“Driving (er, flying) Home for Christmas…”

My hubby’s over Cork, Ireland, as I write this sentence. I guess by the time I’m done with this blog, he’ll be a few hundred miles into the Atlantic ocean, heading home!!!!! Gotta love FlightAware.com, the real-time flight tracker service, for showing me exactly where Christian is at all times.
He’ll be home at 9 tonight, wayyyyy past my 8-months-pregnant bedtime and, since the airport is (of course) on the opposite side of town, I am going to just head on over in that vicinity in the early evening and do some exploring. I’ll hit the mall, World Market, Marina’s German Bakery, Make Room for Baby, and finish off with an Eggnog Latte (or four) at the East Side Barnes and Noble before I head on over to the airport to people watch the last hour or so before he arrives.
My nesting and hoarding has paid off… I’ve stocked the freezer full of Stollen, German chocolates, our holiday turkey, homemade fruit bread (my pathetic attempt at “Stollen”), brownies, beef, Kinder Buenos… oh, and some obligatory healthy food like spinach and liver.
I’ve also (GASP!!!) completed ALL of my holiday shopping…but then again I say that all the time, before I realize, “Oh, I really need to get (fill in the blank) a gift, too.” Any excuse will do. But for the most part, all the gifts are wrapped (using, I might add, a LOT of the gift bags and bows I got at my baby shower. I’m dreaming of a PINK Christmas, lol).
At the Christkindlemarkt at Fort Bliss last weekend, I went nuts for the nuts… got Christian his fave sugared almonds along with an obscene amount of chocolates, and the almonds sit at his desk waiting for him. He’ll have to wait on the chocolates. Tonight we’ll have a brotzeit with Brezen, smoked whole trout from the Markt, slices of Gouda and Emmentaler, olives, sliced/spiced tomatoes, Senf and some Pancetta. One gift I asked for was a Brotzeitteller to go with the one I got Christian a few months ago. I also requested (and am getting!!!) a whole bunch of women’s magazines from Germany, facial masques for relaxation from Schlecker, Bebe baby products, Penaten baby products, and a Steiff toy for Hannah (a precious snail!)
My baby gets back tonight, my baby gets back tonight, my baby gets back tonight… and my other baby is being very good and patiently waiting. Whew!!!!!

This little piggy went to the Markt

No, my dear friends, that IS how you spell Markt, when you’re talking about the German Christkindlmarkt at Fort Bliss, where I spent the good part of Saturday doing the last of my Christmas shopping for stocking stuffers. The “piggy” part? Oh, let’s just say I did my share of sampling of the plethora of holiday goodies offered by vendors selling items such as Lebkuchen, smoked trout/salmon/herring sandwiches, Stollen, sugared almonds, goulash soup, a room-full of cakes and pastries, bratwurst, jams… if it was German and reflected the holidays, chances are you could find it.

Dad takes on a bratwurst sandwich

Bootie included: two knitted purses (one a green Edelweiss, the other black and red with ladybug buttons…both filled with German Christmas cookies; an imported table runner with Bavarian blue and white bordering and smiling ducks; two Stollen, some Dominostein chocolates, Lebkuchen, and a whole smoked trout (which I’ve promised to save for Christian to share with me when he returns from Germany). Granted, some of the vendors weren’t selling German items (for those who miss going to the “mercado” in Juarez but value their lives a bit too much, there were vendors selling Mexican handcrafts, as well), but for the most part it was a very decent replica of the sights and smells of the real deal. It certainly was a treat to be immersed in the culture, language and cuisine, even if I DID get a little sunburn on my face and had to call 911 for an elderly woman who fell and hit her head right next to me (she is okay, thank god).
I couldn’t go to the Christkindlmarkt at Rohr, or at Abensberg, or Regensburg or Frankfurt as I did last year (I hit all four of those, some more than once)… but at least a little of them came to ME.

The Happy Homemaker

I have a confession to make … I’m having an affair …

… with Mr. Clean.

… AND with 50% off sales for autumn seasonal items at Walgreen’s (got all this for just about $2 yesterday!). AND price-comparing mops and brooms at Lowe’s. AND checking out new recipes to try online. AND rearranging the pantry items almost to the point of OCD. AND tending to my little indoor garden. AND reading anything and everything baby related that crosses my path (which is constantly)…
I’m becoming the Happy Homemaker and, for anyone who has known me more than about 4 years, NEVER EVER would have thought possible. Yep, me too.
Whereas once I would have put off doing laundry until I was down to a pair of sweatpants and flipflops, now I’m loving the process of washing, fluffing and folding. Whereas once I’d just go without dinner (or call Domino’s. Their number is 533-7500. I memorized it YEARS ago) rather than trudge over to the grocery store for real food, I now roll that cart down the aisles of Albertson’s and Sun Harvest (yep, I now even go to more than one store to get the best deals and products) like a vet. Whereas once I thought a little dust accumulation couldn’t hurt too much, I now pace around the house with Lysol wipes to obliterate any dust or smears or spills that I can find.
This nesting thing is AMAZING. I’ve never experienced such a rush of wanting to do so many things at once… and actually DO them!! I was never a neat-nick, nor was I the type who ever thought running errands was particularly enjoyable. But when I think about the reason I’m doing all this “grub work,” I do it with a smile. I’m doing it to bring Hannah into a clean, organized and safe environment. But I’m also doing it for me and Christian, to make our lives just a little bit easier, simpler and pleasing. Don’t you dare call me a Stepford Wife, lol. Not quite THAT bad, but let’s just say I’m enjoying it while it lasts…

Last night, this “Stepford Wife” made a Crock Pot beef stew for dinner, served with rice and cheese/mustard brussels sprouts. The Crock Pot is my new BFF. I simply added half a pound of diced pot roast meat, two chopped roma tomatoes, two chopped carrots, one chopped onion and one diced potato. Put it on high for an hour, then added some fresh parsley, lots of paprika, onion powder, salt/pepper and Maggi seasoning (called Jugo here in the states). Then left it on high for another 3 1/2 hours before turning it to low. About an hour before dinner, I added a can of mixed veggies (corn, lima beans, celery, potato, peas) to the mix and let that incorporate. The rice, a piece of cake. Just boiled two bags of Success instant rice. The sprouts? Cut them in half lengthwise, steamed them in scant water until they were just crunchy, and added some mustard and parmesan cheese. Cooked that down and that’s it! Even Christian ate his sprouts…
I had pumpkin cake for dessert, but that was store bought. I haven’t quite gotten the Betty Crocker in me enough to master making a cake. But I’m sure my inner Betty is getting ready to come on out! My first dessert baking attempt will be a Stollen for Advent. Luckily I have two Stollen I ordered from Germandeli.com in the freezer as a backup.
Anyone with a special German Stollen recipe they use for the holidays?

… And mamma’s out of the kitchen

Yesterday I hit 30 weeks! That means I am now in my eighth month and I can’t for the life of me figure out how I got here so fast! I’m supposed to be doing twice-daily kick counts (at least 10 kicks in an hour’s time when I measure) but I really don’t have to devote a particular time to it, since Hannah’s making it very clear she’s a kicker at almost all hours of the day. Or is she a puncher? I don’t quite know which limbs are making their presence so well known, but she’s definitely got it in her.
It’s definitely getting to be full-fledged nesting time for me. I’m collecting recipes, photos, Christmas decorations and old letters, getting my life as organized as Amanda Kemp Waldmannstetter’s life will ever get organized. I’m cleaning like crazy and almost to the point of being a little OCD about it. And I’m beginning to wind down a bit, meaning no more hour long power walks. I’m quite happy walking the dogs for 30 minutes… at their pace (i.e. Stopping every other block to pee…but I go back into the house for that, by the way). I ordered an advent calendar for our apartment, a cute Playmobil “Forest” one, which I can’t wait to start opening. I’m still looking for an affordable German one from Milka or Ferrero, one with little chocolates in each “window,” and hoping I’ll score one at the German Community Center’s Christmas Bazaar in early December. Now I’m looking for a nice advent wreath to complete (other than the tree of course) our little apartment German Christmas. We’ll celebrate German style on Dec. 24 and American style on Dec. 25, so we’ll get the best of both. I also ordered Christmas stollen, Santa chocolates and a brotzeiteller set for us for Christmas. Early on, I know, but those things tend to sell out on Germandeli.com MONTHS ahead of time, so I played it safe. If the stollen lasts until the holidays will be the true miracle.

Last night Christian made his mother’s recipe of Blumenkohlauflauf, which is basically a gratin of cauliflower. If you do not like cauliflower (I adore it in every incarnation), you’ll like this. And if you like butter, cheese and ham, then all the better! I had this once at his home in Rohr, made by his mom, but I must say his is up there, even if it was his first time making it.
Here’s the recipe. Leaving it as is, just as she emailed it. She left out the ham, and Christian added it. It would be great for a vegetarian entree, especially on cold nights. And it’s easy on the wallet. Serve it with a simple salad and rice (and ketchup!) for a hearty and heart-warming dinner.

Straight via e-mail from Mama Waldmannstetter:

hier endlich das rezept für den blumenkohlauflauf

2 stück blumenkohl je nach größe
salzwasser
40 g butter
60 g mehl
1/2 l gemüsebrühe
1/4 l milch
3 – 4 eier getrennt
salz, tewas muskat
reichlich geriebener käse

zum backen: 20 g butter 2 – 3 eßl. semmelbrösel

blumenkohl waschen, putzen, in röschen teilen, in wenig salzwasser nicht ganz weich kochen.
helle einbrenne herstellen, mit blumenkohlsud und milch aufgießen, 5-10 min. leise kochen lassen, mit
eigelb legieren,geriebenen käse und etwas mskat untermengen, abschmecken, steifen eischnee unter
ziehen;blumenkohlröschen in gefettete auflaufform legen, auflaufmasse darübergeben, mit semmelbröseln bestreuen, mit butterflocken belegen, in vorgeheizter röhre bei mittelhitze backen. garzeit etwa 30 min.

wenn du das eigelb in der soße verquirlt hast, nicht mehr kochen lassen.

gutes gelingen mama