On my BBQ table: freshly made garlic herb butter

You only know what you have when it’s gone. This is so very true. The last couple of days we had amazing weather. Although there was a lot of complaining about the heat and the pollen in the air, it was so nice. It was like having a holiday in our own country. After work we went biking to the beach and to Delft and we spent lots of time outside soaking in the sun. And of course in one week we had like 2 bbq parties!
After being spoiled for a week or so the temperature dropped and the sun somewhat disappeared. And it got cold! Well not really cold, but cold comparing to what we use to have. But it’s only spring so we have high expectations for a warm and sunny summer. 

To prepare for the bbq season and because everyone seem to love my bbq parties I will share some of the party flavours with you. 

If you are planning a bbq party or attending one, I have this amazing, but yet simple, recipe for something that can be eaten with pretty much everything. It’s great to have on your bbq table and even better to bring it as a present when you are invited. Of course I’m talking about garlic herb butter! I don’t know how common this is worldwide, but we Dutchies love our garlic herb butter! 

You can use a much or as little of the ingredients as you like; there is no right or wrong with this recipe. 

All you’ll need is:

- Good room temperature butter (I used 250 gram)

- Finely chopped chives (3 big tablespoons)

- Finely chopped parsley (3 big tablespoons)

- Garlic cloves (4 cloves finely grated)

- Few drops of lemon (about a teaspoon)

- Salt and pepper (1 teaspoon salt and as much pepper as you feel like having) 

I was so lucky that I could use fresh herbs from my yard! They look so fresh, vibrant and green. I just love my garden!

I started with chopping all the herbs as finely as I could.  

Then I added the salt, pepper, lemon juice and the minced garlic cloves and mixed this in with the butter. I put it in the fridge for a couple of hours and took it out about 30 minutes before dinner. 

This butter is AMAZING on some French bread and it will taste even better if you put the bread on the bbq so the butter can melt a little...

You can even put a bit on top of your steak or use it to rub it under a chicken skin before roasting it. How about brushing some of it on a corn on the cob? Or adding it to some mash or roast potatoes? The possibilities are endless!

You can keep this butter in the fridge for a couple of days and I believe you can even freeze it in the freezer. But to keep the nice fresh herb flavour I would just make enough and make more when needed. Something this easy doesn't have to be made in bulk.

I hope you’ll think about this butter when you’re having a bbq party!

Ps: I haven’t found any place where I could donate some of my food at…still searching. Also my body is sore all over from running, biking and exercising. Hopefully it pays off in a couple of weeks!

Butter cookies

Last Saturday I went to see the newest addition to our family. My cousin had her first baby boy and we just had to swing by the house to see him. The family so far has 45 people in Holland and baby Tobey is number 46. Can you imagine the chaos we have when we have family dinner? I guess that’s why we haven’t thrown a house warming party yet. I’m panicking only thinking about it, but this summer I’m making the jump. After 2 years in the new house it’s about time.

I was running a bit late and I really wanted to bring something besides the cutest stuffed animal and the cutest little baby outfit I could find. This cookie recipe is just perfect; everything can be done within 30 minutes.

For about 15-20 cookies depending on how big you make them you’ll need:

-       40 grams of powdered sugar

-       100 grams of room temperature butter

-       2 egg yolks

-       1 bag of vanilla sugar

-       125 grams of flour

-       1 teaspoon of lemon zest

-       A pinch of salt

This is the first time I use this nice scale my sister got me for Christmas. It took me a couple of minutes to figure it out, but it can’t be that hard when there are only 2 buttons. So I started with weighing the sugar.

Then the flour…

And because I didn’t plan it well my butter came straight out of the fridge. I didn’t had time to wait till it soften so I popped the bowl in the microwave for just a couple of seconds…just enough to soften it.

I started with mixing the sugar with the butter till it was nice and creamy. Then the egg yolks went in one by one. Now it’s time to preheat the oven on 180C degrees.

When the eggs were incorporated I added the flour, the vanilla sugar, the salt and the lemon zest and mixed it till I’ve got a smooth dough. It will still be a bit wet, but that’s ok because this is not a roll out cookie. This cookie needs to be piped.

My piping skills needs some practice, but it still looked pretty good for an amateur.

The cookies only need 12-15 minutes in the oven and then you’ll have these delicious treats. When they were done I put them on a rack to cool for a bit.

Unfortunately I didn’t had a nice box to put them in so I sacrificed one of my little plates.

Now this looks like a great treat for a new mom and dad! A little bit of plastic wrap and a nice ribbon makes a world of difference.