My tiny garden doesn’t get us surplus to save for winter. So I try to make do with veggies that are cheap now in the stores. Still gives me that feeling of self sufficiency that I’m longing for š
Canning
Tag: kitchen
Bbq experimenting
We had our first bb1 this year. And since we’ll have a few vegetarian guests joining us soon, I tried some new things. Roasted zucchini actuall tastes quite good, though I may need to add some spices.
Kitchen
Our kitchen really is the heart of the house. Literally. It is in the middel of the house and it connects the livingroom to the rest of the house.
It is kind of hard to give it a good cleanup though, because there are always family members passing by, getting a drink, looking for something to eat or helping the cat spread hairs (I love that cat, but he is loosing so many hair I figure he should be bald by now – he isnāt).
Last week the kitchen was in the same state the rest of my house was, not too dirty, but in need of some attention. Time seems to slip away so fast these days, I have that feeling of chasing after everything that needs to be done.
This morning I was alone in the house, a very rare occasion. So the first thing I did was clean the kitchen. Which was great, without any interruptions. It even inspired me to clean the rest of the house too, so maybe I can relax for the weekend.
Uhm, if I finish doing some paperwork which I am about to start right now. But at least Iām feeling like Iām in control againā¦
Getting ready
ā¦ to celebrate my littlest oneās sixteenth birthday!
Breakfast
Coffee
We drink a lot of coffee here. Very strong too, we love espresso. I really need that kick to wake up. And to keep awake during the day tooā¦
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About the giveaway: itās not going too well isnāt it? Not even a single reactionā¦
Like all pyramidschemes, it has to end somewhere and Iām guessing Iām breaking the chain.
So I was thinking, instead of waiting around and hoping new people will visit my blog, or friends feeling sorry for me and taking up another three gifts, maybe Iāll end it graciously.
If itās okay with you, Kristen, I promise to make (at least) three items for Amandaās Mama to Mama and let this chain stop right there. Iām not sure if I can manage to send out in time for the current project, but Iām sure there will be another one. Still paying it forward, but a little differentā¦
Wintertime :: comfortfood
Colder weather brings a different appetite. Iām slowly changing from salads and stir-frying to old-fashioned dutch dishes like this āboerenkool met worstā (kale with smoked sausage – we cook the sausage on top of the potatoes and the kale, and eat the kale mashed together with the potatoes).
And for lunch: tosti (ham and cheese on white bread, toasted together in a special iron ā no idea if this is something typical dutch, but I canāt find a translation for the word).
The tablecloth is the one I was soaking a month ago . The stains got out, so itās back on the table!
Pumpkin try-out
I tried some of the things in the comments of last post. I cooked half the pumpkin in a roastpan, with a bit of water. That worked great, it was soft in no time! I mashed the flesh with some butter and cinnamon. The other half I chopped, sprinkled it with olive oil, salt and pepper and than put it in the oven at 175 degr (Celsius) and for about 30 minutes.
Great recipes! Butā¦ we discovered we donāt really like the taste of pumpkin. Ahemā¦ Yeah, I feel kind of stupid to confess that. But than again, how many not-dutch-people like the taste of liquorice (we love it, the salter the better!)? We didnāt really hate the pumpkin, but we just didnāt think it was something we wanted to try again. For us the taste was something in between the tastes of potatoes and carrot (the big ones we use for āhutspotā). Not sweet, not neutral. I donāt know. It must have something to do with regional taste. Anyway, it was nice to try it and I finally managed to cook it right.
Thanks for the help!
Oh, almost forgot! I roasted the seeds. The kids love them. They want me to buy pumpkins just for the seeds nowā¦
I need your help
Today Iām asking for your help. Look at the pumpkin I bought today. It isnāt feeling quite right, between my oh so dutch collection of vintage kitchen stuff. And thatās just the thing I need help with.Ā We do get pumpkins (edible ones – the very little cute ones for decoration are much more common) here since a few years and Iād love to cook something with it like pumpkins soup, or pumpkin pie.
I tried cooking with a pumpkin before and it ended upā¦ wellā¦quite a disaster. I know now that you use the stuff close to the outside, and throw the seedy inside away like you would with a melon.Ā
But now I still donāt know what to do with it. There are so many recipes around, but I get overwhelmed by them, since these are all based on some knowledge of how-to-cook-a-pumpkin. Also, Iām not sure about the difference between squash and pumpkins.
Anyway, I think my american blogfriends know much more about pumpkins, so I thought Iād ask you guys. Whatās your favorite (easy) recipe with a little pumpkin? This one is 1,8 kiloās/ 4 pounds. Will that be enough (there are five of us) or do I need to go and look for a bigger one?
Thanks in advance!
Salad
Trying to loose weight seems to make me more mindful about the food I prepare. I like that.
NOT A STATION 