{My absolute favorite desert: 5 min gluten-free chocolate mug cake}

Mug CakeWinter is almost over in Cape Town and I am not sure how I am going to shrew the winterly pounds this year. My friend Danny keeps on having dinner parties with lots of food and our favourite new desert: the 5-min gluten-free chocolate mug cake.

Melted chocolate, butter, egg, milk, vanilla essence and flour of your choice. Pop it in the microwave and you have the most delicious quick desert.

It goes very well with ice cream and is delicious if still moist and chocolaty on the inside. Add some strawberries or swop the plain dark chocolate for one with almonds in.

Here the quick and easy recipe from Almost Bourdain: (meant for 1 but enough for 2)

Ingredients

50g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons Vitarium gluten free flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method

  1. Melted the butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Set aside to cool. (I usually just melt it in the microwave with a place on top)
  2. Add flour and sugar to a small mixing bowl, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and mix well. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla extract, and mix again.
  3. Pour the mixture into a large coffee mug. Put the mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
  4. The cake will rise over the top of the mug and sink.
  5. Allow to cool a little, eat it straight from the mug with a spoon or tip it out onto a plate.

This simple recipe has become a favorite at our dinner parties. Simple, quick and only two small bowls to clean.

Thanks to Almost Bourdain for making our dinners end in a little twist and our girls movie nights extra sweet.

{lief dit}

{Good Morning Cape Town}

It’s been a while since I logged into my account to create a new post. Lots of things happened this year, lots of things changed.

But more about that later.

Now, it is time for a fresh look and feel of my blog. I am going black and white. Black and white like a classic newspaper, seeing that the format of the magazine is slowly fading out, at least we can stick to classic fonts and classic type treatments.

So today, it is all about change and something new.
Bare with me as things are updated.

Tine

{Design Indaba 2010, Cape Town, South Africa}

It is time… today is the first day of our annual design conference. The exhibition doors will open on Friday and it will be a blast: Fashion, Furniture Design, Illustration, Graphic Design, Sound Art, Installation, Jewellery Design and much much more…

And the best? Liefdit will be joining the conference tomorrow. We cannot wait!

Watch this space for some news and for the latest design trends for 2010!

{lieddit}

{We all live in a yellow submarine}

Yellow Submarine

Yellow Submarine aka TeaSub

Oh what a day, first this lovely weather and now this:

The yellow submarine is back! One of my favourite little movies and songs was just recreated into a new product by Ototo.

For all of you, who are like me and just have to hum the song, and just love the lyrics, here a little excerpt:

In the town where I was born,
Lived a man who sailed to sea,
And he told us of his life,
In the land of submarines,

So we sailed on to the sun,
Till we found the sea green,
And we lived beneath the waves,
In our yellow submarine,

We all live in yellow submarine,
yellow submarine, yellow submarine,
We all live in yellow submarine,
yellow submarine, yellow submarine.

Anyway. Thanks to Ototo we can now all own our very own little yellow submarine, aka TeaSub, and start our mornings with a smile: make jummy lemon and ginger tea with a tiny yellow sub!

{liefdit}

{It’s a stunning day and time for something new!}

Today is one of those days where it is kind of hard to concentrate in the office.So here are my suggestions:
1. Hop into your car and go for a drive (preferably into Cape Town, obviously)
2. Don’t forget your fav little moleskin and some ink pens, watercolours, brushes, pencils and some other drawing utensils
3. Find a little viby coffee shop in a little side alley
4. Order my one of my favorite: Caffé Latte with an Amerettini (just delicious)
5. Sit back, relax and take out your book
6. Sketch away and enjoy the scenery
7. Try something new: swop your watercolours for some coffee spillage, ask the waiter for a drop of wine. Dip the brush and see what happens

:)

{liefdit}

{Design Indaba 2010. 100% Saffer}

design indaba 2010

design indaba 2010

We love to Braai, we love to surf, we love to dop, we love to chill. But we also love design.

February brings us the best of South African design from the 26 to the 28 February 2010 at the Design Indaba Expo 2010.

260 exhibitors will show of their talent, contacts will be made, we will laugh, be amazed, jealous about some crazy ideas that are not our own, but most of all, we will get together and have a great time.

Some of us will even be lucky enough to listen to the talks by product designer Tord Boonjie, interaction designer Troika, illustrator Stefan G Bucher, Product designer Bourouellec Bros, Architect Alejandro Aravena, Advertiser Anomaly, Graphic Designer Harry Pearce, Product Designer Marcelo Rosenbaum, and more.

If you have a ticket already: well done! If not, run to the ticket office and get on the project. Time is running out and we all love to be inspired.

{liefdit}

{This year I will…}

This Year, I will...

New Year's Resolution Generator

Welcome 2010! The year of the soccer in South Africa! Tickets are booked, face paint has arrived, Vuvuzelas are waiting to be blown and the excitement could not be at a higher level. Thanks to the New Year’s Resolution Generator I even have a new motto: “VISIT AN ART MUSEUM”

–> Iziko National Gallery in Cape Town.

Open on a Sunday? – Check.

–> Dada South?

Visit? – Check.

I hope you are sticking to your resolutions!

Don’t have one yet?

Visit the New Year’s Resolution Generator and see what 2010 holds in store for you.

{liefdit}

{11 Design Indaba Superstars}

Design Indaba Superstars

Design Indaba Superstars

Are you a designer or illustrator from South Africa? Get your drawing gear together and create an illustration that best showcases who you are and join the submissions for this years competition of the creatives of the Design Indaba 2010.

What do you have to do?

The Jupiter Drawing Room is asking you to submit your personal expression of what makes you unique. 11 Creatives will be chosen and will form the official South African Creative Team. Visit the Design Indaba Superstars page for more information to have your submission turned into a sculpture for the Design Indaba 2010.

{Clients from Hell}

“You’re the designer, Why do you need information from me?”

“If I press the home button where will that take me?”

Please visit Clients from Hell and leave a comment on what you experienced with your clients. Some very very hilarious experiences were posted on this site.

It makes you wonder how much time us freelance designers actually spend on designing and how much time is spent with client liaising.

This just made our day after some crazy suggestions by some people*

{lief dit}

* names changed :)