Well... it has to be said that cupcakes are easily one of the best party foods ever devised. In fact, I'd be prepared to say that they're one of the best "anytime" foods ever devised! Having now successfully passed over the speed wobble that is the "annual aging" day, I can take some time to share my love of cupcakes with you... my birthday cupcakes in particular!
Having postponed the actual birthday party thanks to an impromptu drought brought on by a burst pipe, I decided NOT to postpone the Lemon & Lime Cupcakes with Margarita Icing! Sound really yummy don't they? I have to say that I can't disagree... mostly 'cos I got to eat them! There are loads of recipes for this kind of cupcake online, but I have to say that I used my "own" recipe to a large degree and because I'm a generous soul... I promise I will share it with you all! I do not claim to have invented any of this, merely combined various recipes that I have used for the past 20 years or more!
I see you all looking for the recipe. Where are the ingredients? How do you do it? Well - you haven't lost the plot... I haven't posted it in this message. I'm going to be baking again in 2 weeks and I will post the recipes WITH PICS after that! I'm sure you can be patient just a little longer :-)
In the meantime... I hope that you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day and that the week ahead is looking great!
Until next time...
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Of Crime and Criminals
You know, I'm the first to admit that we have a lot of crime in SA. I'm only to happy to tell you that some cities are worse than others. What makes me mad though is when someone complains about the crime and them admits to committing a crime in the same breath!!!
A conversation took place recently on a social networking platform in which someone bemoaned the bad news that we're bombarded with by a specific television program. All we seem to hear about is corruption and crime and all the other "good" things this country has to offer. Several people agreed and offered the sage advice... don't watch it then. Up until this point it was all good.
Then someone commented that there is so much corruption in this country and that there needs to be some accountability... before blithely going on to state that they had recently had to pay a corrupt police officer a large amount of money as a bribe. They were outraged at the amount he'd asked for and eventually managed to get away with paying him a mere fraction of the requested amount.
A conversation took place recently on a social networking platform in which someone bemoaned the bad news that we're bombarded with by a specific television program. All we seem to hear about is corruption and crime and all the other "good" things this country has to offer. Several people agreed and offered the sage advice... don't watch it then. Up until this point it was all good.
Then someone commented that there is so much corruption in this country and that there needs to be some accountability... before blithely going on to state that they had recently had to pay a corrupt police officer a large amount of money as a bribe. They were outraged at the amount he'd asked for and eventually managed to get away with paying him a mere fraction of the requested amount.
I'm going to pause while you take that in.
Of course, if you're a logical, law-abiding citizen, the first question that you're going to ask yourself now is this:
If this person did nothing wrong then why would they be having to pay a bribe in the first place?
What law did they break to allow a corrupt policeman the opening to bribe them?
Why not report the policeman to a higher authority and simply take their punishment for their own crime?
The truth is that they would NOT have been bribed if they had done NOTHING wrong. If they were cornered by a corrupt officer threatening to make something up, they should have reported it. They did not. Instead, they congratulate themselves - publicly for successfully paying less!!!
This is someone who not only broke the law twice, but then bragged about it while trying to sound suitably hard done by and put out. They also enabled another criminal to continue with their own crimes and did nothing to stop it. This means that they are a HUGE part of the problem and NOT the solution in this country.
EVERY law should be obeyed and enforced, no matter how big or small. Jay-walking is against the law and should be punished. I know it may sound ridiculous, but how can you expect to win the war against thieves, thugs, murderers, extortionists and rapists if you allow people to break all the so-called "small" laws?
Until next time...
If this person did nothing wrong then why would they be having to pay a bribe in the first place?
What law did they break to allow a corrupt policeman the opening to bribe them?
Why not report the policeman to a higher authority and simply take their punishment for their own crime?
The truth is that they would NOT have been bribed if they had done NOTHING wrong. If they were cornered by a corrupt officer threatening to make something up, they should have reported it. They did not. Instead, they congratulate themselves - publicly for successfully paying less!!!
This is someone who not only broke the law twice, but then bragged about it while trying to sound suitably hard done by and put out. They also enabled another criminal to continue with their own crimes and did nothing to stop it. This means that they are a HUGE part of the problem and NOT the solution in this country.
EVERY law should be obeyed and enforced, no matter how big or small. Jay-walking is against the law and should be punished. I know it may sound ridiculous, but how can you expect to win the war against thieves, thugs, murderers, extortionists and rapists if you allow people to break all the so-called "small" laws?
Until next time...
Mexican Party Time
It's nearly time for that wonderful annual aging event... the birthday! This year, the them is Mexican. Odd, considering I live in South Africa and I absolutely loathe tequila (I'm sorry, it smells vile and tastes like I'd imaging boiled 6 week old socks would taste). Not so odd considering I really enjoy the idea of making your own food with wraps and ingredients. It's also a fantastic opportunity to experiment with something new... Margarita Cupcakes!
I'm not going to bore you with the recipe, purely because I'm using my own cupcake recipe and I'm going to play with the icing... if it works, I'll post it in a post-party blog... with pics! If you're in a hurry to know how to make them yourself, the blogosphere is full of fabulous recipes which inspired me to have a go.
The props for the evening have all been purchased, with the exception of limes, lemons and the food lol. I have a sombrero... flaming red and bought at a craft and packaging shop of all places! Some dried red chillies for decor (same shop), some mexican confetti (from a stationer) and some fabulous chilli print serviettes (craft place again). I also found some marvelous lime green candles and bought some orange ones just for fun!
Now all I need is the food ingredients, the drinks ingredients and the time to put it all together :-) Oh, may even purchase some tea light candles and have some great brown paper bags to dot around the place... Should be fun :-)
Until next time...
I'm not going to bore you with the recipe, purely because I'm using my own cupcake recipe and I'm going to play with the icing... if it works, I'll post it in a post-party blog... with pics! If you're in a hurry to know how to make them yourself, the blogosphere is full of fabulous recipes which inspired me to have a go.
The props for the evening have all been purchased, with the exception of limes, lemons and the food lol. I have a sombrero... flaming red and bought at a craft and packaging shop of all places! Some dried red chillies for decor (same shop), some mexican confetti (from a stationer) and some fabulous chilli print serviettes (craft place again). I also found some marvelous lime green candles and bought some orange ones just for fun!
Now all I need is the food ingredients, the drinks ingredients and the time to put it all together :-) Oh, may even purchase some tea light candles and have some great brown paper bags to dot around the place... Should be fun :-)
Until next time...
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Surviving Soccer in SA - World Cup 2010
I'm going to start off by admitting that I don't follow soccer / football. At all. I only recognise David Beckham due to a certain amount of ever exposure in the media :-) However, one thing I am very much aware of is the fact that so many visitors will be travelling to South Africa in support of their favourite team / player. I'm not going to lie and say that it's not a logistical nightmare on some level, but more troubling is the absolute riot of misconceptions that people have about our country.
So? Well, over the next few months - and possibly during the World Cup as well - I'm going to blog about what is going on around here... from my point of view!!
Some general information to begin with....
So? Well, over the next few months - and possibly during the World Cup as well - I'm going to blog about what is going on around here... from my point of view!!
Some general information to begin with....
- Yes, there is crime... No, it's not as bad as it's made out to be!
- There may well be problems with things such as vehicle hire, air travel etc. Prices may be high and it's important to book as early as possible to ensure that you don't hit a snag.
- There aren't always trains to everywhere you might want to go... For example, in Cape Town, the Stadium is some distance from the train station. However, there is a new bus service that will take you from a to b.
- Be sensible about your valuables. It's no different to being at home ... but we'll cover advice in a future blog.
Finally for today... a request. Please respect our wildlife and people and don't leave anything more behind you than a memory.
Until next time....
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