Pools and parties

If you can't take the heat, stay out the kitchen........if only!

Last weeks canape count was around 4000 with the odd lunch thrown in, all whilst simmering in the heatwave, so when I found myself in Muizenberg at 8 am on Saturday morning (bless those darling children) I pulled in at  Hassans little shop where a batch of sourdough ciabatta had just been released from the oven....aahh the smell!
Feeling much better, I rushed home with my warm treasure, the bread was begging for lashings of butter and a cup of fresh coffee.

I knew then that  it would be a good weekend.

Saturday evening we drove across town to Flamingo Vlei, the Romanian beauty had a birthday party.
I'd been looking forward to her mouth watering Sarmale all week, the main course was a Moroccan Lamb stew, slow cooked and simply divine- Romania's Nigella Lawson? I think so....

View of  Table Mountain on the way to Famingo Vlei

We weren't finished with the weekend yet, the art teacher warming to traveling, we drove along Muizenberg's coastline to Somerset West.

With the temperature peaking at 38 degrees, we were welcomed with cooling G & T's, the secret ingredient homemade bitters- a grappa bottle stuffed tight with a jungle of herbs.

In the cool dining room of the beautiful old house, we gathered, good friends and family settling in for a long Sunday lunch- Meltingly delicious stuffed lamb, the perfect contrast of a crisp Asian salad of marinated vegetables and bamboo shoots, not forgetting those grilled and marinated aubergines with garlic and parsley.

With spritz bottles and fans we kept ourselves cool whilst we reminisced over old albums, drank a little bit more wine and finally took to the road as the sun was retreating.