Brandy squares with afternoon coffee or for dessert after dinner.  Ingredients are flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, water, salt, pecans and dates.  In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs and beat well until combined.  Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the batter.  Add the nuts to the batter and stir.  Place the dates into a small bowl and pour the boiling water over the dates.  Sprinkle ...

Although I've seen "jam" in the grocery stores, I've never heard anyone call it by that name. Whenever we're at a restaurant or at a friend's house, the spread that goes on bread, bagels, scones, etc. is called "jelly".  Jam is made from every edible part of the fruit including seeds and pieces of fruit. Much like marmalade except marmalade contains the peel of the fruit whereas jam doesn't. ...

I grew up calling the item of clothing I swim in "my costume".  We also called clothing we dressed up in for parties or plays "costumes".  It can be confusing.  But we South Africans have a way of getting around problems like these.  We call the item of clothing we swim in, a "cozzy" (coz-zee). Example: It's Saturday and my sister phones me: "We're having a braai so bring your cozzy". Translation: "we're ...

South Africans like to 'braai' (BBQ) and ribs is always a great choice once the coals are fired up and ready. These ribs take a bit of time to bake first before they can be thrown onto the braai but they are worth it.  The ingredients are ribs, ketchup, fruit chutney, onion mushroom soup and Coca-Cola.  Add the ketchup, chutney and Coke to a bowl.  Next add the onion mushroom soup mix to ...

Thirteen years ago, we arrived in the USA with our H1 visas. Eight years ago we became Legal Aliens and were issued green (permanent resident) cards. Today we became US Citizens. Our paperwork was submitted in the Spring of this year and we've been fingerprinted and checked by the FBI to make sure we are of high morals, standards and breed. And of course, we passed with flying colours.  We arrived at ...

In South Africa, when there's a braai (bry), there'll be boerewors (boo-ruh-vors). This flavourful sausage is an inheritance from our pioneering Dutch forefathers. 'Boere' means farmers and 'wors' (said with a 'V' not a 'W') means sausage.  The pioneers used to combine minced/ground meat with pork fat, spices and vinegar to make this sausage. Today boerewors is sold in supermarkets across the country and as with chili cook-offs here in the ...

Everyone knows what these are used for. Go to the beach and most people are wearing them.  In the USA they are called flip-flops. They became popular in the USA when soldiers returning from Japan during WWII brought the Japanese version of these flat, thonged sandals.  In South Africa, we call them slip-slops. Originally, they were made from the leaves of the sisal (agave) plant.  My favourite pairs of slops from South Africa ...