Weekly Menu

DWZI - Jolly Good

We had a quiet Christmas, lots of food and a mountain of presents from Santa (wink, wink).
I'm definitely keeping the tree and festive lights up at least one more week!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Little Monster

Stella is the sweetest child... most of the time.

She will be two on Saturday.

Of course she insists on making her own sandwiches these days.

And I let her.

Merry Christmas!

A Festive Weekly Menu

It's about time that I found my way back to blogging.

The last month was crazy and I also spent two weeks in the USA for work.

It is wonderful to be home with my husband and kids.

Finally cooking in my own kitchen again instead of eating at countless restaurants.

Of course it helps that it is the festive season... all I want to do is spend time in the kitchen!

Even the Christmas tree is in the kitchen now that there is so much space.

Here is my menu for the week ahead, let's not pretend to be counting calories OK?

Blog Break

DWZI - 42

My parents are visiting. 

It is so lovely to have them here. 

They take care of the kids, buy groceries and make delicious meals.

We are truly blessed.

They also had their 42nd wedding anniversary on Wednesday.

Pretty impressive, don't you think?

Baie geluk Ouma en Oupa!!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Freshly Squeezed Juice

I have this juicer which I bought many years ago.
The main reason for buying it was because it looked so pretty.
It is shaped like an orange.
Who can resist that!

Now that winter is on its way and the grocery shops are filled with citrus fruit there is no better time for a freshly squeezed glass of orange juice.

The juice gives me almost as much pleasure as using the juicer!

Beef Stew Again

You know by now that I tend to just throw whatever I have available in a pot and hope for the best. Making beef stew is no different.

Only this time I actually had the time to let the stew simmer away for almost 3 hours!

Definitely a new record for me and the results were well worth the wait.

Monday, Monday

I have no idea what will be on the menu this week... 

But that is not a bad thing.

My parents are visiting and since it is going to be a busy week for me, it will be up to them to decide what to feed us.

I'm looking forward to being surprised :-)

And here is a cute photo of Stella, pretending to be a monster on Saturday.

Because that's what you do when you are almost two.

DWZI - Christmas Cards!

It is never too early to make and order Christmas cards, right?

Well I couldn't resist playing around in Photoshop this week with some watercolour paintings that I made. I think I came up with a pretty neat design and I cannot wait to see the finished results...

I ordered the cards from MOO. They are so professional and I love their products.

On the one hand I want to show you the finished design, but on the other hand I think I'm going to keep it a surprise :-)

Here is a tiny snippet:

Have a great weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Lunch at Umami

I had some free time the other day and walked into town to browse the shops.
Not that I had any plan whatsoever.
On my way home I realized that I was hungry and lunch time was almost over.
There are quite a few restaurants on the Oudegraght and I've never tried Umami.
I often walk past it on my home after my wednesday evening class at the UCK held at the ganzenmarkt, and it is always packed. It must be popular for a reason.

Lunch time is the perfect time to go there. It was relatively quiet and they have a really good lunch menu for only € 7,95 p.p! (this is a real bargain)

I enjoyed chicken salad and tja sieuw with white rice. As you can see from my instagram photos, the portion was generous and beautifully presented. Yummy.

Plus it felt kind of liberating having lunch all by myself :-)

Little Cupcakes

Heidi loves baking and she really loves eating the results even more...

Who can resist indulging such a sweet child.

My husband bought a 'just add an egg and milk' box of princess cupcakes.

It was dead simple and a good chance to use my oven for baking.

The cupcakes were on the small side but the kids loved them and they were gone within minutes.

I'm still thinking about what to bake next.

Any suggestions?

Kitchen Progress

We have not really done much work on the kitchen this past week.
It's more a matter of trying to get things cleaned up.
The dust is everywhere, you have to move everything to get rid of it.
We even managed to have dinner at our dining table for the first time in a month.

Yesterday was an exceptionally beautiful autumn day and I took a few photos of the kitchen.

This week I will enjoy my kitchen making dishes like vegetable soup, pasta bake, chicken with veggies, and fish with oven baked chips.

I hope you all have a great week ahead!

DWZI - Ender's Shadow

I have always loved to read. 

It is just something that I do to relax, to escape.

This week I immersed myself in Ender's Shadow.

An hour here, a few pages there.

I read the first book, Ender's Game, a few weeks ago and simply loved it. This book is also very enticing. A good dose of fiction.

Hopefully I manage to finish it this weekend and then it is on to the next book!

Have a great weekend :-)

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

I'm sure I must have mentioned before that I am not the biggest fan of brussels sprouts. My husband keeps buying them and I eventually have to cook them.

There must be lots of ways to make them taste really good... my latest experiment seemed to have made it pretty tasty.

Bring a pot with hot water to the boil and add the brussels sprouts. Cook for about 10 minutes until tender. Drain the water and place the pot back on the heat. Add the brussel sprouts and some finely sliced pancetta. Stir together for a few minutes and add a knob of herb butter. Season as per your preference. Serve to one happy husband.

Pork Tenderloin

I decided that I should probably cook something other than chicken in my fancy oven ;-)

So as I walked through the grocery shop isles I found a nice piece of pork tenderloin (varkenshaas).

I vaguely remember preparing one years ago and it turned out dry and not that good.

Determined to remedy this I bought the pork and headed home.

A quick search online and I found a recipe that seemed easy enough for a sweet marinated pork fillet. The website is called 'love food' so I had high hopes.

It turned out beautifully tender and Heidi loved it too.
The trick is probably marinating the pork, which for once I managed to do.

I served the pork fillet with gravy, roasted pumpkin and brussels sprouts with pancetta.
Happiness.

Here is a copy of the recipe with my changes in italics:

Ingredients

800 g (28.2oz) Pork fillets, trimmed (I used 400g pork fillet) 

1 tbsp Olive oil (I used slightly less)
Marinade:

1 tsp Cornflour

350 ml (12.3fl oz) Chicken stock (I used half a cup hot water)

3 tbsp Freshly squeezed orange juice (I used 1,5 tbsp)

1 tbsp Light soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce)

2 tbsp Maple syrup (I used about 1 tbsp)

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp Grated ginger (I used a dash or two of ground ginger)

2 Garlic cloves crushed (I used 1 clove)

0.5 tsp Chinese five spice (I left this out)

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large plastic container, add the pork and turn in the marinade to coat all over. Cover and pop in the fridge overnight. (I marinated it for 3,5 hours)

When ready, pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan), 200°C, gas mark 6.

In a non-stick frying pan add the olive oil, brown the pork fillets on all sides over a high heat. Then transfer to a roasting tray and roast for about 20-30 minutes. When they are ready, wrap in foil and rest for 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, mix the cornflour with 2 teaspoons of water and add to the marinade. Using the same frying pan, pour in the marinade mix and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Add the stock and let it reduce down. Sieve. Slice the pork fillets diagonally and pour the sauce over.

Serve with a squash and sweet potato mash and some steamed bok choi or my recipe for sexy spinach. Season on your plate.

For babies and kids; they really like the sweetness but its probably better to keep their portion sauce free.

Kitchen Progress

The kitchen is pretty much done :-)
Everything we do now feels cosmetic.
I had plans to take some photos yesterday so that I can show you just how much progress we have made... unfortunately the weather decided not to play along. All the photos turned out very dark and doesn't do the kitchen justice. So I'll post some photos later this week.

Here is a list of the remaining things to do:
- paint the wall;
- put up a few shelves;
- build the microwave oven unit and fix it to the wall;
- connect the new oven to the gas and electricity and move it into place;
- put up the extractor unit;
- unpack more all of the boxes filling up my living room.
- paint the last kitchen wall white.
- lay the laminate floor.
- buy skirting boards and put them up.
- build a bookshelf.
- build the pantry.
- build the new ikea cabinet.
- buy a new (or nearly new) radiator.
- paint the door and window frame.
- paint the indoor window cill and fix it to the frame.
- put up a trim on the outside of the new window.
- clean everything in the house.
- remove the floating shelves in the dining area.
- remove and sell the old radiator in the dining area.
- move the light fitting in the dining area and plaster the hole.
- paint the ceiling in the dining area and living room.
- plaster the new wall in the dining area.
- paint the new and old walls near the stairs in the dining area.
- go to the spa.

Once again this week's menu will be randomly decided on a daily basis, all I know for sure is that the new oven is awesome!!

Have a great week!

DWZI - Dutch Delight

What a week!

On Monday I spent the whole day with Heidi, real quality time.

On Tuesday I tried to relax but I found myself running around like a headless chicken.

On Wednesday I handed in my badge, my car, my phone, my laptop and said my final goodbyes.

On Thursday I walked into a new office where I met my new colleagues and where I'll be starting the next chapter in my career.

My sweet husband brought me a box of delicious chocolates... he knows just what I need :-)

Tonight the two of us will be attending a Diana Krall concert at the Carre Theatre.
Seems like a great way to start the weekend.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Scrambled Eggs for Lunch

I like breakfast pretty much any time of the day or night.

So scrambled eggs with sausages on toast seemed like a pretty good lunch.

It's quick, easy and usually makes the family happy too.

Except this time.

The kids did not like the sausage mixed into the scrambled eggs.

Well, you can't please everyone!

I enjoyed my scrambled eggs with a little bit of grated cheese and some tomato and onions on toast.

Rotisserie Chicken

You know it.
I used my new oven.
The most delicious rotisserie chicken ever came out of it.
As if by magic.

So far I am more than a little impressed by the oven.

A word of warning... the rotisserie chicken attachment is very sharp. Trust me, I know.

Kitchen Progress

I am so impressed with the progress this weekend!
We have a floor!!!!!!!
And the pantry shelves are also in.
The clutter is becoming less and less (you cannot see it, but I have a big smile on my face).

Here is a list of the remaining things to do:
- paint the wall;
- put up a few shelves;
- build the microwave oven unit and fix it to the wall;
- connect the new oven to the gas and electricity and move it into place;
- put up the extractor unit;
- unpack more all of the boxes filling up my living room.
- paint the last kitchen wall white.
- lay the laminate floor.
- buy skirting boards and put them up.
- build a bookshelf.
- build the pantry.
- build the new ikea cabinet.
- buy a new (or nearly new) radiator.
- paint the door and window frame.
- paint the indoor window cill and fix it to the frame.
- put up a trim on the outside of the new window.
- clean everything in the house.
- remove the floating shelves in the dining area.
- remove and sell the old radiator in the dining area.
- move the light fitting in the dining area and plaster the hole.
- paint the ceiling in the dining area and living room.
- plaster the new wall in the dining area.
- paint the new and old walls near the stairs in the dining area.
- go to the spa.

I've been using my new oven and it is pure heaven. Not sure what I'll be making this week but it will be delicious ;-)

Have a great week!

DWZI - Goodbyes

I'm struggling to comprehend the enormity of my decision to leave my job for a new one. 

Change is supposed to be good, but it is scary.

Saying goodbye is tough.

I found some words of wisdom on this blog and used it in my farewell speech yesterday (thanks Anna for directing me to the site). Here is what I ended my speech with:

"One of the most important journeys in life is meeting others half way.  You will achieve much more by working with people, rather than against them.  Giving someone else a voice, and showing them that their ideas matter, will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the both of you." 

I will miss my team, their dedication and friendship.

Have a good weekend everyone.

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Kitchen Goodies

Here are a few things for the kitchen.
I've already bought the light and the cabinet but I still have so much on my wish list... now all I need is to win the lotto!

1. Light
2. Display cabinet
3. Mugs
4. Kickboy
5. Pretty Plates
6. Herb Garden

Banana Bread (Again)

When I see a ripe banana, I see a banana bread.

I know, I know. There I was with two pitch black bananas and I just had to use them.

The kids were happy and the banana bread did not last long...

I used my mom's recipe but I really should have used 3 bananas.

Next time.

Heidi wanted some sprinkles on top of her slice. My sweet child.

This banana bread was made in my old oven, I cannot wait to make one in the new oven!

Kitchen Progress

More painting, more cleaning, more shelves, a new back splash, the old extractor.
Yep, the kitchen is almost done.
Almost.

Here is a list of things to do (as you can see it keeps growing):

- paint the wall;
- put up a few shelves;
- build the microwave oven unit and fix it to the wall;
- connect the new oven to the gas and electricity and move it into place;
- put up the extractor unit;
- unpack more all of the boxes filling up my living room.
- paint the last kitchen wall white.
- lay the laminate floor.
- buy skirting boards and put them up.
- build a bookshelf.
- build the pantry.
- build the new ikea cabinet.
- buy a new (or nearly new) radiator.
- paint the door and window frame.
- paint the indoor window cill and fix it to the frame.
- put up a trim on the outside of the new window.
- clean everything in the house.
- remove the floating shelves in the dining area.
- remove and sell the old radiator in the dining area.
- move the light fitting in the dining area and plaster the hole.
- paint the ceiling in the dining area and living room.
- plaster the new wall in the dining area.
- paint the new and old walls near the stairs in the dining area.
- go to the spa.

Here is a photo of the kitchen last night (once again sorry neighbours for making some noise today!!). The lighting does not do the room justice and I promise to take another picture in daylight.

I also want to wish my Dad and Father in Law a very happy birthday!

DWZI - Colour!

The kitchen is getting there.

I mean it is really getting there.

A splash of colour on the wall and an oven sure changes the view.

We are in the final stretch and I'm so excited.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

(you know what we will be doing...)

P.S. Yes, that colour on the wall is way brighter than my original plan. I got a little carried away in the paint shop and decided to be bold! 

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Friendship = Chicken Pie

On Sunday we had a lovely dinner at Tip's place.

She made a delicious chicken pie to treat us because we've not really had a home cooked meal in a couple of weeks now.

When we got ready to leave she handed me a chicken pie to take home.

What a treat. All I had to do was heat it up in the microwave oven.

Now that's friendship.

Happiness.

Pasta with some Stuff from a Jar

It is true.
I greatly mistrust ready made food in jars and tins.
I always wonder how the food remains good for sooooooo long. Plus I wonder how they cook the meat in giant kitchens and through how many processes it has to go to reach that jar.
Now of course I understand that there is science behind it.
I get it.

My brain tells me not to think about it too much and just eat it.
My heart tells me to stay away!

So I tend to try make a lot of things from scratch.
It is not that easy and I do succumb to quite a few tins of tuna, peeled tomatoes, corn, etc.
But if you ever find a ready made meat and tomato sauce or chicken soup in my house then I'm ready to point the finger straight to my husband. He will eat anything.

I digress, back to what I made for dinner.
Pasta with a meat sauce. The meat, onions and carrots were all peeled, sliced and cooked by me but then I had no tomato base for the sauce... so I found a jar of vegetables in my cupboard. The label was in Italian so I was not sure what exactly we would be eating. Some kind of tomato based vegetable concoction. It came from a farm in Italy (La Vialla) where everything is organic so it must be ok (right?!). I decided not to think, just do. I tossed it in with the meat and a sauce was made.

Even though I hate to admit it, the sauce was good. I served it with parmesan, a salad and ciabatta bread. My husband loved it and even had a second helping.
Enough said.

Kitchen Progress

Once again it was a busy weekend in terms of DIY.
Although it feels like we are doing so much, the results are not quite as visible as I'd like them to be.
We started unpacking a few things, connected the light fittings, installed a light outside, sanded the kitchen counter, gave the walls a primer and filled in lots of gaps everywhere. I bought paint for one of the walls. Truth be told I was in quite a rush and I have no idea what the color will look like on the wall. Mild Ocean. Can you picture it?

The last trip to Ikea was disastrous. Stella would not stop screaming.

Difficult is an understatement.

I cannot wait to be able to leave her at the children's play are with Heidi, but it is a while still before that will be possible.

We survived.

Hopefully this week (after work and late at night) we will manage to do the following:
- paint the wall;
- put up a few shelves;
- build the microwave oven unit and fix it to the wall;
- connect the new oven to the gas and electricity and move it into place;
- put up the extractor unit;
- unpack more of the boxes filling up my living room.

What will I be cooking this week? Well, it is certainly a mystery.
I'll be using my griddle toaster and microwave oven.

Have a great week! 

DWZI - Kitchen Decoration Ideas

Yes, you know it.
Besides the usual daily grind (working, getting stuck in traffic, making food in the microwave, taking care of the kids, worrying about everything...) we worked on the kitchen.

There is progress but is still looks like a disaster zone. The oven made its way upstairs (magically, ha ha!) and now we first have to fix a few things before it can be unpacked.

The main thing is to paint some walls.That means selecting a color since I want color!

I love this pretty wallpaper by Cath Kidston...  so perhaps wallpaper one wall and paint the other?

I've got a paint chart from Little Green Paints which I've been holding against the wall all week. The blues just feel right, but they are all so lovely.

Last but not least there is the budget to consider. I'm probably going to go on a hunt this weekend to find something like this but cheaper.

Have a great weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Pineapple Salad

Pineapples are pretty versatile.

Not only are they delicious as they are, but they go really well in salads too.

Mix them in with avocado, lettuce, tomato, onions, cucumber and feta cheese.

Guaranteed to please.

Tomato and Beef Stew

Slow cooked food is good. I love a dish that requires an hour or so to cook. Just a pity I hardly ever have the time to wait that long.

Occasionally I find the time to make a stew and it is always so satisfying.

To tell you the truth I don't follow any recipe. I simply brown cubes of beef for a few minutes and then I add whatever vegetables I find in the fridge. Potatoes, carrots, onions, courgette, fennel and of course a can or two of chopped tomatoes. Some seasoning and a cup of beef stock also seems to go quite well with the whole stewing process.

Let it all simmer away for about an hour (more if you have the time) and don't forget to stir occasionally  you know, just to make sure you don't burn anything!

Serve it up with some basmati rice and enjoy the warm comfort that only a stew can provide.

Kitchen Progress

Slowly the dust is starting to settle and slowly I am wiping it all away.
We are making progress. But it is not quite as fast as I was hoping it would be.

The oven is still in a box downstairs.
The fridge is being defrosted.
It will probably be another week before I can actually cook again and the fun of having take out for dinner has worn off.

Now for the good news.
The kitchen was completely dismantled and the wall plastered.
We built three new Ikea kitchen cabinets (around midnight, sorry neighbours!).
The counter top was cut to size and is resting on top of the cabinets.
Water pipes were extended and the wash basin fitted.
We have water again in the kitchen!
The electricity was disconnected and connected and disconnected and connected.
The dishwasher is already working hard as I type.
Yes, it is definitely not all bad.

The big questions is how we will get the new oven upstairs. I'm hoping for some magic.

DWZI - Smoked Buffalo Mozzarella

It feels like this week raced by.
Even though I really miss cooking, I must admit that I did enjoy a meal out this week with a good friend.
We went to Amsterdam where I bought a lovely carpet for the kitchen and afterwards we had dinner at a little Italian restaurant called A Tavola. We just ended up there by chance.

The food was lovely, really authentic.
The chef and his team were very funny and very Italian.

The star dish of the evening was smoked buffalo mozzarella... wow. It was served warm with bread.
Definitely worth recommending!

Everything else we ate this week paled by comparison. But hey, it's only food right?

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Roasted Vegetables

If there is one thing I love making then it is roasted vegetables.

The simplicity of it.

Peeling, slicing and dicing the vegetables is a type of meditation to me.

Mixing them up with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Since we had a big crop of cherry tomatoes I could not resist adding them to the mix.

They were sweet and juicy.

To finish the dish I added a few fresh fennel leaves.

I'm so looking forward to my next big vegetable roast in the new kitchen!

Breakfast Memories

Breakfast is BIG in South Africa.
Not so big in the Netherlands.

Pretty much every restaurant in South Africa serves breakfast, from very early until late. And when I say breakfast I mean eggs, bacon, toast, sausages, hash browns, fried tomatoes, bottomless coffee, everything.

Growing up we used to go out for breakfast once a week. It's just what you do.
And if you don't go out for breakfast then you make it yourself.
You go big or go home.

Now I know that you simply should not eat fried eggs and bacon every single morning.
(You shouldn't but how I wish that I could...)
A lazy weekend breakfast indulgence is allowed every now and again.
Especially when all you need to do is show up.

Now that my kitchen is out of bounds I seem to crave a big breakfast more than ever.
Looking at these photo's taken a month ago in South Africa simply makes my mouth water.
Let's fry some eggs!

Woonbeurs

Since the kitchen is a no go zone, there is really no point in thinking about a weekly menu. Unless I'd be serving dust for dinner. Yes, write that down... dust for dinner... OK, I'm a little depressed by my kitchen situation and my husband was kind enough to look after the kids yesterday for a few hours so I could escape to the Amsterdam Woonbeurs.

It was awesome! So much to see and to draw inspiration from. It was busy but not crazy busy. They had something of everything and I loved the stalls where you could buy all kinds of design accessories.

Kim Welling also had a stand there for her new venture with Ellen Vesters: UrLaub. They make such beautiful illustrations and I cannot wait to see what they produce next. You can also see an interview with them here from 101 Woonideen (in Dutch of course).

I still have a lot of things to figure out in the kitchen. The light fittings, the wallpaper, the flooring, to tile the wall or not... but it was lovely to spend an afternoon away from my own kitchen.

P.S. The oven has been delivered and some kitchen cabinets should be arriving on Friday so it is only a matter of time before things will be improving!

DWZI - Dust

This week I felt pretty sorry for myself.

The house is chaos.

Renovating is not a joke... 

Microwave dinners.

Dust everywhere.

I have a cold.

The kids are sick too.

And really, the dust is simply driving me nuts.

I wash the floor.

I vacuum, I wipe things clean and yet it does not end.

Dust.

Keep your eye on the prize... that is my new mantra.

Just think about the finished kitchen.

This too shall pass.

Have a great weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Scone Experiment

Before we went to South Africa we stopped by my friend Tip's place one lazy Sunday afternoon.
She is always experimenting with different kinds of flours and cool ingredients.
That day she had made scones with a different flour than usual (I forget what she used but it certainly is not standard stuff) and we were allowed to taste the experiment.

I thought it was pretty good, but she was of the opinion that the dough was overworked and it should have risen more and it should have been baked longer...
She served them with whipped cream, lemon curd and strawberries.

I was not complaining.
In fact I will gladly sit in her beautiful kitchen and taste her experiments any day!

Tuna Lemon Ricotta Pasta

I found this recipe in the Albert Heijn Allerhande magazine a couple of months ago. Although it is essentially marketing the supermarket, they have quite a few good recipes in there which I think are well worth trying.

This recipe for a pasta with tuna, lemon and ricotta cheese was very easy and quite tasty.
But.
Don't you just hate it when there is a but?
Well, for me there was definitely a 'but'.
My finished dish did not quite look like their photo of the finished dish.
I don't know... might be that I am not a food stylist and probably did not try very hard to make it look pretty. Might be that they tried too hard to make it look pretty.

Either way, I liked it and will most definitely make it again.

Here is a link to the original recipe.

Here is a copy, translated into English:


Ingredients
300 g farfalle (pasta)
1 lemon, wiped clean
2 cans tuna pieces in sunflower oil (a 185 g)
2 courgettes, peeled into thin ribbons
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tub ricotta (250 g)
some flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Grate the lemon peel and squeeze out the juice. Drain the tuna into a bowl and save about 3 tablespoons of the oil.
2. Heat the tuna oil in a pan and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute. Now add the courgette and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the lemon rind, juice, tuna, ricotta and season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat. Let it simmer away for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the pasta to the sauce, add the parsley and serve immediately.

Credit and thanks to Maybemej Photography for the frame template and all the other cool freebies she makes.

Weekly Menu

DWZI - Kitchen Progress

We started working on our kitchen extension in the beginning of May.
It is now the end of September.
Progress was slow, to say the least.

It was deliberate because quite frankly, we have a cash flow problem.
Big dreams and no money.
Luckily we figured out that we could save a fortune by doing the work ourselves.
There was only one catch... we had NO experience in this area.
None.

I have mentioned it before but we are very lucky to live next to two very experienced handy men.
They build houses and kitchens and pretty much anything for a living.
They agreed to help and teach us as we went along.

This week we finally broke down the last walls and now it feels real.
We are going to have a much bigger kitchen and lots of light.
The progress this week has been amazing.

It started on the weekend with our neighbour, Rene, helping my husband demolish walls and ceilings. Then Rene spent two full days working for us, all by himself, and let me tell you that man can make things happen.

I am starting to really look forward to cooking in my new kitchen!

Have a great weekend everyone!

You can find all the DWZI participants here.

Pretty Things

Sometimes I take such pleasure from beautiful things.
Like this pretty coffee cup and saucer.
It contained a delicious cappuccino with a gingerbread cookie on the side.
Loved it.

Decadent Treat

Now this is a red velvet cake.

The first one I ever tasted and it was good.

Unfortunately it was in a restaurant so I cannot claim to have baked it myself, but rest assured that I will be looking for recipes and hopefully experimenting soon...

P.S. I didn't actually eat it all by myself! But I easily could have.

Weekly Menu