Just a few updates

We are just about to head to London and Glasgow for the first real holiday we have had in a while. We have friends living in both places, so decided a whirlwind tour was in order. It will be fun to be around native English speakers, even if they say "Maths" instead of "Math".
We had a fun Easter weekend. In the Netherlands you get Good Friday and the Monday after Easter as holidays, which is a wonderful treat. We invited Wim, Tamara and Eefke over for a little afternoon snack. Eefke is 6 months older than James, so she is always our best indicator of what the future holds. If James is anywhere as verbal and mobile at 14 months we are in for good times. This is the best photo from the day-- unfortunately most were too dark, as I have issues with using the flash indoors.
The other photo is of my new haircut. It is about time. I am terrible about getting haircuts. I am a horrible combination-- cheap and picky! It doesn't work when it comes to haircuts. I have many memories of disappointing salon moments. After years of trying to figure my hair out, I have been lazy here in the NL, and just grown it long and pulled it back. For a few weeks I have been thinking about a haircut. I waited until I had free time on Saturday to try to find a salon in town. Of course many of them are all booked up by Saturday. I went to a place a friend recommended and they were full. Mike, James and I then walked into town to another place I'd noticed. They didn't have time either. Then Mike noticed a place across the street -- despite the mannequin with purple hair in the window, I thought I'd give it a try. The music was loud and the kids working there were very very hip (one employee had -- I am not joking-- half of his head shaved, and the other half covered in blue and green tatoos). I noticed that despite the workforce, the clients were normal looking and the price was right. I found an English speaking girl and she listened very intently to what I wanted and then started chopping away. The pile of hair on the floor was HUGE, but I was very happy with the results. My new hair stylist is named Corrine, and my new salon is called "Ruthless Knippers", which means Ruthless Cutters.

Rond Nederland, deel 2

We did see some other cool sights on our abbreviated trip. For the bike enthusiast, here is a nice 4-seater we saw on the streets of Naarden. This church tower is part of what was once part of a much larger building in Zierekzee.

Upright Citizen

James has increased his skillz exponentially; in the last four days he has begun to pull himself up on everything- and today has finally gained enough balance to enjoy it/not fall and bust it.

Recipe Roundup, or Never Eat over the keyboard...

When I cook, I rely mainly on two books: Larousse (Oops, I just dropped a lentil on the keyboard and I have to stop to fish it out before it combines with the dried coffee and dust to put an end to all Holland Maier blogging...) and the CIA textbook; neither requires actually being a professional to use, of course. If you move a lot, you just want a cookbook that is comprehensive. We have recently been reading The Man Who Ate Everything, and besides being a very entertaining read it has quite a few intriguing recipes one of which I finally tried out last week. In the chapter called 'Staying Alive' about foodstamps and true levels of subsistence eating, author Jeffrey Steingarten proposes his own findings about budget cooking that also involve some appreciation of cuisine. I thought it looked great because I've become a great fan of lamb (popular in the more affordable Turkish butcher here,) and of course because it is zuinig (economical). If cheap cuts of lamb are unavailable you can really substitute almost any meat (though I would reduce the cooking time with chicken).

Perfumed Rice with Lamb and Lentils

"Lentils and rice eaten together compose a complete and extremely economical source of protein. [...] the other evening I took a well-known Persian basmati rice and lentil recipe from the excellent New Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij, cut in half the amount of lamb, dates, and butter and eliminated the saffron (the four most expensive ingredients), and cooked a princely feast for six.
3 cups long grain white basmati rice
salt
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons cooking oil
1lb. lamb shoulder, bone in, cut into 2- to 3-inch peices
black pepper
1/4 t turmeric
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t Persian allspice (mix generous 1/2 t each ground cinnamon, cardomon, and cumin
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups lentils
1 cup white raisins
4 oz. (about a cup) pitted dates, chopped
1 stick of butter (1/4 lb.)
2 tablespoons yoghurt

Wash the rice vigorously in five changes of warm water and soak it for at least 2 hours in 8 cups of water mixed with 2T salt. Saute half the onions in 2 T oil over med-high heat until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the lamb; season with 3/4 t salt, pinch of pepper, the turmeric, cinnamon, and 1/2 t Persian allspice mix; saute another 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water, cover, and simmer until the meat is very tender, 2-3 hours. Set aside.
In a saucepan, mix the lentils with 3 cups water and 1/2 t salt, bring to boil, simmer for 10 minutes, and drain.
In a frying pan, saute the remaining onion in 2T oil over med-high heat until soft and golden, stir in the raisins and dates, cook 2 more minutes, and set aside.
Parboil the rice by bringing 2 quarts of water and 2T salt to a boil in a 4 qt. pot (nonstick is best), adding the presoaked rice, and boiling for 3-5 minutes, stirring every so often, until the grains just lose their brittle core but are still quite firm. Drain the rice and rinse it in several cups of warm water.
In the same pot, melt the butter. Pour half of into a small bowl and set aside. Take 2 cups of the rice, mix it in a bowl with the yoghurt, and spread it on the bottom of the pot over the butter. Sprinkle a layer of lentils over the rice, then a layer of raisins, dates and onions, then another layer of rice. Continue until all the ingredients are used up, sprinkling the remaining Persian spice between layers. Fluff the rice as you add it. Reduce the diameter of each layer of ingredients to taper into a pyramid.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes so a delicious crust will form on the bottom of the rice. Then uncover, pour the rest of the butter over the rice, put a dish towel over the pot, cover again, and cook on low heat for 50 minutes. Remove from heat but do not disturb the cover; place the pot on a cold, wet dish towel for 5 minutes (meant to help loosen the crust). Then uncover the pot and transfer the contents by the cupful to a serving platter, mounding the rice and other ingredients into a fluffy pyramid. When only the crust remains on the bottom of the pot, dislodge it with a knife and spatula and serve it in one or two peices (if you're lucky) on a seperate plate. Surround the rice and lentils with the meat mixture and serve."

So, my version was based pretty close to this and came out nicely. I think the cooking times are crazy long; its nice if you have that much time to putz in the kitchen but I just cooked the rice till it seemed okay, which it was. I also skipped the pyramid shape, couldn't find dates so left them out and only simmered the lamb for an hour which was plenty. The nice part is the crust the rice forms with the yoghurt and butter, the sweetness of the raisins with the lentils and rice, and the lamb with those spices.

Next week- my version of chicken enchiladas...
Eet smakelijk!

Saaaaaaave.......

The Trip

First we wanted to share a few images from our (slightly unsucessful) trip around the Netherlands. We will have to chalk this one up to a learning experience. My interviews did not all go as planned, and then the food poisoning/whatever it was did not help.

Despite all of this we saw some of the country and had a pretty good time. I was able to see several wetland areas, including the island of Tiengemeten in the Haringvliet just south of Rotterdam. I spent a day hiking around the island which is in the process of being de-poldered, which means that the farmland formerly known as wetlands are being turned back into their original state. At this point in time this is a messy process including big cranes, but eventually it should be an extraordinary site. I am looking forward to comparing these photos to the wetland in a few years.

We really enjoyed our stay in Zeeland. The place we rented included access to an indoor pool. We were enthused. James was not. It was a little chilly if you weren't swimming around. The town, Oosterland, was charming and Middleburg- the capital of Zeeland- was wonderful. We had lunch at the resturant Peper en Zout (Pepper and Salt)-- it was a treat.

Naarden was not exactly what we expected-- it is a city in the Netherlands which is surrounded by this really cool star-shaped moat. We found a great second hand shop, but our accomodations were not baby-friendly.

We ended our journey in Hijum, Friesland. We stayed at one of our favorite places, Leafe Sâwntjin a B&B and restaurant. That is where the quest ended, with a sick Momma, an anxious Poppa and an oblivious Baby.

When we arrived home after a few tense hours in the car (no car sickness I am happy to report), I found the Fulbright notification in the pile of mail on the floor. I did not get the grant to go to Finland, but I am pretty comfortable with that now. Being nauseous and sick for days helps ease the initial shock! When we arrived home, it didn't bother me at all. As the news has set in I've been a little disappointed.

In related news, I was accepted to the Dry Toilet Conference in August, (yes, you read that correctly-- this is to present a paper about the waterless urinals installed in the College of Charleston Green Building). We are happy to have an opportunity to see the area. The week after the conference will be Keith and Dorthe's wedding in Haderslev, Denmark-- so we are planning to make a trip of it.

Now- the photos: the center of Middleburg, a rooftop shot of Zierikzee (both in Zeeland), the little guy catching some zzz's at the Natuurmonumenten offices in s"Graveland and an abandoned dwelling on Tiengemeten.

If you know me, you'd know why I would buy such a thing.

To go with my moose jawbone. Or piece of Mayan pottery, notes from Michael Grotto in the fourth grade, jar filled with Spanish moss, or rocks from Hither Hills ('84-'88) where I caught my first bluefish and learned about setting the drag on a reel -- how you catch your second during a run. I thought they were cool and still do.
Thats an enormous hinge in the first picture by the way, that I payed 6 euros for. You know its old, and I'm going to guess its pretty much the biggest hinge in anyone's private collection that you know.
The figure is a boy with a carp that just jumped out at me (we are a fishing family after all). We bought both at a great little hole in the wall in Naarden; when some time passes, I'm sure it will redeem the food poisoning...

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig

Thats what my mother used to say and it is indeed where we are; a bit prematurely due to some unforeseen stomach bug that Kat picked up on day 7 (of 12) of our 2006 Netherlands tour. It was unsustainable for us to continue further but we did see a great deal of country and had some great times (as well as the usual 'travel challenges' involved in schlepping an almost 8 month old around in a car overpacked with crap you think you just may need).
Katharine is now recovering on the couch and finally eating something after 2 days. I'll just say the level of recovery should be clearly indicated by the chosen tv channel (Murder She Wrote tonight and the Knight Rider movie last night).
It is good to be home. James hit a growth spurt in the last week and its nice to be back to his own room, three naps a day, and 12 hours of (usually) uninterrupted sleep at night (new parents who find that impressive, I will gladly describe the first 6 months of the schedule at another time...). He had a good time seeing new sights but the frequent car riding and new hotels every night began to wear after a week.
Highlights of the trip were some great B&B's (particularly one in Belgium and two in NL), some incredible food, and some eye-opening views of 'natural' areas in this land that short of the efforts of man, would be mostly wetland anyway.
Some fotos for a quick impression:
-James, always happy to be released from the Maxi-Cosi
-Parents, sort of on vacation
-the ubiquitous windmill
-tailgating (the bottles only indicate only the challenges recycling on the road)
-canals in Naarden

Notes from the road

Well, the first few days have been interesting to say the least. As we have been driving we've encountered nothing but blue skies, but it seems the moment we stop the rain begins. Not totally unexpected for the Netherlands in spring, and it could be worse. In addition to mastering the Benelux road atlas, we have perfected a method of photographing James in the rear facing car seat (without flash) to see if he's sleeping without stopping the car.
Our first day took us to Winterswijk, to see a portion of the Korenburgerveen-- it was a rainy walk, and the photos are a little blah-- but it was nice nonetheless. This site is close enough to Enschede that we could probably get back again for another visit on a summer day.
We spent the first night in Gewande, a small (and I mean tiny) group of houses near the Dutch city of s'Hertogenbosch, or Den Bosch (much easier to say) and we think next to the river Maas. The B&B was great, with only a slight James-related disturbance when the owner barged into James' room at about 7PM to get to the fuse box. James was easy to settle down again, and the fuse problem was quickly solved. Because the village is higher than the surrounding area, we could hear the winds howling all night-- it was an experience.
The next day we traveled to Heusden-Zolder Belgium so that I (Kat) could interview someone. We found out that Heusden Zolder is a location for formula one races, but luckily they were not going on while we were in town. Our second night was spent at the Casa Nova B&B in Grobbendonk, Belgium. We did not sign up for the massage-B&B weekend. Not exactly suitable for a business trip (we couldn't find a way to justify it)! The house is amazing-- really modern and funky. It is beautiful and has so much natural light, but it is hard to imagine cleaning the windows.
Next we head to Oosterland in Zeeland for a few days... we will update...

Embarkation

We are finally getting the opportunity to see a bit more of the Netherlands. I have been to Maastricht with my sister when she visited, and to Utrecht for school a few times. Mike and I have been to Amsterdam several times (though there is still more to see), and with visiting friends and family to places nearby like the Hoge Veluwe and Ommen. We have also briefly visited Friesland, where some of my research cases are found. Beginning this week we will be travelling from end to end, and corner to corner of the Netherlands. We are visiting the wetlands I study and I am also going to conduct interviews with wetland experts in different places. It will be such a nice trip-- we are excited. Hopefully the beautiful spring weather will continue to cooperate, so that we can really see the wetlands and get some nice photos. The only downside was dropping the pups off at the kennel. We have never tried it before, but we thought it was the best solution. I still think that I am much more upset about it than they are. I am betting on the fact that not much can happen in 12 days.

See you soon!!!

Wereldvrouwen in Twente

We had the opportunity to host a baby shower for one of the members of WiT last weekend. We did not realize that the time had changed, but luckily we were ahead of schedule-- so nobody showed up while we were still cleaning the toilets. The shower was for Marinda, who might be moving in the next few months. Although she is due in July we wanted to go ahead and celebrate now. It was such a fun day-- though unfortunately my camera batteries died early on. Here are a few shots: Our table ready for the food to arrive. Marko having fun, and two of Marinda ( in the middle in black) opening gifts.
She got a lot of lovely gifts and it was a really fun event. Our house has never been so packed!
Mike made chili, which is not exactly "baby shower" food, but everyone loved it. We even had leftovers for the neighbors.

De Straat

We could devote a whole post to our hate-hate relationship with the street makers (and I guess I am). Our main complaint is that as of 8AM every day they start blasting music from their vans parked at either end of the street. It is the worst kind of music (to us)-- a kind of Dutch country, but not like the American type of pop-like country music. Mike calls it smurf music, if that is any indication. Of course by 8AM it is not a problem, we have been up for hours, but throughout the day as James naps we struggle to deal with the noise. He can sleep through a lot, but the combination of smurf music and dumping large wheelbarrows full of bricks under his window can sometimes get him off schedule. Since reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child we have kept a log of when he sleeps (mainly because we cannot remember from day to day). The street workers have had an impact on the length of his naps. We have spoken with the new parents next door, and have tossed around the idea of interrupting the street workers naps. That's right-- every day, they all climb into their vans and have a nap from about 1-2:30. We have talked about teaming up with Ronald and Maaike and blasting a bit of baby music during one of their naps. Of course-- as new parents we are all much too busy to put this plan into action, so we will have to wait them out. Take special note of what they did to a neighbors car when he failed to move it before they started work. Its on the island in the sea of bricks. I almost expected 5 large german construction workers in overalls to come by and carry it out (does anyone remember that Menthos commercial)?