I know we had a huge braai post last week, but that doesn’t mean we should not have another braai weekend.

Just a reminder: “What is a braai”?

The word ‘braai’ is an Afrikaans word, meaning barbecue. This means you grill or roast (mostly) meat over the open coals – something South Africans love to do (especially over weekends).

25th Celebration:

As most of you know, we’ve recently had our 25th wedding anniversary trip … but on the 4th of May we (eventually) celebrated our wedding day. And what better way, than next to the fire – of course, you would say 😁.

A fire to celebrate our wedding day
And of course, sparkling wine was perfect for this braai

Our favourite braai food was on the grid … some of which you already know very well by now! Our favourite snack – yes, you’ve guessed it – ‘oepsies’ (the skewered bacon sticks), yummy lamb chops and another favourite ‘braai broodjies’ (those delicious grilled cheese/tomato/onion sandwiches).

Snack time with ‘oepsies’
The butcher has cut these lamb chops especially for us
Our ‘braai broodjies’ were made from Ciabatta bread

We don’t (often) have too many starchy foods on one plate, but I could not resist in making a potato salad as a side dish (one of Berto’s favourite salads … and we are celebrating after all!)

Potato salad – yummy!
A simple meal … but for us, a celebration of braai food & 25 years of marriage

And what would a celebration be, without dessert? We both love baked puddings and as winter is approaching here in South Africa, I could think of no better pudding than a hot one. The choice fell on ‘Jan Ellis’ pudding. Jan Ellis pudding is a South African dessert named after a much-loved rugby player (Jan Ellis). It is a baked pudding and drenched in a delicious syrup, served warm from the oven with either custard or ice-cream.

Jan Ellis pudding – once you’ve tasted this, you will ask me to bake one to take home … I promise!

Family visit over the weekend in Cape Town:

Since Cape Town is relatively close to us, we took the opportunity to visit family we haven’t seen for some time. And how did they welcome us … with a braai of course!

A welcoming fire at our family’s home

They’ve prepared a snack we have not made before … jalapeno poppers on the coals. I’m sure most of you would know these: Jalapeno peppers filled with cream cheese and covered with bacon.

Jalapeno poppers getting grilled on the coals
A close-up shot of the Jalapeño popper
Choose carefully – some are hot and others not so much!

Back at home, we bought a chicken flattie at our local store – this chicken takes any braai to the next level. The chicken was already marinated in a barbeque sauce and just had to be braaied to perfection – which was the case with our braai master – it was juicy and tasty!

Chicken flattie – chargrilled on the coals, but oh, so juicy inside

Back home and no Sunday blues:

After a great time with our family, we drove back home the next day. We decided on one last braai for the weekend. And no surprises here … the braai started with … ‘oepsies’ 😋.

Braai time = oepsie time

After a weekend of many braai recipes, it was difficult to have something on the fire we have not yet made. Then we remembered the pork chops in our fridge – I just love a good pork chop!

Good old pork chops
A crisp wine for a lunch braai – Van Loveren’s Chardonnay Pinot Noir
Traditional South African ‘boerewors’ (sausage)

Our side dishes were prepared in the kitchen. Some of you will remember the fresh salad of tomato/basil/mozzarella – that is always a winner with any braai. And since we also had left over mushrooms in the fridge, it was a good time to prepare garlic mushrooms.

Garlic mushrooms covered with mixed herbs
A healthy plate of braai food to conclude our braai weekend

I think you know by now that one can never have too many braais during a weekend 😁 … see you again at the next one!