Chocolate Chip Bread and Butter Pudding

I just asked Facebook’s hive mind for some quick suggestions on what to listen to while doing some writing. I’m such a creature of habit and I can easily get stuck on the same playlist over and over again, until I get really sick of it. That’s all good though. When that finally happens I just like to try something new. And it’s not Christmas music; I only listened to some of that this morning while doing some early cooking prep. It didn’t help one bit to induce the Christmas spirit. So here I am listening to some soft pop and enjoying it. Don’t judge. If you’re curious Ed Sheeran just came up. Not bad. Not bad at all.

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Penne with Pancetta, Mushrooms and Bechamel (#PastaFriday)

I think the day has finally come. The day when I can dare to say that the air is crisp and fresh and autumn is here. Can this be true? I don’t know about you but to me this kind of weather makes me want to eat mushrooms. And pancetta. And pasta. Thank goodness these three stars go so well together. All they need is some kind of sauce. Now I’ve got a little confession to make. When I’m in a hurry I make a simple tomato one with a few other ingredients thrown here and there, but I’m not a huge fan. I will eat it because I like it. That’s all. What I really really like is a good cream sauce. Alas, that’s not the healthiest thing on Earth (what a huge disappointment) so instead, that is when I have the time I make bechamel.

Oats with peaches and crushed raspberries

It’s been quite a while since my last post. It’s not that usual for me to miss some weeks of photos and recipes but I must confess that lately inspiration has been scarce to say the least. I am not fighting it. I decided to let it go and write only when the content is good. I hate leaving things not-quite-right; it’s just not my style, so I went with the not-to-force-it attitude which works for me, at least for a little while. On a more positive note, J and I have also been to London till last week. We’ve been up visiting J2. It was good fun and we revisited some of our old favourite spots together with new ones. Exciting times indeed. The highlight of the trip was the fact that we managed to meet a handful of our dearest friends, a few in Guildford, with some Shakespeare thrown in the mix. Good times.

Yellow Corn Soup

J and I just returned from Ghent (or Gent), a delightful medieval town approximately 50 minutes from Brussels. Last Friday I spent a good number of hours doing some exploring while J was at the university attending a seminar and giving a lecture at the end of the evening. So I was pretty much left alone for a whole day. The tram journey into the town centre was so much fun, although I was practically stuck to my map counting the stops. Everything was in Dutch. But hey, I was up for a little adventure. The weather was so rotten however, that my plans for major exploring/walking/taking-plenty-of-photos went down the drain. All was not lost though; I found a charming salad bar and sandwich shop (tucked away in between the touristy restaurants and shops) which I almost missed. LKKR is a small family business run by Dahlia and her husband, both lovely and friendly. This is the place where to have a healthy, delicious, homemade lunch, plus coffee, of course. You could also have a cookie if you wish like I did on that rainy morning.  I liked the place so much that I just had to take J for lunch there on Saturday. I felt so in-the-know! It was so cold that he ordered a soup. I had a chicken curry sandwich. Just what I needed. If you’re in Ghent, do yourself a favour and go. Prices are reasonable and if there’s no seating inside, you can take a table outside, people-watch while wrapped around a cozy pink blanket you will find on your chair. Nice. The frites, mussels, fish stews and waffles can all wait until you arrive in Brussels. Even nicer.

Beef and Anchovy Stew

Shall I state the obvious? I think I will. If you don’t like beef and/or anchovies just don’t bother. Mmm…don’t like the sound of that so let me rephrase. If you like beef but you or anyone you’re feeding is not so keen on anchovies, to put it mildly, try this recipe. Adding them does make a difference. You will not be able to taste them, but they give a depth of flavour that you won’t get with anything else.