Monday, December 31, 2018

Sylvester Hygge

Today German speaking and Polish Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Sylvester.

Here's my menu for this evening: oliebollen (self made), brioche (from the store), appelflappen (also from the store), salmon mousse (in the picture, self made),


saucijzenbroodjes (as depicted but this time I used quiche instead of puff pastry) and a big one from the bakery (was a bonus from my husband's company)





potato salad from the store, self made beetroot salad,



cookies and chocolates, eggs, cheese and pear salads. That must be enough, what do you think? Have a nice New Year Eve!


 

Friday, December 28, 2018

Friday Miscellaneous



So we all survived Christmas and are currently moving on to celebrating New Year. I made oliebollen today. First batch is in the picture. I baked them in the oven like I had done last year, using the store mix. They taste more or less like the "real thing."

While I don't really intend to turn this blog into health news one, I'd still like to draw your attention to a couple of interesting things I learned lately.  How would you like bugs in your yogurt? No, I'm not going crazy The chance is they are already there! It appears that big corporations use a red dye derived from insects. Experts claim it's mostly harmless, yet people have been known to suffer severe allergic reactions because of it, including anaphylactic shock which is potentially lethal. Since carmine is commonly used in baking goods and yogurts, I wonder how much of it is currently attributed to gluten and lactose intolerance?

Speaking about corporations, why is it that globalists simply love feminism? Is it because so many women are avaricious the driving force behind the consumerist bugman lifestyle? From bridezillas to mommies leaving their infants with strangers in order to afford a bigger mortgage and many luxurious vacations? It would be interesting to do a research on this topic, but the folk wisdom knew of this female tendency which had even been depicted in the fairy tales.

Do you want to live a hundred years? What is the secret of longevity? There is so much conflicting information being spread around, but the latest research suggests that 70+ers  who are moderate drinkers/coffee lovers and are slightly overweight have a better chance to hit the 90 mark than underweight teetotalers. (Please don't pay attention to the headline, it's intentionally misleading/sensationalist).

One final news item - one of our cats has been missing for 3 days. The neighbours claim to have seen him here and there but he remains elusive. It appears he has gone wild. Please pray for his safe return home!



Monday, December 24, 2018

An Important Announcement

In the spirit of Christmas we have decided to give away more books than we had originally planned and to extend the offer till after the 2nd Christmas day, (Wednesday the 26th) so that you still have three more days!

Don't forget to write to

SanneW@gmx.com

Merry Christmas Eve!

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Winter Solstice



We did have snow last weekend, btw, but now it's all gone:)

Thursday, December 20, 2018

It's Now Or Never...

 Don't miss it: a free download of my first book, The Long Way Home.

The only thing you need to do is to write to this email address:

SanneW@gmx.com

Here is an excerpt from Part 2:

 

Here is one problem,” said Ferrash. “You are intending to make Brendan Stewart your partner, aren’t you?”

“What’s wrong with it?” inquired Lennart. 

“He must know nothing about the whole business,” said Ferrash resolutely. 

“But he could be a great asset...” started Lennart, but the colonel interrupted him. 

“Stewart drinks. And when he drinks, he talks. The whole town knows the story of his misfortunes with Elinor, or what-was-her-name. I’d prefer you to get rid of him entirely.”

“It’s impossible,” said Lennart coldly. “Brent Stewart is my friend and we made a business agreement. I can’t break my word. Besides, I need his money and I need a good pilot. I can’t fly alone.”

“In any case, it’s your responsibility to ensure that Stewart knows nothing about the real nature of your work,” declared Ferrash, and the manner in which he said it prevented Lennart from making any further objections. 

At that moment a lonely figure entered the garden, looked around uncertainly, went in  the direction of the fountain, stumbled and fell into it. 

“Here is your business partner, captain,” said Ferrash. “If I were you, I’d take him out of the fountain and bring home as soon as possible.”

He stood up and Lennart did the same. The person in the fountain was making desperate attempts to get out of the undeep water, but rather unsuccessfully. 

“There is an address on the card I gave you,” went Ferrash on. “ I expect you tomorrow at ten in my office where we will continue our conversation. Good-bye.”

The next morning Brendan stayed in bed with a headache and it was not difficult for Lennart to invent a story as to why he needed to go to the capital alone. He said that he had to buy some things for his upcoming journey home and it was enough. Mrs Stewart kept musing about her son’s propensity to get drunk and Margaret was occupied with the thought of Lennart leaving them. Neither asked for details and after a hasty breakfast Lennart left for the Northern Star.

 

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

A Christmas Present

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year when it's long been a tradition to exchange presents with friends and family. This year I have a Christmas present for my readers, too: the first ten people who write to me will get a free copy of my first book (The Long Way Home) as an e-book.

My new book went into global distribution network and should be available by Amazon and other retailers within a month or so. We are working on an e-version as well, so stay tuned!

Merry Christmas!

P.S. Please use this email address:

SanneW@gmx.com

Friday, December 14, 2018

Should Everyone Go To College?

The WSJ recently posted an article about the risks of going to college. According to it, 40% of those who enroll won't graduate in 6 years, and of those who do graduate, more than the half will have student loans to pay and 32% will end up doing a job which requires no college degree.

Definitely something to think about!

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Beware Of Your Frying Pan!

I realise it's DailyFailMail, but still...Are you sure your frying pan is not turning your son into your daughter???

Men could end up with penises half-an-inch shorter than usual if their parents were exposed to high levels of a chemical used in non-stick frying pans.

Scientists have found the chemicals, called PFCs, can interfere with male hormones and lead to sexual organs being 'significantly' shorter and thinner.

And this effect is not only seen in the womb, the researchers said. PFCs could have toxic effects in teenagers, too. 

The chemicals, also found in waterproof clothing and greaseproof packaging for food, get into the bloodstream and reduce testosterone levels.

Read the rest over here

So I went and bought this:





I'm told it has a fancy name of cazuela though the store advertised it simply as a "clay pot." Still have to come to terms with using it:)

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

I'm Back And Other Things

I'm back and comments function will switch back to normal shortly. I've been getting tons of suspicious anonymous comments lately which all go into spam. A reminder to my readers: if you really enjoy this blog and wish to leave a comment saying so, pick up a handle or sign your anonymous comment like Sarah does.

Otherwise it won't get published!

Sunday, December 2, 2018

A Short Personal Note

I'll be away from computer for a couple of days so all the comments will go into moderation till Wednesday. Have a blessed Lord's Day, everyone!