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Photo: Sonjasun / Flickr

The great thing about making your own bath products is that you know exactly what ingredients have gone into them. Besides that, it’s fun to make things like bath-fizz granules and body cream at home. And you get to give wonderful gifts to your loved ones while enjoying any leftover stock for yourself. The body cream recipe we share here can also be used as a hand cream. The bath-fizz granules are similar to bath-fizz balls and the room spray and massage oil are oh-so-easy. (more…)

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Once you’ve decided that you want a dog, the next question to consider is what kind of dog will work for you and your family. The type of dog to consider will depend on where you live, how much exercise you’ll be able to give to your new pet and how much grooming you’re prepared to do. Pugs and Chihuahuas do well in townhouses, basset hounds and bulldogs don’t require a huge amount of exercise and Jack Russels don’t need much grooming. (more…)

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Puff pastry can be intimidating if you’ve never made it before. All the steps involved can make it seem quite a lot more complicated than it really is. This is an easy method as it has the butter combined with the flour to start with. Have no fear or hesitation as you roll and fold the pastry. Practice makes perfect so even if your first batch doesn’t look perfect, it will still taste good and you can dress it up. (more…)

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Banana and walnut bread is a good way to use up any over-ripe bananas that are sitting in your fruit bowl. This recipe will take half an hour to prepare and about an hour to bake. Besides bananas and walnuts, you will also need some butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, plain cake flour and some baking powder. If you don’t have a savarin mould, you can use a normal loaf tin. Serve the cake with butter or eat it as is. (more…)

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This gingerbread has a rich taste as the ingredients include mixed spice, nutmeg, cocoa powder, cinnamon, maple syrup and cultured buttermilk – besides ground ginger. You will only require a quarter of an hour to prepare this cake, although the cooking time runs to an hour. Gingerbread is best served at room temperature or warm with whipped cream. Another good thing about this cake is that it lasts for up to five days (at room temperature) if you wrap it in cling wrap. (more…)

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Bobotie is made from minced meat in its traditional South African form but this recipe, which is over a hundred years old, uses white fish instead. The story goes that a certain Mr Henry Cloete, owner of a well-known wine estate at the time, was tired of the old recipe and suggested a change to fish bobotie. The ingredients include eggs, bread and fish masala. Optional lemon leaves and almonds are required to decorate the dish, which is best served with white rice. (more…)

Photo: tarboxje / Flickr

Old wooden furniture can dry out with time due to a natural moisture loss in the wood as well as the drying effects of central heating. A split can begin as a hairline crack and if this is not seen to in time, it can slowly widen and deepen until it finally cracks the wood into two pieces. The good news is that if you do catch a split in time, it is not at all difficult to repair. (more…)

Photo: Daniel Sexton / Flickr

Cumberland sauce is named after Queen Victoria’s uncle, although nobody seems quite sure about how this came to be. What is known is that the sauce was almost always served with game dishes towards the end of her reign. Cumberland sauce is made with redcurrant jelly, port, orange and lemon juice, cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce. It takes about 20 minutes of preparation time and an hour of cooking time. This recipe yields two cups of sauce and will keep for two months in the fridge. (more…)

Photo: sandrasalaskaphotographs / Flickr

Cauliflower soup is quick to make as it only requires 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cooking time. This recipe uses cauliflower, chicken stock, butter, flour, milk, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. You can add some crispy, crumbled fried bacon for serving and eat it as a meal with buttered toast or garlic bread fresh from the oven. If you don’t like cauliflower, you can substitute the recipe with some healthy broccoli, in which case flavour with cumin instead of nutmeg. (more…)

Photo: prenetic / Flickr

Your home should be the place where you feel most comfortable in life and coming home should give you a feeling of warmth and security. Think about how good it feels coming home after a long period of being away. Your home shapes your beliefs, your self-esteem and even your decisions so working towards building a healthy home is definitely a worthwhile endeavour. But how does one go about creating a beautiful and nurturing home where you feel happy and others feel welcome? (more…)