Crazy Nails

OK, originally this blog is about food.... BUT, today I found out about something that I just have to share with you and since this product is a liquid before it turns solid......so it is actually both... I decided to blog about it anyway. So what is it.....?

THE STORE

AMAZING STORE

Since a few weeks there is a new cosmetic store in Amsterdam called INGLOT The brand already exists for 25 years and is from Poland but I just found out about this brand today. Apparantly, while travelling, I only saw Nars and MAC, without opening my eyes for other brands.

So today I walked in to check it out and it is an amazing store. They have so many different colours but besides that so many different fun products. The most beautiful body sparkles/shimmers, eye shadows, eyeliners with glitter etc etc. But the product that excited me the most is their Crazy Nails nail enamel.

This is how it works.... choose a nice colourful nail enamel that you like, pink for example, and then choose one of the 7 colours of the Crazy Nail enamel for example red. You only need to apply 1 layer and when it dries it 'cracks open'.  So what you end up with is a nice piece of art on every nail. Through the red cracked open top coat you see the pink of the first layer...... I'm soooo excited by this, it is so cool!!! I put some pictures for you to understand me better and I really hope you like it as much as I do!!

And.... I shouldn't forget to mention that the staff in the store was very friendly, they were very happy to show me around and to inform me about their assortment.

http://atqabeauty.blogspot.com/

http://atqabeauty.blogspot.com/

iPhone cases

Although I haven't got an iPhone (yet), these iPhone cases are just too funny! I came across this through a link on Twitter. It looks soooo real! I wonder what people will think when they will see you calling with an egg-and-bacon, a rice-unagi-dish etc...

Which is your favourite?

Lemon Batidooooooooooo

I am sooo happy, yesterday we had great weather and I was able to go to the beach! Enjoying the warmth of the sun on my skin and the freshness of the cold sea. Unfortunately, today, the weather made a 180.... Rain, thunder, cold winds everything all at once. That  is how summer feels like in the Netherlands. But it makes you appreciate the sun more as well.

However, I like to be a little bit longer in this vibe called summer so I invited the sun into my house with this nice cold fresh drink. While  I was living on Aruba I drank this a lot. It is called a batido and here is how you make it.

For 1 tall glass:

1 lime, cut in 2-3 pieces
2-3 table spoons of cane sugar, depending how sweet/sour you like it
a splash of water
a glass full of ice cubes

Put all the ingredients in a blender, which is able to crush ice, and then pour the mixture in a sieve. Push it through the sieve with a spoon.... for decoration put a slice of lime on the rim, some nice straws and ready is your summer-in-a-glass!!!!!

Enjoy!!!!

Lunch @ Gartine

Everybody who ever visits Amsterdam and is looking for a nice place to have breakfast, lunch or a high-tea .....Gartine is the place you are looking for. They grow their own veggies, herbs and fruits in their veggiepatch. The eggs they use come from a foundation called "Adopt a chicken". You 'adopt' a chicken on an organic farm, where the chicken stays, and you can get your organic eggs at the organic store.

Everything they serve is home-made and truly delicious. Also the people working there are very friendly which, for Amsterdam, is almost unique.

I made a picture of the sandwich I ordered: a whole wheat bun with spinach, bleu de causses (French blue cheese) and apricots, yummy in my tummy!!! Also loving the plate!!!

Sandwich Bleu de Causses with spinach

To get more of an impression, I took some photo's from their website......

Owner

The veggies fresh from veggiepatch

Home made pastries

Old-fashioned style tableware

Truly delicious........pictures

Although I am always talking and thinking about food, it was a friend  of mine who pointed out a certain website. How come I didn't find out about it myself? I guess it probably was subconscious protective me as, ever since I 'discovered' this site, I am continuously looking at it. At all the lovely beautiful pictures, imagining how things would smell, taste, if it is easy to make etc.....

I put a few pictures below, so see for yourself if you agree.... more pictures can be found at foodgawker.com

Artichokes are in season !!

And you can find lots of them everywhere!! Artichokes are such a treat in many different ways. The way I like them best is actually very plain and natural.

Depending on the size I cook them for about 20-30 minutes, making sure the heart is cooked as well. I never cut of the tip of the leafs.... I don't understand why people do that.... why should I mutilate an artichoke without any reason? Anyway, when the artichoke is cooked I let it cool for about 5 minutes, otherwise my enthusiasm causes burn blisters on my hands ;-)

Then, when ready, I dip the bottom of the leaf either in melted butter, or a sauce made of mayonnaise, mustard, yoghurt ,salt, pepper and lots of lemon juice. 

Truly delicioso!

What is your favourite artichoke recipe?

A Foodie's kitchen.....

PLEASE... someone........ I guess I'll be cleaning all night.... how does your kitchen look like?

Clafoutis part deux

Since I encouraged all of you to make your own Clafoutis..... I also participated as it is well worth the try!! It is so lovely and delicious and terribly easy to make. To motivate you a little bit more I added a photo with the Clafoutis before it went into the oven and after.... don't you want to dig in?

Share some pictures of yours with me!!!

Cherry Clafoutis

One of my favourite summer desserts is cherry clafoutis. Especially those made with the best tastiest ripe cherries that are available in the summertime, makes this dish delicious and almost breathtaking.

Raymond Blanc, owner and chef of 2 Michelin starred restaurant/hotel Le Manoir, near Oxford, UK, shares on his website some of his best recipes. One of them is a recipe that belonged to his mother and is the recipe for the clafoutis.
It is not difficult, it just takes some time as you have to pit the cherries and make some beurre noisette (hazelnut coloured butter) and the cherries need at least 2 hours to marinade. But as Raymond mentions in the recipe, the best way to make this dish is with help of family/friends.

Enjoy and let me know how it turned out!!!!!

Your love is King

If you're having trouble finding the best gift for Father's day.... don't look any further, here it is!!!!

It's a pepper mill by Cole & Mason and has the shape (and size: 72cm!!! ) of a baseball bat. Combining Father's day with a summer's BBQ and you'll be done for the rest of the year (gift wise ;-))

In Europe you can find this item in cookery shops that sell Cole & Mason salt & pepper mills. If you are living in the USA you can get it here


Or.... get this great Williams-Sonoma Stainless steel grill tools set with storage case!!!

Your Father is going to be sooo Happy!!!

Very Raspberry

Since the raspberries are almost falling from the sky as they are to be found everywhere, I remember a recipe that I'd like to share. It is, of course, with chocolate but the combination of all tastes and structures together makes this dessert a real treat!

I got this recipe from Nigella. I remember very well watching the tv when she was preparing this dessert (Pavlova is the name). It almost got me stuck to the screen as it just seemed sooooo delicious. The picture      you see is of a Pavlova that I made as a part of the wedding cake (they didn't want anything traditional, rather several different cakes,  more about those later!)
As you can see, it looks beautiful on any table as the bright pink/red colour of the raspberries on top of the white cream and the dark chocolate makes it looks very vibrant.

Let me know how yours turned out!! Pictures please!!!!!!!! 

Mon Cupcake

Since it started to rain.... again.... I decided to do something that I like a lot: baking cakes. I got a present the other day that contains a very nice cupcake recipe book, with 10 silicone cupcake molds and an icing syringe. It's a very cute giftset the only thing you need... is to understand French..... and luckily I do

I made their basic vanilla cupcake recipe (with a touch of cardamom) which is made only with egg whites, making the structure very light and fluffy. 

I still need to get used to using a syringe for decorative icing...but I think I did a nice job ....... 

for a beginner ;-) 

On top of the cupcake is a layer of pure chocolate and I made the icing with powder sugar and fresh raspberry juice giving its pink colour. Perfect to bright up a rainy day!

Get Fresh at the Weekend

Don't these 2 look nice! It's a new product by Dutch designer company Royal VKB. They are well-known for their innovative homeware products. They re-design day-to-day used items into ones that are almost too beautiful to use.

This colourful item is their latest design and is called: Citrange. 

We all know we like fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning, but the hassle to make it.... well not actually the squeezing but more the cleaning afterwards..... especially when using a (electric) squeezer, all those little fibres, they get stuck everywhere. I guess that is the main reason withholding me from making my own. 

Well Royal VKB's Citrange says bye-bye to that obstacle. It fits directly onto a glass, it can be used two-sided so it fits limes and oranges and it is dishwasher safe..... the funnel inside makes sure that the juice goes in the glass and filters out the seeds. 

I guess my obstacle is gone......

Hello Sunshine!

What better way than to start the day with a flower shaped fried egg? It already puts a smile on my face just looking at it!!!!
And it is sooo easy to make! Just make sure you get a good mold and start baking! Share your hapinnes!

You're the apple of my eye!

I couldn't help but not sharing this with you. While I was eating a home made Greek salad, I found an apple-shaped lettuce leave stuck on a piece of feta cheese. It looks sooooo cute!!!! 

A new DRESSing!!

Surfing the net I came across this new item and ladies beware... you probably now all want one of THESE

I must admit, I don't have an apron. It is not because I don't want one, it is just that I really dislike the ones that are available. I tend to find most aprons outdated and old-fashioned and if there is something that I'm really not than it is that. Putting on an apron makes me feel like a grandmother doing nothing but cooking and cleaning the house. I'm not in that stage of my life yet so why should I pretend that I am?
Besides that I am one of the lucky few that rarely spills or stain my clothes.

Anyway I think that these aprons are sexy and there is nothing wrong with that! Thinking of sexy, it should not come as a surprise that these dresses are inspired by Italian culture.  Why shouldn't women look good in the kitchen? Finally the times of kitchen fashion are a-changing!



Unfortunately only, for now, available in The Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal.

Tea TIME!

It's tea time and as Undutchable as I am I prefer nice high quality tea. Not the kind you get from the supermarket which is just black tea with some added flavour. NO I like tasty tea.

One of my favourite brands is Clipper Tea (do I need to say it's English?) They come in all sorts of flavours but most important, it's organic and fair trade.
As I like almost all of their flavours it's hard to choose my favourite but I guess the Orange & Coconut infusion is my favourite. It's very nice and fresh, especially with breakfast. Although it says coconut, it is only a hint of coconut that you will taste.

Number 2 must be the Indian Chai Tea

Unfortunately these teas are (well at least not in Amsterdam) to be found in local supermarkets but you can get them at organic/biological food stores. 

Groovey Prunes

Thanks David Lebovitz!! Now I know what I'll be getting next time when I'm in France. Can't wait to try THESE!!!!

Please SIGN!!!!

Please sign THIS petition in order to help Jamie Oliver with his Food Revolution in the United States of America. Every child should have the right to get fresh home made food. It will give so many children a much brighter view on their future.

Thank you.

Yeah!! Go Ching!

(click on the image to enlarge)

Wow I am soooo happy! I just found out that my favorite Chinese tv-cook Ching-He Huang launched, together with long time kitchen tool brand Typhoon, her own range of kitchen tools and tableware. They look so pretty. I definitely love the colours and that the design still has, even though very modern and up-to-date, a touch of Chinese culture in it. As what I can see from the picture, she has soup bowls, storage jars, mixing bowls, a wok, and some handy kitchen tools such as huge chop sticks which are used in the Asian kitchen a lot. I must say, I've tried cooking with those also and they are perfect for mixing noodles with sauce and vegetables but also to stir in the wok. 

What I also like is that they blend in perfectly with Typhoon's other products like this red retro colander. Can not wait to brighten up my kitchen!!!!

Jolly Joseph: too cool to be a kitchen tool!

Today I want to share a kitchen tool brand with you that I happen to like a lot. It is called Joseph Joseph and you can find their products on www.josephjoseph.com.
All their products are functional as well as well-designed. I guess that is their starting point when they design new things.


The most known tool that they designed is the Chop2Pot. It is a plastic cutting board which you can fold so the chopped food goes directly into the pan instead of part-in-the-pan / part-around-the-pan.

Then they also have something which they call: nesting set, and the one in the picture below is the Nest 8, as the set contains 8 products: mixing bowls, a sieve,  a strainer and measuring cups. The nice thing is that they all fit perfectly into each other so the only space it is taking in your cupboard is the size of the largest mixing bowl. And the bright colours make even the darkest of days more bright. These are made for happy cooking! 

     

                                                

They like to design efficient but useful products at Joseph Joseph. For example this strainer. Because of its square design it sits perfectly in the corner of the sink (unless you have a round one...duhh ;-)) And because of the handle it stands very stable. So no more messing with the strainer and spilled food.

 Following the line of the hygiene protocol used in the hospitality industry, Joseph Joseph is the first one to come up with a product to bring more hygiene in personal homes. With this set of cutting boards you always know which board to use. This will prevent cross contamination. The fact that it will look very fabulous on your countertop is of course a minor detail ;-)!

 And how about these very funky salad bowls with salad servers in the shape of hands! Also a great gift item!

I hope you like these products as much as I do! If you have something that you like... please care to share!!!!

If you are wondering where you can buy these products, take a look here