Bobotie is South Africa’s national dish and I never tire of it. I have put some of my own little twists to it, but the basic recipe is the traditional one. We had the deevine Rob and another new friend Guel for dinner a couple of days (make that months!) ago and they were a little worried about what to expect, but enjoyed it so much they have asked for the recipe. Thank you for the complement! So here it is!

Today's recipe: Thai Chicken Green Curry

The summer was filled with lots of activity and Nynke’s Terrific Thai meal was one of the highlights. We had Agathe (that’s her on the left in the photo with Nynke), a wonderful French student staying with us, and although the French do not traditionally eat spicy foods, she was really cool and tried everything. I basically had to be tied to my chair not to lick the plates after the meal. Thairrific.

Last year we were invited to Catherine's Curry Night of Note. It was also the only occasion in probably the last 20 years that I forgot my camera at home so this spectacular event went undocumented. So? I hear you mumble belligerently (thank goodness for spell check on that one). YOU didn’t see the magnificent spread of food at this mega-dinner. However, the camera-forgetting-trick did work well, as they were forced to invite me back this year to take photos. The worrying thing is, am I now going to be invited back next year??

Today's recipe: MINCE / GROUND BEEF FOR CURRY BUNNY OR CURRY AND RICE

The next part of our South African adventure took place in Cape Town with Lars and another divine member of my extended family whom you have as yet not met, namely my wonderful sister-in-law, Catherine. She may no longer be married to my husband’s brother, and she may try running and hiding from me, but she will always be a part of the family along with our two beautiful nieces, Anna and Maya. That’s them in the photo with Table Mountain and its tablecloth in the background.

Today's recipes are: Meatball Curry; and Lentil Curry

How about a Curry Extravaganza for your next dinner party? My menu included: Potato Curry Soup – a total winner that even non-curry people love as it is velvety smooth and delicately spiced – as a Starter, then for the main course a Prawn Curry, Meatball Curry, Lentil Curry, Compressed ginger rice, and Green beans with sesame oil. You can prepare them the day before if you like, as curries definitely improve if you let them sit a bit. But first some stories…

My beloved baby sister, Alison, (who makes THE BEST Curried Minced Beef and Vetkoek in the world)her husband, Marius, and 2 children are now living in New Zealand which is a real bummer for me as I haven’t seen her in over 3 years. My wonderful niece and nephew, Bianca and Martius (who clearly take after me!) are also sorely missed by their crazy aunt. My darling sister suffered a bad stroke last year at the (very young) age of 38 (and yet another this week), but is pulling through with humour and charm. Headline: Strokes and sex changes. Read more to find out what this means….

Today's recipes are: Fruity Moroccan Lamb Tagine; and Couscous 101
Sally, my bosom buddy, and I went for lunch in Auch last week. Auch is our department/state/province’s biggest city and is the birthplace of d’Artagnan, the 4th of the 3 musketeers. I don’t get it either. I thought that there were only 3 but it seems I was wrong. Maybe he was like a reserve one or something, incase one of the others got hurt and couldn’t do whatever it was they did. Hey, it’s been a while since I read the story.