Se7en Got to Cook With HP and Learn in the Stir Crazy Cooking School…

A couple of weeks back I was invited out for lunch by HP South Africa I was a little surprised, it wasn’t the usual type of media invitation that I receive. I am not the most (read not at all) tech savvy gal in the world, and they soon found that out. But I am a mom… and I don’t know a mom on earth who wouldn’t like to play around with a printer and print a pile of photographs of her kids… I can’t even begin to think when last I actually did print photographs. Instagram is my favourite place, photographs speak to me, and yet I never get to print photographs. Every year I say, “This is the year…” And it turns out, this was the invitation I needed. I downloaded the HP All in One Printer App onto my phone and literally printed away. It was as easy as that.

I digress… HP South Africa invited me, and a couple of much more tech savvy guys and gals, out to lunch, and the great thing about it was that we had to cook the lunch ourselves. Yes, I was treated to a day out at the Stir Crazy Cooking School in Hout Bay. I have to be honest when I heard it was a day out at a cooking school I didn’t hesitate to reply and say, count me in. I promised myself that this was the year I would take the odd day off and do things just for me… and it is June folks and I have yet to get around to it, I needed this day off. Anyway, I can totally guarantee you that most of my Monday mornings do not begin looking like this: Stunning view, table set and an apron ready and good to go…

Let’s meet our chef, Brett Nussey…

His inspirational kitchen…

And most of my very serious (!!!) team…

Cooking With HP South Africa

Fresh Spring Rolls

Had I known how easy it was to make spring rolls, I would have done these years ago. I had to go to a technology event to discover that you can just buy rice paper wrappers at the local supermarket… and my kids, all of them… will eat anything wrapped up and called a spring roll. Anything. From this day forward we have entered into a new level of vegetable eating, even for the one person that thinks chocolate, it grows on trees, is the only vegetable. Here you go… Spring rolls in a flash:

Chop and sliver…

Soak…

Fresh mint and coriander leaves for taste and prettiness…

Then layer on the treats…

This was a real recipe with real ingredients and yet I find my kids will eat anything chopped up and wrapped up!!!

Another layer…

Sweet chilli sauce… and my kids love anything with chilli, so we are winning here…

And fold and roll…

Perfect…

Bourekakia – Lamb in Phyllo Pastry

These look like our local samosas and so my kids think they are… and are thrilled to get these for supper, with absolutely anything wrapped up inside them. They are quick and easy and fun to make…

Eggplant Involtini

This was stunning, and from the house where eggplants grown and there is only so much moussaka that one family can eat, it is wonderful to have a recipe for a delicious dish made with eggplants.

Stuffed Grilled Chicken Breast with Spinach and Feta

And another dish, that I know the father person loves, but I have never tried before, because I thought it would be too tricky… turns out it is not and that our entire family loves it… except for the non-chicken eater of course… but for him there is the vegan eggplant dish.

Apple Tarte Tatin and White Chocolate Creme Brûlée

Well we didn’t make the desert, but isn’t it beautiful… Creme Brûlée is my hubs absolute favourite dish… so winning there.

And that was it… A fantastic meal that I really can’t believe I am able to make… all plated up and absolutely delicious.

A complete break from my everyday life and a beautiful gift to go… Le Creuset, need I say more… and a pile of photographs printed… hot off the press so to speak. I will have two grannies thrilled to know that I have actual real live photographs. All in all it was a complete win of a day for me… learnt new things, tried new flavours… loved it!!!

Thank you so much to HP South Africa for a fantastic day out, and to Stir Crazy Cooking School, my family are thrilled that I spent the day with you. This is not a sponsored post, I was not paid to write it and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.