From African marigolds to an Oscar nomination: The #13 things on our radar

#1 Compostor syndrome

We purchased this compost bin from Builders Warehouse this week for our kitchen waste and set it up outside the kitchen door. Works like a charm for:

• fruit and vegetable peels and scraps
• coffee grounds and tea bags
• eggshells
• old bread
• used paper towels
• cardboard egg containers (torn open)

#2 Hibachi grill

A hibachi grill is a compact, portable charcoal grill that originated in Japan. The small size makes it perfect for cooking small portions of meat, seafood or vegetables, plus you get the smoky flavour of the charcoal. We love the Hibachi we bought for R499 from Takealot. Great for quickly cooking small cuts of meat or a roll of sausage, but we find it super handy for vegetables as well. Perfect for solo cooking or when you are not in the mood for a whole big braai fire situation.

#3 Mushroom powder

The Fomolistas' new favourite ingredient in the kitchen is mushroom bouillon. Mushpowders come in handy to add depth to food and are especially useful in vegetarian dishes that lack a bit of complexity. By far the best we have used is Lee Kum Kee's, which is available at most Chinese stores. The LKK soy sauce is just as excellent.

#4 Jamie’s new book

At first, we were not quite sold on the air fryer trend, but we have fallen in love with ours. And Jamie's new book, which is on the shelves this week, is a winner! We started with the “Lemon fish, spuds & spinach sauce" (we used frozen spinach and frozen hake, but we think fresh fish is called for ). It was still a fab and fast dinner.

#5 Tides and tales

The Fomolistas love tide pools, and if you live in Cape Town, you are spoiled with endless fantastic options. We love Serai Dowling's A Guide to Tidal Pools of the Western Cape, available for R355 from Reader's Warehouse. 

#6 Pool it all

If you live in the Cape, you can also join “pool parties" where people get together for a “float-around". To see when the events are happening, follow https://www.instagram.com/poolpartycapetown/ on Instagram. 

#7 Pink desire

We are big fans of pink walls, but the question is, which shade should be used for our outdoor bathroom?

#8 Plant cheerfulness

There is still enough summer left to plant flowers. We love the cheerfulness of orange and yellow African marigolds and calendula. And you can also plant cosmos and zinnias. We can't get enough of zinnias! They are so easy to grow and come up in 10 days. 

#9 Pizza & concert

The best place for pizza and a concert is undoubtedly the Suntouched Inn, not only according to the residents of Napier, but all the Western Cape people who make the trek to the Overberg to their beach houses at weekends. There's Angel's Smile, Met Vleish, Very Veggie, 25 mins to the beach, Far from Hawaii ... and the pork ribs and chips are top-notch. The evergreen Luna Paige will perform on 15 February.

#10 Reuse citrus peels

Speaking of waste, here are three supertips for sensibly reusing kitchen waste. One with used lemons (citrus is the one thing you shouldn't put on your compost heap), another with orange peels and yet another with tea bags. 

We're definitely going to give it a try, although it makes sense to us to let the peels soak for a day or so and not just shake them up. It's only logical that it will add a little more time to get the oils out of the skins.

Finding a bottle that can spray well is a much bigger challenge. If anyone hears of a good spray bottle let us know immediately where we can get it.

Another great idea for squeezed lemons is to insert them into your dishwasher's cutlery basket. It helps to get glassware and cutlery sparkling clean.

#11 Harry wants mayo and Sally

Who's had a pastrami sandwich at Katz's Deli in New York? We see Hellmann's Mayonnaise after 35 years had the original actors of When Harry met Sally, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, team up again for an ad in Katz's Deli – both botoxed beyond recognition, but what a great idea. The Fomolistas love it.

#12 Laurika Rauch says goodbye

Good news: If you've missed the broadcast of Laurika se Tuiskoms, the revered Afrikaans singer's farewell show on 25 January, you can stream it on #DStv stream.

#13 Oscar nomination for SA

The South African film The Last Ranger, directed by Cindy Lee, earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. The film tells the story of rhino poaching and conservation efforts in South Africa. A young Litha (Liyabona Mroqoza), goes on an exciting but tragic journey through a game reserve with the last remaining ranger, Khuselwa (Avumile Qongqo). 

♦ VWB ♦

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