iDale

As you’ve probably gathered by now, my weekends tend to revolve around fine food, shopping, friends and fun. That’s why I started off Friday night by unleashing my NoMU poultry rub on a couple of chicken fillets…

...she was afraid of being called chicken when the farmer stepped in the pen

The flavour was intense in a good way and the food came out just right – soft centre with no signs of pink meat. It was the perfect start to a very very relaxed weekend…

...she sleeps with one eye open since "the hotdog incident"

On Saturday I slept in and later went to meet my sister who recently returned from an overseas excursion. She revealed this spectacular iPad case she found for me…

I've been searching for an iPad case with a shoulder strap for months!

We enjoyed a light lunch at Life in Sandton City again and then discovered a musical frenzy in the Fountain Court! Music Mate, had a huge display of instruments for people to test out – everything from drums and DJ equipment to organs and kids guitars.

Just look at this Spongebob Squarepants range of children’s musical instruments…

Yes, that's a Spongebob tambourine you see alongside the egg-shaker!

On Sunday we headed over to some friends who just moved into their first place. I was shocked at how gorgeous their complex in Saxonwold is. Just look at these amazing gardens. I felt like I was in another country!

David Bowie was about to jump out of the labyrinth...

We hooked them up with a Square Forest – the perfect way to bring lush greenery into the home without the hassle of maintaining plants or trees.

The storm that chased away the weekend braai

Sadly, later in the day the storm you see above scared away my traditional weekend braai! But, fear not, I’ll always make a plan to feed myself (like Bear Grylls in a kitchen) - this time it was crispy, salty, french fries… yum!

My anti-clockwise production line on good form as usual

While I was wrapping up my meal, I tuned in to witness Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel sealing his place in the F1 history books as the youngest F1 world champion.

Sebastian Vettel knows a thing or two about timing

The men who had been ahead in the standings, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Mark Webber, lost out on the ultimate prize after pit stops with bad timing, finishing seventh and eighth…

Considering my team (Ferrari) didn’t win and my braai had been scared off, there was nothing left to do but place three competing phones onto a portable grill and see which one died first…

I just have to say that even though the iPhone (my phone of choice) didn’t last the longest, it was the only device to signal a warning, going out in pure style (and with attention to detail) as usual!

So I borrowed a chicken recipe from Simply Delicious, SA’s Blog Awards Winner in the Food & Wine category. I’ve got to say that it turned out to be one of the tastiest chicken dishes I’ve ever cooked! Here is how I did it…

First I prepared all the ingredients which cost less than R100 from the Spar up the road.

Preparation is key. Write that down.

• 4 chicken leg portions
• 1/2 cup Olive oil
• Juice of 2 Lemons
• 1tbsn Dijon mustard
• 2tbsn Chopped Parsley
• 1tbsn thyme leaves
• 1tbsn chopped Sage
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt & Black pepper

I mixed everything you see above into a bowl and stirred it up with a fork until the mustard and olive oil were completely fused. Then I drizzled it over the chicken leg portions and left it to marinade for about 30 minutes while the oven heated up. Be sure to turn the chicken a couple of times so that the marinade is absorbed – you don’t want to miss a spot!

4 little polkas sucking up the juicy herb marinade

Initially I was going to braai using the twin-fire method I used here, but instead I grilled the food in the oven for about 30 minutes and then turned on the fan setting to make the skin slightly golden brown.

mm... mmm... mmmm... Perfection!

As you can see it came out brilliantly. And it tasted even better than it looks! I washed it down with a well-matched glass of Meerlust Pinot Noir – just right with grilled meats like chicken or salmon.

Be sure to visit Simply delicious for more recipe’s.

On the weekend I prepared a couple of fillet steaks using this quick recipe. they turned out great and I promised I would share it with you…

No matter what they say... fresh herbs win hands down!

What you’ll need

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

You'll smell the flavour the moment you mix it all up together!

How to make it

Add all ingredients into a medium glass bowl and whisk until blended.  Add your meat or vegetables and all of the marinade into a sealable plastic bag or dish. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours, shaking the bag or turning the meat in the dish occasionally to make sure all surfaces of the meat are in contact with the marinade.

Two steaks making love in a pond of magical marinade.

Remove the meat from the marinade and season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally, grill your meat and vegetables until cooked to your satisfaction! And BANG! There you have it… the incredible taste of fillet steak in a rosemary & balsamic marinade.

Check out these digital braai tongs and remember: you can’t blog on an empty stomach! Write that down.

Depending on how you view things, this may or may not be foolish – Mix Stix are your classic beechwood spoons that have an indispensable place in any kitchen, although the other end of it has been shaped into a pair of drumsticks, allowing you to groove to the beat in your head while you’re waiting for a meal to be cooked:

Each purchase consists of one solid spoon and one unique music-note-slotted spoon. Get your Mix Stix here. If this isn’t your thing, don’t check out the Pastasaurus either.

Take a look at this kitchen timer device that works with specially designed recipe cards. Like any recipe, you have instructions only the Kitchen Timer goes one step further and provides visual and audio feedback on progress.

If a set of instructions says to cook the chicken for 30 minutes, the arm will slide down the card in that exact amount of time – now that’s precision cooking!

Designed by Emma Caselton

When I think of meatballs, I remember the classic scene in Lady & the Tramp when the one dog rolls the last meatball over to the other. Cute.

I also think about how I’ve never really loved meatballs, until now. I mean how does a smoked meatball sub sound right about now? Enticing and appetizing right? Well, now you can have tasty flavors on those meatballs by using this Meatball Grill Basket…

It’s from Williams-Sonoma and it holds up to 12 meatballs! Tt has perforated walls to retain the flavors and drain the fat off of beef, chicken, or whatever other meatballs you’re making. With polypropylene handle for easy turning and even cooking it’s a steal at just $50 (about R390)! Get it here and smoke a meatball

It holds everything you’ll need on a convenient tool belt for easy reach. It comes with a pair of speed tongs, a spatula, two lock-and-load washable inserts, and more importantly, a holder for your beer.

It’s the Grillslinger Sport! No more laying down of your grilling tools. And he who holds the tools is The Braai Master.

Get it here for $49 (about R400). Remember, You Can’t Blog (or do anything for that matter) on an Empty Stomach.

With the variety of salt & pepper shakers available out there, no one really wants to be boring anymore. These lovely battery-like shakers were created by Antrepo Design Industry:

It is shaped like a D sized battery and made from stainless steel and glass. I love how you can see the amount of salt and pepper left in the shakers through the power indicators on the sides. Don’t forget to check out the Rubiks Cube Shakers featured a while back!

Ferrari may be a name too big for the average home, but a German company is determined to drive their Ferrari-theme kitchen into your home! It boasts a high gloss laminate in red with lots of black accents and characterises an ergonomic design, of course inspired by the sleek and sexy curves of the Italian cars.

It has a second island, usually omitted from contemporary kitchens, as well as a ‘S’ shaped island with a fashionable sink located in the middle part. There are tall storage and wall-fitted oven units behind the island, the lustrous kitchen includes an electric cooktop, raised about the surrounding table, on a freestanding unit, so you may prepare and serve dishes without wasting any time.

This is making me hungry!