>>I saw these and fell in love

Aren't they just the cutest, quirkiest things ever! <3

 

>> Recipe: The truth about beer bread

If it's true what they say that the path to a man's heart is through his stomach....
then beer bread must be a highway. I mean, beer (the original man's drink of choice),
plus bread (the one thing that most men say they couldn't live without).
Yeah, beer bread should actually then be compared to some kind of love drug.

That said, I am concerned that most of you readers might start to think that I always
measure my food creations to the level of love my husband has for me... I am always
writing things like "I felt like a really good wife indeed" and "Johan loved it, yeah"
and well ... exactly what I said below next to my picture. The truth is: I am not trying
to get him to love me more, actually I know Johan loves me about as much as any man
could possibly love a woman. Back to the truth... I love my husband by cooking for him,
plus he is the only person that ALWAYS HAS TO eat what I make, and he usually doesn't
complain, not even about the disasters. I try lots of new things, and if Johan loves it,
then it's the biggest and most rewarding compliment of all.
I read yesterday (in the menu of a little Italian restaurant in Linden):

Cooking is like love. It must be entered into with abandon or not at all.

So I always cook with love, and to love, and to be loved in return. 

And bear bread, is looooove all over:-)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (sifted)
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 can beer
1/2 cup melted butter (1/4 cup will do just fine)

Method:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Mix dry ingredients and beer. Pour into a greased loaf pan. 

Pour melted butter over mixture. Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

This recipe makes a very hearty bread with a crunchy, buttery crust. If you prefer a softer 

crust (like a traditional bread) mix the butter into the batter instead of pouring it over 

the top. Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must-do. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure 

in the flour canister and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a 

"hard biscuit". That's because they aren't sifting their flour! If you do not have a sifter, 

use a spoon to spoon the flour into the 1 cup measure. Try it once the "correct" way and you 

will see an amazing difference in the end product. I sprinkle some course salt over the top
before I bake it, just for some extra texture.

>> All that money spent on plants...

...is finally paying off! Just look how lovely my first blooms of poppies and sweat peas are.:-)

>> Getting back into the swing of things.....

...after burning my hand and being out of the office for a week...

>>Recipe: Yes you can...

...screw up an apple crumble...you can take my word for it. Apple crumble is probably the easiest
most delicious thing that can come from 30 minutes... it's so easy a toddler can make it, except if
your parents in law are coming over for lunch... Hey, I managed to drown, burn, smoke and destroy
my mother's day apple crumble with great embarrassment, and I still need to gather up enough courage
to actually invite them over for an all-anzel-made sunday lunch again.

That said, don't worry, this recipe is actually perfect if you follow it properly and remember not
to tipple the butter and drown, burn, smoke and destroy it. This week, I halved the recipe to make
the perfect mid-week desert for two. I also prefer to use fresh green apples, not that there is
anything wrong with tinned apples, I just feel like fresh apples are more flavourful and keep that
wonderful shape and texture that makes this dish look so yummy.

As a fun twist from time to time, you can add walnuts/almonds, or even fresh berries to the filling.
Serve this recipy with whipped or runny cream, but if you have a real sweet tooth...runny custard is
the bomb! The filling turns into a soft, fruity, sticky toffy, wonderfully contrasted with the crunchy
crumble and cool cream or custard.

Filling:

4 green apples, peeled, cored and cubed
raisins to taste
cinnamon to taste (about a heaped teaspoon)
80 g brown sugar

Mix all these ingredients together and place it in a butter greased oven-proof dish.

Crumble:

300 g flour
A pinch of salt
100 g brown sugar
200 g butter, cubed and at room temperature

Mix the flour, salt and sugar together. Add the butter and rub it into the mixture with your fingers.
When the mix becomes well combined, crumble it over the apples and bake for 30-45 minutes at 180 degrees.

And that is it... easy right? Mmmm yeah, I still wonder...

>>Hey stranger illustration

Yesterday, I came across Brad and Leigh. They are a married blogging couple from Jo'burg, with a really
stunning creative blog. It is quite simple, but I was completely fetched with the style of Leigh's drawings
and Brad's quirky writing. I think what they are doing is just so nice, a couple that shares each others'
passion for creativity and life. I was especially entertained by their "hello" section, how they speak about
that very familiar voice in their heads, the voice that says "we can't". Their blog is a direct response to
that voice: "we can". I admire how people can just get up and go for what they really want to do. In a creative
industry, you ideas are almost always dictated and often killed by a client, and sometimes it literally makes
you sick. It is nice to see that people can find a way to climb back into their own heart and do something
that they really love doing. Something that I should seriously think about. My blog is a good start,
but it is important to remember that with having only one life, it's worth taking a risk every now and then.

Have a look at these drawings, I adore them. Also, check out Leigh's business called hey stranger, and read a
bit on their blog. By the way, what do you think about the new look, hope you like it:-)