My Weekend in Pictures

The weather was mostly clouded and overcast with some sunny spells late Saturday afternoon, and some heavy rain on Sunday afternoon.
Saturday was quite a busy day. I was up early and I quite enjoyed doing some little chores and making preparations for lunch.


We went to the market to get some cheese, and a chicken for the chicken fricassee I wanted to make the next day for supper.



I had sorted out some new Weight Watchers recipes and planned our meals for the weekend the previous day, so I didn't have to worry about what to cook and make sure I bought all the right ingredients.



We had Belgian endives with Brie for lunch. ( Click the link to find an interesting site about Belgian endive)


After lunch I did a little photo shoot of our new car. Photos will follow!
We still had a couple more errands to run, and my husband needed to deliver some paperwork in Mechelen, so we wanted to spend some time visiting Mechelen.



I wanted to make photos at the beguinage but that was nothing more than a couple of small streets, not photogenic at all. Instead we visited the Saint Rombouts cathedral and took some pictures there.



When we got back, it was after dark already and I still had to cook! I made salmon with leeks and fresh pasta. Easy to make but it tasted divine!



After supper we did a little wine tasting experiment, because we wanted to find out which cava was the best. The more expensive one turned out to be the best one.



Project 366 # 65



My hubby slept in on Sunday and I enjoyed some me time reading the paper with the cat on my lap.


Sunday breakfast should always be a feast in my home, so this time we had breakfast with bubbles. It was almost noon by then anyway!



In the afternoon, I divided my time between my computer and the kitchen. Some cooking, some blogging, editing some photos ...
I made a chicken fricassee from scratch and a Moroccan turkey tajine for the next day. For dessert I made a chocolate mousse with Maltesers, also a Weight Watcher's recipe.



After supper we watched the Ultimate Dance Battle on television, and that was it ...
The weekend has whizzed by in a jiffy! Should I mention it was too short?

Food, Glorious Food!

Project 366 # 52

Foie gras, with an apple pear roquette and endives salad on the side.

Scallops with a tomato, saffron and basil vinaigrette.

Veal sweetbread with salsify and an Armagnac cream sauce.


Moelleux au chocolat.

29 Years Ago Today ...

It's been 29 years today since my hubby and I started sharing our lives together.
It seems like only yesterday. Where did those years go?
We've been through so much together, and I still love him to pieces!




Ruby Tuesday is hosted by Mary the Teach at Work of the Poet.

Friday’s Fave Five

 

 

It’s Friday again. Good Friday. Time to share some of the favorite things from the past week. It’s been a pretty uneventful week around here, not much has happened, but I always find it amazing how many little things lift your spirit and make your day!

 

1. The weather has not been very cooperative this last week. It’s been cold and windy, with some spells of rain. Luckily enough, we also got some sun. And it looks like the sun has made my herb garden grow. The little sprouts in my pots tell me I’m going to be able to use some of it in my dishes real soon. That’s something I always look forward to, Summer cuisine with fresh herbs from my garden!
2. I made oatmeal pancakes for breakfast last Sunday. They were delicious!
3. I finally found that birdfeeder I have been looking for for months! The birds had wrecked my old one and it was hard to find a similar one. But sometimes you find what you’ve been looking for when and where you least expect it to! I call that a little gift from Heaven!
4. Loads and loads of colorful veggies for lunch and supper. We’re both trying to loose some weight and a colorful salad at the beginning of a meal keeps the hunger down. Good looking food is very important to me, that’s why I love to play with all the different colors and textures.
5. Noir Orange chocolate as a little treat with my coffee. Dark chocolate with that intense orange flavor. Mmmm.

Happy Easter to all of you!
Friday’s Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Macro Monday, Easter Chocolate Eggs

 

 

In case you’re wondering, I still have not eaten the chocolate eggs I bought. They’re so pretty I just cannot gobble them down like that. They’re part of my Easter decoration for now. But I did have some fun photographing their lovely detail. 
Don’t worry, you won’t put on weight just looking at these!

 

 

More Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos.

Weekly Winners, Review and Preview

 

 

This Weekly Winners is going to be very random. It’s a review and a preview at the same time. I had so many photo opportunities this week it’s impossible to share them all, so I’m going to give you a preview of things to come on this blog in the next couple of days.

A garden fair was held at this lovely castle and I got to photograph it

inside and outside, top to bottom!

Arts and crafts.

More photos coming up in my Window Views next Thursday.

We spent some time in my grandmother’s village.

 

I can never get enough of that beautiful scenery there. 
More to come on Ruby Tuesday.  

 
Sunlight and Spring …

 
Tough guys being shy…

 
Under construction ...


An unexpected sight in the city.

More pictures from this huge cruise ship in Midweek Blues next Wednesday.

I posted about the chocolate shop in Napoleon’s Palace earlier this week . Go here if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s worth it, it’s amazing.

More chocolate pictures tomorrow on Macro Monday.

 

So there, it has been a very exciting week, and I will be sharing more pictures over the next days, so stay tuned!  
Don’t forget to visit Heavenin365 for your daily dose of my photography.
Visit I am Lotus to see more Weekly Winners.
Have a great week!

Weekend Reflections, One More …

 

One more picture from that amazing chocolate shop I posted about two days ago.
I just KNOW James is going to love this one!
Click this link to see more photos from this lovely store at the Royal Palace.
More pictures by me on Heavenin365.

Weekend Reflections is hosted by James at Newton Area Photo.

Chocolate Heaven in Napoleon’s Kitchen

I was strolling down on main street, the Meir in Antwerp when I spotted this billboard.

The day before yesterday a famous chocolatier from Bruges has opened the doors to his brand new shop in what is probably one of the prettiest locations in Antwerp, the Royal Palace at the Meir. The palace was built in the mid 1700’s and was bought by Napoleon in 1811 who had it decorated in French Empire style. During the first World War it was the home of King Albert I. The palace and it’s furniture was donated to the Flemish people by King Boudewijn. The palace has been restored to it’s former grandeur and is going to open to the public the first weekend of May.

I had a brief conversation with Dominique Persoone, the man behind this amazing chocolate shop. He told me it’s a unique feeling to make chocolate in Napoleon’s kitchen! Opening the shop is one year overdue, so as you can imagine he is probably THE most tired yet happiest man on the face of the earth.

So here’s a scoop for you ladies and gentlemen, allow me to open the doors to chocolate Heaven!

The minute I walked in, the delicate scent of chocolate teased my nostrils.

Follow me …

The place is so pretty it made me gasp.

Well, … I told you it was Heaven, didn’t I?!

And this is "Napoleon's" kitchen …

Can you smell the chocolate?