A Very Happy Half-Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Ina's half-birthday. It might not seem like an occasion worthy of a celebration like a first birthday or a sweet sixteen. But around here, we're all about celebrating the little moments. They pass by so quickly, and when we turn on the news and hear about senseless bombings and shootouts, we can't help but squeeze our little bug a little tighter and promise to enjoy every moment we have together.

So we ate cake. And sipped bubbly. And danced in the living room. And smooched her fat cheeks so much... because she's only 6 months old once. And we think that's something to celebrate.

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We're glued to the TV watching the news today, hoping this nightmare ends soon (and peacefully). Sending lots of love to friends and family in Boston... Be safe! We're thinking of you!

A Little Welcome Basket

With my dear Mama arriving next week to meet her granddaughter and help us out for a little while, I thought I'd prepare a little "Welcome to Leuven" basket to leave at her apartment rental when she arrives. We got unbelievably lucky and were able to rent the place right downstairs from us - so we're going to be neighbors! It really couldn't have worked out better. She'll be steps away when we need her (especially at meal times - nothing beats Mama's home cooking!), but we'll all have our own space so we won't be crowded and feel like we're on top of each other all the time.

Her welcome basket includes:

* some basic toiletries, soaps, and shampoo (so there'd be more room in her suitcase for baby gifts, obviously)

* a Belgian SIM card for her phone (so I could call her in a panic when the baby doesn't stop crying and I don't know what to do)

* a BAGGU shopping bag for all her trips to the market

* a bottle of wine (duh)

* a few different varieties of Belgian chocolate (that I'm hoping she'll share with me)

*a map of Leuven titled "Where's Mama?" on which I marked the location of the butcher, the cheese shop, the wine shop, grocery store and a couple of my favorite bakeries and cafes

*and a couple other little things to make her feel welcome

And since I've been doing anything I can to distract me from contractions and the fact that this baby is coming very soon, I decorated a fringe-fabulous box with crepe paper to tuck all her treats in (don't even ask how long that took).

Can't wait for her to get here... and share that chocolate and wine with me :)

A Perfect Sunday

Yesterday, our friends Kirsten and Erik organized a wonderful leisurely luncheon for a handful of friends. Since the class no longer has to work around the clock completing assignments and papers, they had the whole day to relax, eat, talk, read the paper, and not worry about a thing. With a menu of roast chickens, roasted potatoes (maybe the best potatoes I've ever had - I insisted Erik give me his mom's recipe... and the leftovers), caramelized carrots, and cabbage with pancetta, it was much more than just a lunch, it was a decadent feast... Add in an apple tart and rich chocolate cake for dessert, and it's no wonder we stayed on into the evening, refusing to get up from the table, enjoying every moment with our friends.

I had offered to bring a dessert - but in my pregnant inability to decide between two recipes - I made both (nobody seemed to mind)... The apple tart is something I've been thinking about since last weekend when my aunt and uncle where here and we devoured a delicious tart from a french bakery in Brussels. I used this recipe, and it was wonderfully reminiscent of the tart I've been dreaming of all week. The chocolate cake is one that I've been looking for an excuse to try ever since Annie sent me the book with the recipe last fall. It's called the "Winning Hearts and Minds Cake" and you can find the recipe here. It's probably the easiest cake you'll ever bake - with a total of 5 ingredients, it's just pure chocolate decadence (I can't wait to go home and make one for my chocolate loving father).

"It's going to sound silly, I know, but I think that what it all comes down to is winning hearts and minds. Underneath everything else, all the plans and goals and hopes, that's why we get up in the morning, why we believe, why we try, why we bake chocolate cakes. That's the best we can ever hope to do: to win hearts and minds, to love and be loved."

- Molly Wizenberg, A Homemade Life

Chocolate Tasting Results

Once we got home from The Official Belgian Chocolate Tour, we plated each bunch of chocolates separately, labeling the plates with the name of the chocolate shop from which they came. 

And then we ate.

Each piece was savored, discussed and ranked in comparison with the others... Subtle flavor combinations were noted... a surprising crunch here, a velvety lightness there... phrases like "a long lavendery finish" were used (as if we had ANY idea what we were talking about)....

It was a really tough job - but somebody had to do it.... 

OUR RESULTS:

1. Pierre Marcolini

2. Mary

3. Alex & Alex

4. Wittamer

5. Neuhaus

6. Galler

Neuhaus/Galler are interchangeable in the bottom two spots, and Mary and Alex&Alex were a very close match-up.... but Pierre was the clear winner. I look forward to continuing my research on the subject, and sharing my findings with you in the future... Or come to Belgium and try them out for yourselves!

The Official* Belgian Chocolate Tour

It should come as no surprise that one of my favorite things about living in Belgium is the chocolate... It truly does surpass the rest in it's richness, texture and subtle flavor combinations - like biting into a little piece of heaven every. single. time.

Didz sent me this New York Times article a few weeks ago - and Stella and I took it upon ourselves to follow in the lead of the author and do our own Belgian Chocolate Tour. While our outing was not quite as extensive (we stayed mainly in the Grand Sablon area - with only one venture across town to Mary's), we took it VERY seriously, and brought home a lot of chocolate to do the official tasting with Didz (who unfortunately couldn't join us... this MBA is really cramping our style!)

From each of the six chocolate shops we went to, we chose a classic dark chocolate praline (or the closest we could find, since not all the chocolate shops had one) as our "control" and then a few varied flavors and fillings to get a fuller understanding of each chocolatiers capabilities and accomplishments, often asking the salesperson to point out the most popular selection or their personal favorites.

Wittamer (photo cred: Stella)

Our first stop was Wittamer.... with its bright pink awning and display of beautifully crafted chocolate high heels in the window, entering the shop felt like the beginning of a perfect feminine dream sequence. (If only we had busted out a choreographed song and dance routine with the chocolatiers in pink aprons doing the can-can on the glass cases behind us... THEN it would've been the perfect dream... alas...) Because this was our first stop, we were rather tame in our choosing - only two pieces each (a dark chocolate praline, and a cognac flavored dark chocolate praline).

Tough decisions at Neuhaus (photo cred: Stella)

Next, we walked down the street to Neuhaus (which is where I buy a lot of my chocolate since there's a shop just down the street from us in Leuven), where we chose a rather random sampling, including coffee truffles and their "specialty" (which Didz ate, so Stella and I will never know what was so special about it).

Alex & Alex (photo cred: Stella)

It was time for a break - so we walked around the corner to Alex & Alex, a champagne and chocolate bar, where we sat for the better part of the afternoon sipping bubbly, nibbling chocolate (the mandarin orange dark chocolate was my favorite), and chatting with Alex (or Alex, we're not sure which one) about the "elegant" champagnes and the "need" for chocolate in our lives... It was charming and lovely and delicious and might be my new favorite spot in Brussels. We chose a wide variety of chocolates to bring home - including their "legend", one called "Love Love" and a chili pepper flavored dark chocolate for Didz.

Glass #1, paired with sea salt and mandarin chocolates

Next, we went to the two story flagship store of Pierre Marcolini....

Pierre Marcolini (photo cred: Stella)

You can't help but feel a little bit swanky, and a little bit cooler when you walk in here... It's sexy, with immaculate displays, and perfect chocolates. We carefully chose a small selection of chocolates upstairs (including an Earl Grey Tea flavored one), and then picked out a small box of macarons to bring home as well (because let's face it, after indulging champagne and chocolate the only reasonable thing to do is also pick up a box of pristine macarons, too. Obviously).

Grand Place at night (Photo cred: Stella)

From there we crossed town, down through the Grand Place en route to Mary's... with a quick pit-stop at Galler....

Galler (photo cred: Stella)

... where I honestly don't remember what we got...

But Mary! Oh Mary! The selection, the choices, the beautiful little chocolates.... Mary stole our hearts. We picked out a gorgeous bunch to bring home - including a couple white chocolate pieces for Didz (he really loves white chocolate), and one called "Manhattan" for Stella (how appropriate).

After another champagne pit-stop (and a bottle for the road!), we hurried to the train, anxious to taste all of our treasured chocolates....

Texting Didz letting him know we'll be a little late... his response? "You stopped for MORE champagne?!?"
Whoopsies!

The Official* Belgian Chocolate Tour Tasting Results up next....


*Official? Maybe not. Delicious? Definitely.