(Husband Pleasing) Smashed Potatoes

The potatoes are par boiled & then flattened (rather messily !) before seasoning & baking in a hot oven

This is what they look like when they're done - (I usually make some with Chilli powder and leave some - for the kids - without)

My husband *adores* potatoes and will eat them in any way, shape or form. Over the years, I've learnt how to cook them in all sorts of different ways. With apologies to all you potato loving people out there, I'm a pasta girl at heart, and really don't enjoy the taste of potatoes much (not even chips/french fries/baked with delicious fillings etc) - to me they have a thick, muddy taste - egh ! I will always chose pasta/rice/nothing over potato. Anyway, enough of my food fancies .... this is an easy dish which my husband just LOVES .... it is always a winner and is quick and easy to make .... sort of like a cross between a baked potato and a (healthier version of a) roast potato -:

(Husband Pleasing) Smashed Potatoes:

4 - 6 large Potatoes, scrubbed clean & with skins still on
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Seasonings (whatever takes your fancy - Chilli Powder, Garlic Flakes etc)

Par boil the potatoes until tender. Remove from the stove & place onto a lightly greased baking tray. Take a rolling pin or potato masher, and squash the potatoes slightly (see first photo) - they will break up & will look very messy, but don't worry ! Pour a little olive oil over them, and sprinkle with seasonings of your choice. Bake at Gas Mark 6/200'C/400'F for around 45 minutes until done. They should be all crispy & golden around the edges.

Blooming African Bougainvillea

View of our house (with kids 'jungle gym' in the foreground !) taken from side of garden closest to Kilimanjaro

Bougainvillea is a flowering plant which grows here in Africa abundantly (although it is native to South America). From lush manicured gardens to dusty roadside shops, you will find bougainvillea growing almost everywhere in Tanzania, in a variety of colours (there up to 18 different species of the plant) - different shades of pink, white, cream and apricot.

Bougainvillea lines the pathway leading to the front entrance of our house

The thorny, woody vines of the plant grow anything from 1 metre to 12 metres in height. The ones we have here in Tanzania seem to be evergreen, and almost always in flower (although more so at certain times of the year than others).

The beautiful cerise coloured blooms cascade over the veranda roof ..... (the cats sometimes like to sleep underneath the bougainvillea up here !)

Bougainvillea is used here to decorate vehicles used to transport people to weddings – or funerals ! I often use it to decorate platters of food, or scatter on the dining table as part of the table decorations when we have a big lunch party.

A close up of the lovely blooms

I was walking around our garden on Sunday – which is quite ‘bland’ and colourless now during our Winter months – and the bougainvillea growing on and around our house really stood out amongst all the yellow shades of Winter …. isn’t it beautiful ?

The archway leading to our house is covered in Bougainvillea !

I know that Bougainvillea grows all over the world - but, does it grow in your country and if so, what colours do you have ?

Easy Vanilla Meringues

Easy Vanilla Meringues - enjoy them any way you like !

Easy to make, fat free (but please note - not calorie free !) these meringues are simple yet delicious. Serve them with fresh or tinned fruit, cream, ice cream or 'Homemade Raspberry Sauce' – or simply eat them on their own with a nice cuppa tea ;)

I’ve posted a couple of meringue recipes on the blog in the past. Click here for one of them and here for my 'Pink Meringue Cups' recipe.

Easy Vanilla Meringues

2 cups white Sugar (we mostly get brown sugar here, so I use brown)
4 tbsp hot Water
4 Egg Whites
2 tsps Vinegar (I use white grape vinegar)
1 – ½ tsps Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Baking Powder

Place all the ingredients, except for the baking powder, into a large bowl & beat with an electric mixer for around 10 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks form (don’t worry if your mixture looks sloppy for quite a while as you beat it – it will suddenly thicken up). Then, fold in the baking powder. Place teaspoons full onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at Gas mark 3/160'C/325'F for +- 40 minutes until done. Makes around 40 meringues.