As most of you know I am not the most "domestic" person out there. But I am improving slowly as the weeks go on. My latest attempt at this was to bake some chocolate chip cookies and some peppermint bark for christmas. Both are relatively easy recipes that I have made before. The decision to make these treats came about for a few reasons. The first of those reasons is that I really missed a good chocolate cookie. The second reason is that we are trying to rid our apartment of the smell of deep fried curry. It has slowly become worse as the cooking goes on. The third reason is pretty simple, I am bored. So I looked up the recipe on the internet and made my shopping list. After going to our local grocery store I found sugar, 'brown' sugar (not the moist kind we have, it is literally brown sugar), flour and eggs. My main problem was going to be chocolate chips, baking soda and vanilla extract. For the peppermint bark it was the chocolate and candy canes. Pretty much the whole recipe. So I start the hunt for the rest of the ingredients. I was informed that for baking soda look in the cleaning aisle (but no luck) the chocolate I found in cooking chocolate bars (so the cookies are now chocolate chunk). I finally decided to go to the gourmet food section at one of the local department stores (they are the closest thing to a Hiller's I have found). There I managed to find Arm & Hammer baking soda (for the bargain basement price of $5 a box) and vanilla extract (I had to debate between real extract for $6 or vials of imitation for .89 cents...guess which i chose!). My big find there were real candy canes! They were in a special section and you had to pay for them seperately but I got them!!!
So I was ready to start my cooking.... or so I thought. I forgot butter. So I ran to the grocery store to find sticks of butter, but had to settle for a brick of butter. yum. So my measurements were made in a used and cleaned out yogurt cup (!) and a very small spoon that I think is close to a table spoon!
So I am starting to get very very good at improving and feel I could make a meal from twigs and berries...or something close to that!
So those are just some of my adventures in cooking here.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
$6.00 Maple Syrup and our Neighbors
We went shopping at the German version of a very low budget Walmart today. We like going there because they have a larger selection of food than our local grocery store and as well they have the home stuff as well. The big excitement tonight was a blender and hand mixer! We were in the international section looking at the american food and I thought it would be nice to make pancakes for Sunday breakfast...until I looked at the syrup and realized it was $6! Then I noticed the Pam spray was $5! So we decided that pancakes weren't necessary!
I also realized that I do not think I have given a good description of our neighbors. We live in a building with 5 other apartments and one doctor's office. We never seem to see anyone going in or out of the dr. office but their packages and mail seem to be picked up so we are going to assume for now that they are really a functioning office! Our neighbors below us seem to be pretty quiet, we believe they are a married couple with one child. In Germany instead of apartment numbers you put your name outside of your door and that is how the mailperson delivers mail. So their plaque has 3 names on it and that is as much as we know about them. Our neighbors that share our entryway (our apt. was once 1 large apt. now separated into 2) is an Indian couple who will be here for another 4 months..... so a little bit about this couple. When we first moved in it was just the man living there. It was a nice peaceful quiet existance. Then his wife came. Now it is another story. Like me, she is not able to work while she is here so she is generally home, cooking. Very aromatic cooking. That tends to drift into our apartment. Matt has often commented that he almost jokes when he comes home from work. I am sure the neighbor man is very happy with his home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner. We aren't feeling the same. She also seems to blow a fuse every other day. Now, normally I wouldn't know about this but given that their fusebox is in our apartment I am constantly informed when a fuse goes out. She is nice enough but between the cooking and the constant knocking I am starting to feel differently!
We are very lucky and happy to have hardwood floors throughout and very tall ceilings. Our neighbors above us are also very happy to have hardwood floor throughout. As well the woman is a piano player/piano teacher/voice teacher/flute teacher/amature singer. She loves to share her talents with others throughout the day. The piano part is actually enjoyable when she is playing but when the 13 year old beginner comes over it is quite another story. The wood floors and tall ceilings are excellent acoustics and carry sound very very well.
So, our neighbors are all very friendly and seem to be very nice. But, I don't think the "shared wall" theory is well known to them!
We are still enjoying relatively warm weather here. We have had a week or so of very cold weather but lately it has been in the high 40's! It looks like we might get down in the 30's next week, but the city of Frankfurt always seems to be a little warmer than everywhere else!
I also realized that I do not think I have given a good description of our neighbors. We live in a building with 5 other apartments and one doctor's office. We never seem to see anyone going in or out of the dr. office but their packages and mail seem to be picked up so we are going to assume for now that they are really a functioning office! Our neighbors below us seem to be pretty quiet, we believe they are a married couple with one child. In Germany instead of apartment numbers you put your name outside of your door and that is how the mailperson delivers mail. So their plaque has 3 names on it and that is as much as we know about them. Our neighbors that share our entryway (our apt. was once 1 large apt. now separated into 2) is an Indian couple who will be here for another 4 months..... so a little bit about this couple. When we first moved in it was just the man living there. It was a nice peaceful quiet existance. Then his wife came. Now it is another story. Like me, she is not able to work while she is here so she is generally home, cooking. Very aromatic cooking. That tends to drift into our apartment. Matt has often commented that he almost jokes when he comes home from work. I am sure the neighbor man is very happy with his home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner. We aren't feeling the same. She also seems to blow a fuse every other day. Now, normally I wouldn't know about this but given that their fusebox is in our apartment I am constantly informed when a fuse goes out. She is nice enough but between the cooking and the constant knocking I am starting to feel differently!
We are very lucky and happy to have hardwood floors throughout and very tall ceilings. Our neighbors above us are also very happy to have hardwood floor throughout. As well the woman is a piano player/piano teacher/voice teacher/flute teacher/amature singer. She loves to share her talents with others throughout the day. The piano part is actually enjoyable when she is playing but when the 13 year old beginner comes over it is quite another story. The wood floors and tall ceilings are excellent acoustics and carry sound very very well.
So, our neighbors are all very friendly and seem to be very nice. But, I don't think the "shared wall" theory is well known to them!
We are still enjoying relatively warm weather here. We have had a week or so of very cold weather but lately it has been in the high 40's! It looks like we might get down in the 30's next week, but the city of Frankfurt always seems to be a little warmer than everywhere else!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Mosquitos, Christmas Markets and Roman Baths
Normally when December arrives, I look forward to a little snow, not a lot, but just enough to get in the holiday spirit! Today when I woke up it was raining....again. I was told that the weather here is closer to that of Seattle and I am beginning to believe it more and more! One of the last things I think about in December are mosquitos. But of course we have them! Our wall heaters actually get the rooms quite warm, but because we can't regulate it very well we still open windows to cool it off a little bit, but we are realizing that is letting in the little buggers! I am not sure when they are done for the year, but I can't wait!
The Christmas Markets have started throughout Germany and we have a huge one here in Frankfurt! It is fun to walk around and see all the food, drinks and doodads that you can buy! Whole bars are set up to serve the gluhwein I talked about before and there are probably 20 in a 2 mile area! I finally tried some yesterday with some friends in the area. It is definitely interesting. Think sweet red wine mulled with spices and served very very hot. Some serve it with rum in it but I was lucky enough not to get that version! During the day there are hundreds of people at night there are 10 times as many people! You are lucky to get through the stalls and make it up to one of the bars! They do close around 9 so you have to get there early!!
The Roemer is the old city center. There are very old 'bavarian' looking buildings that were all destroyed during the war but rebuilt exactly as they were before. This is the big open square in the pictures I have attached. It also houses the town hall and Paulskirche (St. Paul's Church). This was orginally a Protestant church but it's main historical significance is that it housed the first democratically elected parliament. It was destroyed during the war but was one of the first buildings to be rebuilt in the area because of its significance. The inside is really beautiful and when you look around you see all the brickwork. Or so you think. When you look closer, you can see that all of the brick lines are actually painted on! I guess that allowed them to rebuild it faster and cheaper! Outside of Paulskirche there is the Archaeological Garden. They are the ruins of ancient Roman baths and old buildings. It is interesting because they are in the middle of the city and they have even managed to build a restaurant below ground looking out on them! The other odd thing is that when you look it up online, they say you have to pay to go down to see it. But as you will see you can just take pictures for free!!!
The Town Christmas Tree with the Town Hall in the background
Another shot of the Christmas Tree
A carousel in the Roemer
Some of the stalls at the Christmas market
A Lego santa in one of the department store windows
The Christmas market at night. That is all people up ahead!
Archaeological Garden
The bottom right corner has a restaurant
The garden with Paulskirche under construction on the left
A santa on stilts! To tell him what you want you have to climb the ladder! Seems a little dangerous....
The Christmas Markets have started throughout Germany and we have a huge one here in Frankfurt! It is fun to walk around and see all the food, drinks and doodads that you can buy! Whole bars are set up to serve the gluhwein I talked about before and there are probably 20 in a 2 mile area! I finally tried some yesterday with some friends in the area. It is definitely interesting. Think sweet red wine mulled with spices and served very very hot. Some serve it with rum in it but I was lucky enough not to get that version! During the day there are hundreds of people at night there are 10 times as many people! You are lucky to get through the stalls and make it up to one of the bars! They do close around 9 so you have to get there early!!
The Roemer is the old city center. There are very old 'bavarian' looking buildings that were all destroyed during the war but rebuilt exactly as they were before. This is the big open square in the pictures I have attached. It also houses the town hall and Paulskirche (St. Paul's Church). This was orginally a Protestant church but it's main historical significance is that it housed the first democratically elected parliament. It was destroyed during the war but was one of the first buildings to be rebuilt in the area because of its significance. The inside is really beautiful and when you look around you see all the brickwork. Or so you think. When you look closer, you can see that all of the brick lines are actually painted on! I guess that allowed them to rebuild it faster and cheaper! Outside of Paulskirche there is the Archaeological Garden. They are the ruins of ancient Roman baths and old buildings. It is interesting because they are in the middle of the city and they have even managed to build a restaurant below ground looking out on them! The other odd thing is that when you look it up online, they say you have to pay to go down to see it. But as you will see you can just take pictures for free!!!
The Town Christmas Tree with the Town Hall in the background
Another shot of the Christmas Tree
A carousel in the Roemer
Some of the stalls at the Christmas market
A Lego santa in one of the department store windows
The Christmas market at night. That is all people up ahead!
Archaeological Garden
The bottom right corner has a restaurant
The garden with Paulskirche under construction on the left
A santa on stilts! To tell him what you want you have to climb the ladder! Seems a little dangerous....
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