A Train Party

October was a rather hectic but very exciting month here at Cupcakes and Couscous HQ. Chaos continued to reign on the home front as renovations went on (we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, hooray!), my sister visited us from the U.K (double hooray!) and we had a couple of special family birthdays - my Dad, and my youngest James who turned two. He is completely obsessed with all things train related and so it was a no brainer as to what his party theme would be. I thought that this week I would share a few snaps from the day, perhaps they will give you a few ideas if you have a train party coming up.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffles and a food demo in Bloemfontein

Two weeks ago, after months of planning and anticipation, it was finally time to hop on a plane and fly to Bloemfontein where I had been invited to demonstrate some of my recipes to the lovely ladies of Bloemfontein Fynproewers. Exciting times! When I landed I was met at the airport by Alma, one of the committee members who took me straight to the demo venue where the other committee members were all busy in the kitchen preparing my dishes for the audience to taste the following day. I had a chance to get my bearings, check the recipes and also familiarise myself with the demonstration area. At this point the excitement and the nerves were really starting to kick in! 

10 Minute Cheese and Herb Rolls

Two weeks ago I was invited to attend an event hosted by Sasko and which took place at the South African Chefs Academy in Observatory. The Sasko Chefs Kitchen was a fun afternoon of cooking, food photography and of course eating! 

Cookie Swap 4 & Chocolate Orange Sugar Hearts

Cookie Swap 4 took place on the 2nd of August, and once again it was a national event that saw cookie lovers from around the country gathering together to exchange treats, socialise and most importantly raise money for Learn to Earn and specifically their Bake For Profit students who are in dire need of more kitchen equipment to assist with their training. Do have a look at the website to see how this fantastic organisation gives people "a hand up, not a hand out"! 

The Knorr Flavourful Goodness Experience

Last Thursday I was invited to attend the Knorr Flavourful Goodness Experience at the SA Chef's Training Academy in Observatory. Food bloggers, nutritionists and members of the media were invited to "rediscover the joy of simple family cooking" along with familiar face Chef Wendy and the Unilever team. 

Radio Tygerberg Potjie Competition

When I started blogging, one of my goals - apart from sharing my favourite recipes - was to challenge myself to try new ingredients and dishes. I certainly have done that a number of times, but last Saturday I truly stepped out of my comfort zone when this English cook from the Southern Suburbs agreed to take part in a potjiekos competition in the heart of the Boland as part of the Ommiberg "Round the Rock" Festival.

Freshpak Media Event & Rooibos Iced Tea Two Ways

Image courtesy of Freshpak.

Let us start this post with some fun facts about me. Fact #1: 99.99% of my days start the same way - with a cup of rooibos tea. They have done for around about the last 7 or 8 years. It is fair to say that I am a fan! Fact #2: I used to make iced tea (including a rooibos flavour) for a living, before my travelling years. I was thrilled then to receive an invitation from Freshpak to a creative afternoon with chef, Kirsty Rowett.

Grand opening of the new Pick 'n Pay, V&A Waterfront

Images courtesy of Pick 'n Pay

It's not every day that I get to escape the regular morning routine and attend a grand event. This past Thursday was that day as I was invited to be a guest at the much anticipated opening of Pick 'n Pay's brand new store at the V&A Waterfront (insert "oooooooh" sound here). I arrived at the new store, situated on the lower level of Victoria Wharf, shortly after 8am. The doors were closed, but outside the excited guests were given a welcome drink, delicious snacks (handy, if like me you had rushed out of the door without any breakfast), coffee and cookies. It was lovely to have some time to mingle and catch up with some of my fellow bloggers who were also in attendance.

Win tickets to the Cape Town Festival of Beer!

Today is a doubly happy day - not only is it the start of the weekend but I also have a give-away for you, fabulous readers! Up for grabs is a set of double tickets to the much anticipated Cape Town Festival of Beer which is on from 22 - 24 November 2013.

National Cookie Swap 2013 & Spiced Dark Chocolate Cookies

Well readers, I can't wait to tell you about an exciting event that I attended over the weekend. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter then you'll no doubt know what I'm talking about - the 3rd annual Cape Town Cookie Swap! This year it was a national event with cookie swaps also taking place in Johannesburg and Durban on the same day (Saturday). Proceeds from the event went to Khayelitsha Cookies, and I'll be telling you a bit more about this fantastic company in a little bit...