We’re slowing down and heading home for a few weeks to be closer to Lutz’s 96-year-old mother. So, I’m only posting one chapter this month. But still filled with some of my tasty desserts! The cool thing about these two recipes is that I use already-posted recipes to CREATE something new! They make super-easy, quick desserts for when the sweet tooth calls.
Enjoy one today while you read Chapter 12 of our travels!
Easy Peasy Chocolate Mousse Pie
Rhubarb Crumble
Here’s my best translation of Lutz’s Newsletter (plus my own impressions):
Melinda and I spent some days alone in Gouda until our friends, Gabi and Erich joined us. A culinary week lay ahead of us all. Gabi and Melinda worked wonders in the kitchen. I grilled, and Erich did the drinks and washed the dishes (thank you, Erich!!!). Delicious, delicious, delicious! We didn’t drive too many kilometers with the boat but enjoyed our trip from Gouda, crossing the Braassenmermeer to Leiden. We peddled a lot with our bikes, passing enormous windmills (used as pumps to gain land). We also passed fields of cows (whose only fence was a trough of water on all sides…(I thought cows swim?). Leiden was a remarkable city with canals throughout and small bridges, restaurants, and shops. We drove to the North Sea to Katwijk and rode our bikes along the sea (yes, it was so great for me to see the sea). On this trip, Lutz found, by accident, the small beach town Noordwijk, where he had spent a vacation 55 years ago with his family. (By the way, the purple lounger is filled with wind and is amazing).
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.