Fall is here!

Mmmm, baked goods by mom…does it get much better than that?

Top is best (kind of like a muffin-top)!

We walked outside the apartment today and immediately “smelled” Fall.  Since it is both of our favorite season – we were VERY happy!

Of course, the smell got me thinking of all the things I love about Fall!

• The decor!

Thanks to the fam!

• Pumpkins/Gourds/Apples, etc. (Not our pumpkins, courtesy of Google Images)!

• Leaves changing colors!

WI cottage shout-out! 🙂

• Halloween!!  – Perk of Halloween this year is that Belgians get about 319481343 holidays a year.  November 1st just so happens to be one of those holidays.  Therefore, we can go out for Halloween and have the full next day to recover from such festivities!  NOW – the question is…what should we dress up as?!

Back in the day...can you guess what former celeb couple we were?!

~We relaxed much of the day (or at least Joe did since I had a 3.5 hour group meeting at school).  The afternoon flew by with our workout (finally got to go together) and a stop at the ‘Phone House.’

~Ah, the ‘Phone House.’  I’ve been to this store about 10-15 times since we’ve moved.  I have a pre-paid phone that seriously has the capabilities of Zack Morris’s phone (you know what I’m talking about).  SO, I brought my Blackberry from the USA here to see if it would work.  I won’t go into details, but let’s just say that I was there 1.5 hours and ended up worse off than when I arrived.  Yes – not only does my BB not work, but my prepaid phone is also not working.  The kicker?  My prepaid phone’s service provider is “not one of the major ones” so they only have help desk hours from M-F (9-5).  Um, yea it’s Saturday.

~ANYWAY, onto another home-cooked meal (can you tell we were burned out from restaurants)?  This one was inspired by Allrecipes.com, but I made too many changes:

Halibut filets with Tomato/Onion Salsa & Roasted Brussel Sprouts:

• 2 halibut filets
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• brussels sprouts, chopped in 1/2 (as many as you want)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1-2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• feta cheese (optional – but highly recommended)
• salt & pepper, to taste

~Preheat the oven to 425F or about 220c.  Place the brussel sprouts on foil-lined cookie sheet (easy clean-up)!  Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt.  Let roast for about 40 minutes turning occasionally.  They should be crispy and charred…YUM.  (For some reason, ours cooked in like 30 – could be they were smaller)??

~Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the 1 tbsp olive oil and the garlic (for about 1 minute).  Add the onion for about 5 minutes (or until translucent).  Remove from heat and add to a bowl with the diced tomatoes and basil.  In the same skillet, add the halibut filets and season with salt and pepper.  Depending on the size, these should cook for about 7-10 minutes (until flaky)!  About 2 minutes before the fish are done, add the onion/tomato mixture atop the fish to heat.  Serve with feta cheese if desired (obviously)!  DONE!

LOVE brussel sprout season.

Restaurant Review: ‘t Hommelhof

As I mentioned in my last Watou post, we ate at a FABULOUS restaurant the night we were in Watou!  Here are the deets!

Restaurant: ‘t Hommelhof

So adorbs!

Seriously, how welcoming does this place look?!

Location: Watou, Belgium (centrum)

• Ambiance – Adorable.  It is located right in the town centrum.  We rode the bikes in from the B&B (about a 15 minute drive).  Very nice feel – could be casual or dressy.  We were in the mood for dressy since this was our nice night out for the 4 of us.
• Drinks – EXCELLENT.  We opted for the chef’s menu which had the option for a selection of wines or beer.  Everyone opted for the wine and Joe chose the beer.  Honestly, each wine was delicious.  We had 2 whites and a red.  My fave was the first white and the last red.  Joe, of course, loved his beer selections (all Watou brewed – duh)!
• Snacks – EXCELLENT.  When we sat down we received little green olives, delicious white rolls, radishes, and some bbq chips.  The rolls came with a ham-like pate which was delicious.
• Food – EXCELLENT.  We splurged and opted for the chef’s menu (3 courses) – definitely worth it!  (see below)
• Price – GOOD.  It’s a rather pricey menu, but honestly one of the best dinners we’ve had in Belgium.
• Service – EXCELLENT – The waiter was very good in English and explained each course in detail.  The chef came out of the kitchen about halfway through our meal and asked how we were doing and what we thought – classy!
• Overall – EXCELLENT.  A MUST-TRY if you are in Watou!

What we ate:

• First Course – Tomatoes and mozzarella with balsamic vinegar and topped with garnaal (Belgian mini-shrimp).  YUM.

• 

  Check out the basil!

• Second Course – White fish (sorry, can’t remember the type) with a light cream sauce and oysters.  I couldn’t bring myself to try the oysters…my bad.

• 

  Loved this plate!

• Third Course – Lamb with cheese potatoes (looked like little muffins!) and green beans.

• 

  Yes, I eat lamb now. Don't judge me.

• Dessert Course – Trio of green tea cream with baked pears, chocolate mousse, and a chocolate brownie topped with gelatin.  Oh, and a dripping of caramel down the middle of the plate!

• 

  Seriously?!

Yea, we were definitely satisfied!  Can you tell?

Happy campers.

As if we needed more, they brought this little joy to the table…

The chocolates in the middle were un-comprehendable.

Wow again Watou!

Welcome to Ghent MIL & FIL!

Happy Sunday!  Our visitors have arrived (mil/fil = mother/father in law)!

The morning started off on a high note.  Flight was early AND we all had a nice tall Starbucks! 🙂  We got to Ghent and immediately went off to find a brunch locale.  I had heard of the Brooderie B&B and thought we could stop there for a bite.  I really enjoyed my meal (croissant/fruit) but Joe was quite disappointed.  He ordered what he thought was a ham and cheese sandwich.  If you look at the pics, you’ll see a plate with ham and cheese (no bread).  We thought that came with our breakfasts…so ended up eating his food…oops, my bad.

Brooderie B&B!

Nothing quite like a croissant! Joe's "sandwich" peeking through the background!

After brunch, we decided to walk around the centrum of the city.  We came across our favorite market (Vrijdagmarkt) and…what did we discover…a bird market (oh + fish).  That’s not weird, right?!?!?!  Perhaps people wake up and go, man I really want to buy a bird today.  And, while I’m at it, why not a fish?

Yes, full of chirping birds...

"Special colored" birds anyone?!

Or how about a goldfish?

Oh Belgium, you kill me, you really do.

Marinated Shrimp Skewers + Marinated Veggie Skewers

I gave you a little teaser yesterday about my means night out!” href=”https://expatsinghent.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/last-friday-of-freedom-means-night-out/” target=”_blank”>Friday night dinner…

And, here it is!  I am proud to announce that this is my favorite and perhaps most delicious meal I’ve made to date.  Honestly, I think it has a lot to do with how much time it took…when you spend a lot of time preparing, the reward is greater.  Joe came home after  a long month-end close to this delicious meal (he LOVED it)!

Side note – I really wanted to try the “grill” feature on our combo microwave/grill/oven heating unit (not sure what to call it really).  I was skeptical if all these settings were legit.  Yes, yes they are.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp Skewers:

I followed the Allrecipes.com site to a T (substituted a little dried basil for the fresh since I didn’t have any).  I marinated the shrimp for about 1.5 hours in the fridge.

Have any of you ever bought shrimp that hasn’t been de-veined or peeled?  Well, I haven’t until today and all I can say is OMG…I never want to do it again.  First, it takes FOREVER (like took me 45 minutes…went a little bit faster after I got fed up and googled a youtube video on how to do it).  Second, it’s disgusting, I’m pretty sure one of the veins is like the shrimp’s waste tube…it was brown.  Ugh.  Next time…I will GLADLY spend the extra $$$ for the good-to-go shrimp.

Anyway, here are some of the prep pics…and yes, it was worth it!

Marinated Veggie Skewers:

I followed another Allrecipes.com recipe for the veggie marinade, but opted to use our favorite veggies for the skewers (various-colored bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms)!

*We really liked the lemon-zesty taste this marinade had in combo with the herbs.  SO good.

Here is what my plate looked like to start (of course, we ended up eating 2 veggie skewers a piece + 1.5 shrimp skewers)…everything was GONE!  HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Last Friday of “Freedom” —> means night out!

Today is the last Friday before I start MBA school…so, my summer (ahem, I mean 7 months) of doing nothing in Belgium is about to be over!  Some people in my position might be sad about this, but I could not be more delighted.  I am really looking forward to challenging my brain again, meeting new people, and seeing what school is like in Europe!  Of course, I am VERY nervous too.

Anyway, I had a lot of errands to run today so I got up early and headed to the gym.  By early, I mean that I was at the gym at 9am on the dot (which is when it opens…seriously).  Side note – the busiest time at the gym is between 10-11 (I have no idea why people aren’t working).  I opted for an interval workout on the treadmill + 10 minutes on the elliptical.  My treadmill interval was essentially this:

• Warm up – 1 mile (about 6.5 miles per hour speed)
• Sprint/jog – 1.5 miles (alternate between sprint and a steady jog every minute)

Not too shabby…I was enjoying my workout even more because the US open was on (albeit dubbed in French).  I watched Djokovic essentially destroy his competition in 3 straight sets – the match was less than 1.5 hours!

When I got home I was STARVING!  So I whipped up this nice little lunch (hummus sandwich)!

Now, for the best part of the day…whipping up dinner and our Friday night appy’s!

Appy’s: I tried a new bakery in the “mall” in Ghent and bought a fabulous nut bread and multi-grain bread (seriously amazing, but no surprise there)!  We had hummus and the remaining raw veggies that were not used for the skewers.  Of course, the obligatory wine and Belgian beer.  YUM!

*See the little duck napkin holders?  So funny…our table was set like this when we moved in…another reason I love it here!

Main: Grilled marinated shrimp skewers + marinated vegetable skewers (I will devote an entire post to this as I have a LOT to say about it + a LOT of pics)!  Here is one to get your taste buds going…

Joe had a long week and I was ready to celebrate my last night of “freedom” so we decided to go to the ‘Trappistenhuis’ bar.  This bar is VERY well-known in Ghent and happens to be one of Joe’s favorites.  Actually, after last night, he made the very bold statement that it has the BEST beer menu in Ghent (not an easy honor to win in Belgium).  Of course, that was exclaimed after a couple beers…so we’ll see if it still holds true today! 🙂

The interior and bathrooms are very nice and clean.  Take a look at all the glasses hanging by the bar (again, each beer has its own glass).  You can see by our beer pictures as well…my Orval beer bottle + my Orval branded glass.  Bonus – free peanuts! Joe opted for his favorite Sint Bernardus 12 and tried a Watou beer.  I opted for Orval as it has a lower alcohol content (6.2% still isn’t that low, but whatevs it’s Friday)!

Here are some pics!  Prost (cheers)!!

Le Pain Quotidien bread + Bacon-wrapped cod

Took the day off from working out today and instead walked around the city to the various grocery stores to pick up dinner.  I decided to stop at one of my favorite restaurants in Gent for bread (Belgium has the BEST bread) and I love this organic restaurant/bakery.

Grocery stops

• Whole Grain Baguette – ‘Le Pain Quotidien’ (http://www.lepainquotidien.be/) *1 large baguette so Joe and I could share (next time I’m getting 2 as I caught him sneaking bites of my 1/2)
• Cod – ‘De Vis’ fist market (http://www.devis.be/)
• Vegetable Market for salad

I spoke in Dutch all day today and was pret-ty proud of myself.  I only stumbled once when the fish market lady said something as I was leaving.  I think she said have a nice day.  I panicked and just mumbled incoherently in English as I walked out.

Bacon-wrapped Cod:

• Cod for 2 people (halibut/trout is good too)
• 5-6 slices of bacon (could use turkey bacon – Joe’s not a fan)
• salt and pepper to taste

Coat a skillet with cooking spray.  Salt and pepper the fish. Wrap 2-3 slices of bacon around the fish.  Cook on medium-high until bacon and fish are preferred done-ness (yes, it’s a word).

Ours took approx 8-10 minutes – I would have argued to keep them on a little longer, but we’ve been down that road (about every other night) and it always ends at “I’m too picky.”  Fine, if I eat raw meat and get sick…you know who to talk to. 🙂

Enjoy!

Salmon + Avocado/Corn Topping

LOVED this recipe…Joe normally doesn’t eat  salmon, but said he’d eat anything with this topping…

Salmon + Avocado/Corn Topping (adapted from Martha & allrecipes):

For the salmon:

• 2 salmon filets (we used Alaskan pink salmon – freshly bought from the day-market)
• Olive oil
• Lemon
• Salt/Pepper

For the topping:

• 1 15oz can corn (can use corn on the cob, but we couldn’t find any)
• 2 tomato’s, diced
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1/2 onion, chopped (red or white as it doesn’t matter – in my opinion)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Start by making the topping…very easy, just combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix.  I made mine a couple hours ahead of time so that it could cool and marinate in the fridge.

For the salmon, you can either grill or roast in the oven.  Our grill is pretty ghetto here, so we always roast.  Preheat the oven to 450F degreesUse a baking pan and first spray with PAM.  Place salmon filets in the pan with the skin side down.  Drizzle with olive oil and the freshly squeezed lemon juice and sprinkle with salt/pepper.  Roast for about 10-15 minutes (depending on the thickness and preferred “done-ness.”

Top with corn/avocado mixture.  Done!

Pico de Gallo

One of our favorite (and easy) go to recipes is tacos (fish or chicken – we don’t trust the beef here and there is no ground turkey).  Instead of using pre-made salsa, I’ve started making my own.  I LOVE IT…of course, anyone who knows me knows that any dip with a chip is my best friend.

PICO DE GALLO (adapted from allrecipes):

• 2 roma tomato’s
• 1 white onion (red or white doesn’t matter in my opinion)
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 garlic clove chopped (or more if you like garlic)
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro (or as much cilantro as you want)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Feel free to add jalapeno’s (I don’t because I hate cutting them – sensitive hands) 🙂

*Just stir all the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour to let it marinate.

We find that the flavor is so good, that we don’t have to add much else to the tacos beside the meat and pico de gallo.  Of course, we always have some shredded cheese on hand.

Delish!