Missing American Culture

While we love the food culture, the travel opportunities, the food, the art museums, and well, the food in Europe, March reminds us (ie. Dave) of our all-time favorite American sport.  In northern Virginia, we would probably be spending Saturdays at a little league field.  Dave fondly remembers the fresh white lines, the real bleachers, and the hot dog stands.  He returned from his January trip home quipped with metal (yes metal) baseball bats, balls, and gloves for each of us.  Lacking other options, he suggested we practice ourselves.

Soccer remains the most popular sport here.  We did not sign the kids up for the German soccer leagues since our language capabilities are non existent.  When my college roommate recounted her son's sports schedule for the spring and summer, the thought crossed my mind "What if my kids get behind in sports."

Luckily, after a month of research, Dave found camps for the kids - including golf camp on Saturdays!

Happy Belated Birthday!

Once again, time slipped by without a post.  Work disrupted my priorities.  However, I could not allow Dave's birthday to pass unnoticed on the blog.   So back tracking a few weeks....

I picked-up my sous chef early from school so he could help me ice the cake.  Owen sifted the sugar and helped me beat the butter.  Although it tastes delicious, I do find buttercream icing hard to eat now that I know it is basically butter and sugar.  This fact does not stop the kids.

We decorated the table for the guest of honor.

The kids ate dinner while Dave and I enjoyed appitizers and wine.

I asked the kids what they liked best about Dave.  Emily said, "He cleans really well."

Finally Some Sun

Saturday morning I woke up squinting.  Emily pulled the curtains in our room, "Look, the sun!"  We quickly got dressed, grabbed our sunglasses, and headed out.  Emily geared up and Owen insisted on bringing his cars.

Unfortunately, sun did not equal heat.  After twenty minutes at the framer's market, "I am cold.  When are we going home" got stuck on repeat.  Even waffles couldn't fix it.

Emily distracted herself a little, especially when Dave and I clearly were not rushing home.

Sunday, our friend Susan came over to plan our spring trips.  I practiced my cooking skills, the kids watched a movie, and Dave golfed  -  outside.

And... Emily lost another tooth.

Quick aside:  Monday morning, Emily knocks on my bathroom door, "Daddy says you know where the tooth fairy "hid" her present. (um...)  I buy a minute claiming to get dressed, find the note I composed and four euro and enter the kids room as Dave says he found the tooth fairy's gift under Emily's camera.  The tooth fairy left presents in two spots I explain when she notices the note in my hand.  Owen runs into another room - despondent, stands in the corner, and yanks at his mouth determined to pull a tooth.

Puffed Up

The French invented souffles - literally meaning puffed up -  in the late 18th century.  The basic technique promised to be a "new method of giving good and extremely cheap fashionable suppers at soirees," according to Louis Ude's The French Cook in 1813.  Because they collapse easily and must be served immediately after cooking, souffles intimidate many home cooks.  Karen trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and we already covered most basics, so I chose this puffed up cake for my next class.

Souffles are made form two basic components a French crème pâtissière base/flavored cream sauce or purée  and egg whites beaten to a soft peak meringue.  They can be savoury with cheese and different veggies or sweet with chocolate or fruit purees.

We started with a roux and then tempered and added the eggs.
 

Once we finished the custards,  we beat the whites.



We combined the two mixtures - cheese custard and egg whites for the savory and chocolate custard and egg whites for the sweet.

And enjoyed.

The Monster Mash

Burg Frankenstein sits atop a hill in Darnstadt - a town 30 minutes from here.  Our friends, Susan and Adam, invited us to see the castle and to fulfill my longing for Rosa Mexicana at a place nearby.  (Quick sidebar:  Dave met Susan dropping off Owen at school; their daughter is in Owen's class.  A few conversations later, they realized Susan's best friend played on the women's basketball team at Mary Washington and shared many bus rides with him.  Susan walked down The Lawn with me at The University in May 1999 though we never met.  Both attended similar high schools.  Small world.)

Lord Conrad II erected the castle before 1250.  Through the centuries, the owners changed, the castle split, the castle's function changed, and now only ruins remain.  Urban legend links the castle to Shelley's Gothic novel through the alchamist Johann Conrad Dippel.  He was born there in 1673 and Shelly visited the Rhine region in 1814 just before composing the famous book. (Yes, two completely unrelated facts.)   Frankenstein, which Shelley wrote when she was 19,  resulted from a competition Mary Shelley and three friends had to see who could write the best horror story.

Of course, our visit included snow.

In 1976 the American soldiers brought Halloween to the castle and founded an annual festival which is now one of the biggest in Europe.

After searching for Frankenstein, we headed to margaritas and fajitas.  Germany does not boast a Mexican influence so there are few restaurants in the area.  I even miss Chipotle (not authentic, but still delicious).   Adam assured us this place would meet our standards - and it did.