Chufi

you are so right. I don't know how many times I blamed a recipe (= the writer of that recipe) when something did not turn out right. Many of those times I would have zagged instead of zigged.. changed just little tiny things in the recipe.. things you think they will not matter for the final result.. but ofcourse they do. Sometimes this is because I think I know better, and sometimes it's because of ingredient limitations.. you know, use what you have instead of use what the recipe says.

thank you so much for adding the workload of a blog to your vacation. It was wonderful to share this week with you and your family.. blogs are such a fascinating way to encounter unfamiliar foods (to me, grits, chcocolate pancakes, buttermilk pie and cornpudding are very exotic.. ) and this week was another great example. Thank you!

leftover strawberry & peach 'clafouti', with fresh strawberries, and a glass of Tropicana's mandarine/raspberry juice.

now that's a happy cat... dinner tonight was requested by my stepdaughter: "that yummy pastathing you do in the oven with meatballs, you know". aka pasta gratin with meatballs, tomato-leek sauce, and more tomatoes on top: dessert was a strawberry/peach 'clafouti' (yes I know that when it does not have unpitted cherries in it, it's not supposed to be called clafouti )

I had a wonderful hummus at a friend's house recently.. he told me he had used peanutbutter instead of tahini. It was delicious, much more subtle than with the sesame flavor, smooth-textured and and luscious. When I made it, I used peanutbutter, and a mixture of walnutoil and oliveoil. I also made a version with cashewnutbutter which was lovely! I like to go easy on the garlic. Too much raw garlic spoils the smooth flavor of the hummus I think.

I never, never manage to keep my tupperware organized for more than a couple of days. I am so jealous!

what a great blog. and thanks for sharing the visit to the goats.. I love goats! Your home-cooked dinners look very kid-friendly and your children seem to enjoy your cooking very much.. It looks like you have a very happy family there (and not just food-wise). I was wondering if you always cook like this, for the whole family, or do you sometimes do a children's dinner and then a more adult version for you and mrs. Varmint?

Italian feast: roasted yellow and red pepper salad with sundried tomatoes and anchovies green olives stuffed with anchovies Eggplant risotto with basil, pinenuts and parmesan Breaded veal patties with capers (Marcella Hazan recipe) Sauteed fennel and radicchio (also Marcella) Buttered penne pasta with lemon thyme and lemon juice (this was whipped up the last minute because I had burned the potato gratin ) Torta caprese di mandorle (almond & chocolate torte, from Antionio Carluccio's Southern Italian Cooking)

Lovely dinnerparty Wendy! Those scallops looked delicious! So, what did your guests think of the picture-taking? Had some friends (with baby) over for very informal dinnerparty last week. On the plate: Eggplant involtini (slices of eggplant stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, basil and pinenuts, baked in a light tomato sauce) Zucchini / potato/ parmesan frittata salad of rucola, roast cauliflower and chickpeas. dessert: cherry almond tart Today a light dinner - salad of arborio rice, tomatoes, spring onions, basil and prawns. Batavian endive, sauteed with lots of garlic, served cold with lemon juice and good olive oil.

I've seen a percentage like this come up every now and then in the thread (sometimes 80/20?) What does it mean?

hey Susan, I think you make Chufi style roast potatoes more often than Chufi does!! dinner tonight: grilled slices of aubergine, topped with tomato, mozzarella and homemade pesto pasta with double shelled fresh broad beans, with mint and goatscheese. Served lukewarm because it's hot here! dessert: fresh pineapple with mint-sugar (idea from Jamie Oliver, simple but fantastic!)

tonight's dinner was flecked green all over: chilled cream of sorrel soup spaghetti with homemade pesto

Now that impresses me even more (if that's possible) that your awe-inspiring description of your work day. Where on earth do you find the time for all that reading? or are you one of those fast-readers?? This is a great blog, very well written and I have to say, I don't even miss the pictures (although I'm sure I'll be very happy when they arrive )

Very busy the last couple of days so some improvised, cleaning-out-the fridge cooking going on. Yesterday: stirfry of smoked bacon, onion, paksoi. Flavored with soy-sauce, sambal and mirin. At the last moment I crumbled in the peanutbutterburger left over from the cook-off. Tossed this with soba noodles and it was delicious! The smoky saltiness of the bacon and soysauce, the crisp bitterness of the paksoi, the sweet juicyness of the burger. Almost something to make again (although next time, it will probably not turn out as good) Today: quiche of leeks, dried shii-takes and roquefort. tomatosalad with tarragon-mustard dressing. a lot of Ben & Jerrys NewYork super fudgy chunky or whatever that's called for dessert

Summer dinner: Frittata with chunks of fresh tomato, lots of thyme, a little bit of crisp smoked bacon, and cubes of soft goatscheese. Watercress & avocado salad. grilled Chicken scaloppini (marinated in lemon juice and chipotle in adobo sauce) Roast broccoli (again) While I was cooking I realized that this dinner had no carbs so I served it with some crusty bread, but it did not really need that.

you can also check bookings for hotels at Schiphol. always glad to be an inspiration. If you need any more info on restaurants or food-places in Amsterdam, feel free to PM me, I'm always happy to promote my city! when are you going? The weather is really bad here at the moment, very cold. Hope it gets better soon.

yes, that bread was inspirational. It was only when I saw the picture of the picnic that I realized how HUGE that loaf of bread was! thanks for letting us share your life and food this week. It's been lovely.

well.. it was a very unconventional burger dinner! when I was mixing in the peanutbutter, I was inspired to add some Indonesian flavors.. so I added ketjap and sambal to the meatmix. Cooked them on the griddle pan, served in a pita bread with slices of raw tomato, some caramalized leeks, and a side of sesame stir-fried paksoi. The meat was absolutely delicious, indeed very moist and juicy. Thanks for that recipe Marlene, I can see many interesting variations in the future!

rest assured. I'm having one of my worst work-weeks ever (and it's only monday.. ) and I've decided that Marlene's peanutbutterburgers will be just the thing to cheer me up this evening. So more burgers are coming...

Yes. Sesame oil is also great. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but I did a salad of roast cauliflower, chickpeas, sesame oil dressing. Wonderful. Tonight I roasted my first broccoli. When it looked ready, I sprinkled some sesame seeds over and roasted for a couple of minutes more. Drizzled with sesame oil when it came out of the oven and served over a simple noodle dish. Wow. The best broccoli ever!! Even my husband (who does not really like broccoli) loved it. I can't wait to feed this to guests, the intensified flavor is so incredible...

There are several hotels right at the airport within walking distance or short shuttle services away from the terminals, among them Hilton, Sheraton etc. I've never stayed in a hotel like that so I really could not say anything about the food. (btw, Schiphol Airport is only a VERY short trainride away from Amsterdam (10 minutes to the southern part of town, a beautiful residential neighborhood with lots of good hotels, and only 17 minutes to the city center). )

Happy birthday! now you did not eat all that food by yourself did you?? I am very intrigued by that artichoke paste. Is it made from the marinated artichokes qouted above? And how do you get it stiff enough to hold together while wrapping salami or prosciutto around it? btw thanks to you and this thread, I bought the Plotkin book on Liguria. It was on sale for 10 Euro, could not pass that up. I haven't cooked from it yet but it's a great read!

Gyokuro. It's very expensive so we only drink it every now and then.. definitely not for daily sipping. But it's divine, the essence of green tea, so clear and fresh and light. I say 'we' because my husband is the teaperson of the household. I never make tea, he always makes it for me!

me too! And middle german, and middle dutch. Ah never mind. Jack.. I am loving this blog very, very much. I love how all these little snapshots (of your garden, the coffeestall at the trainstation, the Aga, the sausages for dinner, your musings on what to do with bacon.. ) somehow create this wonderful image of your life. It looks like a great life from where I'm sitting. Thanks for sharing it with us.

well, my husband had been telling his coworkers about my 'hobby' so they were kind of expecting it.. and everytime I put a food or beverage on the table they kept asking 'can we eat or do you have to take a pic first??' Susan that fish with pistachios and avocado looks very unusual and delicious. and Helenas, that chicken! Wow! My dinner tonight: Grilled chicken breasts, that had been marinating all day in maple syrup, marmelade, soy sayce and mustard. Courgette/mint/goatscheese pancakes. Salad with pumpkinseedoil dressing.