I’m listening to the Duke and Coleman Hawkins -Moody Indigo and Limbo Jazz- while working, and this thought just crossed my mind that I know two wonderful men who deepened my love for jazz. One was my dad who taught me about his connection with jazz while I was just a child. My mum never liked it and so my dad would end up sitting in his car parked in front of our home to listen to his favourite tunes. Just sitting in the car listening to jazz was a great adventure to me when I was that little girl so I would often ask him if I could come along and join him.
Having to ask him, slowly vanished over the years and twenty years later I would just sit there with him listening, each drawn into our own world, staring at what was going on around us. Not saying a word just enjoying that very moment. Not as often as in the past, since I moved out when I started my study in Amsterdam but still it was always our moment together. I wanted to pay him my last respects by playing some jazz at his funeral, ‘of course’ I wasn’t allowed to…
Yesterday I received a sweet eCard with a typical Sinterklaas scene from a friend, bless him for remembering half of my roots while they’re so different from his. Tomorrow is Sinterklaas evening so to all my Dutch friends: have a wonderful Sinterklaas. Last year I received a kilo bag of delicious Kruidnootjes covered in chocolate. This year I decided to bake them myself because I shouldn’t forget my roots and I’d like to celebrate just because I can *hehe*. I looked up the recipe and will bake a few batches to give to my Dutch friends here in London.
It’s been a typical wet English day with a sun peeking between the clouds every now and then, but I don’t mind, I have jazz to enjoy while in my head I’m dancing to ‘Limbo Jazz’ and I have a relaxing baking session to look forward to tomorrow or perhaps tonight.
For those Dutch out there who wish to do the same, the recipe is below.
My sky earlier today… while I tried to bask in the sunshine
Speculaaskruiden:
Grounded nutmeg [2 g], ginger [1 g], cardamom [0.5 g], white pepper [1 g], cloves [2 g], and cinnamon [15 g]
Kruidnootjes:
Flour 185 g
Baking powder 1 teaspoon
Brown sugar 85 g
Speculaaskruiden 15 g
Pinch of salt
Butter, refrigerated 125 g
Mix flour, brown sugar, speculaaskruiden, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the butter bit by bit and knead into a firm dough. Leave it to rest for half an hour. Heat oven: 150 C/310 F. Use baking paper or a greased baking tray. Form small balls of dough [+/- 1 cm Ø] and place them on the tray, not too close to each other. Bake for about 20 minutes then leave to cool. If you like you can dip them in melted chocolate…
Et voilà, there’s your homemade Kruidnootjes *hehe* Have a good weekend!
Ahhh Sinterklaas!
That’s a weird tradition and many expatriates in Holland and even tourists or visitors would be really freaked out by it.
Hey guys – I have never commented here, but thought why not, I always have thoughts after reading entries to this blog and I feel like sharing, for you who wonder who the F* I am, well I am referred to in this blog as M. But you can all call me Molly.
I went to the Lowlands only last week with my partner Wolly, and we ended up pooping ourselves laughing when we spotted a Black Pete.
They run around town throwing Peppernuts at children, they are the little helpers of Sinterklaas (which is a Santa Claus lookalikey, only this one is a Bishop from Spain, but really he is from Turkey!?)
The Black Petes, or Zwarte Pieten in Dutch are officially Caucasian, but are so dark in color because of the chimney’s they climb through – to pick up a Carrot and a Sugarcube that a child left for Sinterklaas his white horse in their shoes in front of the fireplace in return for presents.
(with 70% of Dutch houses not even having a fireplace most children now just place their shoe at night before bedtime in front of a radiator. (my mum told me when I questioned her about security and fire hazards in the house, with people climbing through chimney’s that sinterklaas and his Black Pete’s have keys for every house with good or naughty children.)
At our first encounter last week – we simply noticed a white bloke who painted his face with shoe polish to look black and wear black nylons, juggling oranges.
I am not even going into the political correctness issues that are raised every year, just like Britain who had it’s fair share according to Wolly with the; Minstrels or the Golly Wogs on Jam
Maybe I should dress up as a Black Pete and catch the tube down to surprise Zesty, wouldn’t that be funny!
Sorry for Hijacking your blog…
Molly!
Hey Black Molly *hehe*
Your chimney remark made me laugh because I had the same thoughts when I was a child. Your mum had a very clever answer 
No.. don’t want you to become ill, I might visit you but I can’t be sure just yet, sorry 
Email later!
thanks for leaving me a comment and I forgive you for hijacking my blog *BAD!!!*
You can make fun of our Zwarte Piet but I kind of miss this tradition… and please do come over to collect your Kruidnootjes but only if you’d like the addition cold
You probably would be arrested dressing up as a Zwarte Piet since no one understands what the hell you’re trying to do, especially in this part of London people might think you’re taking the piss out of certain communities :-O
ps I: remind me that I’d love to hear Wolly’s story about the Minstrels by the end of the month
ps II: oh and couldn’t show up images in comment, so had to add links, would’ve been nice but I don’t think it’s possible and would have to mod my blog, looking into it though
Mmmm…chocolade kruidnoten lekker hoor. Looks like you’ve got it all covered then ;?)) Ik wens je een fijne sinterklaasavond. Geniet ervan! I’m just waiting for the knock on the door…
Rudi: *hehe* yes all covered… and, thank you
I didn’t know about Sinterklaas. Isn’t it amazing all that we can learn in a day?
Reading about your childhood memory brought this feeling of warmth…of remembering all those sweet moments that are part of childhood…years that we left behind many years ago but that are somehow so fresh in the minds because of the spiritual connection, the love that they brought to life…In fact you have inspired me to write something that I was thinking about this morning…:) Check it out later on vriendin.
Have a great week!
Wen: yes it’s always good to learn about other cultures and Santa wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Sinterklaas *hehe*
You hit the nail dear friend and I love the way you describe what my post did for you especially your words ‘spiritual connection’ and ‘the love that they brought to life’ because that’s exactly the kind of connection I have with my dad [yes ‘have’ because he is still with me although not on this planet]. You seem to have this amazing ability to feel my words and I so appreciate you for that: thank you for being you!
I’m grateful that I could inspire you and I’m really looking forward to reading your post, hugs Amiga and have a beautiful week yourself!
Ah yes, like ‘M’ I remember the second time I was in the Netherlands during Sinterklaas season and had my first encounter with Zwarte Pieten. Too bad everything has to be so politically correct these days though. The story I was given about Pete had nothing to do with chimneys, and as a kid, I think he would have been more magical to me—as long as I wasn’t hauled off to Spain :-O
Hope that lady you mentioned during Halloween reads the Sinterklaas link. Most in the U.S. have no clue, except some that live near another Holland
New Amsterdam? Where’s that? Next to Poland?
Don’t laugh. I had a Southerner ask me why I was going to an East bloc country when I told him I was off to Holland (Yes, I really was going to “Holland”, still I know better then to even utter the word Netherlands around some).
Anyway… I kinda liked that Sinterklaas comes by, what is it? 20 days before Santa gets around to visiting?
Really, I like the separation from Christmas.
Oh jeez!!!
I forgot…. awesome photo!!!!
Jim: some used to call my dad Zwarte Piet *LOL* the whole chimney thing has blown out of proportion, kids don’t even think about stuff like that, I never realised my dad was ‘different’ when I was a kid. I love the chimney story
The original day of celebration is the 5th in the Netherlands but some celebrate on the 6th as well, but you’ll notice because I won’t let that pass by without celebrating and there might be some baking too
?… there was no ‘lady’ in my Halloween post, she was a moaning cow in London… :-O
Yes I realise you’re being sweet you, but really: no need to in this case, she had it coming *hehe*
And a ‘ps’:
Thank you, I’m happy you like my picture
Once I was aware of Xmas, we lived in a post-war built house… no fireplace
But it had a fake chimney. Yup, made out of sheet metal and painted to look like brick. It disguised the flue from the gas furnace.
Course as kids we didn’t know that, but we knew it came down to the furnace so we thought Santa wouldn’t come as he’d get burnt :-O
Oh yeah… mmmmmmmmmmmoooooooooooooooooo
*LOL* I love your chimney story even better, and having a three year old in mind who turns his head away, adds an extra bit of ‘awwww’…
(Did I see the chimney?)
“and the one I currently have with my future husband *sssh that’s still a secret*.” Wow!!
How exciting 
Am happy for you 
The fake chimney?
Can see one on a neighbor’s house here:
[Edit by Zesty Gal: please no file linking, it slows down my bandwidth]
A post-war development so there are only 2 styles of houses on this street.
(funny though… neighborhoods are again being built this way and the yuppies clamor to buy cookie-cutter houses).
Oh yeah…. I faintly remember we tried hanging stockings near the furnace down in the basement utility room just to see what might happen. Sorry I can’t remember the result
But I remember my dad one time throwing stuff up on the roof to make noise and leaving marks in the snow. Even hooked a sled up my brother’s dog another year and tried to get her to leave trails in the yard. be careful
Seems it always snowed on Xmas Eve back in those days leaving one of those nice, white blankets which remained untouched longer then it does these days as everyone used to stay home. (don’t tell me how my grandparents got to our house without leaving marks in the snow).
btw: back to the original title of this post.
Not Sinterklaas related, but did I ever send you Jingle alla Wellstood?
Never completed, but I never tossed it.
Translation: “Spark” is still there
To all: please no file linking… I made one exception with Molly with the first link but will remove that one as well. File linking is stealing bandwidth from other servers plus it slows down my blog. Thank you. Comments are now closed on this post.