Filled Pasta Shells with lemon-ricotta and caremelized mushrooms

Taste Explosion!

About a year or two ago, an awesome caterer settled around the corner of the home where we used to live. It's called after the name of the owner: Stach
It's an awesome place to get ready-to-go-meals, cooked freshly every day, and most of it is meatless. But more important: all the incredients are from local farmers and manufacturers, and picked by the season. You can imagine, we loved to go there after a busy day of work, and choose what ever we liked per person. It's a pitty it's a bit far now to go there more often, though it's better for my bankaccount for sure!

One of the first meals I bought there, were stuffed pasta shells with ricotta, topped with onions and mushrooms. It's delicate taste stayed in my mind for ever, and when they decided not to make it anymore, just to make room for new dishes which were just as good or even better, I just thought to give it a shot and make it myself.

This is the result, and believe me, it's like a taste bomb in your mouth! It's awesome! Even my kids couldn't recist the zesty mushrooms, and that's really something.

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Spinach-arugula salad with oven roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and croutons

Let's pretend it's summer!

As happy as I was last weekwith the first sign of spring, as drairy it is again today. Just went outside for some skating in the park with my kids, but went straight home when my ears started to freeze off.. There is this saying in Holland, which goes like this:

 

'March moves it's tail, april does as it pleases, and may adds some more..' When i write this down in english it sounds ridiculous, due to the fact it makes no sense at all, and doen's even rhyme! Well, anyway, it means we're not yet done with wintery days, and as beautiful the weather seemed to be last week, as cold and wet it is today, which isn't particularly an exception for this time of the year. It actually means carpe diem. Just run outside, when you see a bit of light! That rhymes for sure.

 

So. If the sun won't come out just yet, we just have to pretend. And nothing beats a summery salad on your plate. It's weekend right? Pour yourself a nice glass of wine, mayby an icecold Chardonnay, and enjoy the crispy spinach salad with sun dried oven roasted tomatoes. By the way, you can save these tomatoes for about two weeks in your fridge by cover them with olive oil, in a sealed container. Very nice over some pasta.

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Good neighbours, great chocolate.

Good neighbours, great chocolate.

My neighbour friend happens to be a PR lady in the foodsection, which i didn't know, until we had a nice evening at her place, where she invited us for a great soup and some lovely wines. With the babyphone plugged in, we told each other what we do.

The next day i received an invitation to join a press release of a brand new sustainable cacao event, held in Amsterdam: 'Chocoa'. (8th - 11th of march www.chocoa.nl)
This public festival is initiated by the Dutch 'Chocolate events foundation' to promote sustainable cocoa, and the great products which are produced because of it. At this moment, not even 10% of the worldwide cocoa production is sustainable, which is a shame for sure. Sustainable chocolate doesn't only tastes a lot better, but also helps the producers in an honest an natural way.

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Happy couscous with eggplant and zucchini

Happy couscous with eggplant & zucchini

Oh my, it's incredible what a little sun can do for ones mood! These last few days where amazing. We were caught by surprise when we woke up in the first sunrays of spring. And here in Amsterdam, or actually in the rest of Holland as well, it's funny to see that just everybody decides to go outside and make a pitstop at a terrace at some point. To enjoy a drink or two and have some good conversations. (they always turn out better with some drinks, you know)


But ok, no, i didn't make that pitstop. But happy, i was for sure. I just can't wait for summer to start. The long evenings in the Vondelpark around the corner, the picknicks, the 'mum-i-don't-want-to-go-to-bed-yet-it's-still-light-ousides', staying up late, the kids playing and running in- and out, nice dinners with friends in some gardens and ahh... it's all just too good to be true.
So, to celebrate this victory of sun, some happy couscous on the table, to pre-taste a bit of summer! Cheers!

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Slightly different, old-fashioned pea-soup

Slightly different, old-fashioned pea-soup

Do you remember those dishes your mom used to make which you totally loved? I guess we all have a few of these memories. So do i. But besides the fact my mom isn't really a brilliant cook (sorry mom, but i'm glad you say so as well) there were a few dishes she made, which were so great, i start making them for my own family. Homemade peasoup is one of them. It seemed a really easy job, but so incredibly tasty!

All you have to do is cut all the vegetables in quite even little squares, and use way more
celeriac then the usual recipe says, add some potatoe as well, lot's of fresh thyme, and simmer for at least one and a half hour. Mmmm, it's incredible how raw vegetebles can so easily turn in such a great soup. But hurry up! It just became march, and so this very wintery recipe needs to be made and eaten before springs pops in!! (by the way, the next day it tastes even better!)

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