Yesterday afternoon, we officially celebrated the arrival of spring with our first outdoor apéro. Though the day started out decidedly gray and cool, it gave way to warm temperatures and the aroma of the first neighborhood barbecues — something that always signals good weather here in the Netherlands. Instead of cooking outdoors, however, we opted for a nice bottle of wine and a platter of charcuterie, thinly sliced baguette, hummus and garlicky olives.
It won’t be long before we are allowed the joy of making this a more regular occurrence. There is nothing I love more than eating in my garden with the French doors wide open, the sunshine on my face, our little dog Pastis in his wicker basket and the sound of old chansons coming from the living room.
But what excites me most about the warmer months ahead is the abundance of fresh, new produce that will soon start to appear at our local market — not to mention the produce we always enjoy when we vacation in France. From bright pink stalks of spring rhubarb, to delicate, aromatic summer raspberries, I just can’t wait for all that color to fill my plate and lift my spirits!
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Tag: muffins
Back-to-school banana millet muffins
It seems like summer vacation sure flew by again this year. Kirstie had her first official day of prep school (Dutch ‘gymnasium’) today, and it was a long one! She was home just a little bit after 5PM. When she took off for school this morning, I packed her with food and drink and sent her away with all sorts of advice: from “remember, this is your fourth year, and you need to work much harder than ever before” to “make sure you eat well, and wash your hands before you do!” OK, so she’s 15, but hey, can I help myself? Not really. She’ll always be my child.
To welcome her back after her first day, I decided to bake some semi-healthy banana-millet muffins.
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Rhubarb Vanilla Muffins
Rhubarb! What a joy! Every spring I eagerly waiting for the moment of its arrival. Not only is it a delicious ingredient, but I can’t help loving that fabulously bright pink color!
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Chocolate & Ginger Muffins
Sometimes I just have to go ahead and be naughty. Do exactly what I want, even if it doesn’t sound like the best idea at the moment. Like this morning, for example. I should’ve made my espresso, turned on the computer and started the order of the day. But no. I needed to bake. With the tree on. Christmas records playing. And still in my bathrobe.
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