Tag Archives: carrot

Comfort Food Monday

Posted in Mains, Starters by

Monday seems to be the least appreciated day of the week, especially in late Autumn. On Monday morning it’s especially hard to motivate oneself to leave the toasty duvet cocoon one has been working on all night. Understandable, all that nightly effort gone to waste! The cold wet weather currently passing by is definitely nothing to be enjoyed outside – a front row seat from under the covers more than suffices.
UNLESS, like today, your alarm wakes you to a Winter Wonderland! YAYS, Winter has arrived! Getting up was so much easier and filled with excitement, mainly because my blind self had to stand right in front of the window to confirm that the white haze I saw upon awakening was actually snow and not some post-cocoon-hallucination. Snowman time! Fireplace time! Ice skating time! Turkey time! Also, warming comfort food time! Comfort food of the day – roasted sweet potato and carrot soup – a delicious alternative to the usual pumpkin. Let me know what you think.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

IMG_0102

inspired by bbcgoodfood

Continue reading →

Race for Life – Donations Welcome!!

Posted in Cake / Cupcakes by

Craziness and possible over-ambition struck: I decided to sign up for Race for Life on the 11th June!!! I am running this race to help raise lots and lots of money for one of the most important fields of medical research – cancer. Liposarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, hit my family 17 years ago and decided to relapse a few times – the most recent episode of disease being the worst with metastases. Sadly, treatment options for late stages of this (and other types of) cancer are scarce – a lot more research is needed!

So please click on the following link: http://www.justgiving.com/themedicalgourmet and donate as little or as much as you want in aid of Cancer Research UK – every penny is a step closer to finding possible cures!

As for this cake – it is the final cake baked for the birthday celebrations (YAY 5/5; I made it!) – a traditional Swiss style carrot cake with a Kirsch icing. I made a gluten free version to cater for everyone’s needs by simply substituting the flour with gluten free flour – it was actually one of the most successful and praised cakes of the event! Definitely worth baking again đŸ™‚

Swiss RĂ¼bli Torte ala Betty Bossi

IMG_2047

Continue reading →

For a Beautiful Bride

Posted in Cake / Cupcakes by

This post is dedicated to my puuuffff (honestly, I have NO idea when and how we came up with this name but it somehow stuck:-) ) and to her better half.

Our friendship goes way back, originally having started on the golf course and possibly even the ski slopes. All those summers bbq’ing on random hills, gazing at stars, drunken winter teenage nights clubbing, free room service in random boys’ hotel rooms, dancing on tables in the tiniest skirts, my first (and last!) absinth buddy:-), AUSTRALIA, annoying one specific waitress on a daily basis for a summer, hungover golf success with sir albert mulligan, dog walks, the list could go on and on … a true friendship keeps on growing and lasts for a lifetime.

I cannot believe you are getting married!! CRAZY! But kind of great! You have no idea how happy I am for you to have found your soulmate. You have officially restored my hope that one day I might find mine too. If that never happens by the time I’m 50, I shall be moving in with you guys, so make sure you have a spare room pour moi! HA! Single-for-life problem solved :-P. I wish you both the best of luck for your future, lots of adventures, happiness and success. Please take good care of my twin, Mister ;-).

Oh and be sure to keep your future children far away from me, as they will probably end up with high cholesterol and diabetes đŸ˜‰

I made this cake (and the cupcakes) for the hens’ night, as I thought a room full of estrogen would appreciate some sweet goodness, especially after some rounds of quite competitive karaoke.
But, there is a little bit more to this cake: Last year, while spending some time in Cape Town, Wednesday evenings were our official braai times (Braai meaning bbq in Afrikaans ). I don’t think I have ever braaied so much in such a short period of time, but I must admit, nothing beats a juicy ostrich steak straight from the braai. Anyways, one Wednesday it was someone’s birthday. What is a birthday without cake?? NON EXISTENT! So Laura made this carrot cake (I think she got the recipe from another roommate, but it has been etched into my memory as Laura’s carrot cake) It was AMAZING! Perfect for my puuufs hens’ do.

Laura’s Carrot Cake – Carrot Cake Cupcakes
IMG_1675

Continue reading →