You're Welcome, World.

I just wanted to put this recipe out there; it's the best baked cheesecake recipe I've ever found. I always make a special dessert to celebrate Sundays, and this has been it at least 15 times in the last year. 

We call it "Daddy's Cheesecake," and if you want a piece, you always have to assure Daddy that it is only a very small piece that you want.

Dehydrating Pickles

Eating bread at Oma's. KE knows that if he is loud enough at mealtimes, we'll give him food. My favourite for him is pickle. He "dehydrates" them, to quote his father. 

Going Gourmet

At Oom Anton and Tante Simone's on Christmas Eve.

At Christmas, the Dutch "go gourmet." I feel a little embarrassed posting this here, but we actually had two Christmas dinners; one with Oom Anton's family on Christmas Eve, and one with Oom Leo and family on 2nd Christmas Day (Boxing Day). What can I say? My family is good at feeding people. 

In the middle of the table, there is a grill, and everyone is able to choose and roast their own pieces of meat and vegetables from a great variety. There is french bread and herbed cheese. Everything is delicious. The best sort of slow food, and very interesting for the children.

Cousins. Baby L is the same age as KE; 6 months. I had always thought my baby was big for his age, but L was bigger, so I'm guessing they're both about normal. 

I was saying this to Oma one day, and she said, "Comparing babies. I used to do that. But by the time they're two, they're all at the same place - walking, talking, they have their teeth. We really shouldn't do it." 

Waste of time, I guess!

 

Oom Leo's dinner, held at my cousin Petra's, finished early, so we had lots of time to talk and play. The children played in the ball pit (I know! Who has a ball pit!?), while we set up an everlasting game of Parcheesi. It wouldn't have taken so long, but we refused to look up the rules. 

"When Kevin plays a game," I revealed, "he gets the rules, and when someone does something questionable - say, money when you land on free parking - he reads them to everyone!"

My cousins were appropriately horrified, and agreed that it would be best to hide them when he wanted to play. 

He didn't play, though; he was deep in discussion with Arjan, trying to figure out the difference between Reformatjie and Hervormde. I'm sure I didn't spell those right, by if you can figure it out, and you know the answer, please comment!

 

They sit down to play this. How civilized!

 

We asked about turkey. "You cannot buy a whole bird here," said Oom Leo. "In your grandmother's time, yes. She had a special pan - "

"A roasting pan?"

"Yes; really big; you could cook the whole bird."

Last night

It's our last night in Holland. Tomorrow, we'll head to Brussels, Belgium, and from there, fly home.

People keep asking me if I'm looking forward to being home. I never know what to say. I think they want me to say yes, but I have felt at home all month, here in Holland.

The kids are wondering where all the whipped cream went. Someday, when they're older, they will read this and then there will be trouble. 

 

Here it is, kids.

Language barrier woes

Bacon is different here. Extra salty, thinly sliced, spiced(!), or sliced fatty pork disguised as bacon, we have accidentally bought and eaten it all.  I feel that if I could just find the right word for it I could get the good stuff, but the word eludes me. 

 This should probably not be a big enough deal to warrant a post, but there it is. Bacon woes. 

 

Train Museum in Utrecht

 

Hugs for Mommy.

 

Peeking into the fairy luggage. Inside many of these trunks, there was a tiny set with light people, animals, fairies, or machinery projected onto it. 

 

 

 

The first class waiting lounge. Kevin says that this is what he wants our living room to look like someday. I am hesitant. "It's a little too much Hunter Green for me," I say.

The first train engine in The Netherlands (made in England).

 

O, who happened to be wearing what we call his "engineer overalls," walked around, looking at everything, train noises spontaneously bursting out of him at intervals.

Once again, the food was real! What a great country! 

 

 

 

Kevin giving KE a ride. He's such a nice dad. 

 

Probably

"Shouldn't you update your blog?" Kevin asked me.

"You read my blog?" I asked incredulously. 

"No." he replied. "But, you know, the other people that read it are probably wondering why you haven't posted since Tuesday."

I nodded. 

Probably.

 

So here is O, working on his soup. He loves that duplo train!

And here's a picture of Oma. She often stands in her door to see you off when you leave.

I am learning that when you go for a "bakkie coffee," (cuppie coffee) you would do well to actually ask for coffee. Or at the very least, tea. Certainly you should not ask for water. 

 

Utrecht

We took a little jaunt to Utrecht on Thursday.
Saw another of these enormous trees:



And stopped for a burger at Meneer's. I recommend it; everything tasted like real food. Ideally, I wouldn't have to mention that, but there it is.

The girls were glad to see mayo on the tables for the fries.
 

Actually, it's a bit sweeter than mayonnaise; like they added a bit of sugar. I prefer plain mayo, but this is still better than ketchup to the girls and I.
When we had supper at my Oom Leo's, there was this toothpaste-style tube on the table. Kevin passed it to me. "Want some ketchup?" he asked. I feel mildly embarrassed about my litre of ketchup in the fridge back home. How excessive.

We ate burgers, and KE

 Ate Kevin.

Living on the wild side

We have been going to the grocery store every two days, and the bakery almost as often, stocking up our little fridge with whatever looks good to us. It's been really fun to just buy whatever tickles my whimsy; when at home I am so careful to buy what is on sale.

The children were delighted to find these at the Plus Supermarkt, and drove them gleefully up and down every aisle.

My favourite meal

 We've been having lots of what I think of as "Dutch lunches;" bread with cheese, cut up apple, sliced meat, chocolade hagelslaag, and a bowl of soup.

It occurs to me that this is actually my favourite meal. 

Good associations, good tastes. 

Nothing better. 

No regrets

I found this meme on Pinterest yesterday, and it exactly captures how I feel.