Bakin’ with my baby (while my baby STILL bakes)

Well, I was fairly convinced I would go into labor around Christmas-time, with the symptoms I had earlier and the fact that, on my last ultrasound, Hannah was measuring big. Buttttttttt, no. Nope. Hannah is perfectly content in her comfy (to her!) position, feet below my right rib cage, head bobbing around like a bobble toy wayyyy down below, and jabs to my navel like a true champ.
I have my weekly prenatal exam this morning to check on dilation and effacement, and I’m really going to be bummed if he tells me I’m at 0%. If this is me at 0%, god help those who are around me at 8 or 9 cm!
But at least it means a little more one-on-one time with Christian, doing our “thing,” hanging on dearly to our traditions and habits that we know will be a thing of the past in just a few (Days? Hours? Weeks?)
Yesterday was a great “date day.” We puttered around the house in the morning and then had our cuppa joe at Starbucks before heading to the blessedly UN-crowded grocery store (makes me want to celebrate Christmas two days late…sales AND no lines!). After a lunch of leftover lox and bagels, we took a very indulgent nap (a daily MUST for me these days) and then decided to take a walk near the El Paso Country Club and admire (well, gawk at) the amazing homes that overlook the golf course. Oh! And to check out the wild parrots (yep!) that live in the trees by the golf course.
And last night we continued our Culinary Travel Nights…Destination: The former Yugoslavia. Christian chose to make as his main course a delicious stuffed bell pepper, full of ham, peppers, breading, sour cream and tomato. For an appetizer, I chose to make a Yugoslavian white bean puree, served with baguette (and very similar in taste to hummus). For dessert, a cake filled with nuts and currants in a sour cream-vanilla sauce. Christian’s bell pepper was by far the winner of this unofficial cooking contest, but we both were winners in terms of getting to eat some unusual and sinfully tasty food.
•••
Alright… who am I kidding? I’m having a HARD time concentrating on the blog and finding witty, charming and useful things to say! All I can think of is Hannah, Hannah, Hannah. Labor, labor, labor. Hospital, hospital, hospital… So please bear with me if I go off on tangents or seem to doze off mid-sentence!

Christmas, stateside

So we celebrated Christmas in full force on December 24, and enjoyed a rather quiet and mellow Christmas Day U.S.A.-style with my parents and brother over at my mom’s house. It felt rather like “Christmas on Park Avenue” the way my artistic brother decorated the house with THREE trees (one exclusively for Hannah…I saved her some photos, lol), decorations galore, and enough food to feed an army (one with a very upscale and sophisticated palate!). On the menu at mom’s: Sugar-glazed ham, bolillo rolls, cranberry horseradish mustard, gourmet cupcakes, “magic” bars (well, the recipe’s on the back of most evaporated milk cans during the holidays, but my brother makes them a “magic, magic” way, lol), crab/jalapeno/artichoke hot dip, and tamales. A very traditional El Paso Christmas meal.
Earlier, Christian and I enjoyed bagels and lox at home, with sliced tomatoes, cheese, avocado, red onions, capers, marinated red peppers and mustard sauce (oops, I forgot the cream cheese, or the “sshhhh-meeaaarr,” but all the stores were closed, so we made do).
I will NOT weigh myself today, after the multitude “sneak tastes” of magic bars, ham, stollen, lebkuchen and fondue yesterday. I WILL walk an hour, if my body permits, and wait yet another day, bags packed, body and soul ready, for Hannah to arrive. It’s so strange waiting for the biggest and best Christmas present to yet arrive, and BEING the wrapping paper

Santa came early

WAIT! Before those of you think the STORK came early, NO. Santa did, well, at least in terms of U.S. Christmas. Christian and I had totally planned to celebrate a German Christmas on December 24 and the U.S. Christmas on the 25th, but my impatience and excitement got the better of me, so we mixed the two yesterday and did it all in one fell swoop.
Now, it’s not like today we won’t celebrate, either. I’ve got a lox and bagel spread planned for brunch, and we’ll go over to my mom’s house for Kaffee und Kuchen this afternoon.
But yesterday we opened all the presents, opened the last windows on the advent calendars, chatted for a good two hours on Skype with Christian’s family and watched his brother’s children open their presents, listened to Christmas music on Antenne Bayern’s live radio stream, and made a fondue dinner that was simply divine. No last-minute runs to the mall, fighting the awful traffic; no drunken Christmas parties; no being relegated to the kiddie table at a family dinner; and no Thanksgiving repeat dinner (i.e., turkey, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie). It was just the two (three) of us, in our quiet little apartment, enjoying our last week or so of “party of two,” and yet looking forward with much excitement to celebrate Christmas with Hannah.
Here’s to a joyous Christmas and New Year to you and yours…

Happy Heiligabend!

… That’s Christmas Eve and in this household, it’s also Christmas, Day One. In Germany, the big Christmas meal, singing, celebrations and present opening are done on this day, and December 25 is a quiet day of rest, worship and family time.

Our Christmas Eve-eve dinner

So, we’re celebrating BOTH, of course, starting today. We’ll do it German-style today, with a celebratory meal of fondue with four different meats (chicken, chicken livers wrapped in bacon, pork and beef) and six sauces for dipping (chick pea, avocado, chutney, Oriental, tomato-based and mustard sauce) with baguette, followed by a smorgasbord of German pastries and chocolates, and of course Lebkuchen and mock glühwein. We’ll listen to a live stream of radio music from Antenne Bayern throughout the day, and Christian will play traditional Bavarian Christmas songs on his guitar later at night. And we’ll open half of our presents today.
Tomorrow it’s the U.S. version of Christmas, with me playing Santa Claus (I’ve got the tummy for it now!). I’m just trying to figure out how on Earth I’ll get Christian’s LARGEST gift (in case he’s reading this) out of the closet and under the tree. I’m going to stuff his stocking full of knick-knacks I’ve collected in the last month, and serve him bagels and lox, as well as fruit and pastries, for brunch. We’ll watch the good old American Christmas videos that I grew up on, such as “Nestor the Long Eared Donkey,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer” before heading over to my mom’s for coffee cake and coffee in the early afternoon. Then it’s back home for a nap and maybe even a workout on the stationary bike, lol.

Yesterday, Christian made the most amazing Key Lime Creme Brulee from a recipe he found in the newspaper. If you haven’t tried this, think about it for the holidays. Elegant, remarkably simple, and wonderfully crunchy and creamy and tart. Here’s a recipe:
http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/17499/key-lime-creme-brulee.html

I was convinced I was going to be celebrating Christmas in the hospital with red and green Jello and a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. But it appears that Hannah prefers the warmth of the tummy for the time being. And since what I eat, she eats, she’d rather skip the jello for a while, lol. She’s up for some heavy duty servings of Lebkuchen, lox and bagels and Dominostein!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

Just the two of us…???

Our “party of two” days are coming quickly to an end as we get ready for Hannah’s arrival, but we’re finding that we’re BOTH nesting, getting our home and our lives ready for the big day. So much for the theory that it’s just the pregnant woman who “nests” in the last days of her pregnancy, becoming obsessed with cleaning, organizing, cooking, hoarding, etc. Men do it too!
Last night we took it easy in the kitchen, making brotzeit with leftover sausage, salad, pretzels and fruit. We’ve already frozen enough meals for the post-partum period to feed an army, so we won’t be worrying about cooking intricate meals for a while. But then again, I have a feeling we will anyway! It’s just too much fun to have our “Culinary Travel” meals and coming up with new, exotic variations. Hannah will NOT grow up on chicken nuggets or tater tots, that is for sure.
We’re also ramping up our little duo projects, like making papier maché ornaments and photo frames, spending our last days alone together just resting, taking it easy, and talking about so many things, like our own childhoods, our dreams for ourselves and for Hannah, and just getting to know a whole new layer of each other. It’s really just a great, great time!
Today was the first day I really felt like, “Uh, oh. Wow, this is close.” I mean, I was having Braxton Hicks contractions fairly consistently all day, and had to think twice before getting in and out of the car, much less try to walk with any grace whatsoever. The contractions settled down, but not before I wondered if today would be the day. Luckily the hospital bag is now in the Jeep 24/7 and I carry my insurance papers on me at all times now. It’s really frustrating not having any clue about when it will be!!!
This morning we went to go see “127 Hours,” the movie about the rock climber who had to sever his own arm after being trapped in a cave by a loose boulder. Awesome, awesome movie, but NOT for someone SO near labor, lol. The suspense, quick editing and “THE SCENE” of his self-amputation I am SURE upped my due date by a few days. But a great movie nevertheless.
Tonight I cook. I am typing this blog with my brain half focused on what I can possibly make that will even come close to what Christian would do with the breast of chicken and the leftover dark turkey meat we have set out specifically for dinner. After feasting on Taco Tote at lunch time, I am going to go with bland. After all, another night of heartburn is NOT invited.

Pelmini, please!

Christian was down in the dump … lings … yesterday, making dumplings not only for lunch but for dinner as well, and I may FEEL like a waddling dumpling after yesterday’s very indulgent meals, but I’m in LOVE with the little, decadent pillows of deliciousness.
For lunch, Christian made Griessknockerlsuppe, which, in itself is actually a very light and elegant dish. A perfect start for a very rich meal. But when you can’t get enough of it and end up having three bowls of it, perhaps it’s not so light and elegant. Here’s a version of the recipe:

http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/recipes/griessnockerlsuppe-consomme-with-dumplings/

With the soup, he served a very good tomato/onion salad and I added on a pretzel and some cookies for dessert (I’ve only got a few more weeks of using my pregnancy as an excuse to add on totally unnecessarily to my meals, so I’m taking advantage).

After we spent an afternoon finishing up some shopping and getting Christian some new eyeglasses, we headed downtown to watch the turning on of the Plaza Christmas tree lights, a 75-year-old El Paso tradition that brought approximately 70,000 El Pasoans and Juarez citizens to the downtown area. Very impressive and a family favorite, but we didn’t bring our camera, unfortunately. I’m sure just going to Flickr or Shutterfly or Facebook and typing in Plaza El Paso Christmas Tree 2010 will bring a multitude of pictures.
After that, we headed home and Christian went back to his domain, the kitchen (I just LOVE watching him cook!), where he made Pelmini (http://www.recipegoldmine.com/worldrussian/pelmini.html), a recipe his brother gave to him last week when he was home in Germany. SCORE!! Yet another winner for our ever-increasing recipe repertoire, and another meal of overindulgence and no regrets about it.
Tonight we’re making our big holiday meal… Christian will make the turkey, and I’m making a green bean casserole, creamed onions, toasted herbed bread and a salad with Gorgonzola, dried cranberries and walnuts. The pie, unfortunately, is pre-made and boxed. But nothing a huge dollop of cinnamon whipped cream can’t remedy. On Dec. 24, the German celebratory day for Christmas, we’ll have fondue with a variety of dipping sauces. And on Dec. 25, the American Christmas, with a brunch of various coffee cakes, cold cuts, lox and bagels and fruit. Or Jell-O and broth if my due date for Hannah was just a suggestion, lol.

Ah, so THAT’S Thanksgiving

This is the year…this is the year I have waited for all my life. The year everything I ever wanted transpired, the year some major miracles happened…and the year I finally realized what Thanksgiving’s all about.
Although it was a horribly rough morning, sending my husband off at 4 a.m. to Germany, it was bittersweet. Because we used to be separated months and months at a time, and now it’s less than two weeks. It was hard this time because TWO of us will miss him, me and Hannah, and my husband couldn’t share this special day with me.
However, we’ve got a 20 pound turkey in the freezer (and a big bun in the oven) WAITING for his safe return, and when he gets back, he gets a very special holiday meal, with ALL the trimmings. The bun in the oven will (fingers crossed!) wait until after the holidays.
After having breakfast with my husband at the airport (Starbucks opens at 4:30, weeeee!), I returned home and napped for another 2 hours before getting up and getting motivated for a brisk 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. Well, a waddle is more like it, but I got it done. Then I got ready and headed on over to my dad’s house to go with him to the El Paso Club for our Thanksgiving brunch. Country Club, restaurant or private club holiday meals can be sketchy at best, but luckily for us, we had excellent food, great service and a bird’s eye view of the entire city. Perfect (well, except for the sushi… buffets shouldn’t have sushi, period). Only in El Paso will you find on a Thanksgiving menu the following: Pork adobado, mahi mahi, turkey (duh), roast beef, cheese stuffed jalapenos, jicama salad, pate, brie alongside asadero cheese, sushi, Waldorf salad, ceviche and pico de gallo. But it seemed to just work.
After brunch, I headed on over to mom’s to say hello and check out her and Rosser’s (my brother) very early, early start to Christmas decorating. No Charlie Brown tree here. Nope. More like 4 separate Christmas trees and more toys, nutcrackers, candles and batter-operated Santas and such to make FAO Schwartz blush.
I wanted to put off going back home because frankly, it’s no fun going home to no one. But with some DVDs borrowed from Rosser, the newest gossip magazines and a bathtub surrounded by candles, I just might make it out of this, Day One of Christian’s trip.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and remember just what it is that makes it THANKSgiving….

‘Tis better to give…

I really believe that, at least according to the massive stack of Christmas gifts in our living room corner I’ve already gotten. I’m just about done with Christmas shopping, and it isn’t even Thanksgiving or Black Friday. Now THAT is something to be grateful for! The only present I have to get is for Christian and for that, I’m waiting for him to leave town for two weeks. Otherwise, he’s definitely going to sniff out my present(s).
But in all seriousness, I really get soooo much more joy out of watching OTHERS open presents than I do opening presents. NOT that I don’t enjoy getting gifts (who doesn’t?), I just really feel such joy seeing the joy on someone else’s face when they open presents I’ve picked out for them.
Today I got, and I gave, and I felt great in both scenarios. Two family friends gave us a handmade blanket and handmade pink cap for Hannah. Both of these items are definite heirloom items, to be enjoyed for generations. It really took my breath away, and was so special because it was specifically made with Hannah in mind. Tempted to sleep with the blanket myself, but I reluctantly placed it in the basket beneath Hannah’s bassinet, ready for her arrival.
Christian is having a work Thanksgiving party tomorrow, which will be combined with a diaper shower for one of his co-workers. Since I received an AMAZING diaper cake at my shower…and it was the TALK of the shower!… I summoned the courage to attempt making one myself for Christian to give it to his co-worker, who is also expecting a girl about a week before we are. Here’s my humble attempt, but I’m not too disappointed in my first-time effort. Makes me think I might try some more!

What is YOUR wish for Christmas? And yes, we all want world peace and joy…but what material item are you really hoping Santa brings to you this year?

Culinary Travel Part IV: Austria

Last night was Christian’s choice for what country we would “visit” for dinner, and he chose Austria. His choice meant that he would make the entree and I would make the appetizer and dessert. Now, I don’t know that much about Austria other than the Von Trapp Family and that the country is known for it’s amazing tortes and coffee. And the fact that Christian’s home town is only about an hour away from the border of Austria made me feel he really had an unfair advantage
As an appetizer, I made what I seem to be best at lately: a soup. Paprika soup to be exact:

Austrian Paprika soup
3 Slices Bacon — diced
1 Large Onion — chopped
2 Large Green Pepper — chopped
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 Tablespoon Paprika
6 Cups Beef Broth
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
4 Large Potato — diced
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Directions Saute bacon, onion and peppers for 10 minutes. drain grease. add flour and paprika and cook for 2 minutes. add broth, salt and potatoes. simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are done. pour into soup bowls and top with sour cream.
Serves 4

I pretty much followed the above directions except for the fact that I added WAY more paprika than recommended AND I added some of the liquids and fat left over from cooking a pork shoulder in my Crock Pot to the veggies before adding the beef broth. Christian’s verdict? “A KEEPER.” He loved it, but I felt like I cheated because it was so easy. Wow. I have a calling, and it’s stews and soups.

Christian’s entree? He made Krautfleckerln, a pasta dish of sorts, with white cabbage and bacon. Deliciousness! And really so simple. I could have possibly even been successful at it:

Zutaten für 3 Portion:
Kopf Weißkraut
1 TL Zucker
1 Schuss Fett oder Öl
1 Zwiebel gewürfelt
500 g Fleckerl
1 Prise Salz
1 Prise Pfeffer

Die Nudeln im Salzwasser bissfest kochen, abseiehen und mit kaltem Wasser abschrecken. Die Zwiebel im Fett anrösten, Zucker dazugeben, Kraut in feine Streifen schneiden und dazugeben.

Alles zugedeckt dünsten lassen und mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken. Bei Bedarf etwas Wasser nachleeren. Zum Schluss die Fleckerlnudeln zugeben und mit Blattsalat servieren.

Wenn man mag, kann man auch Schinken oder Speck dazugeben (am Anfang im Öl anbraten).

Desserts always, always trip me up. And, after my last dessert attempt of dumplings, you’d think I would have had the common sense to stay away from dumplings. But noooooo, I had to fall in love with the very thought of potato-plum dumplings (god knows I wouldn’t ever consider making a torte!). Now, while the dumplings were a hit, we both agreed that dispensing of the potatoes and just using regular dough would have certainly made it a runaway winner. But it certainly was eaten, and that is what counts!

INGREDIENTS:
4 large russet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup farina
1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

12 Italian prune plums
12 cubes white sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup dry bread crumbs

additional melted butter and sugar for
garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Scrub potatoes, and place them into a large pot with enough water to cover. bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, and cool. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel, and press through a ricer into a large bowl. Set aside to cool. This part of the process can be done as much as one day in advance.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the prepared potatoes, salt, egg, and 1 tablespoon of butter until well blended. Gradually stir in the farina, and then the flour. If dough is still wet, more flour can be mixed in. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Split open each plum where it cracks, and remove the pit. Replace each pit with a sugar cube, and close.
4. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into twelve 3 inch squares. Place one plum into each square, and bring the corners around to the top. Pinch together all of the seams to seal.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. Place about 4 dumplings into the water at a time. Once they float to the surface, continue to cook them for about 5 more minutes. Transfer cooked dumplings to a covered bowl, and keep warm.
6. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to cook and stir until browned. Remove the bread crumbs to a plate, and roll warm dumplings in the mixture until entirely coated. To serve, place a dumpling or two on a plate, sprinkle with a little sugar and a little extra melted butter, if desired.

We enjoyed our Austrian meal with a background of Mozart and afterwards watched (or Christian watched…I inevitably fell asleep not out of boredom but out of pregnancy) “The Counterfeiters,” a movie not based in Austria but staring an Austrian actor (Blockbuster isn’t the best place to look for an Austrian film). I HAD suggested “The Sound of Music,” lol.

•••

Christian leaves Thursday, but in terms of edible food (i.e. me not living on PBJ sandwiches or Lean Cuisine) I’m covered. In fact, TOO covered. We have frozen meals packed to the ceiling and I almost feel I’ll need to have a party to get rid of all the meals we’ve stockpiled. I’ll be a well-fed mamma while he’s gone. Christian made some incredible meals the last few days. I will not, will not, will not step on that scale until my next doctor’s appointment! Here’s some of his cooking efforts (successes):

This food is RUD(E) (Y’s)

Talk about Rude Food! Despite the fact that it’s a cardiologist’s nightmare, the portions are huge, and it’s not the prettiest presentation, Christian and I have our Rudy’s cravings about once every three or so weeks, and last night was one of them. Don’t be looking for linen table napkins or even plates for that matter. In fact, it’s about one step up from eating at Medieval Times, lol.
Last night I thought I’d be “good” and order the “Jumbo Smoked Potato” with turkey, thinking a nice baked potato and a little lean turkey would be healthy. Uh, well, I knew I was in trouble when it came drowning in sour cream and shredded cheddar, and it dwarfed Christian’s brisket sandwich, making it look like a White Castle burger. To add insult to injury, I also ordered cole slaw, AND banana pudding.
I managed to eat about HALF of the potato itself (after scraping off a mountain of cheese, sour cream and turkey, most of the cole slaw and all of the banana pudding, which looked angelic after the potato.
Today? I’ve never craved raw veggies so much in my life!!!