What a great trip these last few months. The weather was cooperative and the cook’n was fine. It was so great to spend 2 weeks on the boat with my sister, Melissa, her husband, Steve and my SUPERMOM 87 year old Peggy!
Here is Lutz’s newsletter and my best translation…with a little personal impressions:
From our current harbor in Haarlem, Amsterdam was only 15 minutes by train. Amsterdam is a pretty city but overloaded with tourist. Therefore we quickly returned to our boat in Haarlem harbor with Melinda’s family in tow.
We felt that Melinda’s family should experience the full spectrum of Holland so the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Teyler Museum in Haarlem were a must see for sure. Over the eastern ring canal we motored through the Westeinderplassen, the little river Drecht & Grecht and then into the city Woerden. One of the bridges we had to go under was so low we only had 6 inch clearance even after lowering the Bimini and all the windows.
The trip provided many tourist attractions and some very unique canal tours that were not your typical routes. It was a quaint and culture rich tour. We moored in the nature next to windmills, in the wilderness and in impressive city harbors with the restaurant right at the dock. Our last evening with Melinda’s family was spent in Leiden where they caught a 20 minute taxi ride to the Amsterdam airport.
Melinda served up her delicious meals from her website recipes and no one starved! Lutz stayed busy with planning navigation and ensuring we all had a safe and fun trip.
Stay tuned for more Cook’n Coach recipes for RV’n! I’ll be heading to USA to Join Johnny (our truck) and Cash (our 5th Wheel…it eats up our cash) next week. So excited to see my grandchildren, Ruby and Eva (ok and my granddogs, Merle and Hank), plus my two kids, Jarrod and Jericho.
Looking for a dessert that a snap to make and adds to your holiday gathering? This is the best dessert ever, Lemon-Lime Zucchini Bread! It’s so moist and tangy, brings a bit of sunshine to your tastebuds!
Thanks for keeping up with my travels and all the kind emails and SMS’. Hope your Monday holiday is filled with family and friends plus lots of good cooking! Don’t forget to whip up a batch of Foolproof Mayo and Spicy Catsup to go with those hamburgers and hotdogs. They’re so easy to make and only take a minute each to create.

I'm Melinda Stevens and living the life of a beach bum was inevitable since my father was a lifeguard for the city of Los Angeles. My memories of growing up on John Street in Manhattan Beach, California were filled with joy, excitement and adventures; until my world, as I knew it, fell apart when we moved to Del Mar, California. My father was offered the position as Captain of the lifeguards and we started the slow migration to the small deserted stretch of beach in 1963. At twelve years old, this seemed like the end of my life. Remember, I’m writing with clear hindsight now, ok somewhat clearer… Little did I know this would be the beginning of a new journey and give a bit more clarity to many of the events that led me to this new cooking adventure.