth! I can assure you that you will achieve the same "ta da" with a minimal ingredient list and grass-fed organic beef because here the beef actually taste the way beef is supposed to taste!



A condensed translation for my Afrikaans and Dutch readers:

Net soos n' warme koppie Milo en n' rituaale kamerjas op n' koue wintersaand, so sal n' heerlike en stadige gekookte organiese biefstuk bredie jou troos. Hierdie stadige metode is n' beloning vir enigeiemand wat bereid is om die heeldag voor n' stoof te slaaf. Bo alle twyfel, hierdie ryk en lekker vleissous is waar jy sal gradeer word en die slagspreuk "meer vet meer geer" is nie rerig n' waarheid nie, nie vir my nie. In elk geval, vee wat gras vreet is meer gesond vir ons as vee wat graan vreet. Ten slotte, daar is talle ander bestaandele wat vir jou geer kan verseker maar vir my is liefde die vernaamste. As daar niks liefde is nie, hoef jy nie moeite maak nie.



Beef cooked low and slow in a rich gravy with crispy fru fru potatoes






The potato topping is crispy and has a hint of lemony spicy goodness.
As you bite into it, it just melts in your mouth! The beef is as tender
as can be and that rich gravy will have you singing for more!






This is also known as a "bredie" in South Africa. ( Snyboontjie bredie)

Slow cooked beef, fresh green beans and crispy star shaped potatoes over fragrant basmati rice and mustard seeds.




What are these? They are not what you think they are!




Stuffed with roasted and then pickled beets in a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce




These are actually pear-shaped potatoes ( made from mashed potatoes)







Please use organic ingredients when possible

• 2 big onions, thinly sliced
  
• 2 lbs organic grass-fed stewing beef, cut into cubes, washed and drained in a colander
  
• olive oil
• 1 whole ball garlic pounded
• roasted bell pepper seeds
• 1-2 dried red chilies
  
• about 5 big potatoes( I made fancy cutouts, but you can just peel and slice thick rounds)
• some crack black
  
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• lemon pepper ( I make the lemon part from scratch, will show in another post)
  
• kosher salt
  

Saute the onions and the garlic in 2 T olive oil until caramelized. This has to be really golden in color but not burnt. Add the beef, roasted bell pepper seeds, chilies and kosher salt and then cook until the meat is tender( about 2 hrs). Keep stirring and add water if the meat looks like it is going to burn. The meat has to reach a deep golden color. Then add the balsamic and a few turns of crack black and cook for 5 more mins more , making sure that there is enough water for the rich gravy to develop. turn off the hot plate and leave to cool. While the meat is cooking, peel the potatoes and slice into thick rounds or cut with a cookie cutter for the fancy shapes. Boil the potatoes until just tender with a little kosher salt and then drain.
Grease a casserole dish with olive oil, spoon the beef mixture into the dish and pack the potato slices on top. Brush the potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with lemon pepper and bell pepper seeds and bake in a 375 degree convection oven for a further 20 mins or until the tops of the potatoes are golden.



For the green bean version:
Follow the same procedure as for the cubed beef casserole but add the green beans to the cubed beef mixture in the pot and cook further until tender( another 20 mins). Bake the star shaped potatoes in the oven, with olive oil and the lemon pepper and bell pepper seeds until crispy 375 degrees for 25 mins and then just place on top of the meat and green bean mixture when you are ready to serve.


Pear- shaped baked potatoes:

• 1 lb floury potatoes
• 1 egg plus an egg yolk
• 3 oz grated Parmesan
• 3 T fresh chopped cilantro
  
• some bell pepper seeds
• some raw spaghetti to represent a stalk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1T grated Parmesan
• 1 extra beaten egg
• some panko
• some flour

Peel and cook the potatoes until tender 7 mins. Do not forget to salt the water with a little kosher salt. Drain and mash thoroughly. While the mashed potato is still hot, gingerly add the all the beaten eggs, 3oz Parmesan, bell pepper seeds and the cilantro. Divide into 12 portions on a tray and refrigerate for an hour. Flatten each portion on the palm of the hand, place one teaspoon of the beets in the center and then close this filling tightly.
Shape these portions into a pear shapes , dust with flour, dip in the beaten egg and then the panko, stick a small piece of spaghetti into the potato for the stalk and refrigerate for another 30 mins.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake in a pre-heated 375 oven until golden( about 25 mins.)



Creamy Parmesan sauce:

Cook the cream and the, 3 cloves of chopped garlic until reduced down just a little and then add the Parmesan and cook until creamy about 10 mins. Spoon over the baked pear shaped potatoes.



Pickled beets

• 1 jar organic small dice beets/ or you can roast 2 in the oven
  
• chopped green chili
• 2 chopped shallots
• 1 T balsamic
• 3 T rice vinegar

Prepare the beets by draining all the red liquid and add to the chopped shallots and the green chili. Add the vinegars and a little kosher salt and set aside.


I never make all these dishes on one day. One dish per day!


Please enjoy!
Nazarina A.

Chicago Sun-Times

South Florida vacation

I trust that all my blogger friends had a joyous Holiday season and a very grand new year! I am back and ready to dazzle you( or not ha! ha!) with my culinary creations but first I share with you, my vacation in South Florida!

South Florida could very well be a playground for sun seekers, especially if one wants to escape the snow and the cold, even for just a little while. Unwinding and having fun comes to mind and is this not ultimately the premise of a vacation?

While this destination boasts the sun, surf and clubbing in South Beach ( mind you activities of which we did and enjoyed), it was actually an exhilarating helicopter ride that was the highlight of our vacation this time! At times it was pretty unnerving, flying over tall buildings because the airflow can become turbulent and cause the helicopter to "sway "from side to side. This did make me a little giddy! The view from the helicopter into the blue ocean was spectacular and I swore I saw a shark but quickly dismissed the thought for fear of trusting my vivid imagination which can be quite overactive during extreme bouts of fear coupled with pleasure.

Miami to me is the gateway to South America and most of all, Cuba. There is a jamboree of nationalities that screams warmth and good times and they have this profound naivete' ( I mean no disrespect!) that South Florida is the best place to live. I, on the other hand, love the mountains, skiing and the four seasons.




En route to the Florida Keys















Flying over West Palm Beach












Even though, I had fun with my family and friends in South Florida, I missed my home in Colorado. Some would exclaim that I am the one being delusional, preferring an icy Tundra above a tropical paradise. Why shovel and scrape snow when you could bask in the lap of the sun and the surf! I say, "home is where you hang your hat" and Colorado surely for me is where I lay my head!!!

This is the sun room in the front part of my home







Scraping the snow from our truck, comes with the territory!


You decide! Where would you rather live in Colorado or in Florida?

Nazarina A

Inedible Holiday musings.....drinks and a whole lot more!

Please read this poignant report, concerning dogs on Jo's site!!!!!!! It is a must read!!!!!!!!!


On a much more lighter note, here's wishing everyone happy holidays !!! I hope only for peace and that all your wishes be granted! I am taking a little break from blogging, but hope to "see" you in the new year, God willing!
I lied, my only other wish is that there be more than 24 hours in a day for all my unfinished projects!!! I just cannot seem to cope this year!!! I shall however visit all of you when I am in need of beautiful cuisine and company!!!
I leave for now with a few of my inedible creations. These will however complement the dinner table and powder room!


I made so many of these this past week....enough to light up all of Denver ha! ha! People love to put these lemontini candles on their bar. They have a refreshing lemon scent.





Happy Hanukkah! (vanilla soap)







Kitchen flavors is hosting a "Food in colors"......white event where the end result has to be white. Click on the logo below for further details and join in, it is fun ! She wants a dish really but all I could come up with, were this candle, soaps and a napkin fold. Even though they are all inedible, they sure smell good!





Candy cane tini candle ( Moroccan mint) (Merry Christmas!)




Candy cane soap.( smells like spearmint )




White and dark chocolate soap.(smells like chocolate!)




My dinner jacket fold with a" shirt & tie" made from fondant. This "shirt and tie" is the only edible piece in this post but I still advise people not to eat it, it is just for the presentation.


Nazarina A

Its Yule time you'll !!!!....Coconut cream and chocolate striped cheesecake.

Here's wishing everyone a peaceful and joyful Eid!!!!! I thank God that I have met you all!!!!!

I also wish everyone a merry Christmas and just happy Holidays! Please guys do take care of St Nick by making him your lovely yummies! Remember he has to travel far and wide!!!!!! LOL!


This seductive cheesecake will have the "jolly fat man" fire up his sleigh and head on over to my house in a jiffy LOL! This Christmassy delight with its sassy stripes hit the jingle bell jackpot and will have anyone dance to the tune of yule time rock!


Look at the inside of this beauty!






It has a Mcvites digestive wheat cookie crust, mascarpone,
coconut cream, chocolate and very little cream cheese.





Adorned with cranberries and a sugared rosemary garland,
this yummy delight will have you ready for any Holiday
action, whatever it may be! Just brush the rosemary with
warmed agave nectar and lightly roll in organic sugar.





My home made cranberry preserves has a haunting
crimson color but these antioxidant little jewels scores big
in taste, nutritional value and presentation alongside this
luscious dessert. No nightmares here, only sweet dreams!
Pure "pucker - up" delight!





A sprinkle of orange powder!





This " orange haze" my dear friends, is one of the many
projects that I am currently busy with. I am on a mission
to develop my own organic natural food colors with their
respective flavors to match and have already developed
several other colors as well. Stay tuned to future posts,
you might just like what I have to offer!



Recipes: See also other cheesecakes

Please use organic ingredients when possible! I have developed my very own recipe because I do not like the idea of too much cream cheese. Also place a separate pan of hot water on the bottom rack just under the spring form pan, this will keep the medium somewhat humid and moist and will prevent unnecessary cracking of the cheesecake. This is another thing I try to avoid and that is baking the cheesecake in a water bath. Set your oven on 325 degrees!

Coconut cream and chocolate striped cheesecake. This is for a 10 inch spring form pan

Crust:

• 4 cups crushed Mcvites digestive wheat cookies ( A British product). About 1 and a half packages
  
• 1 stick unsalted European butter
• 1 t ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoons cardamom, cinnamon
• 1/4 cup almonds ( Roasted)
• 1/4 c roasted dessicated coconut. ( coconut powder)
  

Process the cookies and almonds in a food processor, mix in the spices and also roasted coconut, melt the butter and incorporate into this mixture. Grease the pan, place a round piece of parchment on the bottom of the pan and then press this cookie mixture firmly over the base and up the sides to form a shell. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.


filling:

• 8 oz mascarpone ( Rm temp)
  
• 6oz coconut cream. ( It has to be cream and not milk!)
• 8 oz cream cheese (Rm temp)
  
• 4 Egglands best eggs ( Rm temp)
  
• 1T vanilla extract ( The one from Santo Domingo is really good!)
• 2t coconut extract
• 2/3 c organic superfine sugar
  
• 6 oz of melted dark Valrhona chocolate
• 1/4 c H2o

Beat all the cheeses and then add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Add all the extracts and beat for another minute. Add all the eggs at once and beat until incorporated. DO NOT OVER BEAT! I found out that if you over beat, you incorporate more volume into the batter, and this expands in the oven and later "deflates" and causes the cheesecake to crack really badly. Much worse can happen to the makings of a cheesecake here in Colorado (5280 ft above sea level). Ha! ha!
Divide this mixture and fold in the melted chocolate and the water into the one half. So now you have a white batter and a chocolate batter. Spoon a cup of the white mixture on the bottom of the crust and tilt the pan so that it covers the bottom. Now take a cup of the chocolate mixture and pour into one steady motion in the middle of the white mixture. This motion will spread the chocolate mixture outwards. Continue with a cup of white mixture on top and in the middle of this chocolate mixture and so forth..... and so forth until you have no more batters. At this point you will be able to see very distinct white and chocolate circles. Place in the preheated oven on a sheet pan and bake for about 45-55 mins. Also cover with aluminum for the first 30 mins. of baking time. Turn up the oven to 350 degrees for the rest of the baking time and remove aluminum foil. When done, turn off oven and leave the cake in the oven to cool with the oven door ajar. You have to refrigerate this cheesecake overnight and decorate with more melted chocolate on the top, like my picture that is of course if you love chocolate the way I do!

Cranberry preserves ( simmered in Cran raspberry Ocean Spray juice)

Boil a package of cranberries with 2T organic sugar crystals and a half of a package of "Kojel" in about 2 cups of cran raspberry Ocean Spray juice( this juice is amazingly not sweet at all like other juices), the juice of a fresh orange, teaspoon of vanilla and a stick cinnamon until a rolling boil and then simmer for another 2 mins. You do not want the cranberries to be mushy! Sprinkle with some orange powder or orange zest. I shall divulge the recipe for the natural food colors later!

Please enjoy and e-mail me if you have questions!
Nazarina.


Chefs.com

Holiday cookies: Celtic shortbread galore and a whole lot more.....!

It feels like I have not been blogging for the longest time! Yep, the Holidays are certainly my busiest period for my crafts and culinary delights and deadlines have to be met! You guys have become my family in the blogosphere and I do miss you all so terribly when I do not communicate with you on a regular basis. May you only have joy and peace during the Holidays and may all your wishes come true! God bless!!!

Celtic Designer shortbread ( Made in a mold) I made this design with all my Irish friends in mind but it is to be enjoyed by all in kind!!!

This shortbread is a far cry from the boxed version! When you bite into my homemade version, the "crumb" simply melts on your tongue. This shortbread offers absolutely no resistance to your taste buds! A shortbread connoisseur knows just by looking at this cookie that there will be no "snap" here just a soft crunch and then ahhhh...... complete and utter meltdown! This buttery cookie is made of the most superior ingredients and they may just make you dance an Irish jig . Ha! ha!
Please see my Grandmother's recipe below! I owe Her and my Mother a great debt of gratitude for this innate culinary and crafty artistry I possess! I have an insatiable quest to adapt all my Grandmother's recipes to above 5280 ft above sea level here in Colorado!! Believe me this altitude is a force to be reckoned with and I want nothing less than that same superior quality that she demanded!

Click on pictures! Rich buttery shortbread




A little dip in chocolate heaven!





Click here for recipe "Ginger choc crust cookies with eggnog shots"
Another one of my Grandmother's favorite Holiday cookies. One has to use roasted dessicated coconut in this cookie. See the eggnog recipe below if you prefer a homemade one.




Click here for recipe " Aero peppermint cookie"
This was my favorite chocolate bar when I was growing up in South Africa. Now I have made it into a cookie! This cookie has matcha powder in it and exudes an air of Christmas spirit because of the peppermint extract.




Holiday cookies 2007! Last year I taught a bunch of little children to make cookies for their trees. Their parents approached me again this year, but I said that I was busy! Oh come on!, I am really snowed under!!!


"Gingerbros"( This is what my nephew calls it and may I add that this gingerbread is not hard like some gingerbread tend to get if they should sit for a day!! It has a light crisp and a delightful chew! I shall have to post this recipe another time or e-mail me if you guys are really interested in this gingerbread). I use golden syrup in this cookie, a British product!


Edible shortbread cookie ornaments ( stained glass and royal icing)










Holiday cookies of 2006! ( My first attempt at the edible Christmas ornaments ha! ha!



Recipes

Celtic shortbread plain:

Organic ingredients an absolute must!

• 4 oz European butter ( rm. temp). During the winter months in Denver, the butter is still cold and a little hard even though it was left out of the refrigerator for 3 hours)
  
• 1T rice flour
• 1\3 c powdered sugar
• 1 c McArthurs unbleached all purpose flour, minus 2 tablespoons
• 1 T organic corn starch

Please double the amounts! Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl ( do not sift) and then rub the butter into this flour mixture until it resembles little pebbles. Press the dough together firmly and then knead into a smooth shiny ball. If you do not have molds, then just press into round cake pans( 7 inch well greased), prick with a fork all over and bake in a 325 degree oven for about 45- to 55 mins until golden. Cut into wedges if using a round cake pan or you could use an 11 inch x 7 inch rectangular pan and cut into squares. The idea for this shortbread is to have thick bar- like shapes!

Ginger and cardamom shortbread

• 1 stick European butter( rm. temp)
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 2t ground ginger
• 1/4 t cardamom
• 1 c all purpose McArthur's flour minus 2 T
• 1 T rice flour
• 1 T cornstarch

Mix the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar, ginger and cardamom and mix well until smooth and creamy . Add the unsifted flours and incorporate and then knead into a smooth ball. Follow the same baking instructions as for the Celtic shortbread !

Chocolate shortbread

• 4 oz European butter
• 1/2 c powdered sugar
• 1 t good vanilla extract
• 1 c flour minus 2T
• 1 T rice flour
• 1 T cornstarch
• 11/2 T Dutch cocoa powder.

Follow the same instructions as above.

Homemade virgin eggnog ( I do temper the eggs!) Then again if I do not want to make it from scratch, I rely on the Borden for the canned or just a good organic refrigerated brand. I must confess that the freshly made version does have that extra creamy taste!

• 3 Egglands best eggs
• 1 T organic turbinado sugar
  
• 3 and a half cups organic milk
• some nutmeg
• 1 c organic softly whipped heavy cream
• 11/2 c melted New york vanilla ice cream
• some imitation rum extract( I do not use liquor)
  
• 1 T of deep vanilla( the one from Santo Domingo rocks!!!)
  

Separate the eggs and place only the yolks in a bain marie( water bath) and whisk with the sugar until frothy about 15 mins over medium heat. Save the whites for another time and another use. Take off the heat and let cool and then add the milk, flavorings and spice and whisk vigorously. When this mixture is really cool to the touch, transfer to a pretty punch bowl and then whisk in the melted ice cream. Gingerly whisk in half of the cream and last but not least "float" cannelles of the remainder of the whipping cream on top!

This eggnog will knock your socks off! It is a good thing Christmas only comes once a year!

An award ( Click on the "Superior scribbler award") , it should transport you to its birthplace for all the rules of this prestigious award!!!

This outstanding "Superior Scribbler Award" was given to me by REENI. ( Queen of American comfort cuisine) Thank you so much! I do scribble and doodle all the time but this is exactly where great creativity is born LOL! So, off it goes to:


http://kitchenflavours.blogspot.com/
http://literallyinthemoment.blogspot.com/
http://yasmeen-healthnut.blogspot.com/
http://inmymind-ncfoodie.blogspot.com/
http://chitra-ammas-kitchen.blogspot.com/

Please enjoy!
Nazarina A