Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

With Audrey's sister Vera out from Ontario, their folks decided to bring their 55th (!) wedding anniversary observances up from the summer, and booked a banquet room at the Heritage Inn in High River to host the affair. Their place is still being fixed from 2013`s floods, so they arranged for us to stay at the Inn as well as Audrey's other sister, Betty, and her family as well, which I thought was awfully decent of them!

Sadly, Fenya and I had to depart at noon on Saturday due to a previously scheduled rehearsal, but we went out there a day early and got to spend some time visiting and playing games with Oma and Opa.
Friday afternoon, Vera and Audrey wasted no time preparing to make the traditional Dutch New Year's treat of oliebollen, a type of deep fried pastry, often filled with fruit like raisins or apples.

Oma was impressed with the novelty of oliebollen being made without her having to measure, mix or boil them in oil, although the sisters would sometimes solicit her sage opinion on things like batter consistency or oil temperature.

Before too long, ice cream buckets lined with paper towels and overflowing with hot, tasty oliebollen made their way to the table where the girls and I were playing dominoes with Oma and Opa. Dishes of icing sugar for dipping soon followed, and we spent much of the afternoon gorging ourselves on this decadent and greasy delicacy.

We reached our capacity for oliebollen later in the afternoon, well before we had to start rationing to ensure the would be enough for Betty's family, travelling to High River through a phenomenal winter storm with blowing snow.

Sadly, despite the confidence that comes from Audrey having made the dish independently, I am not sure if our house will ever see fresh oliebollen; Oma uses a huge cast iron cauldron to heat the oil, and I am unsure if we have anything that would have sufficient volume and depth.

You know, yet.

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