Somewhere in the Middle

Nutcracker, please.

Everyday I'm reminded more and more why I love the Fall season. Yesterday morning as I was driving through my neighborhood I saw a man putting up a sign for "Noix", walnuts... my favorite. Drive around any of the little roads where I live and you'll be bound to see all sorts of signs..."Pomme di Terre, Oeufs, or even Beurre". It's one of the things I just love about this area. 

Before moving to Belgium I bought my walnuts at the grocery store. And then one day, S brought some walnuts home that a co-worker brought in from his yard. I've always loved walnuts but never did I realize how delicious fresh walnuts can be. These walnuts were moist yet crunchy and filled with intense flavor.

Every fall, I see the "Noix" sign & I always want to stop yet it's never good timing. And before I know it the sign comes down and my only option is to buy them at the local markets.

So yesterday afternoon as I drove past the sign I thought... should I buy them? YES!! I made a quick u-turn and pulled up to the front gate and bought 2 kilos worth. Last night I cleaned them and they're drying now... I can't wait to get cracking!

Circus comes to town.

Every year big red & white stripe tents pop up in our local area and it means one thing... the CIRCUS is in town. This year, the Bouglione Circus scheduled a show about 5 mins from our house.

I never realized the Bouglione family has been in the circus business since 1930. I love the old school style... big colorful tent and lots of caravans. I'm amazed they were able to fit everything into the small parking lot where they set up. Leave it to the Europeans... they can do a lot with a tiny space.

Artsy Boy & I were really excited to see the show. The only circus shows I've ever seen were back in the US... Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey's. And the shows are always held in really large venues. The shows are spectacular but I'm a small venue kind of grrrl. But I have to day I was really curious about the acts considering the size of the tent.

On the day of the performance, we left the house early so we'd have plenty of time to park. I even let C skip Solfege (Music Class). But when we arrived we found the place empty. There were maybe 25 to 30 people in the audience. Talk about small! The tent could have easily fit a couple of hundred people. I loved it but I did feel bad for the performers. A small crowd can only clap so loud.

C & I had fantastic seats. This particular photo was taken without any type of zoom. We could literally have touched the leopard. C was thrilled. He loves cats... big ones... little ones... he loves them all.

All of the performances were brillant! I was really impressed. We saw jugglers, acrobats, clowns, funny dog acts, women being spun around at record speed while a man on rollerblades held them with a ring around his neck. etc.

Some acts were downright scary like when the horses were running in rings. I actually considered switching seats for fear of a stampeade.

During one part of the show, a clown walked around asking for volunteers. C surprised me by volunteering. I was so proud of him.

Once all the kids were in the ring the clown had them play musical chairs. It was really funny. And in the end, the last child to get a seat was Artsy Boy!

We had a fabulous time and we're looking forward to the next time we see a red & white stripe tent. ;)

French Conversation :: Day at the Museum

Last week, the Belgian ladies in my French conversation organized a trip to a small private museum called Villa Empain.

These ladies are so wonderful! Every week they spend a few hours helping us improve our French. Each of these amazing women... Mme. Brittany, Mme. Gauffre, and Mme. Extraordinaire bring so much life and enthusiam into our group. They each have very distinct personalities but the one thing they have in common is their love of art. In fact Madame Brittany owns a local B&B and her home was like a mini contemporary museum. Everywhere you looked their were amazing pieces created by her friends & family.

So going to a small museum with these ladies was great fun!

The museum had a wonderful collection of art. It was also fairly small which was nice because we were able to see the entire exhibit within a short time frame.

The grounds outside were gorgeous.

By far my favorite pieces were these dress mobiles. Really beautiful.

We walked into this little room thinking it was a bathroom!

After our museum tour, Madame Brittany took us to a great little brasserie for lunch near the University of Brussels.  Mlle. Uruguay & I ordered these delicious "pop burgers". I was cravy an American burger and these did not disappoint. They were incredibly tasty!

A Day of Mourning.

Today is a National Day of Morning here in Belgium for all the victims who died in the bus crash in Switzerland this past Tuesday. Here's a video about the event.

There are no words to express how tragic this event is. My prayers go out to all the families that are affected.

Anytime I hear or read anything about this tragedy I can't help but get emotional. Yesterday, when our group leader brought it up in our French conversation I had to ask her if we could change the subject. I suppose I tend to get emotional because I have Lil' C who is close to the age of the children that were in the crash.  I just imagine how these children & teachers were returning from a fun school ski trip with lots of wonderful experiences to share with their families... One of the teachers even blogged about the daily events and comments from the children. I'm sure they were excited to be reunited with their parents. And as parents we miss our children even more. And now there will be no happy reunion for many of these families. So very sad.

Cooking at Mmmmmh.

Cooking is so much more fun when you're doing it in a group!

I cook, you cook, we cook! Love it!

This past week, I took a cooking class in Brussels at Mmmmh with Brocante Grrrl. I love this section of Brussels... The architecture is just amazing. 

It was my first time going to Mmmmmh and I absolutely loved it. The venue is very modern yet cozy. The minute I walked in I was greeted with wonderful smells from the kitchen.

They had two beautiful state of the art kitchens. The one downstairs is used for demonstrations and open cooking classes where as the kitchen upstairs is reserved for private groups. 

Our chef, Filip was charming and funny. Everyone in our group loved him! If I were to organize a cooking class I'd definitely request him as the chef. He was extremely passionate about cooking and enjoyed traveling the world to learn about other cuisines.

The menu for the day was: 

1st Course: Crème de potiron au lait de coco et au curry vert  (Cream of pumpkin soup with coconut milk & green curry)

2nd Course: Saumon écossais mi-fumé, raifort et grenades (Smoked salmon with horseradish)   

3rd Course: Poulet fermier, duxelle et risotto aux herbes (Chicken with the mushroom duxelle)    

4th Course: Sphère de menthe et mousse au chocolat express (Chocolate Mint Mousse)  

 

At the beginning of the course, Filip put us all to work. My job was to grate the horseradish. Not my favorite task! Had I had a cold or stuffed nose this job would have been great! lol!

The food was absolutely delicious. By far my favorite two dishes were the pumpkin soup & the smoked salmon. I'm usually not a big fan of mixing savory & sweet flavors in soups or main dishes so I had my reservations about this 1st course. But after the first bite I was a changed woman. The curry complimented the pumpkin and coconut milk so beautifully. I loved it so much I bought some of the curry to make my own soup. It'll be a perfect soup to make once the weather gets cold.

Now, the salmon was out of this world!! Incredibly moist and flavorful.

I left Mmmmh wanting my own little smoker! That is how much I loved the salmon. But here we are 8 months later & I still haven't purchased one. I think a smoker might be one of those items I put on my Christmas wish list this year. 

The Sphère de menthe et mousse au chocolat we made that day incorporated a bit of gastronomy cooking. Chef Filip had us drop these little green balls into water and as they formed into tear drops we took them out and let them dry on a paper towel. When you chewed one of the little tear drops it was as if a burst of mint popped in your mouth. 

These tiny bite size pieces of mint were a nice addition to the chocolat mousse although I'm not sure I'd go through the extra step.

Mmmmh not only offers cooking classes but also has a nice selection of cooking supplies which include items for Gastronomy cuisine. This type of cuisine is a bit foreign to me but I find the ingredients fascinating nevertheless.

You'll also find a section of wines, cheese, and other foods. If you're a foodie and looking to spice up your pantry, I would definitely recommend this place.

Saint Nicolas comes to Town

Here in Belgium, the 6^th of December is one of the most exciting days of the year for children. Why you may ask? Well, on the evening of the 5^th children place their shoes near the fireplace or the backdoor in anticipating of Saint Nicolas’ arrival. The following morning, children wake up to find chocolates/candy, Speculoos cookies, oranges, and presents inside their shoes.

Celebrating the 6^th of December is a new tradition for us. So Saint Nicolas tends to give C small gifts unlike the larger gifts Belgian children receive. For Belgians, the 6^th of December is all about the children and Christmas Day is more about gift giving among family & friends.

This year C woke up to find two “Magic School Bus” books along with a chocolate coin on top of his shoes. According to C, these are the best books because…”they have the two things I love – reading and science.”

Making ART at the Musuem

Before the Fall break, I accompanied C's class on a field trip to a local museum. The theme of the exhibit was movement and I have to say it was really awesome. Not only was the exhibit interesting for me but for the kids had lots of fun. The museum guide did a fabulous job engaging the children. She asked lots of questions &  she photographed the children in several positions to make a short film exhibiting movement.

At the end of the tour, they lead the children to a workshop area which was like a little art-making heaven filled with all sorts of art supplies. It was fab! Each child received a canvas where they traced a figure multiply times to illustrate movement. And then they painted the piece.

I was really impressed with the museum and it's art facilities. I spoke with the guide and she explained that the museum has different art programs for kids throughout the year. I'd love C to participate in an art camp. Who knows maybe I can help too! And we can both work on our French! lol!

Before we left, they gave the children blank reindeer kits to decorate for the holidays. Aren't they pretty? And I'm not sure but either the reindeers or the children's movement pieces will be displayed in various shops throughout the city. Cool stuff.

A Night at the Abbaye

Tonight we broke a record... two date nights in one month! We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. lol! Until... I found out about Les Nuits du Cirque.

It's been a few years since I visited L' Abbaye de Villers; my bookclub had read " The Pillars of the Earth" and we met at the Abbaye to discuss the book & of course to wander around. But this time the Abbaye had a different feel to it. Seeing the performances at the Abbaye made it very enchanting.

You can't help being captivated by watching a performance or listening to jazz in a tiny stone room or an old church that's several hundred years old. 

Les Nuits du Cirque was really fun. It's definitely an event the whole family can enjoy. The day was filled with various performances. Had we known we definitely would have love to go earlier. There were clowns, musicians, and various acrobats performing.

Some of the acrobatic shows were funny while others were quite artsy. They were all great.

I especially liked this woman's show. Using a red sash she climbed to the top of the tree and performed all sorts of acrobatic moves. I especially loved when she twisted herself up in the sash and spiraled downward.

What made her show fascinating was how she made the sash seem as if they were real stairs. Each step was done with such gracefulness. It was amazing.

Since the Abbaye is close to a small forest area we walked over a mile at the end of the evening in pure darkness just to get back to our car. I was a bit spooked but I have to admit it was the perfect way to end this bewitching event. We'll definitely be putting this event on the calendar next year.

Oostende : Kite Festival

Two weeks ago, C & I went to Oostende's Kite Festival with Baklava Grrrl's family.

The weather was absolutely perfect for kite flying. But don't let those blue skies deceive you.... it was super cold! My ski thermals kept me quite toasty.

Walking up to the boardwalk and seeing hundreds of kites flying in the air was a pretty spectacular site to see. There were kites of all sizes and themes.

I think my favorite kites were the ones of the sea creatures and these cool African masks.

C loved the swirling kites. This one had about 30 swirling kites of various sizes.

There was also a demonstration where they performed tricks like flying the kites in circles or in a straight line.

They even move the kites around so they looked like moving windmills.

C & his good friend Lil' J (pure coincidence that both of his best friends names begin with an J) had a great time playing in the sand and picking their favorite kites.

Childen were also able to make their own kites but unfortunately we arrived at the tent too late and they ran out of kits. C was a bit disappointed; he really was looking forward to making a kite. But there is always next year!

I'm preparing myself...

Last night we had dinner with some friends & after complaining about my Belgacom dilemma our friend told me what I needed to learn how to say is "I DON'T CARE!" in French. He said it completely drives the Belgians crazy. I'd write it in French but I'm not quite sure of the exact spelling but believe me I've been practicing the statement so I'm completely prepared. Our friend explained that for it to be completely effective you need to point your finger at them while staring them down like Robert De Niro in "The Fockers" or really any movie where De Niro gives that look. You know that look I'm talking about, don't you? That crazy New York look like you're just about to go over the edge. lol! I'm not sure I can pull it off but if I do I'll let you know how effective it is in getting my phone & internet fixed.