Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year! This year Sofie hosted Christmas dinner in Breda. We ate gourmet – which is tiny pieces of meat, fish, and vegetables, that you prepare yourself on grillpans and mini-woks that are setup on the table. After dinner we ate delicious cheese served with my nut and seed bread, followed by Sofie’s dessert of meringue with mango-mojito sauce!
For the third year in a row Koen and I celebrated Christmas Eve at the De Feijter home. Everyone – all the parents and children – create and bring delicious food to share while catching up and playing games. In 2012 Koen and I made mini tomate aux crevettes with grapefruit, 2013 we made meatballs, and now for 2014 we took it to the next level with: parma ham wrapped smoked duck and Belgian endive on top of nut and seed bread with quince peer jelly. Koen smoked the duck and made the quince pear jelly and I made the nut and seed bread! Mmm mmm mmm. The nut and seed bread recipe comes from My New Roots and I’ve already made it again because it was so delicious!
One of my favorite things about Antwerp in December is the Christmas Market. There are lights everywhere – whether hanging from the streets or in the trees. I like to walk around and see everything that’s for sale and enjoy a warm cup of glühwein. I like to go every year!
For my birthday I received The Green Kitchen from my sister-in-law Barbara. She knows that I am a fan of the Green Kitchen Stories blog, and surprised me with the cookbook. I am having a great time exploring the recipes – like the Marcarpone Beanotto with Mushrooms and Spinach, a riceless risotto, and the Amaranth and Halloumi-Stuffed Tomatoes. All are delicious! The best recipe by far that I’ve tried is the Sicilian Parmigiana Di Zucchine. Not only is it the best recipe from the book that I’ve tried, but Koen puts it in his Top 10 meals I’ve ever made. Can’t wait to make it again!
Sinterklaas is a special holiday celebrated in the beginning of December in the Netherlands and Belgium. I love drawing a name and writing poems and creating the “surprise”, or handmade gift that embodies some attribute of the person. It makes it that much more special than just giving a gift because of the time and effort spent.
Almost once a week I like to make a quiche. It is so simple and delicious – plus it’s enough lunch for Koen and me for 2 days! I follow a very simple formula.
Every week I look forward to Sundays. Sunday is the only day in the week that Koen and I are both off from work together. So we like to make the most of it. That involves sleeping in and making special brunches. Every week we like to try something different.
Homemade sushi assortment with pickled ginger
Last month Chris and Hannah got married! After more than 10 years together, they finally tied the knot! Koen and I wanted to do something special for them, so we came up with the idea of a Sushi Workshop Bridal Shower – a honeymoon theme because Chris and Hannah were leaving for Japan after the wedding. Bridal showers are traditionally only done in the United States and United Kingdom, so we wanted to bring our version to the Netherlands – a fun way to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of our good friends!
November 3rd is National Sandwich Day in the United States. Although I’ve never heard of it, I was interested to read about the best sandwiches in each state! So many delicious combinations! I could have guessed the Po Boy would have represented Louisiana. When I saw the photo I realized how long it’s been since I’ve had one myself – and I discovered Koen had never had one! A Po Boy is a sandwich made with a baguette, fried seafood (although I’ve only had them with fried shrimp), lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise, and hot sauce with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
I know usually I only post photos of what I have made – but my husband is an amazing cook! Rather than going to the bakery for baguettes, he wanted to try making them himself. Mmm… They turned out so well!
Japanese Chicken Udon Soup
After being in New York I was inspired to make more Japanese food. After doing some searching online, I found a great site with easy Japanese recipes! While browsing Japanese Cooking 101, I found the recipe for Chicken Udon – a Japanese chicken noodle soup. There weren’t any vegetables in the recipe, so while I was in Chinatown I picked out a leafy green to add to the soup. If you want to make this recipe, you’ll have to make a trip to an Asian grocery to find the dashi broth, Mirin, and sake. Last year when I was made soba dipping noodles, I couldn’t find dashi broth, which is a combination of katsuobushi (fermented skipjack tuna) and kombu (kelp), I bought dried skipjack tuna and made my own broth. This soup is super easy to make, healthy, and delicious!
An American in Antwerp 