12 Year Anniversary Celebration🍾

This year, our anniversary fell right at the end of a work trip to the UK, so when I finally got home on Sunday, I had no idea what Louis and the kids had planned. Turns out, they’d gone all out to welcome me back and make our anniversary feel like something special. There were welcome-home posters and letters from the kids, flowers, sweets—the whole works. Even though we usually do date night on Fridays, it felt just right to shift it to Sunday and celebrate our anniversary in true, cozy, at-home style❤️ .

Now, being South African, we’re all about our meat. Growing up, my dad was in the butchery business, so let’s just say there was never a shortage of good meat around. Louis and I both developed a love for quality cuts early on, and I’ll tell you, there’s something about cooking steak that always brings back those memories of family gatherings and backyard braais (barbecues) in the South African sun.

Comparing German and South African Meat 🥩

One thing we’ve noticed here in Germany is that the meat is a bit different from what we’re used to back in South Africa. The cattle here seem to be raised on lush green pastures, which is a stark contrast to the drier, rugged landscape and typical diet of the cattle back home. Maybe it’s this difference in diet or how carefully they monitor health standards here, but the meat often comes with little to no fat on it—none of that rich, yellow fat we’re so used to seeing.

For us, that juicy fat is part of the experience, so it took some adjusting! The meat can sometimes be a bit leaner or tougher than we’re used to, but when we get it right, we still enjoy every bite. And while steak was a regular feature in our lives back in South Africa, here it’s a complete luxury. The price difference is definitely noticeable, so when we do treat ourselves, we make it count. It’s all part of finding those little pieces of home in a new place, and each meal like this reminds us of where we come from.

Home Made Blue Cheese Steak

Ingredients

For this special night, Louis grabbed a few essentials:

Rinderhüftsteak (Beef sirloin steak) – Two fresh steaks, 250g each
Bavaria blue cheese – About two-thirds of the wheel for a creamy blue cheese sauce
Milsani Crème à la Cuisine – A plant-based cooking cream for the sauce
Turkish meat spice (Osmanlı Baharat) – Adds a unique depth to the sauce (or beef stock)
Schnittlauch (Chives) – Fresh chives for garnish
Snow peas – A fresh and vibrant side dish
Butter – For cooking both the steak and the snow peas
Salt and black pepper – Seasoning for the snow peas and steak

A Little About the Meat…

Here in Germany, we usually go for the meat that’s on special at Lidl. Not just because it’s on sale (though that’s a bonus!), but because the cuts have often been aging in the fridge for a bit longer. Back in South Africa, we’re no strangers to wet aging—where a steak is vacuum-sealed and left to tenderize for a couple of weeks. Done right, it can make for some beautifully tender meat. So even though we’re far from home, the meat from Lidl has been surprisingly good, and a solid way for us to keep a bit of our South African traditions alive.

The Blue Cheese Sauce

The sauce for our steak was inspired by my best friend back in South Africa. Her dad owned a restaurant called Pears Place, that served aged steaks with this incredible blue cheese sauce—one of those places you’d go back to just to dip anything you could into that sauce. We’re not quite hitting that level here, but Louis’ version is pretty darn close, and it brings back some fantastic memories. Plus, it’s delicious on a good steak.

Step-by-Step Instructions

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The Prep

For the steaks, Louis started by melting some butter in our favorite non-stick pan and searing each steak for about 2-3 minutes on each side. He loves to season after cooking to let the natural flavor of the meat shine through, so once the steaks were cooked to a perfect medium, he sliced them up, seasoned with a bit of salt and black pepper, and let them rest.

In the same pan, he whipped up the blue cheese sauce. He added some extra butter to get things going, then mixed in two-thirds of a wheel of Bavaria blue cheese, a splash of water, and a spoonful of Turkish meat spice for a little twist. After that, he poured in 250 ml of the Milsani Crème à la Cuisine and let it all melt together, stirring until it was smooth and creamy. For a final touch, he chopped up a handful of fresh chives to add a little color and freshness.

The Sides

While the sauce simmered, Louis took care of the snow peas. He tossed them into a pan with a bit of butter, salt, and black pepper, frying them just enough to keep a nice crunch. They make a great contrast to the rich steak and blue cheese sauce.

The Wine: A Taste of South Africa

Of course, no South African-inspired meal would be complete without a good bottle of wine. Louis surprised me with a bottle of Kanonkop from the Western Cape—a red that brings back the flavors and memories of home. There’s something about that full-bodied, earthy taste that instantly transports us back, and it made our night feel like a real celebration.

Setting the Ambiance

With everything coming together, we set the scene for our evening. Our Amazon Dot played some romantic music in the background, adding a little extra coziness to the night. We poured ourselves glasses of Kanonkop, toasting to another year together, laughing and sharing stories about my time in the UK and our memories of South Africa.

Dinner Time

When everything was ready, Louis plated it all up. He poured that rich blue cheese sauce over the steak, with a little extra on the side for dipping, and added the snow peas to balance out the richness. The flavors all came together perfectly—it was simple, comforting, and filled with memories of home.

P.S. Looking at the pictures of our blue plates now, I think it might be time to upgrade to some fancier cutlery.🤣🤣🤣

Sweet Endings

After dinner, we moved to the couch, with a fireplace video playing on the TV ,we used the Amazon prime version this time but Netflix has a great one too. For dessert, we shared a tub of peanut butter and Reese’s ice cream, digging in with two spoons straight from the tub. It was the perfect way to end the night—just us, reminiscing, laughing, and planning for the future.

Sometimes, when you’re far from home, it’s the little things that make all the difference. Being able to recreate these meals and moments that remind us of South Africa helps keep that connection alive. One day, I’ll probably share our recipe for homemade biltong—another South African must-have—but for now, we’ll stick with our tradition of good steak, good sauce, and a good glass of wine🍷❤️😍.