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 :)

Cutting for Stone: Book Review

I recently completed the novel Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.

Set primarily in Ethiopia, the book is narrated by central character Dr. Marion Praise Stone. Born conjoined with his identical twin brother in a Mission Hospital, Marion never knew his biological mother, a young Indian nun who died in childbirth. His British-born father, presumably consumed with grief, fled the same day. Thus the boys were adopted at the mission by close friends of their parents who gave them a wonderful childhood and raised both boys to be brilliant doctors.

Complex events involving love, war, and politics ultimately force Marion to flee to the United States after medical school. The story picks up as the reader is drawn into the life of a foreign-born medical intern in a poor inner city New York hospital. Here, Marion has a chance encounter with his biological father, for whom he harbors a great deal of anger. But he is haunted by a promise to his beloved adoptive father. Ultimately, Marion seeks out the senior Dr. Stone and also determines to trace his mother's story from her roots in India to her death in Ethiopia. In the exploring and telling of his parents' story, he is forced to confront his own story, and come to terms with his life and relationships, learning about love and forgiveness.

I admit, it took me a long time to get into this book. I found the prose at times to be too elaborate and I was bored by what seemed to be unnecessarily long descriptions of the scenery and to some extent, of the political situation in post WWII Ethiopia. It was honestly a chore to read and nearly 200 pages in, I almost gave up. But something about the story intrigued me and by time I was a little more than half way into the novel, I was deeply hooked, fascinated, compelled not only to read to the end, but to go back and immediately re-read the first several chapters. Then I wanted to read everything I could about the author and Ethiopia - so moving was the story once it fully unfolded.

Despite the difficult beginning, this book has so many elements of a great story - blending history, politics, culture, and medicine with self-discovery, a love story, mystery and adventure. I really loved the book and would recommend it.

Four out of five stars.

Amazon book link

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?

I Will Walk 1000 Kilometers: Fitness Goal 2012

Confession time. I have gained six kilos in the last year. That's about 13 US pounds. UGH.

The stress of the move contributed largely to emotionally-fueled eating, a bit of over indulgence in medicinal wine, and very poor sleep patterns, which, all combined, have taken a heavy toll on my hips and my overall health.

One of the major side effects of the weight (and stress) has been the advancement of early arthritis, especially in my spine and feet. My extra lumbar vertebra (I have six instead of the usual 5) is inflamed and causing a great deal of pain. I've seen a half dozen doctors and been prescribed massive amounts of anti-inflammatory meds and been advised to go to physical therapy for strengthening my lower back. But obviously, the best solution would be to lose weight.

I know all about good nutrition. I could teach a class on it. Healthy foods have always been staples in my diet... I love fresh vegetables and fruit (baby spinach, avocado, tomato, apples, bananas). I eat lean protein of mostly poultry, fish, and nuts, with rare indulgences in red meat. I try to curb the carbs and eat almost no white bread or pasta, but I confess German Brötchen are too tempting (even though I stick with whole grain varieties). I very rarely consume processed/canned foods and watch my sodium levels.

My biggest weaknesses are WINE, CHEESE, and CHOCOLATE. Given my otherwise healthy diet, I find it grossly unfair that I can't freely enjoy these treats, when I have skinny friends who never think twice about what they eat. So. Unfair.

Nonetheless, a couple months ago I committed to limiting even these and would say I generally have the "diet" part of healthy living under control. So the deficient part of the equation is exercise. It's hard to get motivated to exercise when you're in pain and seriously lacking sleep. But this is what I must do. My body is conditioned for and requires it. I grew up as a dancer, training for many hours a day through my youth. Just a few years ago I was running regularly. I used to be extremely fit, strong, and flexible. Sadly, that is no longer the case.

So in February I downloaded a new iPhone app (runtastic) to help me track my walking pace and distance. Then, in mid-March, I decided I needed to do more than just track my exercise, I needed specific goals. I ran some numbers, employed a little math and logic, and determined that it was entirely realistic to walk 1000 kilometers in a year. This is only 20 km per week, for 50 weeks - it even allows the standard American 2 weeks of vacation :) More precisely, I only need to walk about 5 km 4 times per week, or 4 km 5 times per week. You get it - not terribly much.

Still, I managed to get behind pretty early on. March rained non-stop. April I was traveling for 2 weeks. So come May, a reality check meant I needed to "haul butt" or give up.

I. Do. NOT. Give. Up.

In the last two weeks I logged over 80 km to get myself back on track for my goal. And here I am. Week 15. As of this morning, over 300 km trekked at a steadily increasing pace, so that I now frequently jog more of my route than walk it. I'm on track now for getting to 1000 km!

Still, the scale has not budged since I began this regimen :( I remain well over a healthy weight. Not sure what to do next. I should add weight training, but find that very VERY hard to do on my own. I know I am getting stronger and generally feeling better. The joint pain is kept mostly in check with anti-inflammatory meds and movement. But I sure would like to fit comfortably into my summer frocks and feel confident in a swimsuit. Joining a gym would be fabulous, but out of budget. So, hard as it is, I think I need to set some goals for sit ups, squats, and hand weights. Last ditch efforts will be further limiting my dearly loved wine and cheese.

Anyone want to set some goals with me and join me in my personal fitness challenge?

At least, wish me luck :)
And enjoy some pics of the beautiful Ruhr region that I get to explore as I walk 1000 kilometers this year.
 

I start my route on beautiful wooded trails

Passing babbling brooks and peaceful ponds

And continue along the lovely Ruhr River

Bitten: I've been MeMe'd Now, too

Last week I got an interesting note from a fellow expat blogger, Diana, at Raising Expats. She had tagged me in a meme blog and challenged me to carry it on. Since I'm fairly new to the blogging world, I was unaware of memes passing through the community. If you're also a little late to the game, a meme is "an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture" and here's a meme primer for you.

Diana, an American raising two young children in Germany, replied to a series of questions sent to her, and then penned her own for me and ten other lucky bloggers to oust ourselves with, whilst passing the baton to yet another set of bloggers. It's blogging chain mail. But no one promised me 10 years of luck if I participated, nor threatened me with gross bodily harm if I broke the chain. And since I'm feeling game today, I'll play along.

First, here are THE RULES as shared with me:

1. You MUST post the rules.
2. Answer the questions the tagger sent for you in the post, and then create 11 new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
3. Tag 11 bloggers, however, you can break the rules and tag fewer people if you want. Make sure you hyperlink their names/blogs.
4. Let them know you've tagged them!
5. Have fun!

Now, here are Diana's questions for me, along with my ADMISSIONS and CONFESSIONS :)

1. What is the craziest thing you've ever done that you will admit to online?
I jumped out of an airplane! A few years ago I went parachuting and it was the most amazing, exhilarating experience!

2. Are there any choices you would have made differently knowing what you know now?
I’d like to think not…everything in life is a lesson, good, bad, funny, sad....Learn from the past, but keep your feet and smile forward.

3. What is your earliest childhood memory?
My grandfather entertaining me and my brothers with magic tricks, like pulling a quarter out of my ear. Gramps died when I was 16, during my exchange year. Still miss him.

4. Was there one event in your life that changed everything?
Definitely: Winning the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship to Germany and heading off to a host family and school in a country where I did not speak a single word of the language was a life-changer in every way.

5. Have you ever had your heart broken?
Very much so.

6. Ten years ago, did you think you would be doing what you are doing today?
Not sure any of us can really imagine what we’ll be doing in 10 years, but living in Germany was not off the radar.

7. Follow up on Q6, what did you think you would be doing 10 year ago?
Ten years ago I was living in Maryland, pregnant with my fourth child, and on a brief hiatus from my career. I must have suspected in 10 years I’d still be in the US, have rebuilt my professional life and been a pretty “normal” working mother-of-four juggling kids’ sports and laundry. And that is exactly where I was one year ago, before the sudden relocation to Europe! 


8. Where do you want to be in 10 years from now?
I definitely want to be out working again, with lots of opportunities to travel! All four of my kids will be adults and I’ll have the freedom to spread my wings. Joining the Peace Corps is also not out of the question.

9. Have you been to your High School reunion?
No. I considered going to my 20th reunion, but the timing for the trip to NY didn’t work out.

10. How many countries have you lived in?
Just lived in two: the USA and Germany. Have visited a handful of others.

11. What unknown musician would you recommend?
I wouldn’t call them “unknown” but perhaps lesser-known. I’m a huge fan of the recently disbanded group “Fools and Horses” but their leader is still doing solo music and I strongly recommend you check him out: Matt Hutchison

Next, are my QUESTIONS FOR YOU, now in the hot seat:

1. How would you describe yourself with exactly six words?

2. What’s a great book you can recommend for my next vacation read?

3. What are the top two countries you want to see that you’ve not yet visited?

4. Do you collect anything (what)? If not, is there something you’ve thought about collecting?

5. If you could name a lipstick color, what would it be?

6. What outdoor activity do you most enjoy?

7. Which non-profit organization do you (or would you like to) passionately support?

8. Which household chore do you most loath?

9. What’s the earliest “appropriate” time of day to have a glass of wine?

10. If you could have one of the following personal service providers come to your home free for a year, which would you most want to have?

a)      house-cleaner

b)      a meal planner/cook

c)       a personal trainer/fitness instructor

d)      a masseuse

e)      a nanny

11. What’s the oddest thing anyone ever asked you?

Finally, the awesome BLOGGERS I'm tagging in this game are:
Check out their pages, because they are all amazing, interesting women from across the globe! Reading their blogs is like taking a trip around the world right from your living room (Many of them can be found on the Blogger Map).


1. Land of Bean
2. Emma's Expat Adventures
3. Hip As I Wanna Be
4. Somewhere between facebook and flickr sits fiona
5. KettwigeFrau
6. Blah-Blob-Blog
7. das Blog
8. Latte Love
9. Sabje's Blog
10. Life in Lajes
11. Decoy Betty

So, thanks for playing along. Later this week, back to our regularly scheduled programming :) Have a beautiful day!