The Gardener

What a fun book to add a review of after my last post about the fruit smoothie and our garden. I finished The Gardener by Prue Leith over the weekend. I spent hours reading this while sitting in the shade in our city garden and that at Cranberry Cottage. It perhaps enhanced the feeling of this book to sit in a garden reading it.

Lotte is looking for a whole new start with her three children after feeling unsettled and unhappy in London following her divorce. She applies for a job as head gardener at Maddon Park in Oxfordshire. Her past as an architect as well as her new education in garden history have made her very qualified for this position. She begins to research the house and garden for her employer...the wealthy Brody Keegan. During her research, friendships develop between herself and Maddon Park, Brody, and Peter, the archive librarian. The garden is constantly revealing its past mysteries while I felt that Lotte was also finding herself blossoming in her new life.

I enjoyed the gardening references in the book. They made me want to run to visit any nearby historical gardens.

I also found myself involved with Lotte in wanting to smack Amber (Brody's spoiled young wife) into reality and cheered Peter on throughout the book. I wanted Lotte to succeed in each endevour to uncover more of Maddon Park.

A perfect summer read!

Happy reading!
Heidi

Strawberry season!

Strawberry season has started with a vengeance. The weather suddenly turned from cold, grey and wet to very hot and sunny. Jos bought the first strawberries of the season on the way home from working for an afternoon in Germany. They were selling them at a roadside stand by a strawberry field. We enjoyed them with ice cream but I saved about a third of them for another treat...

Sorry but I started drinking it before I remembered to take a photo. *grins* Here is a strawberry banana smoothie. I just cut up the strawberries along with two ripe bananas and pureed them. They were such a tasty treat that was also full of vitamins.

Of course, perhaps this view of our garden as we sat and drank the smoothies does help make it taste that little bit better. We started this garden last year from patches of grass and uncared for plants. What a difference a year makes. I sit and have to pinch myself that it is really ours.

Enjoy your weekend and the sunshine in your garden!

The Girl on the Cliff

This is going to be a difficult book review. Why, you ask? Because it was a F*A*B*U*L*O*U*S book an I do not want to reveal too much so that all the surprises as this story twists and turns remain as exciting for you. The Girl on the Cliff is Lucinda Riley's second book. I have had her first book sitting on my shelves waiting to be read but also ordered this one. I wanted to grab a new book and it just seemed to cry out to me. Now having read it...I think it really did.

Where can I begin? On the cliff top perhaps with Grania as she sees what seems a vision of a beautiful and graceful little girl? Grania comes back to Ireland to spend time with her family after the terrible loss of her unborn child. She meets Aurora who touches her life in ways she could never have dreamed of. She finds her past through this little girl, learning about her family's history over many years and two world wars. She finds that life twists in ways you never expect and ties can be bound over many generations.

This book is like watching a beautiful tapestry unfold in front of your eyes. You think you have seen it and another color is added bringing it all into a new dimension. This is an amazing story which unfolds in front of you up to the very last page. Five stars is not enough to rate this book which is a must read for 2012!
Thank you Lucinda Riley for a wonderful world that I was able to be a part of!

Happy reading!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - Prei prol

I love food from various cultures. Here in Holland, the good and hearty foods are a comfort but also warming in the damp, cold climate we have here. Recently, while watching a show where Dutch farmer's wives were cooking local dishes, I came across this recipe for the first time. This is my version of a dish from the regions of Zeeland and Brabant.

"Stamppot" is a combination of potatoes with vegetable and sometimes meat. It is all mashed together in one pan. The pan is then placed on the dinner table for everyone to dish up their plates. This is a Dutch tradition in just about every family. Most families have their own recipes for various stamppots. I know my American family thought it was a strange idea at first but they love it.

"Prei prol" or Leek stamppot


1 leek, washed well and sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
5 or 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
bacon, cut in block or strips...I just used literally a handful of bacon lardons
2 eggs, hard boiled
butter
milk
vinegar
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in water until soft. Boil the eggs. While potatoes and eggs are boiling, cook the bacon. Add the sliced leek and two of the sliced spring onions until glassy and tender. Turn off the heat and set the frying pan aside.
Drain the potatoes and add a little pad of butter. Using a potato masher, stamp your potatoes adding a little milk. The mash should be be robust and lumpy as stamppot is not a puree. Now add a teaspoon full of vinegar and stir in the leeks, spring onions and bacon.
Peel the eggs and chop them up but not too fine. Lightly mix the egg through the stamppot being careful not to break the eggs up too much. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two.

This can be eaten as a meal in itself or serve with a piece of meat or sausage to choice. I served it with a patty of ground steak with English brown sauce. I sauteed two whole spring onions to serve on top.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi

A Cotswold Killing

I was able to finish off the month of April listening to A Cotswold Killing by Rebecca Tope. This series was new to me. From what I can find there are seven books written so far in this mystery series.

In the first book, we meet newly widowed Thea Osborne and her dog Hepzibah. Thea has taken her first job as a house-sitter. The house lies in the little village of Duntisbourne Abbot where she cares for the house, two dogs and small flock of sheep while a couple go off on a cruise. Her "neighbor" stops by immediately to say hello but ends up being found dead the following day. Thea is caught up in village life and discovering the secret that will lead to the killer.

I am going to continue with this series as I found the descriptions of the Cotswold and village life as good as the mystery story line within it.

The Baker's Apprentice

I finally finished reading The Baker's Apprentice by Judith Ryan Hendricks. I must clarify saying finally finished. A couple of years ago, I read the first book of this series called Bread Alone. The book was in a word ... fabulous! I hated closing the book after the last page. I loved the characters and Wyn was a worthy person to cheer on in life. I loved the chemistry between her and Mac. I loved the setting of the Queen Street Bakery in Seattle. It was like the feeling you get inside when you pull a piece of warm crusty bread off and pop it in your mouth. This is not a review of Bread Alone as I read it before I started my blog but I would highly recommend that book. 

I was excited to start on the sequel called The Baker's Apprentice. It started out well with me back in the bakery watching Wyn working on baking the bread in the night ready for customers to arrive in the morning. I could smell the bread as it baked up golden and crusty in the oven. But...it left me flat after it was getting started. I was very irritated with how events went for both Wyn and Mac. I almost did not finish it. Almost...however I am glad I did finish as I continued and the last chapters suddenly came alive again as I remembered in Bread Alone. I found myself cheering Wyn and Mac once again to achieve a happy ending together. I cannot say it was a great read like the first book but it did redeem itself in the end. 

Happy reading!

Heidi

Roasted cauliflower

I found this recipe online but tweaked it to make it my own. It turned out to be a great substitute for potatoes but also a delicious accompaniment for an Asian tinted meal.

Roasted cauliflower
Cut up a head of cauliflower and tear into small flowerlets. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of olive oil with freshly ground salt and pepper, a tiny bit of ground dried garlic and a little ground shitake and chili pepper flakes mix. You can also just use ground chili pepper flakes if you have that on hand. Toss in your cauliflower and coat well with the spiced oil. Transfer to a cookie sheet. I covered mine in baking parchment for easier cleanup. Place in a 400F/200F oven for at least about an hour. The flowerlets should start to color nicely and become soft.

I served my roasted cauliflower with a kebab stick of Indonesian style pork tenderloin with peanut sauce and a small salad with red beets.

Before I served the cauliflower I poured some sweet chilli sauce over the cauliflower. It gave the vegetable an extra special kick without being too hot. It is already on the list of becoming a regular recipe on our table. I would even serve this as an appetizer or food for with drinks in the evening.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi