Ladies in Lavender dessert table

Oh, what a month February was! Bye bye February, I am incredibly happy to see the back of you.
Did you experience the same kind of month that I did? Was it fraught with tension and anxiety? Was everyone around you going through some kind of drama in their lives? I swear that is what mine was like. Everyone I know had huge issues in February including us with the old vehicle being stolen and the purchase of the new one. There was definitely something in the air this past month (or two in fact). In spite of all of that some of the most wonderful things happened during February as well……………like our old bakkie being stolen and our new one being delivered! Hahahahh The Universe works in very mysterious ways! We hosted some amazing events, met some fascinating people, made new friends and lost some old ones! I count myself lucky that I never murdered anyone this month, restraint is such a wonderful thing to practice. I will attempt to use it on my tongue as well in the future…………just not today!

Indulgence had a fabulous review on the Joburg’s Darling site, please click the link if you would like to read it http://www.joburgsdarling.co.za/post.aspx?id=509

The Month that was…………..
At the beginning of February we hosted our first AuthorTalk of the year with guests Animals in Distress and authors Anton Harber and Adriaan Basson. It was a wonderful event, really nicely attended. Thank you everyone for your very generous book donations throughout the year as well as all the food and other goodies for the animals that were dropped off before the event. We ended up donating a whopping R2200, Amiga’s pocket money to Animals in Distress, money that you guys brought to the party with the purchase of Amiga T-shirts and by coming to her birthday party. Thank you so much, please give yourself a huge pat on the back from us and Animals in Distress.
Our two speakers were great speakers and both had their audiences captivated. The stories and tales around Diepsloot are fascinating. What fascinates me the most is the human condition and how we all deal with the same issue from our individual view points and based on our very different needs! Our president, The Never Ending Story of Jacob Zuma was shown to us in a whole new light by Adriaan Basson. Personally I would have preferred the lights to be kept somewhat dimmer as, being so well illuminated the flaws do tend to show up. No wonder we Jozi had an earth tremor on Tuesday night! We cooked the brunch based on the Animals in Distress cookbook, Respectful Recipes which is a vegetarian cookbook. As such there was no meat included in the meal but that didn’t stop it from being an absolutely fabulous repast and no one went away hungry or disappointed at the lack of hors in the food. It was a very lovely morning all in all and we have begun our 2013 book collection for next Feb!

meet our very own Christian Gray

Adriaan Basson and Anton Harber

Anton Harber enjoying a glass of bubbly

Adriaan Basson, A lovely smile

Bubbly Antique Style

Hot on the heels of the AuthorTalk was a delightful Valentine’s dinner which was incredibly well supported. I had one somewhat unhappy lady who walked in with a very long face because she felt she was eating in the car park. Cannot really fault her as the patio used to be the parking lot but it is now the prettiest four parking bays in town. I will admit that my feelings were bruised somewhat. In Feb we also had the first of our floating Wednesday nights, namely quiz, bridge, singles social and sushi. Of the 4 nights the quiz evening and the sushi evening really rocked, the others are going to take some working on. Bridge will probably change to a games evening and the singles evening to more of a social dinner evening open to a wider age group if that is where the need is! I have brought along a canvas to keep me company on Wednesday and Friday nights that are still quiet and you are very welcome to bring along a canvas or some paper and come join me whilst I work or pretend to.

Valentine’s Dinner

Our first foray into Sushi was a fabulous evening!

The one thing that did slip quietly passed this February was our birthday! Indulgence turned 7 and Lollipops Catering came of age at 21, next year we can give the two a joint birthday party as they turn dirty thirty! Happy birthday Indulgence and Lollipops Catering, many more foodie years!

I cannot go any further without saying how incredible the Auriol Hays concert was! She is a “Rockstar” of note with the most incredible voice and she absolutely blew her audience away! What an incredible evening. Thank you so much Auriol, you are Amazing girlfriend! (Dinner wasn’t to bad either :))
And a special treat of the evening was the surprise arrival of Keira Witherkay, acoustic guitarist of note !

That is enough about February, shall we tackle March now…………..?

March 2013 Quick Calendar:
6th Quiz dinner
7th Thursday Dinner
8th Pot luck Dinner
9th AuthorTalk
13th Games Dinner
14th Thursday Dinner
15th Pot Luck dinner
20th Wednesday night singles social evening!
21st Human Rights Day, public holiday: Thursday dinner
22nd Pot Luck Dinner
23rd Fetish and Kink market
25th 1st night Pesach Monday
26th 2nd night Pesach Tuesday
27th Wednesday sushi evening
28th Thursday dinner
29th Good Friday closed
30th closed
31st Closed
1st Monday OPEN

A jam packed March lies ahead…………….
Wednesdays………..These are fun mid-week evenings to get you over the hump and on the roll down to the week end

QUIZ!!

6th March
Quiz dinner, teams of 3 or 4. We have changed this a bit in that the winning team will get a 50% discount off the cost of their food, and not their entire meal for free like the first month. Only teams no bigger than 4 people are allowed to claim the prize, so sorry if you are a team that is bigger than that. We are introducing bonus round sheets and as soon as we are a little bigger we will introduce spot questions as well. A truly fun evening for people who can have a good laugh…………..at themselves mainly! The cost per head is R120, includes food, excludes drinks and gratuity
13th March
Games evening….bring friends, pop down, have a bite to eat, play cards, board games, scrabble etc etc. You are welcome to bring your own games along although we do have backgammon, a few decks of cards and scrabble right here. Bringing family fun back the old fashioned way! Dinner is a self service buffet, simply but filling. Cost R90 per head, games free, evening Priceless J
20th March
Our second singles social. The idea of these is to mingle and meet new people instead of going home straight from work to an empty house. Stop here, have a drink, have a light supper, unwind and meet some weird and wonderfully strange people. I got lambasted for the age limit last month so this month I am daring anyone of any age to come down and hang out with us! The next day is a PUBLIC HOLIDAY, come out and play!
27th March
This is unlucky for some as the Jewish holiday of Passover will have kicked in, so not everyone will be able to enjoy sushi this night but as always there will be another dish available for the evening to eat. The chicken curry and basmati rice of February was very popular so I will make an even more delicious chicken dish for the sushi night. Sushi is ala carte so pay for what you order and eat. We will work on streamlining the process to get the sushi out a little faster than February.

Thursdays…………
Best value in town evenings still, at just R100 per head for a fabulous 3 course meal you really cannot go wrongggggggggggggg
7 March
Stuffed baked potato half with sour cream sauce
Roast pork belly, potato croquettes, apple sauce, green beans and carrots
Or
Roast chicken leg quarter, potato croquettes, green beans and carrots with gravy
Or
Brinjal and tofu tomato curry with basmati rice and sambals
Custard cream eclairs

14 March
Grilled baby tomatoes with fresh basil and garlic on toast rounds
Grilled line fish topped with spicy avocado salsa, served with cous-cous and button mushrooms
Or
Chicken sosaties in apricot marinade with cous-cous and button mushrooms
Or
Spinach roulade filled with roasted vegetables and served with mashed potatoes
Chocolate mousse and Frangellica tarts

21 March
Vegetarian sushi with wasabi, ginger and soy sauce
Beef curry and basmati rice with sambals and topped with a poppadom
Or
Chicken and mushroom lasagne with a Caprese side salad
Or
Vegetable & nut burger topped with tomato and pepperdew salsa, with quinoa
Yoghurt ice cream and fresh berries

28 March
Fantasy salad with seasonal fresh fruits and cheeses
Spaghetti with sun dried tomato seafood sauce
Or
Beef roast with roast potatoes, creamed spinach and pumpkin fritters
Or
Bean and lentil hotpot with sweet potato mash
Peach Melba

AuthorTalk with Hagen Engler

Our March AuthorTalk is with Hagen Engler who has self published a few books already. He sounds like a real character if his writing is anything to go by! The event starts at 2pm, if you are planning to eat or drink anything then please be seated a whole bunch of time earlier so we can get you settled well before he starts to talk at 2pm. This is an event that requires books, so please remember to bring along your two books, one to swap and one to donate, all for a good cause! Please pop me an email to book lollipops@telkomsa.net

http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-12-13-comrade-baby-review-a-hitchhikers-guide-to-mzansi-madness” Link to the Daily Maverick review of Comrade Baby

Hagen Engler’s Comrade Baby

Fetish and Kink Market
It is time again for our Fetish and Kink market, so if whips and chains excite you, if you would like to know more about the Story of O, buy a paddle, meet a few kinks, have a fun, relaxed and chilled day amongst some very interesting and unusual characters please come and join us! If you would like a stall on the day please contact me lollipops@telkomsa.net
The date is the 23rd of March from 2-5pm

http://www.facebook.com/events/530123680344746/?ref=2 Link to the FB event

Easter and Passover
I need to chat to you about Easter and Passover but I think I shall leave that for next week’s blog post

Have an incredible March, welcome Autumn with open arms and above all else, love yourself!
Love ‘n Lollipops
Mandi Friedman
Lollipops Catering

“Food, Passion, Life”