"We're leavin'...."

"on a jet plane! Don't know when [we'll] be back again!" :) Caio all! Thank you for the warm goodbyes and loving celebrations.

Peanut Butter Fingers

For anyone who would like the recipe, here are Grammy's famous Peanut Butter Fingers from the wedding day. The are very sweet. They do well with modifications so go ahead and fiddle with the recipe if you like! Of course, I make them vegan :)

1 c. Flour
1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 t B. Soda
1/4 t Salt
1/2 c. Butter
1/3 c. Peanut Butter
1 Egg
1/2 t Vanilla
1 c. Oatmeal
1 c. Chocolate Chips

1.) Combine all except c.chips
2.) Blend until coarse crumbs
3.) Press into greased 9x13 pan
4.) Bake 350 for 20-25 min
5.) Once removed, sprinkle asap w/chocolate chips
6.) Cool to allow chocolate to harden.
7.) Mix PB Drizzle: 1/2 c confectioners sugar w/ 1/4 c peanut butter & 2-4 T milk. Drizzle over chocolate.
8.) Cut & enjoy :)

Thank you.

Have you ever paused to observe that moment in time when you were at the crossroads of indulgence & restraint? What did you feel? A rush of emotions? Maybe the battle of greed and gratitude?

It is such a moment of life. And today I felt that.

It was when I was standing there looking at him, hearing his voice, and trying to imprint in my memory every last bit of him. It was when I was leaning in to my third "last" hug...I was noticing. Don't I take a fourth? What else is there? Then I turned, still unsure, to walk out the door with tears welling in my eyes and heart...and I was observing the battle in myself. I closed the door and stood there for a second on the walk to steal one last look back, and suddenly it stopped. I turned up to the sky and the words, "thank you" drifted up into the night, taking with them the struggle...and I became peaceful.

The dreaded packing...

We did a "mock packing" today to see how well our stuff would fit into our luggage. So far, we have two extremely large suitcases with clothes, a third with boots, coats, kitty litter & food, and a fourth with shoes, and miscellaneous toiletries, books, and other various nonsense. I have to say, the today's event facilitated my changing from a state of carefree bliss to utter tension and buzzing nerves. Can I just tell you, German cars are not that big. We are going to arrive to meet this poor family with FOUR suitcases of our own, TWO cats, ONE computer bag, ONE au pair, and ONE husband. And I am praying to whoever can hear me that: 1. they dont go running, 2. we fit in that little car.

My mother recently said to me that she thought it might be easier on me that daniel and the cats are coming... and I have to say that is far from true. I am moving all of the things I hold most precious to me across seas and extremely concerned about their comfort. This is hardly a breezy adventure to me. It is not often (enough) about me at all. Dont get me wrong, I do often daydream about so many grand experiences I hope to have there, but I spend more time considering how my host family will feel about all the accessories their au pair is bringing with her, how my cats will adjust to their 12 hour druged plane ride & fourth home in less than a year, and how my dear husband will feel about leaving his big american, english speaking, trans am racing, comfortable world for a cobble stone street, tiny town, crazy-new-language speaking, 350 sq ft cottage living, kind of life. Yes, all my thinking is exhausting me. And I have been asking these questions since last October when all the talk of this trip began. And, thrilled I will be soon enough, to recieve some actual feedback on all my questions.

According to a google search for Wedemark, Germany, these are some lovely gentleman's photos from his trip to the town we will be living in/near by. Enjoy :)

Projects

This weekend we perked up the cottage by painting the plastic adirondack chairs fun colors. We painted yellow, lavendar, green, and blue. :) We also planted lots of new flowers (columbine, iris, azaleas), a few hostas (i am learning about what these things are all called), and made a new patio out of flagstone. :) My dad would be proud. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera, so no new pictures. This was a great holiday. We enjoyed lots of fresh flowers cut from the yard, yummy fruits and veggies, and lots of sunshine.

Hope you enjoyed your holiday! :)

Life the last few days...

Onigiri - Japanese rice balls

Just a thought so far....but I am considering making these Japanese rice balls called Onigiri. The photo shows them in the triangular shape but you can make them into balls too. They have little strips of nori (seaweed - the stuff on the outside of sushi sometimes) and a filling. I have read that some people fill them with umeboshi plums, or ginger strips and avacado chunks... i think plain will be nice. I absolutely love the slightly sweet, earthy, nutty taste of short grain brown rice by itself. I will let you know if I make them, what they end up with inside, and how they taste!

Good to have you home again.

The boys came home from N. Carolina last night. D2 fell off the bike yesterday and hurt his hand so they came home a little early. It is scary to think of how many accidents occur on motorcycles and how many people in my family ride them. Thank goodness that each fall has still left each person whole. :) I am glad to have the boys home. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.


So today I am going to show Jeannine, aka M2, how to make homemade soy yogurt. She suggested using fresh vanilla beans. I am so excited to cook with them! I have never used real ones. :)

This is the yogurt maker that I own. I really like it. Its not necessary to have it to make yogurt but it really does make it much easier, I think. I got the idea and recipe from Mireille Guiliano. Maybe you will try making some for yourself? I think it is super delicious with a fresh cut banana and orange in the morning. My Oma adds grapes, strawberries...actually, whatever fruit is in season. No sweetening necessary and a lot of fun to know you made it and its good for you! :) Just a little plug from me - if you make it with regular dairy, maybe treat yourself and buy organic milk. It will be so much healthier for you. Its fun to do good things for ourselves. :) Enjoy...

Homemade Yogurt with a Yogurt Maker

INGREDIENTS

1 saucepan

1 tablespoon of plain yogurt as a starter or 1 tablespoon of a commercial starter culture available at natural food stores

1 quart of 2% milk - (I use soymilk)

Yogurt maker with cooking thermometer

INSTRUCTIONS

Warm up milk on medium-low until bubbles appear around the edge and steam rises from the surface. Remove saucepan from heat and place thermometer stirrer. When temperature hits 110-115º F add starter to one of the jars. Add some of the heated milk and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan a little at a time stirring well.Fill in 8 jars, cover securely with lids and place jars into the yogurt maker Put into “machine” (really a temperature-controlled warmer) and follow cooking instructions. It will take 6-10 hours (easy to do overnight) depending on tartnness and firmness desired. When done, chill jars in refrigerator a couple hours before ready to eat. You can keep yogurt for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Homemade Yogurt Without a Yogurt Maker

INGREDIENTS

1 saucepan1 large bowl

1 small bowl

1 tablespoon yogurt starter or plain yogurt

1 quart 2% milk

Yield: 8 Servings (4 ounces each)

INSTRUCTIONS

Warm up milk on medium-low until bubbles appear around the edge and steam rises from the surface.Pour into large bowl to cool until temperature hits 110-115º on thermometer or if you don’t have one, do what the locals do: the temperature is correct when your index can stay in the warm milk for ten seconds. Put starter in small bowl, add some of the heated milk and stir until well blended. Pour small bowl mixture in large bowl a third at a time making sure to stir and blend well before each addition. End with a final stir making sure all is well blended. Cover with a thick towel and keep in a warm place 4-6 hours until set. Refrigerate for 8 hours before serving.

Lilacs & China

Yesterday I was reading my mother-in-law's Miss Manners book on the way to Dr. Y's 90th birthday party. It spawned an interesting conversation with my mom about the loss of interest in our country in "the art of living," which I was meaning as certain acts of social ettiquette, homemaking, and family traditions/rituals, etc. She was saying that the kids of her generation linked things like setting and enjoying a family dinner table and bed making together with the the character traits or behaviors (like excessive control and suppression) that their parents displayed and decided to throw them all out the door when they were growing up and seeking to change the way people looked at and treated each other. She concluded, "thus, hippies." I asked her to elaborate and she said something about how, "along with that stuff you are reading about, came the idea that the child cannot speak unless first spoken to." I told her it is unfortunate that people thought that way because to me the scenario seemed hypocritical. In reading the Miss Manners book I got the feeling, as I have from experiencing some of these things around Dr. Y, that setting a table, usings china and linens, sending out a hand written thank you note, fresh cut flowers, or a tidy bed are an act of respect and love for the person you are sharing it with. I have always felt like someone very special to Dr. Y because he took the time to do these little loving gestures. It occured to me that in the 50's and before they worked really hard to show adults this kind of respect, consideration, and little acts of love, but that the children were not always treated with that much care. I think the generation my parents came from was trying to teach the world that we don't just "count" when we've hit the magic age of adulthood but that every human being, regardless of years of experience in life is respectable and valuable. So, it was not in fact the china's fault that people were treated poorly. This was an interesting conversation to have with my mom. She looked and me and finally said, "you know, I understand what you are saying." So, problem solved I guess. Or at least, perspective understood. It was not the actions that were the culpret, it was the thinking. Luckily the people of the world are becoming more concious of and aware of how their thoughts, words and actions are effecting what's around them.

So, go ahead, break out your china, or handwrite a thank you card, perhaps sit down for a homemade family dinner, and spread some love and respect today!

So you can see where we are going...

See Hannover....thats us :)

Reluctant to say Happy Birthday...

This is Dr. Y, one of the most adventurous, loving, generous, intelligent, warm, joyful, vivacious people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And, I have to admit, I am ashamed to leave it at that because I fear I have done a great disservice by leaving the vast majority of this incredible being unnoted.

Our friendship started a little more than 4 years ago when I began nursing school. On May 2nd he rounded the corner at full speed, with blistering enthusiasm to head into his 90th year. I love this man so much. The enormous influence he has had on my life is not something I could describe in its totality because it reaches far beyond my words and into my heart.

This Sunday we are celebrating this enormous milestone in Dr. Y's life, but as you probably know, I will be leaving for Germany for a year on May 31st. As much as I wish it wasn't true, Dr. Y is human and in the last few months his mortality has been knocking at the door to remind us it has to end sometime. I am afraid.

Am I allowed to say that? ...
Because I want him to live forever.

I want him to keep teaching me the incredible lessons he's learned, to share the hundreds of stories and perspectives hes gained in his lifetime, to show me how much love he has for life.

I need a magic genie...I have a request.

To bad "the secret" wont work in this case. The universe cannot provide this.

Instead, I let go. I let the cycle move on. And On Sunday, I will say, "Happy Birthday" with my words, "goodbye" with my eyes, and "I will always love and think of you" with my heart.

-M

Headed for the highway....

Girls weekend up north with Mom, M2 and Kendra :) We are going antiquing, out to dinner, planting tomato bushes, watching chic flix and doing whatever we girls want to do!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather!

-M

Aren't these beautiful?

These pears are my mother-in-law's. I love them because they are so organic looking and they remind me of how I am looking foward to growing my own fresh ripe pears one day. I hope to have a home with enough space to grow a fruit orchard. My parents used to have a pear tree, a sour cherry tree, rhubarb plants, and a raspberry bush. There never seemed to be enough raspberries on that bush. I used to love to go outside in the afternoon and when no one was looking, huddle down behind the bush and pick all the lush ripe red ones! Unfortunately, mom and dad have since removed the pear tree and raspberry bush. Bummer. While I am reminicing about my love for fresh homegrown fruits, I just remembered that my oma used to grow these beautiful little berries in her back yard and make jam out of them for a delicious breakfast treat! Apparently they were banned when I was a little girl and she had to stop growing them. I never knew why they disappeared until just recently when she told me that!

I have to say, my all time favorite season is fall, when the italian prune plums come to the market. They are so beautiful and taste so delicious when they are cooked in a pan with just a little bit of cinnamon and sugar! Mmmm. They are my oma's favorite too. :)

If you like something a little more fancy, a fabulous way to prepare them is to make a short-bread sort of dough and quarter them on top. Bake, and when its fresh from the oven, sprinkle it with sugar. Pflaumenkuchen :)

Doing only what I'm supposed to...

I am in such a spring mood. I want to plant my own herbs and grow a vegetable garden, go to the farmers market to get fresh fruits, pick flowers and put them in vases everywhere, go for walks every morning and ride my bike at the park. Its funny because this is the first year I feel like putting my hands in the dirt. I have never had a fascination with growing flowers like my mom and Oma do. Don't misunderstand me, I have always loved them, and after being in Colorado I realized just how much I really can't live without the lush gardens I have grown up with, but I have just never desired to create them myself. And now, its like they're calling my name. I need to plant!!! And I don't have a home of my own to do it in. I am a nomad right now. :) Oh, I am so hoping that our little house in Germany will have a flowerbox or two! In the meantime, Daniel bought me flowers on my return home from Florida. :) Aren't they beautiful?

This morning I made these lovely baguettes from Mireille Guiliano's book French Women Don't Get Fat. As is typical of me and cooking, I didn't follow the recipe. I used two cups of whole wheat flour and two cups of white. It is delicious!




Baguettes

These 18-24-inch wands of French bread are as much a symbol of France as the Eiffel Tower. And while French women don’t often have need to bake them today, when they are for sale on almost every commercial block of every town and city, there’s no substitute for the intoxicating aromas of freshly baked bread at home. Good baguettes should be crusty, moist and slightly chewy and, of course, flavorful. And they are amazingly easy to make.

INGREDIENTS


4-5 cups flour
1 teaspoon dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 teaspooons kosher salt

Serving: Makes 4 baguettes; Serving = 1 oz piece

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water using a fork. Set aside for 10 minutes.Combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture, stir in remaining 1½ cup water. Mix until sticky enough to knead. Knead for 6-10 minutes; dough should be sticky and smooth. Put in a bowl, cover with a damp tea cloth, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume. Punch down and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each into a ball and shape into a baguette. Transfer to slightly greased baking sheet (I use a special baguette-shaped baking pan) and let rise until nearly doubled). Brush with mixture of one beaten egg and one TB water. Score. Pour two cups of hot water in a pan and place in preheated 450° F oven. Bake the baguettes for 15 minutes then lower temperature to 400° F and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool on a rack before slicing.