Link love week 34 | on spaghetti, everyday life and bouillabaisse

the view whilst waiting to be seated at Cannibale Royale a few weeks ago

Last night I was attacked by spaghetti. I opened a kitchen cabinet, and out it came. Joost suggested we play mikado (the game, not the yummy chocolate covered biscuit sticks). In the end we just cleaned up the mess and made tea, which is what I was going to do in the first place. 

While sipping said tea, I started reading blogs. One thing let to another and the first feature of this blog was born: a link list. I'll try to keep this short and interesting, but I can't promise anything. You know how it goes; you start reading a post about the everyday life of someone you don't know and end up with a recipe for bouillabaisse.

Everyday life

• randoms on film

• one photo every hour

• isabelle in Paris and Jenny at home

Tips and tricks

• essential techniques for the home cook (or things your mother should have taught you)

• what to store in your refrigerator humidity drawers (I never knew that's what they are called by the way, and I was never sure on their purpose before either.) 

Recipes

• matcha green tea donuts

• home made kitkat bars ('nuff said)

• Julia's Bouillabaisse 

Misc

• upset gummy bears (read the review)

what came first?

Beer, obviously. The chicken followed a couple of minutes later, cut in pieces, covered by juicy crispy skin. Sprinkle a bit of lemon juice on top and bon appetite!

Ever since Van 't Spit opened its doors, a mere five minute walk from our kitchen, we've been frequent guests. What better meal is there really, than chicken, fries and corn on the cob?

Well...

Chicken piri piri with grilled bimi. 

Bimi, or broccolini, is a rather new* vegetable that was developed by the Sakata Seed Company in the early 90's in Japan. I can't remember ever seeing it -or eating it for that matter- up until a few years ago. In Holland it's now available in most grocery stores. I love it. Love. It. Especially when coated with an ever so thin layer of soy sauce. But in the case of chicken piri piri my master chef (aka Joost) usually grills it. Perfect as a side dish for the spicy dish that is chicken piri piri. Which, by the way, I love even more than bimi. Just FYI.

I'd show you a picture of this delicious dish, but I am unable to do so for two reasons:

1. I never took a picture of it so far, because I'm eating it once it's in my sight.
2. Yesterday our oven finally broke down completely. And chicken piri piri is best when it has seen the inside of a hot oven. 

So for the time being, we'll have to make do with Van 't Spit's chicken. Which we'll gladly do so, and probably long after our oven has been fixed. But once the oven is up and running again, I'm sure the first dish we'll make is chicken piri piri, and I'll try to take a picture and let Joost write down the very simple recipe.

* New is, of course, a relative term and for someone who keeps forgetting that the 90's were about twenty years ago, it makes sense to refer to something that has been developed in the early 90's as 'new'.

banana muffins vs. a crappy oven

It has been raining, almost non-stop, the entire day. Last night I fell asleep while lightning lit the room, this morning thunder woke me up. I wonder if this was it for our Summer. If grey and rainy days are what's left until -hopefully- the snow comes. Or if we're in for an Indian Summer.

Those of you who know me, know that Autumn is my favourite season. I love the coziness the grey weather generates indoors and under umbrella's. To celebrate these rainy days of late, I decided to bake some banana muffins. They are yummy, great for breakfast and very easy to make. I use Astrid's recipe and it never fails.

One thing I did noticed this time around, is the fact that the top of the muffins cracked open. This has never happened before. It's probably due to one of the many issues I have with our oven: it's like Dutch weather, hot one day, cold the next.

A couple of weeks ago I bought an oven thermometer, which incidentally got me even more confused. If I follow its direction, most things burn to a crisp at 180 degrees C. Suffice it to say that baking, even with a tried and tested recipe, proves to be a challenge in my kitchen these days.

Still, I find baking sweet or savoury things on a grey day like today, very comforting and relaxing. Which is why I think dinner should be baked as well, not cooked. Anyone out there that can recommend a lovely oven baked dinner? I'll try not to burn it to a crisp, promise.

tomorrow schmorrow, as long as you've got food and friends

When a friend calls you to ask if you want to go out for dinner, preferably 'now', you say yes, no? So I hopped on my bike and met the lovely Charlotte at Bar Brouw West, on a random Tuesday evening. We shared beers, food and lots of stories.

That's cornbread, potato wedges, ribs and beans with a side of Anchor Liberty Ale you see in the photo. What I loved most about the food, is the fact that it tasted even better than the first time I ate at Bar Brouw. I love it when great food becomes even better over time.

Speaking of time. Lately the concept of time seems overrated. Days pass quickly and are filled with surprises, things I never thought I'd do...done. Looking forward to something seems impossible. Before I know it, it's already happening. I know, I'm being cryptic, but hopefully not for much longer. Tomorrow's a big day. Tomorrow is actually today. See, time does fly.

I'm excited, a little nervous and a bit anxious when I think too long and hard about the near future. But, when you've got friends who drag you out of the house and into great restaurants, you know all will be well.

on writer's block and baking

I've been starring at the screen and typing the odd word, for half a day now. I'm trying to tell the story that let to this place, to a career switch and to this brand new blog. I simply don't know where to start. I'm sure I will find the words later on, perhaps right after I hit 'publish', but for now these words will have to do.

Normally, when I feel stressed, worried or blue, I bake. Baking soothes me. Only downside is that I get stuck with lots of left over baked goods, but I guess there are worse treatments for a case of the blues. Baking is what I would have done to get through the writing block I developed for this first post, but I no longer own a kitchen, just a big mess.

Time to hit 'publish' and clean my kitchen and focus on what's really important: read food blogs and eat chocolate. Right?!