Rohit- the Indian Store Supreme in Eindhoven

Ingredients in the Netherlands are not always easy to come by. For example, you can find baking powder at your local AH (Albert Heijn) but if you want more than what's in a tiny package, you can go to Rohit, the Indian Store Supreme (Okay, that is my name for it). Here is the location in google maps.

Other goodies you can find at Rohit include baking soda (not Arm&Hammer brand, you need to hit a Chinese grocery store for that one), American cake mixes & frostings, Quaker oats, Kraft BBQ sauce, Kool-aid, Jello, Spam(!), popcorn (plain kernels you have to pop yourself), Skippy peanut butter, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, Cracker-Jacks popcorn, and tons of assorted Goya products. In fact, Rohit was the only place I could find black beans when we first arrived! Since this year AH has started stocking black beans, which makes me happy, but I still buy them from Rohit when I'm there for other stuff.

Mike even likes Rohit's "Recreos" which are an oreo-knock-off better than oreos. Unbelievable, right? But they are so good!

For items like maple syrup, 'Great American Marshmellows' and Rice Krispies, check out Jumbo in Veldhoven. The first aisle in Jumbo has lots of great American products including cake mixes, brownies, and other ethnic items like hoisin sauce.

One of my favorite parsnip recipes is Alton Brown's parsnip muffins. However, I found the toasting of the almonds to be a bit excessive (mine burnt to a crisp) and also found that just greasing the nonstick pan was not enough to enable smooth removal of the muffins. Cupcake liners, people! That's what you need. Additionally, the timing is a bit off on the baking instructions- it always takes my muffins at least 30 minutes to reach that internal temperature of 210 degrees F. (I love how Alton does things like check a muffin's temperature!)

Another recipe I like for parsnips is a parsnip and carrot side dish. I slice parsnips and carrots into match-stick shapes and then saute in a high-heat oil like canola or sunflower oil. Add some sliced garlic and cook until the carrots and parsnips are al-dente. Toss with diced rosemary leaves and serve with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Yum!

Last year I planted my parsnip seeds really, really late. Like in July or something. And when I harvested the 'nips this is what I got:

Please notice how my kid is so not impressed.

This year, I decided to plant seeds a bit earlier, in February. However, I did not plant any parsnips. But they came up anyway- they are from last year, I presume- and I am excited to see what happens when I harvest them this fall. Any tips on what to look for regarding the timing of digging them up? I noticed that recently they threw out flowers and those flowers have now turned to seeds and those seeds seem to be falling off... does this mean more parsnips next year? Will I be inundated?

In Dutch "parsnip" is "pastinaak". And it is good to know that word because most people have not heard of parsnips here (except when you say "pastinaak" they look all glassy-eyed and say that indeed, that's an old vegetable, and can you even still buy such things?)