The Tummy Times

Yesterday at work, I got up to assist a customer who’d come in to pay rent on a property our company manages, and as I walked up to her, I was struck (literally!) by a deep thud just to the right and underneath my belly button. I stopped cold in my tracks and my jaw dropped. The customer, who didn’t speak English, looked at me like I was having a heart attack, and became concerned. I, speaking very little Spanish, had to laugh, point at my tummy, and say, “baby.” Lol. She got it immediately and laughed too. Babies… the international language
Yes, yesterday was the first time I could DEFINITELY say “Now that was a kick,” and not, “Well, I felt SOMETHING. Not quite sure…,” or “I THINK that was the baby.” Nope, Hannah was either mad at me for getting her up from a nap, or she was doing a dance inside my tummy, rolling around and exploring her tiny domain. Let me say it was GREAT, if not a bit of a shocker.
I was officially and unofficially 20 weeks yesterday. 20 weeks if you go by my original due date, or 20 weeks and four days if you go by my latest ultrasound. I’ll take the latter. That means I’m halfway through my pregnancy, which astounds me to no end. I alternate between thinking it’s been forever since I first saw that double blue line on my Dollar Tree pregnancy test (the first of at least 20, yes, 20 tests I took)… and thinking it’s just going too fast!
I’m contemplating starting my maternity leave of absence on November 24th, which is one day before Thanksgiving, and one day before my husband leaves for Germany for about 11 days. I’m at risk for a preemie baby due to my age and my marginal placenta previa, and I don’t want to be stuck at work, hoping to get a ride to the hospital at the last second. Although I’m not due until Jan. 6, I just want to play it safe and rest the last few weeks. But I’m torn…I also need the money. Well, one day at a time. Maybe I’ll work part time if it’s allowed… Mammas out there…what did you do? Did you work until your due date, if you were working, or did you take it easy the last month?

Last night, I made another Banh Mi sandwich with the leftover pork from the Schweinebraten we’d had the night before and, I must say, it tasted ALMOST just as good as the one I’d had at Pho Tres Bien, a Vietnamese restaurant here in El Paso. I’m so addicted to these sandwiches, which are really healthy, spicy, filling and well, beautiful! I’m a big proponent of food looking good on the plate. I don’t succeed in that department so often, but I do strive to have a presentable platter. I think Banh Mi sandwiches are an ideal party food, too. So attractive with their vibrant colors and tastes, and party goers will have fun assembling their sandwiches to fit their tastes. In mine:
1. One 1/2-inch slice pork (beef or chicken are also suitable, as is tofu)
2. Toasted baguette, split down the middle
3. Cilantro
4. Sriracha sauce (in the Asian section of most large grocery stores)
5. Touch of mayo
6. Pickled carrots (you can marinate carrot slivers in dill and vinegar for a few hours before serving). And pickled daikon radish slivers (same method).
7. Sliced fresh jalapenos
8. Chiffonade of fresh basil
9. Slivers of green onion
10. AND, for me last night (an exception). Roasted Hatch chiles.
Throw it all together and take a bite of one of the most succulent sandwiches EVER.
Served with my husand’s tomato-onion salad, the meal was healthy, fresh, hearty yet not belly busting. (Except in MY case!)

We still have leftover pork and tonight I think I’ll go for a shredded pork tostada, with roasted chiles, melted cheese and slivered green onions. Any other unique pork recipes for leftovers?

What is health?

I’ve been thinking a lot about health recently, especially now that I am expecting. I mean, of course it’s obvious I’m responsible for two, but I never really grasped what true health was. I think I’m starting to get it.
In the past, to me, health was maintaining a certain weight, having glow-in-the-dark white teeth, perfectly aligned, glowing tan skin, shiny hair, abs like a washboard, biceps with bulges and the ability to run six miles a day. All surface values, all perpetuated in glossy women’s magazines and TV shows.
I have slowly but steadily come to the realization that health has MANY more variables that are NOT so patent.
For instance, when I first went to Germany, I was floored by the amount of food (and the calories) it seemed “everyone” ate. I thought to myself, “no way could I eat like that and not get obese! Sausages, potato salad, beer, cake every day at 3 p.m.?” But because I was staying with my husband and in-laws, I couldn’t just say no (which is considered rude in any country, but even more so in Germany). To negate the calories I ingested, I’d get up at 6 a.m. and walk 1.5 hours through the hops and corn fields of Rohr, Bavaria, doing the New York City “power walk” with my arms pumping and my gait almost a jog. Almost every day, I’d start walking up a steep hill, the “killer” hill, towards the end of my walk. And almost every day, a woman who had to have been in her 70s would bike right on past me, with nary a breath to be heard. Jesus. How did she do that???? She wasn’t a reed-thin muscle machine, but rather of a medium build, with sturdy legs and the most perfect milk and rose complexion I’d ever seen. No wrinkles to be seen. That was the first time I consciously said to myself, “Now that is a healthy, vibrant woman!” And the first time I actually felt jealous and a longing to just be “free” from worrying about calories, fat grams or how many miles I logged. I went home after my walk, had a big breakfast with a roll, yogurt, fruit and butter (lots of butter), Kotbüllar for lunch, Plum Cake for Kaffee und Kuchen, and slices of ham, salami and Emmentaler cheese with savory rye bread for Brotzeit. Never looked back.
For years I subsisted on non-fat frozen yogurt, apples, Crystal Light, air popped popcorn and the Stairmaster. And you know what? I did get down to an “ideal” weight. And you know what? I wasn’t happy. And you know what else? When I began to eat, truly eat and enjoy my food and my company and relax a bit, I did NOT blow up like a balloon. I have eaten more in about 1 year than I did for practically 5 years previous, and I’ve maybe gained 5 pounds. Five desperately needed pounds.
Of course, now that I’m pregnant, I’ve gained 10 more on top of that, but I have more energy at 4 months of pregnancy than I did on my “best” days of 800 calories and hour long runs.
I hope my child/children will grow up without that media pressure, and just go by instinct and how he/she feels, without being told how to feel! I may have learned quite late, but I’m so glad I have finally let go of some very persistent demons!

Last night, Christian made some great wurst und sauerkraut, served along with some bakery rolls we got at Albertson’s. We’re all packed up for Cloudcroft and leave tonight after work. Apparently it’s been raining like mad up there, and the trails may be muddy and sloppy, but I secretly enjoy that I have some running shoes up at the cabin just for that. You know, shoes that used to be white but now look like tents in camouflage?
I am most looking forward to sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee and a great book, listening to the wind in the trees, and hopefully some wild raspberries have started to pop up. Thank god there are still some secret patches only I know about.

No reservations

Once upon a time, I was purely a restaurant eater, meaning I never kept food in the house/apartment and found my only sustenance at restaurants, 7-11s or by being invited to eat at someone’s house. I just never had the desire to drive over to the grocery store, fight the lines, get frustrated by the coupon-clipper/check writer/penny counter in line in front of me, and then come home to make something … from scratch? Egads! No way!
Well, I fear change but here’s one thing I changed fearlessly, with the help of my German husband, who taught me that eating at home is far, far, far more enjoyable than eating at a restaurant, keeps a relationship strong, saves money and can actually be amazingly fun. The fact that we take turns cooking makes it even more enjoyable.

Last night it was Christian’s night to cook, and he was really looking forward to making Köttbullar, or Swedish meatballs, with a Knorr brand mix he’d ordered from Germandeli.com, along with some plain boiled potatoes and a green salad with sliced green onions, sliced jalapenos and tomatoes. All he has to do is roll ground beef into balls, brown them, and then add cream, canned mushrooms, the Knorr mix and a bit of butter. Out of this world, insanely good, and really the best Swedish meatballs (other than his “step-dad” Uli’s, shhhhhh) I’ve ever had. We sat down at the table, listening to Loreena McKennitt, enjoying the sun setting behind the cottonwood trees outside the window. I thought about how, in restaurants, we don’t get to have the uninterrupted alone time together, how almost invariably one part of our order is wrong, or they “just ran out,” or quality just doesn’t reflect the prices.
Granted, a restaurant meal is fun, enjoyable and a good thing once or twice a week, as a special evening out or a nice lunch, but it really shouldn’t be the status quo for families. I grew up eating most of my meals in restaurants or on the run, but I don’t want my family to do the same. I want breakfast and dinner to be a family affair, just as it was for Christian growing up. In most German families (I am calling on my experience in Bavaria) ALL meals are shared together, and restaurants are for VERY special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and such. But a Friday night doesn’t necessitate going out to dinner, as it seems to do here.
I wasn’t lucky enough to have a family that got to eat together most meals, mainly due to scheduling, sports, etc., but it’s never too late to start that with our growing family.

Did you grow up eating all your meals at home, saving restaurants for very special occasions? Or were you raised on reservations?

And I leave you with a glimpse of my Gnome garden (the log brought home from our weekend in Cloudcroft. The corn from the fields in Rohr, Niederbayern, is taking off and will soon need to be set “free” in a much bigger container or even transplanted somewhere in a field (is that legal? Transplanting non-native corn? Lol), and my sweet peas may come up with something tangible to eat in the next month or two.
Also, our sunset last night. Wish we had underground telephone lines, but the sky is gorgeous nonetheless…

A birthday for the belly

Yesterday we celebrated Christian’s birthday with a nice lunch with my parents at the El Paso Club and later he and I alone at Rudy’s BBQ. I managed to stuff myself silly at both establishments, whereas Christian remained vigilant about his ever-shrinking waistline. My waistline? What’s a waistline? I lost mine weeks ago, and even my “safe” shorts and pants are no longer. Christian’s boxer shorts are starting to be appealing to me to wear around the house.
Well, anyway, I managed to scarf down: two cheese enchiladas with pico de gallo, pasta salad, green salad with raspberry dressing, sauteed squash, pickled nopalitos, half a breast of chicken with mustard dressing, a slice of bread and a very good strawberry/almond cake slice. Christian’s plate looked like one of those portion-control plate samples the Diabetic Association shows on pamphlets in doctors’ offices, lol. He ate modestly while I just plain ATE. And just because it was there. Note to self: no more buffets until you learn that you don’t need to try a little of everything!
After work, we came home and I decided to take “a little nap” that lasted for almost two hours. Nothing worse than lying on a black sofa, right next to a window, on a hot summer’s day in El Paso. Woke up sweaty, groggy and disoriented…and still full from lunch. Quadruple whammy. But it was Christian’s birthday, and that meant one thing: Rudy’s BBQ.
I love Rudy’s but it didn’t love me back last night. I tried to be moderate–I had 1/2 a pound of turkey, a small cup of cole slaw, some pickled jalapenos and a diet coke. And then I had to have a slice of some of the most cloyingly sweet buttermilk pie I’ve ever had. Not that it stopped me from eating it all, but cloyingly sweet nonetheless. At least the turkey was lean.
So now I’m awake at 5 a.m., having walked 40 minutes by the irrigation ditches (try THAT when it’s pitch black outside), and I’m wondering how on earth I can eat breakfast. Oh god I miss being genuinely hungry! Lol. After breakfast (fruit for me, please) we’ll bike ride along the Rio Grande and hopefully I’ll build up an appetite for tonight’s soup made from leftover pfannkuchen and beef broth. That’s more like it.
BTW, got Christian a ceramic chef’s knife as well as a gift certificate from Germandeli.com, so he can order his favorite German food products just like home. I was tempted to “help” him pick out some items, but it was HIS gift At least I know seelachs, goulash, wurstsalat and leiberkäise are on the menu very soon!

Homesick

Yesterday my husband and I booked his ticket to go home to Germany for the holidays. That’s good. A good deal for less than $800 round-trip, and he gets to see his family again after a very long time. Also a bad thing. One ticket. I’m not going. I can’t go, because it will be too near our baby’s birthdate and we don’t want to take any chances.
Christian’s leaving Nov. 25 and returning Dec. 7. I’m due Jan. 10, but since it’s so near, we decided I should wait until the baby is 6 months old before I try to venture overseas again. (not that I can’t TRY to go in early autumn, but that would mean risking my job, lol).
It made me so happy that we could get a reasonable ticket for Christian, but just so sad that we can’t spend Christmas in Rohr, Bavaria, with his family. We’ve spent the last two Christmases together there, and they were everything that Christmas is all about. Family, warmth, food, memories, thankfulness and joy. At least Christian and I will still be together for Christmas, and we can Skype with his family, but I’ll miss the smells, sights and sounds of Christmas in Bavaria.
•••

Perhaps sensing my melancholy, Christian made for me last night some incredible Pfannkuchen, because he knows pancakes are my ultimate comfort food. He made lots, because we’ll make some Pancake soup (Flädlesuppe) on Saturday night with the leftovers. I personally had three of the massive crepe-like pancakes, filled with a fruit salad I made with bananas, pears and grapes drizzled with honey. I am SO grateful that Christian is such a great cook and comes from a family of great cooks, because I surely don’t! And I want so much for our “little Wally” to carry on that German tradition, as well as a plethora of others. It will be a challenge AND a blessing to raise the child biculturally.
•••
It’s 4:30 a.m., and I’ve already walked almost an hour near the river, come back and made some cinnamon-hazelnut coffee (decaf!) and now I’m waiting for Christian, my birthday boy, to wake up so I can give him his presents. I am definitely one of those people who’d rather watch OTHERS open their presents and see their joy and excitement than open presents myself. Not that I have ANYTHING against presents to me, lol, but I love to watch others get gifts. We’ll have lunch with my parents at the El Paso Club today (old-school luncheon club for businessmen members on the top floor of the Chase Bank Building downtown. Think buffet of 1960s dishes like steak diane, souffled potatoes, ambrosia salad, Parker House rolls and Angels on Horseback), and then tonight Christian has requested that we celebrate his birthday together at Rudy’s BBQ. I’m always game for Rudy’s 1/2 pound of smoked turkey, served with a side of cole slaw and some pickled jalapenos. But honestly? I’d be more than happy for just another stack of pfannkuchen and a night going through old photos and home videos of our times wandering the Bavarian countryside!
But he’s the birthday boy, and good ole Texas BBQ is calling…

How does YOUR garden grow?

My husband and I live in a 500 (plus or minus, more like minus) square-foot apartment in the middle of the city, with a few token trees and scattered patches of grass. A far cry from my husband’s native Bavaria, where it’s de rigeur to have not only a garden, but a functional garden that grows functional things used in everyday cooking, decorating and even first aid.
Germans are so very house proud, and I wish we Americans as a whole were like that. Instead, it seems to be that we as a nation are more interested in showing off our non-working car collections, our disassembled Bowflex gadgets and tattered treadmills, and our works in progress (indefinitely) in our front yards.
In Germany, even the windows are sacred, with the obligatory orchids and lace curtains, providing eye candy for passers-by. I miss that feeling of home being a place to be proud of and rightly so.
There’s not so much that one can do to make a second-floor apartment look that appealing, especially when the windows are covered with burglar bars, the stairs are unfinished cement, and the view faces yet another apartment complex. However, we try.
I’ve planted a cactus that my former housekeeper gave Christian and me for our wedding, and of course it’s thriving in the West Texas sun. I’ve also got a geranium which can’t quite decide whether or not it would rather die a slow death inside or outside, but it’s not yet given up; I have a pot of corn growing, from seeds I found on a walk in Rohr, Bavaria, and it’s doing quite nicely; and I have some newly sprouted sweet peas that I’m so excited about.
I’ve always wanted to “live off the land” and grow my own veggies and fruits, which is probably why I just adored living with Christian and his family in Germany.
Outside their window, in their lush, huge back yard, were: One HUGE apple tree that looked like an explosion of cotton candy in the springtime; two plum trees that provided Christian’s mother Gisela and her sister-in-law and many others plums for countless pflaumkuchen and plum preserves every year; one gooseberry bush/tree; one tomato vine; one grape vine; fresh dandelion greens; and a giant walnut tree (or some variation of a walnut, but awesome nuts!). One could, literally, live off of what was offered in their back yard. Same with when I lived alone, for two years, at the family cabin in Cloudcroft, N.M.
On my daily morning hikes in Cloudcroft, I’d collect wild scallions, wild asparagus, apricots, dandelion greens, apples, strawberries, raspberries and pinon nuts all the time. And let me tell you, I made some AMAZING bread from those ingredients (well, not all of them at the same time).
Well, that isn’t possible with my plot of land no bigger than the size of a broom closet, but at least I can try. I’m starting with the sweet peas, and moving on to hot peppers next. Two plants that can take the heat and mass-produce. The corn? Well, of course that might outgrow my balcony in a few months, but I plan on finding a secret place to plant it so I can say I brought a living thing back from Bavaria and kept it alive (other than my husband, lol).
Zucchini is another possibility, but with its reputation for “mating” like rabbits, I may get an eviction notice.

And how does YOUR garden grow?

Hot petanque!

Okay, it’s HOT. Hotter than hot. So hot we have to use water spray bottles on our bodies every 15 minutes in our apartment just to stay upright. In El Paso, swamp coolers are common methods of cooling homes and apartments. Cheap and efficient, but not really cooling, at all! It’s more of a “psyche!” thing. You hear the cooler turn on and THINK it’ll get cooler, but it’s just the warm air circulating around. I’ve sort of gotten used to swamp coolers, having lived in El Paso all my life, but poor Christian thinks he’s baking to death.
•••
This morning (Saturday) we got up at 5, had a quick breakfast and we walked an hour at sunrise. Then we came home and decided we’d gotten up too early, so we went back to bed until 9:30. Totally indulgent but totally worth it, since I’ve yet to hit a slump today and it’s already 5 p.m. The last few days I’ve begun to question if I was a narcoleptic, almost falling asleep whenever I was a passenger in the car or sitting for too long. But today’s been a high-energy day.

After we woke up, we drove over to Rim Road to join my parents and their friends for a game of Petanque, which is like bocci ball or Mexican huaches. It’s a very nice way to spend a Saturday morning, with lots of curious visitors and comraderie. My oh-so-fashionable mom, Linda (in black and white with hat) can overdress for the occasion, but she pulls it off. And how she does not melt in that outfit I do not know. All I know is that she still has fantastic skin whereas I have freckles and sunspots unrivaled. If you’re from or in El Paso and would like to give Petanque a shot, call John Kemp at 915-532-3496 or email krautundcracker@gmail.com and we’ll set you up with a set of boules (the metal balls used to play Petanque) and a time we meet up (usually between 9:30 a.m. to noon). Most of the time we all go to lunch afterward. I admit the photos make the game look somewhat silly, but I am one prone to much embarrassment and I got over it quickly playing petanque!
•••
Speaking of embarrassment… I shopped with my WIC card for the first time today, and I must say it was a bit embarrassing, making sure I didn’t go over the fruit/vegetable price limit or put the wrong brand bread in my basket. Now I KNOW the people who always win on “The Price is Right” must be or have been WIC recipients. You HAVE to know the cost of everything! Now, I must explain myself. I was embarrassed NOT because I was a WIC recipient, but I did become embarrassed when the juice I bought was ineligible and it became an issue with the cashier who made a fuss of my mistake and called over a manager to delete the item from my list of purchases. Then came the rolling of the eyes of customers behind me in line… Well, I got it straightened out and now know exactly how the system works, so I hope I can get it down pat next time!
Gratitude beats embarrassment. So glad we can eat healthy foods and save money for “Little Wally,” (inside joke!)
•••
Sunday it’s off to “Feast in the Middle East,” an annual bazaar featuring Arabic food, music, arts and crafts, a church tour and … of course… baklava. Already have requests from friends who can’t attend to “PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE bring home some baklava.” Personally, I’m hoping to score on anything with grape leaves. Rice-stuffed grape leaves? Oh yeah!
Feast in the Middle East is a popular event, and a sign of the start of the summer season. But NEXT weekend Ardovino’s Desert Crossing Farmer’s Market opens, which just epitomizes summer to me. ALL local fruits and veggies, homemade breads, ristras, local raw honey, homemade soaps, pastries, farm eggs in every color, herbs, plants, etc. Our farmer’s markets are the closest thing to German markets I can experience while stateside, and god do I miss German bakeries, the ease of buying eggs, potatoes and asparagus straight from the farms, picking berries on the side of the road and not worrying about contaminants….
Sooooo, I guess traveling is out of the question late November on, thereby missing Christmas in Rohr (oh I hate thinking of missing that!), so I’ll see about going in early autumn, with more than one carry-on

Kitchen confidential

Every so often, I’ll take my readers into the netherworld, that is, give you a peek into my pantry and refrigerator. Some say the fridge is the window into one’s soul (or did I get that wrong? ) Well, if it is, I have a lot of existential problems going on, and definitely multiple personality disorder. Here’s a peek into our fridge:

Some magazines have this featured — a peek into a celebrity’s (be it movie/TV/music or culinary) refrigerator, and I never quite believe it. Of course everything always looks perfect, and well stocked, and the labels are always facing forward. How convenient! Not ours. We never put an item back in the same place, so there’s lots of, “Amanda, where’s the…,” or “Did we run out of …,” or “Why do we have an empty jar of…,” or “Are jalapenos supposed to be furry?”
Well, here’s our fridge in all its unadulterated glory. Twenty four hours after grocery day. If we were to show you the fridge on, say, a Friday, then you’d see a lot of nothing.
•••
Last night, Christian made sauerkraut and sausages, and this had to be the best sauerkraut he’s made on this side of the Donau since I don’t know when.
We both were realllllly craving sauerkraut last night, and I haven’t had any pregnancy cravings yet, but if I had to say one thing, it would be sauerkraut. I know it’s got plenty of Vitamin C, but I can’t think of anything I’m needing or lacking that sauerkraut takes care of, other than it’s just so great. We had run out of bread (we didn’t buy any this week since Christian is in the process of making a big batch of sourdough (hmmm, see a “sour/sauer” trend?) bread that will last us a while, so we had toasted “everything” bagels with our dinner. You would think sauerkraut would be a cinch to make. Open jar, empty contents into pan, heat and serve. But no, it actually takes about an hour if done traditionally and correctly, with lard, chopped onion, beef broth and caraway seeds. And it’s so worth it. Hmm, and Christian also said it would help with “regularity” since I could run into that problem in my pregnancy. Okay….
We have a busy baby week this week, starting today. I have a Medicaid interview this morning, a WIC application interview tomorrow and my first lab work/initial doctor visit Thursday. I am dying to get my second HCg results done, since I had them done last Wednesday and the levels were 4,338. The doctor’s office said that indicated I was about 4-6 weeks along, but that’s a long stretch! Lol. What? Four weeks, five weeks or six weeks??? My guess is that I am at 6 weeks now, if I used that calendar correctly.

Okay, I admit I’ve got baby on the brain. Baby thoughts everywhere and any time!
I’m so excited at the thought of having our baby grow up with a dual citizenship and knowledge of both American and German cultures from birth on. How lucky he or she is going to be! And at the rate I’m going, he/she will teach ME German.
•••
And finally, here’s my corn plant grown from some kernels of corn I picked up on a morning walk in Rohr i. NB, Christian’s home town near Abensberg.
It’s so nice to have a little bit of Bavaria growing here in El Paso, and it’s doing quite well! Don’t know if it was legal to bring the corn into the States, but dear Mr. or Mrs. FDA…I swear I didn’t remember I had the corn kernels in my pocket!

K&K Day…and Start Spreadin’ the News!!

Today is Sunday, the day before Christian and I go to NYC!!!! I’ve been several times, eaten at some amazing places, seen some great shows, stayed at high-rise hotels with a Central Park view … but this time I get to go with my husband, who’s never been to New York (actually very few places in the states, not counting airports). I think I’m more excited than he is! I get to see everything again through HIS eyes, and it will all be new to me again.
We’re winging it, basically, with an extremely limited budget, but I think that will make it fun and adventurous. Anyway, the only thing I want to take back with me are millions of photos and Flip videos, great memories, and recipes galore. I also hope I can post my blog daily, albeit not as long, with the dishes we tried and the restaurants we visit.
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, Les Halles is on the top of our list and a friend is taking us to Isabella’s on Columbus Wednesday night. All the other meals are just whatever we run across.
We’re staying at the YWCA, which has raised eyebrows with friends and family, but I have no shame about it at all, considering it’s only $100 a night and RIGHT on Central Park.
In preparation for tomorrow, we’re going to take it easy and have our first Kaffee und Kuchen in months this afternoon. We sort of gave up on the practice of K&K when we left Germany, since I work and we’re always running around like chickens with our heads cut off. We’ll sit out on our miniscule porch that faces a parking lot, and have some hot spicy Chai tea and some pastries we pick up at the International Deli (a German bakery/deli here in town). And we’ll say to ourselves, “24 hours from now we’ll be doing this at some outdoor cafe on Park Avenue or Lexington.” But honestly? Deep down inside, I’d LOVE just to have a K&K in Christian’s back yard in Rohr, under the apple tree, sitting at the picnic table with his mom, brother, sister in law and their kids…
We’re just about done using up the dregs of the fridge before we leave. Down to just eggs, lemons, gorditas and half a chocolate Easter bunny. Looks like I’m going to make a dumbed-down eggs benedict dish. No, no chocolate involved in this one! I’ll post the complete recipe later today, but it involves two gorditas per person (small, thick flour tortillas), two eggs per person, Neufchatel cheese, jalapenos and habanero Tabasco. We like to play around with trying to make our way up the Skoville Scale. I think we’re getting to the point where habanero tastes like Pace Picante Sauce.

Upper Valley Sunday

“Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Here in status symbol land
Mothers complain about how hard life is
And the kids just don’t understand

Creature comfort goals
They only numb my soul and make it hard for me to see
My thoughts all seem to stray, to places far away
I need a change of scenery …”
The Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday”

I loved the Monkees growing up, and I thought this song was appropriate for my afternoon walk through El Paso’s Upper Valley today. I use the walks to clear my mind and to focus just on what’s in front of me. To take it all in. I can never get enough of the water in the irrigation ditches, the plants and flowers I run across, the farm animals and people doing their Sunday thing, be it walking their dogs on the levee, planting seedlings in their front yard, having a garage sale, or sitting on their back porch, watching me watching them.
This song by the Monkees shows how we’ve lost the childlike wonder and just have focused on the material things out there. My walks help ground me and let me see things through a child-like eye again. I need that! I LIKE getting excited when I see a duck in the water, or a pretty flower, or even a garage sale sign that is so quaint and “country.” I hope I never lose that perspective, nor you.
Christian Skyped with his mom and stepdad today. Another pleasant Rohr Sunday, with the two of them enjoying Kaffee und Kuchen in their living room, not a care in the world, at least today. Everything negative or pressing is forgotten on a Sunday, a time for family, relaxation, food and the enjoyment of nature. May we all have a designated time to appreciate all of the above.
Tonight, Christian is making beef ribs. A huge rack for the two of us (yet another reason for the walk this afternoon, ha ha. So I can continue to enjoy our ever-increasingly hearty meals). He wanted to make Gebrannte Grießuppe (http://www.mamas-rezepte.de/rezept_Gebrannte_Griesssuppe-12-541.html), which is a semolina soup with sausage. But since we had already bought the ribs, and our evenings are booked Tuesday through Friday, we decided on the ribs tonight. The soup tomorrow night.
Tuesday night is German night at the El Paso Club, a private members-only dining club at the top of the Chase Bank building Downtown. My dad is taking us. We’re not expecting much, lol. We’re already expecting it will be brats of some kind, a schnitzel (“art” something, meaning NOT made of veal, but rather pork), some pseudo-dumplings and canned sauerkraut. I hope to be pleasantly surprised! Before I met Christian, I too thought the range of German food consisted of the above. I’d really, really, really like to broaden the view of locals and show them that it’s WAY beyond brats, pretzels, beer and kraut. Although there’s nothing wrong with that.