Lifestyle
Domestic Goddesses provides a holistic life style management service. We strive to assist you in creating a harmonious well balanced life though healthy eating habits, movements, home management, home décor and refurbishments.
We will consult with you about all your personal health and home needs and set out a program to relieve the stress of the admin responsibilities of creating a home environment that gives you respite from the stresses of living a highly functioning life.
Greek salad my way
So I mentioned that I have been trying (mostly) to keep the menu very healthy, fresh, raw and light. Salads have been a focal point as the whole family loves them and so do I. It has been fun tweaking some of my old favorites using the locally available ingredients and also trying some recipes which my bosses wife has been sharing with me.
I loved the way this Greek salad turned out. The look of it really appeals to me. Naturally there isn’t a recipe as I am not cooking with my note pad and measuring equipment around me, while on this job. But I will try to explain some of the steps which I felt made this salad such a success.
How you cut up the veggies which form the body of the salad is vital if you want it to look great. The way I like to handle the veggies is as follows. Look at the photo of the salad to see what I am trying to describe if it is not clear.
Cucumber – cut the cucumber in half length-ways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Try to create an even semi circle when doing this so that when you slice it each slice looks perfect. Then cut the top and bottom off and slice the cucumber into 1/2cm slices.
Tomatoes – if using big tomatoes slice them into quarters and with a paring knife remove the seeds leaving only the flesh. Then slice that in half length-ways creating little crescents. Removing the seeds also prevents the salad drawing too much water.
Peppers – choosing the right colour here is important as your cucumber is green and your tomatoes are red so I would go for a yellow or orange pepper to keep the colours vibrant. I would try to cut this into pieces around the same size as the cucumber and tomatoes. I usually cut the top and bottom of the pepper off leaving me with the straight sides of the pepper. Then I cut that up into manageable pieces and slice that into 1/2cm wide sticks.
Onion – I like to use red onion for the colour and I cut the onion in half length-ways cut off the top and bottom and slice up the onion into 1/4cm slices creating half moon shaped slices. I pour boiling water from the kettle over them, to remove the sharp taste and then rinse them in cold water.
The rest were ingredients I found in the fridge (ie – I hadn’t bought them myself). The feta came in blocks pre marinated in herbs and olive oil. The olives were from what looked like a Turkish mix with various types of olives and some kind of bean too. I used the oil from the marinade to drizzle over the salad as it looked particularly well spiced. I had fresh thyme, basil and oregano at hand so I decided to use them all. I topped this off with a light grating of lemon zest, a drizzle of lemon juice and rose peppercorns which are light, crispy and sweet with a lovely peppery zing.
The family and their guests loved the meal. I served the salad with a home baked quiche, fresh bread and a platter of smoked salmon with horseradish and capers.
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In Norway when you buy fresh herbs at the supermarket, you buy the whole plant. I just love this concept. It keeps the herbs fresh while you use them and decorates the kitchen at the same time. |
Nor fricken way, man!
Arriving in Oslo after the chaotic Cote d’Azur was a true breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. France is swelteringly hot at the moment and by comparison dirty and hostile. My last day in France was totally chaotic and almost catastrophic as the officials in the airport made our lives hell, in French. After my boss made a phone call to the owner of the airline (god bless contacts), we finally managed to get hurried onto the, by now, very delayed plane but our luggage was then lost. I am sure the disgruntled ground staff played no small part in this happening.
Arriving in Oslo airport was the complete opposite of our experience at Nice Airport. The staff were friendly and efficient and without much delay, our bags were returned to our doorstep.
Now back to the air again. The air here is fresh and cool. The water from the tap tastes like the best mineral water. Strangers smile and greet you. People are honest and caring and almost everyone speaks fluent English. Those who don’t, still try to be as accommodating as possible. I feel safe and welcome here.
I spent two days on a peninsula in Oslo called Bøgday before leaving to a small privately owned island just off of a town called Tjøme. The house here had been closed all winter so I came with a team of workmen to get the house and gardens ready for the family to spend the summer.
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View from the terrace. |
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View over the water |
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View over the fjord from the hill top
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The island is a paradise. Remote without feeling isolated. Perfectly groomed and cared for property but surrounded by unspoiled nature. The house is simple but tasteful and all the modcons one needs to lively comfortably. All except internet… horror… I have been offline for three weeks! I am only able to post this blog because we will be back in Oslo at the end of the week and I am writing in anticipation of being back on the grid! Can’t wait!!!
Now over to the food. The food has been fabulous. One of the main reasons I decided to join this family in Norway for the summer is because my boss is a doctor of nutrition and his wife is hugely into healthy living and eating. We have had a fabulous balance of healthy and decadent. There have been guests most of the time we have been here so we have been trying to keep the menus healthy but have thrown in a few treats and celebratory dishes.
My bosses wife and I seem to have a very similar palate and have enjoyed sharing recipes and chatting endlessly about ingredients, recipes and food experiences. We have been working with as many fresh raw meals as possible, keeping things as sugar, gluten and dairy free as we can too.
The one noteworthy exception was a special request from the kids of a New Yorkan family who wanted pancakes (what we would call crumpets or flapjacks).
I have blogged about these before but this time I think I have perfected the recipe. I have made them a few more times since then, as the kids here keep requesting them.
The recipe is simple with the main version coming in the method. The whites of the eggs are separated and the whites are whipped until stiff and folded into the remaining mixture. This adds the lightness which I seemed to have been missing before.
The Americans ate their pancakes with maple syrup, the Norwegians with raspberry jam and crème fraiche and I had them the way I always do, with butter and honey, just the way my granny taught me. Heaven!
American Pancakes (Crumpets as my Granny called them)
Makes about 20 medium sized pancakes
3 large eggs, separated
125g of plain flour
1 ¼ tsp of baking powder
150ml of milk
2 Tbsp of castor sugar
½ tsp of vanilla essence or equivalent vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Into a small mixing bowl separate the egg whites. Add the yellows into a medium sized mixing bowl. With an electric cake mixer whip the whites until stiff.
Add the remaining ingredients to the yellows and whip with the cake mixer until pale and creamy. With a spatula or wooden spoon gently fold the egg whites into the mixture being careful to keep the air in the mixture. If you are unsure about this take a look at this youtube link.
Heat a large non stick frying pan. Add a little oil if needed but if the quality of the non stick is still good you should not need to add oil. Gently drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the pan. Flip them once you see largish bubbles appear in the mixture. The bubbles should not be breaking but just appearing before you flip the pancakes. They should be golden in colour.
It is best to gather your guests around the stove for the pancakes to be eaten as soon as they come out the pan. But if this is not possible keep them warm and serve them as soon after preparation as possible.
Each person has their own favourite way of topping pancakes. It is best to have a few alternatives of jams, honey, nutella, berries, cinnamon etc. and let your guests decide how they would like them.
The traditional American way of having a stack of large pancakes eaten with a knife and fork doesn’t appeal to me at all. But this is totally up to you. I was raised with hand eaten honey and butter dripping crumpets and this still makes me very happy.
God bless my housekeeper Phiwe!
Five weeks of living and working in Europe has been a lesson in gratitude on so many fronts. Gratitude for my amazing husband, family and friends who fill my life with so much joy. Gratitude for being able to speak English in South Africa. I am finally understating how frustrating life must be for the millions of people in South Africa for whom English is not a mother tongue.
And today I am especially grateful for my fabulous, caring, loving housekeeper, Phiwe, who is not just my housekeeper but also my friend. In Europe house-help is a luxury afforded to only the wealthiest few. Most people have to manage their cooking, cleaning and laundry on top of their job, kids and social life… I feel like I never stop cleaning. In my work and at home. It’s non stop.
So my message for today is – be so very very grateful to the people who help you at home and at work. To those people who move so quietly through our lives making things clean, fresh and tidy around us and at such a low cost that most of us middle class South Africans can afford it.
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My housekeeper Phiwe on the right and Nomiki, one of the ladies I’ve taught to cook, on the left.
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A very good day!
It is the last of my days in France for the next two months, as I head off to Norway this week. The owner of the yacht has asked me to come with them for the summer and I thought that was quite an interesting turn of events. Norway has never been on my top 10 places to visit, but now that I have researched it a bit further it seems like a phenomenal place and I am excited about this adventure.
So, aside from working on the boat, I have been able to enjoy quite a bit of Antibes life. Meeting new friends and spending time with my nephew. I have been on the beach quite a lot too which is amazing for me. The sun is so much milder, a fair skinned lass like me can really enjoy the beach here. The swimming is also such a unique experience for me, coming from our wild and dangerous oceans. The calm, clear, warm Mediterranean water is so tranquil and relaxing.
On Saturday a group of us gathered on the beach to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I took a few pictures which I feel sum up the day. It was a good day!
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Cheese platter care of Rob, styling care of me! |
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Luke and Anna relaxing in the sun. |
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The birthday girl, Ashley and moi. |
Thank you Elle Magazine!
My apologies for my long silence. My time is not really my own at the moment and as much as I would like to take pictures of the food I am cooking, it just doesn’t seem right to say to the guests on board, “hold it, I just need to take some pictures first…”. In the time I have had free, I have not really been in the mood for cooking. So in short I don’t have very much to write about right now.
BUT… before I left Cape Town a few months ago, I was asked by Elle magazine to contribute to a piece they were wanting to run about six food bloggers they think highly of. This is a huge huge honor for me, as the bloggers I was chosen to contribute with are the real deal. Fabulously talented Chefs, food stylists and photographers and then there’s little old me, just telling my story day by day.
I didn’t have much time to get the story together as I was insanely busy at the time and had to leave for France within days. But the dish I did choose to contribute is such a winner. The article has been released now and can be found in the July issue of Elle Magazine South Africa. I have sadly not been able to see it yet (being on the other side of the plant and all). But I do, of course, have the original pictures and recipe here.
Lemon and thyme chicken casserole
Serves 4 – 6
2 small ripe lemons
2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 Tbsp of smooth Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp of peach chutney
1 Tbsp of fresh thyme leaves (1 ½ tsp of dried thyme)
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp of fresh ground black pepper
8 chicken pieces, 4 legs and 4 thighs with the skin on
6 small potatoes, well washed with skins on and quartered lengthways
6 shallots (or 4 small onions), with skins on, halved or quartered
1 whole bulb of garlic, cut in half across the width with skin still on
Extra salt, pepper and fresh thyme for seasoning
Preheat your oven to 160˚C and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
In a casserole dish (large enough to hold all of your ingredients) add the marinade ingredients. Halve the lemons and squeeze them by hand into the dish, picking out any pips. Place the squeezed out lemon in the dish (they will give off a great aroma while baking). Add the oil, mustard, chutney, thyme, salt and pepper to the lemon juice and mix this up to combine. Add your chicken pieces and swish them around the dish to cover them with the sauce. Leave them skin side up for baking.
To the dish add the potatoes also covering them with the sauce. Add the shallots and the bulb of garlic slightly broken up. Arrange the ingredients so that they look attractive and with the skin of the chicken uncovered for better roasting.
Season the dish with extra salt and freshly ground black pepper and scatter it with extra fresh thyme sprigs. Bake this for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the chicken and potatoes are tender. If they have not got enough colour, you can turn up the grill for a few minutes until the chicken is golden brown.
Serve with fine green beans, lightly steamed until bright green in colour and still firm. Toss them with butter, a little salt and flaked almonds.
Spicy coconut chicken and veg soup
Today the mistral was blowing even harder than it has the last few days and all my ideas of going for a leisurely wander down to the old part of Antibes to the famous food market there were blown away with the wind.
Facebook and twitter are full of a constant stream of my fellow South Africans complaining about the cold weather. So whether in sympathy with my cold loved ones back home or just because I love soup no matter what the weather I made soup today.
It is such an easy and oh so rewarding recipe and sure to warm the cockles of your heart no matter where in the world you are.
PS – See the packet of butter in the bottom right corner of the photo – this is my new favorite thing in the whole world – it’s salted butter (awesome quality butter) with added sea salt crystals laced through it. It is heaven!
Spicy coconut chicken and veg soup
Serves 6
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 small chilli, finely chopped (or to taste)
2 tsp of hot and sour tom yum soup paste (or to taste)
1 litre of good chicken stock
400g tin of coconut milk
1 tsp of lemon zest, finely grated
Juice of a small lemon
200g of chicken breast or deboned thigh, cut into small pieces
2 medium carrots, diced into small pieces
200g of frozen sweetcorn
½ a red pepper, cut into small squares
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp of roughly chopped coriander, for serving
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil for a few minutes. Add the ginger, chilli and tom yum paste and fry for a minute. Add the stock, coconut milk, lemon zest, juice and carrots and simmer until the carrots are tender. Add the chicken, sweet corn and red pepper and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper if needed.
Serve with fresh coriander to garnish.
When it’s overcast and windy.
On Sunday a mistral started blowing across the Cote d’Azur so our intended beach day was now out of the question. So we decided to drive up into the mountains for a picnic instead. We found a sheltered spot on a field full of summer flowers, with a great view over the coast.
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Katie had packed us a superb picnic which we washed down with a chilled bottle of Louis Roederer Champagne. |
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I ended up taking so many pictures of flowers – but I have spared you and only posted a few… |
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We stopped in at a little village called Gourdon on the way back for coffee and something sweet. You can see the wind lashing through here! |
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Now that’s a sweet shop for you! |
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It’s so perfect, I almost felt like I was at Monte Casino in Joburg! |
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We decided on this cafe with a gorgeous view over the Riviera. |
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Katie and I both ordered a mini dessert platter. I almost platzed it was so good! |
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I promised not too many pictures of flowers, but these little posies were growing out of cracks all over. Just too gorgeous for words! |
Baking with the boys
Two weeks ago I had my nephews over to stay for the weekend. I find it pretty difficult to relate to boy children. I’m a girly girl and I don’t like sports, shooting, racing, rough play, teasing, silly buggers and all the stuff little boys seem to like. Luckily I have discovered that baking seems to be the universal leveler and without exception I do not know any child without a sweet tooth. So, cup cakes it was!
We walked down to the store to buy ingredients. Basic stuff – castor sugar, vanilla essence, cup cake papers. Who would have known that the cup cake phenomenon has not hit the french main stream yet! There were no cup cake papers to be bought. Luckily I found these little box things which worked fantastically, especially since I was baking with boys. Brown paper boxes just would not have cut it with my nieces. But for the boys these were perfect!
The next hurdle was mini sweets. I like decorating cup cakes not with hard tasteless balls and sprinkles but with mini sweets, easily available in all manner of shapes, colours and flavours in South Africa. This led to me getting suckered into buying a massive tub of sweets which seemed to be the only source of smallish colourful ones available in the entire isle.
Needless to say, the exercise ended up being a roaring success. So much so that all the cupcakes were devoured that night and we had to bake some more in a hurry the next morning as a mother’s day gift (the French mother’s day) for the boys mom.
I ended up going with the family to a trout lake in the hills behind Antibes for some fishing and a picnic that day. Even though the fish weren’t biting the scenery and the picnic were a joy!
Vanilla cup cakes
Makes about 8 medium cup cakes
125g of butter (room temperature)
½ a cup of castor sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp whole milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of baking powder
1 cup of cake flour (sifted)
1 pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 180C˚ and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
With a cake mixer, blend together the butter and castor sugar until light and creamy. Add to this the eggs, vanilla and milk and blend to combine. Add the cake flour, baking powder and salt and blend until smooth.
Place your cup cake papers into the holes of a muffin tin. Spoon the mixture into the cup cake moulds until ¾ full. Flatten the mixture with the back of spoon.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden and springy. Allow them to cool before decorating.
I like to use nutella or caramel to ice my cupcakes and then decorate them with mini sweets.
Everything just tastes better here!
I feel like a traitor saying the words, but – everything just tastes better on the Cote d’Azur. Now this might be because it is all so sparkly and new to me or because the Mediterranean sun and sea air is clouding my judgement. Or it may just be because they have access to the very best of everything here and have the discernment to expect and demand the best, at affordable prices.
Now my experiences here have been limited. Limited by the fact that I have been working most of the time and limited by the fact that I’ve been spending time with pretty health conscious people. But what I have been loving is the simplicity of the eating style. Simple dishes with few ingredients and a true celebration of the quality of the individual ingredients.
I have lost 2kgs in three weeks and all I have been doing is cooking, shopping and eating. The portions are smaller and with ingredients that shine, you don’t need to smother everything in sauces and spices. Viva the Mediterranean diet!
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The view from the kitchen at the flat. |
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The view from the yacht |
Seafood braai with old friends!
For those of you who know me by now, you will know that braai’s (BBQ) and Shellfish individually are not my favorite things. Put them together and they send a shiver down my spine. Well, a few days ago I was invited to one such occasion.
The braai was hosted at the home of one of my brother’s oldest friends, who has been tormenting me since I was a little girl. I am happy to say that age has mellowed him. No wedgies, bra strap snaps or teasing at all! Phew.
My brother arrived at the braai loaded with masses of oysters, lobsters, giant and normal prawns. It was a feast (for the eyes, for me)! With Bec and Katie both being Chefs (and me knowing my way round a kitchen too) we were in safe hands. I wouldn’t starve.
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The salads I made safely waiting on the table, for the lobster and giant prawns to be ready for the braai. |
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Platter of oysters ready for slurping! I had two. I quite like oysters. |
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Captain happiness! |
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Garlic and herb butter, some sizzling smoky heat and voila! |
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Spicy prawns flipping in the pan! |
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The first guests to the table couldn’t hold back! |
I tasted everything and the flavoring and cooking were perfect! I’m just simply not a shellfish fan. I did however really enjoy the little spicy prawns. I had two. My salads did the trick for me. A platter of Lamingtons and chocolates rounded of the meal perfectly!
