SPECULAAS TRUFFLES

When winter starts to roll in the scent of cinnamony gingerbread is very appreciated. In the Netherlands the go to spice mix comparable to gingerbread is speculaas, a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, coriander, anise, pepper, cardamom and nutmeg.

CHICKEN DUMPLING SOUP

The temperature just plummeted here in northern europe. It's gone low enough that I ran to the grocery store for chicken in order to make soup yesterday. Warm delicious soup to stave off the oncoming winter.

CINNAMON SUGAR CHURROS

Churros always take me Barcelona. And not just anywhere in Barcelona, the Barrio Gotico.

In the small winding streets of the old city there is a small Churreria painted vivid blue. It serves up warm and crunchy churros all day long. Though I am mostly lost in the city which is built like a maze, I always manage to get myself to the blue shop to buy a cone of sugared sticks.

I will not be going to Barcelona any time soon so I decided to bring a bit of it's taste to my home.

PEACH CHAMOMILE SORBET

Sweet, juicy, orange fleshed and with a slight floral taste, peaches in season are super good.

The peaches here in Ontario started popping up around fruit stalls recently. The waft you get as you walk past is out of this world. I picked up a bag of peaches the other day and decided to make another frozen treat... Another easy frozen treat.

MIXED BERRY FRO YO

Last week I got on a plane and came back to Toronto for a couple of weeks to escape the un-ending rain of Amsterdam.

It's really great to be back here, I like this city. When I come back I always find something has changed, often for the better. Streets get cleaned up, restaurants open, the west end (where my parents live) gets more and more interesting and the weather is always better than I remember. 

TOMATO STEWED GREENBEANS

Spent the past 3 days painting the balcony. Quite a fulfilling task. Small goals is where it's at!

A laborious 3 days on the balcony means less fun time in the kitchen. These quick stewed green beans are super tasty. I served mine as a side to salmon with a dollop of mustard mayonaise.

QUARK CAKE

A different take on a sweet cheesy treat. German style cheesecake, Quark cake!

Quark is a very fresh cheese with the consistency of yogurt and a slight cheesy tang. You can find Quark in the Netherlands and Germany but in France it's called fromage frais. I can't really say its a favourite straight out of the tub but it does bake up well and this cake is a testament to it. 

APPLE YOGURT QUINOA

I like waking up early, hearing the birds sing, seeing the weak sun become stronger as it works it's way up the sky, having the house quiet and to myself. Amsterdam is a city that wakes up late, even the markets tend not to be open before 10 and people don't show up until noon. 

In Canada I did things in the morning but since moving here I've learned to appreciate them as a time when I can do nothing because no one else is doing anything. A time to relax and not be busy.

MINI CHOCOLATE TARTS

I first ate this style of tart at my friend Amelie's house. Since our dessert rendez-vous 2 weeks ago I've thought about making them often but never had the occasion. Yesterday that occasion struck... The plan was to make strawberry tarts. On cupboard inspection I noticed there was only 1 spoon of sugar left in the jar and you definitely can't make creme patissière without sugar. 

CHOCOLATE PEAR CUPCAKES

 Mission, birthday goodies... My friend Clara is having her 25th birthday party today and I offered to bake a sweet treat to help her celebrate 25 years of flying around the sun.

I got to thinking of what I was going to make, initially I wanted to bake a cake but since there had to be enough sweet treats for 15 people and the cake had to be transported to a restaurant, I thought cupcakes would be more manageable, not to mention much cuter.

CUCUMBER ZUCCHINI CHILLI SALAD

Digging through my photo archives I found this salad I made about a year ago. I wanted to share it because it's the perfect summer salad — The Netherlands hasn't deep dived into summer yet... I'm not holding my breath either but where you are maybe the sun is shining — It's fresh and creative with a bit of a Thai flavour to it. 

The salad consists of peeled zucchini, cucumbers, a chilli dressing and pomegranate seeds. I think it would be perfect with some barbequed pork skewers or shrimp.

SWEDISH CHOCOLATE CAKE

Mild, light, long days and fresh air, Sweden is a beautiful country, especially in the summer, in many ways it reminds me of Northern Ontario although there is something just a tiny bit prettier about it. Maybe it's the position of the sun which never gets intense but shines a warm light on the landscape or maybe because there are wildflowers everywhere, there is just something magical about it.

Last weekend I was in Copenhagen and Southern Sweden, Skåne. I was there for a wedding and a jaunt around Copenhagen. Unfortunately it rained while in Denmark and after a day and a half of walking around under an umbrella a beeline was made to take the train over the Øresund Bridge and into Sweden. A very relaxed 4 days was then spent eating well, walking around forests and visting the most beautiful northern beach for a wedding.

OATMEAL COOKIES

Oatmeal is delicious, I eat it almost every day. Cookies are also delicious, unfortunately, I don't eat them almost every day. I actually don't even get cravings for them that often...

Today though... today was different. The cookie craving decided to pay a visit and I suppose since it hit around breakfast I was really, really craving oatmeal cookies. Sometimes those cravings just strike don't they? COOKIE COOKIE COOKIE. So out came the baking utensils, my bag of oatmeal, a generous helping of butter and my wooden mixing spoon, (cookies just aren't the same when they're not mixed by wooden spoon, I like to stay classic that way).

CHERRY TOMATO & FETA SPAGHETTI

It's sunny, hot and there's water everywhere, there's nothing better than summer in Amsterdam. Summer weekends here are spent lounging in the parks, fleeing to the ocean side or biking to one of the many lakes (meer) around the country. 

A friend and I weighed our options and decided to head to the beach so we needed a quick pre-beach lunch which was bikini friendly and easy to cook up in my un air-conditioned flat.

This pasta is light, easy and from start to finish takes under 30 minutes. With a couple of cubes of feta and some fresh oregano a wonderful summer meal is born.

KNOTTED CINNAMON BUNS

Knotted Swedish cinnamon buns, I really do make these more often than I should but cinnamon and sugar are one of life's sweet combinations and a sweet morsel always goes with an afternoon coffee or tea. The best part of these is that they are more of a brioche with cinnamon and sugar filling than a North American cinnamon bun. They're actually not that sweet and won't leave you feeling guilty or with a toothache if you happen to down 2 or 3 at a sitting. Something I wholly recommend. 

These take about 3 hours to make so if you start on a saturday morning you can have them baked up for your afternoon break, hopefully in the sun.

GREEN & BLACK WHEAT BERRY SALAD

Sometimes you need a whole grain/vegetable boost. I had a very indulgent weekend food and beverage wise so today needed something a bit healthier but still exciting enough to compete with the roast potatoes and pork of last night. So I thought what better way to make something exciting than to mix loads of stuff together and hope for the best!

My thought process for this salad was simple, incorporate colour and texture, two things I love in food, to make something yummy and exciting to eat. Bright green veg and seeds, flecked with very dark lentils and raisins all with lots of different textures; chewy, crunchy and soft. Mission accomplished!

BROCCOLI & LEEK SOUP

I was in Ghent over the weekend for a small adventure and stopped by a place which only served soups, 4 kinds which rotated daily and were served with 4 toppings; meatballs, cheese, herbs and chopped vegetables. For 4.50 EU you got a giant bowl of soup with the toppings of your choice, two rolls and an apple. A bit like a charming cafeteria or an old school diner, the perfect lunch while walking about.

ALMOST EASY BAGELS

Bread, bread, bread, somehow I don't feel as guilty when I eat the bread I make myself, (all the kneading has got to burn some calories!) I got the bread making bug about 2 years ago and I can't stop making and baking the stuff. It's very therapeutic and there's something very rewarding about how every time I make some it gets better and better. It takes time, yes, but it's worth every second when you take fresh bread from the oven to eat it.

SPANOKOPITA

Today something Greek. With all of the amazing food you can eat in Greece, tomatoes, fish, lamb! I have to say that I think spanokopita is truly an act of culinary genius and one of my favourite treats. There really is no better way to eat spinach.

What made me think of Greece was the sparkling and sunny weather in Amsterdam yesterday. Naturally my Greek daydreaming led me to something food related, and an overwhelming desire to make spanokopita, (sun + Martina's daydreaming = cooking). It all fit in perfectly as I was going to have guests over and thought, what could be a better way to greet them than with a salty, crunchy and creamy snack? A snack that was actually somewhat healthy with all the spinach stuffed inside, (delusion is a wonderful thing).

OATMEAL APPLE PANCAKES

Although I'm not working these days I still manage to get myself out of bed and ready to face the day plenty before noon — not yesterday, I stayed out a bit too late on Friday night. A wonderful dinner with friends turned into having a few too many drinks at the bar and crawling into bed way past my bedtime. When I woke up all I could think about was pancakes. There's nothing better than sleeping in and having a plate of warm pancakes for a late saturday brunch in bed.

Of course they were topped off with the Canadian maple syrup I stash away in my luggage whenever I come to visit, and a healthy amount of bacon and sausages.