Asparagus Tips

It's been a while since I've been here. I've been busy! Even though I've been unemployed for almost 2 months and have been living in Almelo since August, I've kept myself busy - visiting family and friends, doing yoga and, mostly, taking care of all those last little details before taking off on September 4. I suppose there's not a lot left to be done, but little details can take up a lot of one's time (especially when interrupted by numerous tea breaks). I've also been watching a LOT of TV, which was really getting out of hand when I stayed in Amersfoort for a couple of days and Mag and I were glued to the Investigation Discovery Channel for hours on end, but, overall, there is a lot of good stuff on TV these days! My latest thing is Discovery Channel's Amazing Race, which Jochem and I have been watching together. I suppose that it's kind of a waste of time in the grand scheme of things, but being the kind of person who loves to just be at home, I try to make the most of that right now, since in a little over 2 weeks (!!!) I won't have that for 9 months. In other news, my dad and little brother are thinking about joining us in Peru for our trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu - that would be swell. Jochem and I are trying to get some hiking in because the people at Peru Treks suggest trying to hike 15 kilometers in order to determine whether you are capable of hiking for hours on end. Yesterday the sun was out so we put on our hiking boots and walked 11 kilometers through Twente's surprisingly beautiful farmland from our house in the suburbs of Almelo to my dad's store in Rijssen. This included a detour past a petting zoo and a quick trip to the grocery store and I think we did pretty well. We also came across a couple of stands from nearby farmers, where we scored some amazing produce for a few cents.

Another thing that I do every single day but haven't really been talking about at all, is cooking. Ever since I came to Almelo, I've pretty much been cooking every single day. I only cook vegetarian food and so my family has been eating a lot of vegetarian meals. They enjoy their steaks and salmon fillets, so it's been quite a challenge to keep them satisfied. But I quickly came to find that the trick to cooking good vegetarian meals is to use fresh ingredients, but then again, doesn't that count for all foods? I've made some great dishes these past few weeks: lentil salads with lemon and shallot, portobello burgers with caramelized onion and mozzarella, spicy pizza, spaghetti with pesto, string beans and potato, and tempeh Sloppy Joe's. But I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy enjoying the food with my family and friends. But look at these beautiful asparagus tips with olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan!



Source: Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver