We only went out for groceries last weekend, and instead what we came to as we drove to and from our destination was this:

It’s that time of the year in the Netherlands. Lots of tulips fields are sprouting out from this vast, flat land transforming the landscape into colourful wonders of beauty. It’s a beautiful time to be here.

We may be living in a little hole of The Netherlands, but this hole has plenty of blooms to watch for at this time of the year. For us, a scene like this is now an every day sighting. The fields are just (almost) round the corner of our little village; mere minutes drive away, (almost) right in our own backyard. 

Take heed though: The tulips don’t last long. They are being grown for their bulbs and as soon as they start flowering, the farmers would cut them off. All of this happens within a span of a few days or sometimes, within the day. 

The tulips season here is never a certainty for a specific time. One really has to be at the right time and at the right place. We have been truly lucky in the last few years for, every time we came here to visit, be it in early April or early May, we somehow managed to catch the sights.

With such privilege in our backyard, we don’t really need to head off to Keukenhof (which by the way, is a very nice place to go to if not for the fact that it would be super crowded, touristy and almost impossible to get to at this time of the year due to traffic).

It really doesn’t get any better than this.

Plus, we get to buy bouquets of authentic and original tulips for almost nothing from “langs de weg” (on the roadside, usually placed in a cart just outside the house).

Priced only €1.25 per bunch, these bouquets are systematically placed in buckets in the front of one of the homes in our neighbourhood. Further into the front porch, many other variety of flowers are offered on sale as well.

One of the best part about buying them langs de weg is the fact that we never know what kind or colours of tulips we’ll get. Each bunch is always a surprise, although it will not be often that you find them to be terribly unsightly and unappealing.

Mmm. MmmAnniversary. MMM. M.M.M.

As in mmm  being yummylicious and MMM being Monthly Mystery Munchies. Geddit?

Mmm…yeah. Lame I know.  But.But.But…it’s just that I’m feeling incredibly pleased; almost intoxicated from the glee of  Gen and I sprinting to the 24th round of our challenge which we started 2 years ago post Blogging 201. Gen took the words right out of my mouth: 

It’s been an awesome experience. It’s been challenging, exciting, interesting, but, most of all, it’s been a hugely rewarding and positive experience.

I couldn’t agree more! Gen has been a phenomenal buddy; always up for new challenges as well as  pushing the boundaries and at times, came up with a crazy idea herself. Her Fruit with mains and serving a dish from another culture for an important important occasion that another culture celebrates comes to mind!

Beyond that, what’s more extraordinary is the friendship that has been formed from halfway across the world. Here’s to another two years of MMM and a lifetime of friendship! 

Gen has been an absolute gem. Gen the Gem. (OK I’ll stop. For now).

While I went crazy over the top with my Giraffe-Inspired Colourful Swiss Roll, Gen took her yellow, green and red theme away with Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Fresh Veggies.

FIVE minutes. That’s THAT. Just.5.minutes to whip her dish up. In her words:

I chose couscous salad with baby tomatoes, red onions, a trio of peppers, olives and chickpeas. I serve this salad as a main course, and when I say it’s ridiculously easy, I’m not joking. There’s no cooking involved, except for preparing the couscous. That’s it. The whole thing literally takes five minutes – wash and slice the veggies while the couscous is standing in hot water. Mix together. Top with chickpeas. Done.

So, if you’re into raw, fresh ingredients, and you don’t have much time to prepare dinner, this is your guy. You can serve this as a side dish, which works well too. No fuss, no missioning, just easy, quick food.

That’s what I really love about themes. It’s not about the winning recipe, rather how you’d interpret the theme and you can scale it up or down as you like. Gen’s suggestion for this month was typically that – it really was open to interpretation.

I love how Gen has been dedicated and mindful to stay true to eating healthy with mostly vegetables and fresh ingredients. She never fails to inspire!

If you have come this far, it’s time to click away and hop over to Eat, Play, Clove for Gen’s healthy, super-simple 5 minute Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Fresh Veggies. While you are there, do check out her other mouth-watering dishes too.

And make sure you leave her some bloggily love. See you back here, soon.