Practice What You Pinterest

Trial run recipe for some chocolate chip cookies that got me salivating on Pinterest. They turned out ok considering that I didn't have everything I needed. However, I definitely have notes for next time.

Top of the morning to ya!

   Brand new blog and I am already slacking. This post was left in drafts, yesterday; but I'm kind of glad because I ended up changing it a bit. I want to be consistent but not boring... And when I returned to my original post, I realised it was a good thing I walked away for a few hours so I could look at it with fresh eyes. 

   The inspiration for this blog is really to help me keep track of the baking I do. So, I decided to share different trial-run recipes that I've worked on as we wait for all of our cooking supplies to arrive in our shipment.  

    Back in Houston, I was blessed with the opportunity to learn under a woman who opened her dream bakery. She named the shop after her mother who was also a great baker and her signature items were mostly her mom's recipes. If you ever land in Houston, I recommend that you visit MargieBeth's Bake Shop. 

   Thanks to that experience, I have a renewed passion for baking and am eager to adapt and perfect different recipes. I come from a semi-long line of bakers and my maternal grandfather actually went to culinary art school in Pittsburgh. (He was generous enough to give me all of his books from that experience.) My pap is an INCREDIBLE chef. He can make anything and it always tastes better than the original recipe. In fact, he is quite the renaissance man. My grandmother is one blessed woman! ;-)

   Recipes can be broad, endless, and sometimes overwhelming. I've decided to make my Pin-oholic self productive by practicing what I pin...

   

 I used chocolate "chips" and hazelnut milk chocolate bars for this recipe. The browned butter really made them look darker. 

     I began very simply with this recipe I pinned on my board 'Sobremesas'. Being a slight rebel at heart  (as far as wanting to add my own twist to anything creative), I have adopted what I heard a chef say: 

A true chef has at least one twist or secret ingredient that  they incorporate into their baking/cooking. 

   The lady I worked for in Houston once mentioned in conversation that her daughter had found some cookie recipe where you brown the butter before creaming it with the sugar. This definitely seemed like a novel idea and would perhaps make the dough even more rich. Graeme and I agreed after tasting the dough that it resembled a very mild rum flavour. Yum!

   To my dismay, I absent-mindedly did not take photos of the finished product. They looked pretty because I refrigerated the balls of dough for a day. However, I was not pleased with the texture. 

   

    Next time, eh? :-)

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

  

 

Our Adventures So Far...

One of our layovers was in Dubai... My parents took us on a "desert safari" about 45min out from Dubai.  Our guide took us on a 4x4 sand dune ride... Took years off of my life but it was LOADS of fun!

Although it is nice to speak about the experience,  I really do bless the Spaniards for introducing at least Americans to horses. (Mom and Mo with a Nigerian guide)

Very rarely will you catch a normal photo of my siblings and me. I'm afraid we have too much fun together. :-)

When we lived in Moçambique 3 yrs ago, my dad had a vehicle we called "the green machine"... This is our new adventure vehicle - the Defender - and it is loads of fun!

Scary looking, right?? I burned my brain trying to figure out how'd they get it down when someone told me it was empty. Jokes on me.

Sun in the eyes + silly face (Mo didn't get the memo). Riding on some land in the back of a bakki.

My attempt at iPhone photography, which I am afraid you will be subjected to. Craig and I were standing at the highest point of a friend's farm.

No matter how old we get, we will always be kids at heart. This is really only about 10' tall. ( Our friend, Daniel, Graeme, and Mo) 

I will never be the photographer my sisters are... But I am pretty proud of this one. Especially since it looks like smoke is coming out of Craig's head.

One of the cool things about Africa is that you may run into NatGeo people... This guy has been following the wild descendants of abandoned horses for two years.

Dad looking official as he plays with his new NatGeo friend's incredible camera. 

The horses are so used to people and love attention. This one really liked us.

Mo, Gab, and I enjoying rusks and Five Roses as we "baboon watch" from our friends veranda. 

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.'