Past Week's Highlights

  Top of the morning to ya!

   I'm not setting a very good record. It has been shamefully long since I have posted and I've already broken my resolution to be consistent. 

   It's been quite a busy week or so and we are currently honoured with the presence of friends who are expecting their first baby and daughter today or tomorrow. (I will make a post soon about them.) They say watch pots never boil... Try waiting for a baby!  Granted, it's only 16:15hrs and today is her due date; but I am impatient to see this gorgeous baby. (And I am positive that Sarah is even more ready to have her baby than I am.)  ... On top of that, I have added baby-holding competition because Grandma flew in from the states. I have a feeling I've been drastically bumped down in pecking order. ;-)

    In the meantime, I have preoccupied myself with different baking brainstorms. Besides their passion for meats and braais, South Africans (or at least Afrikaners) love their puddings and custards. They also eat a lot of cake. So, I decided to take it upon myself to come up with a vanilla cake with custard filling. So, I made a custard using a simple online recipe I found. (Tasted like glorified sweetened condensed milk.) Then I googled a good vanilla cake recipe. And finally, I just made some basic buttercream frosting with the usual butter, confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt for good measure. 

   This is how it went:

     

And we have the cake batter...

One of the two layers. I could already tell from the first one (I had to bake them separately because I only had one pan) that these were going to be pretty dense. A lot of factors contributed to it's texture and weight. Trial and error. Trial and error. I just have to remind myself of Thomas Edison.  ;-) 

Morgan - my darling perfectionist sister - did the honours of leveling the cake.

Voila! The final product. Strawberry formation is a courtesy of my brother, Craig. (He wants full credit for that one and rightly so.)

Oven oat pancakes with Bulgarian plain yoghurt (!!!!), strawberry jam, and honey or syrup. This was one of our breakfasts. I had to do the recipe from memory because I couldn't find it online. It comes from the *amazing* cookbook Hearth and Home. Excellent quick, healthful breakfast. A winner for our family and guests.

 And my personal favorite breakfast: cinnamon pancakes with sauteed cinnamon-sugar apples. 

"Well... that's all I have to say about that."

Top of the Morning!

View on the way to a friend's farm.

    Oi!! My name is Caelyn. I've recently relocated with my family to South Africa for business. If you have never been to South Africa, I HIGHLY recommend it. I am American; but southern Africa, in general, is my heart's home. The saying holds true and I am living proof that Africa gets in your blood.  

   

 Incredible view from Kaapsehoot where we went to see the wild descendants of abandoned horses.

  However, most importantly I am the daughter of the Most High King, Yeshua the Messiah. The fact that He cleansed me of my unrighteousness and made me holy (set apart for His Glory, alone) is something that I take very personally.  - With His grace and mercy in mind, I am able to enjoy His creation and the gifts and resources He has allowed us to create with. 

Not to make you jealous or anything, but I just want to give you every angle. :-)

    

    I love any creative outlet (e.g. fashion, baking, decorating, etc.). As a Whitlock (which my mom is convinced means something like, "consumer of much food"), I am also very passionate about gourmet cooking and baking. 

When you wake up to views like this, you can't help but wake up and glorify God for His splendid work!

   

   Breakfast is my absolute favourite meal of the day. Hence my choosing the title "Top of the Morning!!". I was elated when an Israeli friend confirmed that breakfast is to be eaten like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. (Although I think mine is more like: breakfast like a king, lunch like a king, and dinner like...a king.) 

"Breakfast," as Sesame Street muppets sang it, "Is the most important meal of the day."

   

   

   Before you make a decision to follow me, I must say this: you gotta love food... And if you don't share a passion for food... well... this is the place for you too. :-) 

   My father was a Ranger in the United States Army and one of their prerogatives is, "Never leave a man behind." - I don't intend to. Anytime I run into someone who merely eats to live, I feel an overwhelming compassion for them. Then my innate marketing side comes out as I take on the task of showing this obviously (in my opinion) sheltered person that there is "a whole new world" out there. You just have to open your eyes!

   So... With all that said: welcome! Enjoy the ride and participate through comments and support, if you feel so led. It'll be a bumpy ride; but I can guarantee an adventurous one, as well.

'Whelp... That's all I have to say about that.'