Christmas 2012

'Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The treasured, precious, post-holiday peace - what bliss!

We've now survived our second Christmas in Germany. In many ways this was better than last Christmas, as we're more settled and have worked out some routines. In other ways, things fell through the cracks, as our lives are busy, with everyone more involved in school, work, and social circles. The first weekend of Advent I embarked on a wonderful weekend in London with my girlfriends. While I had a fantastic time (and you can read about on KettwigeFrau and Emma's Expat Adventures) it got me a bit behind schedule in launching into the Christmas season. The second weekend of Advent was my youngest son's 10th birthday, so not much Christmas prep happened then, either. It was the third weekend before I had some cookies baked, the house decorated, and the tree selected (once again with our lovely friends Rebecca and Sam and their three darling children). It was still several more days before we actually had the tree erected and decorated. That happened just in time for our annual Feuerzangenbowle party, the last weekend of Advent.

The in-laws visited for the holiday we sort of merged German and American celebrations by opening family gifts after our Christmas Eve raclette and then the Santa gifts on Christmas morning.

Christmas Day we took all the family out to the Flic Flac Circus in Dortmund. It was a fun afternoon outing, with a great performance, despite the scary fall of one of the performers. I do hope he's OK. So now three of the kids have returned to Hamburg with the in-laws and we'll catch up with them there on New Year's Day.

I regret not getting out any Christmas cards this season - for the first time in over 20 years. I bought the cards and the stamps and even drafted a Christmas letter for distant friends and relatives, but the evening I sat down by the fire with a glass of wine, prepared to write them, I saw the news of Sandy Hook and dissolved into tears over the senseless violent deaths of so many people not far from my home town, and was too grief-struck to send cheerful Christmas greetings. Instead I was glued to the news for several days, as were millions of others, I'm sure. I suppose I should try to send some out this week, but I fear that just isn't going to happen. I do promise to be back on the bandwagon next year (the first of my New Year's resolutions!) and will send out holiday greetings at the very least to those who kept me on their Christmas list!

I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas holiday and wish you a New Year with good health and deep happiness!

Below is a little recipe I'll share in lieu of sending Christmas cards :)

Smoked Salmon Christmas Canapés


This year I experimented with some new party recipes and came up with cute Christmas Canapés that were fairly popular. The recipe is super simple:

• Start with prepared miniature tart shells (I found a pack of 24 at the grocery store)
• Add to each a spoonful of softened cream cheese.
  I started with about 1 cup of Philadelphia-brand sweet chili cream cheese into which I blended a tablespoon of prepared horseradish. (Chose your favorite flavor of cream cheese and zest it up any way you like - the onion & chive cheese would be good, too).
• Fold a small sliver of smoked wild salmon over the layer of cheese.
• Add a dollop of guacamole on one half of each tart.
  I made a small batch of homemade guacamole - using half a large avocado, some lime juice (lemon would be fine too), fresh pressed garlic, and some salt & pepper.
• Press a small slice cherry tomato next to the guac, round side up. I cut the tomatoes into sixths.
• Cut slivers of chive and insert then into the guac for added dimension and a darker pop of green color.

The result are lovely bite-sized green & red morsels that take about 30 minutes to prepare and can be chilled until you are ready to serve. I lined a platter with a bright red napkin for a pretty display. 

If you have suggestions for other twists to this basic recipe, please share! 

Cherishing Traditions: American Thanksgiving in Germany

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.

Unlike Christmas, which is mired in commercialism and bears the "burden" of thoughtful gift giving, lavish decorating, and endless obligatory festivities (kids' school parties, your office party, your spouse's office party, the neighborhood cookie exchange, plus the parties with friends that you actually want to attend...), Thanksgiving is so SIMPLE.
Yet so special.

Thanksgiving is our closest loved ones gathering around a delicious meal to give thanks for abundant blessings. It is a time when we relish good food and celebrate life, family, and friendship.  That's it.  No gifts.  Not too much decorating. Not much to stress over. Just a time to reflect and be thankful.

There are many who criticize Thanksgiving. Some say the whole "Thanksgiving story" of a feast celebrated by European settlers together with the Native Americans they nearly obliterated is a myth; a fantasy to appease our guilty WASP conscience. The nay-sayers dismiss it as an outdated custom from a time that should not be celebrated for the brutality that came with colonization. Others bemoan the gluttony; too much food prepared and served to an overweight society. There are those who fret over the hormone-injected, caged turkeys raised on industrial farms and cruelly slaughtered. OK, I get it, there is always something to find fault with. To each his own.

For me, Thanksgiving is a beloved tradition of humble gratitude and grateful celebration. It's heartfelt and more true than anything else I celebrate all year long.  It's a time to say "thank you" even when life sucks; a time to put my pain and struggle in perspective, and acknowledge that whatever else we may suffer, my family is not hungry or homeless (anymore). We are are not living in a war zone. No matter how much we may have sacrificed since moving abroad, we are not impoverished or even terribly deprived. We have a beautiful home, have made wonderful friends, and we have our health and each other. That's quite a bit to be thankful for!

So once again this year, I made every effort to recreate the family traditions that have marked all the Thanksgivings of my life. The actual Thursday holiday was a normal school/work day here in Germany, so we postponed the feast until the following Saturday. But at the beginning of the week I set the dining table with my antique Gurley candle figures of Pilgrims and Native Americans that were part of a tradition passed on from my Mom who also had a collection of these candles for her holiday table. And I began to test out recipes and plan the menu for the celebration we would share with some of our exchange daughters and close friends.

It was our second holiday in Germany, and I'd learned a few lessons since hosting the feast last year. So this year's "adventures of American cooking in Germany" went off much easier and more relaxed. I knew what ingredients I could easily find, which ones I would need to hunt for, and which I would have to simply do without and substitute. I was able to order a fresh turkey from a wonderful local farm - thank you Buchholz!

I found fresh cranberries in a couple local markets, as well as sweet potatoes and sugar pumpkins. I discovered that the ground pork known locally as "Mett nach Thüringer art" made a fantastic substitute for the spicy sausage I used in my grandmother's stuffing recipe.

To my delight, I even found an adequate replacement for Pillsbury Ready-made pie crusts (Süßer Mürbteig)! Typically I bake at least 4-5 pies with fillings made from scratch, but I despise the tedious process of homemade pastry that never tastes as good as I'd like. So I was very happy to find that the Süßer Mürbteig worked well for the apple pies.

For the pumpkin pies, I got creative and made the "crust" from toasted walnuts, Leibniz cracker crumbs, butter, and brown sugar. The nutty crust, quickly concocted in my food processor and baked for about 15 minutes prior to filling, was a beautiful complement to the earthy flavors of a spiced pumpkin pie!

The food all came together very nicely, with much of it prepared ahead of time, so that on Saturday I had time to relax before our friends arrived for dinner. In my quiet time, I reflected, again, on how far we've come in the last year and how blessed we are.

This is the spirit of Thanksgiving, so unique from other holidays, which I dearly cherish.

                                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Spiced Cranberry Sauce


The homemade cranberry sauce was a first for me and I was very pleased with the flavors and textures. The recipe was simple and I'll share it here for you (measures are estimates)....

500g. fresh cranberries (about 3 cups?)

1 cup of light brown/raw sugar 

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup gelatin sugar (optional)

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 cup water

fresh orange zest

a cinnamon stick

2 anise stars

about 6 cloves

1/2 tsp vanilla or a package of vanilla sugar

Put all ingredients in a pot and cook over medium-low heat for about an hour. Berries will soften and "pop." Stir regularly. Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the whole spices and berry skins. Store the sauce in the fridge until ready to serve. The anise adds a mysterious and exotic hint to the flavor! If you want a whole berry sauce with more fruit pulp, you just need to be able to fish out the cloves, anise and cinnamon before chilling it, or spoon some of the fresh pulp back in after straining and ensuring that there are no spices.

Looking Back on a Year: Birthday Reflections

Yesterday I celebrated my 43rd birthday. The day was fantastic, and I'll get to that in a moment. What is important for me now is that it marked an occasion to review and evaluate the last year. This past year has been, hands down, the most difficult year of my life. It was filled with tears, heartbreak, frustrations and desperate moments. But I made it through, and recently have found more frequent days of hope and happiness. So on this particular birthday, I had a lot to celebrate. Here's a little recap of the incredible 12-month journey.

Flashback Beginning August 2011

On August 1, 2011 I signed the papers closing the sale of my beautiful home in Maryland where our family had lived for eleven years. Several days earlier all the contents had been packed onto a 40' container and sent ahead to Germany. My kids had also departed for Europe and were staying with their grandparents on the Baltic Sea. My husband and I remained with friends for a few days to settle affairs and say our goodbyes.

On August 4th we flew to Hamburg, stayed for a night, then drove to North Rhine-Westphalia, where, during a house-hunting trip a few weeks earlier, we had made an offer and begun the contract process to buy a house in Essen. We were expecting to finalize the deal and move in within a week or so.

However, after arriving in Essen, we learned that the person with whom we had negotiated the house purchase did not possess the appropriate inheritance paperwork required for him to legally sell it (The Housing Crisis post). For the next several weeks, we were left in limbo: homeless with our container sitting in port storage amounting massive daily fees as we had no place to unload our household goods.

With the start of school looming and the prospect of finding a home looking impossible, I was sure I had made a monumental mistake by moving my children overseas. I had no way to provide for them, no place for them to live or go to school, not even access to their clothes and other things we shipped. I had failed them and was already desperately homesick. By my birthday at the end of August one year ago, I was severely depressed.

By the grace of God, we found a rental home in September and things started to look up. The house was under renovations, had no lights or kitchen, but we had a permanent address and were reunited with our belongings. The kids started school and by end of October we had completed unpacking, had phone and computer lines, and a kitchen (Kitchens, Closets, and Light Fixtures post).

In November, I was feeling very lonely, had not really made any friends yet, and was still homesick. As the new year arrived, one child was struggling so badly in school that we had to move him to a different school system. All the children were overworked with school, tutors, and social adjustment in a new language and culture (Helping Teens Transition post). I was overwhelmed trying to support them and feeling isolated. Most of the time, I hated being in Germany. The incessantly cold, rainy weather didn't help.

But as Spring approached I connected more and more with some friends I made through the Expat community (Expat Resources post) and a couple parents from the kids' friends. I was able to get out more socially, began exercising regularly (Will Walk 1000 Kilometers post), kept busy with a part-time tutor job, and began blogging for personal therapy :)

Summer came, the kids all passed their classes, my brother and his family visited from the States, and then we ended the year with an amazing dream vacation to the Maldives (more on that another time).

A Year Later: August 21, 2012

Then yesterday was my birthday. Just over one year since we moved. And it was a wonderful day from start to finish. Two nights ago I met up with a German girlfriend early in the evening - just wanting to catch up after not seeing each other most of the summer. Claudia made a wonderful salad that we enjoyed with a couple bottles of wine outside on her beautiful roof-top terrace. We had such a great time and talked so long that it was suddenly midnight, and we ushered in my birthday with a toast to all that I've survived in the last year and hope for a much better next year. I went home very reflective of what a significant year it has been.

When my children awoke me early yesterday, they had set the table outside for breakfast, decorated my place with the red You Are Special Plate, gone to the bakery for fresh Brötchen, and made my coffee. I was regaled with funny home-made cards and thoughtful gifts. Later in the day, I was ready to get moving and set out on what has become my "usual route" for an 8k jog. It was the first time I had been able to do that in at least 5 weeks and it felt good to return to "my woods" and "my river." I was acutely aware of how these places felt like part of me, and that I was feeling at home and even missing Mülheim after my absence. Wow.

For dinner, we grilled burgers and again were able to eat outside because the weather, in a rare streak, has been sunny and warm all week. This might have been the best birthday present :) But my celebration didn't end at dinner. After calls from three different German friends to congratulate me, I headed to a favorite local beer garden and restaurant where six of the wonderful Expat women who have become among my closest comrades in this adopted homeland treated me to an evening of cocktails, conversation and fits of laughter! (Special thanks to Emma, Julie, Rachael, Rebecca, VeDonna, and Verena for a fantastic, fun evening!)

Final Reflections

I suppose its true that time heals all wounds. And sometimes it doesn't even take as long as we might think. A year ago, my heart and soul were deeply wounded. Today, I am well on my way to a full recovery. I feel grounded and even happy. I'm aware of my abundant blessings. And thankful for my life.

Happy birthday to me... and many more :)

Happy Birthday America, With Love from Germany!

Often it's the holidays that are the hardest for an Expat. We miss celebrating traditions with our family and friends from "back home." But these can also be a wonderful opportunity to connect with new friends in an adopted country. So while today is a huge national holiday back in the United States, while merely an ordinary school and work day here in Germany (we're not even out on summer break yet!) I'm making the most of it all week and enjoying sharing a little American history and culture.

With summer holidays starting next weekend, we chose to ignore German taboo and celebrate early. So last Sunday, July 1st, we decked the house out in full patriotic flair with red, white, and blue streamers and flags hanging from all the windows and eaves and lining the drive to clearly announce that Americans live here.

We put up a tent, strung bright balloons everywhere, with lots more flags in the backyard, set out decorated tables and chairs, and invited over 50 friends from our German neighborhood and the local Expat community - meaning Brits and Singaporeans and Scots, as well as other Americans.

I had spent weeks hunting down patriotic paper ware and decorations from Internet stores. I scrounged up classic recipes and calculated metric conversions and figured out ways to improvise on missing ingredients. (They don't sell blue Jello in Germany!).

I also spent way too many hours compiling a "patriotic play list" of music for the party. Of course it included classics like Springsteen's Born in the USA, Mellencamp's ROCK in the USA, and Greenwood's God Bless the USA. But my kids also contributed modern hits like Redneck Woman from Gretchen Wilson, Party in the USA from Miley Cyrus and a Beyonce version of God Bless the USA. 

While grilling cheese burgers and hot dogs, served with BBQ baked beans, various salads, chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownies, and Jello shots, we clarified that this was a celebration of our country's independence from Great Britain and not the end of the American Civil War (some Germans had a heated debate about that!)

We were thrilled that nearly all of our guests, without prompting, dressed in red white and blue - one enthusiastic guest even had the US Flag painted across her face! It was brilliant (despite the Union Jack flag on her shirt)!


We were very lucky the typically miserable weather played nice and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day. Lots of kids came, and it was fun to listen to their exchanges in "Denglish" (or "Germish") as they played - since all of the kids present were fully bilingual in English and German.

Two of the American women who joined us have lived in Germany for at least 10 years, married to German men with kids born here. I had met each of them incidentally through businesses they own locally. While I didn't know either very well, I thought they might enjoy a taste of home and invited them to celebrate with us. I was very excited that they came and had a great time. Both have written this week to tell me how great it was to connect after so many years with other Americans and to eat foods from home (like Rice Krispie treats!). It made me feel good to offer them a bridge to their native culture.

Today it was a bit sad to pack the kids off to school (like it was on Thanksgiving Thursday, as well). But they each wore their patriotic colors and took some American treats to share with school friends. One son prepared all the ingredients for homemade buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and cooked breakfast for his class!

And tonight we have our monthly Native English Speaker Quiz Night, where the Quiz-master has promised an appropriately-themed array of questions. He's sent us some warm-up items and I'm afraid my chances of winning at this one are rather slim, but I know it will still be fun!

Can you answer these?!

• Which president's pet parrot had to be ejected from his funeral for screaming obscenities at mourners?
• Which president, when short of funds, offered White House china as the ante in poker games?
• Eleanor Roosevelt made news in 1939 when she served what dish to visiting King George VI and Queen Elizabeth?
  

Anyway, lesson of the week has nothing to do with American history, but everything to do with attitude. As long as it is a holiday in our heart, then it can be a happy occasion!

Happy Birthday, USA, with lots of love from Germany!!

Photo credits for most shots: Viki Behm, our German exchange daughter (06-07) who drove up from Passau to spend the weekend celebrating with us! Oh the joy of throwing a party and being surrounded with the laughter and love of family & friends!

Tropical Treat: Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My boys love the KitKat Cake I described in another post, but my oldest daughter prefers the fruity sweetness of my tropical pineapple upside down cake. This is also very simple to make and looks pretty. A friend recently suggested you might even make it with pears instead of pineapples, and I agree, that could be quite tasty, too - I'll have to try it soon and let you know.

I make my pineapple upside down cake in a large skillet. I like to soak the fruit in spiced rum. Usually, I make it with crushed pecans, but here in Germany those are harder to find, so I recently substituted chopped hazelnuts and they were great.  I also like to add shredded coconut to the topping, but had to skip that on this latest version.

The recipe below is converted into metric for my European readers*. I am happy to provide the American recipe using good old-fashioned cups and teaspoon measures to anyone who comments that they want it :)

Here's the basic recipe - as always, feel free to improvise!

Ooey-Goey Super Yummy Topping:

150 g. butter
250 g. brown sugar (if you can find the moist, dark brown kind available in the US - that's best!)
a few dashes of cinnamon
dash of clove
dash of nutmeg
200 g. chopped nuts (pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds)

50 g. shredded, sweetened coconut (optional)
Large can of pineapple in juice (you can use sliced or diced - different looks but both taste great)
cocktail cherries (optional)
raisins or dried currents (optional)
Dark Rum (optional, but so good!!)


Drain and save the pineapple juice. Soak the fruit in about 100 ml of rum (spiced rum is my favorite). Take a sip for yourself. Melt the butter in the bottom of a large, round saucepan. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and spices. Layer in the pineapple, then any other fruit and the coconut (if using). Some people like to layer whole rings of pineapple. I often prefer crushed pineapple for maximum flavor. On this occasion I spiraled half rings around the pan. Please, do play with your food - decorate your upside down cake any way you like!

Moist and Delicious Pineapple Rum Cake:

60 ml dark rum (you can use what's left from soaking the fruit, if you didn't drink that already)
60 ml pineapple juice (reserved from the can)
75 ml buttermilk
250 g flour
2 TL  baking powder (10 ml)
1 TL cinnamon (5 ml)
1/4 TL nutmeg (1.2 ml)
1/4 TL salt (1.2 ml)
dash of clove
100 g butter, softened
200 g light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 EL (15 ml) vanilla extract (liquid) or 2 packs vanilla sugar

In a small bowl, combine the rum, pineapple juice, and buttermilk. Whisk flour, baking powder, and spices in another bowl. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour mixture with the sugar mixture in thirds, alternating with the liquids.

Slowly pour the batter over the fruit topping in the skillet. Bake in a 175 C or 350 F preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Place a large serving plate over the skillet and invert the pan. Let the pan rest upside down on the platter for at least 5-10 minutes, so all the warm gooey topping can settle onto the cake. When you remove the skillet, if there is still topping stuck to the pan, then gently remove it with a rubber spatula and either replace on the cake or lick the spatula clean :)

Enjoy!

*BTW:  I found a wonderful cooking measures conversions page online, that can convert from all sorts of American measures of volume to European measures of weight by ingredients like butter, flour, sugar, and oats. I have this bookmarked and reference it all the time!

A Few More Things to Know About Germans

Building on the incredibly accurate and witty list What I Know About Germans compiled by Liv of A Big Life and recently published by Überlin, here are some more things you should know about Germans… A to Z. (I tried not to duplicate, so be sure to check out the original list!)

A. They have an apprenticeship program for everything. Don’t think they got that super-efficient supermarket checkout system mastered by hiring high school students for part-time jobs, no those are highly trained “Auszubildene” supermarket checkout professionals. Pretty much every service and retail job is a trained profession requiring a 3-year apprenticeship.

B. They keep beautiful, perfectly manicured lawns (gardens) despite the fact that anytime one is off work and thus has free time to mow and weed the lawn, it is a crime to do so because…

C. Sundays are holy days of obligatory lounging and recreation and…

D. Saturday early mornings, mid-afternoons, and late evenings are equally off-limits for any work, particularly which might cause a sound or smell that could potentially disturb a sensitive neighbor.

E. Speaking of neighbors, Germans strongly endorse the phrase "fences make good neighbors" and have very strict laws on the placement and maintenance of fences, which surround every perfectly manicured lawn/garden in Germany.

F. Windows should be open almost all the time. Upon entering a classroom or office, or as soon as one awakes at home, if windows are not already opened, Germans must thrust them open and declare the need for "Luftung." Even if it's below freezing and, as usual, raining.


G. During required Sunday quiet-time recreation, everyone must go for a walk. No matter the rain, Sunday afternoon is time for a "Spaziergang." Bike rides are an acceptable alternative, but....

H. Germans never bike on a a designated walking path. Doing so will get you a fine, which can actually count against your driver's license if you have one. Bikes may be ridden on bike paths or the street, and....

I. ...only if said bike is properly equipped with working lights and a bell. There will be an inspection, a test, and all other matter of formal paperwork processing to ensure that every bike in Germany meets all safety standards.

J. Given that it rains 80% of the year, they are amazingly adept at scheduling lawn maintenance and other chores around both inclement weather and obligatory quiet times. This goes back to their perfect planning and preparedness skills.

K. Like banks, pharmacies and doctors' offices are closed mid-days for lunch, Wednesday afternoons, and, of course, on weekends. So make sure you only get sick or allow your children to develop a fever during standard work-hours.

L. And if you or your child does get a cold or sprain an ankle, expect to be excused for at least a week from work or school. Illness or injury of any degree is taken quite seriously and requires one be “Krankgeschrieben” from work and/or school for an appropriate period of recovery. (Probably because it took a week to find an available doctor or pharmacy).

M. Germans love sun-soaked vacations (of course, the weather in Germany is dismal!). They flock to amazing beach resorts every year in a mass exodus during the Autumn and Spring breaks, at which times there's a greater population of German tourists in Mallorca, Ibiza, the Maldives, Grand Cayman, Antalya, Crete, Hurghada, etc, than any other nationality or the native inhabitants.

N. Like their lawns, their cars are also cleaned and polished to sparkling, despite the constant rain and required work-free timezones. It’s a federal crime to drive a dirty car. (I’m pretty sure)

O. OK, really, everything is always clean and polished. The garden, the car, the house, the boots. Germans have a penchant for cleanliness – I believe they place it not next to, but above godliness.

P. Germans are pretty trusting. I suspect they believe everyone plays by the same rules of fairness to which they subscribe. It's not uncommon to order products, books, etc. and have them delivered to you before payment, with a bill sent separately. They never seem to worry that one might fail to pay the invoice.

Q. Cash is king in Germany. They may not worry about you paying the bill, but they do worry you might overextend yourself on credit. Very few places accept credit cards. Cash and debit cards MAYBE, but even these are not accepted at a great many places. Be prepared to pay even for the delivery of your new washing machine and refrigerator in cash -even if that's up to a 1,000 Euros.

R. Oh that refrigerator. It does not come with the house. Nor does the kitchen sink, cabinets, or counters. Kitchens being a matter of personal preference, expect to find nothing more than an empty room with a pipe sticking out of the wall for water hook-up in your new apartment or house. Kitchen sold separately.

S. Light fixtures, too. Germans take everything not made of brick and mortar out of the house when they move. So bring your own ceiling lamps or the switch on the wall is worthless.

T. German employers request a lot of personal information. As well as your actual birth date, you must include a photo and your marital status on your resume. Do NOT smile in your resume picture. Smiling makes you very suspect.

U. German elementary schools are only a half day. Before fifth grade, it's rare for kids to be in school past 13:00 and more common for them to be home before noon. The recent introduction of "Ganztagsschule" or all-day school, basically provides after-school homework help but not full day instruction. But that's OK, because the super efficient German teachers can easily convey everything the super smart German children need to know in half the time other countries need to educate their young-uns.

V. Germans are dedicated to their sports teams. In fact, public viewing of National Soccer tournaments is one of the only occasions when all noise, smell, and light-restricting ordinances are lifted, and revelers may party in public as long and loudly as they wish to support the home team.

Germany Fans cheer the U19 Women's LAX World Championship

W. Germans are meticulous about recycling (dedicated to the preservation of the environment). There's an appropriate bin for every type of waste. Plastics and tin in one. Biodegradable food or yard waste in another. Glass, paper, etc. the "trash" bin is the smallest by far and to be used only for items that can't possibly be sorted into one of the other five waste baskets you have in the kitchen pantry. Expect to be fined if the trash collectors find the wrong refuse in the wrong bin.

X. Until you are a friend you are a “Bekannte” maybe even a “Gute Bekannte” but that translates to (close) acquaintance and should not be confused with a friend.

Y. They chose their friends very carefully. Do not presume to be friends with someone you’ve only met a few times, no matter how friendly the interactions were (This only makes you a Bekannte). It takes time to build a true friendship, but then you’ve got it for life.....

Z. Because of their dedication, trustworthiness, reliability, preparedness, value for recreation, regard for fairness, etc... (see points A through Y): Germans make awesome friends!

Dedicated to my amazing German friends :)

Multicultural Celebrations: The Brits are Fun!

Joining an expat community here in Germany has led to lots of interesting new experiences. Many of my "local" friends are actually British - not what I expected when I moved to Germany, but it's been a whole cultural experience of itself. The Brits are much more fun than this American ever gave them credit for.

I'm learning a whole new English language (who knew "crackers" were little packages that snapped and not something you eat with wine and cheese? And don't even get me started on the misunderstanding about what a "Pantomime" is!). These are some of the things I've learned during the group's monthly Native English Speaker Quiz night. I'm apparently not as native a speaker as I thought, since I can hardly understand half the things my British friends say. Forget the Aussies, South Africans, Scots, Singaporeans, and others who share some form of The Queen's tongue...

Thanks to the Brits, I've also had the chance to try new culinary treats (marmite, anyone?) and this weekend, I indulged for the first time in a cocktail I'd never heard of, that apparently is a big hit with folks on that little island across the North Sea: Pimm's Cup. I wish I could tell you exactly what Pimm's is, but as the bottle says, only six people know the secret recipe! Evidently, it's a gin-based, herb-spiked, 50-proof alcohol that is typically blended with Ginger Ale, cucumber, strawberries and mint to make a long drink. Mysterious, but very tasty.

I've had two recent opportunities to try this new concoction. The first was a slightly bawdy Eurovision party hosted by my friend, Emma. As with the cocktail, I'd never heard of the song contest when I was living in the the land of Stars & Stripes. (OK, I didn't have a TV and wasn't even familiar with American Idol, so all's fair). The guests at the Eurovision fete were all asked to represent a participating country and come in costume (or at least national colors) and bring an international dish to share. Representing Azerbaijan, I had a tough time coming up with a recipe I could prepare from local ingredients, but I did manage to create something that had a hint of Mediterranean flavor. In another post, I'll share my Caspian Chicken Kabobs and Baklava. The party was lots of fun, with most of us gathered around the TV, sampling from the amazing  smörgåsbord (wish I had photos, but major fail on this one) and cheering our favorite contestants. I do think Germany was totally cheated. Roman Lob is pretty hot. And he can sing. Just saying :) Still, the party was great fun, and I'm grateful to the UK gal pal who hosted and all those who brought yummy munchies and taught me about the Russian Grannies.

My next Pimm's party was a royal celebration of yesterday's Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth. The lovely Verena held an all British Bash at her place, which she had decked out to the 9's in red-white-and-blue swag. Seriously, the entire house was draped in bunting and balloons! It was suppose to be a garden party, but the Queen couldn't just let it rain on her parade - she sent the storms through North-Rhine Westphalia to demonstrate the extent of her reign ;) Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time, providing our own sunshine and lots and lots of CAKE. I've never seen so much cake outside of a bakery. There were cupcakes, and carrot cake, and apple cake, and lemon cake, and strawberry cake, and my white chocolate cheesecake (I'll post that one day, too) and a few others I'm not even sure of. Thank God I'm not diabetic!

And thankfully, there were some nom nom savory items as well to counter the sugar coma. We enjoyed traditional English sausage rolls, dainty cucumber and other tea-type sandwiches, and deviled eggs with lox & caviar.
As with the Eurovision event, we gathered at times around the telly to pity the poor drenched and cold but fine-looking Royal Navy boys and admire the incredible grace of The Queen. Despite the miserable conditions of the day, the Brits home and abroad sure know how to celebrate.

Really, I think the best thing about living in Germany might just be my very fun British friends! Who knew?

Destination: Bruges, Belgium

Bruges: Venice of the North

For Ascension (Christi Himmelfahrt) we had a four-day holiday weekend and took advantage of the extra time to explore the region. On this occasion, we headed for Bruges, Belgium. This UNESCO World-Heritage Site has been on my wish list of places to visit since we moved to Germany. But I must confess, I had no idea prior to booking our trip, that the day we planned to arrive is largely regarded as the most beautiful day of the year to visit the medieval city! It was incredible good fortune that we were there for Ascension Thursday, the day the city holds its 700-year old annual Procession of the Holy Blood, a tradition also protected by UNESCO and said to have begun in 1291.

Each year, as many as 2,000 people and hundreds of animals (including camels and herds of sheep), participate in this parade, during which scenes from the Old and New Testament are acted out. In the second part of the procession, the precious relic of the Blood of Jesus (brought to Bruges by Derrick of Alsace, Count of Flanders after the second crusade in 1150) is reverently carried through the streets by prelates in a golden shrine and worshiped through the procession by members of the noble brotherhood of the Holy Blood.  Having grown up in a Catholic school, and being familiar with all of the Bible stories depicted during the procession, I was especially in awe of this spectacular event. But I think even most non-Christians would admit it is an amazing production.

Belfort: 13th Century Carillon

The procession begins around 2:30 in the afternoon and winds its way through the city streets for several hours, with music, dancing, elaborate costumes and floats, and magnificent religious artifacts. We stood watching from one place for over two hours and witnessed most, but not all of the procession pass by uninterrupted during this time. I have never seen such a spectacular display and am anxious to return another year, better prepared to rent front row seats in one of the city squares, in order to have an optimal view of the entire parade and all the performances throughout it. This year, my vantage point did not allow me to capture very good photos, but there are plenty to be found online elsewhere.

A 575 year old home

Other Attractions
Bruges, known also as a "Venice of the North" for its 14km of canals, is certainly worth visiting any other day of the year, as well. In fact, the day after the parade, with the crowds thinned out a bit, we were able to view more of the historic architecture, tour the magnificent churches, enjoy a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride around the city, and sample some of the famous Belgium waffles and chocolates. Yumm!!! I also tasted traditional Flemish beef stew and a baked dish made of endives wrapped in ham and cheese (both of which I loved!).

It was amazing to see the houses originally built for poor tradesmen, now beautifully preserved as homes for the wealthy - willing (so I was told my our carriage driver) to pay as much as 200,000 Euros for a 25 square meter home! I would have loved a peek inside. I can't imagine what life must have been like in these homes over 500 years ago!

Michelangelo's Madonna and Child

In the Church of Our Lady, you will find one of the few works of  Michelangelo outside of Italy: a beautiful sculpture of Madonna and Child: Madonna of Bruges. And the Basilica of the Holy Blood is a magnificent Gothic-style church with a Romanesque chapel beneath it.

There is also a medieval hospital museum, art museums, a diamond museum and a brewery tour that we did not get to on this visit and which I understand are great attractions. Good enough reason for me to plan another visit soon! Oh, and I must pick up more of the delicious chocolates I brought back from Stephan Dumon!

Hotel Haeneveld

I understand now why finding a room in the city this week was so difficult, but as it turned out, we were very lucky to land upon the quaint little Haeneveld Hotel and Restaurant located in Jabbeke, 10 km outside Bruges. Here we booked the last three available rooms for our family of eight (the grandparents were traveling with my husband and me, and our four kids). I had to write to the proprietor ahead of our visit to ensure that we could have two extra beds put into one of the three double rooms we reserved. (For my American readers, most European hotel rooms only accommodate two people and rarely have space for extra beds). The proprietor wrote back promptly, happy to accommodate the request. We corresponded by writing in English and when we arrived, she also spoke perfect German - as did everyone we encountered in Belgium (Dutch is the official language of Flanders, but everyone seemed fluent in English and German and almost all restaurant menus were in at least 4 languages).

When we arrived at Haeneveld, the lobby and restaurant were beautifully lit with many candles. Dishes of chocolates awaited us on the counter and in our rooms (and gummy bears, too :) ). The hotel offers eight guest rooms above the restaurant/banquet facilities of this renovated farm. A generous breakfast buffet is included. All our rooms had amenities more typical of a larger chain hotel than a country bed and breakfast: stocked mini-fridges, complimentary water, bath robes, hair dryers, and little touches like nail files and sewing kits. There was even a shoe polish machine in the lobby area and a table of books and magazines to borrow! The furniture was dated, but the rooms were very clean and the service was above and beyond!

When we went down for breakfast, we found the owner had brought in and set one of the larger round banquet tables to seat all of our family together. She offered us each tea or coffee, and continued to refill our cups throughout our leisurely meal. She also brought warm milk and hot coco for the kids. She asked us about our visit, where we wanted to go for the day, and offered suggestions for attractions and parking. When we expressed interest in also visiting the beach after dinner, she suggested the best spot for viewing the sunset. And indeed, we tacked on a lovely visit to De Haan - a lovely location on the North Sea about 10 km from the hotel. Even if rooms were available directly in Bruge, I would chose to stay here again. The location between the historic city and the beach is convenient and we felt perfectly at home!

My entire impression of the trip to Belgium is very positive. Everywhere we went in and around Bruges, the people were very friendly and helpful, despite being overwhelmed with tourists. At no point did any service personnel appear irritated or impatient with us - on the contrary, they seemed to enjoy showing off their city and were happy to have us as their guests. This might seem like an obvious attitude for a city that thrives from tourism, but in my experience, there are plenty of places that seem to resent their tourist-based economy rather than embrace it.

Bruges, thank you for your wonderful hospitality - I look forward to visiting again soon!

Birthday Brunch with Girlfriends: Menu

This week I had another wonderful opportunity to break out the Red You Are Special Plate. One of my gal pals in the local expat community had a birthday on Monday. She's had a really rough go of it lately and had been feeling very down. Apparently, she's not celebrated her birthday for years and didn't have any particular plans for it this year, either. When one of our mutual friends started to organize a breakfast gathering for her (see KettwigeFrau), I jumped on the chance for my own "kitchen therapy" and asked everyone to meet at my place for a birthday brunch. Helping my friend feel special, loved, and very worth celebrating gave me a sense of purpose. Isn't that always true about giving? We get so much joy out of it ourselves. Anyway, I think the party was a success for us all: my friend was very touched as we all ate, drank, talked, and laughed for hours.


While I do love the traditional German Brötchen breakfasts we cherish here on the weekends (see Weekend Reprieve), for this special occasion with fellow expats, I wanted to break out some old favorite recipes I would make for holiday mornings back in the States.

Thus, our Menu featured:

• Smoked Salmon Pizza
• Baked Apple-Stuffed French Toast
• Ham & Mushroom Egg Casserole
• Chocolate Torte with Fresh Strawberries
• Chocolate Mouse with Slivered Almonds
• Brötchen & Coissants with a variety of jams, cheeses, honey and Nutella
• Fresh Fruit Platter
• Coffee, Tea, and Mimosas (Bubbly with Orange Juice)

I've been asked to share the Salmon recipe, so here it is as best as I can try to capture it. My problem is I cook by "feel" based on my mood and available ingredients as much as what is designated in the "recipe," which is only ever a guideline in my mind, anyway. So play with it and make it your own!

Smoked Salmon Pizza
Crust: Prepare a pizza crust ahead of time. You can make one from scratch, or use a box mix or prepared refrigerator-dough. Back in the States, I could keep it really simply with Boboli prepared crusts. Whatever crust you use, brush it with olive oil, season it with a little Italian seasoning (I used Krauter Salz this week and fresh Rosemary from my Garden), and some pressed garlic if you like, and bake it according to directions. You may do this the day before, as the crust needs to cool anyway and you will serve it cold.

Smoked Salmon Pizza

Cheese: I try to start with a package of about 6oz or 150gr  Philadelphia-brand flavored cream cheese. In the US it was Chive & Onion, here in Germany it is called "Kräuter."  I add about a teaspoon of prepared horseradish, a half teaspoon of Worstershire sauce and a few drops of lemon juice and stir it well. This, too, can be done a day ahead.

Salmon and Toppings: I buy a nice package of thinly sliced smoked Salmon. I've tried many varieties and have never been disappointed, so get what you like. You'll want about 8oz for a 12" pizza. I know these are American measures, but you'll figure it out - everything is approximate, anyway :)

For added color and flavor, I usually toss on some finely-sliced rings of sweet yellow or red onion and a smattering of capers. In most cases, if I have the time, I prefer to caramelize the onions, as I did this week. And if tomatoes are in season and looking good, a few slices of Roma are wonderful, as well - I omitted those this time.  When I have fresh dill, I like to throw that on, as well. Be creative :)

Assemble the pizza shortly before serving. Just pull out the prepared crust, spread the cheese mixture on it, and then layer the smoked salmon and other toppings. Keep this cold until you serve it.

Enjoy!!