Hoe Laat is Het?

Hoe laat is het? means what time is it, or quite literally "how late is it?"

Telling time seems like it should be a pretty straightforward process. However, as I am finding with a good many things here in The Netherlands, it is not as straightforward as you might think! One might even call it ingewikkeld (I learned this word today so I'm going to use it as often as possible- it means "complicated").

If it's 4:30 and someone asks the time, in English you would respond with "half past four" or "four-thirty." In Dutch, you would say half vijf (literally "half five). So, 3:30 would be half vier, 2:30 would be half drie and so on and so forth. That's not really SO bad once you get into the habit of remembering that the time is actually the number BEFORE what is said. After that point it seems that things get progressively tricky. If you look at the picture of the clock, it's 11:25. In Dutch you would say "vijf voor half twalf" (five before half twelve). The area of the clock the minute hand is in will determine the terminology used to tell the time. It can really get a little hard to explain, so I have made you this nifty chart. Pretend it's the face of a clock!

I'll go through the hour every five minutes to show you how it works.

10:00- tien uur (ten o'clock)

10:05- vijf over tien (five past ten)

10:10- tien over tien (ten past ten)

10:15- kwart over tien (quarter past ten)

10:20- tien voor half elf (ten til half eleven)

10:25- vijf voor half elf (five til half eleven)

10:30- half elf (half eleven)

10:35- vijf over half elf (five past half eleven)

10:40- tien over half elf (ten past half eleven)

10:45- kwart voor elf (quarter til eleven)

10:50- tien voor elf (ten til eleven)

10:55- vijf voor elf (five til eleven)

11:00- elf uur eleven o'clock

Clear as mud, eh? Read More......

Menu Plan Monday- July 6, 2009

I didn't actually do too much "cooking" last week because it was just too bloody hot. I'm a desert dweller, this humidity is for the birds! I did foil packets with fish one night and pork one night on our little electric grill. That seems to work really well, and it doesn't cause smoke and obvious signs that we're grilling something on our balcony (since -technically- we're not supposed to BBQ out there).

I made some minor adjustments to the Cold Spaghetti Salad- Black olives instead of green, salami instead of pepperoni, and ditched the second mentioning of the Italian dressing. It was very good, so we decided we could add it into the rotation.

click the banner and "Menu Plan Monday" for more menu planning ideas

It's supposed to be slightly cooler this week, but I'm still going to take things easy. Monday we're going to the in-laws for dinner. The rest of the week:

Taco Salad (again, it's just too easy to throw together!)

Spinach Salad and Drumsticks

Foil Fish Packets - I want to try something a little different than last week, but I'm not sure what yet. Any suggestions?

Lighter Sesame Chicken

Capucijners- These are "field peas." I wasn't familiar with them in the US, but they're pretty nice. There's a Maggi seasoning mix that we like to use with these. It's my backup meal for this week since the ingredients won't go off if I don't need to make it. Read More......

Happy Fourth of July!

There are a surprising amount of Americans living in and around Eindhoven. This means that we get together and celebrate American holidays (like the 4th, Thanksgiving, and Halloweenie things). Every year the North American Women's Club does a 4th of July BBQ. This year I decided to get really festive and bake a pie! In 9 billion degree weather with 9000% humidity! GO ME!

My crust got a little stuck to the foil so it's not as pretty as I would've hoped, but I thought the star looked pretty awesome.

Martijn contributed by being the MAD (as in insane) BBQer!

We had a really great turnout! There were about 75 people, and quite a few were new faces so that was fun.

Happy Fourth!

Read More......

Friday Fragments- July 3, 2009

Happy July Everyone!

I spent the last couple of days in a friends pool. Despite my liberal and many sunscreen applications, my arms and legs are itchy and bumpy and red. Still, I had an awesome time and it was nice to be in the COOL pool instead of in the hot muggy death of my apartment.

Someone, who asked to remain nameless, was wondering if birds that ate cherry pits pooped out the pits whole. We mentioned it to someone else today and she said, "Haven't you ever heard a bird SQUAWK, that's why!"

I made a cherry blueberry pie for the 4th of July BBQ tomorrow. It has a big star shaped piece of dough for the top crust. I really really hope it tastes good. I used canned cherries with some extra cornstarch for thickening instead of cherry pie filling.

I mentioned last week in my fragments post that I'd had my eyes dilated. Well, I'd also had blood drawn and given a urine sample, which they then promptly lost. How kind of them.

In America when I'd needed to give a urine sample, I was given the specimen cup at the doctors office and just took care of it there. Not so here. You do it at home and then bring it with you. I always feel awkward cycling with a jar of pee on my bike. It's just not normal.

There's really not much else to report. I've not been doing much, it's just too hot and muggy.

Click on the Friday Fragments button for more fragmented fun at Half-Past Kissin' Time!

Read More......

Road Trippin'

When I was in the US this spring, I had the fabulous opportunity to drive to Minnesota with my grandparents to see one of my uncles and his cute family. We took a slight detour from the "usual" route and drove past Mount Rushmore. It's pretty fantastic. We didn't go up into the visitors center, but I can't wait to go back and take Martijn! We also went past the Crazy Horse monument. That thing is going to be MASSIVE if they ever finish it. It's the entire mountain for pete's sake.

I asked Grandpa what route we were going to be taking to get to Minnesota, and he told me we'd be going slightly into Colorado, up through and across Wyoming. Once we got to South Dakota, we'd then drive approximately a million miles to the border of Minnesota. He wasn't kidding. That is one seriously wide state! It was such a pretty drive though.

Once we got to Minnesota I finally got to meet some of my family that I hadn't gotten to meet before! Right before Martijn and I were married, the twins were born. It would've been completely insane to travel with barely born twins and since I moved a short three months later, I hadn't had a chance to meet them. It'd been ages since I'd seen the other two boys, and I can't believe how big they all are... and BUSY. I also got to meet Tommy the 6-toed cat.

Read More......

Sew, Mama, Sew! Sewing Machine Meme

June was Sewing Machine Month on Sew, Mama, Sew! Since I am the worlds biggest procrastinator was busy, I didn't fill out the sewing machine meme until today! Hey, it's still June for a a little more than a day, yes? I'm going to talk about Greenie since she's the one I sew on the most!

What brand and model do you have?

A Husqvarna (Viking) CL8 (1960s era)

How long have you had it?

I bought it on Queen's Day the first year I lived here, so since April 30, 2007

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

I paid €30, though Martijn says I should've haggled the price down. I was too excited and just said "OKAY" as soon as she told us the price she wanted.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

Well, I've done a little bit of everything on this machine. It'll sew through just about anything. Currently I'm trying to make a puppet.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

I seem to go through spurts where I'll sew for several days for several hours each day and then I'll go a few weeks without sewing.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

I LOOOOOVE my machine. Her name is Greenie. Yeah, I'm really creative.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

It is a straight stitch only machine, but it makes nice even stitches and doesn't get all jammed up. It's also a free-arm machine which is nice when I am sewing hems and cuffs.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

Nothing really. I do need to remember to oil her or she gets cranky, but that's not unusual for a machine of this age.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!

I left my sewing machine in Utah when I moved since it weighs approximately 73 billion pounds (okay, only about 35, but still). I was starting to get the "I really need a sewing machine BAD" itch. On Queen's Day, the entire country basically turns into a huge flea market, so when we were wandering around looking I spotted this little green machine in her case on the ground by someone's table. I peeked at it and started thinking about it. We finished walking through the market and I was still thinking about it, so we went back and bought it. THEN came the fun part. This is not a lightweight machine. Like my machine that I left in Utah, this is entirely metal everything and it is not a dainty lightweight, and we'd gone to the city center on our bikes!!! Luckily, we live fairly closeby so Martijn hopped on his bike and sped to get the car. Once he was back with the car, we loaded the machine in and I followed home by bike. Of course, Martijn took it apart and made sure everything was in order before I started sewing on it. About 6 months after that, we took it apart a little more to really give it a good cleaning and we found a very dead BEE inside! Who knows how long that had been there, this machine is from the 60s.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

Indeed I would. It's a good sturdy machine. It's all metal parts, which means you don't have to worry about something snapping off inside and expensive repair.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

I think the most important thing to consider is what you want your machine to do for you. If you're wanting something that will embroider and do the dishes for you, then obviously my machine isn't the way to go. But if you want a steady workhorse then it's perfect! Of course, price is a consideration. When people ask about a sub $150 machine, I ALWAYS suggest looking used first. You're much more likely to get more for your money that way.

Do you have a dream machine?

Oh you bet I do!

This is the ORANGE 6000 series Viking. SOMEDAY I will have my greedy little fingers on this machine. Someday.

Read More......

Menu Plan Monday- June 29, 2009

There ended up being a couple of days where I didn't need to cook, so there are some carryovers from last week!

First, the recap:

Lighter Sesame Chicken- This is very good, but I think if you make it as written you will feel sad due to the lack of sauce. I used two chicken breasts and didn't alter the sauce recipe. The amount was just about right.

Oven Fried Coconut Chicken- Good, but it needs a little something more. I'm going to try more lime juice in the marinade next time, and possibly a dash of chili powder in the coating. I liked the flavor a lot but it could use a little KICK!

click the banner and "Menu Plan Monday" for more menu planning ideas

Hobo Style Catfish Dinner- This is a carryover from last week. I got a comment from the recipe author saying that the double amount of dressing was a mistake, so it's just a half a cup! Not a half a cup plus 8 TBSP (which is also a half a cup).

Pork Chops- Still working out what I want to do with these, though I suspect I might try something with apples, and possibly do another tinfoil dinner on the grill since I anticipate it being approximately 90 billion degrees this week.

Cold Spaghetti Salad- Again, trying to keep things cool!

Taco Salad

Uh, something from the freezer. Sorry for the half-assed attempt at a menu plan, it's so hot and sticky here it's melting my brains. Read More......

Friday Fragments- June 26, 2009

Time again for those fragmented thoughts that aren't quite post-worthy on their own!

-Martijn brought flowers home for me the other day for no reason which was really nice.

-I had my eyes dilated and they don't use the "help your pupils shrink back to a normal size" drops here, so the entire bus ride home I kept worrying that we were going to get into some sort of horrible fiery crash and the paramedic who is trying to assess my condition is going to either declare I have a very poor prognosis due to my pupils being fixed and dilated OR he's going to think I'm some strung out sort of druggie... especially with the horrible bruise I got yesterday when they drew blood.

-I spent the entire day on Thursday speaking Dutch. Afterwards, my brain needed a nap. The people that I was speaking to probably needed a brain nap as well.

-Speaking of Dutch... my conversation class started on Monday and I think it's going to be good. Nothing too high stress, but enough practice to help out some.

-I'm kinda getting tired of people dying. I mean, I know it's the way things work, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

-The typical Dutch breakfast (and lunch, and sometimes dinner) is a piece of bread with something on it. Martijn generally gets up and eats breakfast before me. After he goes to work I find random bits of sandwich in strange places throughout the house. I think he wanders while he eats and then forgets to eat the last bite. I give him a lot of grief about this... except now I can't anymore. Because I came home from an appointment and found 2 bites of a peanut butter sandwich sitting on my desk, right where I left it this morning.

Click on the Friday Fragments button for more fragmented fun at Half-Past Kissin' Time!

Read More......

A New Twist on Stuffed Peppers

Using Mrs. D. Lightful's Nestled Eggs recipe as inspiration, I came up with my own version using bulgur instead of rice.

For the filling you will need:
4 or 5 carrots, diced (you could grate the carrot to cut down on cooking time if you wish)
3 or 4 stalks celery, trimmed and diced into small pieces
1 small zucchini, diced into small pieces
1 onion, diced
1/2 head fennel, sliced thinly
1 tbsp butter
1 cup bulgur
2 cups water + 1 tbsp veggie bullion (or 2 cups veggie bullion)

Additionally you will need:
2 bell peppers, halved and seeded
4 eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by melting the butter in a heavy bottomed stockpot or high sided skillet. Add the carrots, onion, celery, zucchini, and fennel and cook until softened (about 10 minutes). Add the bulgur and mix everything well. Then add the veggie broth, cover and keep on low heat until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

While you're waiting for the bulgur to finish, put the peppers open side up in your casserole dish. Add about 1/4 cup of water, cover, and microwave for 5 minutes. If you don't want to nuke them you can steam them on the stovetop or prebake them for 10-15 minutes. Drain the water off.

Fill the pepper halves about 2/3 of the way full of the bulgur mixture. Put the rest of the bulgur in the bottom of your casserole dish. Nestle the pepper halves into the bulgur. Crack an egg into each pepper half and bake at 150 C (300F) for about 25 minutes. The eggs should be set and cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste!

If you don't want to do the eggs, this still makes a fabulous vegetarian stuffed pepper filling.

Be sure to check out Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt my Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace for more yummy recipes. Read More......

Hulling Strawberries With a STRAW!

I stole this tip from Alea over at Premeditated Leftovers, but it's really too nifty to not pass along again.

I'm not terribly handy with a knife. If I can avoid using one, I probably will. It keeps the chances of me keeping all of my fingers higher too! So when I read that you can hull strawberries with a STRAW I couldn't wait to try! And guess what? It works like a charm.

You just push the straw in at the bottom of the strawberry and the stem and white bit just pop right out. This made my jam making go oh so much faster. Hop on over to Premeditated Leftovers to read her jam canning instructions. I just did freezer jam because it only takes 5 minutes to mash everything together and put in cups. Canning jam takes more dedication (and mason jars) than I had at the time.

Be sure to check out all of the great posts linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, hosted by Tammy. Read More......