Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  

Today is Mother's Day in the United States.

I got the best Mother's Day present, both of my

kids came home from college this weekend.

It was also Mr. Wonderful's birthday so we

are celebrating big time.

We started the day with a lovely Dutch Breakfast.

We often have Dutch Breakfasts in our

apartments or condos when we travel.

We always like to have yogurt with granola

and berries.  Also some hard boiled eggs, 

and a cheese and meat platter.

Something savory is always nice,  this is

a triple cream Bleu cheese with thinly sliced 

baguette.

For special days when we are all together

we like to add special treats like this fruit

pastry.

And a lovely selection of French macarons

looks very festive.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Early Bird Baking

In a few days our Thanksgiving week company

will start arriving and that means we will be having

a few Dutch Breakfasts.  And with those breakfasts

I always like to serve some baked goods.  When we

are in Europe and can run down the block and buy

beautiful pastries, that little jaunt is a pleasure but

when we are home on the prairie, we don't have as

many options for breakfast baked goods.  So, I make

my own.  Now I could get up really early and bake 

and mess up the kitchen and wait for the tea breads

to cool but that's too much stress and work when 

what you really want to do is have fun! Last night,

before, during and after dinner I baked a few tea

breads, I made Irish Tea Bread and Pumpkin Bread.

Remember to ALWAYS grate your nutmeg, it 

is so beautifully fragrant.  It makes the ground

nutmeg you purchase look like dust...

When mixing together your dry ingredients,

use a whisk, your ingredients will be perfectly

mixed.

In a few hours I had my baking done.  Now since

I will be using them next week and they don't 

have preservatives, they wouldn't last if I left

them as is.

I cut each loaf in half and wrap in paper.

Then into freezer bags and into the freezer.

I pull a few halves the night before I need 

them and by morning they are perfectly

thawed and ready to slice and eat.

Enjoy!

Dutch Breakfast in the American Midwest

 

My brother is visiting for a few days and

I forgot to plan anything for breakfast this

morning so I threw together the typical Dutch

Breakfast that we make when we travel the

world.  I just pulled things from the fridge and

pantry and ended up with a great spread.

I hard boiled some eggs, put out some cheeses,

some zucchini bread, yogurt with granola and

honey, some cantaloupe, golden plums and

tomatoes.  I added some juice and coffee and

it was ready.

 

Mick, Kate & I started the dream stage of our

next big adventure or, how many continents

can we visit in one trip?  The question is ~ can

we top The Last Hurrah Tour?  Our answer is,

we should try...

Dutch Breakfast

Or How To Start Your Day Wherever You May Be

We often travel as a family and

with 4 or 5 in the group we have

found the most comfortable and

economical way to make the most

of our trip is to rent apartments.

When we come home from touring

we don't want to just sit on a bed,

we want living space and we eat.

Every morning we have what we

call Dutch Breakfast.  For us it is

hard boiled eggs, meats, cheeses,

some fruit, breads or pastry items

and yogurt, juices and coffee.

I loved this setting in Spain where

if we looked to the right we saw

the Mediterranean...

...and if we looked to the left we

saw the mountains of Andalucia.

And if your apartment happens to

be around the corner from the

flower market in Amsterdam,

don't forget the tulips!

Eet smakelijkj!

(enjoy your meal)