For the Foodies

I am a foodie. And this post of the blog is for people like me who love food, remember food, and always ask about food. So for the few foodies out there, this collection is for you. And yes, I also really enjoy sharing all about the food :)

Iceland. We weren't there long, just an 1 and 1/2 hour actually, but I'll never forget it. This was our airport breakfast. A big oatmeal, whole grain, chewy cookie like baked good and amazing "yogurt". I'd go back to Iceland just for the yogurt. It was actually like kwark, but for those of you who don't know what that is. . . this yogurt was thick like Greek yogurt, but wonderfully smooth, there was no dry after taste and the melon flavor was sweet and tangy. I may have just been incredibly hungry, but I remember it being incredibly good. 

Kwark on the left (thick yogurt). Ontbijtkoek (breakfast bread) on the right. A slice of bread and a scoop of kwark and it's breakfast. Probably not traditional Dutch (except the ontbijtkoek), but a good combo.

If thick yogurt is not your thing, the Netherlands thought of you too. Vla is just as yummy but not at all thick (some how it is a light custard) and it comes in many different flavors, we are going to give cinnamon pear a try.

Noodles and veggies. But the best part is the small, sweet melon that we bought in the market for extremely cheap.

Soup comes in a bag and it makes 2 perfect servings for us, so when we don't feel like cooking, we buy ourselves a 3 euro dinner by picking up some rolls and heating the soup up in a pot. Don't even have to add water. 

Hagelslag! And peanut butter. A rich combo that needs milk. 

A peek inside our cupboards, they are slowly filling. The rye bread (with Gouda) is one of Luke's favorite snacks- I think the best part about it is that it comes pre-sliced. 

Pizza! I never would have thought it, but Europe has a real thing going for frozen pizzas. They are considerably smaller than American ones .  . . but this one was deeelicious. Pesto, cheese, tomatoes and  salami was the key ingredient. It was not large, but it was rich. 

Stroopwaffle = one of the best Dutch inventions. The one that Luke is holding is called a "super stroopwaffle" on account of its size. They sell these in stands at markets and such. They are warm and the syrup is oh so gooey. Mhhmmhhmm.

See the salad? I've been happily eating my greens the Spanish/Mediterranean way with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt for dressing. Luke has learned to like it, but he didn't like it that much because he also bought some Caesar dressing (no Ranch here). I, on the other hand, never want to go back to dressing from a bottle.

Luke's Birthday Dinner.

Rice with peanut butter Indonesian satay chicken, stir fried veggies, black berry apple juice and a lemon water. Delectable.

Birthday dessert. I went out in search of cake and ice cream to celebrate and this is what I came back with. The cake was good but extremely rich, and the frosting was a butter cream, also good but very rich. At first we laughed when we saw that the cake was supposed to be for 5-6 people. After we had a piece we understood why. 

The ice cream was probably the best part. It's more dense and creamy than what we're used to, but in our opinion that is an improvement. If you've ever had gelato, it's a lot like this ice cream. The berries on top were really tart, and the ice creams swirl from creamy to bursting with berry. It was an amazing combination. 

We are trying to stick to the essentials in our grocery shopping. Yesterday I decided this was essential. Today it is gone, but teaching is a job that requires chocolate and if the chocolate is creamy, German, and filled with hazelnuts it helps you be a better teacher. Well, at least it has proven true in my life. 

It's not enough just to eat chocolate. If you're living the good life then you drink it too. Chocolate milk is available but I have never liked it, I've always thought that it was trying to be two things at once and failing at both. Chocomel on the other hand has it all right. It's like yummy milk chocolate in a thick drink-able consistency. It makes me think that chocolate pudding and milk have been whipped together for a long time to make the perfect drinkable chocolate.