Baking again, cursed again and an award

(In het Nederlands? Scroll naar beneden!)

I have a hard time starting to get back in the normal routine after returning from Italy. Don't really have a reason, but just didn't feel like doing anything and just feel a bit down. I've started baking again after the holidays, there must be bread... and some cakes and stuff too of course, but I just couldn't get myself in blogging about it. I spent more than enought time behind the laptop (we're even wireless since a few days), but I just threw my time away doing... I don't really know what. But here I am, trying to get back into the normal routine. Our boy started school again yesterday (daughter still has a week off), so that should at least get me out of bed in time :).

I think there is a computer curse in this house, after so many problems with the old one, so much time to get the new laptop working, last week we finally became wireless and finally were able to print again... and then my laptop turned black, just like that. Just dead black. *sigh* this is not helping my mood one bit. So this week back to the computershop and we'll see if we have to start all over again and if this is the final curse. The old one (which I am using now) started to go black too every now and then after we got back, so there's no telling how long I can still communicate. I have no more to say to you all right now and I'll leave you this wonderful recipe of a pie with apples and strawberries, just so you know I'm still here, but not a 100%.

I can't include any pictures (yet) because I didn't copy them yet to my external drive. You can see a slice of the endresult in the header, so that's at least something.

This reminds me of a joke:

"What do you call sawdust on the head of a moron?"

- external memory

Ah well (this lame joke shows what state I'm in I guess).... here's the recipe (If I can I will add photo's later)..

UPDATE: It's two days later now since I wrote this, the other older computer died as well and I couldn't continue this post. But the good news is my laptop has been reanimated in the meantime and I can finish (finally!!) this post including the pictures Yay!

Apple Strawberry pie with mint
(a 9 inch pie)

(PRINT recipe)

1 recipe American double crust
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
500 g strawberries
100 g sugar
4 TBsp cornstarch
Pinch of nutmeg
1 TBsp lemon juice
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
½ tsp rosewater
10 mint leaves, shredded
1 egg yolk (for brushing)
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

Roll out half of the dough (the larger 'half') and place it in the pie dish, leaving the dough drape over the side of the pan. Refrigerate while you're making the filling.

Mixed the slices apples, mintleaves and the strawberries sliced thick in a bowl. Mix the sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg together in another small bowl. Mix the sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg together in another small bowl. Stir the lemon juice, zest and rosewater in the fruits. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the fruits, toss and fill the pastry case.
Roll out the other piece of dough, you can either place it on top (and make some steam ventilation holes) or make a lattice topping by cutting thick ribbons and placing them on the filling crosswise.

Push the rims together and make a nice edge with a forkpattern or sculpt into an upstanding ridge.
Wisk the egg yolk with 1 TBsp water and brush the pastry with it.

Place the pie dish on a larger sheet covered with aluminium foil (juices will start to bubble and you don't need to clean your oven after baking).

Bake in an oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 375ºF (180ºC) and bake for another 40 minutes until golden brown and the juices bubbling.

Leave to cool at least 2 hours before serving on a cooling rack.

(adapted from Ken Headrich's "Apple Pie perfect")

(this next part just in english)

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Oh yeah something else that's long overdue in the meantime....while I was on holiday I got a blogger-award from always fun and cheerful co-blogger Jamie from "Life's feast". Well of course I accept with a blush and a bow, it always gives a boost to be thought off, thanks Jamie!
There are some rules to go with it (I copied/pasted them from Jamie's blog)

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

I am passing on this award to 7 inspiring food bloggers :

1. Aparna from "My diverse Kitchen", talking about creative, look at all the vegetarian dishes she makes!

2. Natashya from "Living in the kitchen with puppies", of course I've become to know her because she's a (BB)Babe, but she cooks the most wonderful things and I just want to spend a day (or more!) in her kitchen to see her do that all (and taste some too if I may!).

3. Karen from "Bake my day!", she was the inspiration for me to start a blog in the first place and is very kreative in her writing.

4. Susan from "Wild Yeast", who is being creativ with yeast in a big way and let us enjoy it in her 'Yeast Spotting'

5. Laura from "Tiramisù", where you can find not only the most delicious dishes, beautiful pictures, but the cutest chicks ever too!

6. Zainab & Hameeda, two sisters in Saudia Arabia, who make the most delicious and mouthwatering things with oriental flavorings in "Arabic Bites", they are real kitchenwizzards.

7. Marjoke from "Company in my kitchen" a fellow dutch foodblogger, who blogs in english and bakes her fair share of beautiful breads.

This was the easy part, now I have to think of 7 things about me that might be of interest to you. I really have to think hard here.... I could tell you that I'm no good in talking about myself a lot, but most probably know that already... Did I hear someone in the back saying you didn't know??? OK, saved by the voice in the backrow, so this is 1.

2. I won't leave the house without make-up on (unless there is a fire in the middle of the night).

3. People have been saying to/about me all my life, that I can do anything (effortless they think).. I don't believe them at all. I just can/could do lots of things a bit.

4. I studied at an Academy of Arts, I graduated in painting/drawing and teaching Art-history.

5. I play the piano, just a bit.

6. I use up a lot of bandage, because I've had exzema since birth, these days it mostly effects my hands, which limits me in the things I can do. Every bread I knead hurts my skin. (that's why I only play the piano a bit too)

7. I seem to have lost my ability of being organised, that I was 'famous' for. Midlife crisis I guess. At least I can still count to 7 :)

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Weer gebakken en weer computerproblemen

Ik heb deze keer veel moeite om terug in het normale leefritme te komen. Ik heb niet echt een oorzaak, maar zit een beetje in een dip en kom daardoor slecht aan het schrijven van blogstukjes. Ik ben natuurlijk al weer aan het bakken, er moet tenslotte brood op de plank komen, maar het meeste komt uit de machine. Een cake en een taart zijn ook al gemaakt, maar verder wil het niet erg opschieten. Ik zit wel achter de computer, maar verpruts mijn tijd met... weet ik veel. Deze week is onze zoon alweer naar school gegaan, dus kom ik tenminste op tijd mijn nest uit.

Er lijkt een computer vloek op ons te liggen wat het ook niet eenvoudiger maakt. Na alle problemen met de oude PC, dachten we eindelijk weer op dreef te zijn, vorige week konden we weer printen én werden we ook nog draadloos... en toen ging mijn laptop uit, zwart, geen leven meer in te krijgen, zomaar. Dit hielp mijn dip natuurlijk ook niet echt, maar gelukkig hebben we nog de oude, die enigszins opgeschoond en veel lawaai makend nog aanwilde... jaja had je gedacht een dag later... zwart, geen leven meer in te krijgen, zomaar. Dus toen helemaal zonder communicatie, ik had het engelse deel van dit stukje min of meer af, maar in het Nederlands stond nog niets.

Maar hoera, mijn laptop is ondertussen gereanimeerd door de computershop en kan ik jullie eindelijk blij maken met dit taartrecept met appel en aardbeien. Ik kan zelfs de foto's erbij plaatsen nu. Ook maar weer snel de laatste foto's op mijn externe geheugen zetten dus.

Appel-Aardbeientaart met mint
(23 cm taart in een springvorm of pie-vorm)

(recept PRINTEN)

1x Amerikaans korstdeeg recept
3 appels, geschild en in plakjes
500 g aardbeien
100 g suiker
4 el maizena
snuf nootmuskaat
1 el citroensap
geraspte schil van 1/2 citroen
½ tl rozenwater
10 muntbladeren, in dunne reepjes
1 eidooier (om te bestrijken)
Verwarm de oven voor op 200ºC.

Rol het deeg uit en bekleed de (ingevette en bebloemde) springvorm/pie-vorm, laat het overhangende deeg aan de rand eraan zitten. Zet in de koelkast tot je zover bent.
Meng de appelschijfjes, munt en aardbeien in een kom.
In een aparte kleinere kom meng je de suiker, nootmuskaat en maizena. Roer het citroensap, citroenrasp, rozenwater door het fruit. Strooi de droge ingrediënten over het fruit en schud om. Vul de taartbodem.

Rol het andere stuk deeg uit. Je kunt het zo op de taart plaatsen (en wat ventilatiegaatjes maken) of repen deeg kruisgewijs over de taart leggen. Druk de randen op elkaar en maak of een opstaande golfrand of druk met de tanden van een vork het deeg rondom aan. Bestrijk met de eierdooier die je met een eetlepel water klutst.

Zet de bakvorm op een bijv. een bakplaat met een stuk alufolie eronder, door de sappige vruchten zal het namelijk gaan bubbelen en je wilt niet dat je hele oven eronder komt.
Bak 30 minuten in een voorverwarmde oven en daarna nog 40 minuten op 180ºC tot de taart goudbruin is en hij bubbelt.) Laat de taart tenminste 2 uur voor aansnijden afkoelen.

(Naar: Ken Haedrich's "Apple Pie Perfect")