Birth

“Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” – Psalm 22 verses 9 & 10.

Birth. Life. Death.

Oh how uncertain yet awe-inspiring the cycle. It is something which we all go through. Each and every one of us was conceived, knitted together in our mother’s womb. Fearfully and wonderfully made. And born.

Let me tell you, I had so many preconceived ideas about how Eli’s birth would play off.

I always had a picture in my mind of the “perfect birth”. I would go into labour in the middle of the night, and gently wake Adam up with the words, “Love, my waters have broken. I think it’s time to go to the hospital.” We would calmly gather the hospital bags, which I carefully packed weeks in advance. We would drive to the hospital and upon arrival, they would probably wheel me into the delivery room as I huffed and puffed…and pushed a baby out! Ha, yeah right.

How things played out in reality, is a different story altogether.

An OB/GYN with ulterior motives (Easter weekend…she wanted to go on holiday…Maybe I should have seen the signs, but in my defence, we paid her for her professional opinion and guidance). A “recommended” induction a few days before I was due anyway (“Doctor knows best,” I thought. Plus, she said my baby wasn't thriving anymore, as my placenta was rapidly deteriorating). A failed induction. An emergency Caesarean. A failed spinal block. General anaesthetic and a frantic husband in the hallway of a hospital. A first breath and a resounding cry. Eli.

I won’t bore you with all the details, but let’s just say that Eli’s birth was less than perfect. But he was and is. God had Eli in the palm of His hand since the moment He was born, and he was and is a healthy, clever, busy and amazing little boy. Ask anyone who knows him. What more could we really ask for?

And here I sit once again. Two years and three months down the line, with the impending birth of our daughter, Tori, on the horizon. According to my (new) OB/GYN’s calculations, she is due in 38 days.

I won’t lie…I’m grappling with my thoughts – how is this time going to turn out? I’m scared. I’m nervous. I’m excited to meet her. Surely this time is going to be different?

This time I’m not expecting perfect, because there is no such a thing. Just better. Quieter. Calmer. Different.

Tori, I can’t wait to meet you.

My girl, there are no guarantees in life. I can’t guarantee you the perfect birth, but I can guarantee you that God is in control and that He has already got your name written on the palm of His hand. I promise to relax in these last few weeks, and to allow you the necessary time to develop as long as you need to. Take your time, Princess, because we have an eternity together to look forward to.

We will see you soon.

Mommy, Daddy and Eli xxx

PS: Eli can't wait to play with you. And probably bully you. But we know you're already feisty and strong.

Let's Leave the Titles

Yes, I know we are different…

but we are more alike than you think.

Let me explain:

I’m a mom, and so are you.

I’m a wife, and so are you.

I’m a friend, and so are you.

I want the best for my family.

And I know you do too.

Because I am a mom, I learn new things every day.

Because I am a wife, I grow every day.

Because I am a friend, I am vulnerable every day.

Can you relate?

Because I am an imperfect mom, I spend time on my knees every day.

Because I am an imperfect wife, I need guidance every day.

Because I am an imperfect friend, I drink a cup of grace every day (no sugar, please).

Maybe you know what I’m talking about.

Yes, I know we are different…

but we are actually the same.

Let me explain:

Do we not breathe the same air?

Do we not touch the same textures?

Do we not get moved by the same symphonies?

Do we not climb the same mountains?
Do we not fear, dream, laugh, cry, scream and wish?

Yes, I think so, too.

When I look in the mirror, I see only who I am, and not who I could be.

I can only be who I am today, and maybe tomorrow I will be different.

But you need to love me for who I am today

because tomorrow is not a guarantee.

When you look in the mirror, you see only who you are, and not who you could be.

You can only be who you are today, and maybe tomorrow you will be different.

But I need to love you for who you are today

because tomorrow is not a guarantee.

And when we are face to face with each other,

try to see the good in me first, as I am painfully aware of the bad already.

Try to talk to me, and not at me.

Try to understand me, even though you might not agree with me.

Try to hear what I’m saying, and not what you think I’m saying.

And try to love me as if I am one of your own.

M xxx

2012: Hate to see you go, LOVE to watch you leave

Yes, I know, this one is wayyyyyy overdue. Yes, I know that we are already on the 27^th day of the second month of 2013. Yes, yes, yes…tut tut tut. I’m blogging now and that should be enough. Who makes the rules anyway? Thought so. Love you too.

Anyhow, I decided - a while back, granted - to write a blog about 2012. Sure it was a year that many of us are all to glad to be rid of, but let’s be honest: it was a good year. I never said a “perfect year”, but I’m willing to give credit where credit is due.

I got kicked in the teeth by 2012 on numerous occasions, dragged around by the hair a bit. Disillusioned. Discouraged. Disarmed. But you know what, I’m a firm believer that your attitude determines your altitude. Yes, only about 2% of the people I know in my life saw the “behind the scenes” footage of what was really going on in my life when the going got rough, how I dealt with things when the single rug got pulled from underneath me. And it wasn’t always pretty. But that’s life. We kick, we scream, we throw a tantrum or two, we rage against God, we question things, we cry. And then we put our big girl panties on and make it work for us, because you know what, what lies on the flip side of the coin is not even an option for me. Giving up has never been an option.

So here I am in 2013, feeling rather bright-eyed and bushy tailed. If 2012 had been so terrible, I can promise you that I would not be feeling this way. In fact, I would not be writing this blog right now. But I can, in all honesty say that 2012 has taught me great lessons, values and it has showed me a depth that I have never experienced before. It has given me strength which I look forward to strengthening even further in the coming years. It taught me that I can be my own, greatest friend…or my own worst enemy – the choice is all mine. I will always think of 2012 as the year “I overcame myself” and to be honest, that was no small feat. So without any further ado, here’s my 2012 in retrospect.

2012: The year I turned 26

Ok, let’s be honest here – there ain’t nothing special about turning 26. In fact, the 5 years leading up to the big THREE OH are nothing spectacular. But you know what? I celebrate every birthday with gumption. I love making a semi-big deal about every birthday. It’s a milestone, a celebration and another year that I was granted the absolute privilege of being alive on this earth.

2012: The year we went to Europe

This section actually deserves a dedicated blog on its own, but to sum my first ever European experience up in two words: mind blown. First of all, April 2012 was the first time I ever went overseas. I didn’t know what to expect, other than what I’ve seen in pictures and what other people have told me. And Europe – especially the places where we went in France, Switzerland and Germany – surpassed all my greatest expectations. I have never been the same on the inside ever since.

But by far the highlight of my vacation, and the reason we went to Germany in the first place, was meeting Adam’s dad, his wife Esther, and their four kids Jason, Emily, Joseph and Louann for the first time. It was truly special and the love I developed for family members I didn’t even knew existed B.A. (Before Adam) is really something. And to stay with a group of people and become a part of their household for four weeks, you really get to know them on a personal level. I miss them more than I can describe.

If I were to single out one experience that has really stuck with me, it has to be the day we went to Colmar, France. You see, before I visited France for the first time, I had many preconceived ideas about the country, and I can gladly say that I was right about most of them.

It was Easter weekend and quite cold, but the sun was shining bravely. There was a beautiful French market happening, which was the main attraction of the weekend (imagine…handmade nougat, patisseries selling the most scrumptious treats, 100s of cheeses on display, friendly faces all around and you’re hardly able to understand a word anybody is saying, but you don’t care because whatever they’re saying sounds beautiful). A band was playing romantic music. A couple was actually dancing cheek to cheek on the cobblestone street. Little French children eating croissants for breakfast. And me, sitting in the sun, eating delicious French/German food and smiling like I just won the lottery. That’s France, and my recollection of it. I can’t wait to go back.

2012: The year Eli turned one

Now THAT’S one worth celebrating. Not so much for the infant in question – although he got spoilt rotten – but for the parents. When one’s child reaches the age of one, it is a clear indication that one does, in fact, not suck as a parent and that one has arrived. The fact that I had managed, in my very limited capacity, to give birth to such a beautiful baby boy and that Adam and I have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be his parents, is nothing short of a miracle.

The day after Eli turned one, which was also the day we found out I had miscarried, also turned out to be the day before his planned “Minion Celebration”. Can you imagine the chaos? All I can say about that day is: God, our families and friends carried us. The sun was shining, there was more sweets and delicious food than I had ever seen at our house, everyone who is near and dear to us were right beside us and we gave our boy the best first birthday party he could have hoped for. All in all, I can look back on that day and say “WE ARE LOVED”.

2012: The year of The Body and of Running

A common theme that has been threaded throughout my blogs, has been the love/hate relationship I have with my body. I am proud to say that since August last year, it has mainly been a relationship of love. When my friend Denise and I decided to take on the SHAPE 10km challenge, something inside of me changed. From August to October, I managed to lose 8kg and I felt healthier and fitter than I ever had before. Running longer distances taught me something about myself, about perseverance and about my limits.

And then I came to a crossroad: do I want to run Two Oceans half-marathon (which is happening in March 2013), and put my absolute all into training for this race…or do I want to have another baby? This was something which only I could decide, because as selfish as it sounds, it is my body and I get to choose what I want to do with it. So after praying about it and really just listening to my heart, I made a decision. It all came down to that one question once again: what do I really really want?

The verdict: Eli is getting a baby brother or sister in August, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.

(Two Oceans 2014 – you are marked. I will come for you, I will finish you and I cannot wait).

2012: The year of The Smoothie

When I was pregnant with Eli, I suffered from the most terrible morning/all day sickness for almost 20 months. One of the only things that I could stomach any time of the day or night, was fruit smoothies. Delicious, ice-cold, fruit smoothies. The place which makes some of the most divine smoothies (in my opinion), is Kauai. To say that I was a regular during my pregnancy, is an understatement. I practically kept them in business.

Last year I found that if you are trying to get the kilos off (and keep them there) while trying to up your intake of raw fruit and vegetables, making your own smoothies is one of the best way to do so. Of course, you have to be careful of what you put in them, as you can easily push up the calories without even knowing it. I found what works best, is frozen chunks of seasonal fruit and berries, some diluted fruit juice and sometimes plain, fat free yogurt. I also added some flax seed oil to get a daily dose of omegas in.

There are no rules when it comes to making your own smoothies and the combinations are endless. Here are awesome pins I found on Pinterest on making smoothies, which you can print out, laminate and keep next to your blender:

2012: The year of Pinterest

I am very reluctant to write about Pinterest, just as I am very reluctant to actually go onto Pinterest. You see, for some unknown reason spending only a few seconds on Pinterest makes my days seem shorter. Substantially shorter. And it gives me inspiration. Too much inspiration. And it makes me hungry. Very hungry.

But I love Pinterest and when I do go on, I make sure that I enjoy every second and stay focused (yes, like that is even remotely possible).

If you would like to see what I’ve been pinning, you can find my profile here: http://pinterest.com/marykew/

2012: The year I went blonde

Shock! Horror! I never thought I'd actually move away from the dark side and back to my roots...but after much deliberation, a few blank stares from people who didn't know where our son got his angelic tresses from and gentle hints from Adam, I took the plunge. I went all out blonde.

I'm still not entirely convinced that I love my blonde hair and it has taken some getting used to, but you know what, it's only hair. I can always dye it darker if I want people to take me seriously again. I'm only kidding, sheesh :)

2012: The year of The Novel

I love writing. I think we’ve established that. I’ve always considered myself more of a poet and I started writing poetry at a very young age (we’re talking early teens here, maybe even younger). Poetry helped me to get through those “hectic” teenage years, through break-ups, leaving school, losing myself and then finding myself. It has been my outlet for such a long time – my way of saying what I’m feeling without batting an eyelid because it is, after all, only poetry…I have volume upon volume of poems which I wrote over the years, and reading them from time to times makes me smile. I have come a long way.

Then, in 2009, while having the most amazing time with God in my bedroom, He gave me a vision so real, a dream so big, that it still blows my mind to this very day: I am going to write a book. Don't panic. Details to follow.

And over the past years, I have kept this dream alive – sometimes barely, because it scares me too much – often handling the box labelled “Novel” as one would handle a wet cat in a plastic bag: with gloves on. Cringing. Barely looking.

Then I took the plunge last year – the time was now, God was adamant (but still very gentle) – and I started writing a book. I can honestly say that when I wrote the first few lines of the prologue, I was shaking like a leaf. It was one of the most thrilling, scary, liberating and satisfying experiences of my life.

Although my book is still far from complete, the dream is getting bigger and bigger, blooming like a beautiful flower inside my heart. I can’t wait to finish it (hopefully this year). For me.

And on that note, I want to end off this blog. I have so many goals, ambitions and dreams for 2013. Some of them are already in full swing (I’m a student again, majoring in Creative Writing) and I got a fabulous job opportunity yesterday (starting on Monday). But at the centre of all this, I just want to keep my eyes on The One who makes every day, every week, every month and every year worth living. And this year, I want to live.

We’ll chat again soon (now that I’m back into the swing of things, it seems).

Love,

Maryke

PS: Happy birthday to my beautiful friend, Crez. May your dreams come true this year and may you feel loved beyond measure.

She's back...and here's your recipe

So the award for the world’s most inconsistent blogger goes to: me. I know. BUT don’t be too quick to judge, I’ve had a lot on my plate these last few weeks, hence my absence. Good things. Exciting things. All in good time, of course. And it doesn't mean I didn't think about writing numerous blogs. Doesn't count, does it?

I’ve hinted about the following recipe on Facebook and on Blackberry Messenger and I’ve had so many people ask me for it (which I am happy to share). But first off I just have to say that it’s not an official recipe. In other words, I made it up. But I promise you it tastes amazing and you’ll want to make it again. The sauce is sort of a deconstructed satay sauce, and that goes very well with the chicken, which in turn goes very well with the sweetness of the pumpkin. So, here goes:

Chicken in a coconut milk and peanut butter sauce, served with brown rice and caramelised pumpkin

Ingredients (chicken and sauce):

6 chicken breast fillets, cut into cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon of fresh, crushed green chili

1 teaspoon garlic

1 small onion, chopped finely

Rosemary, chicken spice, salt and black pepper

1 tin coconut milk

2 tablespoons (generous) peanut butter

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

When the oil is hot enough, add the onion, garlic and chili. Fry together until the onion is soft and see-through.

Add the chicken cubes and fry with the onion, chili and garlic until the chicken is almost cooked completely. Season with rosemary, chicken spice, salt and pepper (use your own discretion here). You can also add a bit of water now, just to make sure the chicken doesn’t go dry and to mix all the gorgeous spices through.

Now add the entire tin of coconut milk and the peanut butter. Stir it through continuously with a wooden spoon to make sure the peanut butter blends in well.

Turn the heat down low, and let your chicken simmer in the sauce for 30-40 minutes (or until it has thickened up), stirring occasionally.

In the meantime…

Ingredients (caramelised pumpkin):

500g pumpkin or butternut, cut into chunks

100g butter

1 cup brown sugar

Method:

Boil the pumpkin for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain off any excess water.

In a separate pot, melt the butter and add the sugar. Stir well until the mixture begins to boil and the sugar caramelises.

Pour the mixture over the pumpkin, and stir through once or twice.

And there you go! Serve the chicken and sauce on brown rice, with the pumpkin as a side dish. I’m not going to give the method for brown rice, as it is self explanatory (1 cup of rice, 3 cups of water, salt, boil forever).

I hope you enjoy making – and eating - this dish as much as I did. Pop me a message if you have any questions.

I’ll be back tomorrow J Yes, I’m committing. I want to do a blog on “The Favourites and Flops of 2012” and I’ll also be posting links to a whole bunch of awesome websites/tricks/tips I discovered this year (mostly thanks to Pinterest). Definitely not to be missed.

Tata for now.

xxx

Foodie Friday - Stained Glass Window Biscuits

Hi Sweeties!

I hope you've all had a good week :) Thanks for the 1000 (and counting) hits on my blog - that makes me really happy. And for the feedback - whether good or bad - I always take it to heart.

So,am I the only one who's really getting that warm,fuzzy,cinnamon-and-oranges Christmassy feeling? I bet not. Tomorrow we get to whip out our Advent Calendars and the countdown to Christmas officially starts. With chocolate. I can live with that.

One thing I really love about Christmas, is baking dozens and dozens of cookies. The whole house smells amazing, all the jars are full of awesome goodies and I always share the cheer with others (because a sugar high is always best when shared). A girl I follow on Twitter challenged all her followers to bake Christmas cookies and to hand them out to the beggars at traffic lights. I am definitely going to do that - anyone else keen to join me? I think it's a great idea.

Back to today's recipe. I made these beautiful and almost too-amazing-to-eat biscuits for the first time last year...and it was a bit of a disaster to begin with. The recipe calls for 100g clear boiled sweets or lollies, crushed. Nothing too inconspicuous about that sentence, but the word "crushed" should have been a dead giveaway to me that this recipe spells trouble.

So there I was, struggling for hours to crush a packet of Sparkles (hard boiled sweets). I used a granite rolling pin - no luck. I used a hammer - no luck. I used my husband's brute strength - no luck. I used my Twister chopper - and damaged the blades. All I ended up with, was something resembling sherbet, and shards of sweets freaking everywhere. But instead of giving up, I said "screw it", and used whole sweets instead of "crushed" ones. And it worked.

Before you decide not to attempt this recipe based on my struggle, here's a picture of the marvellous Stained Glass Window biscuits:

Too beautiful. Tastes good,too.

See, they're gorgeous. They take a bit of work, but it's so worth it in the end. Here goes:

Ingredients

250g butter, softened
2 tsp lemon/orange rind
½ tsp almond essence
165g castor sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
335g cake flour
100g clear boiled sweets or lollies, NOT crushed (wink-wink)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

STEP 1: Beat the butter, rind, essence, sugar, egg and water until smooth. Sift in the flour and knead until smooth. Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

STEP 2: On a floured surface, roll the dough to 4mm thick. Using cookie cutters of your choice (the more Christmassy, the better) cut out shapes and place on baking trays lined with paper.

STEP 3: Using a tiny cookie cutter (or the handle of a wooden spoon) make holes in the centre of each cookie. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and fill the centre with the sweets. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.

STEP 4: Leave to cool on a tray.

And now you have some amazing biscuits to show off with.

To turn your Stained Glass Window Biscuits into tree decorations (which will also make great pre-Christmas gifts for your friends and family), do the following:

Make another small hole near the edge of the cookie before baking and when it has cooled down, thread a piece of ribbon through the hole for tying onto the tree.

And if you do decide to crush your sweets, you can add different colours to the biscuits to get a multi-coloured effect.

If you decide to make these, please post some pictures! I'm definitely going to make them again - I think Eli will really enjoy them as a treat.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We are going to a Christmas market and Carols by Candlelight on Sunday...I'm excited. It means the end of the year - a time to relax, unwind, reflect and eat amazing things - is on our doorstep.

Lots of love,

Maryke

"Friends Will Be Friends"...Or Will They?

“If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
Make it last forever, friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is” – Spice Girls, Wannabe

Yes, I know, I just quoted the Spice Girls. But for a very legit reason. It would appear that not only were the Spice Girls never really cool, they just conned ten-year old me into believing that they were. But they are also a bunch of liars, and bad ones too. “Friendship never ends”, is what they said. What a joke. Childhood illusion #53: officially debunked.

You know that sick-to-you-stomach feeling I was referring to in one of my previous posts (see “Why women hate”)? Yes, that. I experienced it again a few days ago, and it caught me completely off guard, because I've been able to live for so long without "The Drama". Let me explain.

My mom and I quickly popped into Baby City on Sunday to buy a potty and some pull-up nappies for The Toddler for the next transitional phase of his life (exciting times). And then I saw them: first him, and then her. Two friends who used to play such an integral role in our lives and whom we really cherished and trusted. Two friends who we hadn’t seen or spoken to in almost three years for reasons that still remain a big, fat mystery to us to this day. And there I was, my guard completely down, alone save for my mom, and my first instinct was to turn around and quietly slip out of the shop before they could see me. But I chose to face them instead.

To cut a short story even shorter: if I thought I was feeling uncomfortable, you should have seen their faces. They were even more shocked/horrified to see me, than I was to see them. Jo'burg is only that big, folks. It was bound to happen. I gulped audibly, took a deep breath, smiled and greeted them as one would greet someone whom you hadn’t seen in years. But sadly, it wasn’t reciprocated. I could see that they were still holding onto – clinging desperately to – whatever it was that we had done wrong. After three years? Really? Really.

And this got me thinking: the Spice Girls are liars. Friendship does end – for whatever reasons – and I can live with that. There’s no use losing too much sleep over it. Book closed. Bam.

Instead of beating situations to death, repeatedly trying to make contact to rectify situations (and getting shut out, shunned like a dog that just peed on a Persian rug), I came to a point where I realised: they are just not going to budge. Whatever we did was obviously the “unforgivable sin” and no amount of I-don’t-know-why-I’m-apologising-but-sorry was going to restore the friendship we once had with them. It sucks, but that’s life – things really don’t work out like they do in the movies, so best we make peace with it.

  

And since this "let's not be friends" experience, and especially since seeing them again on Sunday, I came to a realisation: friendship is a relative term. It is something which sounds amazing in practice, but when push comes to shove, when it comes to being a friend, we all fall short. Myself included.

Friendship requires the giving of oneself. Freely, without expecting anything in return. It is a relationship between people where you commit – even if it is just in your heart – to be there for someone and to walk an exclusive and special road with them. But there are no, and should be no, “terms and conditions apply - be sure to read the fine print” in a true friendship.

It is something which requires work, but when it becomes an effort riddled with expectations, that’s where friendship becomes admin. It is something which is to be enjoyed – carefree and unabashedly – but so often we turn it into a painful Chinese water torture exercise. So often we get to a space where we feel like we need to mince our words. Watch our steps. We get offended easily. We press the “send” button without thinking twice. We wound each other. And then one day we wake up, wondering why we are no longer friends *insert snort here*.

I’ve experienced far too much heartache in the friendship department…as has any other breathing, feeling, blinking and living human being on this earth. “We are all walking around with limps”, said one of my best friends to me the other day, when I cried out to her to help me make sense of “why friendships end”. And she’s so right, we’ve all been hurt. But that doesn’t give us the right to hurt others.

So I've decided to give you all a little heads-up. When we enter into a friendship, I want you to know and understand the following (my friends already know this about me):

I am not perfect. Never have been, and never will be.

I will say things which make you angry – please decide now if you’re prepared to take the risk.

I’m painfully honest, and I’ll call you on your shit. I expect you to do the same with me. How else will we grow?

I will say inappropriate things – laugh with me, instead of getting your panties into a twist. Your call.

You can call me at two, three, four and again at five in the morning and I will listen to you. If I can, I will come to wherever you are and just be your friend.

I will put my life on hold for you.

When you get that amazing new job, lose those last five kilos or baptize your firstborn child – I will be by your side, doing the ugly cry or the squeel-jump.

I will entrust you with my deepest secrets, hopes, fears and dreams. Don’t use them against me.

I will make mistakes. Forgive me in advance, so that we don’t waste the precious moments that we have together.

If you don’t like another woman because she smiled too friendly at your guy, I will telepathically cut that bitch, too.

I am as loyal as a dog. Don't kick me, though.

I will expect you to have Twilight marathons with me, cheer me up every now and again, reassure me that I'm on the right track in terms of being a wife/mom/friend, notice at least twice a year if I've changed my hair,and have binge days with me. Kidding! You have to notice my hair every time.

I will pray for you and uplift you to God. Every day.

I will be your friend for life. But that’s a two-way street.

Oh, and this:

All that I have left to say is, that I am very grateful, spoiled and blessed to have the kind of friends that I do have. Friends who give me the liberty to be who I am, and still love me after everything. Friends who have seen me at my best, and at my worst, and still love me after everything. Instead of wasting my time and energy on those who have hurt me, not forgiven me, mistreated me and misunderstood me…I choose to let go and put it down as “experience” on my resume of life.

Maybe friendship really doesn’t end.

Thank God the Spice Girls’ careers did.

Foodie Friday - Adam's Favourite Pasta

You know, there are some recipes which lie so very near and dear to my heart. They bring me instant gratification when I make them, and they make others incredibly happy when they taste them. Today's recipe, Adam's Favourite Pasta, falls into that category.

My husband is a very fussy eater (okay,kudos to him - he has broadened his horizons quite significantly since he's known me), so to see him enjoy a dish - and I mean really enjoy - is a very satisfying thing.

I remember the first meal I ever cooked him when we first started dating. It was also a pasta dish, one which I had perfected over the years - it was fool proof - and my dad even dubbed me the Pasta Queen because of it. Yeah, about that...By the end of the meal, Adam was squirming around in his seat, trying to look very "full" and almost apologetic. What remained on his plate, was a huge pile of mushrooms, onions and green peppers. Each of which he took the time to pick out with his fork as to avoid contaminating the rest of his meal. Houston, we have a problem!

And then I married him...so that I have a lifetime in which to construct recipes that he'll love.Winning!!!

Back to today's recipe...I'm sure you'll agree with me that there is something about food that is evocative and sentimental in a way.And there are some recipes that I vowed to never share with anyone else - they're just that good. But that's just the problem with today's recipe: it's too good not to share.

So, without further ado, here's Adam's Favourite Pasta (serves 4)

Ingredients:
350g (about 3/4 packet) of Tagliatelle (flat ribbon pasta)
Salt
A little bit of olive oil
One packet of bacon, cut into pieces
250ml cream
Lemon infused avocado oil
One large avocado pear
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Bring water to boil in a pot and add the pasta, giving it a quick stir to unravel the ribbons. Add about 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, and cook for about 7-10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.

In the meantime, start frying the bacon in a little bit of olive oil. You can decide (depending on time, I suppose) if you want the bacon to go crispy or not. When the bacon is cooked, add the cream, and turn the heat down low so that it can simmer for a minute or two.

Drain the pasta, and put it into a large dish.

Drizzle GENEROUSLY with the lemon/avo oil. But really, be generous. Are you being generous? Good.

This is the range of avocado oils that I use - you get it at any Pick 'n Pay store. So divine!

Pour the bacon and cream onto the pasta. Gently toss the pasta.

Cut the avocado pear into pieces, and also add to the pasta.Toss together once more.

Season with salt and pepper.

Not the real deal, but just an idea.

And...smile, because it tastes amazing! And you made it!

*variations: you can use chicken instead of bacon. You can use chili avo oil instead of lemon avo oil.*

Not the most diet-friendly recipe in the world, but you're allowed to indulge in this pasta once in a while. And then go run around the block. Five hundred times.

Have a fabulous weekend and I'll be back soon.

Maryke

xxx