A 3-course dinner without getting your stove dirty

I admit: I’m a messy cook. When I cook for about an hour, I usually end up cleaning up double the time (may be a slight exaggeration).
But, I accidentally surprised myself this week: Yesterday night a friend came over and I only realized afterwards I had prepped a 3-course dinner without even touching my stove (hence only getting it slightly dirty).
So: You have little time? You don’t feel like a massive midnight clean up? You want yummy grub? Then do try this at home.

Starter: Fresh salmon and cucumber

Chop up some fresh (not smoked) salmon. Add some chopped dill, pepper and salt.
Mix some mustard, honey, wasabi and lemon with the (non sugared) whipped cream. You’ll taste all of the yummie flavors explode when you try the stuff.
Cut the cucumber in little dices.
Serve with toast.

Main course: Cherry tomato quiche

My first animated gif! Woohoo!

 

Dessert: luscious ice cream

Pour chocolate sauce over some scoops of vanilla ice cream. Put a couple of “speculaas” biscuits in the blender, add the crumbs and top off with a sesame seed caramel biscuit (if you don’t happen to have these lieing around, just add some plain sesame seeds – it’s all about the flavor).
Make some extra, you’ll be wanting this on a daily basis!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday morning nightmare

Today’s sunny spring morning had the promise of perfection to it. But what promised to be a perfect and bright start to a new week, turned into the most shocking of Monday-mornings.

As I was driving to work, I saw a cat leaving the sidewalk, crossing the street, without looking. I immediately started yelling, hoping the car in front of me would see it too and break but… it didn’t. Or too late.
And then he or she simply drove off after hitting the black and white feline. I stopped, in shock. I will spare you the details of the next I don’t know how long.

The reason I wanted to share this painful story is to call out to everyone driving a car: please beware! Be on the lookout. At all times. Scan the sidewalks, look for 2 glistening dots in the dark, limit your speed.
In my opinion, cats near purrrfection. Unfortunately I have to admit they are not perfect. They too are not flawless. There’s one thing they fail to do and that’s to tell their little ones to look left and right before crossing the street.
So drivers, do it on their behalf. And on behalf of everyone and everything ever crossing the street.

Safe travels.

A guide to surviving work functions

Ahhh the after hours cocktails and gatherings you have to attend for work.
The muted murmurs, the idle chit-chat, exchanging business cards, making conversation with people whose business doesn’t mean anything to you and how to carefully convey the ‘there’s mayonnaise in your mustache’ message…

A bit of advice for surviving those functions:

Stay close to the kitchen exit
Like your parents used to tell you: Eating well is important.
And drinking (see next) without eating is a big nono. Close to the kitchen exit, you’ll be front row to see all finger food and hors d’oeuvres pass by. The perfect line up for your complimentary dinner. And you’ll never be confronted with the dilemma whether to take the last one on the tray or not.

Drink moderately
With a drink in your hand, you’re never alone. A loyal companion. And since you’ve eaten well (see before), you should also stay hydrated. After a drink or two, everything will start to look brighter: people trying to bore you to death with their stories won’t achieve their objective, time will fly by and before you know it, you won’t want to leave.
But do remember no one likes that loud person swaying across the room, the person that overstayed his or her welcome and overdid it on the champagne. (plus it makes for horrible pictures). While dancing on the table might seem like a good idea at the time, it might just offer a rude awakening the day after at the water cooler…

Bring some friends
Invite your friends to join you and throw your own little party within a party. It’s on you! Eat, drink and be merry. OK, we’ll slip in a little networking. After all, it’s not your high school playground…

Prepare 
Bring some good phrases to escape conversations. (and send me tips if you have some)
Don’t claim “to have an appointment to get to” when you can be found dancing on yet another table 3 hours down the line…

Must admit that my last “work thing”, offered some great “kodak moments”. Also a plus…

Me and my friend Bumblebee: a good deed on a spring day

Bumblebee, one of my favorite words in English. Yesterday, I set one free. (PS: Play this while reading.)
Setting: One of the first days of spring, lunch, restaurant, glasshouse. A massive bumblebee (the size of a small mouse) was doing its ‘I-want-to-escape-so-let-me-hit-the-window-a-million-times’-routine. Without success.
People thought I was a desoriented escapee from the loony bin when I started zigzagging around the restaurant, holding a big empty glass and a piece of paper, chasing the giant flying mini-mouse in its black and orange costume. But hurray! After upsetting a couple of people silently minding their own business, reading the paper and trying to enjoy a quiet lunch, I managed to catch my furry friend and take it outside. It gratefully (that’s what I assumed) flew off into the spring sun. Without looking back.
Much to the joy of the waitress who seemed to believe waitresses are a natural part of the bumblebee’s eating pattern.
By the way, beautiful story: did you know there’s an old urban legend that bumblebees are aerodynamically incapable of flying? Based on weight ratios to wing power and wind resistance, the bumblebee should be incapable of flight, yet, the theory says, the bumblebee doesn’t know that, so it flies anyway.
Draw your own conclusions…