A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the....blah blah blah

If you've ever  had the pleasure of seeing my pictures when I was younger ( my mother would be happy to show you if you have not) you would know that I was always a chubby cheeked, well rounded young person. I think I was well rounded in my achievements at school as well as my waistline.


My mother is a great cook, she made all meal times an experience whether it was a simple curry or a lavish crayfish dinner, even sandwiches and snacks to school were great.
One of my fondest memories is coming home after school and watching Superman on my VHS video player while having lunch that she made with love.


It was as I got older that I felt the need to shape and tone up but my love for all things foodie still stayed.
I was talking to one of my friends about the age old debate over rustic food versus fine dining-full plates versus trying to find some food on the plate.
I love rustic  home cooking but I also appreciate the time, effort and skill that goes into producing a fine dining delight.
We had a function at work a few weeks ago and I was amazed at the precision, care and love that goes into preparing and executing these dishes. This is just a small portion of what was achieved


Amazeballs!!!

As I've said before whether its 5 star or 5 dollars it can equally good. My favorite home cooked dishes that I remember will always be my Mom's tomato bredie (south African stew) and our next door neighbor's cottage pie. She used to make the fluffiest mashed potato with the filling being seasoned perfectly. I've never added vegetables to cottage pie before but a lot of people like it that way. For an interesting variation I made cottage pie a few weeks ago and made my mash with half potato and half sweet potato as well as a little mushrooms and brown stock in the filling. But be as bold and creative as you can be. Cooking with love is always key. See the easy tutorial above on how to make cottage pie. I love using Woolworths videos as reference because in South Africa their ingredients are amazing quality , they add balsamic vinegar and bacon in their recipe which is a nice twist on a classic- and a little wine which always helps ( it's good for the heart and health). Have a wonderful week to all my followers!!!

Tomato bredie