Corny obsession...

I have been going a little crazy since moving into a place with a freakin' waffle maker.  Um, I love waffles.  At present I am surrounded by mounds of these ones here, enough to last me the week in breakfasts and then some. Last week I ended up making Herbed Corn Waffles with Apple Jalapeño Syrup twice. Once on Sunday and again on Wednesday.  I adore the play of flavours here... herbal, sweet and a little bit of heat.  I accidentally increased the herbs the second go around and think I will keep the change in the future.  Really, this is a great Autumn recipe to celebrate the harvest, but canned corn works beautifully.  You want to make these waffles, I know you do.  Recipe after the jump....

Herbed Corn Waffles

1 1/2 fresh or canned corn kernels
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 Tbsp lemon juice)
3 tablespoons water
3 large eggs
Nonstick spray and butter for the waffle iron
Apple-Jalape–o Syrup (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the waffle iron.
2. Combine the corn and herbs in a bowl. Add the melted butter, mix gently and set aside.
3. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a medium sized bowl and mix well.
4. Combine the buttermilk, water and eggs into a 4-cup liquid measure. Beat gently with a fork  until smooth. Pour this mixture, along with the corn-butter-herb mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until thoroughly blended,. Don't overmix, a few lumps are okay.
5. Lightly spray the hot waffle iron on both the top and bottom surfaces with nonstick spray, then rub on a little butter. (This is most easily accomplished by generously buttering a chunk of bread and using it as a nifty, edible utensil to
6. butter the waffle iron.) Add enough batter to just cover the cooking surfaceÑapproximately 1/2 cup.
7. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on your waffle iron. Don't overbakeÑyou want it crisp and brown but not too dark. It's okay to peek.
8. Serve hot, topped with a drizzle of Apple-Jalape–o Syrup and a sprinkling of the reserved corn-butter-herb mixture.

Apple-Jalapeño Syrup


6 1/2 cups apple juice (1.5 liter)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 (2-inch) jalapeño chili, sliced

Add the apple juice, lemon juice and jalapeño to a saucepan. Boil on a medium-high heat and reduce down to 1/4 of the original volume, stirring occasionally. This can take an hour or two. Now add the sugar and boil until the sugar is dissolved. The apple syrup is ready when it coats the back of a spoon but still drips off like honey. Pour the apple syrup into a clean jam jar. Remove chilies before serving. Syrup keeps for quite a long time.

Fun with Graphics

Warmer weather has turned me off to making cold weather coziness, but the sun has inspired me in other ways.  New in the shop are these notebooks.  Hand embroidered with rad graphic bursts.  As fascinating to create as they are to look at. Check out the full selection here.

Movin' on up

TWO YEARS.  I can hardly believe I have been abroad for this long.  Though it no longer feels "abroad".  At the beginning of April I moved out of the apartment I have been in and it was strange to say goodbye.  I'm now sub-letting a room until the end of August at which time I will more than likely find myself stateside again.  The new place is already furnished so I had to sell all my big furniture, something I felt very resistant to.  So there it is, the last look at my old apartment on Olfersstraße.  Goodbye.  And hello new apartment with borrowed furniture and a ridiculously comfortable kitchen....

Brown Sugar Scrub

Happy soft skin that's not embarrassing to show off in warm weather dresses... hooray. I made a brown sugar scrub today! This stuff is usually ridiculously expensive ($16-$60 for a small tub), but the ingredients are minimal. The sugar (or salt) exfoliates and the oil moisturizes. I love my skin after using this stuff. Make some for yourself and some extra for a super lovely gift (ahem... Mothers day?).

What you need:

• a jar or container with a lid (wide and shallow is best if you have it)
• 2 parts raw sugar to
• 1 part oil (apricot, sunflower, almond...)*
• a few drops of essential oil of your choice

*I used some massage oil that I knew I would not otherwise be putting to use to great success.

Mix 'er up and store in a container with a lid.

Scrub, rinse, and be amazed obsessed with the softness of your own skin.

imposter

I went to a concert last night, the band is from New York. After the show I was chatting with the pianist and was complemented on the quality of my English which I, of course, had to grin at. Apparently I speak with a slight German accent that is deceiving to other Americans.

Later in the evening I spent some hours dancing and talking with some Germans. Towards the end of the evening I was interrupted mid-sentence with, "Wait! Where were you born?" Once it came out that I am, in fact, not German, I happily received the feedback that no accent had been detected for some hours.

I still have loads to learn with this ridiculous language, but it's moments like these that remind me how integrated I have become in a relatively short amount of time. Rad.