Also swapping a few million people, which will be quite a change! It feels like I'm moving to a village, which is silly because it's the same size as Wellington. Leiden is actually a really pleasant university town, we've both studied and lived there before. The quickest way to describe it is to say, Leiden = Oxford while Delft = Cambridge.
One of my few regrets regarding this blog was not having begun while still living in Leiden, so I could share the place with you. However, now that this is on a low simmer, I'll probably stick pictures and stuff on Twitter instead. Though I will update when we're close to moving, we're in the process of flat hunting now.
Sorry to everyone in Kiwiland who expected me back, but it's too far away for Wingnut and the economic reality is that, among other things, it's easier to visit NZ from NL than vice versa. Besides, the Dutch government fell which means elections in September, it would be positively rude not to go.
This morning: Out of biscuit error. Woe. Realise that I can make Anzac biscuits in the time it would take me to pop to the shops, with the added bonus that my kitchen is neither cold nor foggy. So that´s what I was doing this morning before getting ready.
It also made me realise that Anzac biscuits are like the lemon and poppy seed muffins in that they´re very enjoyable to prepare. In particular, watching the bicarb react with the boiling water and then seeing the result make mini cloud explosions in the melted butter/golden syrup mixture.
By the way, Bonnie has discovered a schism in the Edmonds recipes between the 38th and 48th editions. Mine's the 47th which presumably contains the improved heretical version.
After weeks of no baking, it's time to heat up the oven again! Top three from the last weekend.
It was my first time making Dutch raisin buns. They're a bit of a faff to make -- washing raisins and letting them dry for two days, kneading the dough, letting it rest, kneading it, letting it rest. So, I was very pleased that they had the authentic taste of proper krentenbollen even if they looked pretty messy with raisins sticking out all over. 400g of raisins to 400g of flour is a lot of raisins!
Cheesy flapjacks have become a favourite around here. The recipe stands up well to experimentation, also known as, "I'm running out of cheddar, rosemary, Italian herb seasoning, what else can I throw in?" Many things as it turns out, as long as it's cheesy and herby, it's all good.
Lemon and poppy seed muffins with yoghurt are an old favourite which never fail. Except I failed to find the recipe last Saturday, so had to use another. Should've checked my own blog! Anyway, this is a most satisfying recipe to make. Whisking the flour and poppy seed in one bowl gives a really pretty result and the other bowl with the wet ingredients smells wonderfully lemony, as indeed does the whole mixture.
The new recipe suggested sour cream instead of yoghurt, don't know if anyone's tried that, might give it a go next time.
Does anyone have suggestions for next weekend?
At the long-abandoned Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children in Hackney.
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sierra_le_oli- Kimberley Verburg
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