I LOVE ...

As a child we used to spend our summer holidays on our grandparents farm in a small village called Trawal, South Africa.  This was the highlight of my year!  As we had few friends around we had to entertain ourselfs.  We've spend endless days outdoors, swimming in the dams, playing around all the farm appliances & running through the wine lands.  Some of the most special moments, were the days where my sister & I would bake mud cakes & playing house with our dolls.  Our grandmother would give us all her kitchen utensils to play with, making it so much more fun.  As I grew older I developed a love for cooking by spending time in the kitchen, observing her preparing the afternoon meals.  One of my favorite dishes was 'gestoofde patats'.  We got to help dig out all the smaller patats and wash them to prepare these for her to put into the oven.  I also got very excited when she prepared 'melk kos', as I went along milking the cows and got to get my hands dirty, rolling the dough for the 'snysels'.  I normally ended up with flower all over me, but it was all such priceless moments that I could get to treasure, making me who I am today.  

Over the years this love grew stronger and stronger, but having such a busy schedule nowadays, it limits me to how adventures I'd like to be in the kitchen.  Time and again, I get to push my to do list aside and get my hand dirty.  

I recently got around to baking us rusks and treated Tienie to some juicy lamb shanks.