Well, yes. We just received a call from our friends, Mr. and Mrs. TBF, and are invited to their Fishbowl (otherwise to their terrace if the weather does not play with us) for a delectable dinner (we know them well enough to say this) tomorrow evening.
Then on Saturday morning, we're off to Vienna again to visit our goods friends, Pinki and Andrea, and will not return until August 1st (Swiss National Day).
We'll keep you posted on the events, but I think we will first have to recuperate from it all (all a.k.a. partying, little sleep and quite a few drinks).
So be patient. Have a great weekend!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Sunday, July 23, 2006
This is what they say about me on Google
Thank to Xmichra for sharing this link. Just type in your name and go. It's fun!
Of course, I had no results with CanadianSwiss, so I had to use my real name. Go ahead; try it. Here are my favourites, and to make it more fun, I added comments.
Enjoy and have a great Sunday!
sandra is very shy – I am. Really! Mwaaaahahhahahaha!
sandra is an excellent way to sum up your system – More likely to screw-up your system.
sandra is the kind of character that immediately strikes one as pretty damn cool – I like this one!
sandra is an ongoing vipassana practioner and shares a course in miracles with whoever is open and willing – I’m impressed! I do miracles, too??
sandra is available to paint your guardian angel – Taking orders starting Monday. No wait. I have to be in Canada then (see below).
sandra is performing in canada on monday – Performing what? U-oh. And I haven’t booked a flight yet. Where in Canada do I have to be?
sandra is sandra and my sandra is female – I’m thankful that, whoever wrote this, noticed.
sandra is freeware for home use only – Now, OrangeX will be happy to read this.
sandra is in "rare" form – “Rare” like uncommon? Is that good, or bad?
sandra is taking physics and it is a disaster – This person knows me well.
sandra is located in a beautiful late 19th century palazzo – This place is nice, but far from being a palazzo!
sandra is to star in this movie, but if it happens, I will let you know – Yes, please do.
sandra is 5' 7'' tall – I wish I were, but only 5’5”
sandra is a 49 – Clothes size?? Wrong again... Make it a 34
sandra is a certified hypnotherapist and provides counseling and therapy for stress reduction – Your eyelids are getting heavier, he-a-v-y...Zzzzzzz.
sandra is a very powerful shareware troubleshooting and diagnostic tool that has the capability to send a system report from your computer to our technicians – Yup. I’ll send everything to Wikipedia.
sandra is an expert in women's hormonal problems and can show you how to overcome premenstrual syndrome menopausal symptoms – Yeah, right. I'm very experienced. I just decided to close down my offices.
sandra is fundamentally a good person – Fundamentally?!!?!
sandra is a good laugh for me – Who said that?!
sandra is getting what she wants – Well, sometimes I do
sandra is incorrect – Whaaaaat? Tssss!
sandra is also visiting senior lecturer in environmental studies at mount holyoke college – Mt. Holyoke?? Where’s that?
sandra is qualified to administer and interpret the myers – Myers?? Is that a band?
sandra is forced to choose between science and the arts – Arts, please.
sandra is eager to spread the message that “creativity and adventure know no boundaries” – Yup.
sandra is not even close to being as pretty as cameron – Hey, I never alleged that either.
sandra is convinced that the charge is false – Of course, I am. I’m innocent. Really.
sandra is a professional at ease with her coaching of voice power that helps a speaker make a lively connection between the speaker and audience – Can you hear me?
sandra is a heart person – Yeeeeessssss!
sandra is a cop who works with chaplin to avoid the red herrings – Red herrings can be very dangerous, you know.
sandra is a unique opportunity to experience the highest level of competence – In what?
sandra is also available for freelance and session work on violin or viola – OMG. I’d better start practising.
sandra is recognized for bridging ancient cross - ???
sandra is an education in itself – I'm more like "a mystery in itself."
sandra is one of the better benchmarking utilities out there – Really? I'm flattered.
*sandra is de perfecte verwezenlijking van fun fearless female van het jaar (sandra is the perfect personnification of the fun fearless female of the year) – Fun fearless Female?? No. No. No. I’m so shy. LOL!
sandra is to star in a new version of the cult musical "the rocky horror show" – A star? I've always wanted to be a star. That sounds like fun. I wonder which role I’m going to get. What do you think?
* OrangeX was kind enough to translate this one for me.
Of course, I had no results with CanadianSwiss, so I had to use my real name. Go ahead; try it. Here are my favourites, and to make it more fun, I added comments.
Enjoy and have a great Sunday!
sandra is very shy – I am. Really! Mwaaaahahhahahaha!
sandra is an excellent way to sum up your system – More likely to screw-up your system.
sandra is the kind of character that immediately strikes one as pretty damn cool – I like this one!
sandra is an ongoing vipassana practioner and shares a course in miracles with whoever is open and willing – I’m impressed! I do miracles, too??
sandra is available to paint your guardian angel – Taking orders starting Monday. No wait. I have to be in Canada then (see below).
sandra is performing in canada on monday – Performing what? U-oh. And I haven’t booked a flight yet. Where in Canada do I have to be?
sandra is sandra and my sandra is female – I’m thankful that, whoever wrote this, noticed.
sandra is freeware for home use only – Now, OrangeX will be happy to read this.
sandra is in "rare" form – “Rare” like uncommon? Is that good, or bad?
sandra is taking physics and it is a disaster – This person knows me well.
sandra is located in a beautiful late 19th century palazzo – This place is nice, but far from being a palazzo!
sandra is to star in this movie, but if it happens, I will let you know – Yes, please do.
sandra is 5' 7'' tall – I wish I were, but only 5’5”
sandra is a 49 – Clothes size?? Wrong again... Make it a 34
sandra is a certified hypnotherapist and provides counseling and therapy for stress reduction – Your eyelids are getting heavier, he-a-v-y...Zzzzzzz.
sandra is a very powerful shareware troubleshooting and diagnostic tool that has the capability to send a system report from your computer to our technicians – Yup. I’ll send everything to Wikipedia.
sandra is an expert in women's hormonal problems and can show you how to overcome premenstrual syndrome menopausal symptoms – Yeah, right. I'm very experienced. I just decided to close down my offices.
sandra is fundamentally a good person – Fundamentally?!!?!
sandra is a good laugh for me – Who said that?!
sandra is getting what she wants – Well, sometimes I do
sandra is incorrect – Whaaaaat? Tssss!
sandra is also visiting senior lecturer in environmental studies at mount holyoke college – Mt. Holyoke?? Where’s that?
sandra is qualified to administer and interpret the myers – Myers?? Is that a band?
sandra is forced to choose between science and the arts – Arts, please.
sandra is eager to spread the message that “creativity and adventure know no boundaries” – Yup.
sandra is not even close to being as pretty as cameron – Hey, I never alleged that either.
sandra is convinced that the charge is false – Of course, I am. I’m innocent. Really.
sandra is a professional at ease with her coaching of voice power that helps a speaker make a lively connection between the speaker and audience – Can you hear me?
sandra is a heart person – Yeeeeessssss!
sandra is a cop who works with chaplin to avoid the red herrings – Red herrings can be very dangerous, you know.
sandra is a unique opportunity to experience the highest level of competence – In what?
sandra is also available for freelance and session work on violin or viola – OMG. I’d better start practising.
sandra is recognized for bridging ancient cross - ???
sandra is an education in itself – I'm more like "a mystery in itself."
sandra is one of the better benchmarking utilities out there – Really? I'm flattered.
*sandra is de perfecte verwezenlijking van fun fearless female van het jaar (sandra is the perfect personnification of the fun fearless female of the year) – Fun fearless Female?? No. No. No. I’m so shy. LOL!
sandra is to star in a new version of the cult musical "the rocky horror show" – A star? I've always wanted to be a star. That sounds like fun. I wonder which role I’m going to get. What do you think?
* OrangeX was kind enough to translate this one for me.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
I get what I want!
Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Dale and I guess you have seen me before on the Canadian-Swiss blog. I'm 14 years old (70 years old, human age) and I lead quit a nice life with my two humble servants. I get fed at regular hours, my litter-box is cleaned regularly, I do receive some goodies like kit-bits and of course my favourite: the magic tube! Actually, I have lead a darn good life. Both Canadian-Swiss and Orange take good care of me and serve me in every way. I just wonder why the heck they give themselves those ridiculous names, but I guess their human mind is not well developed enough to come up with something better. Anyway, like I said, I lead a darn good life. I sleep in their bed, share the sofa with them and I get enough attention. Recently I found out about their blog. One day, when they left to go to work, I decided to explore the Canadian-Swiss blog a bit. I must say I kinda like the posts that are put up, but what I miss is in the posts with my point of view. I’m never asked, so I decided to put up my own post. Luckily CS and OX were kind enough (how can they refuse their master?) to let me use their laptop. I guess it shows the mutual understanding and respect we share.
This story starts off on Monday, 17th of July. After the wonderful weather we had over the past weeks, I thought I’d adapt a bit more to the human life. (Sigh) It’s hard to admit and probably hard to imagine, an honourable cat like me, stepping down to the level of his servants. But okay, we all have to make sacrifices... I noticed that CS and O-X have been eating their dinners outside every evening since the nice weather has started end of June. Like I wrote before, I do get fed at regular hours, which is normally announced with the term “gutti-gutti” (for the English readers it’s “goodie-goodie”). For me the sign where I am served either breakfast or dinner, depending on the time off day.
Recently though, I got quit annoyed. When they, my servants, think they are the only ones with the right to have dinner outside, then they’re absolutely wrong! I want to eat outside, too. But man, did it take them a long time to understand what I wanted! Finally, on Friday the 21st they understood. Do you know how I got them to understand that I have needs as well? I'm a very sociable feline, you know. For days I have tried to ignore the “gutti-gutti”, but it was hard as I love to eat. But on Friday I won. I resisted the “gutti-gutti” (man, they were serving me lamb, imagine how hard that was to resist!) and relentlessly sat down at the entrance to the living.
Orange was in the kitchen trying to persuade me to come in and have my dinner. No way buster! I’m sitting here and now, and you be creative enough to make me eat. Stuff your “gutti-gutti”! Can you imagine Orange calling me several times to come up to the kitchen for dinner? After several of his poor attempts (hihihi), he came down to me to ask if I would like to have my dinner outside. He went up the stairs again and "Eureka!", he brought the bowl with my dinner down onto the terrace. At last, that one week of training with my servant had paid-off! I enjoyed my dinner outside and went for a wonderful evening stroll through the neighbourhood afterwards. Man, that was good!
But now, I’m wondering... Does the human mind have a short term memory only??? This morning Orange wanted to serve me breakfast and called the famous “gutti-gutti” out to me. Hello Orange!!! Are you suffering from some kind of memory failure? I want to be served outside! I decided to give him another chance and made him understand what I wanted. I walked in from the garden, went up to the kitchen, sniffed at my bowl and lifted my nose after which I walked out of the kitchen, down the stairs and into the garden again. It didn’t take long for Orange to follow me with my bowl to put it outside on the terrace. Wonderful! I got to enjoy my breakfast in the morning sun. Isn’t life beautiful? You just have to make clear what you want. I just hope next time I’m fed I don’t have make a scene again. I hope CS and O-X will just remember that I prefer to eat outside as long as the weather is nice. Just like they do.
Well, that’s my first post, folks. And I have many more stories that I want to share with you.
Stay tuned...and read my next posts in which I'll be writing about my other adventures with my servants. Interested?
My name is Dale and I guess you have seen me before on the Canadian-Swiss blog. I'm 14 years old (70 years old, human age) and I lead quit a nice life with my two humble servants. I get fed at regular hours, my litter-box is cleaned regularly, I do receive some goodies like kit-bits and of course my favourite: the magic tube! Actually, I have lead a darn good life. Both Canadian-Swiss and Orange take good care of me and serve me in every way. I just wonder why the heck they give themselves those ridiculous names, but I guess their human mind is not well developed enough to come up with something better. Anyway, like I said, I lead a darn good life. I sleep in their bed, share the sofa with them and I get enough attention. Recently I found out about their blog. One day, when they left to go to work, I decided to explore the Canadian-Swiss blog a bit. I must say I kinda like the posts that are put up, but what I miss is in the posts with my point of view. I’m never asked, so I decided to put up my own post. Luckily CS and OX were kind enough (how can they refuse their master?) to let me use their laptop. I guess it shows the mutual understanding and respect we share.
This story starts off on Monday, 17th of July. After the wonderful weather we had over the past weeks, I thought I’d adapt a bit more to the human life. (Sigh) It’s hard to admit and probably hard to imagine, an honourable cat like me, stepping down to the level of his servants. But okay, we all have to make sacrifices... I noticed that CS and O-X have been eating their dinners outside every evening since the nice weather has started end of June. Like I wrote before, I do get fed at regular hours, which is normally announced with the term “gutti-gutti” (for the English readers it’s “goodie-goodie”). For me the sign where I am served either breakfast or dinner, depending on the time off day.
Recently though, I got quit annoyed. When they, my servants, think they are the only ones with the right to have dinner outside, then they’re absolutely wrong! I want to eat outside, too. But man, did it take them a long time to understand what I wanted! Finally, on Friday the 21st they understood. Do you know how I got them to understand that I have needs as well? I'm a very sociable feline, you know. For days I have tried to ignore the “gutti-gutti”, but it was hard as I love to eat. But on Friday I won. I resisted the “gutti-gutti” (man, they were serving me lamb, imagine how hard that was to resist!) and relentlessly sat down at the entrance to the living.
Orange was in the kitchen trying to persuade me to come in and have my dinner. No way buster! I’m sitting here and now, and you be creative enough to make me eat. Stuff your “gutti-gutti”! Can you imagine Orange calling me several times to come up to the kitchen for dinner? After several of his poor attempts (hihihi), he came down to me to ask if I would like to have my dinner outside. He went up the stairs again and "Eureka!", he brought the bowl with my dinner down onto the terrace. At last, that one week of training with my servant had paid-off! I enjoyed my dinner outside and went for a wonderful evening stroll through the neighbourhood afterwards. Man, that was good!
But now, I’m wondering... Does the human mind have a short term memory only??? This morning Orange wanted to serve me breakfast and called the famous “gutti-gutti” out to me. Hello Orange!!! Are you suffering from some kind of memory failure? I want to be served outside! I decided to give him another chance and made him understand what I wanted. I walked in from the garden, went up to the kitchen, sniffed at my bowl and lifted my nose after which I walked out of the kitchen, down the stairs and into the garden again. It didn’t take long for Orange to follow me with my bowl to put it outside on the terrace. Wonderful! I got to enjoy my breakfast in the morning sun. Isn’t life beautiful? You just have to make clear what you want. I just hope next time I’m fed I don’t have make a scene again. I hope CS and O-X will just remember that I prefer to eat outside as long as the weather is nice. Just like they do.
Well, that’s my first post, folks. And I have many more stories that I want to share with you.
Stay tuned...and read my next posts in which I'll be writing about my other adventures with my servants. Interested?
Sunday, July 16, 2006
A taste of Indonesia
As you all know from our previous posts, we have been preparing for a dinner consisting of Indonesian snacks. We had the pleasure of inviting Mr. and Mrs. TBF, Thomas and Nicole, Doug, a work colleague of ours) and Paolo and Markus (and Tina, their Jack Russell).
The first to arrive were TBF and his lovely wife, Mrs. TBF. They brought us a beautiful Marigold plant that is apparently pretty unknown here. TBF grew it himself. Plus they added two self-made pestos and a bottle of Moët Champagne (which fit very well with what we were having: Moët!).
Seconds later, Thomas and Nicole arrived. Funny thing was, Nicole went straight to Dale, our cat, who was lying on a bench outside our house, before she came up. I was alredy wondering if she was invited elsewhere. Heheh. But no, after greeting Dale, she ran up the stairs, radiant as always and we exchanged hugs and kisses, happy to see each other again. We were handed a big bottle of Alsacian Wolfberger crémant (sparkling wine). This bottle is a biggie! It's over half a gallon... 0.66 to be precise. Now, I think we are in great need of an American sized fridge to cool this baby! I was wondering if this was a hint to host antoher party. Hmmmm .
Anyhow, we had not finished pouring the champagne and beer, that Tina (Markus and Paolo's Jack Russell) came running up the stairs, followed closely by the boys. They had just returned from 3 days in the moutains trip where they did a lot of hiking. They a brought us a beautiful crate with fresh herbs. I guess they know we love cooking, huh? Or was that the next hint for the next party?? I'm amazed at what you receive just for inviting a few friends to eat!
But, where was Doug? I gave him a call and he was already on his way. Good. Our other guests were getting hungry!
After a few munchies, champagne and/or beer, Orange came out with self-made Pangsit (fried wontons) accompanied by a sweet and sour ginger sauce. You will find the recipe in the next post. Pictures have been taken; Orange just needs to write the recipe to it. Anyway, I'm happy to report that between the 9 of us, we ate all of the 99 Pangsit! But that was only the starter. About half an hour later, the Rissoles and Lempers were served. Later, the main course arrived consisting of Satay babi (pork satay on a skewer), white rice, Gado-Gado (steamed cauliflower, green beans and sprouts, and fresh iceberg salad and cucumber) and grilled tiger shrimps, marinated in a lime chilli, and the typical hot peanut sauce and a mild sauce with sweet soya sauce, tomato and onions. I was full before the main course (I'd been probing food all day), but we were both happy to see that all others were going for the buffet again to fill up their plates.
The weather was great, we had a great group of people here and had such a fun time. We talked and laughed, exchanged views on living in Europe and in the US as well as the little differences/mistakes one can do in languages. The wine (and water) was flowing and all of a sudden, it was around 1 am. I asked if our guests if they still wanted desert, but I think we overdid the portions a bit. We settled for coffee, digestive and a few slices of Spekkoek, a sipcy and very rich "thousand layer" cake (Note to the reader: We bought this one!) .Not only our human guests liked it, but Tina went crazy for this cake. And I just can't leave this out. Both TBF and Mrs. TBF have a new love... Tina. They played with her for a good part of the evening and were both eagerly learning Paolo's commands for Tina to sit, shake paw, roll over and kiss. I can assure you that if Paolo and Markus want to leave for a longer vacation, they have found a babysitter for Tina. And she'll be spoiled rotten.
At 2:30 am, our guests left for home, and Orange and I just sat outside enjoying a last coffee and reminiscing on a really wonderful evening. Hey, and for once, we didn't have the police knocking on our door to say we were too loud (and we were loud enough, I think.)
I know that TBF took a few picts as well, so I'll leave it up to him to fill in details. Blogger won't let me post picts again. Does anyone know if Blogger allows a certain amount of images? And is it based per post post, or on the whole blog (most likely)?? Maybe I have to delete a few out of my archives. Then again, I have created an album of the evening so that you will find all photos with caption right here.
Last but not least, we still have leftovers in the freezer... Anyone hungry?
The first to arrive were TBF and his lovely wife, Mrs. TBF. They brought us a beautiful Marigold plant that is apparently pretty unknown here. TBF grew it himself. Plus they added two self-made pestos and a bottle of Moët Champagne (which fit very well with what we were having: Moët!).
Seconds later, Thomas and Nicole arrived. Funny thing was, Nicole went straight to Dale, our cat, who was lying on a bench outside our house, before she came up. I was alredy wondering if she was invited elsewhere. Heheh. But no, after greeting Dale, she ran up the stairs, radiant as always and we exchanged hugs and kisses, happy to see each other again. We were handed a big bottle of Alsacian Wolfberger crémant (sparkling wine). This bottle is a biggie! It's over half a gallon... 0.66 to be precise. Now, I think we are in great need of an American sized fridge to cool this baby! I was wondering if this was a hint to host antoher party. Hmmmm .
Anyhow, we had not finished pouring the champagne and beer, that Tina (Markus and Paolo's Jack Russell) came running up the stairs, followed closely by the boys. They had just returned from 3 days in the moutains trip where they did a lot of hiking. They a brought us a beautiful crate with fresh herbs. I guess they know we love cooking, huh? Or was that the next hint for the next party?? I'm amazed at what you receive just for inviting a few friends to eat!
But, where was Doug? I gave him a call and he was already on his way. Good. Our other guests were getting hungry!
After a few munchies, champagne and/or beer, Orange came out with self-made Pangsit (fried wontons) accompanied by a sweet and sour ginger sauce. You will find the recipe in the next post. Pictures have been taken; Orange just needs to write the recipe to it. Anyway, I'm happy to report that between the 9 of us, we ate all of the 99 Pangsit! But that was only the starter. About half an hour later, the Rissoles and Lempers were served. Later, the main course arrived consisting of Satay babi (pork satay on a skewer), white rice, Gado-Gado (steamed cauliflower, green beans and sprouts, and fresh iceberg salad and cucumber) and grilled tiger shrimps, marinated in a lime chilli, and the typical hot peanut sauce and a mild sauce with sweet soya sauce, tomato and onions. I was full before the main course (I'd been probing food all day), but we were both happy to see that all others were going for the buffet again to fill up their plates.
The weather was great, we had a great group of people here and had such a fun time. We talked and laughed, exchanged views on living in Europe and in the US as well as the little differences/mistakes one can do in languages. The wine (and water) was flowing and all of a sudden, it was around 1 am. I asked if our guests if they still wanted desert, but I think we overdid the portions a bit. We settled for coffee, digestive and a few slices of Spekkoek, a sipcy and very rich "thousand layer" cake (Note to the reader: We bought this one!) .Not only our human guests liked it, but Tina went crazy for this cake. And I just can't leave this out. Both TBF and Mrs. TBF have a new love... Tina. They played with her for a good part of the evening and were both eagerly learning Paolo's commands for Tina to sit, shake paw, roll over and kiss. I can assure you that if Paolo and Markus want to leave for a longer vacation, they have found a babysitter for Tina. And she'll be spoiled rotten.
At 2:30 am, our guests left for home, and Orange and I just sat outside enjoying a last coffee and reminiscing on a really wonderful evening. Hey, and for once, we didn't have the police knocking on our door to say we were too loud (and we were loud enough, I think.)
I know that TBF took a few picts as well, so I'll leave it up to him to fill in details. Blogger won't let me post picts again. Does anyone know if Blogger allows a certain amount of images? And is it based per post post, or on the whole blog (most likely)?? Maybe I have to delete a few out of my archives. Then again, I have created an album of the evening so that you will find all photos with caption right here.
Last but not least, we still have leftovers in the freezer... Anyone hungry?
Monday, July 10, 2006
Lemper
Man! Did I learn my lesson. Never underestimate sushi cooks! Why do you think the have such a long aprenticeship?! But I'm proud. I never made anything like this before. HA!
I did my first “Lempers” this weekend. You're surely wondering what lempers are. They're like big sushi rolls with a mildly spiced chicken filling. In the meatime, Orangex was preparing another batch of Risolles for the weekend. And they (Lemper and Risolles) are now resting in the freezer until next weekend. We invited a few friends for a “Taste of Indonesia” this coming Saturday. As you may know, OrangeX’s parents were both born in Indonesia, but decided to move to Holland in the 50’s, when they were given the choice to either give up the Dutch nationality or become part of the independant Indonesia (read more here).
To make it short, here are basic the ingredients (may differ slightly depending on the region)
500 gr. Ketan (sticky rice)
200 gr. Chicken breast, boiled and shredded
1 large Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 stalk Lemon grass
1 Tsp. Trassi (shimp paste) finely chopped
2 Tsp. Turmeric (Curcuma, ground)
2 Tsp. Cumin (Ground)
2 Tsp. Coriander (Ground)
250 ml. Coconut milk
2 Tbl. Oil
Sugar to taste
Eventually salt
A BIG bowl a water (for your hands) AND a sushi mat (buy one, you won't be sorry!)
Boil the sticky rice (sushi rice) with double the amount of water. Let it cool slightly and then steam for another 10-15 minutes until the rice is soft inside (this is not a risotto) and leave to cool.
Boil the chicken in some lightly salted water. Set aside. Finely chop onions, garlic and lemon grass. Heat oil in a wok and fry onion, garlic and lemon grass mixture.
Once slightly browned, add shredded chicken and other spices. Keep frying for a further 3 -5 minutes then add the coconut milk and reduce until the mixture is almost dry again. Leave to cool.
NOTE: Not all coconut milks have the same sweetness. You may have to add a bit of salt and/or sugar. Just try and adjust. I should have a slight sweet taste.
It should look a bit like this.
Make sure to have enough working space and lay your sushi mat on a wooden cutting board (easier to cut the platic Saran wrap to size). Pull a sheet of plastic foil over mat and cut to size of the mat. Soak BOTH hands in water, take a handfull of cooled sticky rice (by then you’ll know why it earned that name... if you haven’t dipped your hands in water first, that is!), form a tight ball and spread approx. 12x8x1cm rectangle on a sheet of plastic wrap.
Then add approx. 1 tablespoon of chicken filling in the middle of the rectangle and bring both ends of the suhi mat together until the rice covers the filling and press slightly.
Now you gotta roll the sushi mat until the filling is covered wtih rice. Push in the ends (you still have plastic wrap in there, yes? Good.) and fold the sides of the Saran inwards and roll again tightly towards you. Then roll the Saran tightly to close and put aside. This is what it should look like.
Okay, once again, Mr. Blogger will not let me post more pictures, but you can find the whole procedure to follow here. Sorry about that. I added captions to the picts, so that you know what I'm doing.
Repeat until you’re done with the rice and the filling. Rinse your hands every time you take new rice. You might screw up the first 2-3 lempers (like I did), but you’ll get the feel and hang of it.
You can now either freeze them for later use (like we did) and/or steam them (in the Saran wrap) and serve hot or lukewarm just like that or with a sweet chilli sauce. If you like a decorative touch, take them out of the Saran and roll in clean banana leaves to steam.
This Friday, I took the day off (hey, no holidays, so I've gotta take some days off. :) to help OrangeX with the starters: Pangsit (fried Wonton). Read about it this weekend.
Bon appétit!
I did my first “Lempers” this weekend. You're surely wondering what lempers are. They're like big sushi rolls with a mildly spiced chicken filling. In the meatime, Orangex was preparing another batch of Risolles for the weekend. And they (Lemper and Risolles) are now resting in the freezer until next weekend. We invited a few friends for a “Taste of Indonesia” this coming Saturday. As you may know, OrangeX’s parents were both born in Indonesia, but decided to move to Holland in the 50’s, when they were given the choice to either give up the Dutch nationality or become part of the independant Indonesia (read more here).
To make it short, here are basic the ingredients (may differ slightly depending on the region)
500 gr. Ketan (sticky rice)
200 gr. Chicken breast, boiled and shredded
1 large Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 stalk Lemon grass
1 Tsp. Trassi (shimp paste) finely chopped
2 Tsp. Turmeric (Curcuma, ground)
2 Tsp. Cumin (Ground)
2 Tsp. Coriander (Ground)
250 ml. Coconut milk
2 Tbl. Oil
Sugar to taste
Eventually salt
A BIG bowl a water (for your hands) AND a sushi mat (buy one, you won't be sorry!)
Boil the sticky rice (sushi rice) with double the amount of water. Let it cool slightly and then steam for another 10-15 minutes until the rice is soft inside (this is not a risotto) and leave to cool.
Boil the chicken in some lightly salted water. Set aside. Finely chop onions, garlic and lemon grass. Heat oil in a wok and fry onion, garlic and lemon grass mixture.
Once slightly browned, add shredded chicken and other spices. Keep frying for a further 3 -5 minutes then add the coconut milk and reduce until the mixture is almost dry again. Leave to cool.
NOTE: Not all coconut milks have the same sweetness. You may have to add a bit of salt and/or sugar. Just try and adjust. I should have a slight sweet taste.
It should look a bit like this.
Make sure to have enough working space and lay your sushi mat on a wooden cutting board (easier to cut the platic Saran wrap to size). Pull a sheet of plastic foil over mat and cut to size of the mat. Soak BOTH hands in water, take a handfull of cooled sticky rice (by then you’ll know why it earned that name... if you haven’t dipped your hands in water first, that is!), form a tight ball and spread approx. 12x8x1cm rectangle on a sheet of plastic wrap.
Then add approx. 1 tablespoon of chicken filling in the middle of the rectangle and bring both ends of the suhi mat together until the rice covers the filling and press slightly.
Now you gotta roll the sushi mat until the filling is covered wtih rice. Push in the ends (you still have plastic wrap in there, yes? Good.) and fold the sides of the Saran inwards and roll again tightly towards you. Then roll the Saran tightly to close and put aside. This is what it should look like.
Okay, once again, Mr. Blogger will not let me post more pictures, but you can find the whole procedure to follow here. Sorry about that. I added captions to the picts, so that you know what I'm doing.
Repeat until you’re done with the rice and the filling. Rinse your hands every time you take new rice. You might screw up the first 2-3 lempers (like I did), but you’ll get the feel and hang of it.
You can now either freeze them for later use (like we did) and/or steam them (in the Saran wrap) and serve hot or lukewarm just like that or with a sweet chilli sauce. If you like a decorative touch, take them out of the Saran and roll in clean banana leaves to steam.
This Friday, I took the day off (hey, no holidays, so I've gotta take some days off. :) to help OrangeX with the starters: Pangsit (fried Wonton). Read about it this weekend.
Bon appétit!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Canada July 2005
Nope, there's no typo in the date above. Today's the day where OrangeX and I were supposed to leave for 3 weeks of vacation to Canada. Unfortunately, we had to postpone our trip by 6 months. Why 6 months? Because OrangeX just moved the company he's reponsible for into our (where I work) offices, had to hire and train a newcomer (so forget July!), August and September are the last preps for the biggest European Rehab exhibition and a training week for all European Product Managers on our line of products, October the big exhibition and November is end of the fiscal year for us, so again a no-no for OrangeX. We're left with December/January in Canada. The good thing about it is that it will be my first Chistmas and New Year there since I left in 1984... Can you believe it? We're both looking froward to that.
As you all know, OrangeX and I are preparing to move to Canada as of mid next year and we had planned a trip to "check out a few things there" before we move. Well, that trip would have been today, but because of professional reasons mentioned above, we had to postpone.
Yesterday morning, I went on MerlinPrincess' blog and found that she had put up a post and pictures of the Perreault brigde. The thing is, I was there just last year at about the same time of year while visiting a good friend of mine. That bridge is in a tiny village called Notre-Dame-des-Pins in the middle of nowhere. Well, when I saw the picts on MP's site, it took me back to our visit one year ago an I could hear the laughter, smell the air and I was just back there again. This gave me the idea of today's post.
Since we're not really going anywhere this summer, I thought I'd tell you about our trip last summer. So the first thing I did yesterday after the groceries was to go through our Canada pictures of 2005 and set up an album. OrangeX made a movie DVD out of our trip, but I think 25 minutes would be a bit too much for blogger :)
Our trip started at my Dad's house in L'Orignal, a small village right next to Hawkesbury where I grew up. Both towns are situated pretty much between Montreal and Ottawa. We spent most of our time visiting friends and my family. The first friend I was to see was of course my best friend Christiane!
On the 9th of July, we were invited to my uncle André's 60th surprise party. It was fun to meet with the whole family again. I must say that my aunts and uncles on my Mom's side - without exception - love a good party and are all big kids inside, which makes it a fun bunch to be with. I can't remember one party with them where I didn't laugh tears at some point. Oh, and I'd never call them "uncle ..." or "aunt ...". They all say: "I have a name; use it".
The birthday boy (BTW, today's the 9th -Happy 61st, André!)
I did want to show Orange a bit of the region so we arranged a trip to Montreal, Québec City, through the region of Beauce, Québec and back home throught the Eastern Townships. We first went to Montreal to visit Jesper, OrangeX's previous boss, who has moved there 3 years ago.
Having a typical French Canadian beer: a "Bleue"!
After our stop-over at Jesper's, we made our way to Quebec City where we met our good friends Julie and Harold. I hadn't seen Julie in about 6 years, so it was great to see her again.
Julie and I meet again after 6 years
We drove to Lévy where we took the Ferry to the old town of Québec for lunch. Harold gave us a tour of the old town and then we left late afternoon for their home in Notre-Dame-des-Pins in the township of Beauce. We spent a few wonderful days with them and of course visited the Perreault brigde. Sadly, we had to return, but only to meet up with other friends. But we shall return to see them again.
The Château Frontenac
The Perreault bridge
We also arranged for some relax time. One can't party all the time... Well, we did anyway... party that is; only the surroundings were more relaxing. My best friend, Christiane, her husband Bob and their two wonderful boys, Gab and Christophe, had rented a cottage at a Lake Craig, about 30 minutes drive from Hawkesbury. Believe it or not, I felt like I was in another world. I had forgotten about the beauty and untouched nature that was so close to my home town. Michèle (Christiane's sister) and her hubby Patrick met us at the cottage and Sylvie and Jean-Yves were already waiting for us to arrive. So, continuous partying in a peaceful environment. See for yourselves:
View from the cottage on Lake Craig
Orange and Patrick - Is there no beer left?
I think I've posted enough for today, but I think you will understand why I miss Canada so much. Anyway, you can find the album here. I have of course not included the cleavage shots that Orange and the other guys did during our time at Lake Craig. Must have been Christiane's strawberry daiquiris that made 'em do it.....????...... Naaaahhh.
As you all know, OrangeX and I are preparing to move to Canada as of mid next year and we had planned a trip to "check out a few things there" before we move. Well, that trip would have been today, but because of professional reasons mentioned above, we had to postpone.
Yesterday morning, I went on MerlinPrincess' blog and found that she had put up a post and pictures of the Perreault brigde. The thing is, I was there just last year at about the same time of year while visiting a good friend of mine. That bridge is in a tiny village called Notre-Dame-des-Pins in the middle of nowhere. Well, when I saw the picts on MP's site, it took me back to our visit one year ago an I could hear the laughter, smell the air and I was just back there again. This gave me the idea of today's post.
Since we're not really going anywhere this summer, I thought I'd tell you about our trip last summer. So the first thing I did yesterday after the groceries was to go through our Canada pictures of 2005 and set up an album. OrangeX made a movie DVD out of our trip, but I think 25 minutes would be a bit too much for blogger :)
Our trip started at my Dad's house in L'Orignal, a small village right next to Hawkesbury where I grew up. Both towns are situated pretty much between Montreal and Ottawa. We spent most of our time visiting friends and my family. The first friend I was to see was of course my best friend Christiane!
On the 9th of July, we were invited to my uncle André's 60th surprise party. It was fun to meet with the whole family again. I must say that my aunts and uncles on my Mom's side - without exception - love a good party and are all big kids inside, which makes it a fun bunch to be with. I can't remember one party with them where I didn't laugh tears at some point. Oh, and I'd never call them "uncle ..." or "aunt ...". They all say: "I have a name; use it".
The birthday boy (BTW, today's the 9th -Happy 61st, André!)I did want to show Orange a bit of the region so we arranged a trip to Montreal, Québec City, through the region of Beauce, Québec and back home throught the Eastern Townships. We first went to Montreal to visit Jesper, OrangeX's previous boss, who has moved there 3 years ago.
Having a typical French Canadian beer: a "Bleue"!
After our stop-over at Jesper's, we made our way to Quebec City where we met our good friends Julie and Harold. I hadn't seen Julie in about 6 years, so it was great to see her again.
Julie and I meet again after 6 yearsWe drove to Lévy where we took the Ferry to the old town of Québec for lunch. Harold gave us a tour of the old town and then we left late afternoon for their home in Notre-Dame-des-Pins in the township of Beauce. We spent a few wonderful days with them and of course visited the Perreault brigde. Sadly, we had to return, but only to meet up with other friends. But we shall return to see them again.
The Château Frontenac
The Perreault bridgeWe also arranged for some relax time. One can't party all the time... Well, we did anyway... party that is; only the surroundings were more relaxing. My best friend, Christiane, her husband Bob and their two wonderful boys, Gab and Christophe, had rented a cottage at a Lake Craig, about 30 minutes drive from Hawkesbury. Believe it or not, I felt like I was in another world. I had forgotten about the beauty and untouched nature that was so close to my home town. Michèle (Christiane's sister) and her hubby Patrick met us at the cottage and Sylvie and Jean-Yves were already waiting for us to arrive. So, continuous partying in a peaceful environment. See for yourselves:
View from the cottage on Lake Craig
Orange and Patrick - Is there no beer left?I think I've posted enough for today, but I think you will understand why I miss Canada so much. Anyway, you can find the album here. I have of course not included the cleavage shots that Orange and the other guys did during our time at Lake Craig. Must have been Christiane's strawberry daiquiris that made 'em do it.....????...... Naaaahhh.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Week update
As you know, we came back from Amsterdam two weeks ago. Man! Time sure goes by fast, doesn’t it? It seem like if it was just a few days ago! But you’ll understand why in the next few lines. I’m zonked, so I’ll try to keep it short.
As I mentioned in our last post, Jaap and Patricia were making a stop-over at our place on their way down to Bari, Italy, where they were invited to a wedding. They arrived here on Wednesday evening (June 21) and stayed overnight before continuing their trip southward on Thursday morning. They arrived safely in Bari on Friday morning. Imagine: They drove about 1700 km (about 1065 miles) and that, one way. I know that for you folks in North America, it doesn’t seem very extraordinary, but for Europe, it’s a stretch that one would usually fly. Well, I would.
Anyway, they came back last Monday and decided to spend the week here. While Orange and I were working, Jaap and Patricia slept in... No wait. Jaap slept in and Patricia got up early to study in the morning. They usually spent their afternoons at the public pool nearby or went into Basle to do some shopping. And when we got home from work, a lovely dinner was always waiting for us. We like call Jaap our little Jamie Oliver because he loves to cook and is extremely good at it. Now who wouldn’t like to have guests like that? You come home after a hard day's work, have a drink and then you are served dinner. Ahhhh!
On Friday evening, we invited them to dinner at the “Wacker”, a restaurant nearby that serves “Charbonade”. You get a mini charcoal grill and about 200-250 gr. of thinly cut pieces of pork, beef and veal that you grill youself, plus diverse pickles, three different home made sauces and fries. The boys decided to go for that and believe me, after an appetizer, the Charbonade was almost a bit too much. Being the men that they are, the bravourously finished their plates and nothing but a few fries and pickles were left. I must say that they had a refill of fresh fries and sauces about halfway through their meal.
That evening, Patricia and I went to bed around half past midnight and the boys chatted outside on the terrasse until about 3:30 am. That's also when Orange took Dale - who was deep asleep on his favourite spot in the garden- back inside. Dale was all wushi-washi and didn't care being dragged in one bit!
The next day, Patricia and Jaap left to go back to Holland. It was a great week and we hope that they could really relax a bit and take a break from their hectic lives. We know they’ll be back soon and look forward to it.
I don’t know why, but we took very few pictures while they were here. I suppose that we were too tired in the evenings to even think about it. Luckily, Jaap took a few with his cell phone.
Last evening, we were invited for a lovely dinner at Berit’s, a work colleague of mine. We spent a very nice, relaxed evening. After all the entertaining and being entertained, this is what we are doing today. The weather is beautiful and we're just laying around.
Ahh, my Adonis :)
Notice the Dutch beeron the left?? Ve-e-ery important!
PS: I have been trying to follow all of you, but my evenings were busy with our guests, and on occasions, I did visit you during my lunch breaks. So, even though I didn’t always comment, I tried to at least read your entries. Hope things calm down a bit, but summer and fall are always the busiest times at work. Have a great week!
As I mentioned in our last post, Jaap and Patricia were making a stop-over at our place on their way down to Bari, Italy, where they were invited to a wedding. They arrived here on Wednesday evening (June 21) and stayed overnight before continuing their trip southward on Thursday morning. They arrived safely in Bari on Friday morning. Imagine: They drove about 1700 km (about 1065 miles) and that, one way. I know that for you folks in North America, it doesn’t seem very extraordinary, but for Europe, it’s a stretch that one would usually fly. Well, I would.
Anyway, they came back last Monday and decided to spend the week here. While Orange and I were working, Jaap and Patricia slept in... No wait. Jaap slept in and Patricia got up early to study in the morning. They usually spent their afternoons at the public pool nearby or went into Basle to do some shopping. And when we got home from work, a lovely dinner was always waiting for us. We like call Jaap our little Jamie Oliver because he loves to cook and is extremely good at it. Now who wouldn’t like to have guests like that? You come home after a hard day's work, have a drink and then you are served dinner. Ahhhh!
On Friday evening, we invited them to dinner at the “Wacker”, a restaurant nearby that serves “Charbonade”. You get a mini charcoal grill and about 200-250 gr. of thinly cut pieces of pork, beef and veal that you grill youself, plus diverse pickles, three different home made sauces and fries. The boys decided to go for that and believe me, after an appetizer, the Charbonade was almost a bit too much. Being the men that they are, the bravourously finished their plates and nothing but a few fries and pickles were left. I must say that they had a refill of fresh fries and sauces about halfway through their meal.
That evening, Patricia and I went to bed around half past midnight and the boys chatted outside on the terrasse until about 3:30 am. That's also when Orange took Dale - who was deep asleep on his favourite spot in the garden- back inside. Dale was all wushi-washi and didn't care being dragged in one bit!
The next day, Patricia and Jaap left to go back to Holland. It was a great week and we hope that they could really relax a bit and take a break from their hectic lives. We know they’ll be back soon and look forward to it.
I don’t know why, but we took very few pictures while they were here. I suppose that we were too tired in the evenings to even think about it. Luckily, Jaap took a few with his cell phone.
Last evening, we were invited for a lovely dinner at Berit’s, a work colleague of mine. We spent a very nice, relaxed evening. After all the entertaining and being entertained, this is what we are doing today. The weather is beautiful and we're just laying around.
Ahh, my Adonis :)
Notice the Dutch beeron the left?? Ve-e-ery important!PS: I have been trying to follow all of you, but my evenings were busy with our guests, and on occasions, I did visit you during my lunch breaks. So, even though I didn’t always comment, I tried to at least read your entries. Hope things calm down a bit, but summer and fall are always the busiest times at work. Have a great week!
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Playing tourists in Amsterdam
Finally, I took the time to go through the God know how may pictures Orange took.
We took an Easyjet flight (that finally cost us more than if we had booked a Swiss flight a week later!! Tsss!) on Friday afternoon from Basel to Amsterdam. We got there on time (5:30 pm) and Brenda and Harry were already waiting for us. We had to rush – Holland was playing against Ivory Coast at 6pm - but there was a lot of traffic on the road. Thank goodness, Harry and Bren know their way around, so we got off the highway and found another faster way to get us home for the match. We called a delivery service for dinner during half time (a very good one, too) Anyway, I guess is that you all know by now that Holland won the game.
So, OrangeX and I were both very tired and went to bed quite early. We did have a very busy schedule for the next day. We were – for the first time – really going to play tourists in Amsterdam! Yay! And you know what? My credit card did not suffer from the many, many stores and shops all Saturday!
We got up around 8:30am and had some coffee and a bite to eat, and waited for Jaap and Patricia to arrive. We had set to meet up at Bren and Harry’s around noon and then take the 7 minute train ride from Diemen to Amsterdam. We arrived at Amsterdam Central Station around 1 pm and started walking through this gorgeous city. We made our way through Damrak (one of the main streets leading to the centre from A’dam Central Station) to Dam Square to have our first stop for a snack (Bittergarnituur) and a drink (okay, we had 2 drinks) at a very friendly coffee house called “Majestic”. After the break, we walked onto Rokin, around to Kloveniersburgwal, crossed the Red Light District by day and then back to Station Square.
We planned to take one of these tourist boat rides, but wanted a boat that was open (either in the centre, or even better, in the back part of the boats) – it was just too hot to be in any closed cabin!! We found a first boat and stood in line, like most cultured folks do, and then, we all got very pissed off! A group of tourists stood in a separate lane with their rented bicycles (!) and had the guts to tell the captain’s assistant that they were told that they can go in first and take up the uncovered deck!! (although it wasn’t true because we were right behind them when we bought our tickets). We ended up taking the next boat and had our peace and quiet.
After the boat ride we got off again at Central Station and crossed over to the Nieuwendijk and yes, what a surprise, we came across a McDonald’s where made a quick stop for ice and burgers (well, the men had burgers). After the short stop, we got thirsty again and dropped down on the first available terrace for another drink. We continued our way to cross the Dam Square for the second time that day to continue our walk through Kalverstraat, through the Heilige Weg leading via Koninsplein to the Leidsestraat. The Leidsestraat ends at the Leidseplein, known for the many terraces in summer. On the Leidseplein, we were lucky to find an empty table, well almost empty, to sit down and quench our thirst again. We enjoyed the setting sun while chatting and watching the people going by.
We had planned to have dinner at the Casino, not far from the Leidseplein, so after our drinks we made our way to the Casino and arrived there around 19.30. We went in, paid our entrance fees and reserved a table for 20.15. Once our table was ready we sat down and looked at the great menu. A dinner in the Casino is not very expensive, the choice is excellent and the portions are huge.
We walked back through the Red Light District (this time by night) to Central station to catch a train back to Dieme.
We slept like babies that night. Hey, after all, I think we walked about 25 km that day! On Sunday, we drove by Orange's Ex for a coffee and then drove off to Ma & Pa's for lunch on Father's day. Guess what we had... Freshly made Risolles! What a treat!
I wanted to upload a map of what we walked that day, but Blogger doesn't take PDFs (a normal JPEG would not have shown enough) :-(
And because Blogger is rebelling again and not letting me post pictures, you’ll find all our trip photos here. Make sure to read the captions. You'll find more detailed information about most pictures.
I'll try to post a few again later (if his Highness Blogger permits!)
Anyway, we once again had a wonderful time with family and friends!
We took an Easyjet flight (that finally cost us more than if we had booked a Swiss flight a week later!! Tsss!) on Friday afternoon from Basel to Amsterdam. We got there on time (5:30 pm) and Brenda and Harry were already waiting for us. We had to rush – Holland was playing against Ivory Coast at 6pm - but there was a lot of traffic on the road. Thank goodness, Harry and Bren know their way around, so we got off the highway and found another faster way to get us home for the match. We called a delivery service for dinner during half time (a very good one, too) Anyway, I guess is that you all know by now that Holland won the game.
So, OrangeX and I were both very tired and went to bed quite early. We did have a very busy schedule for the next day. We were – for the first time – really going to play tourists in Amsterdam! Yay! And you know what? My credit card did not suffer from the many, many stores and shops all Saturday!
We got up around 8:30am and had some coffee and a bite to eat, and waited for Jaap and Patricia to arrive. We had set to meet up at Bren and Harry’s around noon and then take the 7 minute train ride from Diemen to Amsterdam. We arrived at Amsterdam Central Station around 1 pm and started walking through this gorgeous city. We made our way through Damrak (one of the main streets leading to the centre from A’dam Central Station) to Dam Square to have our first stop for a snack (Bittergarnituur) and a drink (okay, we had 2 drinks) at a very friendly coffee house called “Majestic”. After the break, we walked onto Rokin, around to Kloveniersburgwal, crossed the Red Light District by day and then back to Station Square.
We planned to take one of these tourist boat rides, but wanted a boat that was open (either in the centre, or even better, in the back part of the boats) – it was just too hot to be in any closed cabin!! We found a first boat and stood in line, like most cultured folks do, and then, we all got very pissed off! A group of tourists stood in a separate lane with their rented bicycles (!) and had the guts to tell the captain’s assistant that they were told that they can go in first and take up the uncovered deck!! (although it wasn’t true because we were right behind them when we bought our tickets). We ended up taking the next boat and had our peace and quiet.
After the boat ride we got off again at Central Station and crossed over to the Nieuwendijk and yes, what a surprise, we came across a McDonald’s where made a quick stop for ice and burgers (well, the men had burgers). After the short stop, we got thirsty again and dropped down on the first available terrace for another drink. We continued our way to cross the Dam Square for the second time that day to continue our walk through Kalverstraat, through the Heilige Weg leading via Koninsplein to the Leidsestraat. The Leidsestraat ends at the Leidseplein, known for the many terraces in summer. On the Leidseplein, we were lucky to find an empty table, well almost empty, to sit down and quench our thirst again. We enjoyed the setting sun while chatting and watching the people going by.
We had planned to have dinner at the Casino, not far from the Leidseplein, so after our drinks we made our way to the Casino and arrived there around 19.30. We went in, paid our entrance fees and reserved a table for 20.15. Once our table was ready we sat down and looked at the great menu. A dinner in the Casino is not very expensive, the choice is excellent and the portions are huge.
We walked back through the Red Light District (this time by night) to Central station to catch a train back to Dieme.
We slept like babies that night. Hey, after all, I think we walked about 25 km that day! On Sunday, we drove by Orange's Ex for a coffee and then drove off to Ma & Pa's for lunch on Father's day. Guess what we had... Freshly made Risolles! What a treat!
I wanted to upload a map of what we walked that day, but Blogger doesn't take PDFs (a normal JPEG would not have shown enough) :-(
And because Blogger is rebelling again and not letting me post pictures, you’ll find all our trip photos here. Make sure to read the captions. You'll find more detailed information about most pictures.
I'll try to post a few again later (if his Highness Blogger permits!)
Anyway, we once again had a wonderful time with family and friends!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
We're back from A'dam - Amended
*** I added 2 more picts and will now start to go through the 100 and something photos we took in Holland ***
Yes, we just got home about an hour and a half ago to find a soaking wet Dale sqeezing himself from under his shelter (our covered grill). We had asked Paolo and Markus to feed him while we were in Holland and since the weather was so nice, they decided to leave him outside after feeding him his dinner tonight. An hour after that, it covered up real quick and it started pouring down! Dale was dumb enough to leave his backside outside of the covered area so he was dry from the waist (do cats have waists??) up and the rest looked like he'd been dipped in a pool. I did my best to dry him off, but his backside really looked funny. I should have taken a picture, but he seemed sooooo ashamded of his looks! I just didn't have the heart to do it.
So, reel back to last week (you can read about our trip to Holland later) at Jasmine's birthday. Jasmine is a charming young co-worker of ours who just turned 26 last Wednesday and OrangeX and I (odlies, compared to the rest) were invited to her B-Day party and we weren't even the oldest there! Now how lovely is that!?! It was such a great mix of open minded people.
There was a lot of BBQ-ing - OrangeX and Doni were making sure that all was cooked to perfection. There was music, then the soccer fans watched the Germany vs. Poland match, then more loud music. It was just great! We chatted, laughed and had a wonderful time. Our group from work gave Jasmine 2 VIP-tickets to go to the Knie Circus, (link in German/French only) the most famous Swiss Circus family in Switzerland (they hosted the Cirque du Soleil somewhere in the mid-90's).
Here are a few picts of the evening.
Jasmine and her lovely (and very cool) mom
From l. to r. Bianca, Nelli and Patricia
I can't remember all the names (I'm very bad at it!), but here are a few more:
Nani, Michael (I think) and Cristian. Hmmm. Looks like our friend Cristian in the back is getting a wee bit tired.
Doni and Sanya (Sp??)
Just to let you know: Jasmine was sooo nervous that she a) either wouldn't have enough food, or b) not be able to serve her guests what they would "rather have" (she told me that on the very afternoon) that she ended up in bed before we did. Well Jasmine: You did a wonderful job of it! We all had a great time, more than enough to eat and drink, and meeting your family and friends was very enriching and fun.
By the way, I hope to be able to catch up, because I have very little time. Jaap and Patricia are dropping-in on Wednesday on their way to Bari, Italy for a friends' wedding and probably on the way back up again, too. So, stay tuned!
Yes, we just got home about an hour and a half ago to find a soaking wet Dale sqeezing himself from under his shelter (our covered grill). We had asked Paolo and Markus to feed him while we were in Holland and since the weather was so nice, they decided to leave him outside after feeding him his dinner tonight. An hour after that, it covered up real quick and it started pouring down! Dale was dumb enough to leave his backside outside of the covered area so he was dry from the waist (do cats have waists??) up and the rest looked like he'd been dipped in a pool. I did my best to dry him off, but his backside really looked funny. I should have taken a picture, but he seemed sooooo ashamded of his looks! I just didn't have the heart to do it.
So, reel back to last week (you can read about our trip to Holland later) at Jasmine's birthday. Jasmine is a charming young co-worker of ours who just turned 26 last Wednesday and OrangeX and I (odlies, compared to the rest) were invited to her B-Day party and we weren't even the oldest there! Now how lovely is that!?! It was such a great mix of open minded people.
There was a lot of BBQ-ing - OrangeX and Doni were making sure that all was cooked to perfection. There was music, then the soccer fans watched the Germany vs. Poland match, then more loud music. It was just great! We chatted, laughed and had a wonderful time. Our group from work gave Jasmine 2 VIP-tickets to go to the Knie Circus, (link in German/French only) the most famous Swiss Circus family in Switzerland (they hosted the Cirque du Soleil somewhere in the mid-90's).
Here are a few picts of the evening.
Jasmine and her lovely (and very cool) mom
From l. to r. Bianca, Nelli and Patricia
I can't remember all the names (I'm very bad at it!), but here are a few more:
Nani, Michael (I think) and Cristian. Hmmm. Looks like our friend Cristian in the back is getting a wee bit tired.
Doni and Sanya (Sp??)
Just to let you know: Jasmine was sooo nervous that she a) either wouldn't have enough food, or b) not be able to serve her guests what they would "rather have" (she told me that on the very afternoon) that she ended up in bed before we did. Well Jasmine: You did a wonderful job of it! We all had a great time, more than enough to eat and drink, and meeting your family and friends was very enriching and fun.
By the way, I hope to be able to catch up, because I have very little time. Jaap and Patricia are dropping-in on Wednesday on their way to Bari, Italy for a friends' wedding and probably on the way back up again, too. So, stay tuned!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Our week and cat entertainement
Here's a bit of entertainment while I work on my next posts (coming up in the coming days). Here's a sum-up of what we've been up to this week.
Saturday: OrangeX finalised the move of the company into our building (from 6:30 am until 8pm!). I spent about 6 hours reading through about 55 CV's for him to sort the "Yes'", "Maybes" and "NOTs".
Sunday: Chilling out... I think...
Monday-Wed.: Work, reading more CV's in the evening, not eating before 10pm and creating a birthday card for a friend that *%&&*!!%! wouldn't print out right (read about Jasmine's B-Day party later).
Wednesday evening: Jasmine's Party until 2:30 am
Today- I'm off but we cleaned the house, did most of the laundry, it's beautiful, hot, sticky weather and OrangeX is still going through CV's.
On another note (and to keep you busy), just follow this link. Some of you might know this video already, but I love watching it over and over again. BTW, do I have to download the film onto my harddisk (if not self made) to upload it again on blogger?
Anyway, just enjoy.
PS: Hey, we're off to Holland tomorrow, so stay tuned. More to follow soon. Have a great, sunny weekend!
Saturday: OrangeX finalised the move of the company into our building (from 6:30 am until 8pm!). I spent about 6 hours reading through about 55 CV's for him to sort the "Yes'", "Maybes" and "NOTs".
Sunday: Chilling out... I think...
Monday-Wed.: Work, reading more CV's in the evening, not eating before 10pm and creating a birthday card for a friend that *%&&*!!%! wouldn't print out right (read about Jasmine's B-Day party later).
Wednesday evening: Jasmine's Party until 2:30 am
Today- I'm off but we cleaned the house, did most of the laundry, it's beautiful, hot, sticky weather and OrangeX is still going through CV's.
On another note (and to keep you busy), just follow this link. Some of you might know this video already, but I love watching it over and over again. BTW, do I have to download the film onto my harddisk (if not self made) to upload it again on blogger?
Anyway, just enjoy.
PS: Hey, we're off to Holland tomorrow, so stay tuned. More to follow soon. Have a great, sunny weekend!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Where I've been...
These are the places I've visited and I loved them all. OrangeX has a few more places, but I'd like to visit much more!!
Where have you been??
Have a good week!
create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands
By the way, I stole it from this fabulous guy
Where have you been??
Have a good week!
create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands
By the way, I stole it from this fabulous guy
Monday, June 05, 2006
Nothing special
We've taken this Whit Monday weekend to do following: spring cleaning (you know, all these little things you put off until you've had enough of it), washing and OrangeX spent 6-8 hours daily on work. He has to move his company over to the location I am at this week, so lot's of logistic work. The good thing is, we'll be working in one building.
Otherwise, nothing special going on. We both need a break, so I'm holding back with the blogging, but we'll be back soon with new adventures (we're off to Holland in 2 weeks!!!) AND I'm taking my laptop with me. Hopefully, I'll find some time during the game between Holland and Ivory Coast to put up a post (and picts of the addicted) :-)
Have a good week!
Otherwise, nothing special going on. We both need a break, so I'm holding back with the blogging, but we'll be back soon with new adventures (we're off to Holland in 2 weeks!!!) AND I'm taking my laptop with me. Hopefully, I'll find some time during the game between Holland and Ivory Coast to put up a post (and picts of the addicted) :-)
Have a good week!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tongue Twister
After our house warming 2 years ago, we were certified as party animals and caterers by a colleague of ours. He provided us with a shield, warning for a party going on (organised by CS and OX), and provided us with a the full documentation including CE marking and TÜV testing reports. One of the drinks, we were granted to serve, described in the extensive paper work, our colleague refers to as "Tongue Twister".
Today I received an e-mail from our HR manager. This is a real verbal Tongue Twister. It describes a translation from German into English. Try this one out and follow the three categories of difficulty. I can assure you, you're going to need a cloth to wipe your environment clean again after going through this. A good suggestion for a party with friends after you've had a few drinks. Good luck and enjoy!!
Stage 1 For beginners:
Drei Hexen schauen sich drei Swatch Uhren an.
Welche Hexe schaut welche Swatch Uhr an?
and now the English translation:
Three witches watch three Swatch watches.
Which witch watches which Swatch watch?
Stage 2 Advanced English:
Drei geschlechtsumgewandelte Hexen schauen sich drei
Swatch Uhrenknöpfe an.
Welche geschlechtsumgewandelte Hexe schaut sich welchen
Swatch Uhrenknopf an?
and now the English translation:
Three switched witches watch three Swatch watch switches.
Which switched witch watches which Swatch watch switch?
Stage 3: highest level of Tongue Twisting:
Drei schweizer Hexen-Schlampen, die sich wünschen geschlechts-
umgewandelt zu sein, wünschen sich drei schweizer Swatch Uhrenknöpfe anzuschauen.
Welche schweizer Hexen-Schlampe, die sich wünscht geschlechts-
umgewandelt zu sein, wünscht sich welchen schweizer Swatch Uhrenknopf anzuschauen?
and now the English translation:
Three swiss witch-bitches, which wished to be switched swiss witch-bitches,
wish to watch three swiss Swatch switches.
Which swiss witch-bitch which wishes to be a switched swiss witch-bitch,
wishes to watch wich swiss Swatch watch switch?
Today I received an e-mail from our HR manager. This is a real verbal Tongue Twister. It describes a translation from German into English. Try this one out and follow the three categories of difficulty. I can assure you, you're going to need a cloth to wipe your environment clean again after going through this. A good suggestion for a party with friends after you've had a few drinks. Good luck and enjoy!!
Stage 1 For beginners:
Drei Hexen schauen sich drei Swatch Uhren an.
Welche Hexe schaut welche Swatch Uhr an?
and now the English translation:
Three witches watch three Swatch watches.
Which witch watches which Swatch watch?
Stage 2 Advanced English:
Drei geschlechtsumgewandelte Hexen schauen sich drei
Swatch Uhrenknöpfe an.
Welche geschlechtsumgewandelte Hexe schaut sich welchen
Swatch Uhrenknopf an?
and now the English translation:
Three switched witches watch three Swatch watch switches.
Which switched witch watches which Swatch watch switch?
Stage 3: highest level of Tongue Twisting:
Drei schweizer Hexen-Schlampen, die sich wünschen geschlechts-
umgewandelt zu sein, wünschen sich drei schweizer Swatch Uhrenknöpfe anzuschauen.
Welche schweizer Hexen-Schlampe, die sich wünscht geschlechts-
umgewandelt zu sein, wünscht sich welchen schweizer Swatch Uhrenknopf anzuschauen?
and now the English translation:
Three swiss witch-bitches, which wished to be switched swiss witch-bitches,
wish to watch three swiss Swatch switches.
Which swiss witch-bitch which wishes to be a switched swiss witch-bitch,
wishes to watch wich swiss Swatch watch switch?
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Risolles
While CS was blogging away, I did some cooking for tonight. Before doing the groceries yesterday we discussed what to have for dinner. I realised it has been a long time since I made Risolles, not to be confused with the irish "rissole", even though the preparation method and the end result seem to be quite similar.
Risolles is an Indonesian snack or dish. Imagine a pancake filled with a thick ragout consisting of chicken and mushrooms, mixed in a butter, flower, milk and water basis. Actually it is not that weird that indonesian recipes have european equivalents or origins. Indonesia has a long history of occupations by several nations, ranging from the Portuguese, through the Japanese to the Dutch. Both my parents were born and partly raised in Indonesia. My father was born in Bandung, provincial capital of West-Java, my mother was born in Cirebon on the North Coast of Java. That's where my love for Indonesian food comes from. I grew up on it!
Anyway, I spent almost 3 hours in the kitchen to prepare our dish for tonight and once you're on it, it's worth while to prepare more than you can eat. Considering the long hours of preparation you'd better use it and freeze some of it for the days where you don't feel like cooking or simply lack the time to cook. If you're interested in trying it yourself, then have a look at the recipe below (thanks mom!). I tried to describe the steps as clearly as possible. Basically, I wanted to write down some of my favorite recipes for quite some time already, but somehow I never got to it. As I promised Sal to come up with a few, I decided this was the perfect moment to start the compilation of my personal cook book. So, be ready for some more recipes in the coming time! If you decide to try this recipe, go ahead and try. it's easier than it looks.
Pan fry in oil
Risolles is an Indonesian snack or dish. Imagine a pancake filled with a thick ragout consisting of chicken and mushrooms, mixed in a butter, flower, milk and water basis. Actually it is not that weird that indonesian recipes have european equivalents or origins. Indonesia has a long history of occupations by several nations, ranging from the Portuguese, through the Japanese to the Dutch. Both my parents were born and partly raised in Indonesia. My father was born in Bandung, provincial capital of West-Java, my mother was born in Cirebon on the North Coast of Java. That's where my love for Indonesian food comes from. I grew up on it!
Anyway, I spent almost 3 hours in the kitchen to prepare our dish for tonight and once you're on it, it's worth while to prepare more than you can eat. Considering the long hours of preparation you'd better use it and freeze some of it for the days where you don't feel like cooking or simply lack the time to cook. If you're interested in trying it yourself, then have a look at the recipe below (thanks mom!). I tried to describe the steps as clearly as possible. Basically, I wanted to write down some of my favorite recipes for quite some time already, but somehow I never got to it. As I promised Sal to come up with a few, I decided this was the perfect moment to start the compilation of my personal cook book. So, be ready for some more recipes in the coming time! If you decide to try this recipe, go ahead and try. it's easier than it looks.
RISOLLES
Ingredients for approximately 12 pc. of risolles:
4 Chicken legs with thigh
150g mushrooms (take small mushroom, diameter 3 – 3,5 cm)
3-4 eggs
1 onion
Butter
Flower
Milk
Water
Cream
Bread crumbs
Salt, pepper and nutmeg
Sherry or whiskey
Preparation time: 2 ½ - 3 hours
Preparing the filling
Salt and pepper the water and boil the chicken in it. Boil the chicken for approx. 10 minutes to half done. Take the chicken out of the water and let it cool off. Keep the broth to add in the preparation of the filling. After the chicken has cooled off, cut it in small cubes.
Clean the mushrooms and cut them in thin slices (3-4 mm thick). Cut the onion in quarters.
Now start preparing the basis for the filling. Melt butter in a pan, add the onion quarters. The butter should take the taste of the onion. While the butter melts start adding flower bit by bit to create a thick paste. The paste should be thick and firm as it will be used as filling for crepes. Keep stirring the butter to mix the flower with the butter. Add milk and water (50/50) and keep on stirring the paste to a thick equal mass. Add the chicken cubes and mix them with the ragout while stirring. In case the mass gets too thick or lumpy, add more milk and water. After all the chicken has been added, add salt and pepper to taste. Now add the sliced mushrooms and stir them into the ragout. Make sure the ragout doesn’t get stiff. If necessary, add more water and milk. After the mass has been stirred to a homogene mass, add a touch of nutmeg. Taste the mass and add salt, pepper and/or nutmeg to your likings. After this step add 1 egg and stir the egg through the mass until has been taken in completely. Once the mass is equally thick pour a bit of sherry or whiskey and stir it into the mass. After adding the sherry of whiskey, take the filling from the stove and let it cool off.
NOTE: Sherry will give a slightly sweet taste to the mass, whiskey will give the filling more “bite”.
Prepare the crepes
Mix flower, milk or water, a touch of salt and 1 egg to a thin dough. Use the dough to make thin crepes. Don’t let the crepes get too dark like pancakes. The crepes should stay middle brown as they will be filled with the mass and pan fried in oil afterwards. Let the crepes cool off before continuing.
Preparing the risolles
Take one crepe at the time and put a part of the mass in the middle of the crepe. Model it to a rectangular shape and then fold the sides of the crepe to the middle, creating a rectangular shape. The size of the risolles depends on the size of the crepes. Don’t overfill, otherwise the crepes will burst when fried in the oil! Repeat this until all crepes are filled.
A few pictures to show what it looks like:
Filling the crepe
Ingredients for approximately 12 pc. of risolles:
4 Chicken legs with thigh
150g mushrooms (take small mushroom, diameter 3 – 3,5 cm)
3-4 eggs
1 onion
Butter
Flower
Milk
Water
Cream
Bread crumbs
Salt, pepper and nutmeg
Sherry or whiskey
Preparation time: 2 ½ - 3 hours
Preparing the filling
Salt and pepper the water and boil the chicken in it. Boil the chicken for approx. 10 minutes to half done. Take the chicken out of the water and let it cool off. Keep the broth to add in the preparation of the filling. After the chicken has cooled off, cut it in small cubes.
Clean the mushrooms and cut them in thin slices (3-4 mm thick). Cut the onion in quarters.
Now start preparing the basis for the filling. Melt butter in a pan, add the onion quarters. The butter should take the taste of the onion. While the butter melts start adding flower bit by bit to create a thick paste. The paste should be thick and firm as it will be used as filling for crepes. Keep stirring the butter to mix the flower with the butter. Add milk and water (50/50) and keep on stirring the paste to a thick equal mass. Add the chicken cubes and mix them with the ragout while stirring. In case the mass gets too thick or lumpy, add more milk and water. After all the chicken has been added, add salt and pepper to taste. Now add the sliced mushrooms and stir them into the ragout. Make sure the ragout doesn’t get stiff. If necessary, add more water and milk. After the mass has been stirred to a homogene mass, add a touch of nutmeg. Taste the mass and add salt, pepper and/or nutmeg to your likings. After this step add 1 egg and stir the egg through the mass until has been taken in completely. Once the mass is equally thick pour a bit of sherry or whiskey and stir it into the mass. After adding the sherry of whiskey, take the filling from the stove and let it cool off.
NOTE: Sherry will give a slightly sweet taste to the mass, whiskey will give the filling more “bite”.
Prepare the crepes
Mix flower, milk or water, a touch of salt and 1 egg to a thin dough. Use the dough to make thin crepes. Don’t let the crepes get too dark like pancakes. The crepes should stay middle brown as they will be filled with the mass and pan fried in oil afterwards. Let the crepes cool off before continuing.
Preparing the risolles
Take one crepe at the time and put a part of the mass in the middle of the crepe. Model it to a rectangular shape and then fold the sides of the crepe to the middle, creating a rectangular shape. The size of the risolles depends on the size of the crepes. Don’t overfill, otherwise the crepes will burst when fried in the oil! Repeat this until all crepes are filled.
A few pictures to show what it looks like:
Filling the crepe
Modelling the filling into a rectangular shape
Folding the crepe
Folding the crepe
The way the risolles look after the filling and folding
Pan frying the risolles
Spread the bread crumbs on a plate, beat an egg and put it in a wide bowl or deep plate. Start heating a frying pan with a good layer of sunflower oil until the oil is hot. Take the first risolles, roll it through the egg and then through the bread crumbs. Put the risolles in the pan on the side where you’ve closed the crepe first, and turn it now and again until it has been fried golden all around. Once fried, take the risolles from the oil and let it drip dry on paper towel. Keep them in the oven at 80-90° when you want to serve them afterwards. Fry all risolles until done.
Pan frying the risolles
Spread the bread crumbs on a plate, beat an egg and put it in a wide bowl or deep plate. Start heating a frying pan with a good layer of sunflower oil until the oil is hot. Take the first risolles, roll it through the egg and then through the bread crumbs. Put the risolles in the pan on the side where you’ve closed the crepe first, and turn it now and again until it has been fried golden all around. Once fried, take the risolles from the oil and let it drip dry on paper towel. Keep them in the oven at 80-90° when you want to serve them afterwards. Fry all risolles until done.
Pan fry in oil
Turn the risolles to get brown all around
Serving the risolles
Risolles should be eaten warm. As sauce you can add either a sweet chilli sauce or mustard.
Risolles which has been prepared and fried can be kept in the freezer. To warm them up after taking them from the freezer heat up your oven to a 150°C (hot air oven) or a 170°C ( gas oven).
This is what risolles looks like after frying,
while drip drying on paper towel
Bon appetit!
Serving the risolles
Risolles should be eaten warm. As sauce you can add either a sweet chilli sauce or mustard.
Risolles which has been prepared and fried can be kept in the freezer. To warm them up after taking them from the freezer heat up your oven to a 150°C (hot air oven) or a 170°C ( gas oven).
This is what risolles looks like after frying,
while drip drying on paper towel
Bon appetit!
Random Flower Shots
This entry is for Expat Traveler. I know she loves flowers and, although we can definitely not be acknowledges as being even close to what one would even call a hobby photographer, OrangeX and I took a few very nice pictures and I thought they were worth posting.
Our Rhododendron, two weeks ago:
... and last weekend after a small shower....
... and here are close-ups of the beauty.
A few weeks ago, I also took pictures of the wisteria we have in our garden. Not only are they beautiful, but their scent makes you want to breathe them in.
Hope you have a great week.
BTW, does anyone know whay, when I post pictures, some can be blown up to the larger (normal) size and others not?? Just asking.
Our Rhododendron, two weeks ago:
... and last weekend after a small shower....
... and here are close-ups of the beauty.
A few weeks ago, I also took pictures of the wisteria we have in our garden. Not only are they beautiful, but their scent makes you want to breathe them in.
Hope you have a great week.
BTW, does anyone know whay, when I post pictures, some can be blown up to the larger (normal) size and others not?? Just asking.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Weekend starts today!
Today's Himmelfahrt (or Ascencion day, if you prefer) and we're off! We slept in until 10:30 this morning. I think we slept about 12 hours in a row. We must have needed it. I've taken tomorrow off as well which means that I have a four day weekend! Yeah! Hey, if we can't go on holidays this summer, we might just as well make bridges with holidays that fall close to the weekend, right? I've been spending most of the afternoon today visiting blog sites because I simply had too little time this week. I've got so much catching up to do!
Anyway, I do have a lot planned for tommorrow, like getting my summer tires on (I know - just didn't have the time), wash my car (it's full of pollen!), visit a few town halls for detailed infos the many places I've lived in Switzerland for Orange's application to move to Canada, do the groceries and pack for the evening. That's right, we're invited to a 50th birthday tomorrow and we're staying overnight. I'm sure I'll post about it. Hope the weather is good.
So what else is planned for the coming weeks? Well, we're flying to Amsterdam mid-June and end of July, we're off to visit our good friends Pinki and Andrea for 4 days in Vienna! What else is in store for us, I don't know just yet.
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend (mine started today!) Hehe!
Anyway, I do have a lot planned for tommorrow, like getting my summer tires on (I know - just didn't have the time), wash my car (it's full of pollen!), visit a few town halls for detailed infos the many places I've lived in Switzerland for Orange's application to move to Canada, do the groceries and pack for the evening. That's right, we're invited to a 50th birthday tomorrow and we're staying overnight. I'm sure I'll post about it. Hope the weather is good.
So what else is planned for the coming weeks? Well, we're flying to Amsterdam mid-June and end of July, we're off to visit our good friends Pinki and Andrea for 4 days in Vienna! What else is in store for us, I don't know just yet.
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend (mine started today!) Hehe!
Sunday, May 21, 2006
My first meme
Lovely Ginnie gave me.... No, let me put it this way... I took on a meme from her that consists in her giving me a letter – in this case, the letter H – and to find 10 words and to explain why I chose them. Anybody whising to take part in this meme, just let me know in your comments and I'll give you a letter.
So here’ goes:
Hawkesbury: The small town where I was born and grew up in. It lies on the shore of the Ottawa river, right at the boarder of the province of Quebec, has about 11’500 inhbitants and is about halway between donwtown Montreal and Ottawa. Not really exciting, but my home. What I always loved about it is the fact that it’s the 3rd most bilingual town in the province of Ontario. About 70% of the inhabitants are both fluent in french and english, Canada’s two official languages. When I was going to high school, I could choose to take any of my classes in either French or English. A big plus, if you ask me! Unfortunately, they stopped that now.
Holland: I love it because it’s just fantastic and has become part of my life. Of course Orange-X is from Amsterdam, but the country is so full of beauty and life! I have made quite a few friends there (and even had to part with one of them :-( - Eelco, we still think of you) and my Dutch family is there, too. Unlike what Orange says, I find the country very friendly, welcoming and open minded.
Hands: Probably the most fascinitaing of all body parts (okay, you dirty minds, there are others, too! ;-)). Did you know that hands are our chief organs for physically manipulating the environment, from the roughest to the finest motor skills and contains some of the densest areas of nerve endings on the human body??
Humour: I couldn’t live without it. Really! I’ve also been told I have a wierd sense of humour. I can take from black humour to the lightest (and I try to apply all). It’s the thing that keeps me going and the best way to enlighten most situations.
Hamburgers: What I miss most in Switzerland, right after my family and friends. Many expats will agree that McD and BurgerK just can’t reach the “real thing”! I just can’t seem to find the quality of meat (Canadian beef) and buns that don’t crumble once you have put hem on the grill for over 30 seconds!
Hair: You must be thinking: “Huh??”. Well, I had all imaginable colours in my hair from black blue, to red (really red!), to white blond (with exception of pink and purple). Yes, I like to try new things. So, now I have my orange glasses! People change, ya know?!
Halloween: It was my favourite "holiday" of the year when I was a kid. I cared more for the dressing up than for the candies (although also appreciated). I just found that pretending to be someone/thing else for an evening was so much fun!
Harmony: The most important thing in a relationship, but it all start with respect. Once you have that, you'll have harmony. It can also be someting related to music, which is also very important to me. I can't stand disharmony!! It hurts my ears (and my heart)!
Hot foods: I love hot foods! You name it: Thai, Indonesian, Indian, Mexican... As I always say: If it didn’t burn twice, it wasn’t hot! Hot and/or at least, served hot: I can’t stand having a (mild) fish served on a cold plate, either. By the time you take the first bite, the fish is cold! Yuk!
And to finish the meme...
Hug: What is better than getting a nice, sincere hug from a friend? I mean a real squeeze, here. Right??
I send all of you big hugs and hope you have a wonderful week!
So here’ goes:
Hawkesbury: The small town where I was born and grew up in. It lies on the shore of the Ottawa river, right at the boarder of the province of Quebec, has about 11’500 inhbitants and is about halway between donwtown Montreal and Ottawa. Not really exciting, but my home. What I always loved about it is the fact that it’s the 3rd most bilingual town in the province of Ontario. About 70% of the inhabitants are both fluent in french and english, Canada’s two official languages. When I was going to high school, I could choose to take any of my classes in either French or English. A big plus, if you ask me! Unfortunately, they stopped that now.
Holland: I love it because it’s just fantastic and has become part of my life. Of course Orange-X is from Amsterdam, but the country is so full of beauty and life! I have made quite a few friends there (and even had to part with one of them :-( - Eelco, we still think of you) and my Dutch family is there, too. Unlike what Orange says, I find the country very friendly, welcoming and open minded.
Hands: Probably the most fascinitaing of all body parts (okay, you dirty minds, there are others, too! ;-)). Did you know that hands are our chief organs for physically manipulating the environment, from the roughest to the finest motor skills and contains some of the densest areas of nerve endings on the human body??
Humour: I couldn’t live without it. Really! I’ve also been told I have a wierd sense of humour. I can take from black humour to the lightest (and I try to apply all). It’s the thing that keeps me going and the best way to enlighten most situations.
Hamburgers: What I miss most in Switzerland, right after my family and friends. Many expats will agree that McD and BurgerK just can’t reach the “real thing”! I just can’t seem to find the quality of meat (Canadian beef) and buns that don’t crumble once you have put hem on the grill for over 30 seconds!
Hair: You must be thinking: “Huh??”. Well, I had all imaginable colours in my hair from black blue, to red (really red!), to white blond (with exception of pink and purple). Yes, I like to try new things. So, now I have my orange glasses! People change, ya know?!
Halloween: It was my favourite "holiday" of the year when I was a kid. I cared more for the dressing up than for the candies (although also appreciated). I just found that pretending to be someone/thing else for an evening was so much fun!
Harmony: The most important thing in a relationship, but it all start with respect. Once you have that, you'll have harmony. It can also be someting related to music, which is also very important to me. I can't stand disharmony!! It hurts my ears (and my heart)!
Hot foods: I love hot foods! You name it: Thai, Indonesian, Indian, Mexican... As I always say: If it didn’t burn twice, it wasn’t hot! Hot and/or at least, served hot: I can’t stand having a (mild) fish served on a cold plate, either. By the time you take the first bite, the fish is cold! Yuk!
And to finish the meme...
Hug: What is better than getting a nice, sincere hug from a friend? I mean a real squeeze, here. Right??
I send all of you big hugs and hope you have a wonderful week!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Somewhere over the rainbow...
The weather here has benn crazy lately. A cold rainy day, followed by a day of sun and warm temperatures, then a rainy day again... Agh! why can't it remain constant for a bit (sunny, of course)??
We took this picture on Thursday evening around 9 pm... I love rainbows!
We took this picture on Thursday evening around 9 pm... I love rainbows!
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Tandoori and papadums??
Yesterday, OrangeX and I spent a whole 2 1/5 hours installing a so called "easy to install" software for wireless printing on my laptop. We finally managed and I can now print form here, namely, from the terrace, wireless! YAY for us!
Last Friday, we were invited by Rammy and John to an authentic Indian dinner. We had no plans and I just can't resist Indian food. We knew that our good friend TBF was invited as well (Mrs. TBF was still in the US on a business trip), so we called him up yesterday afternoon, and asked if we could give him a ride. He gladly accepted, so we picked him up around 6:45 pm and made our way to Rammy and John's house while TBF was giving us directions.
We arrived around 7-ish and were warmly greeted by both of them and their son, Oliver. Immediately, the scent of all the spices kind of drove me into a trance. I couldn't help breathing in deeply and just enjoying.
We sat at the bar in the kithchen (we dream of a kitchen like that!) and were served a welcome drink and an amuse-bouche consisting of mashed potato patties with chick peas in herbs served with chutney and a mint raita. We then went out on the covered porch (it was raining...again!) where we enjoyed a few more drinks and were called in shortly after to be seated in the orange room (their dining room). You can imaginge that Orange-X (and I) immediately fell in love with that room. It's sooo cozy (and it matches my new glasses, too)! The whole house is wonderful. It was built in the 20's: high ceilings with stuck decoration on them, wooden staircase, etc.
As a starter, Rammy had prepared scallops marinated in tandoori paste and served with a salsa made of bell pepper, mango, tomato and fresh herbs (mainly coriander leaves).
We helped our lovely hosts to bring in the main course in: Indian rice, dahl (lentils), an awsome aubergine dish and leg of lamb curry. Of course we had the typical Naan bread to accompany the whole thing.
Rammy and I just had to suck out the bones! The whole dinner was just so wonderful.
It brought back great memories of my childhood, when we had guests from India (I was but a toddler) until they found a place to stay in Canada. Aloka (my mum's Indian friend) would cook authentic Indian meals for us once in a while, and that's how I fell in love with Indian cuisine.
Back to yesterday: At some point Oliver (very clever boy) decided to show his own version of "The Phantom of the Opera"... with naan bread? Why not!
Our dinner was crowned with a meringue cake with a mix of mascarpone and cream (hello calories. So what!), topped with fresh mango and strawberries. It was heaven!!
Speaking of crowned... Orange-X also took a few crazy minutes (we all did). That's what he looked like with cooking mittens on his head.
We ended a fabulous evening on their heated porch and then came the time to say good-bye. We really had fun and hope we can have more of these evenings together. We drove TBF home and fell into a deep slumber as soon as we got home.
Ain't it great to have friends?? We had a lot of fun! Thanks again, Rammy and John.
Here are a few more picts of the evening.
Last Friday, we were invited by Rammy and John to an authentic Indian dinner. We had no plans and I just can't resist Indian food. We knew that our good friend TBF was invited as well (Mrs. TBF was still in the US on a business trip), so we called him up yesterday afternoon, and asked if we could give him a ride. He gladly accepted, so we picked him up around 6:45 pm and made our way to Rammy and John's house while TBF was giving us directions.
We arrived around 7-ish and were warmly greeted by both of them and their son, Oliver. Immediately, the scent of all the spices kind of drove me into a trance. I couldn't help breathing in deeply and just enjoying.
We sat at the bar in the kithchen (we dream of a kitchen like that!) and were served a welcome drink and an amuse-bouche consisting of mashed potato patties with chick peas in herbs served with chutney and a mint raita. We then went out on the covered porch (it was raining...again!) where we enjoyed a few more drinks and were called in shortly after to be seated in the orange room (their dining room). You can imaginge that Orange-X (and I) immediately fell in love with that room. It's sooo cozy (and it matches my new glasses, too)! The whole house is wonderful. It was built in the 20's: high ceilings with stuck decoration on them, wooden staircase, etc.
As a starter, Rammy had prepared scallops marinated in tandoori paste and served with a salsa made of bell pepper, mango, tomato and fresh herbs (mainly coriander leaves).
We helped our lovely hosts to bring in the main course in: Indian rice, dahl (lentils), an awsome aubergine dish and leg of lamb curry. Of course we had the typical Naan bread to accompany the whole thing.
Rammy and I just had to suck out the bones! The whole dinner was just so wonderful.
It brought back great memories of my childhood, when we had guests from India (I was but a toddler) until they found a place to stay in Canada. Aloka (my mum's Indian friend) would cook authentic Indian meals for us once in a while, and that's how I fell in love with Indian cuisine.
Back to yesterday: At some point Oliver (very clever boy) decided to show his own version of "The Phantom of the Opera"... with naan bread? Why not!
Our dinner was crowned with a meringue cake with a mix of mascarpone and cream (hello calories. So what!), topped with fresh mango and strawberries. It was heaven!!
Speaking of crowned... Orange-X also took a few crazy minutes (we all did). That's what he looked like with cooking mittens on his head.We ended a fabulous evening on their heated porch and then came the time to say good-bye. We really had fun and hope we can have more of these evenings together. We drove TBF home and fell into a deep slumber as soon as we got home.
Ain't it great to have friends?? We had a lot of fun! Thanks again, Rammy and John.
Here are a few more picts of the evening.
OX, John, Rammy & TBF
You tell me... Which band is TBF imitating?
Happy Mother's day!
First of all, I'd like to wish all you mothers (and expecting mothers) out there:
Happy Mother's Day!
I think we never really realise what mothers do for us until we're adults. I know my mom was so dedicated to both of us and we were her first priority (although as kids or teens, we didn't always believe she was on our side). She was always there for us, helped us with our homework, never missed bringing me to dance practise or my brother to hockey trainings, and so on.
My mom was always seen as the "cool neighbourhood mom". I remember that the meeting point /playground for the 15 or so kids around was our backyard. In summer, my mom would pop up all of a sudden and treat the whole neighbourhood kids with lemonade, or popsicles, or cookies. She would also faint at the sight of her own blood, but cleaned and bandaged my head when I accidentally ran into the corner of a brick wall. Then, she took me to the hospital to get the wound stiched. I was a tomboy, so I almost had a pass to hospital emergency :-)
Later, in my last high school year, I had two French and English classes (1 literature and 1 grammar each) and my French grammar teacher, Laurier, was really tough (but excellent). My mom, being a French Canadian and a teacher in the past, was not so strong in English, but was a wiz in French. I remember doing an average of 2 hours a day (!) of homework only for my French grammar class with her every evening. We usually had a lot of fun and even she was sometimes challenged (that's how tough Laurier was).
She has always told me that her philosophy about raising us was a hand of steel in a velvet glove. And that's exactly what she did. I am thankful for the way she raised us. She has taught us good values and to be open to others. She has always accepted people the way they were (and still does). She (like other mom's) always thought of others before thinking of herself.
Today, we are more than just mother and daughter, we're friends. We talk at least once a week and I wouldn't miss it for the world. She's a wonderful lady and sometimes forgets to treat herself to something special. So I'll make sure she gets more of that once we're back in Canada.
So here's to you Mom, for being a great teacher, a wonderful cook, a friend, a diplomat, caring for us when we were ill, giving us endless love and just being you! Mom: You're simply the best and I love you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)