Don’t you think oranges are like sunshine packaged in a fruit? Truly, they are such a joy to behold! I love oranges in any form, though I am a bit partial to the easy-peel, sweet varieties –  especially the Clementines I have been getting from Woolies recently. I love the way I can smell oranges all the way across the kitchen when we zest them and the way the smell just lights up the room.
A Moving Post
I haven’t posted in quite a while as I ran out of space. Not that I was writing so much and THEN ran out of space. I just literally had no space left on WordPress in which to post! This comes from being rather heavy handed on the .jpg front. But as a rather visual person, I so do enjoy lots of pics – I mean I wouldn’t even LOOK at a recipe book if there were no pics – how the hell are you supposed to know what the final product looks like?! So, a bit of an upgrade much later and a move to cookonacampus.com and here we are again you see! This, however, is not the complete reason for the title, it also pertains to a move of a more personal nature which we are undertaking in a few months  – all the way from Durban to Cape Town. A move from the familiar to the unknown….
Linda has been offered a relocation to the beauteous Cape and really, who in their right mind will say no??  A small distance of 1640km or 17 hours drive or a 2 hour plane ride.  So, I am going to be in search of another campus come 2016 or else this blog will be changed to cookwithoutacampus.com p.r.e.t.t.y soon!! But, that is still 2 months off and I try not to dwell on it too much (read NOT AT ALL!!)  As much as I love the Cape (it is where I was born and raised, after all) we have been in Kwa-Zulu Natal for 15 years…and 10 years, 7 months of those 15 have been at Thomas More – that’s 3862 DAYS!!!!  I don’t think I have to tell anyone how that is going to affect me and what that last day in Durban will feel like when we get in the car with 3 dogs and 1 cat and start the drive down to the Cape…. I think that one of the hardest things in life is saying ‘good-bye’ for the last time. And then, every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. Now is the time to buy shares in Kleenex or Carlton, folks!! 😀 Enough about this…we have a recipe or two to catch up on!!!
The road to puddition
There are very few things that bring such genuine happiness into South African homes like a proper Sunday lunch does. And the main reason for this is not because of the food, but because of the laughter and memories that are being formed around the food. I suppose it’s like that all over the world. Every person, no matter how rich or poor, has a memory that is directly related to food.
Spreading the love
How would you describe the taste of peanut butter to someone who was deathly allergic to nuts and could never, ever indulge in a spread that seems, on the right occasion, to fill all the cracks in ones heart, that crunchy goodness that makes the world seem not so bad? Difficult….I think its salty, for sure, a kind of….smokiness; an earthy aroma that you get more in smell than taste. A little oily, the right amount of sweet – sticky, but malleable in your mouth…….or, would you go the route of OHMIWORD, ITS LIKE GETTING KISSED BY A GOD UNDER A RAINBOW OF DELICIOUS CREAMY GOODNESS!!!!! Either way, by now you don’t need to be Sherlock himself to guess that there is something in this post which contains peanut butter!
Pretzel Logic
Its been a while, I know. Holidays happened just after my last post and then life happened, even though I had other plans. So, we ended up working in the holidays – such busy, industrious bees we were – Jodi and I!! And all self-inflicted! Apart from being naturally busy bees, I think we sometimes are just suckers for punishment 😀  We signed up to do a small 2 day market, the kitchen had to be painted, so supervision was necessary and I taught my first bread course!
Soggy Bottoms
This week we intentionally set out to bake some goodies with soggy bottoms. It is one of the last things you would want to happen to your cake, bake or pizza. In fact, there is a book dedicated to this subject…it’s so serious! So all you goodly people out there, if you want to banish sunken sponges, damp derrières and burned caramel from your kitchen then  “How To Avoid A Soggy Bottom” is the book for you! Available, no doubt, from your local bookstore (GO EXCLUSIVE BOOKS!) or somewhere else online.
From Pizzas to Polar Bears
I bet you are wondering why I have the words polar bears in my title? For now lets start with pizza, chuck in a bit of banana bread and see if we end up with the polar bears 😀
A tale of more than 2 muffins
Its been the best of weeks and its been the worst of weeks – the best because we had a few public holidays which has resulted in us having 2 long weekends straight after each other…bliss!! Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy going to work – but……face it, who does not enjoy a couple of extra days 😉 The worst bit was getting a really terrible cold which was truly draining and just exhausted me for days….and, to add insult to injury, Linda was away for 11 days. BUT, things are looking up as the cold is practically gone and Linda is coming home tomorrow….YAY!!! To make this week even better, The Witcher 3 is due to be released on Tuesday!!!! I am definitely going to lose a good few hours of my life playing it. For those of you who don’t game – its only the biggest and most anticipated action-fantasy RPG to be released this year, and I cant wait!  😀
Geralt of Rivia aka The Witcher
So, onto food….
Piggy in the middle
This post goes out to a clothier and garment-maker extraordinaire, blog-post-prodder of note and one of the most blithesome, warm-hearted and kindest souls one could hope to meet….Lynn Moores! (Told you I would do this, Lynn 😀 )
No loafing around…
Our second term started off with a bang…it certainly was no whimper of a start, that’s for sure! Matric Dance….and as I am typing this I realise that just short of a few months, my first post was about the Matric Dance…..as the saying goes, “time flies like an arrow, and fruit flies like a banana’. Happy almost-anniversary to me! 😀
Cook on a Campus 