As Easy as Pie

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I am a city girl. I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa in a non-hunting family. I have never tasted venison until I married Janneman, moved to the family ranch and it became part of our daily diet. I had to call my mother-in-law to ask her how to cook the unfamiliar meat in my freezer. Yes, I was clueless! But what a delightful introduction. Over the past 20 years, I have come to love cooking with venison and it has become the king of meats in my Kalahari kitchen.

Knowing where your meat comes from is so necessary these days. Venison is the healthiest of all meats. Venison is low in fat and an extremely good source of protein. It has twice as much iron as beef and lamb, is easily digested and is full of essential omega 3 fatty acids. Venison is often maligned for being extremely lean, and therefore dry. I believe that, with proper preparation and cooking methods, venison can be lifted to glorious heights.

Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are.

Oscar Wilde

A delicious way to make the most of your venison meat in season, is to make a homemade pie. So easy to prepare ( easy as pie!), it freezes perfectly, this venison and mushroom pie will fast become a family favourite. Ideal for using up all the leftover venison cuts in your freezer, these individual deep pot pies are creamy, comforting and full of flavour.

This is really a beautiful venison pie and the kind of dish that makes me dream of good home cooking. The venison will cook to be delicious, tender and sumptuous. When topped with flaky puff pastry, what can be better on a spring ( or fall) afternoon. After all these years of cooking, a meal like this still gets my pulse racing, yes, even as a former city girl. Recipe on next page.

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The Best Time for New Beginnings (and cake) is now.

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Good morning from a beautiful flourishing Kalahari. Everything is in bloom and spring is jumping and skipping through the savannah landscape. Thorn bushes are softened by blossoms, and the night echoes to the calls of amorous barking geckos (the quintessential sound of the Kalahari). Meerkat pups venture outside their dens for the first time, gemsbuck calves and springbuck lambs frolic in the dry grass. There is a palpable sense of anticipation as we await the summer rains.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Isaiah 35:1

Yes, it is a challenging year and we are all ready for change and new beginnings. Everywhere I go, I cut off a flowering branch full of blossoms, as a reminder that spring is a period of renewed beauty. Spring breathes upon us the spirit of hope and promise. There is the realization of new beginnings, new energies, and new life.

So today I am celebrating all the beauty around me. We may have missed out on family gatherings, birthday celebrations and memorable events but still we baked! It seems like we were all #quarantinebaking through the coronavirus pandemic. On Instagram, Facebook and Youtube everyone is sharing their new baking skills and recipes. A scroll through my social media feeds is akin to a trip to a local bakery!

But, no matter the reason why everyone is baking ( for who needs to justify making an amazing cake), I am sharing my mother’s ultimate, best, amazing, easy carrot cake recipe with you. This is most probably the cake recipe that I have had the most recipes requests for. There isn’t another recipe that I’ve ever tried that even comes close to this carrot cake recipe for flavor, moistness, and texture. It is topped with an easy homemade cream cheese frosting. Yes, this is hands down the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Period.

So if you are looking for an easy, delicious foolproof cake to turn your day into a joyous celebration, grab your apron. All I need today is an excuse to sit on the porch with a cup of coffee, a big slice of moist carrot cake and a heart of thankfulness because of a new season.

Recipe on next page to ensure easy sharing and printing. Happy baking!

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Hugs and Quiches

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Today was a day filled with emails, errands, playing mom’s taxi and getting the ever present to-do-list done! Yes, we all have days where the last thing on our mind is food. Lorene has been accepted to medical school at the University of Stellenbosch and with all the celebrations ( we are so excited for her) and the paperwork involved with her admission, the pantry is empty and the inspiration is lacking.

‘What to feed the family?’ is a question we as mom’s ask ourselves a few times a day ( if you have a teenager boy that does not stop growing or eating). Sometimes I wish they could survive on hugs and kisses!

Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life.

Albert Einstein

Time is of the essence on a day like today, so this easy, quick and foolproof quiche will still the hunger pains and have the entire family asking for more. Perfect for late breakfast, early lunch or even a simple dinner, this easy quiche will not disappoint. Even the men in your house will love it! Yes, these days real men eat quiche.

You can make any adjustment to your filling: chicken, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped spinach, chives, chorizo, different cheeses, but a classic bacon and mushroom quiche stays our family favorite. Do not be put off by the homemade cheese crust. It is so easy to make and also freezes very well. Make an extra crust, blind bake it and freeze it for another hectic busy day!

With the flaky, cheesy, buttery crust and just-set creamy filling, this quiche is sure to please no matter what the occasion. You will find this simple and decadent quiche downright delicious. What do the French say? Bon Appetite.

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My Weekend Plans Involve You ( and dessert)

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What a super relaxing weekend… the first summer rains fell and the girls and I were cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Sunday lunch with friends allowed for some must needed socializing. No Sunday lunch is complete in Southern Africa without Malva Pudding for dessert. Rain or sunshine, winter or summer, this dessert is a favorite in our Kalahari kitchen. Loved by family and friends, this old South African classic will soon become a regular dessert on your weekend menu.

Malva pudding, also called malvapoeding or marshmallow pudding, is a traditional South African dessert. It is a sweet pudding recipe with a yellow sponge drenched in a decadent sauce. Generally, it also contains apricot jam, which is a classic ingredient in South African cuisine.

With over 180 000 results in Google – this pudding is a South African legend – and can be found in nearly ALL South African cookbooks and on dessert menus countrywide. Every family has their special version of this recipe and no one’s Malva Pudding is as good as what your grandmother used to make!

Desserts are the fairytales of the kitchen; a happily-ever-after to supper.

Terri Guillemets

This Malva Pudding recipe is an age old version of the ever so popular ones that you can find anywhere online. Sweet, sticky and super easy to make, this dessert is easily made from your store cupboard basics. Yes, this is my grandmother’s recipe with a twist. A happily-ever-after for three generations.

I love to add another South African favorite by adding half a cup of Amarula Cream to the cream sauce that is poured over the dessert after baking. Amarula is a cream liqueur made from the nutritious marula fruit only found in the Sub-Saharan African countries of South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe. If you cannot find Amarula ( it is available on Amazon!) just add the same equivalent of cream to your sauce. I only pour half of the sauce over the baked dessert and then serve the rest of the sauce on the side.

This dessert is mouthwatering served with homemade custard or vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy this South African classic!

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It is a beautiful time of the year for a new beginning ( and homemade granola)

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I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa.The change of seasons is something I love and that is very visible in this part of the world. Warm summer beach days and barbecues under the starry night…. fall bringing a transformation of colors and oak trees throwing off their summer leaves… cold rainy winter evenings snuggling around a log fire cooking curries and comfort food …and then spring arrives…the new oak leaves showcased against the crisp blue sky, welcoming beautiful lazy alfresco days. Seasons change and so do we.

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.

Henry David Thoreau

Now living in the Kalahari, the change of seasons is not so vivid to the eye. Summers are hot, winters cold and short ( not this year though!) and fall and spring are reminders that change is a constant. September is the arrival of spring ( or rather summer) in Namibia. Days are warm and suddenly you are looking for healthy recipes and summer dishes. A bowl of granola with fresh berries and a spoonful of full cream Bulgarian yoghurt, just spells the correct start to summer.

But if you’re anything like me, you’ve spent hours in the granola aisle at the grocery store, trying to find just the right kind. Mom of three teenagers with very different tastes- this one does not like raisins, this one loves nuts with shredded coconut, this one loves it baked with big clusters that you can nibble on as a snack- this can be an impossible task. Yes, you know that it’s nearly impossible to find the perfect granola at the store.

So here is my homemade granola recipe. Super easy to make and also very customizable, a yummy template for whatever dried fruits, spices ( cinnamon) and nuts you might ( or might not) be craving. Enjoy as an after school snack or simply add it to a bowl of milk or yogurt in the morning with a handful of fresh berries. It is the perfect combination of flavors and texture for all ages! Jump to the next page for your easy homemade granola.

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