Flying takes everyone to their destination in no time.Figuratively speaking, like in a fast train, you fly through everyday time.So you are here or there without any sense of time. That certainly applies to me.Wherever I am, it is always a festive place to be. Landing on Dutch soil gives me a euphoric moment. After the car ride back to my roots in Harderwijk. Always nice to be back there. Crazy to finally hold my daughter and my grandchildren again and to cook for them. How proud I am of my beautiful sweethearts!Every advantage has a disadvantage. Like during my stay there is too little time to date everyone I love. In terms of time it becomes a kind of Max Verstappen racing but in quality. Short but powerful hugging my sister, dating a few friends and a nice dinner with my daughter & son-in-law. Time flies when you're having fun.

In a daze of time I sometimes don't know what day it is. The ZEN gives such a relaxed feeling.My daughter is coming for a few days. She can arrive at any moment by taxi from the airport.When she arrives she happily steps out of the taxi 'hello Mom'.We walk happily chatting to the apartment, which she is impressed by.She enjoyed the trip. So nice to have her with me. Our bond is pure and intense.The nice prospect that I will see my grandchildren soon, then the 'picture' will be complete.And now, now it is old-fashioned togetherness with my sweet beautiful daughter.A large bowl of fresh figs is ready for her. They have just been picked from the fig trees, which are full of figs, downstairs. I pick them from the trees regularly.

It's wonderful here.Babis regularly gives me the most delicious lemons or freshly picked figs.There are so many figs that I make jam from them in addition to eating them, so delicious.I always make extra to give a jar of jam to Maria and Babis.And every morning after my training, I enjoy fresh fig jam with full-fat yoghurt.

At this beautiful location I experience it as ZEN JENs.In all peace and quiet my mind and body are restyled by the Mediterranean climate.How nice is that! No pollen that follows me and no handkerchief work.Every advantage has its disadvantage.100% does not exist. Sometimes something happens that you do not know.From the kitchen window I see a movement on the ground. It is a huge turtle. I had never seen anything like it. Just like a green animal on my arm, where you get a big bump.At another moment I suddenly see a fox walking past on the terrace from my chair, like a King of the hill. Or a bird flutters in that is lost.It looks like a kind of garden with special animals.

At the agreed time, my good friend Babis honks his horn from his car so that we can go to the (super)market together. It's nice to see him again. And always fun.He is a real friend who is always there for me, a pure person.Relaxed, I walk downstairs from home and greet him with 'Kaliméra. Ola kalá?'Chatting via Google Translate, we drive to a town further away.After shopping at the supermarket, we go to the market.We agree to meet again at Babis' car after shopping.My goal is to buy fresh fish and vegetables, but first I want to have a look around.I look my eyes out. Like a happy egg, I walk across the market.The joy and euphoria takes me to a blissful moment. How I have missed this, the market with its splendor, the people and the warm atmosphere!You always appreciate more when it is no longer there. After buying the vegetables, potatoes and fresh fish, I walk to the car with a smile and wave happily to Babis. And back 'home' I enthusiastically tell about my market story.After unpacking the groceries at home I prepare mouth-watering SALMON PASTA.My lunch tastes supersonic and that is a nice end to this morning.

Arriving in Greece I immediately felt at home. Something I rarely have.From the first moment I received the warmth of my downstairs neighbors Maria and Babis, their friend Christos. 3 Golden people. Gold in every sense of the word for me.From that moment on friends for life as family, true love!

Most of them are still asleep.Waking up before the alarm clock is something special for me.Lovely in the early morning light, the daylight breaks through in all peace.My to-do list is hanging in front of me on the weekly schedule.In between, continuing with the Mediterranean search where the sun shines fresh and fruity.Money makes the world go around.Finding something suitable online has been reduced by the big profit models. You are amazed by the rental prices or the locations that are filled with apartments.

Sometimes you find out (too) late about things that you were not aware of before.For example, the place where you are going to live.Living in our village gives 3 big R's: Space, Peace and Relaxed. However, every advantage sometimes also has a disadvantage, such as hay fever.Pollen is produced by trees, grasses and herbs and floats in the air. The more pollen, the more hay fever complaints. The hay fever season starts with a peak of tree pollen at the end of winter/beginning of spring, followed by a peak of grass pollen in the summer and a peak of weed pollen in the fall. It seems like an LP that gets stuck on the record player.

Friend Annemarie is coming to stay. Big surprise and so old-fashioned fun!Happy to see each other again, as if we had just spoken yesterday.She brought my 'order': a multi Chopper & Grinder. And various salty liquorice and banana marshmallows, which I sometimes crave because they are not available here.In Hungary, people do not like licorice or they do not know it.When we arrive, she says 'you will get this from me instead of a bunch of flowers'. How sweet!Annemarie had bragged to those around her that she is being spoiled during her stay because I am going to cook her Indian food. I had to laugh heartily, it is also quite a one! We have known each other for over 30 years so you know what you can expect from each other.She enjoys her stay to the max and likes to 'refuel' her extra. The days fly by with: the conversations, the laughter, the wine, the dining, coffee drinking in Tiszafüred and a flashy visit of Eger. A great city! As promised to Annemarie, Hans is going to smoke trout outside with her. And I am busy in the kitchen preparing the new recipe. As soon as the fish is ready, I can start. This time we will enjoy PEPESAN TROUT.The gathering is like a big party, a double gift! We hung up the streamers together. I will also see Annemarie in the Netherlands soon.

FOOD & WINE I love. As a wine lover, I like to wander around looking for good wines.Unfortunately, there is little choice in our village or the nearby city. There are no wine shops, so it remains a search if you do find something. I am usually lucky enough to find something suitable.I can enjoy a good glass of wine. While cooking, with music or just like that.For special moments, I like to drive an hour or so.It is wonderful to toast with family or friends while dining, to have a good old-fashioned drink and especially to enjoy being together. Or to have a romantic wine together.It is special that for years I receive a bottle of red wine as a gift from friends, while everyone knows that I am a dry white wine lover. I can't get that out of their system either and we always have a good laugh about it. The 'red rascals' always come on and while enjoying a delicious meal we toast to the good life! Friends are coming over tonight, nice. They love my food and good wines. At their request I make Babi TANDOORI and they provide delicious matching wines. Prosito!

I received this incredibly cool sign from dear friends Leonie & John. ------->>>>Our mailman brought it. How appropriate and super fun as a surprise, the sweethearts!Despite the fact that they are Vega's and I am Omnivore, our love does not stand in the way of anything.When I am in the Netherlands, Leonie and I always have a regular 'spot' at the Mac.Happy together with fries and a milkshake, she with a VegaBurger and I with a Hamburger.Always a smashing party when we have been to the Mac.Leonie & John also keep a close eye on JENs KookFun website.The site also regularly features Vega recipes that make their mouths water.John then tests it to make it. And the result is impressive.It makes me happy to make people happy with recipes with an Indonesian touch. Omnivore or Vega's, something for everyone to enjoy and fill their bellies with satisfaction.Writing under my tree or writing spot creates the most delicious creations.Visually, I can see it feasting on the taste buds and enjoying the end result.Cool if you have made a recipe via my Youtube@Jenskookfun, that gives me a fresh boost.I have a big smile with a new SUBSCRIBER, that gives me extra incentive. World class!

HONEY is a natural product. Most honey consists of nectar species, flowers and blossoms.It is decisive where the beehives with bees are located, such as at the acacia trees. These are abundant in this region. The nectar of the honey consists of the largest components of the acacia.Sometimes a lot of honey is made from one type of plant, which gives you a diversity of honey types.Honey is rich in proteins, vitamins, amino acids, minerals.

Regular grocery shopping is unfortunately part of it. It is not my 'cup of tea'.Vegetables, herbs and fish are very limited here. So when there is 'fresh' fish, my heart jumps for joy.As an Indo and for JENs KookFun, everything revolves around FOOD.In the oven, on the BBQ or on the stove, the preparations take place in and around the house.This also applies to 'smoking' fresh fish, even when it is cold outside in winter.The feeling as if you are warmly dressed in Iceland, with the fish gently smoking.Of course you have to stay with it because an accident is always just around the corner.Attention applies in any case to cooking, to the BBQ and to smoking fish. Just like in a relationship but then in a different emotional way.During the smoking process it is nice to be together while enjoying a glass of wine.In this winter cold we are warm. The wait and patience is worth it. Hans is relaxing while smoking fish and in the meantime I am cooking with music.Soon delicious smoked mackerel on fresh bread. My mouth is already watering!The dish Ikan Bumbu Balado with the fragrant herbs can soak in well, for tomorrow. That will be double the enjoyment, I can't wait. Soon on YouTube with @KokenmetJens.

Sunflower oil is a product with which I prepare many dishes all year round.Baking, roasting, frying, in dressings and salads.The advantage is: spring, summer, autumn and winter sunflower oil is widely available.From mid-July to October, you will see a large colourful spectacle when you drive away from our village. Yellow radiant rascals, hanging in the sun.Along the roads you see many fields full of sunflowers.Colourful yellow fields, divided per field into various types of yellow rascals.The soil areas have sufficient humus, nutrients, heat and water. Ideal for the ripening of the precious sunflower seeds from which, among other things, the most delicious sunflower oils are made. The sunflower seeds are delicious to process in granola and bread or to snack on. And as flowers they colour like a sunny scene.In thoughts of my mother I make Mamma's Soup.

In my area, the vegetables in the supermarkets are limited in choice.Creativity in recipes and cooking sometimes make it a challenge.It is therefore nice to be self-sufficient and being outdoors gives energy.The preparation and patience to make the vegetable garden ‘vegetable-ready’ also pays off. The end result is a real pleasure for the throat.At various times of the year it is special to see something delicious grow from something small. Natural juicy wonders!After the loving care of Hans, so many fresh products are ready for use.

Love my family❤️Beauty Koosje and my buddy Ollie are coming to stay for a few days. The reunion is so nice.The sentence ‘Mom, we didn’t just miss you, we missed your food too’ makes me melt even more.Playing with Ollie is always a party. Lovely boy, my buddy!Unfortunately, they can only stay for a short time.I will see them again soon, that is worth twice as much. We can’t live without each other!Fortunately, we have it online to see and talk to each other. That brings you closer despite the many kilometers apart.After a few days, I wave them goodbye at the airport with a lump in my throat.The song by Willie Alberti ‘a smile from a child makes you realize that you are alive’ brings me extra emotion. And it is a fact!

Spring has arrived. And everyone is happily working outside on their garden.Nature likes to take its natural course and that is why the grass grows fast.In our village it is a maintenance obligation to keep your garden tidy.There is nothing wrong with that! It also has its charms.

Peppers come in all shapes and colors worldwide.Besides the fact that they have an added value in taste, they contain a lot ofvitamin C. And as an antioxidant good for the resistance.