Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Jennifer raves about Smittenkitchen.com, a cooking blog run by Deb a New Yorker who loves to make "stepped-up" comfort foods.  I checked the site and cannot stop reading. (Warning: Do not google smitten KITTEN - at least while kids are present).   After a morning of birthday party madness (which I escaped by meeting my friends Bev and Tim at a coffee shop for photography talk), the kids wanted to make cookies.  Cooking with both kids descends quickly into  "it's MY turn to pour"  "I want the wooden spoon"  "Emily touched my head" "Owen called me a name."  Lesson learned.  The only solution: make two different types of cookies.

Emily and I started with a cookies called in which world peace eludes me, a French sable.  We used the fluer de sol and the chocolate I purchased in France the week before.

Emily poured the sugar and monitored the mixer.

These cookies required three hours in the fridge.

Next Owen and I tried  crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies.  I tend towards the toll house recipe, which I make in minutes with my eyes closed.   My family LOVES chocolate chip cookies.  Why not try a new method.

Owen helped with the melted butter and the tablespoon of vanilla (yes, a whole tablespoon).

He mixed the chips by hand.

We decided to only bake the chocolate chip cookies for now and save the other for a different night.

 Delicious!

Mog comes to Visit

Emily's first grade class adopted a furry cat named Mog.  The original Mog, a forgetful cat who constantly gets in trouble, lived in the UK and her loving owner writes books about her adventures.  Emily's teacher owns all the books, but since they must stay in the classroom, Emily checked several out from the library. (Aunt Jenny would be proud.)  Each night, one student brings Mog home.  Our night finally came last Thursday.

Emily wrote about how Mog rode with her to the Fieldhouse in Mog's Journal.

At the end of the night she explained how Enno gets to take Mog on Friday.  He must play and sleep with Mog all weekend. Enno's twin brother Finn, also in Emily's class,  gets Mog on Monday night.  They are SO lucky.  They get to look at Mog for THREE nights.

Most books Emily brings home from school are written by British authors.  I love the slightly different spellings and expressions - "Mum" and "Oh bother"  In some cases,  I must look up words.  Anyone know what a "spanner" is?  

Riding Around Town

Someone stole Owen's spider man bike.  Owen and I went on a date - he rode his bike to the U-bahn, parked it, and off we went.  We returned a few hours later and the bike was gone.  Lesson learned: buy a lock.  Dave and I planned bike purchases - probably for the holidays.  Instead, on a regularly Tuesday we test drove bikes in a HUGE German store with a built-in quarter mile track.  We walked out with helmets, baskets, and bikes.  Merry Christmas. 

I noticed the high quality German bikes when I passed kids riding in nearby Grunerburg Park.  Every bike must be outfitted with lights, a bell and certain brakes.  The heavy frame reminds me of a little motorized scooter.

A week later, I decided I needed a bike too.  While I love riding a bus, versus driving to work, commuting by bike cut my travel time.  I adjusted quickly to the road rules and love my new wheels.

A year ago, we pushed a double stroller to the weekend markets.  Yesterday, we all rode bikes into the stadtmitte - center city - for our weekly waffles.  I watched in awe as Emily and Owen pedalled up a huge hill while navigating around other bikers and pedestrians.

On a side note, the kids spotted Dunkin Donuts and insisted we stop.  We waited in a 25 minute line for chocolate glazed donuts.  Club music streamed from the speakers and people excitedly examined the menu.  "Coconut, sprinkled, frosted,"  I heard the heavily made-up teenage girls exclaim.  I am definitely in the wrong business.

Grocery Shopping in France

I drove to France on Wednesday to grocery shop.  Yes, France.  My cooking companion, Beverly, and I wanted salts, chocolate, spices, cheese, wine and champagne.  These ingredients warranted  two hours in the car.  (I am sipping a glass of Bordeaux as I write.)  Our cooking instructor, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu, insisted items considered speciality in the US sit on the shelves of every "supermarche" in France.   Our manager recommended a small town, Obernai in the Alsace Region bordering Germany.   The town belonged to the Alsace dukes in the 7th century and is now a wine and beer center.

Traffic and rain extended the drive to three hours, so we went straight to a cafe for quiche and cappuccino.

We walked around the little alleyways and stopped at several cafes though all the stores closed for  a two-hour lunch.

Of course, the town centered around a beautiful church.  I loved the door handle.

I wondered how ALL the bakeries surrvive.

The grocery store appeared rundown like an old Safeway.  I felt total excitement walking through the aisles.  Amazing chocolates, local mustard, and fresh breads.  Anti-theft devices on the 3 euro wine bottles.  I think I missed my calling.  The French people eat creamy fresh butter and cheese with well, French wine, regularly.  How will I ever return to Whole Paycheck?

We ended the day like it began, in a cafe enjoying cappuccino and an eclair.  Food glorious food!

Owen's First Week of Kindergarten

Owen started kindergarten this week.    He loves his teacher and proudly tells everyone "I am in kindergarten."

Wurzburg

While the kids went to school, Dave and I visited Wurzburg, a historic German city an hour south of Frankfurt.   Celtics founded the city centuries before Christ, but like many German cities, bombs pummeled Wurzburg during World War II.  In the 600s three Irish missionary monks tried to bring the city Christianity, but lost their heads instead.  Ironically, the city became the seat of the bishop cenuries later.  In around 1200, the bishop allowed the Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa to divorce his wife so he became the "prince-bishop."  We walked around his "tiny" 300-plus-room home.  And we wonder where Church donations go.

Here is the visitors wing.  Only one visitor could come at a time due to space constratints.

One prince bishop decided to add a little garden.

After our tour, we searched for Alt Mainmuhle, a converted mill serving the best sourdough bread (according to Rick Steves).  We sat outside, sipped local red wine, and enjoyed a fantastic view of the second oldest bridge in Germany, Alt Mainbrucke built in 1133.

Bees swarm Germany in August and Septemember.  They agressively chase me away from most outdoor meals.  You can see them buzzing around every bakery and reasturant.  Dave and I fought back and kept one hostage.

We ended the day enjoying desserts from Cafe Michel in the prince-bishop's garden.

Dave: Golf in Ireland

I recently traveled to Ireland for golf.  A friend from VA organized the trip for eight people from the States and one person from Germany (at least for 3 years).  We played four of the top golf courses in the WORLD: Old Head (i.e. Pebble Beach on steroids), Waterville, Ballybunion and Lahinch.   The views and landscape from these venues are amazing, and can help you quickly forget the triple bogey you just made.  The trip not only included golf, but a fun group of degenerates that partook in a large intake of Guiness and other drinks and substances.

Three lessons learned: 

(1) Book a driver who, if paid enough Euros, will turn his head while passangers break the law.  

(2) Do not use an "agent" to book your tee times and hotels.  By doing so, you pay double the rate.  Do the work yourself.

(3) Never play blackjack with a dealer with a dagger tatoo on her body.  

Old Head

Waterville

Ballybunion

Lahinch

Next year's trip: St. Andrews,  Scotland - Home of Golf