Featuring my favourite kid today:
How can you not like the innocence in such a beautiful articulation. There’s no doubt about that! Heh!
Sending you only good vibes for the week of any doubtful occurrence that may come your way.
April 2, 2017
Sunday Humour: Calvin & Hobbes
Category: Calvin & Hobbes
March 31, 2017
Friday Flavours: Soft Almond Sprinkle Cookies
Category: Fabulous Friday Flavours
The word “hagelslag” should by now not be a stranger to you anymore, and just in case you are still wondering what it is, let me re-introduce you to some of the variations of these darlings:
I said some earlier on because there are more variation in various other forms.
A staple in the Dutch diet, Hagelslag is a magical word for both kids and adults alike in the form of chocolate sprinkles in many different colours. It is one of those stuff Dutch people like and I happen to be one of the non-Dutch (I bet there are plenty more) who has been converted to (sometimes) consume hagelslag on my bread for breakfast and/or lunch.
They come in handy when I haven’t got a clue as to what I want to eat. Plus, living in a Dutch household also means that since the kids arrived, we would (and have) never run out of hagelslag (or cheeses) because it’s almost a crime not to have them at home.
The kids should not be eating them too often as I (often) say. The kids know so.
But sometimes, we indulge. And we do this by scooping spoonfuls of them directly into our mouths or roll dough in ’em sprinklers to create our new favourite soft cookies.
These sprinkler bombs are made out of butter and cream cheese base. The cream cheese flavours it so well. Baked for just a short 7 minutes to retain their softness, the resulting taste of vanilla and almond extract enhanced by the hagelslag all around made these bombs a little too addictive for my liking!
It doesn’t help that these cookies are really easy to make, too! So if you intend to try this out, be warned. This is not just for kids as adults are too, susceptible victims.
Friday Flavours: Soft Almond Sprinkle Cookies
2017-03-17 23:28:55
Yields 40
Addictive soft-baked, chewy butter-cream-cheese-almond cookies rolled in chocolate sprinklers and will make you weak in the knees!
Prep Time
2 hr 20 min
Cook Time
7 min
Total Time
2 hr 27 min
Ingredients
- 250g butter, softened (or 1 stick)
- 1 quarter cup cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 tspn vanilla extract
- 1 tspn almond exttract
- 2.5 cups self raising flour
- 2 tpsn corn flour (or starch)
- 1 tspn baking soda
- 1/4 tspn sal
- Hagelslag or Coloured chocolate sprinklers
Instructions
- In a mixer, cream softened butter, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract together till they are light and fluffy (About 4-6 minutes)
- With a spatula, add flour, corn flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well until combined for about 1 minute. The dough will be slightly sticky
- Remove bowl from the machine, shape the dough into a log with a wax paper and refrigerate for about 2 hours before baking.
- Pre-heat oven at 180 degree celsius after chilling and remove the dough from the fridge. Line baking tray with wax paper and use baking spray to grease it
- In separate bowls, pour over the sprinkles to roll the dough in.
- Pinch about 1 heaped teaspoon from the dough, roll it like a ball and roll it all over the sprinklers till it is covered well.
- Place each ball on the baking tray and repeat till the dough is used up. Make sure you place each ball about 2-3 cm apart as the dough would spread once cooked.
- Bake for about 7-9 minutes. They should not turn golden brown and would still look a little wet when they come out of the oven
- Cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to an air-tight container
Notes
- The dough would be wet and sticky even after chilling and that is OK. I find that freezing them then chilled to be cut up in small pieces first before rolling them into a ball is the most convenient.
- Watch the amount of oven time if you roll your cookies small as they tend to get over-cooked quite quickly!
Grubbs n Critters http://grubbsncritters.com/
March 30, 2017
Road Trip Day 2: In Brugge
Category: Travels
Do you remember that movie with Colin Farrell In Bruges? Hilarious! That movie was set in the city of Belgium called Bruges (or Brugge as the Ducth would call it). I remember watching it and thinking that I have fond memories of the place when I visited it back in 2004.
It may have been so long ago, but there was something about Brugge that I like. Perhaps it was the medieval buildings and cobbled streets. Or perhaps it was the chocolates…regardless, it is still as beautiful as I remember it. Zeebrugge, its port is inherently the most important center for fishing and European trade.
What I did not remember was how busy Brugge was! Back in the winter of 2004, it was quiet and laid back. It was still touristy but not as touristy as it was last weekend! Perhaps the good and sunny weather plus the fact that it is spring has got a lot to do with crowd attraction.
On the subject of being a tourist, we joined in the touristy vibe and did a little of the touristy thing (and somehow this word touristy when said out loud enough, suddenly don’t mean a thing).
We took the boat ride, we scoured for the best Belgian chocolates, we visited the traditional brewery, we ate Belgian beef stew, we drank hot chocolate Belgian-style and we awed ourselves with the historical medieval architecture all around us.
Brugge is really beautiful. The city is small and very pleasant to walk around.We got lucky with the weather.
If you are into museums and are willing to fork out quite a bit of Euros per entry. there are several to go into. Make sure you have spare change for using the public toilets too.
Getting to Brugge from Antwerpen was easy. A mere train ride an hour away from Antwerpen Zuid Train station, kids below 12 years old accompanied by adults can travel by train for free (although this does not apply to the buses).
Once in Brugge, you can opt to walk to Centrum (about 20 minutes) or take the bus (about 5 minutes, 3 stops away). Either way, trip to the center of Brugge is very accessible and straight-forward.
A place not to be missed if you ever visit Belgium!
And the hot chocolate. Don’t miss the hot chocolate.
Make sure you order yourself a cup or two, Or three! Get a kick from stirring real bar of chocolate that just melts into the hot frothy milk. I assure you that you’ll swoon and your knees would go weak.
Next up: Last day in Antwerp & Black Smoke