If you don't live in cape Town Block your eyes...

 A while ago I posted about &Union's sexy beers, remember there was that one with the glorious sunshine yellow label? Here I will show you again..

Totally sexy beer. Anyway, The guys at &Union and Jack Black beer have teemed up with The greatest market on earth and maybe in the world- The Neighbourgoods Market- to bring you The Craft Beer Festival (The first of its kind in South Africa I might add so very prestigious) giving you the opportunity  to get up close and maybe even put your mouth onto one of these ice cold ones. This fab day out is not only for beer lovers, the line up includes "Real Beer producers, foodie enthusiast and those that appreciate the art of craft brewing." I think its going to be rad. 

Hey Abi

Ages ago I posted about my dreams to Paint this picture and hang it up on my wall where  
I could gaze at it every day and feel all artsy. Well, my dreams have come true:) My very clever friend Abi took things into her own hands and got creative on us and look at the beautiful result.

Before...

After...

Abi has recently freed herself of the shackles of employment and has set sail on the fabulous voyage that is freelance illustrating- I must tell you she is very good:) Abi also has a really lovely blog called Abihey that is filled with gorgeous treats for your eyeballs go have a look now. 

A GIRL CAN DREAM

Local online store Shop-Label.com is having a ginormous sale. So, before you go spending your pay check on silly stuff like food you might want to go and have a look here. They stock awesome international labels such as Antik Batik, J Brand jeans, Paul and Jo sister, Sass and Bide and many others. You should go and check it out, I spend many hours making dream purchases when I should be working, these items are on my list.

 

These two are just destined to be together on a beach somewhere...

SUNDAY SUPPERS: TOM YUM SOUP

Tom Yum soup is the bomb, here is why:

1. It is super delicious, fragrant and tastes like a holiday in Thailand

2. When you make it for a dinner party people will think you have slaved away for the whole day and you will look like a domestic goddess.

3. You can use all the sad veggies that have been moping in your veggie drawer all week and are about to go off.

3. It takes 15 minutes to cook so you can make it for dinner and be on the couch before private practice starts (This is its most endearing trait I think)

RECIPE

(makes enough for 4)

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts chopped or 

5 prawns per person (I usually just use a punnet of those woolies pre-cooked ones much easier)

2 cups of diced veggies (ie baby marrows, baby jem squash, asparagus, baby corn, long stem broccoli, 

I have even thrown in english spinach you really can chuck in what ever is in your fridge)

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup baby tomatoes

1 Litre of water

Tom Yum Paste - You can get a bottle of this at most supermarkets. I buy mine from Everfresh.

1.5 chicken stock cubes

1 teaspoon Fish Sauce

A handful of fresh corriander

Noodles

Method:

1. Brown the chopped Chicken breasts and set aside. If you are going with the prawn option you can skip this step as they are pre cooked so you can just chuck them into each bowl when the soup is done.

2. In a medium sized pot, bring your liter of water to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add your stock cubes, let them dissolve. 

3. TOM YUM PASTE IS BLOODY HOT, so use it with caution. Add one tablespoon of paste to the water and stir it in. Taste the soup and keep adding tom yum paste until you reach a heat level that your taste buds are comfortable with. Chuck in the Fish Sauce.

4. In another pot, start cooking your noodles.

5. Chuck the remaining ingredients except the corriander- into the pot and let them simmer until they are done to your desired likeness. When they are done take the soup off the heat and throw in the corriander.

6. Get your serving bowls out. Put some noodles in the bottom, divide the prawns/ browned chicken between each bowl and fill them up with soup. 

7. If you spill some on your couch or top use clean green to get it off- it is the only solution believe me I have tried.

* Why not serve little mouthfuls of tom yum at your next dinner party, if you don't have spoons you can also use shot glasses.

GET OFF YOUR ASS

and come do the SPAR WOMENS 10 KM CHALLENGE.

This time last year I was gearing up to run my first ever 10km run. Before that, the most I had done was 6km and I thought I was going to die but I entered and I did it and I lived- who knew! The year has now come full circle and the Spar Ladies 5 and 10 km races are upon us again.This weekend- well the durban leg anyway. I am about to turn 100 25 and figured I will be using a zimmerframe soon so I might as well use my youth before it slips out of my wrinkled granny hands-sob and get off my ass. So get off your ass, bring your mates and reach a goal. It is loads of fun for walkers and runners. Go to www.spar.co.za for the details.

SPOTTED!

Litchies!!! Spotted recently on one of my visits to the greatest shop in the world aka woolies. These here Litchies are in fact not from around here- woolies flew them in just for us- from some far and remote place. I find the mystery makes them even more delicious, like that equally as juicy as the first Litchies of summer french guy who has swept Sarah from Brothers and Sisters off her feet- YUM.

His name is Gilles Marni- google it TRUST ME!

IM BACK

Bonjourno! No I am not dead, nor have I forgotten about you. Last week I had my first Flu in 2 years and it was horrible, The Bird was away on his manly week with the bugga's so I decided to eff it and go on a sympathy and wellness seeking getaway with my most glorious girlfriend (MGGF) and the engaged ones up in Joburg.


I landed on Friday evening, MGGF Picked me up from the Gautrain station- very Civilised I must tell you, and whisked me off to Tashas- the home of the biggest wine glasses in the world- where we proceeded to floor a bottle of wine (I figured if medicine wouldnt work I should try drinking) we might also have devoured a magnificent slice of pecan pie but its all hearsay. MGGF's Hubby then came and met up with us and steered us in the direction of Meze Poly where we continued to devour another bottle of wine and some rIdiculously tasty greek tapas. 

* The pic in the top left is the treat table at Tasha's. I wanted to show you now so that when you go there you will know how to identify it an look away before its too late.


Let me just tell you that any doctor who says anti-biotics will cure you has clearly never tried drinking his problems away. After 7 days of lying in bed taking medicine keeping myself hydrated eating chicken soup and pretty much following the textbook guidelines to recovery all I got was sicker. 2 bottles of wine in 1 go- BAM cured! 

WHAT DO YOU C?

I love how intellectual creatives can get when they are fighting for their cause. Cell C is busy trying to persuade the Registrar of Trademarks and legal experts that they have not stollen the Copyright Company's logo. Personally I see no difference between the two symbols, but Cell C claims that theirs isn't just a little circle with a C inside. Infact they say


 "the new logo reflects Cell C's vision of understanding its customers and tailoring solutions around them. The white space between the black "C" and solid circle is symbolic of the customer. There is no significance in the Cell C Logo resembling the copyright symbol. Primarily, the "C" in the centre represents Cell C putting the customer at the centre of everything it does." via Moneyweb


I actually laughed out loud when I read that. Do they really think people will see that?
Do you see all that emotional stuff? 

H&M Fall 2010 Campaign

Why has SA been left out from the wonder that is H&M i feel like we are being punished. Here is what we are missing out on- lovely isn't it-sob. 

SA BLOG AWARDS 2010

Morning ya'll! I am happy to report that I am feeling a little more human today yay so you can stop worrying I am going to live:) First order of business for the day is The SA Blog Awards. What is this you ask? 


"The SA blog awards is a showcase of the very best of South African blogs. We will endeavour to bring South African bloggers to the forefront of peoples attention, both locally and internationally, increasing exposure for South Africa's great bloggers; and in the end reach out and touch people who are outside the realm of blogging and have them discover what they are missing. "

That should give you a pretty good understanding of what is going on now. In order for DurbanCentral to reach out and touch people outside of the realm I am going to have to kindly ask that you lovelies take a moment out of your day and click on the the SA Blog Awards banner situated on the right hand side of my blog (same as the one pictured in this post) and give DC a little green thumbs up in the Best new blog category (it would also be nice of you to support some of the other local bloggers out there too). Now listen close because this part is important- once you have clicked on nominate and selected your category and danced through a hoop of fire you will be prompted to fill in your email address. A mail will then be sent to you MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON THE LINK IN THE MAIL TO VERIFY THE VOTE  if you don't follow through your vote will be lost and my dreams of reaching out and touching people will be dashed and millions will lose out.

PLEASE SEND HELP- OR JOSH

It would appear that last weekend I not only drank away any sense of dignity I might have possessed but  also murdered my immune system. I drowned it and now I am paying the price. When monday arrived I awoke to find myself trapped in the lifeboat that was my bed, surrounded by a hazy ocean of ghastly flu and hangover with no sunrise or sailor-The bird is off on a hunting trip come rugby extravaganza with the 'bugga's' - to keep me warm. It is now day 3 and there is still no sign of my immune system or the bird's return,  so posts might be few and far between for a day or two sorry kids x

SUMMER VIBES

You know in the Liqui Fruit ads there is always some hot chick lost in the dessert about to die of dehydration (but without chapped lips) then she magically stumbles upon a huge crate of fresh colorful bruise free fruit which she proceeds to crush allowing the nectar to run in a perfect, colourful, arc into her chapped free mouth without getting so much as a splash on her vintage t-shirt. These pictures look to me how that fruit must taste to that thirsty lady. These summer vibes are courtesy of Alannah Hill