"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!