Kalahari Nights & Chocolate Delights: A Winter Skillet Treat

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Winter has quietly crept into the Kalahari — in her usual gentle, golden way. The mornings are crisp and quiet, the air still and clean. Grass shimmers in soft light, and the horizon stretches endlessly, wakened by a slow, amber sunrise. There’s a kind of hush over the land, as if time itself has paused to breathe.

It’s the season when family returns — trucks roll in with dusty tyres, laughter spilling out before the doors even open. Children come home from college, bringing stories of city life, tired textbooks, new friends… and always, a deep hunger for home (and mom’s cooking!).

This is when my Kalahari Kitchen comes alive.

In the end, food is the celebration of family, and family is life’s greatest feast. Lidia Bastianich

Coffee brews in the early light, the aroma drifting through the house. Hands wrap around warm mugs, eyes still soft with sleep, and hearts full of quiet excitement for the day ahead.

These are the days of full hearts and fuller tables. I pull out dog-eared recipes from my mother’s cookbook, flour dusts the counters, and the scent of cinnamon, cocoa, and roasted nuts fills the house.

And what better way to celebrate winter’s quiet magic than with a Warm Chocolate Fudge Skillet Cake — rich, gooey, and best served straight from the pan, with a generous spoon of cream or vanilla ice cream.

This dessert from Half Baked Harvest (love her recipes!) isn’t fancy — but it’s indulgent. Comforting. Honest. The kind of dessert that invites second helpings and long conversations around the fire. This dessert is best enjoyed with wool socks on your feet, good company, and stories that stretch late into the night. Around my kitchen table, each of us armoured with a spoon, we dive into the warm skillet — laughing, sharing, remembering.

So here’s to winter in the Kalahari — a season of slowing down, gathering in, and feeding both body and soul.

With love from my Kalahari kitchen,

Aldalene

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The Simple Truth about Happiness… and an Orange and Yoghurt cake

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Orange is the happiest colour. — Frank Sinatra

In the Kalahari winter, the desert’s chill seeps into every corner of my kitchen, where the crisp, invigorating air contrasts sharply with the summer’s dry heat. A basket of vibrant winter citrus fruits sits prominently on my kitchen table, their zesty fragrance wafting through the space and infusing it with a refreshing burst of scent. The house is quiet. As I sit with my journal, gazing out over the cold, dry savannah, I am reminded that our search for happiness often leads us in many directions, sometimes missing a simpler truth. True and lasting happiness is not found in happenings or external circumstances but in a deep relationship with my Father. Psalm 144:15 assures me: “Blessed (happy) are the people whose God is the Lord.” And Ecclesiastes 2:26 adds, “To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness.” As this truth wraps around me like a comforting blanket and I am filled with a profound sense of peace and contentment.

This feeling of tranquility carries over into my kitchen as I prepare to bake an Orange and Cardamom Yoghurt Cake—perfect for a Friday treat. Yes! It is weekend! The aroma of spices—cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom—fuses beautifully with the citrus, creating a captivating scent that envelops me on this cold morning. From the instant I start zesting the oranges, the kitchen takes on the inviting aroma of a charming bake shop. This cake is especially perfect right now—with oranges in season and the warming spices adding their special touch, it’s ideal for these cold winter months.The mingling fragrances of spices and fresh fruit transform my Kalahari kitchen into a warm, joyful retreat, a true celebration of winter’s embrace and the comforting presence of happiness found within.

This is a winter must bake! This cake is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and add a delightful touch to your weekend.

Orange and Cardamom Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients

  • 250g butter (room temperature)
  • 250 ml (1 cup) castor sugar
  • zest of one orange
  • 3 extra large eggs
  • 375g (2 1/2 cups) self raising flour
  • 5ml (1 teaspoon) grounded cardamom
  • pinch of salt
  • 375ml (1 1/2 cup) greek yoghurt
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) desiccated coconut
  • 30ml (2 tablespoons) poppyseed

Syrup ingredients

  • zest and juice of 2 oranges
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice
  • 60ml (1/4 cup) water
  • 250ml (1 cup) caster sugar
  • 60ml (1/4 cup) honey
  • 5 star anise
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C
  • Grease a medium-sized ring from pan and dust with cake flour.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • Incorporate the orange zest into the mixture.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Sift the flour, cardamom, and salt together in a separate bowl.
  • Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture alternately with the yogurt, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
  • Gently fold in the coconut and poppy seeds until evenly combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
  • Bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup.

  • Combine all syrup ingredients in a small pot.
  • Heat the pot over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  • Bring the syrup to a boil, then let it simmer for 5 minutes. (The delightful aroma of the spices will fill your kitchen!)
  • Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before turning it out of the tin.
  • Place the cake on a cooling rack.
  • Gently pour the hot syrup over the cake, allowing it to soak in.

Top the cake with a generous dollop of whipped cream, allowing its creamy sweetness to elevate each bite. For an extra touch, sprinkle some chopped pistachios on top of your cake, letting them adhere to the sticky, sweet syrup. This cake is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and add a delightful touch to your weekend.

Whoever is happy will make others happy. ― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

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Embracing Winter: A Recipe for Slow Braised Lamb Shanks under the Kalahari Stars

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“The silence of the desert and the blanket of stars above during winter in the Kalahari are a humbling reminder of nature’s vastness and beauty.”– Unknown

As the sun begins its slow descent towards the horizon, casting longer shadows across the red sands of the Kalahari, a whisper of change stirs in the air. The relentless heat of the day begins to yield, offering a fleeting respite to man and animal. It was a hot dry summer. In the distance, the camel thorn trees stand watch against the horizon…even they seem to sense the changing season, their branches rustling softly in the gathering south wind.

At nightfall, the sky transforms into a canvas of breathtaking beauty. Stars emerge one by one, their twinkling lights piercing the darkness. In the quiet of the desert night, one can almost hear the whispers of winter approaching. It is a subtle shift, imperceptible to all but those attuned to the rhythms of the land.

Fires crackle to life, warm blankets are carefully unwrapped as we prepare for the winter. The secrets of winter recipes are unearthed from dusty cookbooks and cherished family traditions. Fragrant spices are measured out with care, infusing the air with the promise of hearty stews and steaming bowls of comfort. Yes, it is time for hearty stews, winter comfort food and slow cooking…

Join me in my Kalahari kitchen today as we cook this easy recipe. This is more than just a meal; it is a celebration of warmth, togetherness, and the simple joys of good food shared with loved ones.

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What if, today, we were grateful for everything?

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Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. I can imagine all my American friends are ready to slow down and take the time to gather with family and friends and reminisce on the months passed.

Yes, 2020 was a tough year. A year that challenged us as a family in more ways than one. But it was also a year of reflection, refocus, realigning priorities and rekindling family relationships. A year where we grew stronger together and where we were reminded to live attentively and thankfully.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

So take the time this Thanksgiving to STOP. LOOK. GO. Make a list of everything you can be thankful for…a Gratitude list. (Numerous studies have shown that the acknowledgement of gratitude is positively correlated to happiness.) Be intentional about thanking God and others for the blessings that come our way (daily!).

Eucharisteo-thanksgiving-always precedes the miracle.

Ann Voskamp

I know you are tired of lists, but I ensure you this gratitude list will be a list that puts a smile on your face. And then there are these super easy, gorgeous and delicious Cranberry Pecan Mini Goat Cheese Balls! Holiday entertaining has never been easier! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s! (Can be made in advance!) It will surely bring a smile to all your loved ones gathered together during this festive time.

One just has to love cheese balls. Sweet, savory…I love mixing and matching flavors and coming up with new and exciting combinations that will please friends and family.

This cheese ball is perfect as a party appetizer while you prepare the rest of your holiday feast! It’s completely low maintenance. Just fix it up, pull it from the fridge when you’re ready, and set it out with a bunch of yummy crackers for people to serve themselves.

For the festive season, the winning combination of cream cheese, goat cheese, white cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, pecans, and chives come together for a pleasantly savory appetizer that is just as pretty as it is delicious.

Serve the mini cheese balls with a pretzel stick in them, as it makes them so easy to pick up and it looks cute too! I have covered the cheese balls in dried cranberries, chives, and pecans. I love how festive this looks! If you have an extra couple minutes, tie chives into bows around the pretzel sticks. Totally optional, but it gives such a Christmas feel to it!

I assure you your friends and family will go nuts for this make-ahead appetizer. And it will become a to-go-to recipe in your kitchen and a favorite on your gratitude ( and festive menu) list. Recipe page 2

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Thanksgiving is a Word of Gratitude.

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We are midway into Lorene’s final exams. Days, schedules and shopping lists are full and time is running through our fingers. So many to-do lists and so little time. But today I am taking a deep breath and taking the time to give thanks. To wake up to the wonder of the small every day things… the wonder of life.

I love the American Thanksgiving celebrations. It is not a holiday we celebrate (nationally) here in Namibia but it has become a reminder to us as a family to take time to be thankful. To highlight a day on our calendar to say ‘Thank you’. Even in a year with so many challenges, disappointments and cancellations, there is so much to be thankful for!

Deep joy is only really found at the table of thanksgiving.

Ann Voskamp

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies . And since the time of Abraham Lincoln, Thanksgiving had been celebrated on the last Thursday of the month. What a rich history and beautiful reminder to live a thankful and grateful life. We love sharing in our American and Canadian friends’ celebration of this day.

As a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

Abraham Lincoln, 1863

The centerpiece of a contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States is a large family meal, generally centered on a large roasted turkey. It is served with a variety of side dishes which vary from traditional dishes such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, Brussel sprouts, cranberry relish and pumpkin pie. This Namibian girl will be sharing with you a delicious, easy cranberry relish that you can serve with your show stopper turkey. Turkey is not a meat you will find in our Namibian stores or on our dinner tables ( even during the festive season), so I will be serving this beautiful cranberry relish with a baked brie cheese and some crackers. However you want to serve it, I assure you this colorful cranberry accompaniment will appeal to all joined around your laden Thanksgiving table. Recipe page 2

So, with a week to go, may this Thanksgiving be more than just a day where we eat too much and strategize our Black Friday sales plan of attack. May the next week of preparing a bountiful meal with family and friends, creating a day of festive celebrations,give you enough reason to stop, breath and be thankful. Remember, giving thanks isn’t a practice reserved for a single day each year. It has deeper spiritual significance and benefits that ring true long after the leftovers are consumed. Even in a year like 2020, we have reason to say ‘ Thank You’.

For food in a world where many walk in hunger, faith in a world where many walk in fear, friends in a world where many walk alone. We give you thanks, Oh Lord. Amen.

—From Seven Days in Utopia, directed by Matthew Dean Russell
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