During my run tonight, a surprising number of kids was milling about in the dark. There were groups of them, and they weren’t quietly rushing home either. There was giggling, there were games of tag. And then my musings about how kids’ bed times must be changing were interrupted by the little tykes singing. Singing, with paper lanterns dangling from their arms.
And it dawned on me: it is St Maarten today. A day for kids to carry flammable paper lights and demand candy from strangers in the night. As an adult you are supposed to be prepared for being of those strangers and have plenty of sugary treats on hand. I, of course, have no regular dealings with little people, was oblivious to St Maarten up until that point and was woefully unprepared for pushing sweets. So I did the mature thing and snuck past the kids on tiptoe, willing them not to notice me.
It worked, I sprinted up the four flights of stairs to my house and had just closed my front door with a relieved sigh when the bell rang. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and unannounced visits rarely happen to me. I gingerly picked up the intercom receiver and heard tiny voices screeching about cows with tails and girls in skirts. Crap! Oh, how I wished I had some of the goodies up there to share.
And it dawned on me: it is St Maarten today. A day for kids to carry flammable paper lights and demand candy from strangers in the night. As an adult you are supposed to be prepared for being of those strangers and have plenty of sugary treats on hand. I, of course, have no regular dealings with little people, was oblivious to St Maarten up until that point and was woefully unprepared for pushing sweets. So I did the mature thing and snuck past the kids on tiptoe, willing them not to notice me.
It worked, I sprinted up the four flights of stairs to my house and had just closed my front door with a relieved sigh when the bell rang. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and unannounced visits rarely happen to me. I gingerly picked up the intercom receiver and heard tiny voices screeching about cows with tails and girls in skirts. Crap! Oh, how I wished I had some of the goodies up there to share.
But, alas, that gorgeous collection of sweet things was made weeks before by Manon and me to celebrate her 30th birthday. It was good indeed, and there were plenty of left-overs, but they were nothing but a memory now. Which is where my shoe box apartment showed its useful side- being on the top floor, there is no way for small ones to peep inside and mock me for not opening the door. So I quietly put the receiver down, closed the curtains more tightly and thanked Amsterdam’s crazy house prices for making sure I could not buy anything closer to the ground floor.
Honestly, I don’t know how excited the kids would have been about the stuff in the picture. I would definitely grin a very happy grin if offered any of those treats and might have let out a little squeal of delight when I saw them all together. But kids? I am guessing there just aren’t enough snazzy wrappers or brighter-than-life colorings to keep m happy. If, however, you are over the age of ten and are looking for a sweet spot in your day, I urge you to make something you see here. It was all seriously good.
From the simply chic apple tart to the surprising orange brownies and from the luscious cheese cake to the snappy ginger cookies, you can’t really go wrong. If you will allow me a small suggestion, though, I think you should start with the scones. They are easy-easy and surprisingly wonderful. Tender and crumbly, with a faintly sweet crumb, they are a great vehicle for lots of cream and raspberry jam.
All recipes are on this website (in Dutch only).
Honestly, I don’t know how excited the kids would have been about the stuff in the picture. I would definitely grin a very happy grin if offered any of those treats and might have let out a little squeal of delight when I saw them all together. But kids? I am guessing there just aren’t enough snazzy wrappers or brighter-than-life colorings to keep m happy. If, however, you are over the age of ten and are looking for a sweet spot in your day, I urge you to make something you see here. It was all seriously good.
From the simply chic apple tart to the surprising orange brownies and from the luscious cheese cake to the snappy ginger cookies, you can’t really go wrong. If you will allow me a small suggestion, though, I think you should start with the scones. They are easy-easy and surprisingly wonderful. Tender and crumbly, with a faintly sweet crumb, they are a great vehicle for lots of cream and raspberry jam.
All recipes are on this website (in Dutch only).
2 comments:
Jeej, picture brings back sweet memories indeed! 'Tiny' detail about the scones: we halved them, so we could make more scones out of the easy-easy recipe. And I think that made them even better tasting.
Thank you both for all the yummyness!
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