Shiny and New: Robbie Williams rejoins Take That!

Robbie is back with Take That, and here is their new single!
It's kinda epic!
The single The Flood, from the new album, Progress, produced by Stuart Price, is set to be released November 22nd. Enjoy!

Just The Way You Are...

This song is just plain beautiful. Corny, yes, but who of you would not love someone saying this to you (luckily I have that someone, X).
Bruno Mars has been nr. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Just The Way You Are for 2 weeks sofar, which is a great departure from all the auto-tuned rap crap that usually dominates the charts.
Enjoy!

"Raise Your Glass" is the new P!nk

P!nk's Greatest Hits album is coming out in November, and today we have one of 2 new songs to be featured on the album. It's produced by Max Martin (the god of pop music), who has produced tons of great pop songs, including ...Baby One More Time, Since You've Been Gone, I Kissed a Girl etc...
The song, Raise Your Glass, serves as the lead single from the album, and is an anthem to anyone who has ever felt different. I can already hear the crowds singing along :)

One-Pan Sage&Onion&Chicken&Sausage

I love a meal that fits into one big pan! Mainly, because there's less dishes :), but also because it is so much simpler, better and faster! This literally took 15 min prep time, and it was scrumptious! With this, make the Petits Pois a la Francaise below, it's my favourite new side dish!




Ingredients:
1 large onion or 2 small onions
1/2 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
2 teaspoons English mustard
1 tablespoon dried sage
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon
10 chicken pieces
8 chorizo sausages, halved
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

Serves: 6

Directions:
1.Peel and cut the onion into eighths, and put into a freezer bag with the oil, mustard, dried sage, a good grinding of pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.

2.Cut lemon in half, squeeze juice into bag, and then cut the halves into eighths and add them to the bag.

3.Squidge everything around to mix (the mustard needs help to combine) and then add the chicken pieces.

4.Leave to marinade in the refrigerator for an hour, or up to 2 days.

5.Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C, and allow the chicken to come to room temperature in its marinade.

6.Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting tin skin side up with the marinade, including all the bits and pieces, except the lemons.

7.Tuck the halved sausages around them.

8.Sprinkle the fresh sage leaves over the chicken and sausages and then put the tin uncovered into the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

9.Turn the sausages over half way through to color them evenly.

Petits Pois a la Francaise (sounds fancy hey!)

I've always thought peas were a little boring. This recipe changed my mind. I don't know what it is, but the subtle flavours that this recipe combines with the beautiful texture of peas, makes it a winner. This is the perfect side to any dish!




Ingredients:
3 small or 2 fat spring onions, finely sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 Little Gem (Butterhead) lettuce, shredded
2 cups frozen petits pois
1/2 cup hot chicken stock (concentrate or cube and hot water is fine)

Serves: 4, as a side

Directions:
1.Saute the spring onions in the butter and oil until soft.

2.Stir in the shredded lettuce, and when it is wilted add the frozen peas and stock.

3.Cook at a robust simmer, uncovered, until everything is tender and the liquid flavorful and reduced.

Shiny & New: Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World)

Here we have Rihanna's brand new single off her upcoming album Loud, set to be released November 2nd! I'm digging the tune, and I'm definitely happy it's not similar to the crap that was Rated R, but it's still not of the caliber of Good Girl Gone Bad. Let's hope she's got more to offer on the album! For now, i can imagine clubs going mad for this song!

Hurts - Happiness

Don't you love listening to an album where every single track blows you away with it's amazingness! Hurts' debut album Happiness does just this. From start to finish it's a beautiful melancholic journey of epic proportions.
They remind me of Keane, Depeche Mode, Imogen Heap, Lady Gaga(to a degree), and Rufus Wainwright, at their best! If you buy one album this year, this should be it. I cannot stop listening!
I leave you with 2 of my favourite tracks from the album, Sunday, and Stay.






To pre-order the album: Take2: Hurts - Happiness.

Chorizo, Vine Tomatoes, Broccoli and Goat's Cheese Pasta!

Sometimes you're just looking for something light, but  still hearty! You're not in the mood for a moerse stew or casserole, and you also don't wanna pick at bunch of leaves.

I believe this little pasta does the job. It's light and fresh, but still hearty and just rich enough! It goes really well with a glass of bubbles, whilst watching Liza do her thing in Cabaret... 

Ingredients:

(All these ingredients are from Woolworths, sorry Carina!)

1/2 packet of Organic Penne Pasta

1 large packet tender stem Broccoli

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 chorizo sausages (they come in a pack of 6, called Spanish Sausage, or you can use the fancy expensive one that looks like a thick droëwors)

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh chopped chilli

1 punnet of Mediterranean vine tomatoes (15 - 20 of them, taken of the vine and halved)

a good splash of balsamic vinegar

  black pepper

  salt

1 pack of herb and garlic Chevin (Goat's cheese)

Serves: 2

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente; drain and set aside.

2. Steam the broccoli, in it's bag with a 2cm slit at the top, for 3 minutes in the microwave, and then cut in halves.

3. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. 

4. Cut the 2 chorizo sausages into a number of round disks, add to the skillet, and sauté over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. 

5. Transfer sausage to a plate lined with a paper towel.

6. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes(or fresh chilli), and sauté until fragrant, for about 30 seconds. 

7. Add the halved tomatoes, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a pinch salt and pepper, and sauté for about a minute.

8. Add sausage and broccoli, cook until heated through, and turn the heat off.

9. Crumble half the Chevin into the drained pasta, with some salt and pepper, and stir through to coat the pasta. 

10.Combine the pasta and tomato/broccoli/chorizo mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve the rest of the Chevin crumbled onto each serving.

Shiny & New: Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow - Shame

So, Robbie left Take That, had a HUGELY successful couple of years as a solo artist, and then screwed it all up by trying to be way too weird! I think he realized he made a boo-boo, and now, he's rejoined Take That, can you handle it!
But first, before the reformed Take That album appears, Robbie is releasing another Greatest Hits, including this song, Shame, a duet with his former arch nemesis, Gary Barlow. It's a sweet little tune, but is it just me, or is the video a little Brokeback Mountain? Judge for yourselves :)

4 HOUR DUCK (because it's worth it!)

Duck is another one of those dishes, that if I see it on a menu, I order it.
But I don't think I've ever had duck in a restaurant as good as this dish!
It's sooo easy, sooo cheap (a whole duck cost me R48 from Checkers!!!), and soooooo goood!!
You have never had such a succulent duck, and the roast potatoes are probably the ones they serve in heaven.
It takes a bit of prep, but it's by no means difficult, and it's SO worth it!




Ingredients:
1 whole duck
(you can buy a whole frozen duck from Checkers - i know, i was just as surprised!
but if you know of anywhere in CT that I can buy one fresh, lemme know!)
Salt
750 grams Mediterranean potatoes
Sage, optional

Serves: 2-3

Directions:
1. Defrost your duck 2 nights before, and then salt your duck the night before and leave it, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. (remember to remove the giblets form the cavity)

2. Turn on your oven to 120 degrees C.

3. In a roasting pan, set your salted duck on a roasting rack, breasts side down (upside down) and cook in the oven for about 3 hours.

4. Precook the potatoes (I usually just put them them in a plastic shopping bag, tie the bag, and microwave it for 10 minutes), and then quarter them.

4. When the 3 hours are done, take out the duck and turn the oven up to 190 degrees C.

5. Using caution, pour out the duck fat that has drained into the bottom on the roasting pan, reserving in a jar. (better as a 2 person job)

6. Use a spoonful or two of the duck fat to baste the duck.

7. Add a few spoonfuls into a heatproof skillet or smaller roasting pan, and add the potatoes, with some salt, to the skillet and mix up so that they get coated in fat.

8. Put the duck, breasts side up now, and the potatoes, into the oven and cook for 1 hour.

9. Remove the duck to a cutting board and let it rest.

10. Set your oven to grill, and roast the potatoes till they're golden brown.

11. Carve your duck and set the pieces in a serving dish (the duck should be tender enough that you can remove the legs by pulling on them), and also add the potatoes over the duck pieces.

12. Optional(but sooo good, fry a few sage leaves in the oil remaining in the bottom of the potato skillet, and scatter over potatoes and duck.

Credit: Robin Damstra

Flashback: Wes - Alane

Do you remember this song!!!! I LOVED this in high school! I use to do the dance in my bedroom! (sad but true, i know!) But seriously, how weird is it that a dude from Cameroon has this huge hit all over the world with a song in an African language called Yoruba, and a video with dancers dressed like Princess Leia!!?? Just shows you what a catchy melody can do for your career!
Take a trip down memory lane with me, and dance along all the way!

Shiny & New: Katy Perry - Firework & Peacock

Two brand new tracks off Katy's new album! Firework, supposedly confirmed as the third single, and quite enjoyable I must say.



And Peacock, a fan favourite already, with lyrics that could not possibly be metaphorical, could it ;)

Irresistible Risotto!

This is my ultimate! My absolute favourite meal, ever! Whenever I see risotto on a menu, I feel like Lindsay Lohan at an open bar! But I always thought it was way too difficult to make it myself, until Jenny Morris proved me wrong! Her recipe is full proof! (as long as you don't drink too much wine whilst making it!)
This is very much a collaborative meal in our home, since my Love always makes the stock, and I make the risotto. And I have to say without an amazing stock, risotto would simply be flavourless rice pudding. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Ingredients:

10 ml (2 t) olive oil

1 onion, peeled finely chopped

25ml (5t) butter

2 cloves garlic crushed, chopped

250 ml (1 cup) risotto rice, uncooked

1.25 litres (5 cups) boiling chicken stock (and keep it hot throughout the process)

125 ml (0.5 cup) dry white wine

125 ml (0.5 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan on just-above-medium heat(about a 4 on a 1 - 6 dial stove), and fry the onion - don't burn.

2. When onion is translucent, add the butter, garlic and rice and stir to coat the rice in butter.

3. Add a third each of the stock and wine, stirring constantly. Simmer until almost all the liquid has been absorbed.

4. Repeat step 3 until all the stock and wine have been used, and the rice is tender. (should take about 40 minutes)

5. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

And that's a basic risotto (simple as that!), which is a perfect companion to any meat dish, as a substitute for normal boring rice.

6... BUT, you can also add a multitude of tasty things to zhoozsh up your risotto, so that it becomes a meal in itself!

I love to add some garlic Porcini mushrooms with some sautéed leeks(above); 

or crispy bacon and rocket;

or roasted butternut, rosemary, and crumbed feta!

The options are endless!

Very Important Tip:

Make your own chicken stock! 

It's simple enough and makes the world of difference, because ultimately that's what your risotto ends up tasting like!

We generally make our stock in advance, and sommer use the left over chicken carcass from the previous night's Woolies rotisserie chicken.

Add: 

chicken carcass,

2.5 liters of water,
   1 cup of dry white wine, 

a carrot, 

an onion, 

1 cube of chicken stock, 

and any herbs you enjoy(but don't add too much),

to a large pot, on medium to high heat.

Let it simmer down to about 1.25 liters of stock, for about 2 - 3 hours, and strain. 

Sniny & New: Scissor Sisters - Any Which Way

This video is waaaaay tooo much! But I think that's the point :) They might as well just buy a caravan, since they're camping so much! The song, Any Which Way,  is a  fun, retro, dance tune, but still nothing as epic as the first single, Fire With Fire, which is by far my favourite song of the year!



And as a little bonus, here's the Fire With Fire vid as well:

Listen on the Day! - Natalie Imbruglia

Even though I'm a total pop-fanatic, I secretly dig a little indie-folk-electro-rockishness every now and then :)
Natalie is exactly that for me, from Torn, to Smoke, to That Day, I love it all! Her latest album Come to Life came out last year already, but went completely unnoticed! Critics loved it, but nobody bought it. Total shame! Plus she's got some amazing tunes on this one, and half the album was co-written by Chris Martin!
I present to you today my favourite track from the album, namely Fun, and also the only single that was officially released from the album, Want. Enjoy!

Tava...Nagila, Tava Nagila, Tava!

Doesn't that song make you feel like your sitting in a Greek Taverna? (even though it's actually Hebrew :) Well, this dish, Tava, will for sure, even though it is in actual fact a Cypriot dish, but if you're not Greek you wont know the difference.
The original recipe comes from Tessa Kiros, a true woman of the world, combining flavours from Greece, South Africa, Scandinavia, Italy and many more into her eclectic culinary repertoire. I've decided to give it a Cape Town twist, by adding white wine instead of water (it could only be better!).
It's exotic, easy, delicious, and gorgeous!



Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 red onions, chopped roughly
1 kg new potatoes, quartered
1 kg lamb, cut into chunks
4 Tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 teaspoons ground cumin
half cup olive oil
4-5 ripe tomatoes, sliced
2-3 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Put the onions, potatoes, and lamb in a large roasting pan or baking dish.

3. Season (generously) with salt and pepper, then add parsley, cumin and olive oil. Using your hands, mix everything up well.

4. Place the sliced tomatoes on top of mixture, season lightly with salt and pepper, and then dot with butter.

5. Pour about a half a cup of white wine around the edge of the pan.

6. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 and a half to 2 hours, tilting every once in a while to distribute the juices.

7. Remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 200C. Cook for another 45 minutes or longer, until the tomatoes and potatoes are golden browned and the liquid has all but evaporated.

This is delicious served hot or at room temperature.


photo by: Robin Damstra

The Wanted (for trying to be a boyband in 2010)

Seriously, aren't boyband's soooo last decade! Westlife and the Backstreet Boys are a distant memory, and their recent attempts at comebacks have been lackluster and a little sad to be honest...

Enter: The Wanted, a brand new boyband from the UK, formed in 2009 through mass auditioning (because why would guys naturally gravitate towards singing together :).

Their single, All Time Low, is actually quite good though, bar the excessive auto-tuning. The video is a little cringe-worthy, with them trying to be sexy just a little too hard. All that said, I think they might just be able to bridge the gap between Backstreet and Gaga! 

Shiny & New: Taylor Swift - Mine

Swifty had some MAJOR success with her previous album! Who knew country music could be kinda cool? Anyway, she's just released the first single "Mine", from her new album "Speak Now" coming out October 25th.
She once again tries to fit an entire Nicholas Sparks novel into one song, but it's pretty and catchy, and already number 1 on iTunes, making it the fastest debut at number 1 on iTunes ever.

Pork Koftas (or gourmet middle-eastern boerewors :)

This little recipe comes from one of my favourite magazines, Woolworths Taste! It was hidden in a small back corner of the magazine, but grabbed my taste buds immediately! I'd seen an episode of  "Take on the Take-Away" on BBC Lifestyle a few weeks earlier, in which they'd also made some koftas, and I just had to give it a go. It takes a little effort, but is completely worth it! I like serving it on some crushed new potatoes, and if there are any left over, they make the best sandwiches for the next day!

Ingredients:
6 - 8 Pork Bangers
2 Tablespoons chopped Italian flatleaf parsley
3 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 chopped green chilli
2 teaspoons ground cumin
6 Tablespoons olive oil
Half a chopped red onion
1 can tomatoes
1 teaspoon tomato paste

Directions:
1. Remove mince from the pork bangers

2. Combine mince with
2 T chopped parsley
1 t crushed garlic
1 chopped green chilli
2 t ground cumin
2 T olive oil

3. Roll into bite size balls, and flatten into small saugsages

4. In a pan on medium heat, with 2 T of olive oil, fry koftas until golden and cooked.

5. Meanwhile, add half a chopped onion, 2 t crushed garlic with 2 T olive oil to saucepan.

6. Add can of tomatoes and 1 t tomato paste to saucepan ,and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Away We Go...Home

From the director of American Beauty comes this touching tale of finding a place to call home. "Away We Go" is about normal, nice people; not robots, not mass murderers, not fashionistas; just people like you and me trying to figure out life.


Where do I find it?: It's available on DVD.
How's the soundtrack?: Features songs from Scottish singer/songwriter, Alexi Murdoch. Beautiful, melancholic, folk rock.
Got any quotes from it?:
   Verona De Tessant: Burt, are we fuck-ups? 
   Burt Farlander: No! What do you mean? 
   Verona De Tessant: I mean, we're 34... 
   Burt Farlander: I'm 33. 
   Verona De Tessant: ...and we don't even have this basic stuff figured out. 
   Burt Farlander: Basic, like how? 
   Verona De Tessant: Basic, like how to live. 
   Burt Farlander: We're not fuck-ups. 
   Verona De Tessant: We have a cardboard window. 
   Burt Farlander: [Looks at window] We're not fuck-ups. 
   Verona De Tessant: [Whispers] I think we might be fuck-ups. 
   Burt Farlander: [Whispers back] We're not fuck-ups.
Other similar movies?:  Juno, Garden State, 500 Days Of Summer.

Listens of the Day! Kylie vs. Katy

The age-old battle of Britain vs. America has always been most prevalent in the pop music arena. (at least to me :) Whether it's between The Beach Boys and The Beatles, The Killers and Coldplay, or Lady Gaga and Susan Boyle, rivalry is inevitable!

Today I bring you two pop princesses, dueling it out for the title of best second single from their latest album.

In the left corner: Kylie Minogue with "Get Outta My Way", from her triumphant comeback album "Aphrodite".


In the right corner: Katy Perry with "Teenage Dream", the title track from her sophomore album. (the one she's made after kissing all the girls, and is now happy with simply being a California girl)


Who Wins????

Croque Monsieur (it's not complicated!)

Have you watched It's Complicated? It has Meryl Streep in it, which obviously makes it a must see; that woman could play Nelson Mandela! Anyway, it has the most amazing food in it, I drooled in numerous scenes.
My personal favourite was the Croque Monsieur she made for Steve Martin's character. It's basically a ham and cheese sandwich, but oh, it's so much more! It's sour dough bread, gypsy ham, Gruyère, and Béchamel sauce, all grilled into submission (drooling again :) And honestly, it's really not that complicated.




Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups hot milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch nutmeg
5 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (basically one big block, get it at Woolies)
1 cup shredded parmesan
8 slices sourdough bread (use ciabatta instead, if you prefer a lighter meal)
dijon mustard
8 slices smoked ham (gypsy ham is the best!)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, on medium heat, then add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.
Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter/flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens.
Remove from the heat and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup gruyere and the cup of parmesan. Set aside.

3. To toast the bread, place the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, then flip the slices over and bake for 2 minutes more.

4. Spread the toasted bread with dijon mustard, and add a slice of ham to each.

5. Now slather the tops with the cheese sauce you set aside, and sprinkle all the remaining gruyere on top of the sauce.

6. Bake for 5 minutes.

7. Turn your oven up to grill, and grill for +- 5 minutes, until the cheese starts bubbling beautiful brown bubbles.

Listen of the Day!

OK, so we all know the 80's are back, right? I don't have a pair of turquoise jeans in my closet for nothing. Today's listen is from the band Hurts, a shoe-gaze 80's sounding synth pop group from the UK. They kinda sound like the love child of Annie Lennox and Depeche Mode (if Annie was a woman of course). They come across quite avant-garde, dark and tragic, but their music has some great pop hooks! Enjoy!

Chocohotocups!

This is my secret weapon at a dinner party. It is simply the BEST.DESSERT.EVER. And it's SUPER easy to make! It's actually called Chocohotopots, but since I still do not own a single ramekin (the shame!), I've used porcelain coffee cups to bake these in.  Another great thing is, you can make them in advance and leave them in the fridge for up to 5 days before baking. A little tip, always make an extra one, for that late night treat just before bed. I did it last night; made my day! Enjoy!  PS. I'll move on to some other famous chef's soon enough, but I'm just currently in a Nigella phase. You can somme call me Regella :)

Ingredients
125 grams, plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
125 grams 60 percent cocoa chocolate
 (I used half slab Lindt Dark, and half Lindt Milk, makes it more creamy)
2 eggs
3/4 cup castor sugar (but I used normal white sugar once and it was fine)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Special equipment: 4 (2/3 to 1-cup capacity) porcelain coffee/tea cups


Directions
Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 200 degrees C.
Butter the cups with 1 tablespoon butter.
Either in a microwave or in a bowl suspended over a pan over simmering water, melt the chocolate and 125g butter, then set aside to cool a little. (doing it over the simmering water is actually way better and easier, as much as it sounds harder, believe me.)
In another bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and flour with a hand whisk and beat in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture.
Divide the mixture between the 4 buttered cups.
Bake for about 15 minutes on 200 degrees celcius, by which time the tops will be cooked and the chocolate gooey underneath.
(if you want it slightly more baked and less gooey, bake for 20 minutes)
Place cup on a small plate with a teaspoon and serve. Make sure to warn people that these desserts will be HOT!

Listen of the Day!

Robyn has been one of my favourite artists since she came out in 1996 with Show Me Love! She did it even before Britney was on the scene (can we even remember such a time???). She went a different route than our dearest Brit-Brit though, she worked hard, went indie, and wrote and created the type of music she wanted to, not what she was told to do. I'm in love with her new single "Hang With Me", a beautiful electronic ballad that just makes me you want to wave a candle on the dance floor! :) Enjoy!

Pasta Alla Carbonara (said in a very Italiano accento!)

We made this for a little impromptu dinner party last week. I always thought Carbonara was the most boring pasta in the world, but Nigella proved me wrong. It really is soul in a bowl. You're gonna wish you made enough for lunch the next day!

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti

2 cups cubed pancetta rind removed

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth

4 eggs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup heavy cream

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly ground nutmeg

Directions

Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

Method:

In another large pan that will fit the pasta later, cook the pancetta cubes in the oil until crispy but not crunchy. Pour over the white wine or vermouth and let it bubble away so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Take the pan off the heat.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream, and pepper. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, but since you want it kept al dente start checking it 2 minutes before end of the recommended cooking time.

When the pasta is done, remove approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining. Put the pan with the bacon cubes back on the heat and add the drained pasta, tossing well to coat with the syrupy pancetta. Take the pan off the heat again and add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Thin with pasta water, if needed. Grind over some more pepper and grate over the nutmeg to serve.

Listen of the Day!

I love Glee! I can't help myself, it just makes me smile, no matter how corny it gets sometimes. They sing this song in the final ep of season 1, and i can't stop playing it. Total feel-good song! Enjoy!

The Perfect Rump!

Made this 2 nights ago! BY FAR, best steak i have ever had! Nigella is my angel! Enjoy!

I love this with broccoli, particularly Tenderstem broccoli. A couple of packets, lightly cooked, then drained and put in the marinade after the beef's out and sliced, is the most heavenly accompaniment.

1 beef rump Steak about 2.5cm/1in thick, weighing approx. 600g/1lb 4oz

80 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus extra for brushing

1 tablespoon fresh Thyme leaves

2 Cloves Garlic lightly crushed

½ Lemon juice and zest

1 teaspoon sea salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt

freshly ground black pepper

Cut away the fat from around the edge of the steak while you heat a griddle or frying pan.

Brush the steak with oil and cook for three minutes on each side for rare meat. Turn the steak at an angle and cook for a further one minute on each side to give attractive griddle marks, or longer if you prefer your meat well-done; the lemon in the post-hoc marinade will 'cook' the steak a little more.

While the steak is cooking, place the thyme leaves, garlic, oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper in a wide shallow dish and mix well.

Once the steak is cooked, place it in the dish of marinade for four minutes on each side, before removing it to a board and slicing thinly on the diagonal.

Recipe taken from Nigella's book, "Nigella Express" For more recipes, please visit the BBC website: www.bbc.co.uk/food

Hello World!

If you know anything about programming, the title of this post is a total giveaway that I am indeed a programmer.

This naturally means that I have no life, no style, no social skills, 3 Facebook friends, and 1 great love in life: my computer!

Shockingly, I bare no resemblance to this stereotype.

I do have a life, a great one at that, filled with amazing friends, awesome parents, and 1 GREAT love.

Style, well, what can I say, I feel like a damn rockstar every morning when the tea ladies at our offices say to me: "Sjoe, my dear, mar djy lyk mos lekker vandag!"

Style is so all-encompassing, it's almost impossible to sum it up. I try to live my life in style, not in a snobbish way, but more in a proud way. Life should be passionate and beautiful, and i try my bestest to live that way.

Before i get waaay too melodramatic, lets get to what this is about:

I love cooking, and i love eating, ALOT. Period.

I LOOOVE music, any kind of music, particularly pop music.

And generally, whatever I love, I love hard.

So this blog is gonna be me, sharing food, music and the things I love, with you.

Enjoy!