Can a renovator learn to bake?

They (whoever that is) say that an old dog can’t learn news tricks.

When I was 9 years old my granddad the Master Carpenter had me making chairs, but by age 36 I still hadn’t learned to cook or bake. This isn’t to say I couldn’t take care of myself… by eating out.

Three years ago I met a woman that loves to cook, so I started venturing into the kitchen. After successfully baking just one banana layer cake with cream cheese icing, all from scratch, I boldly challenged my sister-in-law to a bake-off.

Chocolate orange mousse cake with chocolate polka dot collar

It wasn’t a bright moment.

My sister-in-law bakes a regular stream of cookies and cakes for her husband and two sons. I chickened out of the bake-off-challenge and made her boys a simple bookshelf instead.

Making a birthday dinner.

Fast forward three years and, at age 39, I’ve come a long way and am proudly rather self-sufficient in the kitchen.

Being able to cook AND living in Canada meant that the obvious next step was getting a BBQ. I am not exactly a “Grill Master” yet but, I’ll get there.

Who would have thought that I could have gone this long without experiencing the joy of cooking?