Inhoudsopgave van November/December 2022 - Ideas

This has been a tough year. I don’t think I need to say much more than that. We all know… But then, mercifully, every year has a silver lining at the end. Some people prefer it gold, others red, but that lining is the Christmas season. And this year it really feels to me as if it’s a case of ‘thank heavens, it’s almost Christmas!’. Something to look forward to, to be childishly excited about, a reason for dusting off our creativity and putting it on show. But it is still a difficult year and so we decided to tackle this Christmas issue a little differently. Lots of inspiration without that feeling of ‘how on earth am I going to get it all done?’. We also wanted to make it…

Instead of the traditional roast meal, try this spread of different dishes that can be served together and enjoyed as a relaxed mix-and-match meal. Ask your guests or family members to each prepare two or three of the dishes and bring them along so that everyone can contribute to the festivities. Some countries serve 13 different dishes to commemorate Jesus and the 12 disciples. STEAK SKEWERS WITH ROMESCO SAUCE Serves: 6-8 Preparation time: approximately 45 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes ♥ 1kg beef steak (rump or sirloin)♥ olive oil and seasoning♥ 60ml soft butter♥ 2 cloves garlic, crushed♥ handful of toasted flaked almonds, to garnish ROMESCO SAUCE ♥ 50g blanched almonds♥ 3cm slice of crusty bread, broken into pieces♥ 2 large roasted red peppers, skinned and seeded (make them yourself…

WINNING LETTER JUST ADD COLOUR Thank you for a delightful July/August 2022 issue of Ideas. As always, it didn’t disappoint. I love trying out the delicious recipes and always jump ahead to see which craft projects you have picked and if I have any of the supplies needed to attempt them immediately. My current hobby featured in Ideas a few months ago and I gave it a try. I am now totally addicted to making polymer clay earrings in my spare time. I recently completed my first Camino ‒ I walked from Porto in Portugal to Santiago in Spain (280km) and was so inspired by the colours I saw on my travels that my projects have become vibrant with reds, blues, greens, pinks and yellows. They say a change is…

'Every house should have a cabinet of curiosities,’ says Otto de Jager, stroking an old leather wallet embossed with his initials that belonged to his father and grandfather. Stocked with family photographs, scented candles and old ribbon, the cabinet is a trophy case of memorabilia – but also a place to display everything that he wants to keep safe, out of the way and dust-free. The cabinet sits on the landing of the semi-detached duplex Victorian cottage where Otto spends one week a month (he’s based in Johannesburg). ‘The whole idea was not to live in hotels constantly,’ he says, describing the part-investment, part-lifestyle property he bought 13 years ago – after midnight, while drunk. ‘Friends told me the house was for sale. We were drinking down the lane. We…

DULCE DE LECHE ♥ 2 x 395g cans of sweetened condensed milk Preheat the oven to 220°C. To make the dulce de leche, pour the condensed milk into a 1,5 litre-capacity baking dish and press a sheet of non-stick baking paper on top. Cover the dish tightly with aluminium foil and place in a larger, deeper roasting tray. Fill the larger tray with boiling water until it comes two-thirds up the side of the smaller dish. Cook for 2 hours or until a golden caramel. Spoon into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Divide the mixture between 2 x 250ml-capacity (1 cup) sterilised glass jars (turn to page 46 to see how to sterilise the jars). Refrigerate until ready to serve. CHOCOLATE SNAP COOKIES WITH DULCE DE LECHE Makes:…

PAPER SNOWFLAKES An easy and affordable way to make your own lovely snowflake decorations. YOU WILL NEED ♥ 9 white paper bags ♥ craft glue ♥ sharp craft scissors ♥ twine ♥ paper clip Place all the paper bags with the open sides facing away from you. Apply a strip of glue down the middle and along the bottom edge of the first bag and glue a second bag on top. Apply glue again and repeat the whole process until all nine bags are glued together in a bundle. Now draw the pattern as above onto the top bag and cut out the pattern from the bundle of bags. You can also try out other patterns to make various snowflake shapes. Open out the bags carefully and then glue the…

ADVENT CALENDAR YOU WILL NEED: ♥ gingerbread dough (recipe below) ♥ baking paper ♥ large baking sheet (we used a rusk pan) ♥ rolling pin ♥ sharp knife ♥ ruler ♥ edible marker (optional) ♥ royal icing (recipe below) ♥ piping bag ♥ nr 1 small round nozzle (optional) GINGERBREAD: ♥ 150g butter or baking margarine ♥ 125g brown sugar ♥ 160g golden syrup ♥ 10g molasses ♥ 375g cake flour ♥ 7ml bicarbonate of soda ♥ 12,5ml ground ginger ♥ 3ml mixed spice Make the dough by melting together the butter, sugar, syrup and molasses over medium heat. Sift the dry ingredients together and make a well in the centre. Pour the melted butter mixture into the well and use a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. Once it has…

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YOU WILL NEED ♥ Christmas wish circles on the facing page ♥ tea lights ♥ craft scissors ♥ punch or toothpick TO MAKE 1 Copy the Christmas wish circles on the facing page in the desired size onto plain white computer paper and cut out. Punch a hole with a punch or toothpick through the middle of each paper circle. 2 Remove the tea lights from their metal holders and pull out the candle wicks. 3 Now thread the candle wick of each candle through the hole in a paper circle with the words or image facing upwards, and then through the candle. Put the candle back into the metal holder.…

IDEAS FOR CRACKER FILLERS Spoil your loved ones and fill their crackers with treats you have specially selected. Sweets are obviously always welcome too! * Boys: Plastic animals, marbles, small building blocks. * Girls: Jigsaw puzzles, play make-up, playing cards. * Teens: Airtime, tech gift vouchers, film for their retro instant camera. * Women: Mini sewing set, special tea or flavoured salt, book voucher. * Men: Coffee, fun socks, multitool pocketknife, camping headlamp or torch. CRACKERS Make your own paper by scanning a flower motif from your tablecloth and printing it out on A4 sheets of paper, or use our creative paper with its embroidered flower design on page 101. YOU WILL NEED ♥ A4 sheets floral paper♥ white fabric of your choice♥ matching ribbon♥ double-sided adhesive tape♥ glue gun…

YOU WILL NEED ♥ gingerbread dough (see page 110) ♥ paper templates ♥ sharp knife ♥ ruler ♥ 2 x batches royal icing (see page 110) ♥ piping bag ♥ nr 1 small round nozzle (optional) ♥ large petal nozzle 1 Cut your template out of baking paper. 2 Roll a third of the dough out to 3-4mm thick on a piece of baking paper. Use the template to cut the front and back panels out of the dough and remove the excess dough. Do not take the panels off the paper, but transfer them with the paper onto a baking sheet so the panels don’t lose their shape. Cut the door in one of the panels but don't remove it. 3 Roll another third for the side panels and…