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)

__________________________________________________________

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")

Something about me(me)

(Alleen in engels)

I've got tagged by Ilva from Lucullian Delights to tell 6 random things about myself. I thought about it for a while, and "OK I'm in".. wow that went easy didn't it? Now the hard part: what in the world should I tell? I first have to check what I told last time. Well I better start with something simple and hope inspirition will find my brain on the way.

1. You've probably noticed when you read my blog, but I have a sweet tooth. I just love anything sweet. Unfortunately it's bad for my teeth and my waistline (is there one left?). It's not that I don't like savory, but I'm more picky what I like and don't like then.

2. I can't drink red wine. Isn't that a shame. I used to when I was younger, no problem slurping it down at all. But when I drink it now, it feels like drinking fire. My gullet (I hope that's the right word) and my stomach just feel like I've swallowed a torch that keeps burning. Don't know what the cause is. I remember that my mother had the very same thing and she always told that it felt like a brick went down her throat and fell down in her stomach. I really feel bad about this, I'd love to be able to drink red wine again, especially with some meals. It's a real deprivation.

3. My favorite colour is blue. Most variations of blue, but the color on the photo on the left and navy blue in particular. P.e. if you ask me what my favorite car would be, I'd first answer "a blue car". I also like orange, but more like an earthy/terra cotta color (we have curtains like that), because it's a happy color, but also warm and comforting (and dutch :D). I love most other colors too, except yellow or green. Though I love green in nature, I'd never wear anything green and our garden will not have plants with yellow flowers in them.

4. I'm still trying to learn Italian. Somehow I'm at a point that I don't seem to get any further, which makes me feel slighty desperate and gives me the feeling that I'll never learn to speak it like I would want to, that's without too much faults and too much pauses where I search for words or the right grammer. But maybe it just has something to do with the time that I'm left with (or take) to study. I could do with some more self-discipline I guess. (there's an understatement!) I'd like to spent a longer time in Italy by myself, so I'd be forced to speak it... ah when will the ship with gold sail in?

5. I find it strange sometimes that I'm as old as I am. Sometimes it just hits me, when I look in the mirror or when I suddenly get aware of my wrinkled hands, they're just like my mother had (aarrrghh). How come I still feel like I'm in my mid-twenties, just without as much energy and spunk these days unfortunately. It feels I'm in the wrong aged body. Ah well, they always told me as a child I thought too much, so I'd better let it rest.

6. When I was a child I wanted to be captain of a cruise ship when I would be a grown up. I felt very strongly about that for a long time. But I never did anything of the sort. It probably had something to do with the fact that we went on a cruise when I was only 6 years old. I still remember so many things about that trip, it really was an amazing experience.

So I don't know if I got the inspiration during this, you can be the judge of that. Now the part where I should tag 6 bloggers according the rules. And that could be nr. 7 about me: I don't like that and would't have a clue who to tag. Well I'll just invite anybody who feels like it to consider him- or herself tagged. You can blame me if you want to. Thanks for bearing with me until the end. THE END.

Q & A

I got tagged by Tanna, though I always fear meme's, this is quite a friendly one with easy to-answer-questions...So here it goes...

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
I don't go the cinema a lot, but the last film was "Winx" that the kids saw during the holidays. (a dreadfull film, the worst animation I ever saw)

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING?
I just finished "Duizend schitterende zonnen" ("A Thousand Splendid Suns") by Khaled Hosseini and I started to read "De complete kronieken van Narnia" (The chronicles of Narnia) - C.S.Lewis

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
Land in zicht (haven't got a clue if that exists or how to call that in english)

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
"De smaak van Italië", (The taste of Italy) a magazine with all sorts of articles about Italy (including cooking of course!)

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Basil, fresh coffee, sea, pizza

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
sea on the beach, birds singing, coffee gurgling when it's ready

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
a child that isn't home in time and you have no way of reaching it

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
it's too early to get out

9) FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
Mc Donalds

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?
Stella or Rosa for a girl and Lucas (or Luke) for a boy

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D......
a lot is a LOT right?!
- travel more, short and long trips (Sicily, Apulia and all Italy, New York, Venice, Australia, Grand Canyon, Egypt, Londen at Christmas time, Vienna,... and a lot more)
- give to several good causes (and there are many)
- set up a fund for our kids and my sister's kids (so they can study and more etc)
- I'd enlarge my kitchen and buy the best equipment for it
- buy a very good SLR-camera with lenses
- maybe a new house where my larger kitchen will fit :))
- ........ - ........

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
Yes sometimes I do, but never with children in the car and only when safe

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
no

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Cool, I used to watch the lightning as a kid from my attic-bedroom. Sometimes they are scary but that's also the cool part about them.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
I never owned one when I was single (poor artists you know), I now drive a Mitsubishi Space Star in dark blue.

16) FAVOURITE DRINK?
Campari on ice or with 7-up

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…
keep in better contact with people that sometimes have to wait too long for a respons or a visit, bake and cook some more complicated new things and do a little more cleaning

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
no I'm afraid not, I chop them up and feed it to the chickens.

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
dark blond with some stripes in different nuances... so about the same as is it now, but then without the grey hairs that are beginning to appear.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
Deventer and where I live now

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Swimming

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I'm getting to know Tanna a bit better since the Bread Baking Babes sessions, so I don't know all the good things about her yet, but she is clearly a motivator, encouraging, friendly and uplifting. o sorry it says just tell 1 nice thing.... I'd say "warm and caring". Two again... I think she has to many nice things to mention just one... I'm sure I'll discover even more getting to know her better.

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
the receiver for the RC, to lift up the head or feetpart of the bed... and some dust

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Yes, but with some upgrades please

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Night owl if only I can get enough sleep (I get very cranky otherwise) though I'm not bad tempered in the morning...as long as I have slept enough :)

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
omelet

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?
at home, with lovely weather in the garden watching the chickens doing their stuff

28) FAVOURITE PIE?
apple

29) FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR?
fresh mango sorbet (hard to choose just one!)

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
Well people who read this can be my guests. I'm not tagging anyone myself, it's not always appreciated and I will only give a few suggestions... Zorra, Gea, Marleen (of buster), Aranka, Monique????

Tagged

It's not a common thing here in the Netherlands to get tagged when you have a blog. That's probably for a reason. But there came an email from Karen (Bake my day!) that she had tagged me.
Why? Why me? What did I do wrong? First of all there are not many interesting things to know about me (that I want to unleash on the internet!), I doubt anybody wants to know anything really. But I won't be a party pooper and she is just such a nice girl, I'll just play along but with my own rules. I'll give a few random facts (probably not fun)... or what was it. She probably won't notice if I won't make it to 5 or 7 or 12 (or 13), so I'll just stop if I don't feel like it anymore. Deal? OK, here we go...

1. I don't like (read: hate) chain-letters. That's probably why I'm not the kind of person for this sort of meme's . BTW this sound always reminds me of 'Beaker' from the Muppets, who really loved "meme's" cause he never said anything else . (I think he's adorable though) And because of this aversion to put people on a chain, I won't tag anyone myself. Sorry to break up the fun.

2. I'm not very good at talking about myself, another reason for my hesitation. But I am just quite shy.

3. I love Italy. My sister, who had (and still has) an Italian best-friend, infected me with this Italy-bug. And the first time I went there, during my study-time, for a week, I was totally and utterly won over. Even though it rained like hell. For everyone who knows the camp-site in Florence on the other side of the Arno, it should be easy to imagine the following. We stood at the bottom of the slope, rain came down like a waterfall. We dug a tunneling system with our mugs around our tent and still could feel our air matresses move during the night because of the water flowing underneath our tents... we had a terrific time... we really did!

4. I have a fear of hights. That has hardly ever stopped me from climbing church domes or bell towers, but I have to keep repeating to myself: don't look down, we're almost there... to get me in a sort of a trance. Still I can't step up to the railing at a high point, I stay glued to the wall and have a nervous look-around. Very very hard to handle are stairs made out of something that you can see through (some kind of grating), I get very dizzy.

5. I love watching cookery shows. The BBC is just so good at making great series with all sorts of cooks. I look at them in admiration, working in a busy kitchen, having everything ready on time. Tasting everything, that's just so brave, I always wonder, aren't there any things they dislike? This brings me to the next point:

6. I'm really quite a difficult eater myself. There are lots of thing I just won't eat; some out of principle or habit, some give me an allergic reaction, some I just dislike or put me off in a big way. Just to name a few: pork, shell-fish and things like liver, brain, lungs...brrr. I just could never taste things like that without throwing up. Oh this just came to mind; I hate those white stringy cords in an egg. I always try to get that out, which is not easy.

7. I'm more a cat person than a dog person. At least I would be if I wasn't extremely allergic to animals. This developed round the time I studied and I never got rid of it. It's very sad for the kids that they can't have pets in the house. And really hard in daily life... almost everybody has a cat (or more) or a dog, rabbit, you name it... I just can't stay for longer than about 10 minutes. It's a real handicap in normal life.
But we have three adorable chickens in the garden...they eat everything that's trying to grow or bloom, dig holes in the grass and leave their 'shit' (excusez le mot) on the terrace. That's not so nice, so they aren't allowed to go where they please all the time.
A cat would be easier. To make it even more confusing my favorite animals are mice and tigers.

So there you have it; I made it to 7.
I'll stop boring you all and leave it as it is!
Ciao.