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Archive for October, 2012


With the bedtime snacks prepared for your kids by the Riviera on Vaal Hotel’s kitchen, you might have a problem after your visit. It’s nothing serious, but your kids might crave the bedtime snack they received as they were on their way to bed. No need to worry, though, as RiverBlogger has got a few easy bedtime snack ideas for you to consider when push comes to shove:

No sugar cookie mixture? Well, here is an easy recipe:

Sugar Cookies

(Makes 5 dozen)

Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter and sugar cream.
Stir the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture.
Cover the dough and chill it for at least one hour or overnight.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface.
Cut into the desired shapes.
Place the cookies at least 1cm apart from each other or on ungreased cooking sheets.
Bake at 200°C for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
Cool completely.

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These top 5 grilled dishes consist of dishes that South Africans enjoy most. With Inyama’s upcoming new menu, RiverBlogger thought it well to share some of South Africa’s top grilled dishes with you.

1. We all know that South Africans are known for their braai and rugby. So there we have it: red meat will always be right at the top of our grilling list, especially steak.

Red meat is definately South Africa's number one

Red meat is definately South Africa’s number one

2. Chicken comes in second; be it whole chicken or chicken thighs – grilled chicken stays finger licking good.

Chicken has always been a favourite

Chicken has always been a favourite

3. With South Africa’s great weather, there’s no doubt that a freshly caught trout, salmon or snoek would fall within the top 5. Therefore, fish is number three on our list.

4. A recent favourite among braai enthusiasts is grilled vegetables. Corn on the cob with a wooded flavor or grilled peppers makes for a perfect side dish.

5. Lastly, but definitely not least, grilled fruit takes up the fifth place on our list. Grilled peaches, taken from the grill and immediately topped with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream are an easy, yet delicious dessert. The same goes for bananas, grilled in its skins. As the skins tear open from the heat, remove them from the grill and top them with whipped cream and caramel treat for some extra sweetness.

Bananas on the grill - a delicious treat

Bananas on the grill – a delicious treat

Any grilled dishes that you’d like to add to the list?

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Trendy wedding cakes, funny wedding cakes, vintage wedding cakes – whatever you want on your wedding day, anything goes these days. Still, if you are the ultra modern bride, you most probably would like to know what the trends are with regards to wedding cakes. Or would you rather set the trend? Either way, RiverBlogger has compiled a list of the trendy wedding cakes for you to be able to ensure that your wedding is perfect:

  • Silver Wedding Cakes are one of the recent favourites among modern brides; and also cakes with less detail and smooth surfaces.

Cakes with less detail appear to be very modern

Cakes with less detail appear to be very modern

  • Individual cupcakes have been a trend for quite some time now, but works very well.

The perfect cupcakes for the perfect wedding

The perfect cupcakes for the perfect wedding

  • A confectionary table instead of one cake has taken wedding couples by storm – guests get to choose their favourite sweets to take home after a long night of celebrating.
  • Observing Pinterest wedding trends, wedding cakes decorated with large flowers are a must for spring and summer. View examples of these cakes on Riviera on Vaal’s Pinterest board: Riviera Wedding Ideas.

Large flowers are one of the wedding cake trends

Large flowers are one of the wedding cake trends

Also have a look at the Cake Servings Guide created by Iced Jems here.

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Identified: The top 5 kids entertainment ideas for the upcoming summerholiday (can you believe it’s less than 10 weeks away!). RiverBlogger has been browsing the Riviera on Vaal Hotel and Country Club’s Pinterest boards to see which ideas would be ideal this summer and here is what was found.

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Aimee Herring speaks of staycations on parents.com and here are some of her ideas:

  1. Put up a campfire show in your backyard and make a music video from it. These days it is so easy to load videos onto YouTube – see how many hits the kids get for their staycation performance.
  2. Teach your kids to appreciate the small things by letting them observe insects in the garden. Let them recreate these insects by painting rocks or making antelopes.
  3. Cut a few pool noodles in half and blow up a few balloons. Put a laundry basket in the middle and see who can move the most balloons into the basket with their pool noodle. See more here.
  4. Create your own Twister game by spray painting coloured dots onto the lawn. This will keep kids busy for hours. (Just remember to give them sunscreen.)
  5. Enjoy showing your children the most amazing science experiments; from crystallization to walking on egg shells – the kids will stand in awe. Click through to great science experiments here.

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Braai some veggies as "bykos" for the braai.

Braai some veggies as “bykos” for the braai.

The “bykos” for the braai is always a brainteaser when it comes to Sunday afternoon’s braai. Many men say they don’t mind having only Inyama (meat in Zulu) on their plate, but when push comes to shove they do enjoy the additional tastes on the plate. Here are some ideas for easy “bykos” for the braai:

  • Roast some veggies over the fire – mealies and green pepper work very well. You could also cover potatoes and sweet potatoes with foil and put them between the coals for a perfect “bykos” for the braai.
  • Forgot to buy garlic bread for the braai? Why not try this quicky: Mix butter with a selection of fresh herbs from the garden. Parsley, rosemary and thyme usually work well. Spread the herb butter onto bread slices and put them on top of each other. Cover with foil and put it between some of the cooler coals to let the butter melt. A delicious and quick “bykos” for the braai.
  • Need to add some colour to your plate? Try Chef Magda Scholtz’s Sweet Potato Salad with a Pawpaw Pip Sauce. See the recipe below:

A salad always brings colour to your plate

A salad always brings colour to your plate

Pawpaw Pip Sauce:

From Pasella Kook: Chef Magda Scholtz

Serves 4-6 people

Preheat the oven to: 200°C

Ingredients:

3 Sweet potatoes, washed

3 garlic cloves, crushed

¼ cup olive oil

5 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

500 g baby spinach

6 – 8 fresh strawberries

Sauce:

1 small pawpaw’s pips (optional – you can substitute it for pepper)

1/3 cup fine olive oil

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 – 2 tsp castor sugar

½ tsp English mustard

½ tsp salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut unpeeled sweet potatoes in 1cm slices and mix it with the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper. Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Dry the pawpaw pips with a paper towel and process it in a food processor until it looks like raw black pepper. Add the rest of the sauce’s ingredients and mix well.

Place the washed spinach and strawberries in a bowl, pour the salad dressing over it and mix well. Add the lukewarm sweet potato slices on top and you’ve got a colourful“bykos” for the braai.

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