"What I Cooked Today" Day 36

There was no spectacular cooking going on today at our house. We were both home late so we used last week's left-overs to prepare another pasta dish with leek, mascarpone and grated pecorino. Except this time we added spring onion and basil to the mix, which were also left-overs.

Twentysomething Blues

Jochem and I made a pact in order to stop me from turning into one of those annoyingly troubled twentysomethings. I suspect, or perhaps rather hope, that I am at present still in the pleasantly neurotic category of twentysomethings, but my never-ending musings have even started to irritate me. I've written countless times about the many dilemmas twentysomethings in my day and age are facing and about how I am not handling it all too well. To quote contemporary pop culture, Sarah Jessica Parker said as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City: "So many roads, so many detours. So many choices, so many mistakes." This perfectly sums up how I've felt for quite some time now. Of course a lot of the pressure is off now that Jochem and I aren't getting married, but as graduation comes closer I become more and more aware of the fact that am still jobless come July. Since I work in education I guess that I don't have to start freaking out till the end of August, but doom day is looming. But what really worries me is the big, black, gaping hole after our world trip. When we return, we'll be living in my parents' attic with all of our options open as to where to go next. While this may seem like a liberating thought to some (as I suspected it would to me) it is starting to slowly but surely fill me up with dread and anxiety. What am I supposed to do with my life?! Where should I live?! When will I ever get married?! Will I ever be able to drive a car or buy a house?! When will I be able to take care of our pug puppy?! Yesterday I talked these things over with BFF Anna for the millionth time over coffee at Starbucks and got tired just hearing myself talk about it. So when I came home I made a drastic decision: to not talk about THE FUTURE for a full month. June is to be my worry-free month. Of course this doesn't stop the worries from swirling into my brain and nesting there until they start to fester and grow tentacles, but at least I won't bother anyone else with them. At least after you've read this blog.

"What I Cooked Today" Day 35

Today Jochem and I cooked something really different: sher ping pancakes. Jamie Oliver found these pancakes in Chinatown in New York City. I must admit that Chinese food has never really been my 'thing,' although I'm kind of embarrassed to admit to disliking one entire country's cuisine. I used to think that it might have been due to the bad quality of Dutch Chinese restaurants, but after having visited a couple of (supposedly) really good Chinese restaurants in Chinatowns in the US, I'm afraid I'm still not convinced. I was therefore a bit suspicious of this dish, although it sure sounded good in theory. These pancakes are filled with minced meat, vegetables and fresh herbs, baked and then served with soy sauce, chili sauce and limes. Jochem made the dough from scratch. Definitely worth the trouble and a good step towards reconnecting with the Chinese kitchen!

Source: Jamie's America by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 34

Today I didn't cook at all. Instead, I had my friends cook for me for a change. Jochem and I went to visit Roland and Margaretha in Amersfoort for Bianca's graduation party in Hoevelaken. Margaretha cooked homemade boboti, which was absolutely delicious! In the morning, Roland and Margaretha prepared sandwiches from the oven. Although I love to cook, sometimes it's nice to have a break and let someone else take care of you!

"What I Cooked Today" Day 33

Tonight was Girls Night Out, and since I organized it, it was of course packed with activities. Sex and the City 2 at the movies, then drinks at hip downtown bar Zussen (Dutch for: 'sisters') and then dancing at the Domplein in the city centre of Utrecht. The movie started quite early, so I decided for a 'no muss no fuss' approach to dinner by making premade tortellini. I'm sure that according to Jamie Oliver this is one of the seven deadly sins, but I've found that as long as you serve it with the right ingredients, it still passes as authentic cooking. So I cooked homemade tomato sauce and made a kind of alternative lasagna with the tortellini. I served it with lots of cheese, fresh basil and spicy olive oil. For the occasion I also made a cocktail from homemade lemonade, freshly squeezed orange juice, water, brown sugar and tequila!

Source: The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 32

Today Jochem and I cooked something that I like to refer to as soul food. Soul food is food that nurtures the soul. I suppose that each individual has a different definition of what soul food means to them, but for me it basically comprises all things Italian, homemade or chocolate. In this case we made pasta with meatballs and homemade tomato sauce. The meatballs were really funky with lots of interesting ingredients like fresh oregano, cumin seeds and Dijon mustard. It was a little bit too spicy for my taste due to the dried chilis, but the mozzarella and fresh basil made up for that.

Source: The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

Seasonal Changes

So many people I know, even friends and family, seem to dislike the Netherlands. I don't get that. Personally, I love this country and feel very blessed to have been born and raised here. And while I love to travel, I can never really imagine leaving it for good. The thought excites me, but seeing as that after living in one of my all-time favorite countries in the world, the USA, and desperately wanting to come back after 6 months, I fear that I may just not be an out-of-country dweller - I am simply too Dutch to fit in anywhere else.

One of my favorite things about the Netherlands is the weather or, to be more accurate, the seasons. This may surprise some. The Dutch weather is known worldwide for its rain, cold and overall greyishness. I believe it's right there with Great Britain and Ireland, minus the rugged wildlife. But when I was living in Los Angeles and the sun was literally always shining (I believe it only rained for a total of 3 days while I was there), I was in desperate need of some grey sky.

I love the way that the seasons keep evolving. The fall is always breathtaking with its colored leaves on the trees. When it snows it somehow feels more like a 'real' winter. And lately the leaves have started to grow back and you smell blossoms around every corner. The air is crisp and fresh. You can see it staying lighter later and later - from 5 PM till 6 PM until 9.30 PM last night. Whenever there is sun, the Dutch flee the insides of their homes and find a terrace somewhere.

Of course the seasons also have their downside. Come September you also see it get darker and darker again until you need a light at 4 PM. November is somehow always a dreary month. Snow looks pretty but it's not so much fun when you fall down on your bike or when your heater breaks down again. And January and February are undoubtedly the longest, darkest months of the year.

Still, I cannot imagine having to live without these seasonal changes.

"What I Cooked Today" Day 31

Like I wrote yesterday, today I cooked veggies. Jochem was sick and I was busy so it was great that I could quickly make this dish by myself. Just add leek, garlic and 3 types of cheese (mascarpone, grated cheese and pecorino) to freshly cooked spaghetti. Top it off with sea salt, black pepper and spicy olive oil. Even though I don't eat it that often (and I don't know why) leek has become one of my favorite veggies. It has so much flavour! It is delicious both crispy and soft and you can do tons of things with it. Use it in one of your dishes next time! I still have leek in my fridge that I can't wait to use again...

Source: The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 30

Jochem and I have been quite the pretentious over-eaters today. First of all, we had lunch at our dining table, which hardly ever happens when we're alone, because we're more the "let's lie on the couch and watch Bones"-variety of food consumers. But we figured that for two people who care as passionately about food as we do, we should learn to be civil eaters. It turned out to be a lot of fun, not in the least because of the food we made from left-overs (I bet you can tell by now that we do that a lot - turning left-overs into decent meals. That's what happens when you spend most of your money planning a 9-month world trip. But anyways...).



First, we made lemonade and strawberries with mint sugar for dessert. Then we turned the marinade for the octopus into a spicy broth.



Then, we turned the left-over carpaccio into a fancy burger with mozzarella, grated cheese, chilis and parsley. Still talking about lunch here.



And then, for dinner, we had even more meat. My parents gave us a fine piece of Argentinian steak which we prepared with creamed mushrooms and homemade fries.

I swear, I could burst from all this meat! Time for a veggie day tomorrow...

"What I Cooked Today" Day 29

Today Jochem and I cooked separate dishes at my parents' house. I made a fresh summer salad with rocket, jamón, goat cheese and strawberries. Jochem made grilled asparagus and scallops. The best part was eating these dishes in my parents' sunny garden!

"What I Cooked Today" Day 28

Due to too many limoncello drinks after our catering job from last night and not enough water or sleep to compensate, I woke up with quite the little hangover. Luckily our dinner was not too demanding - Jochem and I made sanwiches from left-over carpaccio, red beets and horseradish cream.

Source: The Return of the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 27

Today Jochem and I prepared 10 different snacks for 40 guests at Jochem's father's 50th birthday party in Ridderkerk. It took us 3 days of planning and 2 days of cooking, but this food-crazed day was definitely worth the trouble! We cooked:



(1) filled mushrooms with ricotta, grated cheese, lemon zest, chilis and oregano
Source: Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver



(2) filled lemons with mozzarella, anchovis, cherry tomatoes and basil
Source: Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver



(3), (4) & (5) 3 different kinds of crostini: 1 with mozzarella, chilis and basil, 1 with cherry tomatoes, black and green olives and chilis, and 1 with pureed green peas, broad beans, mint and pecorino cheese
Source: Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver



(6) homemade pizza with garlic spread and parsley
Source: Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver



(7) grilled octopus with chilis and parsley
Source: Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver



(8) rosemary kebaps made with ciabatta, monk fish and pancetta
Source: Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver



(9) grilled carpaccio in rosemary and coriander seeds with red beets, horseradish cream and watercress
Source: The Return of the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver



(10) jelly with elderberry juice and summer fruit in Prosecco
Source: Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

Now, since we are amateurs the practical aspects of this catering job left a little to be desired. For example, we have tons of left-overs (although we don't mind that of course). However, I do believe that the night was a success, because everone really seemed to enjoy the food. Happy birthday Erik!

"What I Cooked Today" Day 26

Today Jochem and I cooked yet another simple pasta dish with green peas, broad beans, mint, garlic, cream and Parmesan cheese, of course topped with spicy olive oil. We decided to keep it simple because we were also preparing a whole lot of food for Jochem's father's birthday party tomorrow, but more on that later...

Source: The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 25

Today Jochem and I cooked caesar salad again. We still had some left-over chicken in the fridge and we also had the rest of the ingredients at home, and since it was quite warm and sunny today, we decided that a salad would be the best way to go. Because yes, what I have forgotten to tell you till now, is that ever since my spring break has been over and I got back to work, the weather has been great: clear skies, sun and pleasant warmth without the humidity. So unfair.

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 24

Today Jochem and I cooked a simple pasta dish. We had some left-over courgette and prepared it with garlic, basil and lemon juice. We added spaghetti, spicy olive oil and Parmesan cheese to top it off. It was fast, dead easy and suprisingly delicious, although you can pimp most pasta dishes with spicy olive oil, fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese! I particularly liked the caramelized pieces of olive oil on the crispy courgette.

Source: The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 23

I did no cooking today - Jochem had to work at night and decided to finally finish his vindaloo curry for dinner. I got one of those oven pizzas and pimped it with spicy olive oil, basil and Parmesan cheese. I ate it on the couch, in my comfy outfit, while watching Sex and the City. After spending the entire morning behind my computer and the entire afternoon in class, it was heavenly dull. Lately I find it very hard to motivate myself to keep working - not because I still have loads to do, but because the end is so near. I have four more weeks of teaching, one week of exams and then just two more weeks to finish the school year and then I'm done. My group members and I have already started rounding off our research as well. And after spending three weeks at home due to vacation and sickness, it's hard to get started again. But at least now I'm blissfully home alone in our still sunny apartment. I just wish that I had something good for dessert...

"What I Cooked Today" Day 22

Today Jochem and I finally got round to making the pasta carbonara as recommended by Anna. Unlike what you might expect, pasta carbonara is fairly easy to make. This pasta carbonara included pancetta and courgette. I was very hungry after my first day back to ordinary life and had a very big plate of very tasty pasta carbonara. It was delicious, but now I'm very full (not that that will stop me from eating a peanut butter and 'hagelslag' sandwich, mind you)!

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 21

Today I traveled to Amstelveen to visit Rien and Mariëlle who, arguably, did most of the cooking. Luckily, I was allowed to prepare dessert for the seven of us, and since Rien is such a fan of dark chocolate, Jochem and I cooked a dark chocolate cake with walnuts and almonds. To make this rather heavy dish a little lighter, we added white icing with vanilla and lemon. Although I thought it was a bit too heavy after all the other delicious food we had been given, everyone finished their piece, which is always a nice compliment.

Source: The Return of the Naked Chef & Jamie's America by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 20

After a week of mishaps, Jochem and I finally did some decent cooking today. In line with the season, we cooked a meal with broad beans. We used them in combination with a variety of fresh spices and lemon zest to make homemade falafel. We had the falafel on toasted bread with lettuce, spring onion and homemade yogurt with spicy olive oil, lemon juice and mint. We also added homemade fries, including the skin, which makes for the best fries in my opinion, and, of course, mayonaise. The falafel was absolutely delicious - crispy and spicy on the outside, and fresh and green on the inside.

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 19

No, I did not cook today!!! Jochem had dinner with his mother in Arnhem so I had left-over take-out Indian food for dinner. I spiced it up with some fresh coriander and our homemade spicy olive oil.

[My Spanish aunt Mari taught me how to make this in August. Just bring a large amount of extra virgin olive oil to a medium heat while adding lots and lots of dried chilis. The heat will bring all the flavors together. When finished, make sure that the olive oil has cooled before storing it. As time progresses, the heat from the chilis will make the olive oil more intense - great over pizzas, pastas and all sorts of other dishes!]

After the Indian curry I decided to treat myself to homemade brownies. And not the sad Dutch wannabe brownies that you usually find in the supermarkets here, but the really good, really American, really expensive homemade brownies that you really have to look for. Last week I wrote about how I would like to learn how to make brownies, and I was sure that today would not only be the day where I would get one step closer to that goal, but that it would also help me get out of my existential food crisis of the past week.

Boy, was I wrong.

One problem with brownies imported from America are its American measurements. Why they haven't come round to the metric system over there by now is beyond my level of comprehension, and something I have very little patience for at the moment, because due to the incomprehensibility of the American measurements, I accidentally used 4 times as much vegetable oil as was actually needed. 4 times. 500 ml of sunflower oil in total.

You can imagine that after a big plate of Indian curry and two glasses of white wine, a tub of lard for dessert hits home hard. I feel very, very sick right now, as if I'm drunk on fat. Jochem can't even listen to me talk about it anymore.

It's the perfect ending to my sick food rut week.

"What I Cooked Today" Day 18

Today I went to back to work. I gave a 7-hour English exam training to 11 HAVO students from all over the country. And when I went home I left work too late and had to run to catch my train, which is not fun for a person recovering from a cold. So when I got home I was too tired to cook. So we ordered take-out. Indian take-out. I had a mild (of course) tandoori curry with lamb and Jochem had his first vindaloo curry with lamb. I am afraid that I might not be able to breathe in his presence for quite some time due to the heat, but my curry was very nice - filled with fresh ingredients and unusual spices. I remember being taken to an Indian restaurant when I was still living in LA and not really enjoying it, and now I feel like I've missed so much during my time there. Like Mexican food. Right now I LOVE Mexican food, but while I was living in southern California for 6 months, I didn't give it the light of day.

And yes, I am trying to hide the fact that I haven't cooked since Sunday with random food anecdotes.

"What I Cooked Today" Day 17

There was a change of plans. When we were about to cook, we discovered that we didn't have any cream in the fridge in order to make our pasta carbonara, so we decided to delay cooking until tomorrow and get sushi for dinner instead. Sushi is one of my favorite foods, IF prepared correctly. Fortunately, we have a great sushi restaurant near our house called Kyushu. We hadn't been there in a while and since we weren't very hungry anyway (Jochem being exhausted from hard work and sleep deprivation and me still being in my sick rut) sushi seemed perfect. We ate it in bed while watching old Bones episodes. Jochem and I really only use our dining table for when we have guests coming over for dinner, because we prefer eating on the couch while watching TV. Because I've been sick we've spent the last couple of days in our bed, which I must admit, is kind of cosy. The light is softer and it's like spending your evening on a giant couch with lots of pillows. It's like one of those Sunday morning family rituals (except we have cats instead of kids and I carry a bucket next to the bed in case I get sick again). We ordered tuna and salmon sashimi, avocado maki and the restaurant's specialty roll. It was delicious even though the wasabi kind of hurt me, which tells me I should really start eating sushi again more often. Other than that it was quite the perfect little evening.

I warned you that this week would be boring food-wise.

"What I Cooked Today" Day 16

This is starting to look like quite the boring week for me and my Mini Food Blog. I spent another day sick at home and had left-over goulash for dinner. I am in a sick food rut. Tomorrow should be better though; Jochem and I are trying out a new recipe recommended by the BFF. I can't wait!

"What I Cooked Today" Day 15

Unfortunately, there was no cooking today. I spent another sick day in bed while Jochem was in the Hague all day studying. Instead of making dinner we had left-overs from last week - Jochem had a Spanish stew and I had potatoes, red beets, meat balls and gravy. I did, however, discover the perfect recipe for a sore throat. Having felt like some 50-year-old Ukrainian woman had performed one of those old-fashioned bikini waxes on the inside of my throat, I quickly turned to modern medicine for relief. When that didn't work, I reverted to old-school homemade cures. I even let Jochem convince me to drink whiskey (and I HATE whiskey)! When left to my own devices I finally figured it out: add one table spoon of honey to two table spoons of lemon juice. Stir, drink, do NOT swallow, but gurgle while tilting your head back (this feels great, by the way, when you have sores in your mouth, like I had yesterday), then swallow while resisting the urge to clean the sour from your mouth with water. I swear to God: the best medicine for a sore throat ever!

"What I Cooked Today" Day 14

I chose this caesar salad to make for lunch for my old friends, but since I have been sick in bed all day, Jochem made it for dinner. I LOVE caesar salad - partly because it has some of my favorite ingredients like cream and Parmesan cheese, but also because it reminds me of New York. When I was living there for a month in July 2008, I would often buy a caesar salad at Whole Foods after my English classes in Midtown - either for lunch, dinner, or both. A caesar salad is not really a thing in Europe so I had been unable to find a similar dish here, until Jamie Oliver wrote a caesar salad recipe into his book. Now I can make it as often as I want and dream of the days I spent eating this salad on a bench in Central Park when Jochem came to visit me.

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

Karma

This is what you get for ignoring your cold. You get the worst sore throat that you've ever had in your entire life. I had to spend another day in bed, but not because I had vacation or because I could, but to crash course my throat back into health. I lived off fresh orange juice and mostly tea today and watched 20 Sex and the City episodes - anything to keep my mind from the excruciating pain. It is literally so bad, that I am unable to speak, and not in the cute "I am a 21-year-old sorority girl who just had a wild night" kind of way. Jochem has given me a spoon to bang with on the bed frame in case I need him and we have been communicating with pen and paper all day. Oh, and did I mention that because of this I missed another lunch date with my friends who may now barely remember me or recognize me as I pass by? Plus, it has been raining all week during this vacation, which is just not fair because it had been sunny while I was still working. I believe that that was all that I wanted to get off my chest. Here are some pictures of the view on my sick day.

"What I Cooked Today" Day 13

Despite my cold I traveled to Tilburg today after work to cook dessert. Every few weeks Jochem and I get together with two of my old girlfriends from high school and their boyfriends. It started out a while back as a one night type of thing, but has turned into a nice tradition. We always try to impress each other with new recipes and it's a great opportunity to catch up. Jochem and I cooked a dessert that I had wanted to make for a while. I believe it is called sand cake. Jochem made the dough at home and we prepared the rest in Tilburg. We made whipped cream with vanilla and chocolate and strawberries with mint and brown sugar. I really wanted to use peaches, but they are not yet in season, unfortunately. I believe that it was quite a heavy dessert, but everyone finished it so I assume it was a success!

Source: Jamie's America by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 12

I am sick. I have a pretty bad cold which is not going away no matter how much I ignore it. I'm afraid it might turn into an even worse flu, but since I've got work tomorrow and a dinner afterwards, I'll ignore it for at least a day longer. I guess I'm bad like that. Anyway, since I spent my entire day in my pajamas in bed watching old episodes of Sex and the City, Jochem was kind enough to make me dinner. I can therefore take no credit whatsoever for how this dish turned out, apart from the fact that I picked it out because we had some left-over asparagus. Jochem made a quiche with potatoes, asparagus and cheese and it was very good.

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 11

Today Jochem spent the entire day in the Hague for his exams and decided to spend the night at his friend's place because he has to be in the Hague again tomorrow morning. I decided to make Bic and Mar a funky dinner. I have really been getting into the whole cooking with the seasons theme, and decided to cook three dishes around one central ingredient (of course inspired by my good friend Jamie Oliver): RHUBARB!

I started the evening by giving my girls a rhubarb bellini made from Prosecco, sugar and (of course) rhubarb.



Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

For my main dish I prepared noodles with crispy pork (which had marinated in the oven with the rhubarb for an hour and a half) and lots and lots of fresh herbs and spices.



Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

For dessert I made rhubarb crumble with clotted cream.

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

Home Sweet Home

Something horrible has happened. Our tree has been cut down. Officially, it is not 'our' tree - it stood in the small garden of the lady living on the first floor of our hourse. Complaints had been raised about this tree for years, but in the Netherlands you can't just cut down a tree, no matter how annoying it is. Or so I thought. Because even though our landlord had informed us that the tree would be cut down, imagine our horror when we returned home Tuesday evening from a long weekend in Almelo and found out that our tree was gone! I am heartbroken - I loved that tree, since it constituted a big part of our house's charm. Many people claim to be jealous of our apartment. Of course I love my apartment as well, or else I wouldn't still be living here after five years. The thought of leaving this place in a year STILL makes me sad, even though I've had almost two years to get used to the idea. We live in a beautiful neighborhood surrounded by parks, families, dogs and cats just a couple of minutes removed from downtown Utrecht. There are great shops in the neighborhood where you can still buy authentic food and thus avoid the supermarket as much as possible, including a great vegetable and fruit selling familly across the street. Our house has some pretty nice thirties features, but let's face it: our apartment is a dump. Years of student dorm living has left its footprint. We tried to make it look nice by using lots of paint, but deep down, it's still a dump. Our apartment is very old, badly insulated and not well-kept. During the winter it's so cold that it's common for the heater to break down, which has already happened several times. During the summer it gets so hot that not even opening up all of the windows gives relief, if we are able to open the windows at all, because it's hard to sleep with your windows open when you have two cats who leap at every opportunity to spent some time outside. Things keep breaking constantly around here - a couple of weeks ago Jochem opened the door to the study too quickly and part of the doorpost came off. Our bedroom window is so dirty that no amount of water, soap or scrubbing can clean it (and we've tried several times). If you look closely, there is an actual hole in our bathroom wall (if you can even call it a bathroom), from which you can look outside. So why do love it here? First of all, you do get used to the cold and heat and try to make it work as well as you can. We have a small heater to warm our feet and we have a wide collection of woollen vests and Uggs to keep us warm. Other things we have come to treasure about this place. Like the big windows in our living room, which make the room light even during dark wintery afternoons. Or our crappy roof which makes the rain sound very loud when you lay in bed (of course, we did NOT appreciate the waterfall in our bedroom that was coming down from a leak in our wall a couple of weeks ago). Or the fact that the big tree in the yard created a beautiful Renoir-like sunlight effect in our kitchen and bedroom. And now that tree is gone. At least it should make it easier to move.

"What I Cooked Today" Day 10

Sorry folks, no cooking today either. Jochem and I had left-over lasagna for dinner. I didn't even make my own lunch but went out instead. I did, however, discover my new favorite thing: coconut brownies. I should definitely learn how to make those - no: I should learn how to make proper brownies period. That's as far as my food wisdom will take you today. I feel a bad flu coming my way and am saving up all of my energy wishing it to go away.

"What I Cooked Today" Day 9

Today I really didn't cook anything. Instead, we enjoyed my mom's cooking: good old boiled potatoes with red beets, meat balls and lots and lots of gravy - a typically Dutch dish. We did, however, find our little baby inside this roasting tray when we were cleaning the dishes this morning. Go, Manchego, go!

"What I Cooked Today" Day 8

I honestly didn't expect to be cooking so much during our stay in Almelo, but when opportunities present themselves, I tend to leap at them. Yesterday, for example, my mother was looking though our Jamie at Home cookbook and asked me to cook this cannelloni recipe. Jochem and I absolutely adore this dish - it is incredibly quick and easy to make and made from fresh ingredients and lots of veggies. I first made it for my friends Bic, Mag and Mar a couple of weeks ago and since then Jochem and I have made it several times. We usually make a big batch and freeze in any left-overs so that whenever we are too busy to cook, we can still have a decent meal. You are supposed to stuff the cannelloni with a mixture of cauliflower, broccoli, anchovies, chilis, garlic and thyme. On the bottom of the roasting tray you put homemade tomato sauce, on top of which you put the stuffed cannelloni. On top of that you put creme fraiche mixed with Parmesan cheese. Finish the dish by putting some mozzarella cheese and some more Parmesan on top. When you remove the roasting tray from the oven, put some basil and a little bit of olive oil on top. If you can't find cannelloni, you could also use lasagna leaves. Try it some time!

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 7

Sometimes, usually on Sundays, my dad likes to cook for dinner. He always makes a big deal out of it; today, for example, he spent a considerable amount of time on the living room couch with several cookbooks trying to decide the best way to prepare the big hump of meat he bought. Whenever my dad cooks, it always involves a big hump of meat, and today it was lamb. He prepared the lamb on the grill with patatoes and an assortment of vegetables. Jochem and I were left to prepare dessert. We decided to make something in line with the season: a souflé made from rhubarb, ginger and custard.

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

"What I Cooked Today" Day 6

Today Jochem and I took over my mom's kitchen and cooked goulash from spicy pork with red, yellow and green peppers, tomatoes, red onions and chilies. We served it with white rice and creme fraiche with lemon zest and parsley. It took the pork 3 hours to cook in the oven!

Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver