It all started when Iris started working on Saturdays and I was left in charge of the kids, dogs, cat and———– “ The Saturday night dinner”
That started when on my little wife’s exit through the door on her first Saturday’s duty she joked and said that she looked forward to a nice meal on her return from work.
That’s when I said, well why not, and if I am going to do, do it with style and decided on a roast beef with all the trimmings.
Up until this moment the only exposure I had to cooking was watching my mother and then my wife doing all these tasty treats in the kitchen, and the odd read up on recipes from a regular magazine my wife received.
Without further ado I bundled the two precious little ones, Dwayne and Marilyn in the car and was off to the neighborhood supermarket.
With the help of a “really” friendly young girl shop assistant (sorry love) I managed to get all the necessary ingredients for my mammoth first try at a meal fit for a king !
After a light lunch of hot dogs (the kiddies favorite quickie) I got straight into it as follows –
Roast beef
Good size silverside roast beef
(Topside tends to be a bit stringy)
Browned in a little oil on all sides
Slow roasted in 2cups red wine/ I/4 cup vinegar 180 deg. oven
1 tsp. brown sugar, Salt & pepper to taste 2-3 hrs.
Last ¾ hour add peeled potatoes to the juices
Drain when cooked and leave a little of the juice for the gravy
While the meat rests add 1 Table spoon chutney and 2 tsp. mustard
To the pot and simmer till thickened
Serve with roasted pumpkin and green beans
Topped with ready to cook Yorkshire pudding
On little wife’s return she shrieked with pleasure at the aromas filtering through the house and had to contend with the kids shrieks on come and look what “we“ have cooked for you!
After Iris had a good soak in a bubble bath, I poured a glass of Nederburgh Shiraz each, and grape juice for the munchkins.
The table was set candles and all and after grace we all got stuck in to our well awaited feast.
I was rewarded with empty plates all round and again rewarded later that night, but this is not that kind of book so no further said about that.
The following weekend on the Saturday night we decided to take in a movie and have a bite out, on our return home we drove through a real storm
It was a typical south African summers day and at the end of the days heat came some cooler weather and caused quite a considerable thunder storm.
We lived in a cul-de-sac and had to cross a small bridge to get home.
The following morning we were awakened by someone walking down the road shouting and warning everyone that the bridge had been washed away
The little stream at the bottom of our garden had become a torrential river and was hurtling past with a thundering roar.
We were indeed very lucky because sometime between us coming home across the bridge and morning it was washed away.