Page 2 - Chris Pretorius News Today

Pap and chakalaka: They’re the classic side dishes at many a South African braai. And everyone who makes them has their own thoughts on exactly how.

My budding career as an enthusiastic kitchen gadget reviewer wasn’t exactly off to a roaring start. No wonder I get anxiety attacks at three in the morning and scare the puppy.

Cooking from scratch every day is not always easy. I have fur face tripping me up. I trip myself up. I get tripped up by packaging. By dumb ass recipes. There are so many things out there conspiring against the poor well meaning home cook I wouldn’t know where to start listing them.

Chicken enchiladas is a dish of tortillas filled with chicken that’s cooked with onion, chilli and black beans, then covered with enchilada sauce and grated cheese, and baked. You can buy prepared tortillas at the supermarket, but making your own, it turns out, is rewarding and not very challenging. I thoroughly enjoyed the little learning curve.  I also made my own enchilada sauce, which is also called Tex Mex chilli gravy, which describes exactly what it is. It’s as easy to make as a bas...

  The author supports Isabelo, chef Margot Janse’s charity which feeds school children every day. Please support them . As I’m writing this, winter is finally receding. I’m talking about Chicago winter, not that imposter they call winter down south. A few days ago I went outside for the first time in months without having to spend 10 minutes struggling into my snow boots and cold weather gear. It’s hard to explain to people not used to this kind of weather what a schlep even a short d...

My most recent column was about decluttering my kitchen cookbook case. Or “editing” it, rather. Even better, I “curated” it, to use the latest buzzword. Here in America, everybody and their little cousin is a curator lately. I’ve seen wine lists, coffee selections, make-up, wallpaper and dinner plates being “curated”. Recently at a Four Seasons hotel I noticed that even the minibar had been curated by somebody. No name mentioned. It’s just another way of saying you are about to ...

Fur-parents are being warned to be on the lookout for poisonous toad eggs after the recent rain made Townsville the "perfect" breeding ground. Pup-parent to Maltese cross poodle Lola and Yorkshire terrier Jakkals, Henriette Lategan knows all too well the dangers of a backyard toad invasion. During the 2019 wet season, Ms Lategans Garbutt property turned into a toad infestation. "I had hundreds of toads hatch in stagnant water in my yard last wet season and I was so worried about the dogs an...