The Tupperware cabinet

If you would open my cabinets and ask me: do you need any more Tupperware? I'm pretty sure the answer would be: of course I do! How could I not want more Tupperware? I mean, come on, get real! I couldn't imagine my cabinets without it!

Most people have like one Tupperware cabinet. I'm sure I have one cabinet without Tupperware.. It's just everywhere! There's the food containers, there's the cabinet with kitchen appliances, the microwave cabinet and the baking cabinet. There's a drawer filled with Tupper lunch boxes and the container with kitchen aids like whisks and spatulas and large spoons and so on. There's Tupperware for any occasion and my collection keeps growing. You need at least a couple of cookie containers and cake boxes. Your fridge has to hold some Vent Smarts to keep your veggies and fruit fresh and once you have used the Speedy Chef to whip that double cream.. Get the picture?

I have been asked multiple times to become a Tupperware consultant, but I never ever thought someone would draw me over the line. Maybe I wasn't ready for it on previous occasions or maybe I didn't have the guts. I have always shown great interest in the product and I love to collect Tupperware. Did you know I even order Tupperware when we cross the ocean to Florida? It is so exciting to buy Tupperware overseas and bring it home. Only other Tupperware addicts can relate to this feeling I guess..

My first party is coming up. There will be a crowd and I'm sure we'll have a very good time. It will be a culinary party and I truly believe that will be my cup of tea. I love to bake and cook and to share that love with others. Isn't it great that now I have found a way to come up with recipes, share my love for cooking and Tupperware with my friends and family? I'm looking forward to my first night. No stress, no cold sweat. It's my hobby, remember?

So if you want me to host your next party, give me a buzz or email me. I'll be happy to come over to your place and work something out for you to give your guests a pleasant evening. I'm ready for you!

Blend in

"What does it say?", one lady asked her friend, who was holding her arm as they approached the restaurant. "It says: Gourmet burger", her friend replied. "Oooh, I see, isn't that where you are supposed to cook your own little burgers in a small pan?" The three ladies were all excited about their adventure in the big city. They sat down, ordered three glasses of beer and kept on chatting, waiting for their adventurous lunch.

"We have to tell you some terrible news, kiddo", this mom told her approximately 10 yo old son, who was sitting at the opposite side of the table. He looked up from the menu and the man, sitting next to the young boy, put his hand on the arm of his new girlfriend. "While you were at daddy's house last week, mommy had a miscarriage. We know how much you wanted this baby and how dreadful this news must be for you", she announced, clearly emotional. Her eyes ping ponged from her son to her new partner. The son opened the menu and said: "I don't mind too much, I never wanted a brother or sister anyway..". 

I was waiting for my friend to arrive. He was a bit later than usual. Opening the iPad, I decided to type him a message, to make sure he had not forgotten our appointment at the Antwerp docks. The cute waiter (did you see how skinny he was???) handed me my glass of cold cava and asked me if I had already made a choice of what to have for lunch. Yes, I had, but I was waiting for my friend to join me. If he could come back a bit later to take our order? Absolutely ma'am! I knew my friend would like the look of this young man and I was right. Just a little bit later, he showed up and I was glad to see him. It had been too long. We hugged and kissed and soon after that, we sat down and started our conversations like we always do. I missed him... I didn't have that much time, since my daughter was shopping and she needed a ride home. But we agreed to schedule another date in August. I love our conversations.. and I love overhearing other people's conversations too. So next time you're late, don't worry. Because I always find a way to keep busy and blend in. And our very long lunch dates have become notorious...

My turn to cook

Most of my groceries I buy in the bigger supermarkets, like Delhaize (my favorite), Carrefour or Albert Heijn (just across the border). For daily supplies, I like to visit our lokal supermarket. We have known most of the staff for many years and we like to chitchat while picking out our goodies. Every now and then, I treat them with freshly baked cookies, straight from the oven. Some of the employees read my cooking blog every day and then they tell me how they have finally found the energy to spend time in their kitchen and enjoy cooking. They know that the recipes they find on my blog are easy to make and worth trying. Because I have tried them out for them, for all of you. It is kind of weird though, if total strangers come up to you and ask you about your blog. They want to hear more about a certain recipe or ingredients they can't find. It surprises me when people tell me that, for the first time in their life, they made their own tortellini because of my enthusiasm. It makes me proud and appreciated and it keeps me going.

Photo Cathy Van de Moortele

 I love to maintain my blog and keep it up to date. If only I would have a better eye for photography, I wouldn't have to ask my daughters to take pictures. I know they are busy with their own things and they don't always feel like making photos of the food I cook. It is not their blog or hobby after all. It does make my blog look a whole lot better if I can provide it with splendid shots of the home made result. When people compliment me with the pictures, I always tell them about the talent for photography in our household. We make a good team!

Today, I treated the supermarket staff with Greek koulourakia cookies. I just loved the shape of the cookies. A friend of mine - who is also bitten by the cooking/baking bug - told me I just had to make these cookies. I wouldn't regret making them, she promised. And I didn't. In fact, I plan on making them again as a gift from me to my mother-in-law. She likes to eat as much as I like to spend time in my kitchen.

Please feel free to share your recipes with me. I'm more than willing to try them out and discover new flavors and techniques.

Let's call it a day

It's quiet around here. Apart from the monotonous sound of the dishwasher and a lonely car passing by, I can not hear anything but the sound of my dogs lips, while breathing out. Taking a look to my right, there is our tomcat Arthur, safekeeping the remote control. Only a few inches apart, Inthe is sunken in a deep sleep and breathing heavily. Would she be dreaming about chasing hares or getting a treat of dried cow's ears? I love to observe their ways and I often wonder what they would think. Rebba's nose is touching Inthe's bum, as they lay beside each other on the couch. Rebba's teeth are showing and I can see her Adam's apple going up and down as she swallows. Her heart is pounding rapidly in her supersoft chest. It feels like it's made out of shammy. I like to stroke her chest. Whippets have very soft and vulnerable skin and..

It's 23:15. I should be in bed by now. Can't stop looking for recipes though. The house is still smelling of the Italian ciappe I made and I'm sure I overdid on trying them out. Too much carbs for a late night snack, but I couldn't resist to try some ciappe with pesto. The number on my Dexcom says 183 and a downwards pointing arrow is reassuring me I won't need any more insulin to correct that number.

Had some lovely conversations today. Have been asked to give two more presentations on diabetes. Two lunch dates have been set and one of them is going to be a blind date with a person I have only known by mail so far. Exciting!

It was a productive day as well. Being introduced to vegetarian cooking is interesting. In cooking class you get to meet new people and you get the chance to share opinions and ideas on food and cooking. We exchanged foodblog links and webshop addresses and it won't be a surprise to you that I have made new wishlists. In between cooking class and setting appoints, I found the time to reorganize half of my pantry. I felt like a kid in a candy shop, typing necessities on my BlackBerry grocery list.

I needed some distraction today. It was good to talk to my friends and hear their voices. There is one voice I will never hear again. One person I will never again exchange recipes with. Her Christmas cookies in a jar will never be opened, for I want to keep them as a memory of my friend Suz McDonnell.. Her passing away has made me realize once more how precious life is and how short our time on this planet can be. I don't want to go to bed yet. Maybe there's no time to waste. Maybe I don't want to lie down and let my mind wander. I need some time by myself, to reflect over life and the afterlife.. 

It just made my skin crawl

This week, I have been speaking to a lady friend I hadn't seen for a while. Although she only lives a block a way, we sporadically run in to each other. I do know her phone number by heart so sometimes we talk to one another to see how everybody's doing. She works hard and with 3 kids and a husband, there's always a lot of work to do.

She knows how passionate I am about food and cook shops and food stores. So when she called me to hear if I was interested in going to the ISPC in Ghent with her, I didn't hesitate one bit. I had done my grocery shopping that morning and I had just unloaded the car (not only the trunk, but the seats were taken as well). She has a van and that comes in handy when you go to the ISPC. Some other friends warned me to leave my VISA card at home and I told myself 1 shopping bag would be plenty.

I guess we had not been in the store for more than 5 minutes, when my first goody was in sight. I have been longing for this pastamaker I can attach to my Kenwood and there it was: like it had been waiting for me to pick it up. My friend has the same Kenwood and we both decided to get the pasta maker. What a joy! When she talked about the Robot Coupe she had ordered and the Green Egg she had bought, I could only sigh and dream on. I have many appliances in my kitchen, but they are nothing compared to the professional tools she's using. The thing I really like about her, is that she's so normal about it. She doesn't brag about it. She's just happy sharing the information and I love to hear her talk about her kitchen utensils.

This morning, she had provided me with a 5 ounce piece of pork shoulder, to make slowcooker pulled pork. I had planned on making Mexican carnitas with the result and since the slowcooker would need 10 hours to shred the pork, I had time to make fresh ravioli with my new toy. There's nothing wrong with my manual pasta machine, but the electrical version works so fast and the pasta sheets are much smoother. It means I can make much more pasta in one hour. The veal ravioli is sitting in the freezer now and I'll bring her some after work tomorrow. She was going to make me some sweetbreads topped with foie gras. I guess my belt will need an extra hole.. 

A gift from heaven

Aunti Erika is a catholic nun. Since she's used to going to church on a regular basis, we tried to find a catholic church over here she could attend. The manager at Caribe Cove has been very helpful and told us about the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando. Aunt Erika and Grandma were completely excited about this trip. After a quick visit to the gift shop - we needed some post cards and Grandpa needed some extra T-shirts - we hopped in the car and left for Orlando. We're all glad Grandpa decided to leave the 5XL shirt for other tourists..

There was quite some traffic down the road. I heard the Basilica was real popular, but could all the traffic really be headed that way??? With a 30 min delay, we arrived at the Shrine of Mary. The other cars kept going - the parking lot of the Premium Outlet Mall of Orlando was just next door..

We were all impressed by the size of this church. Just in time for the 12 o'clock mass, we decided to join in and take a seat. We were surprised by the devotion of the people present. They all sang along and chanted their "Praise the Lord".

Although our guests didn't understand the exact words the priest preached, they did get the contents of the sermon. We lit a candle for whoever needed some help from above, before the priest gave us his blessing. He showed us the way to the museum and the gift shop. It made me think of Las Vegas: the numerous thingamajigs, the chaplets and rosaries, the bottles filled with holy water and the statues of Jezus Christ.. It was impressive to say the least. Plenty of souvenirs to choose from.. Auntie Erika and Grandma truly enjoyed this visit. They got themselves some post cards from the church and were pretty quiet in the car.

The clouds were filled with rain and we didn't want to ruin our hair - I don't think Americans are used to seeing ladies with raincaps - so we skipped the Premium Outlet Store for now..

Instead we got back on the highway and headed towards the Mall at Millenia. The ooh's and the aah's in jawdropping faces, the feet that went faster by every step we took, could tell we were really ready for some mall-time. We split up the group (well, Eva decided she wanted to see other stores than we were going to explore) and made an agreement to meet up again at the front door around 5 PM. But not until we had lunch at Dad's favorite Johnny Rockets. He really wanted his parents to indulge the perfect burger and crunchy fries and trust me: they enjoyed it allright!

The ladies enjoyed Bloomingdale's and Macy's, the men followed us around. We enjoyed Abercrombie & Fitch, The Gap store, Hollister, .. aarrgghhh... I think we need to come back another day, to see the rest of the mall..

Although it's only 9 PM, Grandpa already fell asleep on top of the bed spread around 8 PM. I guess he was tired of the active shopping day. We enjoyed our sandwiches at home and had a relaxing evening. Time to reflect over the day and make preparations for the upcoming days.

Where to next?

We had another fun day in Kissimmee, Orlando. Our guests are getting used to the Florida sun, the food, the free time. After a breakfast of cream cheese and red fruit French toast, the whole family headed towards the pool, determined to get a nice tan. After all, they want the home front to see how they enjoyed the good weather, right?

Since I had some time by myself while the others were at the pool, I took the Black Beast and headed to Super Target. I want this supermarket at home.. What a joy!! I can't stop filling my shopping cart with groceries. There are so many things I want to cook here and it's a pleasure to feed our crowd. There are plenty of restaurants out here in the neighborhood, but we also like a healthy meal when we get the chance. So yes, plenty of veggies and fruit, whole wheat bread and low fat cold cuts.

The plan for today, was to have a walk in Downtown Disney. The weather looked promising so we didn't hesitate. No more than a 25 min drive to spend a good time with the family. It was good to see how they all enjoyed the excursion. The Harley Davidson shop, the boatride, Rainforest Café, the Disney shops.. it's good to be back here..

No more restaurant visit for dinner either. Don't we love home cooked meals? Having seen so many overweight people, we decided we will skip on the French fries, donuts, cotton candy and buttered popcorn. We bought some new outfits and we do want those to fit, right?

We even enjoyed the thunder and lightening and the streaming rain, seen from the deck outside the apartment. Life is sweet.. It's good to be here with our family, although we wish our oldest daughter could have joined us.. We know she's having a good time in Italy with her friends, but I'm sure she would have enjoyed Florida too..

Grandma and Auntie Erika like to watch the Belgian news. They are pretty modern, checking the news on the iPad. While Grandpa is taking a nap - after all, he likes to be awake in the middle of the night - we are cleaning up and preparing breakfast for tomorrow. There could be some rain showers in the upcoming days, so maybe we should do some shopping.. How about the Mall at Millenia? I'm sure Eva won't object and neither will Grandma and Auntie Erika. Just trying to figure out how we could please the men in our company..

Taking time to refuel

The day started early but slowly. Around 6:40 I heard noises in the TV room. I took a peek and saw that the front door was open.. guess who was outside, roaming around the premises? Exactly.. Grandpa had been up and going for a couple of hours. We picked him up at the front desk, sipping his cup of coffee, to take him grocery shopping, while the others where still dreaming their sunny dreams.
It's just fabulous that Walmart is open 24/7. We drove up to the store in Clermont, to get some necessities for breakfast and lunch. Fresh fruit, loaves of bread, drinks and cold cuts and some more pantry staples. The trunk was filled to the roof so we headed back towards Caribe Cove. Time to cook breakfast and wake up the lazy bones.

Eva was ready to go to the pool and get a tan. After all, you have to enjoy the Florida sun and get bronzed while you're here. We showed our family around and had a pleasant talk with the manager. It was good to see her again.

Cleaning up after a quick home made lunch of Cuban bread with sirloin steak, we were thinking about what we were going to do in the afternoon. Winter Garden Village seemed like a good option! I'm not sure if the men were as thrilled about spending hours in the mall as we were, but they surely didn't complain. We fed them Red Mango frozen yogurt and a drink at Uno Chicago Grill while we got to spend money in our favorite shops. Happy faces on both sides of the sexes!

Okay, some of us got sunburn.. we still have to get used to the idea of putting on sunscreen. We'll do better tomorrow.

Good thing the car is big enough to hold lots of shopping bags. We had dinner at Mimi's Café in Winter Garden Village, before we crashed at the apartment. Looking forward to another day in the sun. 

7 days in a week

Cracking my mind over the perfect Christmas gift for a 13 year old cousin, I was thinking about my own childhood and how things have changed over the years. Kids no longer play Twister on the floor in the kitchen or stick their tongue between their teeth while making their best drawing ever in their Moleskine sketchbook. Contemporary children look at you in a very strange way if you give them a CD or knitted gloves for those cold winter days. Times have changed and so have the presents. It's not real easy to make a child happy if you don't want to buy them the 34th playstation game or give them an envelope with paper money (I hate money envelopes - nothing personal about giving money). But then what do you give them?

Do you remember the panties, printed with the days of the week? There were 7 of them..  (this child probably lost one.. what a tragic moment). Each one had a different color and image and of course every single one said what day of the week you had to wear it. I loved those panties! They were awesome! I remember my set of Holly Hobby underwear and how difficult the day started if I couldn't find the matching pair of knickers. You just couldn't wear your Thursday panties on a Monday! That was simply not done. The knickers would come in a plastic see through package, with a snap button in the middle. You could see all knickers were sitting next to each other, showing the days in the exact order. I'm pretty sure my sister had a similar package of knickers, probably with other images. I don't recall this kind of underwear existed for boys? I could be wrong though..

Anyway, back to the subject.. I still haven't found the perfect present for the 13 yo old, let stand the 12 yo boy. I know they would rather have money, but hey, I'm not giving in! I will find that one present they have been longing for (without being aware of that craving). Maybe I need to do some shopping tomorrow. I don't mind you helping out though..

Yo no hablo espanol

In the old days, when I was still a teenager, I took Spanish classes for a while. Not that I remember much of it, but I do remember I liked the sound of the language. "Donde esta el mercado" is one of the lines I recall. Of course there are some words we all know. Think of "cerveza" or "agua". But I don't drink beer so there's not much use in knowing that word, is there?

Madrid was wonderful. People were right when they warned us that most Spanish people don't speak other languages. It's damn hard to make yourself understood if you don't speak Spanish. You can try to explain in English or French but that doesn't help one bit. Saying: Hablo un poquito de espanol, does not encourage the other to speak slower or use simple sentences. I hate it when I can't express myself in the language of the country we're visiting. But hey! We survived, didn't we? I got myself a pair of new boots and we managed to get food in our bodies, so our Spanish isn't that bad after all.

For three days, we had the chance to discover this vibrant city. Full of tourists, it's hard to find the locals. But they are there! They just don't look like the stereotype Spanish person I had in mind. How could I be so stupid to think that all Spanish people are short, have black hair and dark eyes? Because they don't. I saw tall blonde girls, that didn't look Spanish at all, but by the sound of their fluently spoken Spanish, they must have been natives.

I'm no fan of the Spanish cuisine though. Can't understand why so many are fond of tapas. They don't look appealing to me at all. We were happy to have found a fine Italian ristorante, behind the wonderful Opera building. I will try to make my own Spanish tortilla though..

I don't like Mondays

Don't we all remember the song by the Boomtown Rats? The story behind the lyrics was pretty scary and the message was clear.
Let's say I do like Mondays, I really do. The kids go back to school, hubby goes to work. There's just me, the pets and groceries to run. I like to sit on the couch in the morning, my Latte Macchiato just the right temperature and the perfect colored layers. I make my grocery list, thinking about the menu for the upcoming week. No time to hop in that shower yet because I need to do this in pajamas. That's just part of the fun. The radio is playing its music in the background and besides the ticking of the glass rocks in the fishtank, there's no other sound than the tapping on the keyboard of my laptop. Arthur is having a sun bath in the window sill and the dogs are cuddling up in their beds. I love the beginning of the month. It's always a fresh start financially, meaning I can be a little less creative than in the previous week. I have several stores to visit today. Finally need to buy that heater for Eva's room, need to fill up that freezer with meat and consorts, have to run to the post office to get that paperwork where it needs to go. Would like to walk the dogs this afternoon, since the sun is really wonderful and they need their space to run. I'm sure I will enjoy this day. Can't wait to put away the groceries and start to cook...

Welcome to the land of confusion

Being a parent is not always easy. Being a mom and a dad and stick together, makes it a little easier.. Having teenagers in the house, isn't easy. Having teenagers and collude as parents, makes it a little easier..
If only they would realize, we want nothing but the best for them.

Let's take the dogs and go out for a walk, to bring some clarity into our fogged brains.

I have this urge

Photo Cathy Van de Moortele

Right after breakfast, we felt like chilling on the sunroof and let the sunbeams stroke our bodies. It was quiet up there and only 4 hotel guests (us included) used the sun beds.  Time to relax, have a talk, relax some more, have a drink (I love my Sahara drink made of almond milk, ground almonds, ground raisins and dates) and dip in the pool. Having my latest cook book in mind, I felt the urge to run some errands and do some cooking. Darn! how could I do that?? We're in Marrakech! No kitchen available over here. Hmhm.. that didn't mean, we couldn't run some errands, right? I love to stroll around the grocery shops in any country we visit. There are always products we don't have at home. So I convinced hubby to take a cab and do some shopping. To our surprise, the manager of the hotel sent us to the mall! How about that? For no more than 40 dirham (let's say 3.60 euro), the cab driver took us to the Almazar mall. Too bad many shops were closed for Ramadan, but nevertheless we got some nice things. We had a quick lunch at the local fast food place (why don't we have merguez panini at home?) and in the end, we discovered the Moroccan Carrefour. Yes, really, the same supermarket as the one we have at home. It did surprise me though, to see/hear that many Flemish people in the shop, with carts full of groceries. Maybe they rent an apartment and cook their own food?

The cab driver who took us home, was something else.. All the way back, he had no idea his handbrake wasn't released. He complained about his clutch that wasn't working, so when his car broke down in the middle of a very crowded roundabout, I could only hope he would be able to move his car and continue the ride. In the end, we got home safely.. Cabs are cheap around here. This driver was "happy" with 30 dirham. I don't think it will cover the cost of a new clutch though..

Our visit to Restaurant Le Marrakchi on Djemaa El-Fna was exciting. Great food, good entertainment - loved those young and elegant belly dancers - and right where all the activities were going on in the streets. I was happy though, to take a cab, since my high heels don't do well on the unequal streets of Marrakech. My blood sugar spiked after all of that couscous, potatoes, red beets, carrots, pancakes with honey and cinnamon spiced orange slices..  but it was worth it. We'll have a very good night rest. Again..

Tickle my taste buds

People often think that vegetarian meals are boring and tasteless. I'm not a vegetarian by choice. It's just that I don't need that much meat. In fact, when I think of it, I could do without. I like my veggies and fruit and legumes. There are plenty of choices to make wonderful vegetarian meals without lacking flavor.
The thing I don't like about the vegetarian way of life, is the way meat is being replaced by similar looking products, like veggie burgers, veggies sausages.. If I want to have a burger, I want it to taste like beef. My sausages need to be filled with tasteful mince meat, no replacements. To me, I see no value in including veggie burgers in my diet. They taste like cardboard.. I eat plenty of greens, so why have some burger filled with things I don't like and breaded so you can fry them and turn them into soggy, fatty and unhealthy burgers?

Like I have said before, I always try to find new produce or taste different flavors. Sometimes you need to take a shopping trip to stores you have never visited, mainly organic food stores. They have products you won't find anywhere else. How about edamame beans? I couldn't find them anywhere, until my sister-in-law pointed me out this organic food store in Bruges. I put it on my to do list. Need to complete that grocery list, to make sure my pantry has everything I need to cook my vegetarian meals...

• a quality tahin, to make hummus
• good oil
• lemons or limes
• garbanzo beans in a tin
• white beans in a tin
• fresh ginger root
• tomatoes
• tomato paste
• celery
• fresh spinach
• onions (white, red, green, spring onions, shallots, ..)
• garlic
• bell peppers in all colors
• lentils
• white rice
• quinoa
• eggs
• parmesan
• cheddar cheese
• edamame beans
• chuka wakame
• dried seaweed
• sushi rice

What's the catch?

Summer Sales! Not a period of the year I look forward to. I hate crowds of people, rushing into shops and grabbing in clothes to get that one favorite piece. How they push each other aside, how their armpits smell sweaty of excitement and how they mess the clothes up without any embarrassment. The long lines of people, waiting to try on their latest catch.. ugh.. I really hate it.

My friend and I planned a shopping day in Holland though. We have the same taste, same size and we pick the same brands of clothes. We only visit one shop, no more. Our favorite place to be, is The Sting. It's a great store! We have three brands we tend to buy. No need to fit the clothes, since we know the brands and sizes by heart. My wardrobe is now exclusively reserved for these outfits. I'm so happy to have found this shop and it's always a pleasure to go there and enjoy their clothes. Now leave me alone, because I have some clothes to put away and rearrange my dressroom.

That is music to my ears

I went completely nuts! My computer refused the password I typed to open my account. I tried several times more, but it kept ignoring my attempts. Aarrgghhhh! I truly suck when it comes to being patient with computers. They only do what you tell them to do. They do not have a mind of their own as I may think. So calm down, take a deep breath and try to figure out why it's not accepting my password.. My daughter asked if I had spilled something on the keyboard. No??? Hubby opted the possibility that one of the letters wasn't working properly. As if.. But I typed the password letter by letter and honestly: the E and the D didn't appear on the screen. I tried the rest of the buttons and the 3 was a no-no as well. One would think the next in line - the C - wouldn't work either, but nothing was wrong with that key. Hmhm.. that was tricky. I was lucky to have the iPad within reach so I tried to look up the problem and the possible solution. I read I might need a new keyboard. Some stupid cost of 70 euros.. pfff... Darn. And how long would it take to have that fixed??? I need my laptop! I know it's getting older and I know its best years were some time ago. New laptops cost money though. My cell phone needs to be replaced as well and hubby needs a new car and the kids want to go to Bali.. Aaarrrgghhh... money money money. It's always about money.

A friend read about my frustration on a social network site. He asked me to calm down and see what the problem was. Sorry, but I'm a total nitwit when it comes to computers in general. And as I have stated before: I have no patience at all. He asked me to get my installation CD's and see if they could solve the problem. I was a bit too fast and kept clicking MOVE ON because I wanted the problem to be solved ASAP. That was not the plan. He was giving me guidelines and I was supposed to hear him out. So we started again. The girls were giving me this look like as they wanted to say: mom, that keyboard is so old, it just needs to be trashed.. But hey!!! why not give those CD's a chance to see what they could come up with?

It took a while and I needed to install that second CD twice, but hey! Guess what!!! My three failing keys are working again!!! How about that? I didn't need to panic at all. I didn't need a new keyboard. This notebook will last some more months before it finally decides to quit for good. I hope it will give me the time to look out for a decent replacement. Now let's get some updates and install the programs I'm still missing. I'm happy I'm no longer cut off from the rest of the world.

One on one attention

That's what I would really like: have a one on one attention day. What do you think? Are you ready for that? Or would you rather go out with your friends? It's up to you. Just tell me what you would like to do. I have some ideas, but I'd rather hear you make a suggestion or two. Just think about it. Not for tomorrow. You have some more exams to focus on. But next week maybe? I'm looking forward to it. A mommy-daughter day.. wouldn't want to miss it.

In the moment

This is pure joy, an absolute delight. I love fine dining. Our oldest daughter had the day off and we decided we were going to do some shopping in Antwerp. The weather wasn't with us, but that didn't stop us to visit the shops we wanted to see. Our fingers were hurting from carrying too many bags and our tummies were screaming for some food. My eyes spotted a menu we couldn't resist, so we entered the wonderful world of Café Imperial. An amazing building (would Napoleon really have been here?) and being welcomed by a very polite host, was a perfect opener for this lunch. We were looking for a light lunch. The appetizer of silky soft smoked salmon on a blini with sour cream and caviar, a small piece of toast with foie gras on a compote of fresh figs and the flavor of the sea while sipping those oysters, was delightful to say the least. It made our taste buds long for more. Lana had her bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese with fresh chives, while I indulged my tataki and tartar of yellow fish tuna and wasabi sherbet. Don't you just love these outings? I had promised Lana dessert at Roger van Damme's Het Gebaar, right down the street. We had to shop some more before my friend could join us for coffee. I love these outings with my girls. Our other daughter was in school today, but her shopping day will only be delayed, not canceled.

It was a brief walk to Het Gebaar. The place was packed and we were seated on the bench before our table was ready. My friend arrived just in time to join us. Since he lives in Antwerp, he hopped on his bike and it took him no more than 5 minutes to get there. My daughter noticed his insulin pump and I told her his numbers are within range most of the time. And I truly mean: most of the time. He's a wise man and he decided to skip dessert and have a Doppio instead. I was too curious to see these pieces of art, so I did order dessert. My choice was The Botanique, a true chocolate adventure. Too rich for me, but I'm glad I had the chance to taste it.

Lana opted for The Cosmo: banana, chocolate and lots of sugar.. A pleasure for the eye and it was definitely worth the smile on her face. I'm glad Roger Van Damme left his kitchen to mingle with the guests. He's shorter than I thought, but very kind and down to earth. It was special to be here and enjoy these dishes of sin. I find it very hard to estimate carbohydrates in desserts and my numbers weren't happy at all, but I truly enjoyed it.
We had good conversations and a very pleasant day. To be continued..

Shopping for men

This one is for my special friends. I was amazed to say the least, when I saw this documentary on Grindr. Wow.. a social network especially for men.To be more specific: for men shopping for men. Grindr is the perfect way to find a new date, a buddy or a friend.
Grindr is quick. Grindr is convenient and most of all: it's discreet. And if you want it to be anonymous, that's what you will get.
But what is it??? Well, it's an app that uses your mobile device's location-bases services to show you the guys closest to you who are also on Grindr. You decide how much information on yourself you are willing to reveal. Soho seems to be the Mekka for Grindr fans. So if you are looking into testing out the app, don't be surprised if some total stranger comes up to you to say hi and sign you up for a date!

Gays are chick magnets

Ask any gay man about the amount of girl friends they have. It's like for some reason they attract women like magnets. Women are fond of gay men. I know I am. They are fun to hang out with and you can discuss any subject for hours and hours. They are lovable and in for hugging. They give you compliments and an honest opinion, right out of the heart. They are great to shop with - who wouldn't love a man who makes you wait in the dressing room while he races around the shop to pick out the best outfit ever? - and they fear no Latte Macchiato. They carry your shopping bags without asking and they order their own food at the restaurant - they know what maki and nigiri is and they know you like milk and sweetener in your coffee. They take you to places they know you will love. Gay men are so considerate and they don't forget your birthday. Okay, okay, some straight men have a more feminine side too and they can be as charming and sweet. And some gay men are not like the ones I have just described. Doesn't matter. I like my gay friends.