Wines Under KES1000: Dodoma

Is this surprising to you? Because it was to me. Eye poppingly surprising. Wine from Tanzania is not a common thing to see or hear of. And while I was doing my research on Dodoma’s Vineyards (located in Tanzania’s Dodoma region- that’s all I got) a CNN article brought my attention to other baby wine growing regions in Africa such as Ethiopia and Kenya- how exciting to have your country on these lists. South Africa’s giant wine presence- worldwide really- is amazing, good for them. Previously I had been buying a lot of Chilean and Italian wines, sometimes French and South African; now i find myself spending more time actively searching for lesser known African brands.

I’m not a wine connoisseur, not at all, but I found this dry white to be interestingly light and refreshing, at least for my taste. Certainly I would buy it again to mix in a wine cocktail- eek. I suspect a red from the same region would work beautifully in a sangria.

Green Pea and Mushroom Lasagne

I made this vegetarian lasagne dinner a few weeks ago and well, it was goood. Better than my non vegetarian version i’m afraid. Vegetarianism has for some time charmed me; I am blaming my non-success on my African roots and by extension, me being surrounded by carnivores. That’s the other name for Africans. Don’t hate me. Ha. Red meat is disgusting to me now. I only have chicken and fish cravings now, which is so welcome. (Even though I really want to talk about the juicy burger I made recently over which I had multiple eye rolls and orgasms, it was very good). My skin is doing better, a fact I have convinced myself has absolutely nothing to do with my new face cream, no, but everything to do with my new eating habits.

The wine pictured is a 2010 South African Cabernet Sauvignon from Openers which retailed for less than a thousand bob. Not bad, that wine, but not very exciting either.

Lemon & Melon Mocktail

I love my pink drinks. Girls, am I right? If it’s a pink drink, guaranteed, it’s going to taste good.

To make this, mix 2 parts water melon juice (blend and strain) with 1 part orange juice, and add a good squeeze of lemon. Garnish with thin slices of orange and lemon. No need to add sugar. Nutritious and delicious!

Style // Uniformity

Rosemary & Coconut Biscotti

These cookies were bomb to make. Biscotti is an Italian cookie made by baking a whole cookie dough log, slicing it and baking again until crunchy.

This recipe is adapted from Giada de Laurentiis, my girl, and the result is delish. Rosemary in cookies will raise a few eyebrows, I know, but you gotta give this recipe a try. So gooood.

Note: In my cookies I used dried coconut flakes in place of currants, but you may absolutely use currants or other dried fruit if you like. Almonds and other nuts would also make for a great substitute. Get baking.