::bazaar::

you met up with friends for dinner, together with another two couples, six of you, enjoying the african meal alfonso style. the heat was still a little unbearable initially but it becomes perfect outdoor dining experience when the heat is gone and only the breeze remains.

 starters to share...

 assorted humus...

colorful plate ^^

the toilet is rather exotic too, full tiles with some moorish patterns

 you couldn't help but took a few photos...

and the morocco lamps hanging at the center of the entrance that leading all the way to the second floor 

quite enchanting and colorful for sure, lead you to think of 1001 nights...

 out there at the terrace, a variety of skewers with rice  come with various condiments.

mixed grill skewers with chicken and beef

 shrimp skewer

 lamb skewer

 the rice has different flavor for different mains. they are all shared and you enjoy your food while giggling with laughter and wash the food down with cold drinks.

another couscous dish to satisfy one of the ladies who wanted to try the couscous...

moroccan food has a certain crossover with Malaysian food. the lentil dish has a taste of the kacang dahl curry, perhaps the spices used are similar although not entirely the same.

food served was fine, meeting the expectation and it takes awhile to acquaintance to the cuisine. 

it's a warm day, warm evening. certainly to warm to call it a day, but that's another story to tell later...

giethoorn

venice in holland. a place that you know for years and yet never set your feet on the water village. you spot a chance through a friend who is going and grab the chance to drag him to go with you. he was reluctant, but he gave in anyway. 

this place is a good two hour drive from where we are.  you arrived, met up with your friends and stroll along the main pier hunting for boat to rent.  it's peak season, almost no more boat available or they're already booked by others...

it's a little village surrounded by canal and without road. all connected by canal or bridge from island of land to another.

 let alone the beautiful mansion with the lush green grass and manicured garden... lovely sight! some of the houses may not be luxury, but full of characters, unique by its own.

some are even rustic, but they are beautiful standalone houses on each island of land...

needless to say, it's a touristic spot, where you see some old dutch ladies in their traditional costumes making the crispy pancake for sales...

you continue to the village and finally succeeded with a boat rent for 3 hours. you were excited, and all five of you hopped on to the boat and a journey begins...

more on the boat ride later..

bake.by.chef

it's interesting sometime to see the circumstances can change one's behavior in your household.

a fruit cake not baked by you but by your dear chef. this is his third attempts on baking since you know him. 

a fruit cake follow a dutch recipe book.  the book consists of all rustic dutch bakes, nothing finesse, nothing elegant. they are just day to day treats that you can find at any dutch bakery, yet learning them is a great progress for him.

the end result is really not bad, especially he used the rose silicone mold to bake it.

perhaps it's because of your circumstances, you have not bake for awhile. chef used to munch on cakes when you were alive and kicking and now that he misses them, the only way to get hold of cake is to buy them from the dutch bakery or bake it himself.  he opts for baking, first attempt is really a pack of cake mix, a dutch spice cake which both of you find it overly sweet and distaste it.

 

second attempt was based on your favorite recipe book okashi, where he baked his favorite - an old fashion pound cake in stress.  yet he got a decent result on the butter pound cake, when it's done your SIL and family were visiting you and the cake went really well when it's freshly baked out from the oven.

look like the days ahead will be more baking done by him than you.  you are happy to have some home baked treats while you start to get busier with your work again. back to work. back to life. back to reality.

it's friday, you are relief, a short pause from work.  this weekend is going to be filled with fine weather is ahead. you hope to be a toursit in one of the dutch cities.

garden.report

you have visitors in your garden lately

 butterfly...

 bees...

 and your flowers are growing and blooming

 the roses are blooming for the second round after you fed them with some fertilizer

 your apple tree is growing, hanging with fruits but the tree is too fragile for the its fruits hence fallen apples...

your ume plum tree is producing bountiful fruits... perhaps it's time for  some ume jam again...

your dahlias blooming for the second round after you trimmed off the dried flowers...

===

set the garden aside, i am working long hours already. it's quite stressful to be in this state immediately after i resume to work but that's life.  each morning i woke up praying to God that His grace is sufficient for me and that i do not rely on my on strength and ability but by the spirit of the Lord. it's work for me, hence i am stressed by the workload but yet i am totally keeping sane and not letting the work pressure jeopardizing my day. to me, this is only possible by the grace of God. and i am truly thankful.

===

back.to.work

it has been four weeks, time flies for sure. most people would have return from their summer vacation, not that you already had one, but the time of recovery did pause you from your hectic work schedule.
you are starting again today,  probably not full time but certainly not looking forward to start working again. then again, that's life, as king solomon once said "there's time and activity under the sun".  you have rested. you are recovered (well, almost). you have been well fed and pampered. and now is time to get mobilize again.
you are working from home and it's not going to be easy with your replacement already gone and another member going on parental leave. perhaps you are worrying too much. surely your God will see you through like He always does for you. you ask for His strength and power to see you through next week.
one thing for sure, God's grace is sufficient for you.

in the evening you had a dinner with your family. your SIL's family just came back from their china and hong kong vacation, so it's about time to catch up.

 kid still fighting jet lag and refused to eat any thing, not until another friend came along with his kid

 

then the two became friends, alive and kicking...

isaac.isreal

lunch for 4, a simple dim sum at his favorite restaurant with just another two friends.

the egg tart is super delicious, the crust is so flaky and the custard is delicate. this is probably the best for the best that you started your dim sum with it.

 after the meal, three of you walked to the dutch history museum, on your way, you stopped at this square briefly to admire skyline of den haag.

  you're here to see the special exhibition from isaac israel. an israelite painter born and raised in the lowland. you never know there's a theater called scala once upon s time right in the wagenstraat in today's china town where the performance were on and he painted many dancers in that time. you never know there was a zoo in den haag until you saw the artist's paintings.

there are other exhibitions too but primarily the art works from local artists or arts related to the city of den haag. it's interesting to learn about a city through arts.

 you only know this as a mean of transportation for the ancient china or japan, it's interesting to know that it existed also for the lowland.

 you adjourned to dudok cafe for tea after the museum. this is the view right in front of the dutch history museum.

 you walk along the side path beside the pond

 casually moving to dudok cafe

where you had a famous dudok apple tart for yourself while the others decided on pear tart. you love you apple tart, the crumble and with a little bit of cream, yum!

eating.colors

 when it's lunch or dinner for one, you are simple.

 melon with prosciutto for lunch

salmon, basil cream spaghetti with tomatoes and salad of carrot, potato, fennel for dinner.

simple and colorful!

::chili::

you started driving once again, so you are more mobile. you drove a short distance for shopping. you are craving for chili, not any type but the particular type - chili chocolate.

you just opened the lindt chili chocolate. they are good, you throat is hot and you got the kick of it. only it's black and yet still a tad too sweet to your liking. 

you mind is running wild on how you can cook a dish out of chili chocolate. you remembered you once tasted chili chocolate chicken which was heavenly. perhaps it's time to recreate something. you don't know if you have the mood or energy to cook, but for now you are happy with your bites of chili chocolate.

happy.birthday

you attempt to bake a cake, nothing fancy, just a simple cake.  since your dear chef only likes the old fashion pound cake and it's his birthday today.

you are not good with pound cake but you want to bake him one. hence raspberry pound cake is it. something simple, not too heavy and something you can handle. 

 then you have so much raspberry  puree leftover and you enjoyed it with vanilla ice cream. yum!

you cooked the dinner too even though he is on late shift today and will not be home until after 8pm.

you pan grilled lamb steak, some potatoes and carrot as dinner, again something simple that you can handle.

 happy birthday, honey! may the Lord bless you and keep you for many many more years to come!