Life is a Book with Many Chapters

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It is Monday morning and our seniors started with their final exams today. Yes, in Namibia our school year runs with the calendar year and our kids finish their year in December to start a new school grade in January. With Covid -19 and the pandemic that also reached us here in the southwest of Africa, there was a time when our seniors were to only write their finals in 2021.

But thankfully, with prayerful faith, meetings with top officials and hours of negotiating, our seniors could walk into the school hall today to write their Cambridge final exams and close this chapter named ‘school’. I stand in awe at how quickly this crazy but delightful season of school runs, lunch boxes and sport days went by for me as the mother of a bright beautiful young girl..

Our lives are all about chapters and seasons. 2020 may be a year for many of us where we wish we could skip some chapters, skip to THE END. As we flip through the pages of our life, and especially this year, we live through an array of emotions, actions, and circumstances. We had our ups and downs. We laughed,we cried,we won,we lost,we faltered and we grew stronger…in ourselves and in our faith.

Yes, every day adds a new page to our overall journey. Every day offers a new beginning. A chance to act, to live attentively. To start over. To try again to make something beautiful of this journey called life.

The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.”

George Bernard Shaw

The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season.” It also tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time.” I love these scriptures, as it encourages me that seasons change and that God is working in my life and the lives of my too-quick-growing children. I can keep the faith and live expectantly! For God is the author of my (and their) life.

So in the next few weeks, we as a family are in the chapter or season called FINALS. Long days of studying, encouraging, late nights, cookies and milk, supporting, praying, biting nails, coffee on the porch, tears, giggles, hugs and chocolate. Lots of chocolate! We have already finished a batch of the most delectable Rocky Roads… and this is day one!

Whoever came up with the idea for Rocky Roads was a genius. It requires no baking, contains lots of yummy ingredients and no one expects it to look picture perfect! It is a family favorite, especially during the exams. This is a no bake cookie recipe that doesn’t require the oven, so it’s super quick and easy to make. Child‘s play! Perfect to keep a batch on hand to serve friends as they pop over and spread some holiday cheer.

The problem will be keeping your family away from it long enough to actually serve to guests! I know my pan has already been devoured and they are waiting for a refill! And we are not even close to vacation time or Christmas! Maybe it is because of exam nerves? ( Mum included!).

While Rocky Roads are the perfect easy treat to put out any time and during any season of year, it also makes for an amazing homemade holiday treat! A great homemade gift for all the teachers,coaches, friends and family over this festive season.

I love to add cranberries and flaked almonds or pistachios for a Christmas touch and then box it with a big Christmas bow! Use your imagination and add dried fruits, candied cherries, Turkish delight, Maltezer chocolate balls, white chocolate, hazelnuts, raisins, choc chips or anything you may have on hand in your pantry. This is your story, your own take on Rocky Roads.

So whatever season you find yourself in, or whatever chapter of your life story you are writing, or if you just want to reach THE END of 2020, there should be a special mention of these fudgy, chewy, and crunchy textured Rocky Road cookies. You will find this a scrumptious, indulgent and easy-to-make Rocky Road recipe. Perfect for the holiday season ( and exam chapter) and so super easy and simple to make. It will bring a huge happy smile to your face and give you the spring in your step you need for the next few weeks. Recipe on page 2.

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Nothing brings people together like good food.

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I really love to cook and bake, plan and prepare for special celebrations, holidays and high days but, there is something about weekday dinners. We all have those nights when we don’t feel like cooking anything complicated. There’s also times when we don’t feel inspired, or just simply did not put in any time or energy into planning a meal.

As a mother, we are continuously running around trying to balance work, laundry, car pools, homework and healthy eating. And all the while trying to stay fit, fabulous and fun! Hard work for sure!

Family dinners are non negotiable in our house, even if it is something simple like scrambled eggs on toast. On the ranch in the Kalahari or in Windhoek during school runs, we make it a priority to sit down as a family for dinner around the kitchen table and share our day and life together. Time to look one another in the eye, be vulnerable and be together, all around a plate of food.

A family that eats together, stays together.

But it is not that easy! Evening work commitments, late meetings, sport and school activities all compete for evening-time attention, not to speak about television, social media and smart phones!

So when life is busy and hunger knocks at the door…Open, sesame! Everyone loves a warm and classic casserole like Chicken Divan, or as it’s more commonly known, Chicken Broccoli Casserole.This is an easy family-friendly weekday favorite.When you need dinner ready under the hour, this Chicken Broccoli Casserole with the creamiest sauce will save the day. Say hello to your family’s new favorite!

I absolutely love this easy version of Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole. Perfectly-cooked broccoli, tender and juicy chicken on the bone, with an incredibly creamy, garlicky sauce – what more could you ask for? Many recipes call for condensed soups to get that smooth and creamy sauce, but this one uses just cream, wholegrain mustard and honey– so it’s gluten-free, and healthier all around! Yes, no processed ingredients in sight! Awesome, right?

So set the table, light the candles even on this Thursday evening. Your Chicken Broccoli Casserole will be ready in the hour and you can prepare for a hearty, easy and relaxed meal with your family. For the best memories are made around the table. Recipe on page 2.

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This Time of Year…All Roads Lead Home

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Holiday season is fast approaching. A time filled with special memories and long family meals around my kitchen table. But it is also a time of frantic menu planning, crowded shopping malls and the struggle to meet everyone’s expectations. Yes, I am a people’s pleaser and want to ensure that everything is perfect and everyone around me is smiling and loving the celebrations ( and food!). For everyone is coming home.

Tradition is not to preserve the ashes but to pass on the flame.

Gustav Mahler

So this time of year can be stressful. Add to that the restrictions due to Covid, the girls writing their final exams and all the year end madness, life can become quite overwhelming. I love the article of Jill Savage Let go of Holiday Expectations. If only I can learn to let go of control, opinions and expectations and rather embrace simplicity, connection and attentiveness. This way I will pass on the flame.

This holiday season we are going for simple yet delicious, easy yet deletable. ( Keep following My blog for some inspiring and stress free recipes during the next few festive weeks). Yes, we are going to look at simple, easy menu options. Meals that will be fit for a king but will also allow us time with our loved ones. So join me in my Kalahari kitchen and let us plan for a time of celebration, joy and thankfulness.

Now, I know lamb isn’t traditionally Thanksgiving food BUT I’m here to tell you it totally can be. It is a great option for all those “I ONLY EAT RED MEAT!” lovers in your life. You have those people in your family, right? In my case, those family members not only love red meat they also love all things garlic and all things fresh herbs. What can be better than the smell of roasting lamb wafting towards them as they enter your house with sparkling eyes and joyful merriment.

This garlic, anchovies and rosemary roast lamb and salsa verde can be prepared hours in advance. ( Recipe page 2) You can even prepare it the day ahead of your celebrations and reheat it on the day of the family gathering. The salsa verde is the perfect sauce for the lamb as it cuts the fattiness and gives a lovely fresh taste.

Serve a few hearty slices of lamb per plate, and drizzle the salsa verde over. Any kind of potato dish is also perfect with this simple feast, but I adore tossing hot boiled new potatoes in really good olive oil, lemon zest, parsley, mint and seasoning. They soak the oil and aromatics up and it’s hard to resist eating them before they get to the table. Another easy way to serve this delicious roast is with freshly baked bread. The bread will soak up all the deliciousness of garlic, herbs and lemon. Simple yet so delectable.

So let us do more than survive the next few weeks. Let us thrive. Remember, less is more. Keep it simple. Be intentional. And do not sweat the small stuff. Join me in my Kalahari Kitchen as we plan ahead for time full of special, enchanting memories and scrumptious, mouth-watering meals.

This time of year… all road lead home. And to My Kalahari Kitchen.

Recipe page 2

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The Best Attitude is Gratitude

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“I knew a woman once

who waited

for the perfect day,

then the ultimate raise,

then the long applause,

then the mountain retreat,

then the magic number,

then the noticed thanks,

then the wanted affirmation

that never came —

and for far too long she had no idea that joy could be found in day just like today with the cotton bedsheets pulled up and made smooth in a messy room,

or even the cold water straight from the earth below her, now there at the edge of the cup tipped at her lips,

or even this regular moment with her heart drumming like a wild anthem within her,

because on any old day, even this one, is never too late,

all she had to do was write down these smallest slivers of grace in her everyday because:

Gratefulness isn’t hard.

Forgetting to be grateful is what makes life hard.“

This beautiful piece is written by one of my favourite bloggers Ann Voskamp. Her writing has impacted by life, especially this year where I had to be reminded to be grateful. Grateful for the small mercies and slivers of grace visible in the bizarre, unpredictable, unknown, uncontrollable life we now call our ‘new normal’.

This week we had Lorene’s ‘ Mother- Daughter’ evening at school. It is a special celebration of womanhood, as our daughters embark on this journey called life. After 18 years under our roof and 12 years at school, they are ready to fly! It is time for us as mothers to let go. That is difficult! All around me I hear mothers voice their concern for what the future holds, the world an uncertain place. Tears stain our faces. The wish is uttered that our daughters will just be happy… But what does that mean?

This year has taught me many things, but one things is to give attention to what I am giving attention to. To daily train myself to be more thankful, even for the mundane, ordinary things we call life. To stand still and enjoy the endless grocery shopping, the cooking and feeding of a house full of teenagers, the house littered with school shoes and golf clubs and rugby balls. A house that is busy and full of organized chaos.

The result of living attentively and gratefully? Being infinitely more joyful!

And that is my prayer for Lorene ( and all other children soon leaving the comfort and security of home and venturing into the big wide world), that as they embark on this wonderful, scary journey called life, they will be attentive and grateful.

Yes, today is the perfect day. The perfect day to start living a meaningful life. For my daughter soon to leave home and for myself.

A life that is meaningful — starts with a heart that is grateful. All great lives start with a habit of gratefulness.– Ann Voskamp

Where there is a perfect pancake flip (and rain),there is life.

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The first drops of rain falls on the parched Kalahari soil…. dark thunder clouds creep closer with the promise of rain…. the thunder rolls in the distance. Excitement is tangible. The first summer rains are on their way!

Living in the Kalahari desert gives you an appreciation of every drop of water! Few things can compare with the smell of the red Kalahari earth when the rain falls on dry arid ground. It brings back special childhood memories with the three kids sitting on the porch, eating freshly baked cinnamon-sugar pancakes and watching the rain cascade down the thatch roof. The smiles of happy children and the thankful look on my farmer husband’s face, fill my heart to overflowing. God is faithful. God is good.

No matter how powerful a man, he cannot make the rains fall on his farm alone.

African Proverb

With the rain comes my mother-in-law’s ‘pannekoek’ (pancakes) recipe. Yes, when the first drops fall, one of the girls will start mixing the batter. Pannekoek is the Afrikaans word for pancake, but this is not like an American pancake. Flat and thin, a pannekoek is more like a version of a French crêpe than the fluffy, buttermilk pancakes we love to eat in America.

The pannekoek batter is runny and not sweetened — one pancake generally fills up the whole pan. It is cooked on both sides and then it can be filled with savory or sweet fillings for either entrées or desserts.

The Kalahari kitchen Pannekoek way is with plenty of cinnamon sugar, melted into the rolled up pannekoek with a dash of fresh lemon juice. With a pinch of nostalgia for good measure. The waft of cinnamon sugar literally pulls you towards the kitchen and the kids ( and dad) stand around for another round of freshly baked pannekoek.

First off, this is an easy one bowl pannekoek recipe that takes no effort at all. You simply add all the wet ingredients (water, eggs and oil) in a bowl with an electric hand mixer at the ready.

Next you just add the dry ingredients little by little while beating with the electric mixer until the batter is smooth. I let my batter stand for half an hour before adding the vinegar. I now scoop about a ladle full into a hot non stick pan.

Tilt the pan when you pour the batter in, to spread it out all over the pan. Once the pancake batter starts pulling away from the sides, with bubbles in the batter on top, it’s ready to flip and cook for a few more seconds. Now serve with cinnamon sugar and lemon juice or any other delicious filling your heart desires on this rainy Monday afternoon.

So armed with flour, eggs, milk, oil and a thankful heart, I am heading off to the kitchen to flip some pancakes. Because ‘Rain showers my spirit, and waters my soul.’ ~ Emily Logan Decens

Recipe page 2

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