Something To Look Forward To On Friday

my plate every Friday 

 The weekend starts on Friday afternoon, it ends on Sunday afternoon. In the Netherlands, the weekend is something to look forward to. Be it with family, friends, time alone, or time to remember and to worship our Grand Creator. In most Dutch homes, weekend means being lazy, cozy. In our home, weekend means laid back, fast food on Friday night, game time, tv time. Have you ever heard the word frikandel? Uh! This is something that we look forward to on Friday! Our family is not much a consumer of fast foods. Not on Friday! Frikandel is one of the most likeable fast food among Dutch. It is a kind of sausage, my husband makes it more delicious by garnishing it with a mix of fresh shredded onions with catsup and mayonnaise, in short, the famous "frikandel special."

frikandel and fried shrimp

sla (fresh salad) the sla mixer is a gift from my dear friend

this makes "frikandel special"

cassava kropek

TGIF!

I have never seen frikandel in the Philippines, it’s the Purefoods tender juicy hotdog that both young and adult love there. Sometimes, I also buy them in the Filipino store in Rotterdam. We match frikandel with French fries, sometimes with chicken nuggets, my husband also includes our recent discovery, the cassava kropek! Real fast! Fast food! I cannot eat them without anything green, so I always prepare a fresh salad, I don't want to loss the word “healthy food”. For Nederlanders, fresh salad is sla. 

Any fresh leaves, usually it is rucola, with sliced tomatoes, cucumber, white cheese or feta is my version of sla. After the meal, my husband has cola, I drained them with oat milk. As I am writing this, I am thinking to search the origin of frikandel. The foods we eat are for me a rich blessings from God. There is always a good story behind every food we eat, as well as the rich culture that made that food known. How about you? What food made your country famous?

My First Taste Ever Of The Dutch Haring

My first haring courtesy of my husband. In a tosti with old cheese. They all took my worries away!

I remember one time, one of my friends in our congregation told me, "your husband said that you love seafoods." Yes, I am. I love fish, I love shrimp, crabs, and the inky squid adobo is a real treat for me. But haring or herring is something new to me. We live in Vlaardingen, the old and historical town in North Holland and is famous as the haring capital of the Netherlands. I migrated in the Netherlands after our wedding in the Philippines, so I live here for 5 years now. Only after five years that I have tried out this interesting fish, the haring. My husband bought it in the supermarket, ready to eat, in a jar, raw but deliciously sour. In the Philippines, we have kinilaw (fermented) na dilis which my parents enjoy. In the Netherlands, it is like kinilaw na haring. In the Philippines, we use vinegar and lemon to make kinilaw, in the Netherlands, they use pickles.

My very Dutch mother in law enjoying a fresh haring.

The herring (Clupea harengus) is a ray-finned fish from the northern hemisphere. It has long been a popular consumption fish, which is heavily fished. The history of the herring is therefore one that is intertwined with overfishing and government measures to prevent this.

Herrings were among the most important fish in the fishing industry for centuries. Probably the heyday of Dutch herring fishing in the first half of the 17th century. The herring was caught mainly in the North Sea, where they were chased and salted at sea. In, among others, the former Zuiderzee and off the coast, herrings were also caught that were intended for fresh sales.

Fermented in pickles.

Overfishing was already going on in the 17th century, when regulatory measures were already taken. In the twentieth century, the herring stock declined so strongly in various places that the government decided on a six-year ban on fishing (1977-1983). Due to strict European catch limits, which still apply today, the haring has been able to recover and nowadays thrives again relatively well.

About 90% of the caught herring is processed into fishmeal in Denmark and Norway.

Like tuna, haring is a fatty fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Perhaps, while you are reading this, you are thinking to add haring now in your bucket list.

The Evening Of The 25th Of December At Waddinxveen With My Dutch Family

red flowers as my present for the evening.

They say that family is not meant for each other, but they will certainly get lost without each other. I love the word family, the significance of the word, and of course the joy it brings to us as human beings. I likewise love family pictures. When I view family pictures, it is nice to see how love can bring together people. I left my family in the Philippines, they all live there. But I am glad, because the family of my husband is now also my family. I have my Dutch family.

my main course.

Last night, our family had a special family dinner. One of my two sisters in law and her partner invited us for a family dinner at their house in Waddinxveen. We traveled with our car for about 30 minutes getting there. I asked my husband to stop at a gasoline station along the European Highway because I like to buy some flowers. So many bouquets with Christmas greetings but I grabbed the one that looks very simple. I am glad that my sister in law liked the flowers that I brought for them. Waddinxveen is a small town in South Holland near Gouda. This town is very quiet, you will see many watery areas that for me look somber yet beautiful.
The evening was cozy, a time for the family. When we arrived, the aroma in the kitchen welcomes us. We all enjoyed everything. We enjoyed the foods that were well-planned, well presented, and a restaurant quality. I have some photos that I would love to share again to all my readers all over the world.

Sprout. They taste bitter but I like them.

Baked chicken with herb, spices, and wine sauce.

The Delicious Dutch Snack Kibbeling

This plate of kibbeling is for 6 euros

Have you ever heard "kibbeling"? Kibbeling is a popular Dutch snack, especially in the Dutch market on market day. I like its taste, also my son. Kibbeling consists of battered chunks of deep fried fish, it is perfectly taste good with a mayonnaise or garlic sauce.

Honestly, I am not a well knowledge of the fishes that are being sold in the Dutch market, except for salmon, mackerel, and herring. The kibbeling word come from kabeljauwwangen, cod cheeks. From what I got from the information on the internet, it denoted the salted waste of the cod fishery, which was an important part if the popular diet in the Netherlands during the nineteenth century.

I have here the photo of the delicious fried kibbeling that most Dutch people love. If you were in the Netherlands, you will find kibbeling so easily among the stall in the Dutch market. Prepare a napkin because I am sure, the delicious garlic sauce will leak in your finger.

my son was about 2 years old when he started to love kibbeling.

Cooking The Classic Dutch Andijviestamppot

This evening's plate of the healthy andijviestamppot for my husband.

One of the Dutch dishes that became a regular on our family menu is the andijviestamppot. This is a classic and an old fashion Dutch dish that I regularly cook for my family. This is how. You will see that these people who are rich in culture and world class when it comes to invention can eat a simple dish as this andijviestamppot.

* 600 gram (1.3 lb) potatoes
* 400 gram(14 oz) endive
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 6 bacon strips or bacon chunks (I used bacon chunks)

Peel the potatoes and cut into regular sized chunks. Bring to a boil in a pot of water. Lower the heat to medium and boil for about 15 minutes, then add the andijvie and let it boil for another 6 to 8 minutes until the andijvie get soft.
In a skillet, fry the bacon. When ready, cut into small strips or chunks.
Mashed the boiled potatoes and andijvie together. Add the fried bacon, as well as the oil that you have used to give moist to the stamppot. Mix well. For most Dutch people they love their andijviestamppot with a sausage. Both my husband and my son love andijviestamppot that I am almost perfectly cooks now.

Cooking Witlof Schotel, A Dutch Food

Witlof schotel with mash potatoes and melted cheese

I am glad that I can cook a Dutch meal now. Since my husband is a pure Dutch, it is a must that I can also cook Dutch dishes. This evening I made witlof schotel. I tried to look for an English word for witlof but I found none. So I am writing this witlof as witlof, a Dutch plant/vegetable.

wrapping the witlof 

fresh from the oven

What you need:
3 shoots of witlof
6 slices of ham
50 grams butter
200 ml half/full milk
Grated cheese

How:
Boil the potatoes until soft.
Cut the witlof into half and steam. We have a special pot where I can boil the potatoes and steam the witlof one time.
Mash the potatoes once it is done. Add the butter and the milk for a smooth texture of the mash potatoes. Mix well and put in the oven plate.
Roll the witlof with the ham and put at the top of the mash potatoes. Add the grated cheese as the toppings. Baked at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.
Serve hot.