Ocean

Fruit Tart

The season of fresh berries are upon us!

or atleast, it was...

I say "was" because with a deep sorrow in my heart, I have to admit that today I saw the first yellow leaves on a tree. GASP.

I think this must mean that Fall is creeping in on us, but I dare not say it too loudly as it may tempt fate. Thus, in the midst of this "northeastern" (translation: downpour) week, I think back to the summer days, when the heat from the oven while making this tart was unbearable, when I carried this tart over a friend's house in flip flops and a summer dress, and when this tart served as dessert to an outdoor summer BBQ and as backdrop to great company. On that summery night, it was loved by all, and there was not a single yellow leaf in sight. The end.

Berry Picking

Some photos capturing our memorable, delicious-but-sometimes-sour, itchy-yet-relaxing get away with friends. We hope you enjoy!

This last one is for Yolanda because she loved the clouds....

Lasagna with Steffie

Every time Steffie is in town, we end up making lasagna. She and I roast eggplants like no other! While the men were off mastering their tennis moves, we created a feast as a surprise. The menu included lemon pepper asparagus, Gouda and herb eggplant, and tofu basil lasagna.

Before we started, I asked: "Steffie, you think this will cover 4 dinners and maybe 2 lunches?"

She said "Yes, I think so."

We ended up with enough for 4 dinners, 4 lunches, and 4 dinners the next night.

If you will notice, it was "one hunk of a lasagna," although the photo really doesn't do it justice.

Amsterdam, Part III

Most of the feel of Amsterdam came from walking around in the city and local parks. Here's the stereotypical view of a windmill, bikes, a river, boats, lush greens, and sunshine. It was truly beautiful and relaxing, especially where there's a river every other street.

While enjoying the view of either the North sea or the green lush parks, my friend Steffie introduced me to some of the local cuisine. On top of taste-testing ice cream (tough job), we also had Bitterballen, whose larger version is called Kroket. These beauties are fried food rolls with different fillings consisting of mashed potatoes, meats, seafood, veggies, bread, egg, onion, and so much more. Ours tasted like it was filled with an Indian curry.

The other thing we tried were fries dipped in mayo. Not only was it popular, but getting mayo cost half an euro more! It was...okay...but very European. We finally just ended up dipping our fries in the kroket filling and that was heavenly when you've got great company and a great view!