La Chatte Gitane

Kitchen Makeover

2012-01-16T20:52:00.000Z

It all started in the summer, that we did a ground floor overhaul.
I already showed you the sitting room makeover here, now it's about time I let you take a peek at the changes we made to our (my) kitchen.

When we moved into this house, the kitchen was okay-ish. I mean, I could cook in it, sit in it, had a great view onto the garden and woodland behind, but it had seen better days. The layout wasn't very practical and I hated the floor and worktops.
We chose an IKEA kitchen - Ädel series, that suited the house and us perfectly and hopefully the next occupants of this house (yes, that's another story).

before

after

before

after

before

I am not particularly proud of this. It wasn't even part of the kitchen, but a small hallway/coridor between entrance hall and kitchen. A proper dumping ground. Dark and dingy. The door on the right we had closed off and instead had a door fitted between entrance hall and sitting room, which made more sense to us.

We also knocked the wall out (for most part) between the dump and kitchen.

Next photo will show you the exact same wall.

after

before

Very happy that this fake slate floor was replaced by ....

...this.

after

Real natural Beijing bluestone and French limestone.

Now, wherever we might end up, our old Welsh dresser will always get pride of place and any future kitchen units will need to complement this piece of furniture we both love so much.

Hope you enjoy the end result. I know I do ;-)
Patricia xxx...x

Carrots in a Bechamel Sauce with Parsley

2012-01-10T17:50:00.001Z

This will never win any culinary prizes, but it is one of these dishes that reminds me of my childhood.
Why ? Well, my mumma used to make this for us whenever we felt poorly, it was served with rice and it was light enough to digest easily.

So last night I felt really awful and sick. What better way to get my appetite back than this simple dish.

Ingredients

50 grs butter (I am sure my mum used sunflower oil instead of butter)
50 grs flour
300 ml liquid - milk, cream, cooking liquid of the carrots
parsey - the more the better or as much as you like, chopped
6 carrots, peeled and sliced in discs (approx 3 mm tick)
Seasoning - salt, black pepper and nutmeg

Preparation

Cook the carrots in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, till al dente. Drain and keep some of the liquid for the sauce if you so wish.
Please tell me I don't have to write down how to make a white sauce - make a white sauce with the butter, flour and liquid.
Add parsey, seasoning and the carrots.
Heat through, et voilà, it's ready.

What did your mother cook for you, when you felt poorly ? That's what I'd like to know.

Patricia xxx...x

Cheese Croquettes

2012-01-08T20:24:00.001Z

Scuse the photo quality :-/

Would you believe I have never made these before and Belgium is undoubtedly the land of croquettes. Potato, cheese, brown shrimp, ham.

Only once did I make potato croquettes and that was eons ago, but last summer I got very excited about beetroot croquettes that I saw here , I had a go and they were the bees knees. YumYum.

But now I was stuck with loads of cheese - camembert style and goats cheese - from christmas. Couldn't stand the smell anymore and I didn't feel like eating cheese morning, noon and night, so what better way to use all the cheese than in croquetes. I made 60 of the little blighters, they freeze well and are gorgeous.

Ingredients (for 15 to 20 croquettes)

100 grs butter
150 grs flour
500 ml milk
1 tsp English mustard
250 gr cheese (if using Camembert, remove the white skin as it doesn't melt)
4 eggs
extra flour for coating
breadcrumbs
Salt, black pepper, nutmeg

Preparation

Make a thick bechamel sauce with the butter, flour and milk. Stirring all the while.
Add the mustard
Separate the eggs, add the yolks to the sauce and let it come to the boil again, stirring. Keep the whites for coating the croquettes afterwards.
Add the cheese but don't let it come to boiling point anymore. If using hard cheeses, they need to be grated before you add them. Stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
Tip the sauce onto a floured tray and spread out eavenly.
Store away in the fridge for a couple of hours
Cut the paste into 4x4 cm squares.
First coat them in flour, then into the beaten egg whites, and lastly cover with breadcrumbs.
Put them on a clean tray next to each other.
Another cooling off period will benefit the end result. I did put them straight into the freezer.
Heat up about a cm of sunflower oil into a deep-ish pan. Or you can use a deep fat fryer - 170°C
Fry the croquettes in batches (depending on how many you have)until they are golden brown on both sides (you might have to turn them over halfway through the cooking proces, obviously)
When they are done, scoop them out of the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
Ready to be served with salad, dipping sauce of your choosing.

It is not my favourite dish to make, but let me tell you they were worth the effort.

Enjoy.

Patricia xxx...x

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas.....

2012-01-05T10:04:00.000Z

...every decoration has been taken down, all wrapped up for next year... more than likely in another house... in another country... if all goes to plan.

But first a flashback in pictures from 2011

This leaves me with wishing everyone a prosperous and healthy, happy 2012. Make it a good one.

Patricia xxx...x

Rest in Peace, Lucy aka Little Munchkin

2012-01-01T18:12:00.001Z

Really sad to hear that fellow blogger, Lucy, has passed away. Very young, it shouldn't have to happen.

http://littlemunchkin.wordpress.com/about/

RIP, Lucy.
Strength to her friends and family.

Happy Christmas !

2011-12-23T16:54:00.001Z

And you can all have a snigger at my wonky Christmas cake.

It is meant to be wonky and I have worked all day decorating it ! It looks 'homemade', doesn't it ? Haha !

Patricia xxx...x

High-Tech Candle Holders

2011-12-22T11:41:00.000Z

You'd think I have nothing better to do with my time, than punch some holes through tin cans ?

On the contrary, I have a list as long as my arm to get through, before the party on Boxing Day. Buuuut..... this was also on my list.

They will grace the table beautifully with all the other tat that I will be decorating the table with. You'll see.

In the meantime, I wish you all a

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Yule or whatever else you might be celebrating !

Patricia xxx...x

Vegetarian Offerings - Lentil and Mushroom Pie

2011-12-18T21:07:00.000Z

It's nearly upon us - Christmas. And this year for me it means a lot of planning and even preparing ahead.
We're having a Boxing Day Party for 20 adults and a few small children. Whilst most guests are meat eaters, the 3 vegetarians will be well catered for. One of the vegetarian centerpieces is this Lentil Pie. It is cooling down at the moment and tomorrow morning I will carefully place it in the freezer, to be taken back out on Sunday evening. Monday, it will be reheated in a hot(ish) oven.

Stuffing
Ingredients

2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 large clove of garlic, crushed, peeled and finely chopped
1 leek, cleaned, sliced in rings and rinced
1 tbsp dried thyme
500 grs Puy lentils
200 ml dry white wine
700 ml vegetable stock
knob of butter or vegetable oil
lots of freshly cracked black pepper
seasalt to taste
punnet of mushrooms, cleaned, sliced and sauteed in oil or butter
and I hope I haven't forgotten anything

Preparation

Sautee the onions, leeks and garlic in oil or butter over a moderate heat.
Add the thyme.
Then add the Puy lentils. And sautee these to, stirring regularly.
Pour in the wine and simmer for 3 minutes before adding the stock.
Add the pepper and leave to simmer, with lid on, till the lentils are cooked, but al dente. Should take about 20 minutes.
If the stock has evaporated before the lentils are cooked, you may need a little extra water.
Taste and season. Sometimes adding a splash of balsamic vinegar, gives it an extra lift.
Cool and take out 1/3 of the lentils.
2/3 can be blended with a handheld blender, not too smooth.
Bring the blended and whole lentils together and put them in the fridge till needed.
Oh, the mushrooms, they can be put in the fridge too. They'll come in at a later stage.

Pastry - shortcrust
Ingredients

700 grs plain flour, sieved
350 grs cold butter, cubed
pinch salt
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
very cold water

Preparation

Bring together the flour, salt, thyme, pepper and butter.
Rub the butter into the flour, till it resembles crumbs.
Then add in some water, not too much and the quantity will depend on the moisture content of the flour.
Bring together, adding just the tiniest amount of water at a time - do not overwork the pastry, just pull it together.
Shape into a ball, wrap with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for a couple of hours, overnight even.

Everything has cooled properly and you have lined a cake tin with greaseproof paper. Your cake tin is preferably one with a removable base and spring-sided. My pie tin is 25 cm diam. and 7 cm high.

Ready to roll

Roll out approx 2/3 of the pastry on a floured surface. I have a marble slab that I use for this purpose as it stays cold.
Thickness of the pastry should be about 4 mm.
Line your tin with the dough and leave enough overlap to 'glue' the pastry top to it later.
Punch a couple of times with a fork over the base.
Fill with half of the lentils.
Scatter now the sauteed mushrooms over this, to be topped with the other half of the lentils.
Roll out the rest of the pastry (same thickness)
Hah ! You need a beaten egg now.
Brush the sides with beaten egg (this is the glue that will hold the sides and top together.
Cover the pie with the top layer of pastry and crimp together.
Cut off any overhanging excess pastry
Make a whole in the center of the top for any moisture that might turn into steam to escape.
You can decorate with any leftover pastry, glued with egg.
Eggwash all over the top.
Put in fridge while the oven heats up. I heated the fan oven with extra heat from below to 210° C.
Bake the pie for 15 minutes, than reduce the heat to 190°C for 30 minutes.
Seeing the stuffing was already cooked, you'll have to gauge when the pastry will be ready. A golden brown will do.
Leave to cool for 20 minutes before taking out of the tin.
Ready to eat straight away or you can let it cool even further as it is also tasty cold or room temperature.

Wow, that looked like a lot of work, but in all honesty, it wasn't.
And if you have made shortcrust pastry before, this will certainly be a doddle.

No cross section picture of the pie, that is for after the party.
Only 50 more dishes to go ;) and I'm not intending to put all the recipes on here. No time, gotta go !

Patricia xxx...x

Clementines Cooked in Syrup

2011-12-17T14:43:00.000Z

I found this amazing and very simple recipe here .
Very christmassy with clementines swinging in full season. A great standby to have on your pantry shelf.

Ingredients

14 Clementines (thoroughly washed in hot water)
6 cups of caster sugar
3 cups of water

Preparation

Pierce the clementines approx. 10 times with a toothpick.
Arrange in a cooking pot that will hold the fruits, sugar and water.
Bring up to a simmer on the hob over a low heat.
I left it to simmer for more than 3 hours.
Leave to cool and pop the clementines into a sterilized jar.
Cover with the syrup and screw on the lid.
The leftover syrup (yes, I had more than would fit in the jar) I bottled. It will come in handy to add to a hot chocolate, glühwein or any other dish I might find it would work in.

I have as yet no idea what I'll be using the clementines for, but for now, they look great on the kitchen shelf. Might put it on the buffet table for a party we're having on Boxing Day.

Just wanted to add that the syrup tastes bittersweet and I love that.

Off you go ! There is still time to get this done before christmas.

Patricia xxx...x

Yet Another Seasonal Decoration

2011-12-12T18:54:00.000Z

What do you do when you don't want to think about shopping lists and christmas menus ?
Indeed, you try anything to avoid facing up to real chores.
Find yourself an old birdcage, preferably one that has no bottom anymore ;).

Before you can start filling it with tat, you'll need to make a bottom from an empty little crate of clementines. Paint and/or wallpaper the outside and voilà ! There you have a brand new base.

A few twigs, tinsel, strands of ivy, moss, fairy lights and 2 birds(obviously decorative birds) later and there you have it.

No fear of animal cruelty, the cage door has been left open, so they can come and go as they please.

Shopping list ... there's always tomorrow !

Patricia xxx...x

Brazen and Bold - Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-07T17:07:00.000Z

Patricia xxx...x

Christmas Baubles

2011-12-06T16:20:00.000Z

Surf and Turf Pasta

2011-12-05T22:44:00.000Z

This is what I prepare when there's just not an awful lot of food in the house and when I've been struggling to untangle the christmas lights for the best part of the day.... and joy of joys, they then had the audacity to die on me when they where halfway up the tree.

Ingredients for 2

8 prawns, the ones I used where frozen/raw/unpeeledChorizo
salami or other paprika based smoked 1 cm cubed, 150 gr
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
greenish part of 2 leeks (it's what I had left in fridge), sliced in rings.
200 ml cream
salt and black pepper
olive oil

Linguine or tagliatelle work best, but I only had capellini

Preparation

Heat some olive oil in the cooking vessel, throw in the prawns and sautee till they go pink. Empty into a bowl (including the cooking juices)
Fry off the chorizo and garlic with a little more oil. Scoop out and set aside.
In the remainder of the oil, sautee the leeks.
Meanwhile peel the prawns and slice them in about 1 cm tick slices.
Add cooking juice of prawns to the leeks, add the chorizo and garlic and stir in the cream. Season with salt and black pepper.
By this time you should have your pasta on the go.
When cooked al dente, drain, stir in the sauce and add the prawns back in.
Serve with a sprinkle of paprika powder and grated parmesan.

Santa's Little Helper

Keep decorating !
Patricia xxx...x

The Woes of a Tattered Christmas Wreath

2011-11-30T23:28:00.001Z

The previous week, I started rummaging through the christmas decorations. Now, our dining room table has been buried under tinsel, fairy lights, baubles, ribbons and much more. I eliminated all the red baubles (they won't be having christmas this year), kept the copper, gold of various shades, bought a load more in turquoise, blue and hot pink.

My wreath didn't get through the eleven month hibernation period unscathed. Being a styrofoam ring with pinecones, acorns and other 'natural things' glued to it. Some of the glued 'natural things' had come off and more serious injuries had occurred on the styrofoam ring itself. Snapped in one place and cracks in other areas.
No way was I going to buy a new one if I could somehow salvage the tattered excuse of a christmas wreath. Out came the glue gun and the repair could begin.
Not only that, I 'beautified' the wreath with turquoise feathers and small baubles and ribbons. Granted, it's not a work of art, but it'll do for this year.

I bought a new ribbon to make a nicer bow, because this one just doesn't cut the mustard.

Accessorising is key.

Next week, the tree, but before I do that a good old deep clean of the sitting room is in order.

Thank you for reading
Patricia xxx...x

Bread, Homemade in Pictures

2011-10-20T12:31:00.001Z

A little bird told me, that today it is Bread Day. National (as in Belgium) or international, I know not, but I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of bread that I made over the years.

Rolls and Buns

Bunny Buns, brioche style

Baguette

And just our day to day loaves

The little bird is Bart Aertgeerts. He is about to open an artisane bakery in Koningshooikt (Belgium).

If he ever gets his website up and running, I'll gladly add a link.

Patricia xxx...x

Anna Pavlova, dancing The Firebird at last ?

2011-10-13T12:56:00.000Z

The best recipe, by far, for Pavlova is the one from Joy Of Baking It has never failed me.
What is so lovely about a Pavlova is that you can dress it up or down as you see fit and according to the occasion.

I never add sugar to the cream, as, imo, there is plenty of sugar in the meringue.
Use seasonal fresh fruits in any combination you like. For Easter I like to add some small chocolate eggs, white, dark and milk chocolate.

Here I used kiwi, fresh figs, blackberries, grapes, melon.

Granny Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Living Room Makeover (in pictures and too many words)

2011-09-11T20:21:00.000Z

I can finally present to you the makeover of our living room.
When we first moved into this house in January of 2009, the sitting room was bright and light, with lots of large windows overlooking the garden. There was also a very clean (and new, I think) wall to wall woolen carpet in an off white colour (au naturelle).
It felt good !
Suffice to say that the clean and cosy feeling didn't last very long. As soon as we entered the house with plenty cats and the one dog at the time, it was over !
We tried.
After lifting up a corner of the carpet, we noticed there were tiles underneath, nothing one would want in the house these days, but in good condition. Up came the carpet.
Second hand rugs were put down (Bert got slightly addicted to buying 2nd hand rugs on ebay - we even have a prayer mat, that he couldn't resist buying) to make it feel cosier.

Let's just face it ! Our sitting room suite that we bought in the year 2000 didn't look too good anymore and in the room with the tiles and our antique furniture it was just a 'bit' fuddy-duddy.

Sam, the greyhound, changed the couch into his bed/basket.
Then came Millie, the destroyer, also a hound, but of Spanish origin what is also known as Galg(o)a. We got an extra couch from Ikea (cheap) and within the shortest time it was ruined. So I re-upholstered it (with cheap fabric)...., then she had a go at the old sofa. I made a fitted cover for i (made from ex-curtains)....

We have been living in our garage whilst our living quarters have been revamped. Yes, that's right, our kitchen, entrance hall, cloakroom and stairs have all been and are still in the process of being revamped. That is a story for another time.

We have now left the old couches in the garage and guess what ? That is now the dogs' den during the night and when we are not at home.

The dogs' den in the garage.

Sam doesn't mind !

So here we go with the 'befores and afters'

before - note the old sittingroom suite.

Orange and green colour scheme - go !

Ah ! Fresh !

Okay, the suite is from Ikea - Ektorp range. Not too expensive and very comfy.

Lovely fuddy-duddy. But you've got to admit that I did a fantastic job on the upholstery of that red sofa.

Ta-dah!

Notice the roman blinds that I made somewhere in March.

Before

After

Before

After

The floor is white washed and oiled oak.

A fair few of the artwork has been painted by my bestest of best friends, Jo-Anne Yelen

at Brushwood Studios

Before

After

Before

After

Shabby chique painting is an inheritance from Bert's mum.

Before

After

Let's just say I have been ogling this coffee table in Ikea for so long.

It's a must-have for me, with my collection of stones and seashells gathered over the years.

The dogs.......

.....they each have a new daybed for the sitting room and they behave... so far.

As for the cats ...

....they will always be ... cats !

I've long ago established that we (I) have too much stuff in the house, but that will never really change. I love creating a 'nest' with all the things that are dear to us and have sentimental value. That is what a home is all about, isn't it ?

What is worrying Bert at the moment is that I want to get a whole new colour scheme for the christmas tree decorations.

Patricia xxx...x

Patience is a Virtue and this Chilli and Tomato Chutney is a Redhot Babe !

2011-08-29T18:14:00.000Z

At last, here I am with the recipe for the Chilli and Tomato Chutney.

Ingredients (yield approx 2 liters)

10 large chillies (the plants I bought at the time said, Spanish Chillies, they are not extreem hot)
10 medium tomatoes
2 medium onions
2 red peppers (capsicum)
2 large cloves of garlic
2 apples that are not overly ripe (they contain more pectine)
500 ml cider vinegar
300 grs sugar
2 tbsp - heaped - garam massala
2 tbsp mustard seeds
Drizzle of sunflower oil

Preparation

Have sufficient jars with screw tops at hand, washed and sterilized.

Chop the onions and sautee in the sunflower oil together with the grated or finely chopped garlic.
The other veg and apples also chopped into the size that you like. The chillies I did smaller than the rest. No need to deseed, except maybe the apples.
Add it all to the pan and pour in the vinegar and sugar.
Bring to boiling point and add the garam massala with the mustard seeds.
Lower the heat and leave to simmer, without lid, until the liquid has reduced significantly. Stir regularly.
It can take up to an hour and a half.
When still hot, transfer into jars, seal and leave to cool (upside down)

Chutney improves with age and can be kept in a cool, dark place for a few years. Once opened, store in the fridge.

I See Red !

2011-08-04T17:31:00.000Z

What's more, I can see a chilli chutney coming on.

If you have patience, I will get back to you with a recipe.

I didn't polish up the peppers and chillies, don't they look lovely. I could hug my greenhouse, so happy am I with it's produce.

Patricia xxx...x

Griddled Marinated Courgettes

2011-07-27T21:28:00.000+01:00

When they start growing, they won't stop. I have a problem with picking them before they get too big and then finding interesting ways to prepare them so we don't get bored with eating courgettes every single day during summer ;-)

It is no hardship as we like courgettes.

An easy to make and delish stand-by, these griddled beauties, for salads, on bruschetta, on pizza, in quiche or omelette, on your cheese sarnie, in a pasta dish and they make a nice change in a moussaka. Do I need to say more ? Very versatile.

Ingredients quantities are approximates

medium sized green and yellow courgettes, 1 of each
1 medium patty pan squash or 2 smaller ones (I used the white variety)
coarse seasalt
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
handful of freshly chopped mint
olive oil
sunflower oil

Preparation

Slice the courgettes lengthways, 1/2 cm thick
Put the patty pan flat on the work surface and slice vertically, into 1/2 cm discs
Bring all the slices into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, toss them around, so the courgettes are all slightly coated.
Use a griddle pan (is not a necessity, but makes it look nicer) and let it get rather hot.
Griddle the courgettes a few at a time on both sides

When cooked through, bring them into a bowl.

Squeeze a little lemon juice over the courgettes, a sprinkle of salt, black pepper and a drop of olive oil.
Finish all the sliced courgettes like this, but beware of too much salt.
Add the mint and toss.
Adjust the seasoning and lemon juice to taste
It can be kept in the fridge for a good couple of days, but you then need to cover with sunflower oil (don't use olive oil for this as it will be too bitter)

Will be seeing you at the next courgette meeting, I hope.
Patricia xxx...x

Quick Lunch

2011-07-21T13:24:00.000+01:00

Toast from homemade bread, gouda and a chuck-everything-in-kinda-chutney.

Patricia xxx...x

Courgette Fritters

2011-07-19T15:12:00.000+01:00

The courgettes are growing, plenty and fast. So, here is the first of my courgette recipes.

Fritters are easily adaptable depending on your mood or style of cuisine, by adding different spice mixtures.
Courgettes do not give you an explosion of flavour on their own, so they do need a kick up the backside from time to time.

Ingredients

2 green courgettes and 1 yellow, grated
salt
1 small onion, grated
parsley, chopped
tiny green or red chilli, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
plain flour, 2 to 3 heaped tbsp
corn flour, 1 heaped tbsp
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
sunflower or olive oil

Preparation

Put the grated courgettes in a colander, sprinkle with some salt, put a plate over it with something heavy on top. Leave for 30 minutes standing in your (clean) sink. This is to draw excess water out of the courgettes. If you omit this step, your fritters will turn soggy quickly.
After about 1/2 hr squeeze some more of the water out of the courgettes and toss them into a bowl with all the other ingredients, except the oil.
Give it a stir with a wooden spoon.
Heat some oil in a frying pan (a non stick works best for this)
With a large spoon bring about four dollops of the mixture into the pan (depending on the size of your pan, more or less dollops)
Press them down slightly, frying them over medium heat.
Turn them over and fry on the other side till golden.
When they are ready, drain on kitchen paper and repeat the process with the rest of the mixture and keep the others warm in the meantime.

Variations

Mexican style Add sweetcorn, chopped red pepper, ground cumin, chopped coriander, chilli powder .....

Indian style Replace flour with chickpea flour, add grated ginger, ground coriander, fresh coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, garam massala.....

Patricia xxx...x

Beetroot and Feta Salad

2011-07-15T14:03:00.000+01:00

I just couldn't wait any longer to have a taste of the beetroot we are growing. They were therefore on the small side, but it didn't take away from the flavour.

I love that sweet, earthiness of the beets and the colour and it works well with the saltiness of the feta.

Ingredients (which I used)

10 small beets (smaller than a ping pong ball)
150 grs feta (from sheep milk)
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tsp honey
Juice of 1 lemon (the zest I used in the courgette fritters)
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Wash the beets thoroughly and cut off the leaves, leaving stalks of about 3 cm (btw, you can also eat the leaves in a salad or sauteed like spinach, but this time I gave them to the chicks and they were very appreciative)
Put in a cooking pot covered with water on the hob. Cook until tender (al dente)
In the meantime make your dressing with all the other ingredients and crumble in your feta.
When the beets are cooked, you can drain off the liquid, cut the beets in half and add them to the dressing whilst still hot.
Toss and leave to cool, put in fridge or a cool place till serving (I know ! You can use this as a warm salad too)

I served this salad with courgette fritters, panfried pollock and salmon.

Hatched !

2011-06-19T16:00:00.000+01:00

Oh, how proud I am !
Arthur II and Gwen have babies !
This morning I noticed 2 black cotton balls peeping out from under Gwen.

Sitting there for half an hour, I managed to take 2 pics. Not a lot, but they need theit peace and I had to get back to the ironing board.
It certainly made my day !

Patricia xxx...x ;-)

Green Olive Tapenade

2011-05-17T16:53:00.000+01:00

So simple to make, I'm almost ashamed to admit it. Full of natural umami, it is a great ingredient to use in a variety of dishes.
I like to spread some over my homemade pizza base, before I add the passata di pomodoro. Also lovely on bruschetta, a spoonful in your pasta, as a seasoning for soups, salad dressings ....

ingredients
300 grs pitted green olives
1 tin anchovy fillets
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 small chillies
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

preparation
Put everything, but the olive oil, in a measuring jug.
With your hand blender, blend until you get a smooth-ish paste.
Lastly stir in the olive oil.

You can store in a glass jar with screw top lid in the fridge for about a week. Pour some olive oil over to seal off.

Eh ?
Of course you can use your food processor! What a question ! ;o) Pestle and mortar should also do the trick. Heck, you could even use a chopping board and sharp knife.

Patricia xxx...x

Rhododendrons

2011-05-08T10:55:00.000+01:00

Ever since the time we lived in Ireland, I have a love - hate relationship with rhodos.

I hated them, because they invaded Killarney National Park and beyond, showing no mercy for indigenous plants and trees.

I love them, because come May, they will bloom in al their glory and delight me with an abundant display of colour.

Now, in our own garden, well established rhododendrons show off their lovely flowers and atract all the bees from the neighbourhood.

You can't but love them !

Buzz, buzz, buzzing !

One of my all time favourites (I have many) is the Foxglove.
The picture below shows some that grew wild last year in the woodland just 'behind' the fence.
When they appear in our garden, I nourish them (psychologically - they don't need to be wrapped in cotton wool) and I abide my time until they grace me with their beauty.

Where ever you may be, I hope you enjoy the late spring flowers as much as I do.

Patricia xxx...x

Garden Impressions

2011-04-26T21:37:00.003+01:00

It looks like everything in the garden needs seeing to, all at once. And I have been trying to keep up.
Turning the attention to the vegetable garden. it certainly looks like a blank canvas now, but I have been sowing lettuces, chard, peas (mainly for pea shoots), carrots, parsnip, radishes, beetroot, runner beans ......

In a couple of months time the soil won't look so bare and our raised beds will hopefully be choc-a-block full of greens.

The greenhouse is doing it's job nicely, even if it is standing halfway down the woods.

I harvested the rather slender leeks, but left a few to go to seed. The flowers are beautiful and the seeds will be collected for the year after.

When we first moved here, just over 2 years ago, this garden had plenty of high beech hedges, some azalea and a few rhododendrons. That is not a lot to provide colour or to attract beneficial insects.

This has already changed, as one of the first things we did was cut back the monotonous drone that were the hedges. Not all, just the ones that were most oppressive.

Now there are lots of other plants growing in between, like honeysuckle, broom, rowan and I even discovered some hawthorn.

They can all stay as it will be more pleasing to the eye, says I.

We also stocked up a border with herbaceous plants. It might look a little bleak still, but come summer it will be ablaze with colour.

Gardens full of colour are not fashionable at the moment, here in Belgium. The trend is to grow only white flowers and everything green needs to be trimmed into a regimented shape......

.....Not in this girl's garden. I love a good variety of structural plants and colourful flowers. An abudance, a jungle like feel .....

My favourite vistas in the garden.

Above : a collection of different shapes and colours of leaves and flowers. The rowan blooms will turn into bright orange berries later in the season.

Below : an azalea that I uncovered last year, a young American oak (which I should be cutting down, but I don't want to), willows (salix) and rhododendron together, looking very dramatic.

Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed being led up the garden path.

Patricia xxx...x

Have a Sunny and Happy Easter Weekend

2011-04-23T08:01:00.000+01:00

I'm Making Roman Blinds. What a slog ! Quick Preview.

2011-03-24T16:03:00.000Z

This is not my first attempt. I've made a couple of roman blinds before. Now, they were for separate rooms, for small windows, in a country cottage.
The ones I am making now are for our sitting room, with 6 large windows, so they have to be a bit decent and straight.
Gosh, I didn't want to do this job - it was not in my freshening-up plan for the sitting room - but the old ones had shrunk so much after washing them that there was no other option.

I just wanted to post these pictures here, to give myself a pat on the back. Please don't hold back, you can all give me a pat on the back and give me the motivation to finish the sodding blinds.

Yep, still need to finish the hem, but that is no work at all.

Also, I have a striped pelmet in mind to tie in with the rest of the new scheme.

Hey, and I pre-shrunk the fabric !

Thanks for giving me a pat on the back.
Patricia xxx...x

So, we went to Ireland

2011-03-20T10:15:00.000Z

... at the end of February , for 3 nights/4 days. If you want to be in the Southwest of Ireland and your plane lands in Dublin, that of course means you have to drive a long way by rental car to where you want to be. Sneem, Co Kerry, in our case.
It gave us 2 full days to visit only some of our friends and have a jolly knees up. We also went to have a look at some properties, nothing definite as yet. We'll keep our eyes peeled.

We arrived back home on the Monday night. Tired, but happy to have seen some of the friends.
Tuesday, took down the roman blinds in the sittingroom, sneezed and sneezed some more -- very dusty -- washed and air-dried them. Took out the off-white emulsion and started painting the walls.
Bert was due in hospital for surgery on his foot on the 15th March and I wanted everything freshened up for his revalidation at home, you see.
But something went wrong ! On Thursday 3rd I came down with shivers, fever, achey bones ..... flu. Don't really know how, but I managed to finish the painting and ironed a few of the roman blinds, only to come to the conclusion that they had shrunk.... a lot, in the width.
Oh, I might as well fall to pieces right now and die a slow death of flu. I felt anxious, needed to be in top form to take care of Bert when he had his surgery. On Monday the 14 th, Bert decided to call the doctor as the fever was still rampant (39.8 C)
Decision was made to phone the surgeon and postpone Bert's op (that is now on the 3rd May). I got some much needed sleep and rest, Bert finally realised that I also needed food - yes, my stomach thought that my throat had been cut, many times. I got some echinecea, antibiotics (yes, I know, but desperate times...)
By Wednesday, the fever went, but I still felt weak
Now I'm back in the land of recovering flu sufferers. Bert went to Ikea to buy fabric for new roman blinds and that is what I am about to start with, filled with trepidation, but I suppose it will look much beter than the shrunken ones.

Murphy's Law, sod's law, I don'tknow. What do you think ?

Thanks for reading
Patricia xxx...x

Natural Garden Fences & Devides

2011-03-01T11:53:00.000Z

Our house is set in a 3000 sqm garden, surrounded by woodland mainly. Needless to say that come autumn we have leaves galore to rake.
Now, we are not the sort of people that would love living with a regimented, pristine and super tidy garden.
We like using what nature gives us for free and things that don' t look out of place in this setting.
These are just a few of the examples what is possible.

In the pictures above you can see how we made cilinders from wire mesh, which we can fill with leaves or other garden clippings. It is not that it will compost very quickly, but it will compact together nicely and break down over a longer period of time and it can be filled up again in the next year.

We have several of these babies dotted around the property and they make a great winter home for hibernating hedgehogs, little field mice, shrews and even toads or frogs.

Above you can see our wall of branches and twigs. There were some spruce trees standing there, getting too big for their boots, which we cut down, but left a height of 150/200 cm trunks. In between the trunks we stacked loads of branches and twigs from clearing the woodland.

Another lovely home for wildlife.

Now in the picture that follows you can notice a project that is still very much a work in progress.

We made 3 terraces next to the house, where there was just a slope before. Bert erected the retaining walls with plywood (not my ideal) and I used the stems of young trees that needed thinning and slotted them in place behind the uprights that Bert placed in front of the walls.
On these terraces I can now start planting shrubs and flowers and even vegetables.
Once finished it will look great, don't you think ?

Thank you for reading.

Patricia xxx...x

Chicken Pie, an ode to British Cuisine

2011-02-21T19:24:00.002Z

Yes, I am the biggest fan of British cooking and here is the recipe for my chicken pie, covered with yet again, mashed potatoes.
Normally, it would be topped off with pastry (flaky, shortcrust or puff), but I didn't fancy making any, due to many other jobs that needed doing about the house.

Ingredients This was plenty for at least 4 portions

3 chicken filets
2 ltr organic chicken stock
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
Florets of 1/2 brocolli and 1/3 cauliflower
Frozen peas, 200 grs
Butter 100 grs
Flour 100 grs
Tarragon, 1 tbsp
2 tbsp sour cream
Seasoning to taste (salt, black pepper and nutmeg)

Preparation

Put the chicken filets in a pan and cover with stock.
Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat and simmer for another 8 minutes.
Take them out with slotted spoon and set aside.
Bring the remaining stock back to the boil and add the carrots, cook al dente, drain and repeat with the cauliflower and brocolli.
Cut the chicken in chunks of 2 cm, arrange in an oven proof dish.
Add the vegetables and lastly the still frozen peas.
The stock will be used for the sauce. At this point, while it is still hot, add the tarragon to the liquid.
In a pan, melt the butter and stirr in the flour.
Add part of the stock and reduce heat. Keep stirring to prevent lumps.
Keep adding the stock and if the sauce gets too thick, you could add some extra milk or water.
Bring to bubbling point for at least one minute and keep on stirrrrring.
Stirr in the sourcream, season to taste.
Distribute over the chicken and vegetables.
After it has cooled down slightly, top off with a layer of mashed potatoes.

Bake in the oven ( preheated 200 ° C) for 35 to 40 minutes approx.

Enjoy !
Patricia xxx...x

Pan-fried Cod, Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Leeks and a Wannabe Beurre Blanc Sauce

2011-02-11T11:48:00.000Z

Sharp flavours that make my taste buds tingle.
I used homegrown leeks, the size of spring onions, but that didn't take away from the taste.

ingredients for the leeks and sauce. (serves 2)

6 of the finest leeks (or 2 of a normal size)
30 gr butter
100 ml chicken stock
1 or 2 tbsp capers
Juice of 1 lemon
Seasoning : salt,black pepper and nutmeg

preparation

Clean the leeks and slice in rings
Sautee in a little of the butter
Add the chicken stock and simmer for another minute or so.
Scoop the leeks out of the stock (or drain them in a colander)
Reduce te stock a bit more
Add the lemon juice and capers.
Take it off the heat and stirr in the rest of the cold butter, bit by bit.
Add seasoning to taste

For the fish

Use cod or other white fish filets from a sustainable source (+/-200 gr per person
1 tbsp plain flour
Vegetable oil (I used Olive oil) and yet another knob of butter.

Dry the fish thoroughly and coat with the flour.
Season with salt and pepper
In a pan heat the oil with the butter.
Pan fry the fish for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side,depending on the thickness.

Scoop some mashed potatoes on your plate

Arrange the fish on top (that is something my husband will never understand)

The leeks (that you kept warm) can also be arranged in a delicate manner (or not)

Scoop some (a lot) of the sauce over the fish and let it drip onto the leeks.

Finish off with a good few turns of the pepper mill.

Let the taste buds tingle

Patricia xxx...x

A Springlike Day

2011-02-09T15:14:00.004Z

After busying myself with some bookkeeping this morning, I just had to join the dogs out in the garden and sniff the crisp springlike air.

Now, what mischief can we get into ?

Don't ask, it's just a piece of an old blanket.

Nice new hairstyle you've got going there, Sam.

And then I spotted the wood pigeons up in a nest in the tree. Surely, that is way too early ?

Patricia xxx...x

Scorzoneras or Black Salsify

2011-02-07T16:48:00.000Z

It conjures up sweet memories of childhood.
My parents owned a shop of electrical appliances in the sixties and first part of the seventies. Behind the shop was my father's workshop where he did repairs, and going through the hallway at the back of the house was a large kitchen, which was my mother's domain.
It was there that she used to prepare the scorzoneras, while I often sat in the sittingroom upstairs, already hooked on TV. No, I wasn't hooked on TV, there was no broadcasting around the clock as there is today and my father wouldn't have allowed it. Probably I was just playing with my dolls, reading or drawing.
Anyway, I digress.
I remember the almost, coal black roots that my mother peeled, to uncover a lovely, ivory coloured spear. Her hands became very sticky and black (or that is how I remembered it) and I had a fascination for this vegetable, because of it.

She cut them into 3 cm pieces, cooked them in boiling water and served them with a bechamel sauce, seasoned with freshly grated nutmeg, pepper and some salt.
I loved their nutty flavour.
They must have gone out of fashion as time went by, because you could hardly find them in their fresh state at the grocer's or supermarkets anymore. Unless, you went for the jarred version .
It's what I usually do, to my shame. I have jars of scorzoneras in my pantry, as an emergency standby.
Now, I have thought of having them in the garden, but they have a long growing season and consequently occupy their space for good part of the year. I am about to order seeds and I'll make some space to home these lovely winter vegeables.
Luck would have it that since living not far from my cousin, she and her husband sometimes supply us with homegrown produce and a while back she gave me some fresh scorzoneras. Lovely.

I prepared them very simple by peeling, boiling for 10 minutes or so till al dente, then sautee in a knob of butter, dress with a splash of lemon juice, seasoning and chopped fresh parsley.

Sit them in cold water with some lemon juice when peeled, they will discolour otherwise.

How wonderfully tasty

Thank you for reading.
Patricia xxx...x

Evelyn's Balloons

2011-02-06T18:47:00.000Z

It was early in the week that I spotted some balloons high up in one of the oak trees at the edge of our property.

This afternoon, while adding a bit of height to our fence to keep our escape-artiste, Millie, at home, I found the postal card lying in the long grass.

Birthday Balloons from a girl, named Evelyn, who lives in Karben. I looked it up and it is a small town near Frankfurt in Germany.
The card will be send back to Evelyn and I will write down the link to this post, so she can see her balloons once more.

I found this such a feel-good story that I thought of sharing this with you.

Patricia xxx...x

You can take a peek in my cupboard

2011-02-02T00:09:00.001Z

To any Domestic Goddess, my home must look like a tip.
Frankly, these days I just cannot, for the life of me, get a grip on the mess that is invading our space.
I say invading, but it has been here for just over two years (it moved in at the same time we did) and it has been plotting this coup, from the basement of the house upward, all this time.
How does one start on a Herculean task ?
It keeps me occupied......thinking about a strategy to fight back, but it also paralyses me and I lose sight of what I should tackle first. So, I make lists. At least then it is out of my head for a couple of days. That's when I start hearing the bulging noice of clutter, plotting again.

I have never been good with laundry, much to Bert's despair, and mine, because let's face it, after the wardrobe is empty, with just two lonesome items of clothing left, then the choice of what you'll wear that day is pretty grim.
Oh, I will have washed a couple of loads, but that would be left in the laundry basket, nicely folded..... crumpled, more likely.
Yes, my mother has told me many times that I should keep the laundry under controle and get into a routine, and fold it straight away, when it comes out of the tumble dryer or of the washing line. It makes it easier to iron, that I also should keep on top off. Then when everything is folded and ironed it should be put in the wardrobes pronto.
Well, I know what I should do, but at the ripe old age of 48 it's never going to happen, is it ?

Or maybe it will. Never have I been the proud owner of a proper wardrobe or dressing that is suitable for modern day life. I love our antique wardrobe, it is beautiful, so is the dresser with mirror, but only a small percentage of our clothing fits in there and it just isn't very practical.
We have recently decorated the bedroom and landing, I might even post some pictures at a later stage. Off the landing there is to one side a rather small (think 'very' small) storage space under the sloping ceiling - well that is where our miniature dressing room is being made. We can just about stand upright, if we don't venture to far in, but it will work with careful planning.
The antique wardrobe and it's cousin, the dresser, will still be used, albeit in a different way.
And the laundry ? I made a start and will continue to take pleasure and also a bit of pride in ironing, folding and putting everything in it's proper place.

The sensible thing to do now is slay one dragon at a time, tidy one room at a time, tackle one thing at a time.

Now would you like to take a peek in my cupboard ? It has been surprisingly tidy for a long long time.

Thanks for reading
Patricia xxx...x

Homemade Crusty Baguette

2011-01-20T18:22:00.001Z

I make bread. Sometimes I make ordinary bread in the shape of a baguette. It's nice, but it's not really a baguette, is it ?

I took the leap. Is it as difficult as they say it is ? Nah, not if you have a machine that does all the kneeding for you. I have my trusted old Kenwood.

For 2 baguettes of 350 gr. each
Preheat oven to 240°C (not a fan oven) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes
This bread should be eaten on the same day, preferably still warm with a knob of salted butter.

ingredients

15 gr fresh yeast (or equivalent in dried yeast)
40 ml tepid water
500 gr strong white flour
270 ml tepid water
10 gr salt

preparation

In a small bowl mix yeast with the 40 ml of tepid water and set aside for 20 minutes.
In the bowl of your food mixer, add the flour that you bring together with some of the water (the amount of water can be rectified at a later stage as it depends on how much or little moisture your flour contains)
Add the yeast mixture.
Knead well for a couple of minutes, adding more water when needed.
Add the salt and knead for another 10 minutes
The dough should be pliable, but not stick to the hands.

Leave to prove, in the bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel for about 45 minutes.

When the dough has doubled in size, put it on the flour-dusted worktop.
With the ball of your hand, gently press it out into a sheet of 1 to 2 cm thickness.

Lift one corner and roll the dough onto itself diagonally, to a sausage or baguette shape
Place seam side down on a baking tray that you lined with baking paper.

Cover with clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour (this depends, obviously, on the room temperature)
Make two cuts into the bread diagonally of approx 0,5 cm deep

Bake for 30 minutes

Fish and Chips, Tartare Sauce and Mushy Peas

2011-01-12T17:43:00.000Z

I sometimes forget that we once ran a Fish and Chips shop in Ireland (for about three months, ahum)
How did that come about ?
Well, there was this chippy in our village that only opened during the summer months as the owner was a teacher and lived in Dublin, so he would spend his holidays in Sneem, frying up bucket loads of fish.
We came to an agreement that we would keep it open during the winter on the weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). We were full of good intentions and I would make lovely fresh foods. He warned me, did John, that most people would not appreciate good food when they stumbled out of the pub after closing time. How right was he !
There would be a trickle of appreciative punters coming early on in the evenings, but between 11 pm and 1 am it was mahem.
Sorry to say this, good people of Sneem, but when you're drunk, you suck.
I'll leave it at that, because we are hoping to return one day ;-) and it was an experience that I don't regret.
Anyway, we soon figured out that it wasn't the most fulfilling job in the world. We washed the pots, drained the fryers, locked the door and returned the keys.

Recipes

Fish in Beer Batter

ingredients

4 x 175 gr fish filet (haddock, cod, halibut... from a sustainable source)
2 tbsp corn flour
225 gr self raising flour
1 tsp paprika powder
250 ml cold beer
100 ml cold water
2 liters vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil) It might seem like a waste of oil, but when cooled, I drain and store it for later use - just label it ie. 'fishy oil'

preparation

Prepare the batter by sieving the self raising flour and paprika into a bowl.
Pour in the water and beer.
Mix well and put in the fridge for half an hour.
Pour the oil in a deep cooking pot (or use deep-fat fryer) and heat to about 180° c (I have a special frying pot for the hob, that I keep for frying anything but chips) I check the heat of the oil by dropping in a small piece of bread, when it starts to colour golden brown, I know it is hot enough.
Dry the fish filets thoroughly with kitchen paper and cover with the corn flour. Shake of the excess.
Then dip the fish into the batter (that you have stirred a little after its rest in the fridge).
Carefully sink the fish into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. You may have to turn it halfway through the cooking time, so that it colours nicely on both sides.
Scoop out the fish with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Chips
We love a good quantity of chips, because we are greedy, so the amount of potatoes you use is entirely up to you.
I double fry them, we all do in Belgium. The first fry you can do well in advance, so you can let the chips cool down completely, gives better results (apparently), but it is not a necessity.
Use floury potatoes, they brown nicely and don't go limp like their waxy relative. Now, when I am in the mood for chips, any old potato will do.

ingredients

2 large potatoes per person
vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil - about 3 liters in my deep fat fryer)
sea salt

preparation

Heat the oil in the fryer to 120° c
Peel the potatoes and wash them in cold water.
Dry them well in a clean kitchen towel.
First cut them in 1 cm thick sliced and then cut them into chips - work lengthways for longer ones. I cut them in the towel and dry them very well
Put a good handfull of chips into the frying basket. Fry them for about 5 minutes. Don't overload or they will be soggy from the word go.
When they become more transluscent, lift them out and drain on kitchen paper in a tray. Spread them out to speed up the cooling process.
Do the rest of the potaoes the same way.
For the second frying, heat the oil to 195° c.
Cook the chips in somewhat larger batches than the frist time. They will only need a minute till they are golden.
Drain them again on kitchen paper and add salt straight away. Serve.

Mushy Peas
No, this isn't a recipe for a sluggish grey - green mush, neither is it going to turn out electric green. Just a fresh tasting, slightly sweet and minty dollop of peas.
This was originally made with dried peas, which are always a good pantry item to have as they are full of goodness.... but I used frozen - it is quicker.

ingredients

400 gr frozen garden peas
1 knob of butter
a good few mint leaves ( you can cheat and use a tsp of mint sauce, but hey ho, only if you don't have fresh mint at hand)
Salt and black pepper

preparation

On the hob, melt the butter in a pan.
Pour in the frozen peas
Leave to simmer on a low heat, with lid on until tender, stirring occasionally.
Take a spoonful of peas out and set aside.
Use a handheld blender to puree the peas, add seasoning and the chopped mint. Stirr in the whole peas.
They can be reheated just before serving.

Tartare Sauce
Lots of recipes around, and even I have many variations. This is the recipe of a very basic tartare sauce.

ingredients

2 large gherkins
1 small onion, peeled
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp mayonnaise

preparation

finely chop the gherkins and onions (or grate them - don't be a wuss) and chop the capers
mix into the mayonnaise together with the parsley.

How easy was that !

Lemon Posset

2011-01-07T17:18:00.001Z

I love desserts that require minimum effort, but give you maximum satisfaction, in the words of Gino D'Acampo .
Lemon Posset is one of these desserts, terrifyingly easy to make, with only 3 ingredients and you have to do it well in advance for it to set, so you can forget about it whilst having your dinner party and whip it out of the fridge the moment you want to serve.

At the end of November we had a get-together with the choir. Cheese and wine, bread and fruits to dip into. Some of the choir members took care of the desserts and I made Lemon Posset - 40 of them.
They were a hit, as I expected.

I use Nigel Slater's recipe as a guidance, but add lemon zest to the cream, and strain it out afterwards.

5oo ml double cream
150g caster sugar
75ml lemon juice

Put the cream and caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat and leave to bubble for about 3 minutes, stirring from time to time. Reduce the heat so that the mixture doesn't boil over, and let it bubble enthusiastically for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly.

Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave to settle. Pour into four small wine glasses or cups and leave to cool. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving

Nederlands
Lemon Posset voor 4 glaasjes

Ingrediënten

                    500 ml volle room (35 à 40%
                    150 gr witte suiker (gries of kristal)
                     75 ml citroensap en 1 schijfje schil van onbespoten citroen

Werkwijze

          Op het vuur breng room met suiker aan de kook
          Regelmatig roeren zodat de suiker oplost
          Vuur lager zetten en 3 minuten zachtjes laten pruttelen
          dan 3 minuten enthusiast laten bubbelen(voorzichtig voor overkoken)
          Van het vuur nemen en citroensap door roeren
          Laat de grootste hitte afkoelen, neem het schijfje schil eruit en schenk           het mengsel in glaasjes
          Laat verder afkoelen en zet in koelkast tot gebruik
          Zeker een dag op voorhand maken dat het voldoende kan opstijven

Season's Greetings

2010-12-24T19:17:00.002Z

ChristmasTraditions and Rituals

2010-12-15T10:17:00.004Z

As I am not religious, I have always thought I didn't have Christmas Rituals and I don't, not for the 25th December persé, but somewhere around that time I do celebrate Winter Solstice and I must admit that I have very pinickity rituals for the decorations.

Every year around September I say that I won't put up any decorations, much to Bert's delight, little does he know what goes on in my head (probably he does, but doesn't want to jinx or provoke))

By the time November arrives, I have changed my mind umpteen times.

The weekend after December 6th, Bert and I will go out to buy a christmas tree, me prodding him on.

He will say "Let's get a fake one, eh" I will ignore or pretend I didn't hear that. or if I am in awful mood (it happens) I will give him a mouthful of mild abuse.

He knows what is coming. I am very, very peculiar in choosing a tree : as large as we can fit into the sitting room, a perfect shape, beautiful branches, no spruce, but a noble fir or something like that. It means I have handled almost every tree that is for sale and if I cannot find it in one place, we'll be off to the next. Meanwhile I'll ask Bert to hold the tree upright, turning it, so I can see from a little distance if it will do.

The man who sells the trees is already scratching his head and tuttuting loudly.

I complain that the tall trees don't have roots on them.

When I have finaly found one, it is loaded onto the roof rack of the car and off we go.

We get home, we haul the tree inside, try to fit it into place, propping it up, tying it to whatever. Is it facing the right way ? etc, etc. By that time dear Bert is really fed up with all that pallaver and he lets me unpack all the christmas decorations. Ooooh, I have about 20 sets of fairy lights, all tangled up, only 2 working. I only like white lights,the non blinking ones. The last task I can make Bert do is untangle the fairy lights and then I'm on my own. I lovingly decorate the tree, the first christmas CD of the year playing, a glass of port, or two. I am so shattered at the end of it. I'll tidy up tomorrow.Gradually I will add more greenery and foliage to the house and then it's christmas.Lovely

We've always had people around for the festive season : friends, relatives, volunteers (wwoofers). A full house means a lot of cooking and do I love anything better than feeding people ?

This year it will be different.

After 22 years with Bert I have finally succumbed to an artificial christmas tree and isn't it a beauty !?

I won't be cooking for hours (days) on end to get the perfect meal, in stead we have been invited to friends for christmas dinner.

~~I will put up my feet and have the most relaxed festive season, EVER !~~

Ding Dong

Well, coming back to edit this post and scrap the last line.

Looks like I will be cooking afterall, for 8 people (of which 3 vegetarians) on the 26th. Better start planning the menu, methinks. 1o days to go !

The Ding Dong still stands.

Greyhounds as Pets?

2010-12-04T15:53:00.001Z

Greyhounds as Pets?

Follow the link above to read the article I wrote for AHAR Ireland.

A Little Sunshine in the Dark Days of Autumn - Chilli Con Carne

2010-11-18T19:27:00.001Z

Warm, glowing, deep red, spicy..... Comfort food to a tee.

How is it that certain foods which have their origines in warmer climes can give us so much pleasure on a cold autumnal day. I do think it goes further than reminscing about sunny summer days. Like a bowl of soup or a great stew, it can give you a lovely hug and warm the cockles of your heart.

Anyway, there are as many recipes for chilli con carne as there are for ragu bolognese and here is mine.

I prepare it one day ahead, easy to reheat and the flavour gets better.

Ingredients

1,5 kg of stewing beef ( I like to use big chunks of meat on the bone, shin is best as it contains the bone marrow, but you can use boneless of course)

3 onions
3 or more cloves of garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne or chilli powder
1 tsp fennel seeds, pounded
1 cinnamon stick
3 bell peppers (mixed colours)
1 large Habanero pepper (if you want more heat, use more. I have to take into account a person that goes all red in the face with the slightest bit of piquancy)
3 tbsp tomato puree (concentrated variety)
1 liter of good quality beef stock
Sunflower oil
Kidney beans 2 tins of 400 gr each approx. (I used dried ones, soaked overnight in cold water and cooked for about 1,5 hour - 300 gr dried beans)

Sweetcorn 1 tin ( optional, it doesn't really add to the flavour, but gives extra texture and colour)
Dark chocolate 50 gr
Seasoning : salt and a pich of sugar to taste.
Chopped fresh coriander

Preparation

In your Dutch Oven (or any cast iron contraption with lid that works on the hob as well as in the oven) heat the sunflower oil and brown the meat.
Take the meat out and set aside.
Sautee the peeled and roughly chopped onions, garlic and finely chopped habanero in some oil.
Add the meat, all the spices and tomato paste.
Cook out the tomato paste for a couple of minutes.
Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer.
Put the lid on and put it in a preheated oven 200 °C
After 1 hour turn the heat back to 170°C and cook for an extra hour.
Take it from the oven and carefully take off the lid (HOT, HOT, HOT)
You can check on the tenderness of the meat and if it falls apart into shreds you are on the right track.
At this point you can add the roughly chopped peppers and the beans.
Put back into the oven for about 30 minutes.
When ready, take it from the oven, remove the bones that might still be in there, add the sweetcorn and season to taste.
Put the chocolate on top and let it melt into the chilli. Stirr.
Add a good measure of chopped coriander on top.

I served it with roasted butternut squash, sour cream and grated gouda (but I like mature cheddar better)

Rosie's Christmas Cake

2010-11-15T10:29:00.003Z

This recipe was forwarded to me by my friend, Rosie Crouch, who is actually living in my old house in Ireland (no, she bought the house fair and square). If she attempts to make this cake, she is definitely stepping in my footsteps and keeping up the good work ;-)

To be honest, I thought to tide you over with this posting, while I get my act together and write my recipe for the chilli con carne I made last week. Time is a bit short as I am also redecorating our bedroom in between my long coffee breaks.

I will be back very soon, with more recipes and musings.

Ingredients:

* 2 cups flour

* 1 stick butter

* 1 cup of water

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1 cup of sugar

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 cup of brown sugar

* Lemon juice

* 4 large eggs

* Nuts

* 2 bottl es wine

* 2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the wine to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the wine again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar.. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the wine is still OK. Try another cup... Just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner.. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the wine to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the wine. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the wine and wipe counter with the cat.

Go to Tesco and buy cake.

Bingle Jells

Spiced Cauliflower Flan with Apricot Cardamom Sauce

2010-11-05T17:50:00.000Z

This isn't my recipe. I once spotted it in one of the many Country Living Magazines I have lying about. Forgot about it for a long time and I don't know how this happens to pop back into one's head again all of a sudden, but the fact is I couldnt find the magazine with said recipe anywhere , obviously.
So I tried good old Google and what-do-you-know, there it is.
http://www.lovebonnemaman.co.uk/recipes-cauliflower.aspx

I have made this a couple of times now with my homemade shortcrust pastry. Oh, it is so good ! A very novel way of using cauliflower, this and makes a nice change from a vegetarian quiche with a great combo of flavours.

I am super-duper envious of the oblong pie dish used for the flan in the Bonne Maman recipe, I had to make-do with a round one.

The recipe says to serve it warm, but I found it also very palatable, served cold - it could even go into the lunchbox for work or it could take you out for a picnic ;oD

Receptje in het nederlands
Gekruide Bloemkoolflan met Sausje van Abrikozen en Cardamom

ingrediënten flan

+/- 375 gr kruimeldeeg
1 grote bloemkool
145 ml volle room
3 medium eieren
1 theelepel gemalen komijn
1 theelepel gemalen koriander
zout en peper

bereiding

Oven voorverwarmen op 220 °C
Een taartvorm bekleden met het deeg en in koelkast zetten
Kook de bloemkoolroosjes 'al dente' in kokend gezouten water
Laat de bloemkool grondig uitlekken en zet ze nog even op het vuur tot al het water verdampt is.
Zachtjes prakken met een aardappelstamper, maar niet te fijn. Laten afkoelen tot kamertemperatuur.
Eieren klutsen met de room, komijn- en korianderpoeder.
Roer doorheen de bloemkool.
Giet in de voorbereide taartvorm en bak in de hete oven gedurende 10 minuten, vervolgens temperatuur terugdraaien naar 180° C en bak nog een 20-tal minuten verder.

ingrediënten sausje

3 flinke eetlepels abrikozen compote
5 cardamoms
2 sjalotten
25 gr boter
125 ml water
Sap van 1/2 limoen

bereiding

Haal de zaadjes uit de cardamoms en stamp fijn in de vijzel
Hak de sjalotjes fijn en stoof gaar in een pannetje met de gesmolten boter.
Roer er de compote doorheen, samen met het water en de cardamom.
Breng aan de kook en laat sudderen gedurende 5 à 6 minuten.
Limoensap toevoegen en pureren met de soepmixer.

De flan warm opdienen met een lepel (of twee) saus, maar dit is ook lekker koud voor bv de lunchbox.

Head Count Pets Autumn 2010

2010-11-03T16:19:00.003Z

Yup, it's that time of year again, that we do a stocktaking of the cats, dogs and chickens. It might look like a silly thing to do, but the cats have been 'roaming' the countryside during the summer and are slowly but surely settling back into whatever cosy and safe spot in the house they can curl up in.
In all honesty, I don't stocktake in autumn. I just would like to share with you the pictures of the animals that are living with us at this particular time.
It is a fact that in summer when one of the cats doesn't pop in every couple of days, I start panicking and worrying until they stroll out of the woodland as if to say " yeah, well, I have been rabbiting, haven't I, and after the delightful meal, I snoozed some in the cornfield over there. Just calm down there, lady."

1. Sam Greyhound, born 2005 in Ireland. Came to live with us 30th August, 2008 after spending half a year with Suzanne, Kilcummin - Ireland, who rescued him from a harsh life, being mistreated and starving.

Only 2 weeks ago he lost his cast on his right hind leg after he fractured his toe in 3 places. How do they do it, I often wonder ? He is almost back to his former self now, except for the huge tick that is always hanging of his neck..........

2. ......... a tick, called Millie Spanish Galga, born 1st February, 2010 in Cadiz - Spain; rescued with her mum by a local animal shelter and came to us via Greyhounds Rescue Belgium at the end of March.

Boisterous from the start and hasn't let up since. We are all excausted, except Millie. She chases the cats, the birds, Sam, us (especially me). We have removed all the scatter cushions and lovely throws from the living room after she spread them out all over the garden. I could go on, but it would sound to much like complaining .....
She is getting a bit more attached to us and wants cuddles, sometimes without chewing off our ear or nose. There is hope still.

3. Squirrel, our princess cat, born in Ireland in 1997, has been with us since 1998 (female)

4. Juniper, a foundling, born in Ireland, Cork in 1998 (female)

5. Xena, born in Ireland, Sneem in 2000, after her mother, Soda (who disappeared when we lived in France) adopted us. (female)

6. Gabrielle, Xena's sister. (female, obviously)

7. Roisin, foundling, born in France 2006 (female)

8. Fergus, a present from our French neighbour, Gisèle. Born in France 2007 (male)

I would like to stress that I am not some kind of cat snatcher. The cats that were foundlings, were, as a matter of fact, in need of a loving home.
No, really !

9, 10, 11, 12. Morgaine le Fay (black), Igraine (grey), Morgause (ginger) and Guinevere (white)
Now, Bert warned me not to post a picture of Igraine on the internet, or we could get a knock at the door from animal welfare. I just would like to point out that she is in fact molting at the moment and that is perfectly normal.

13. Hoggie, the hedgehog.

He isn't really a pet, but is allowed inside every night for about 2 minutes, when he gets a ride in Sam's mouth and then promptly gets dropped on the floor in the sitting room. We then grab a towel and put him outside again, somewhere safe, till the next day........

Stuffed Roast Tenderloin of Pork, Mashed Potatoes and Fondant Celeriac

2010-10-28T16:06:00.000Z

Nothing added, just the recipe. I prepared it for 2 and had leftover pork, nice cold for lunch.

Stuffed Roast Tenderloin of Pork

ingredients

Piece of pork tenderloin +/- 500 gr
Minced pork 150 gr
Minced beef 150 gr
1 small onion grated
1 small apple peeled, cored, grated
Sage leaves 2 or 3 (depending on size) chopped finely, except one.
1 egg or a gluck of olive oil
Handful of breadcrumbs
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
Some slices of streaky smoked bacon

preparation

Mix the minced meat, onion, apple, chopped sage, seasoning, breadcrumbs and egg or olive oil together.
'Butterfly' the pork and stuff with the mince.
Roll as tight as possible and stick your whole sage leaf on top.

Wrap the streaky bacon around it and if you're smarter than I am, you will tie it up with some kitchen twine (cotton string). My roast kind of fell apart, but it didn't take away from the flavour.
I made this on top of the cooker, so take pan , pour in a little olive oil and add a knob of butter.
Sear the meat on all sides and turn the heat lower, add a drop or two of water and put the lid on. Leave to simmer for about 45 minutes. Check regularly, it shouldn't run dry. If it does, add a bit more water.
Take from the heat and let it rest, covered under some tin foil.
The meat juices can be used for gravy.

This roast could also be made in the oven, of course

Fondant Celeriac

One whole celeriac might be just too much for this recipe, but you can cover with clingfilm and keep in the fridge for some time. There are plenty of wonderful dishes to be made with celeriac on another day.

ingredients

1/4 celeriac, peeled
Dash of olive oil
Knob of butter
25 cl vegetable stock
Sprig of thyme
Seasoning : salt and black pepper to taste

preparation

Cut the celeriac in 2 cm thick slices, you can also cut them into 5 cm diam. discs with a cookie cutter, if you wish.
In a pan or pot heat up the olive oil and the knob of butter.
Spread the celeriac out on the bottom of the pan and slightly brown on both sides.
Add the thyme and vegetable stock. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until cooked al dente.
Any leftover liquid can be added to the juices of the meat for your lovely gravy.
If your stock had already salt in it, you maybe don't need to add any more.

Now, if you need a recipe for mashed potatoes, you can ask me nicely and I might put it up for you. I added olive oil to mine, chopped parsley and grated nutmeg.

Just cut thick slices of the meat and arrange 1 or 2 on the plate. If you really want to be fancy you can use a mould for the mashed potatoes and put a disc of celeriac on top, but it is not a necessity. Drape your gravy onto the plate and sprinkle with chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.

Forgive me the quality of pictures, but sometimes, just sometimes I like to eat my food while it's still hot and then I have no patience for taking artistic shots.

Recipe in Dutch will be added soon.
Recept in het nederlands volgt later.

Butternut Squash & Sage Lasagne

2010-10-21T08:03:00.002Z

When I take to the road in the car, all of twice a week, I have noticed since moving back to Belgium, that from August onwards every blummin' house has pumpkins lying near the front door as decoration. It makes me want to scream !!! It was never a tradition before I left, 15 years ago. Most people didn't even know what a pumpkin looked like and only just a few might have made soup out of them once in a blue moon. What has happened ?
I agree that pumpkins can make a great display, but it's not special and it just looks daft and tacky when everyone is doing it. Never seen anywhere with a bunch of leeks in a decorative fashion beside a front door.
They are first and foremost food, people ! And not just for soups. Don't just waste them on a decorative display that you have to throw in the bin in a month's time. Yes, in a month's time, because they have been harvested too early and therefore won't keep that long.

I'm feeling better already for getting that of my chest. Pffft.

Let's tuck into the butternut squash, just harvested. Only had 8 sheets of lasagna left in the box, so why not use them for this recipe.

ingredients this one I prepared for Bert and myself and there were no leftovers - for once.

1 butternut squash,
3 onions
a couple of garlic cloves
1 chilli
a bunch of fresh sage leaves
pumpkin seeds, toasted
olive oil
course sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
parmesan cheese - freshly grated
8 sheets of lasagna

preparation

Preheat oven to 250°c
Cut the butternut squash in half, length ways, scoop out and disgard the seeds. Cut roughly in chuncks of a similar size. No need for taking the peel off as it will go tender.
Spread out on a baking tray.
Peel and chop the onions, in same size chunks. Add them to the squash.
Throw in some cloves of garlic, unpeeled, they will steam in their peel and you can squeeze them out over the vegetables when they are ready to be served.
Finely chop chilli, a few of the sage leaves and sprinkle over the squash and onion.
Just drizzle with olive oil and throw over some sea salt.

Put it in the hot oven for around 20 to 30 minutes. You need to spread the vegetables out and see to it that they are not on top of each other, or they will steam instead of roast.
They will be ready when you can easily stick a sharp knife through the squash. You don't want them too soft, they shouldn't fall apart. They should also have a light brown colour on at least one or two sides.
In the meantime bring some salted water to the boil and cook the pasta al dente.

In a small pan, heat some olive oil and fry the other sage leaves. Scoop out and drain on kitchen paper. The crisping of the sage goes very quickly, so no distractions, please.

When the oil has cooled of a little it can be poured in with the drained lasagna sheets, it'll give extra flavour and a nice shine.

Put a lasagne sheet on a plate, then a serving spoon of roasted squash, a sprinkle of parmesan. Repeat until you have used up your ingredients. End with some squash, black pepper, parmesan, toasted pumpkin seeds and not forgetting the fried sage.

Link naar recept in het nederlands

Lasagne met Geroosterde Muskaatpompoen

Vegetable Count Autumn 2010

2010-10-19T08:07:00.001Z

We have a serious problem concerning the garden. Never do we stay long enough in one place to really enjoy the fruits of our labour. Now don't take this too literally, because we do have nice crops of whatever we grow.
A garden, even the kitchen garden is an ever evolving process and best results are really noticable when you give it at least a few years of your undivided attention.
Last spring we had a rainwater tank of 5000 liters installed, underground. Yes, we brought a digger in and moved some earth around. This rainwater harvesting will hopefully see to next year's watering of the vegetables in and around the greenhouse. We will benefit from it for a good while in early summer, unless we have a scorcher of a summer, like the one past.
Yup, we have a greenhouse ! Not just any old greenhouse !
Ta Da ......

Yes, I know, I know, it looks like we will be starting our own little Eden Project .
Last February, I started nagging Bert for a 'smallish' greenhouse, just for the benefit of not having all my seedlings in the kitchen, while cats trample over them or just take a snooze on top of my trays with freshly sown seeds.
Bert not being happy with 'any old greenhouse' he trailed the internet to find him one in the shape of a dome. Now, before Bert makes up his mind, several months pass us by and when he finaly opted for a supplier somewhere near end of May - by that time, I've had a few months worth of seedlings in the kitchen.....once again.
He ordered his dome shaped greenhouse from the UK, here at Geo-Dome .
As Paul from Geo-Dome makes them to order, we were well into 'high'summer, before Bert and a friend of our's, Marc, collected it with a van. It comes in kit, but it was remarkably easy to put together and took Bert about two days, all in all.
It isn't 'ready' for full use yet as we want to make raised beds, so fingers crossed that by next sowing season I will be able to do it in the geo-dome.
I admit, I didn't have too many seedlings, as I used up all my old seeds that I had acquired whilst living in France and I bought maybe a few new packets of lettuce seeds. Some worked, some didn't, but that was fine as I didn't have anywhere yet to plant them out. Bert made some lovely raised beds with old wooden pallets, which we filled with the soil that had been dug for the rainwater tank and compost.

Earlier in the year I had dug some 'flower beds' and I used every little space I could find to plant some veggies.

Over the summer we've had some yellow patissons (only had one white that suddenly appeared late September), a couple of tomatoes, rainbow chard and lots of salad leaves.

Now that autumn is here we've collected our four mini pumpkins and lovely buternut squashes.

Also a few mini aubergines, they weren't meant to be minis, but they didn't get the best start in life as I rescued a plant that looked so miserable in the Aldi-supermarket, for which still I paid the full asking price of € 2.49

My chillies are still green, because I didn't sow them until late in the season.

Next year.........it'll be a succes !
We are lucky, though, that my cousin - I call her Auntie Mia, don't ask - who lives nearby, gives us loads of vegetables that her husband grows so succesfully in their garden. Hopefully, by next summer I will be able to repay them in kind, you know, some sort of veggie swap.

Carrot Cake

2010-10-16T09:53:00.004Z

The first time I had carrot cake, must have been in 1995 in Killarney, Ireland. Hermans Continental Coffee Shop, a tiny place with about 4 tables and a counter full of baked goodies, located in the Innisfallen Shopping Center.

Even though the baker, himself, was German, the women serving in the café were full Oirish colleens and it was a quirky kinda place, that we visited every trip to Killarney, after that first time.

I cannot remember, however, if I consciencely chose carrot cake or if I just pointed at what looked interesting at the time.

A good slice of moist, dense texture, with the right amount of cinnamon, pecan nuts and the most beautiful orange specks of grated carrot. It was nothing like the cakes I knew from my neck of the woods, that are usually dry, overly sweet and to my mind, uninspiring.

The cake was in two layers, filled with cream cheese frosting, flavoured with lemon zest. The frosting was also spread, in a rustic kind of way, over the top and sides.

While living in Ireland, there was no need for me to bake Carrot Cake, ever, because the numerous tea & coffee shops did all the work for me and what I liked most about these places, was that cakes and scones would be homemade and they all looked so rustically gorgeous.

Now, I am dreaming away to The Riverside Café in Sneem. A lovely mug of strong tea, sugar bowls on the tables, also large jugs of the best milk with a help-yourself-attitude.

Okay, back to the here and now.

Don't know what happened, but about a month or two ago I suddenly thought about Carrot Cake and I was going to make one

I didn't have to look long on t'internet to come to my favorite website for baking. The trusted The Joy of Baking website. I have used it before for other baked treats and it is very, very good.

So here is the recipe for Carrot Cake , but as per usual I didn't follow it to the letter, I added grated apples that came from our small tree in the garden. No, just no ! No pineapple !

For the lovely people in the choir I will translate it 'roughly' into dutch.

Worteltjes Cake Nederlands recept

Chestnut soup and recipes for disaster

2010-10-10T09:17:00.016Z

Next week will be the first aniversary of my participation in the choir Cantate from Aarschot.

http://www.cantate-aarschot.be/

It took me a while to get back into singing after a break of about 6 years, but I enjoy it tremendously. Meeting people and singing together is fun !

One of the issues I have, is that because I spend a lot of my days on my own, with Bert only joining me after his work day and as we all know, he ain't no great conversasionalist, I tend to go beserk when I go to the choir practice and I talk, talk, talk to anyone catching my eye.

Not only do I talk incessantly, but I also show signs of hyper-activity. I start flapping, laughing, joking, acting clumsily, just being an embarrassment, really.

So yesterday evening, the choir had a concert, titled No Depression In Heaven and we performed songs from The Great Depression in the US during the 1920's - 1930's, together with Norbert Detaeye, who is a fantastic jazz-pianist. After the concert the choir had organised a drink and a Bowl of Soup, for which I prepared a Smooth Chestnut Soup.

As I like helping out where I can, I joined a chore group in the morning to prep everything for the reception.

It all looked very pretty, with Lena's gorgeous little flower arrangements and all. Glasses were set out on tables to serve from, beers in the fridge, soups (also included here were Jos's Pumpkin Soup & Tineke's Tomato Soup) in the fridge. We had sweeped the floors, laid nice tablecloths etc. . Perfect !

When we were about to leave, I just kept on rabbitting and not looking where I walked, I ran into the table with the glasses on !!!

The Sound of Breaking Glass ! The feeling that goes through your entire body, filled with dread, humiliation, not knowing if you want to cry or start laughing hysterically.

Lucky for me, my singing companions haven't lost patience with me, ....yet, so they started cleaning up all the mess and in the end only four glasses got broken, even though it looked like the whole shebang got blown to smithereens.

Okay, I can live with one public embarrassement a day, but not two !

This is what happened when the concert had finished. People were already leaving for the reception, still plenty around to notice what I did next.

The venue being a 'modern' church from the 60's/70's, I walked down the steps from the altar and tripped ! No I didn't fall with my knickers on show ! I gripped one of the gold-sprayed aluminium banister uprights of the pulpit instead. Only, it came loose at the bottom end.

Can't really remember what happened after that, it's a bit of a blurr, only know that some sympathetic choir members helped me to regain my balance and tried to slam the upright back into place.

How do you brush yourself off and walk away with your dignity intact, after such a stint ? Should I lock myself up and let someone else throw away the key ?

No, I think I should just take a deep breath before I go and mix with people, take a step back and relax instead of being like an uncoiled spring once I leave my own four walls.

I can but try.

Chestnut soup

I will say this again. This recipe is only a general guidline and if you want to add a bit more of this and less of that, it will still make a fantastic soup.

Ingredients

A splash of olive oil, you can use butter if you like

2 or 3 onions, peeled and chopped

1 or more cloves of garlic, peeled, roughly chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1/4 celeriac, chopped

fresh sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

3 liters of vegetable stock ( I admit using stock cubes - organic from Kallo)

About 250 grams of roasted and peeled chestnuts

Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a pan, sautee the onion & garlic.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, carrots, celeriac and chestnuts.

Sautee for 5 more minutes, before adding the stock.
Let it come to the boil and let it simmer till the vegetables are soft.

Take of the heat and fish out the woody thyme stalks and bay leaf.

Blend with your handheld blender until the soup is smooth and velvety.

Season with salt & freshly ground black pepper.

I did make an extra topping for the soup based on Delia Smith's recipe for bacon and thyme croutons.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/soups/chestnut-soup-with-bacon-and-thyme-croutons.html

I fried in olive oil some smoked lardons, onion, croutons, loads of fresh thyme, some extra chesnuts (roasted, peeled and chopped), when cooled I added oodles of freshly chopped flatleaf parsley.

Add as little as a tablespoon on top of your plate or bowl of soup. Autumn (or fall) on a plate.

Note : You can also add a splash of sherry, port, brandy or whatever tickles your fancy, to the soup. It gives it another dimension.

As a gesture of gratitude to the choir members for putting up with me this last year I'll be baking a 'carrot cake' for the next choir practice. They won't know what hit them. First chestnut soup, then carrot cake, whatever next !

Nederlandse versie van dit recept

Lemon Curd Recipe For Josée

2009-04-16T14:00:00.005Z

Ingredients

Grated zest and juice of 6 lemons

400 g white sugar

150 g softened butter

5 eggs, beaten

Method

Heat the lemon zest, juice and sugar gently in a sauce pan. Stir until sugar has dissolved.

Add the butter, while stirring until melted.

Au bain Marie, add the eggs to the lemon mixture, stirring all the time, gently, for about 30 minutes, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Do not boil as the mixture will curdle.

Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal. After cooling keep refigerated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nederlands

Ingredienten

Geraspte schil & sap van 6 citroenen

400 g kristalsuiker

150 g zachte boter

5 eieren, geklopt

Methode

Verhit op een zacht vuurtje het citroensap en schil met de suiker, roer tot de suiker is opgelost.

Voeg de boter erbij en roer tot deze is gesmolten.

Au bain Marie, de eieren bij het citroenmengsel voegen, en zachtjes blijven roeren (ongeveer 30 minuten) tot het mengsel glad is en aan de houten lepel blijft hangen.

Niet laten koken anders gaat de curd schiften.

Giet de curd in gesteriliseerde glazen bokalen. Sluit af en laat afkoelen.

Bewaren in de koelkast.

Our new home !

2009-04-15T06:39:00.008Z

Especially for Phyl & Dawn, a few photos of our new abode.

Easter Brunch

2009-04-13T15:13:00.010Z

Beautiful table decorated by my mother.

I prepared the Eggs Benedict (with smoked salmon) on homemade muffins.

Made an assortment of buns. Here, brioche-style easter bunnies, some with sultanas, some with chocolate chips. Served them with homemade jams.

After a walk, we were ready to attack the Pavlova.

Easter fun at mother's home.

2009-04-12T16:43:00.013Z

We've spend Easter Sunday at my mother's home.

My little nephew, Mathias had his first taste of gathering easter eggs. He never knew what he was supposed to do, and at first he picked them up and went in the direction of the chicken coop, as if he was going to bring them back to the chickens.

He also went straight for the little ones that were wrapped in bright coloured foil and left the chococate ones behind, or for Tara, my mum's dog.

Days like these makes me feel really happy to be surrounded by my family again.

Here are some pictures of the happenings

Here my brother, Rijkaard, showing his son how it should be done.

Pick up the eggs, put them in the basket.....

However, Mathias has other ideas and he tips the eggs out of the basket.....

Mummy, Joelle, to the rescue and they put all the eggs in the basket again.

Ooops, Tara has found an easter egg also.

What a year it has been !

2009-02-20T21:12:00.011Z

Not exactly my favourite one !

It has been a long time since I last updated this blog and for that I want to apologize.

As from my previous post you can see that we moved from France back to Belgium. I have had the greatest difficulties to adapt to life here again.

First of all, our lovable dog, Kerel, died rather suddenly on the 7th July, kidney faillure. Why, we don't know, as he got the finest dog food we could afford. It was devastating for us, and fellow pet owners will know what the feeling is like.
All of our six cats adapted very well to life in Belgium, so no problems there.

Another thing is, that I didn't fall in love with the house, nor the area. In fact, I started to hate the house so much it left me feeling numb and depressed. I hardly cooked a few meals, all other times we had take-away chippy, pizza, kebabs. It all resulted in me having put on more weight, and it has also given me a health scare (blood pressure very high, to the extend that my heart muscle is already enlarged). That's me on medication and a low salt diet and leaving out saturated fats (damn, and I so love salted butter).
I disliked the place so much that we started house hunting almost immediately after we moved in. After viewing many, many properties -sometimes losing the will to live- we found a great place (for Belgium) and we moved in on 17 th, January. .... to be continued.
I do enjoy seeing my family and relatives on a regular basis, though, and it was lovely to spend Christmas with them again.

On the move.....again !

2008-04-13T14:26:00.012Z

Yes, we didn't expect this to happen so soon. After all it's only four and a half years since we first arrived here in France.

But things happen and we decided to move back to Belgium after more than 12 years. At some stage Bert will need surgery as the cartilage has all but disappeared from between his neck vertebra es. His mother passed away, just before Christmas, which also made us re-think our future. I have started to miss my family, relatives and old friends too much and I would definitely like to see more of my new nephew, Mathias.

We therefore made the decision just before the New Year to move back home. We bought a little house in a village, called Geetbets. It is about 20 minutes by car to my mother's place, apparently just the right distance.

Since deciding, we have already packed half of our belongings and dumped them on my mum, well not literally, she has a hangar/garage where we were able to store things. Our house here in France is on the market, but we will arrive in Belgium with the rest of our stuff on May, 4th.

So here are a few photos of the new place for you to sample, while I get on with the packing.

And then there was Mathias...

2007-10-26T13:58:00.001Z

My very first nephew, my mother's first grandchild, my brother's first born.

He was born on the 20 th September 2007, weighing 3.820 kg and measuring all of 50cm.

I would like to congratulate my brother, Rijkaard and his partner, Joëlle.

They have a very beautiful, gorgeous, scrumptious baby boy. Needless to say that I have already fallen in love with him, and I haven't even seen him in real life yet, because of distance.

Update on the Summer kitchen

2007-10-26T07:52:00.001Z

Look at this. These pictures have been sitting in the 'Draft - section' of my Blog since the 30th May. It is about time I put them out there for everyone to see the work that has been going on during the summer.

Here, Sarah and Friedel, unloading rocks to go under the concrete floor.

Ezra and Andrew mixing concrete

Andrew, smoothing out the surface

Catpaw prints, as always. Now, it wouldn't feel like home if we didn't have catpaw prints in every bit of concrete we pour.

Friedel and Andrew, leveling for the barbecue to sit.

What a life !

2007-07-10T18:54:00.001Z

Here, it isn't possible to walk through the garden without a cat trying to block your way by throwing themselves in front of you. Like Gabrielle, on the photo below, throwing me off balance.

Here, it isn't possible to repot plants without a cat confiscating your pot before you had a chance to put a plant in it. Like Finian (below). Here it is also dangerous to prepare plant holes in the garden, before you know it one or other cat has used it as a toilet. It is extremely efficient in the cat's mind that you make a hole for their benefit.

When you think you've seen it all, forget it, look up and you will notice Juniper on top of the skylight, wanting to get in that way.

However annoying they might be from time to time, I can't help but loving them to bits.

Summer Scenes

2007-07-09T06:55:00.001Z

Summer scenes ?

The weather has been apalling, even here, in the south of France, but we have to try and make the best of it. At least the grass hasn't turned yellow yet and we don't have to water the veggie garden too often.

I haven't been updating my blog lately, due to a lot of work in the garden, housework and taking care of holiday guests which often includes serving evening meals.

I did take a few summery(ish) pictures however and here they are.

What better to put in a birdcage but plants ? Here Nasturtium.

Accross the road a beautiful summer meadow.

The grass has been growing and growing, we couldn't even get through to the cherry trees.

That was until almost 2 weeks ago a neighbouring farmer, finally came to cut the hay - 2 to 3 weeks later than normal.

Monsieur Brousset and his son do this every year and they can have the hay to feed their cattle during the winter.

So when the weather finally cleared for a couple of days, there was a hive of activity in the area and you could hear the buzzing of tractors from dawn till dusk.

That is that for another year and I for one am happy that the hay has been harvested, so that I can stroll through the garden once again without being afraid of encountering a snake (eek!)

Strawberries, Strawberries ! Fresh Organic Strawberries !

2007-05-29T09:52:00.001Z

Still not tempted ? Then scroll down and look at the amount of fresh yummyness I picked today.

We started off last year with 10 strawberry plants that my mother brought with her from Belgium. Now the whole raised bed is covered and more. I must admit that they are getting a bit crowded and in late summer I need to find another place for them in the garden that will give them more space so that the fruits can enjoy the full sun and develop even more flavour.

I think I know what we will be having for dessert tonight.

Strawberries and cream.... or , I still have some gulab jamun (Indian dessert) and we could eat them with that.... or, vanilla icecream and strawberries.....or, ..........

Blackboard

2007-05-27T09:58:00.002Z

Unfortunately, I might not be able to add recipes to my blog for the next couple of months as my schedule will be rather busy, with the garden, the holiday cottage and the guests. I do not know if many of them will have evening meals, but we've had a few so far. Here's a taster.

sushi

miso soup

Sarah & Ezra plating up

I will however, keep you up to date with projects, garden progress and miscellaneous drivel, not forgetting lots of pictures.