How I Caused an International Incident...

I worry! - A lot!

My kids can tell you that I worry about them the most.  If I come home, and one of the kids is not there, even though they were supposed to be – I don't just worry, I flip. 

Truth be told, my first instinct is to call 911.  I don’t -  because calling 911 when your kids are 5 minutes late  or went to the store without telling you – is insane, but just between you and me, that's what I'd like to do.

So instead, I text them (just to find out that they left their cell phone at home) then visit the neighbors (to the kids' utter emberrassment) and call everyone I know to inquire about their whereabouts. 
 
By the way, my kids are 17 and 20 – young adults - not 2 and 5…..

But I digress....

Recently, I have found something new to worry about - my parents.  They are getting up there in age and we've had several close calls in the last year.  Unfortunately, my parents live an ocean away from me - so I worry long distance.

Eating in: Pizza

My son asked for pizza the other night.   I don't like ordering pizza. It's just too expensive - and I don't see what a meal that was invented to use up the leftovers in a kitchen should all a sudden cost $20 .

For me, it's back to basics - and leftovers....

This time I was trying a recipe I had found on King Arthur Flour a while back: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pizza-crust-recipe

It was late when I started making it, but I told my son that it would only take about an hour to make, so it would not be much longer than what it would take for a delivery to get here.

Unfortunately, I didn't read the full recipe before I made that promise...  This recipe calls for 2 (count them - 2) 90 minute rises. So this will take longer than your standard delivery time.

Needless to say, my kids were less than amused when I figured that out at 8 PM....

Luckily, King Arthur Flour has another pizza crust recipe:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/now-or-later-pizza-recipe

We had the "now or later pizza" that night.

We had the other one the next day - and it was good!  It had a nice thick crust reminiscent of restaurant pizza.  And, if you like a pizza dough that tastes slightly yeasty, this is the pizza crust for you.

Sorry, no pictures.  The pizza was gone before I got a chance to take pictures.

Baguette

This post was inspired by the post "Why Making Your Own French Baguette Is Empowering" on the Cook's Corner blog.

I have been wanting to make a decent baguette for years.  I can make a mean loaf of bread in the breadmaker, and I made a reasonably good roll following my Mom's recipe, but baking a baguette is one of those skills that still eludes me.

The above blog post got me closer than I have ever been by linking me to the King Arthur Flour baguette making blog entry as well as the recipe entry.

So I tried my hands at baguette, yet again.

Hobbies: Reading

I love to read - always have.

As soon as I figured out in grade school that strings of letters made words, I was hooked.  I read everything I could get my hands on - and I mean everything!

40 bags in 40 days: Magazines - Check!

Done with the magazines!

Here is what I am left with:

A small stack of magazines to keep...

And a big box of magazines - to go!

Organized Home: Spicy Legos

I am still working on the 40 bags in 40 days challenge, but I am finding that I am organizing more than I am throwing away.

Taste of Home: Semmelknödel (Bread dumplings)

This one's for Sergeant T. ....

Use it - and lose it....

There is a part of me, that would like to hold on to things forever. I have been guilty of keeping "special" things put up so that nothing may happen to them.

A while back, I read a story about a woman, who kept a pair of lingerie (I believe) for a special occasion.  She never wore it, because no occasion was deemed special enough.  In the end, her husband found the item in the dresser - unused - after the woman died.  I don't remember, if it was an accident or cancer.  (I tried googling the story, but a search for "woman's special panties" or "dead woman's panties" does not yield anything appropriate for this blog....)  The husband ended up burying her in her special lingerie.

I could be that woman.

40 bags in 40 days

I was reading other people's blogs the other day, and I came across this 40 bags in 40 days challenge from Clover Lane.

Signs of Spring! Finally!!!

The first spring flowers are in bloom.  Finally!!!

Taste of Home: Kartoffelsuppe (potato soup)

Turns out, I love cooking.  However, the best part of cooking is when other people eat - and like (!) the food you make. 

The other day I made Dampfnudel and brought them in to work.  There are a few typical side dishes that are served with Dampfnudel: Vanillesosse (vanilla sauce), Weinschaumcreme (zabaglione(?)) or potato soup.  Since I prefer savory dishes over sweet ones, I made the potato soup to go along with it.   After tasting it, several of my work colleagues asked for the soup recipe.

So today, it's nothing fancy, just a basic potato soup, that ended up being (almost) vegetarian, but does not have to be.  

Internet Recipe Misadventures

When I am looking for  German recipe, my first stop usually is my trusted Dr. Oetker Kochbuch, a cookbook I brought with me from Germany in the 80s.  If I can't find it there, I search for it on the Internet. Usually, I compare and contrast several versions of the recipe before I attempt to cook the dish myself.

One of the German recipes I had been meaning to make was Schupfnudeln, a rolled noodle made from a potato-based dough.  Where I come from, they're actually called Buwespitzle - and I am not going to translate that word since my blog may be flagged as "adult", if I do....

At any rate, since Dr. Oetker failed me for this dish, I searched for - and found - a recipe on the Internet. It sounded simple enough, so I skipped the comparison step.

Picture Perfect: Training for the Circus?

This one is for my friend Laura from Simplifying in the South.  Not too long ago, she posted a picture as part of her "Random Thursday" collection.  I've been meaning to dig up this picture ever since.

One of these days. I will get my hands on a scanner, but in the meantime, it'll just be picture in picture.

Taste of Home: Koeniginpastetchen

Another one of my favorite foods growing up was Königin-Pastetchen with chicken fricasee.

Since I didn't know if I could find the pastries in the US, I imported them from Germany.