Salty Textures

The Great Salt Lake has a beauty I was never able to fully comprehend when I was younger.  Returning there after my years away have opened me.  The air, serenity, vastness.  It's textures.  It's quiet.  

Genius or Mad?

I am currently in my kitchen.  I am alone.  And I am amusing myself to no end by doing this over and over.  Did I mention I was alone?  Now you know.

Semifinal

I've got my fingers crossed for a Germany-Holland title game which means getting past Spain tonight.  Despite what Paul may think, the feat is very possible.  Let's hope he's wrong.  I don't know what I will do when the World Cup is over, the madness is contagious.

In May, Germany won the Eurovision Song Contest with this song here. It's catchy enough, but some students here in Münster put together their own version,'Schland O 'Schland, just for the World Cup. So I'm off to dance and get in the mood for some football.... Enjoy!



Useless fact: This video was made in Südpark, one block from my home and where I walked, picnicked, read, and napped nearly daily for over two years.  For lyrics (in German) keep reading....

Soccer Fever

The views of a four year old during the World Cup:

I only root for the winners.  Oh, and the USA last week.

Uh, thanks.

young pups

There is a day that everyone seems to insist is coming. The day when I will be happy to look younger than my age. "Once you hit thirty," I've often heard. With less than a year until I hit that mark, I'm not holding my breath. Embarrassment is what I felt when I was recently ID'd at an 18+ club, followed by anger as I was laughed at insultingly over my actual age. And today it was awkwardness, not happiness, that came over me as I was hit on by some "fellow" eighteen year olds.


But I'm sure the day is eventually coming.....

Foux Da Fa Fa

The great advantage of living in Europe is the ease in which one can travel to cities and new countries.  The first weekend in June I took the high speed train from Köln to Paris in just three hours and for only 30€ each way.  I have never had a great desire to see Paris, but I thought it would be rather stupid to not jump on such an opportunity.  I am happy I did and can say I will likely not ever make a point of going again unless I have weeks to spend there. I don't see how it could be a city that one would immediately fall in love with.  It's crowded and expensive, and I believe all of it's natural charm is hidden.  There is simply too much to see and all of it is big and grand.  Sensory overload.

On the train I chatted with the German girl sitting next to me and we arranged to meet up the next day.  I was grateful for her.  She could speak French, which was beyond helpful, and it was quickly apparent that Paris is not a city to visit alone.  I wish I had had a pedometer with me.  We saw most of the major sites and did it all by foot.

My favorite time in the city was night. Once the sun goes down and many tourists are back in their hotels or in restaurants, a magic is cast over the city.  I CouchSurfed while I was there and my host, a very friendly and open French man, lent me his bicycle (the way to get around).  Friday evening he joined me on a very cool bike tour of the city.  There were so many people on this ride that we dominated the streets, cars having to wait for us to go by. In the very blurry photo above you may be able to make out Champs d'Elysees which we were riding towards. 

Saturday evening was spent picnicking on the Seine which was full of people and music.  A bit of dancing was called for of course.  My favorite bit was the Tango dancing.  For whatever reason the group didn't have permission on that evening to play loud music, so all the dancers and observers were very quiet, straining to hear the music.  The effect was magical.  The energy between partners was heightened and the only sounds to be heard was breath and the movement of feet against the cobblestone.

By the time Sunday came around I was still wanting to visit the Musee d'Orsay and was sorely dissappointed when I arrived to see the longest line I had yet encountered.  Thoroughly fed up by people I was relieved when in passing I heard "Versailles" muttered.  I was pleased to discover that it is just a short train ride from Paris.  So I escaped.

There is nothing in all that I have learned, read, or seen of the Palace in Versailles that could have prepared me for the absolute, awe inspiring immensity of the place.  Every photo I took still dwarfed the place.  There are separate fees for the gardens and each of the Palaces.  While discovering the architecture would have been nice, the weather was far too nice to spend the day indoors and the gardens deserve a minimum of 3-4 hours to wander, and that is if you just want to leisurely wander and not take breaks for ice cream or a picnic.  I must say, though Paris certainly is a master at being beautiful, it was Versailles that absolutely won me over and make my trip well worth it.

[More photos found on Flickr]

Bonjour!

Spent the a long weekend in Paris... I love trains!  Sifting through photos and I just may get inspired to finally post again on the blog.  I've been absent for a while, haven't I?

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.