Mention going to the mountains and the kids will grab their boots and hats and wait in the car. They love it there. We all do.
The escarpment around the Lowveld where we live hosts some of the most spectacular orchids in South Africa (well, maybe I am a little biased). But there are some really beautiful ones that make wading through wetlands or hiking up steep slopes to see them absolutely worth it. Want to see some photos? You can go here and here.
Of course orchid hunting is hard work and eating something is always a must. Our co-authors spoiled us rotten when we went on field trips while writing the book. They were amazing and always brought the best eats and most amazing cakes, complete with cutlery and proper mugs. These days when it is just us, plastic picnic style cutlery has to suffice, but we still like to take something special to eat.
These sweet potato cakes are a new favorite in our household. The recipe is originally from Cannelle et Vanille, one of my all time favorite blogs. Aran's pictures are just simply breathtaking and the recipes absolutely genius. I often search her site for some inspiration. These cakes happened because a friend handed me a bag of sweet potatoes from his farm one day at school and I wanted to try something different with them. I found this recipe and now it is often on the tea table or in the lunch boxes. That is the wonder of the web, it makes finding a special recipe and some inspiration so much easier.
