Panna Cotta

The Italian name means "cooked cream."......A dessert softly set with a creamy texture and color. This dessert also requires very few ingredients; thick double/heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and gelatine. Do take care not to put too much gelatine in the mixture or the panna cotta might become very rubbery...

Bolzano Bruschetta

Fresh tomatoes can only mean a delicious bruschetta with buffalo mozzarella cheese. I could have easily eaten just a half portion of this, but decided this was worth every bite! Garlic was rubbed over both sides of the chargrilled bread and drizzeled with a small amount of olive oil. The next day, I excluded the toast and smothered the mozzarella with fresh basil and more ripe tomatoes, just eating the cheese on its own.....formaggio da tavalo......

Bangkok to Bolzano

Now, this is a real cappuccino! In Italy, there is always time to pop into a coffee bar or cafe for a quick pick-me-upper.....the foamy crema is the best! I just can't seem to find too many places in the U.S. that know how to make this properly, let alone artfully.
The best Italian coffees are made from high quality Arabica beans.....it is almost a burnt roast flavor which gives it an aroma that causes your mouth to start watering as soon as you get a wiff of the coffee.....

Ready,Set ,Cook!

A few gals in my group were ask to prepare this traditional dish on our visit to Bangkok. As you can see, all the preparation was done in advance...no prep or clean up. How lucky can a chef be? I think it was quite delicious and enjoyed by all.

Bangkok or Bust

I was "volunteered" to prepare a popular dish in Bangkok. It actually tasted very good. I had a recipe to follow and also the head chef was standing close by giving swift directions. One other delicious recipe that we made was a dumpling made with lavender. As you can see, not only was it colorful, it was quite remarkable to eat. Imagine the time spent in carving out the veggies below.........

Not Much Has Changed

I was amazed at how similar these cooking pots and serving dishes were compared to what we use today. A covered compote and then another dish demonstrating a way of keeping the food warm.....and only hundreds of years old!

Doughnuts and Coffee Athens Style

Vendors along the streets in Athens make certain you never go hungry! This gives new meaning to the doughnut...

And, when you are ready for an iced coffee, be prepared for an incredible tasty liquid refreshment. This is made from instant coffee, blended with a small amount of sugar and water and then ice cream to thicken and sweeten it more....of course there are no calories in this drink.

Out of Africa to Athens

Now, here is the dilemma. Fourteen or so selections are placed in front of you and now it is time to choose. This was lunch! The Greek salad was enough for me, but I continued to pick a few more, just to taste!

Out touring in the countryside it is possible to find wonderful selections of freshly roasted and broiled chicken. There seems to be no shortage of food in Greece!

Grand Presentations in the Bush!

An image of how our morning cereal was served at one camp site. Breakfast always included an assortment of grains to sprinkle on top of the homemade yogurt.
An afternoon refreshment was always a welcomed sight after a hard day out in the bush!

Meeting the chefs

Getting the fire ready to bake the daily bread......not a bad device to have ready in the back yard if the power fails!

Meet my shopping friends!

A few of my new friends...very helpful at giving me the grand tour!

Still at the market

Here is the one and only pumpkin I found while wandering around. You can also notice some sugar cane in front of the pumpkin. I will try to include a few more photos of the market and some of the wonderful people I met on tomorrows blog.

Finding the right pumpkin

Of all places to run into pumpkins and gourds! Those who know me well have put up with my fettish for these veggies for years and now I find more recipes.On a market tour, I found one "white" pumpkin......it's soup time! I think what attracted me most to this soup was the curry powder that was added. The pumpkin can be cooked several ways. I prefer just to cut it up,smother it with olive oil and bake it until it is tender.I do not even cover it, just cook until tender,350 degrees.


Remove the skin. Some people simmer the pumpkin in a bit of water until tender,however, there is an incredible difference in the taste and texture.Pumpkin soups and sweet potato soups are very popular in South Africa. I am going to give the two recipes that were given to me by a few of the chefs I became aquainted with while roaming through the bush. They are very simple and you can add or subtract ingredients according to your taste and serving size.


2 cups of corn(fresh,cooked and processed until smooth)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 clove of chopped garlic,very,very fine.
3 c. of stock,veggie or chicekn
3 1/2 cups of cooked pumpkin, mash very well after cooked
1 cup of heavy cream-get the thickness you desire
1 t. curry
Combine the corn puree,seasonings and stock and boil briefly. Add pumpkin and cook on a medium heat for 10 -12 minutes. Add the cream,continue to stir for a few more minutes. Remove and serve immediately. A wonderful fall or winter soup!

Beautiful Foods of South Africa

For some strange reason, I never thought much about the foods I would find and enjoy in South Africa. Much to my surprise, a day never went by when I wasn't grabbing the camera to get a photo of something to share with all my friends. How fortunate there were many kind people willing to "share "their ideas and recipes with me........