Coffee Shop Review; Lua A Baker’s Cafe

I’ve been to Lua a few times before this, and there is a reason I keep going back. This used to be a place called Moonrackers and was there for years, and I only went there once, reason being, was because it was so uninviting everything was closed up, there were never cars outside and you could not see in at all, if you wanted to get in you had to ring bell.

Early this year I saw some revamping going on, and now I’m not sure if its new owner or not, but they changed it up, they made it a lot more welcoming and they made it more open and now the parking lot is almost always full when I drive past

As you walk in, you feel as if your walking into a secret garden, it has a Unrefined whimsical Charm to it, its a very pretty girly place, not that men wont feel welcome, its just that its so soft and quaint  with all the cakes out on display in glass domes and flowers everywhere, local painting on the walls, its just so delightful

It has a wide variety on the menu and that’s separate to the display of cakes you can choose from. I had a Egg benedict, a favourite of mine, and its not easy to make a good benedict but they perfected it, from how I wanted my egg to the creamy hollandaise sauce. I also tasted a little of the lamb curry pot pie, that was beautifully made in an enamel camping mug, love the rustic charm they use. The presentation is Charming, even the plates are all different and mis match on the table that just adds to that whimsical feel

It was raining the day when we went and being so homey and cosy inside we felt, well, right at home!!. With classical music playing in the background and an array of pretty things all around you, its the perfect setting. This would be thee spot on place for a baby shower, Hens party or even a small engagement party

We ordered cake to go, we ordered a red Velvet, not as good as mine 😉 but still tasty and a lemon frosted cake, which was light and fluffy vanilla cake with a Yummy Lemon icing. That was delish, if you don’t have a sweet tooth you could still enjoy this, because the flavour is quite subtle

Every time I go back I am delighted to be there, from the setting to the food its just my kind of place, Service is good, its open 7 in the morning already and my wifi connects automatically, what more can a girl ask for!

So I’m Giving Lua, A Baker’s café…

 

A whole 5 stars!

Where’s it at: Here https://www.google.co.za/maps/place/Michelle+Ave,+Alberton/@-26.2866101,28.1055194,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x1e95054e96ccd3ff:0xbf50267ce0f3ba2e 

Moist Delectable Red Velvet

This Recipe is amazing, I have tried at least Four different red velvet recipes because I was looking for a specific taste and texture, there’s a lot more to a red velvet than just being red and I’m glad to say I have finally found the winner! I tweaked the recipe slightly to my liking and I loved it and so did everyone else who had some

This is what you’ll need

-2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, plus a little extra for dusting

-2  & 1/2 Cups flour

-1 Teaspoon salt

-1 & 1/2 Cups Sugar

-1 cup Canola oil

-2 large eggs

-2 tablespoons Crimson food colouring

-1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract or 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

-1 cup buttermilk

-1/2 cup warm strong coffee, not coffee powder, coffee you drink!

-1 & 1/2 teaspoons Baking soda

-2 teaspoons white Vinegar

Icing

-100g unsalted butter at room temp

-195g pure icing sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla essence

-250g plain cream cheese

-White Food Colouring (optional)

How you do it;

-preheat oven to 180′

-Butter two 9-inch cake rounds, dust with cocoa, tapping out excess

-Wisk together flour, salt and cocoa in a medium bowl, set aside

-Mix sugar and oil on medium speed, add eggs one at a time, Mix well after each addition, Mix in food colouring and Vanilla

-It should be a beautiful rich dark pink colour

-Add flour Mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. beginning and ending with flour. Mixing well after each addition

-Stir together baking powder and vinegar in a small bowl

-Add Baking soda mixture to batter and mix on medium for 10 seconds

-Stir in the warm coffee until just combined

-Pour Batter into prepared pans

-Have a spoon full of batter for good luck

– And then Bake until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean approx. 18-25 mins

-Let cool Completely

Now The Icing

-Beat Cream Cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla in bowl until smooth

-Add as much white food colouring as needed, this just helps the icing to get that famous snow white icing a red velvet has. These are pricey though, so if your going for taste and not looks rather skip it

-Ice Cake once cake it completely cooled

If your planning on making this cake be prepared to be blown away it really is delectable!

Yum Yum Yum

A Few Tips

-Leaving your cake to stand for a few days enhances the flavour, but wrapped it tightly in cling wrapped so it doesn’t dry out

-dice your butter before adding to icing sugar mix

-If you cant get your icing to go smooth, try placing your bowl over another bowl with some warm water, and continue beating until butter melts and mixture becomes smooth, allow to cool slightly again before icing cake, else the icing will just run

Art Class

I started an art class two weeks ago, I’ve always loved anything creative, its in my soul and who I am, but I’m a bit of a hit and miss artist

The reason I refer to myself as a hit and miss artist is because I paint or draw something one moment and it will be stunning and i’ll impress a few people, other times when I paint or draw ill completely stuff up and it will just be horrible and ends up in the bin or hidden where it wont hurt anyone’s eyes, this is the exact reason I’ve wanted to do an art class, to refine my creative soul, to turn my talent into skill so that I can use it more correctly and perfect it and take on any challenge when it comes to drawing or painting, and now I know, my lessons wont turn me in Leonardo Di Vinci but it can refine my style and help me have more hits then misses when it comes to my art.

I’ve only had two classes and not drawn anything that is an actual drawing but I have learnt so much, I took art in high school, and thought I knew more or less everything but after just two lessons I have realised I really don’t know much and I have a lot to learn

Doing this art class is something great for me, I cant remember when last I drew something that wasn’t a fashion design or a doodle and I’ve missed it, I cannot wait to start painting because that truly is my favourite hobby, its what makes me miss school, I loved art class just sitting painting and being in my own world

The teacher is very inspiring and she mentioned to me to try train yourself to notice new stuff and see what a great impact it makes in my life, so I’ve been trying it for the last week I haven’t trained myself enough yet but I’m getting there. The little  things I have noticed made me happy even if its little things like the first blossoms coming up on a tree as winter start to end or a crack in a wall, or what’s around me while driving. I just go about my life not really looking, we walk into a mall or street or other peoples home and don’t take notice to what’s happening around us what has changed what is different what is new.

I’ll be trying more and more to notice new things around me, take in everything around me, not for a big ultimate purpose just for myself, just so I wont go by life with my head in the sand and just to improve myself

I feel this art class will have a great impact on me, its something that is close to my heart not only being creative but also being around creative people who inspire me and help me better myself

Here’s to Learning new things and noticing new things

  

 

Restaurant Review; Calisto’s

      

Calisto’s is an old favourite when it comes to restaurants in the south, its a hearty Portuguese, family restaurant that’s been around for as long as I can remember, and is renowned for good Portuguese food

The reason for my visit was my moms birthday last weekend, we decided on Calisto’s because we wanted something a little out of the ordinary that we normally wouldn’t  go to but not to far out our way, so Calisto’s it was

 As arriving to Calisto’s its almost like pulling up to a mansion, as its not in a shopping centre or designed like a typical restaurant, as we walked in the door we were  warmly welcome and immediately seated, so first impressions were delightful, we only expected great things from here

 From our warm welcomes to our waitress, service was great, our waiter seemed to be new because she seemed a little confused and all over the place at times  but non the less did a great job as we could see she was trying her utmost to keep us happy

They have a great selection of Portuguese cuisine from Prawns, steaks trinchado, Peri Peri chicken and the works, I ordered a Portuguese steak, which is a Rump steak, toped with a slice of ham, egg and gravy and chips. The flavour was superb, the sauce was a creamy alternative from which I’m normally used to when ordering a Portuguese steak. The cut of steak however just had lots sinew in it, which made it hard to chew for me. The chips were crispy and fluffy inside, which went great with my gravy. I also had a taste of the peri peri chicken and Roasted vegetable both of which were very enjoyable. Made just the way it should be

Another thing Calisto’s is know for is for its Peri Peri sauce, if you like it hot, this is an awesome Chilli sauce, its hot and has great flavour, its not to oily tasting like some places, I believe this is because they use a good quality olive oil, it was delish on a bun with butter and drizzled over my steak. Even better yet, they know its good, so they even sell it in bottles so you can buy it for home

The Dessert was unfortunately Disappointing, I ordered a sticky toffee Pudding but its was more like a muffin, and it wasn’t the fact that it was made to look like a muffin, it was the fact that it was dry and bland. It looked so inviting when seeing it in the dessert display but once in my mouth, big let down.

The ambience throughout our whole meal was great, Portuguese music (I’m assuming) playing in the background was Cheerful, The décor has a very rustic feel, which face break walls with big open pan windows and doors looking out  and random old trinkets hanging from the Ceiling, like an old guitar and bowls and radios, all random thing, it sets a great visual experience

The Price Range Is above average, not cheap but not toooo Expensive. There are Cheaper options like your light Meals for example a Prego if the other stuff is out of your budget. So if you have a little cash to spend for some authentic Portuguese food  with a great Dinner or lunch vibe Calisto’s is the place

So I’m rating my Experience at Calisto’s with

 

I had A great lunch witch a great vibe, I felt like I could have been sitting in Portugal itself, the reason I haven’t rated it higher is mainly because of my food, the flavours of the steak was great but I don’t want to fight with my steak to get it down, another disappointment was the muffin or sticky toffee as they called it, visually it was beautiful but reason its called sticky is because it needs to be sticky

I will be going back to Calisto’s, and would suggest it to people if they looking for a nice Vibe and family setting, Even though my food and dessert weren’t perfect the rest of my experience was great

Lets Talk Fashion, Teen Choice Awards 2014

The Teen choice awards is an event that has fun fashion in my opinion, because its not so over glamorous and stiff, we can draw lots of inspiration from it for our everyday wear, because the outfits aren’t ball gowns and evening dresses, its more cocktail like. So I want to talk about the looks I loved and the looks I love to hate. This is me being Joan Rivers just a little more Subtle 😉 So these were my Favourites I love Bella Thorne in this Johny Wujek Dress, it reminds me of a fairy, I picture tickerbell in this dress, The colours are so refreshing. I think its great that she kept her hair and make up simple so the dress does all the talking! Chloe Moretz is wearing Valentino here and I know to a few others this isn’t on their Best dressed list, but I like it. The prints are bold and strong and has a Spanish bull fighter style to it but I think its awesome. She’s young and sweet and I think she pulls it off just right

Hot hot hot. Nina Dobrev was the right person to work this Vionnet Crop top and shorts. Its fun which makes it perfect for the Teen Choice awards, her skin, her hair, her make up, all perfect. I love the fact that her hair looks so effortless

Sarah Hyland was all Razzle dazzle in this marc Jacobs dress, She’s a very petite girl and looks much younger than what she really is, so this dress is  great to remind us that she’s all woman. Two things I would have changed is the shoe, I would have preferred a Pointy Shoe with this dress and maybe just a little bit shorter with the hem

Selena looks so Chic and classy in this Saint Laurent Suit. It could not have fit her better.

And My very Favourite look goes to Shay Mitchell in this two piece lace crop and pencil skirt. White always looks great on darker skin tones, if this was on someone else, it easily could have looked boring. Her wine red lips finish it off perfectly. superb!

And these are my looks that I didn’t like so much, just because of my personal taste, to other people these looks might be great but to me it was just a miss

Zenday didn’t impress me much in this Material Girl Halter dress, it was just a little boring, no doubt she has a great body but it was just blei for me

Christian Dior is always a favourite but this is just a miss for me, I’m not a fan of satin, I hate the way the creases are so visible because its a shiny material, I also don’t like the plunge neck line maybe if it had a high neck line I would have liked it more, I also didn’t like the shoes, the gold just doesn’t go here, maybe if that black wasn’t in the dress the gold would have looked nice but because of the black in the dress, I would have liked to see a black shoe Maybe a cute Peep Toe

Hillary Duff is wearing a Sachin and Babi Noir crop top with a vintage skirt. I like the skirt but I don’t like the top she has paired it with, the skirt is very sexy and then the top just makes the outfit look granny-like. I wish she just choose a different top, because other than that I loved everything

Normally I love Everything that Taylor Swift puts on, but this Novis ensemble was not a winner, it seems a little like a patch work design. She’s looked much much better. And its not that I absolutely hate this look but I’m just use to seeing her look so majestic so this is a let down

I like the pants and the print but the Bra like crop top is what I didn’t like about this look, I would have preferred it with a plain black crop top. Because of the top I really don’t like this. This was my Worst look. 😦

So that was my take on the fashion of the night at the Teen choice awards. The trends that are still going strong from all the looks I’ve seen is Definitely  Crop tops, the pointy toe, very effortless hair, and minimal to no accessories.

Creamy Tomatoe and Basil Pilaf

I created this recipe completely by chance when I had no idea what I felt like making, I started boiling rice, hoping something would spark in my mind and then it did, I used what I had in the fridge and it was a delightful winner. This gorgeous recipe is great for a side to a juicy steak or as a light lunch

You’ll need

>5 cups cooked rice

> 1 clove garlic

> 1 large spring onion

> Half a tin of chopped peeled Tomatoes

> 1 tablespoon sugar

> Handful of torn Fresh basil pieces

> 1 steam of dill

> 2 Tablespoons balsamic Vinegar

> 1 cup cream

> 2 teaspoons dried chilli

> 1 teaspoon Lemon pepper

> 2 Tablespoons Apricot Jam

> Salt and pepper

How You Do it

> In a small sauce pan heat a small glug of olive oil over medium heat, fry Garlic and spring onions together for 5 mins

> Add canned tomatoes, basil, sugar and balsamic Vinegar and allow to simmer on a lower heat for ten minutes

>  Now add Cream, Chilli,, lemon pepper and chopped dill

> Add salt and pepper to taste

> Bring to boil and then put down to simmer on low heat for 10-15minutes

> Now add apricot jam and stir in, taste if it needs more pepper and salt

> Mix sauce in with Warm rice and serve warm

If your having this as a lunch and need a little protein add some crumbed pieces of feta in with it.

Mmmmmmm

Yummy

Lets Make a Skirt!

Lets Make a Skirt!

This Skirt is quick and easy to make, and will take you less then half an afternoon. You can make winter skirts or summer skirts, depending which season you in , use fun patterns or even smart material if you’d like to wear it to work. This is great for the wardrobe and can cost you under R70 depending on what fabric you buy! even less if you have fabric lying around, you’ve been wanting to use but not sure for what!

You will need the following

*Elastic (Measurement of your waist or hips)

*1-2 meters Fabric of your choice. If you don’t have an over locker, try use a fabric that wont fray, or you’ll need to do French seams

And then you’ll need your Basic sewing and pattern equipment; Thread, ruler, pattern paper, pen, scissor, measuring tape

Step one

Measure the length you would like your skirt to be. from either your waist or hips

Mine was 41 cm

Step two

Draw a line down your pattern paper (this will be you CB and CF line) and then mark the length of your skirt on that line and from that point square out to the Right

          

Step three

Now mark the top of your CB/CF line as 1 and the point where you squared out from as 2

Step Three

At the Top of your CF/CB line at point 1 add 2cm straight up and mark it as 3

Step four

Square Off From Point 3

Step five

Measure the biggest part of your body between your hips and thighs.

Take that measurement and add 2cm to it and then divide that number by 4

eg.

111+2=113

113/4=28.2

Take that number (28.2) and mark it on the line you squared off from 3 and mark this point as 4

Step six

Take that Same Measurement and add 6cm (28.2+6), and mark that on the bottom line as shown above. mark as point 5

Step seven

Connect point 4 to 5 with a straight line

Step eight

On line 4 to 5 mark the length of the skirt from point 4, mark as point 6

Step nine

Connect Point 1 to Point 4 by smoothing off the line, make sure you square off from point 1 so the line is straight. Also smooth off from line 2-5 to connect to point 6

Step ten

Now add Seam Allowance at a measurement of 1.5 cm all around the pattern except for the CF/CB line because this will be one fold.

Indicate Clearly that the CB/CF needs to be on Fold

Step eleven

Now cut out you pattern and pin to fabric. Cut pattern twice with CF/CB on fold both times.

Step twelve

You should now have 2 pieces of fabric. Pin fabric right sides facing to each other on the side seams.  sew together and then over lock if needed. Also over lock the top of the skirt

         

Step thirteen

Now Measure Elastic by putting it on yourself and pulling slightly tighter until it sits nice and securely but not to tight. If your making this for someone else then take there waist/hip measurement and subtract 5 cm

Close the elastic by stitching it together, don’t sew right sides facing, rather so it on top of each other so it isn’t bulky. Preferably 1st overlook the elastics open edges

Step fourteen

Now pin Elastic to the skirt. Remember the elastic needs to be pinned to the outside of the skirt as it will be on the top. you wont be sewing Right sides facing but on top of one another. You need to gather the skirt as you pin it, to allow it to stretch. Pin 1cm away from the edge of the bottom of the elastic.

      

Step Fifteen

Now you need to sew the pinned fabric, if your machine has a zig zag stitch its best to use that, if not, set your stitch length 2 marks up and  stretch the elastic slightly as you sew, not to much or it will stretch the elastic out of shape. Sew 0.5 away from bottom elastic

Step sixteen

Finishing off

Put the skirt on and see if your still happy with the length or cut of excess length. then do your hem as you prefer. Either a Pin Hem, over lock or Blind hem

And there You have a skirt.

Happy Days 😉

Feta Stuffed Home Made Beef Patties

If your a fan of burgers, you know there is nothing better than a juicy home made burger!!  Moist, tasty and fresh, its the perfect Friday night fun dinner to get creative with!!

I got this recipe from Harry Sideropolis at the good food and wine show and this is my take on it…

This recipe makes 20 Patties depending on size

Ok so you will need;

• +- 1.5 kg Lean (cause we want to be healthy) Mince
• 1 cup fresh dill
• 1 cup fresh Basil
• 1 cup fresh parsley. I didn’t have fresh Parsley so I used dried, it worked but try to use fresh its worth it in the end
• 2 eggs
• 3 Table spoons bread crumbs
• Half a tin of canned chopped and peeled tomatoes
• 3 Blocks Feta
• 1 table spoon sugar
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

And now, how you do it;

• Get a nice big bowl to work in, empty your mince into the bowl and add roughly chopped herbs. don’t be scared to add in the stalks, they have Most of the flavour. You need to get down and dirty with this recipe, get your hands in there and mix like you’ve never mixed before
• Now add your 2 eggs, and get messy again!

• After This add Tomatoes, mix, then add bread crumbs mix
• Now Add your sugar, salt and pepper. if you like your salt don’t be shy, else your patties may end up Bland. Make sure everything is nicely mixed together
• If you Don’t Mind tasting raw meat, have a little taste to see if its missing something
• Now the stuffing Begins, 1.take a hand full off mince 2.roll it into a ball and then squish flat 3.after that squish more flat in the centre to make a little ‘well’ 4.In that little well push in the crumbed feta. Not too much just a few crumbs 5.then fold over the patty, to close the feta in the middle 6.Roll once more and then squish down again to make a patty. the patty should be about 2 cm thick

• Now your Patties are ready to fry
• Heat a small about of olive oil on a medium heat
• place each patty in the pan careful and gently, give it a good 3 to 6 minutes on each side depending on how you like your meat
• Once its done, Get creative with those burgers, add cheese, pineapple, pepper sauce or whatever tickles your fancy
• I simply put some sweet chill sauce, normal chilli sauce, tomatoes and cheese with my patty on a Panini and it was great!

 

A Few Tips

1. Keep your mince in the fridge before you start this recipe, this recipe works best with cold mince. This  helps for your patty not to fall apart before its even reached the pan
2. Once your patties are in the pan DONT fiddle with them, leave them until its time to flip them! You only need to flip them once!
3. This recipe can also be used to make meatballs
4. You can also add other things in the middle like mozzarella, Sun dried Tomatoes, Corn, whatever tickles your fancy
5. Last but not least……….Enjoy every bit!

 

Good Food and Wine Show- The Review

This Saturday I went to the good food and wine show, and this is what I thought about it……

We arrived on the clock as the doors opened and inside there was a Diverse variety of different wines and food stalls. Wines from all over the country and food types from every corner of the earth.

The things I enjoyed the most was the array of beautiful cakes from wedding to birthday cakes, that were stunning1

,  

Not to Mention the life sized rhino cake that was made by a team that included Cake Boss, and believe it or not All the proceeds made from every slice bought at R20 went to Charity!  And If you have ever wondered if those huge cakes he makes on his shows are tasty and not just pretty, well I have your answer, it is yummy and moist!!

I also enjoyed watching Chef Harry Sideropolis showing us how to make a mouth-watering home made burger patty. That I will be trying out soon! While I was watching him do his magic at the Goldcrest Stand, they gave me one on these babies as a tasty

This Canape is so easy to make, simply take a cracker, smear on fig jam add a small piece of blue cheese, a little micro green and Volar! Nice for guests or just as a snack!

They were also busy making a life size car out of cake….enough said

My favourite exhibitors of the day included Candy-licious, it was filled with all those commercial American sweets like M & M’s, Nerds, Herseys and some other novelty sweeties.

Another was Leafy Greens Café, this is a restaurant that does healthy and organic foods, I tried a piece of Cheese cake that tasted just as good as normal cheese cake if not better and it had no sugar or eggs in it.

Gourmet fudge was fantastic, all different flavours of fudge, I tried them and I loved them, my favourite was the milk tart fudge. This is there facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gourmet-Fudge/151831581634355

I also managed to meet Jenny Morris and Reza Mahammed and even though I tasted buddies cake I didn’t  get meet him

Arriving early to the show had its benefits, as 2 hours in it Was absolutely packed and it was almost impossible to move or get to the exhibitors, I wasn’t even able to taste one sip of wine because it was chock a block full with all the people around the wine stalls. I did expect to get more tastys from all the exhibitors so that was a little disappointing Not being able to try new things without having to buy a whole meal, the ones that did give samples I loved….and I remember

My highlights were the beautiful cakes. I would have loved more samples and preferred quality over quantity so that there could be more space in the aisles to move around or a bigger venue. So even though it was a nice day out I did expect more from this event so That’s why I have given this event 2 stars out of 5