Elephant Shoes

I stumbled upon this blog and only after clicking around a bit I realised that it belongs to a real life friend on the other side of the country who has just started up a new business! Amazing!

Check out the beautiful photography on her blog and also these epic (free) printables

photo via Elephant Shoes

Olive & Oil, Chartwell Drive, Umhlanga

 

This was the second of the Olive and Oil branches to open in Durban. The first was in Glenwood. This one is in Umhlanga.

We were dining with an Australian friend who made me smile with her gushing compliments about our beautiful country. She remarked that in South Africa the waitrons are super attentive to restaurant patrons.This dining experience was no exception. My wine glass was rarely empty and our waiter visibly tried his best to ensure that our every need was met.

The decor and design are simple. The menu is varied and there is something for every taste. The portion sizes are good and although not the cheapest place to eat in town we didn't feel like we were ripped off.

The starter of ostrich carpaccio was very tasty and perfectly paired with rocket
For the main meal I ate a fisherman's platter. The calamari was succulent, the prawns were delicious and the cape salmon (the linefish) was moist and tasty.

Although everything on the my list was ticked I still feel that something was lacking. I can't say what it was but I feel like the spark that makes a good restaurant into a great restaurant (one that I want to visit again and again) was absent. For this reason I prefer the Glenwood version of this restaurant.

Completely Cooked Rating: 7/10

Caramel/Peppermint Fridge Tart

This is a South African favourite (at least in my neck of the woods) and, until Woolworths got wind of the recipe and started selling it pre-made in little tubs with expensive price tags, people actually used to make it themselves. It's quick, it's cheap and it is DELICIOUS.

Whoever you serve this to will ask for a second helping. Guaranteed.

2 packets tennis biscuits

1 tin caramel treat

2 sachets of orley whip - or one tub of cream

100g slab peppermint chocolate

Get the caramel out of the tin and stir it around to loosen it up a little. It needs to be spreadable. 

Whisk the orley whip until soft peaks form add half a teaspoon of sugar and whisk til stiff peaks (I first learned this recipe with cream and made it that way until I had the bright idea of substituting it for orley whip. It has the same texture without making the dessert unbearably rich. I like it because it means now I can eat about three bowls worth of the stuff before I start feeling ill).

Blob a bit of caramel at the bottom of the dish and then proceed to layer tennis biscuits, beaten orley whip, grated chocolate on top of the caramel and repeat. 

Keep going until all the ingredients are used up or the bowl runs out of space.

Finish off with the orley whip layer and sprinkle some grated chocolate on top.

Get ready to be the hit of the party.

You're welcome.

Wedding Cake

Seriously, one of the best things about attending a wedding is the food - but most especially the cake!

Recently we attended a highschool friend's beautiful wedding, which was held in midlands. The ceremony and reception were both stunning. And the cake! The cake was to die for! Rich, dense, moist carrot cake covered in cream cheese frosting. Just thinking about it induces severe mouth-watering.

So, I thought it'd be nice to share a picture of this magnificient cake with the world. So here it is.

I also LOVE those little birds perched on top. So elegant. Such fun :)

We stayed the weekend in the midlands and here are one or two pictures I took while we were there...

pretty lavender

lush green grass

grazing cows

thorny rose bushes