If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Some more of Colmar

Do you noticed something? I'm not wearing a jacket!



The black dot on my collar that has been appearing on all of my photos for the past month and now mysteriously disappeared.







Bubbles


Jared, presenting me with a delicious pastry.




Oh yum!


Few know this about Jared but he really wants to be a warrior with steal armor riding a horse into battle.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Springtime...in France

Last weekend Jared and I headed just over the border to Mulhouse and Colmar, France. It was spring there. There flowers have bloomed...




...the trees have blossomed...



...my husband was basking in the sun...








...and the insects were mating;)

Monday, April 28, 2008

S'mores

The tools and ingredients. (No graham crackers here or fake Hershey's chocolate. For some reason S'mores just taste better with Hershey's.)



I think these photos speak for themselves.




































One happy boy!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Puffy "sleeping bag" jacket

I'm tired of wearing my winter clothes. This is my puffy jacket that Jared calls my "sleeping bag" jacket because it's basically like wearing a sleeping bag. It protects me from all forms of wet/cold weather. It has rained straight since Monday morning. I had to break it out this morning...again...as I braved the weather to go to the dentist today.



Oh why oh why can't the beautiful weekend weather stick through Sept. 25th (the day we return to the states.)




Sunday, April 20, 2008

Lee came to visit

My brother-in-law (my sister's husband) Lee had to go to Milan for business and we were lucky to see him on a brief layover in Zürich. We were also fortunate to have such lovely weather. After church and lunch we headed down to walk along the lake.




This man had created these incredibly balance rock sculptures.



50's housewife part 2

I wanted to get creative with my short hair. When I started putting curlers in one night to test them out Jared got really excited. For church today I slept in curlers. (Not as fun as the spongy pink ones from my childhood.)


Before:



After:

I don't like cheesecake...

However, German Cheesecake is so so good! It's like and fluffy and not dense and rich like American cheesecake! Sorry we ate it too fast to get a shot of an individual slice. I'll make it again though.




Käsekuchen - German Cheesecake

(Quark is a dessert cream yumminess that you can find in Switzerland, I don't know if it can be found in the states.)


Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla-sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 stick (7 tbsp/3 1/2 oz/100g) butter

For the Filling:
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla-sugar
3/4 stick (7 tbsp/3 1/2 oz/100g) butter, very soft and at room temperature
6 oz. heavy cream
17 oz. (500g) Quark - A light yogurt type cream cheese* (see note below for Quark substitutions, if needed)
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
For the Crust:
Sift the flour, stir in the baking powder, salt, vanilla-sugar, lemon peel and sugar, then rub in the butter and knead to a smooth consistency with the egg. Place dough in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 C). You will need a 9 or 9 1/2-inch springform pan.

Roll out the dough on a well-floured work surface, then form it into a ball again and roll it out a second time. (This dough is the worst behaved of any I have ever had to deal with, but the double rolling helps tame it, and the end result IS worth the hassle). Place dough in bottom of a 9 or 9 1/2-inch springform pan, pressing it up the sides almost to the top. Set aside.

For the Filling:
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla-sugar until pale and foamy. Add the softened butter and beat well, then add the heavy cream and beat again. Add the quark and stir until the mixture is smooth and throughly combined.

Whisk the egg whites with the salt until very stiff, then very gently fold in the quark mixture, also adding the sifted cornstarch a little at a time. Pour the filling into the crust shell and gently wobble the pan back and forth until the surface is smooth. Trim the dough, leaving about 1 inch (2 1/2 cm). Bake in preheated 300 degrees F (150 C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes (longer if necessary) until well risen and golden - it resembles a souffle at this point (It will sink in the middle quite dramatically - don't worry, it's supposed to do this). Turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 15 minutes; then remove it from the oven, cool for an hour or so at room temperature, and refrigerate for several hours before releasing sides of pan and serving. (I make mine the day before I need it). This cheesecake is very nice served with sliced strawberries, or a raspberry sauce. Keep cheesecake stored in the refrigerator, covered.

*Note:
There are 3 substitutions that can be used for the Quark in this recipe if Quark is not available. One is to use farmer's cheese, another is to purée cottage cheese in a blender or food processor, and the third is to purée eight parts of ricotta cheese with 1 part of sour cream in a food processor.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Caught in the rain!

I don't like umbrella's. There were a lot out the other day as I was coming home. I fear for my eyeballs when it rains. I also think you're a wuss for using one. They're just awkward anyway.

I got drenched on the way home because the trams were not cooperating with my timing. Jared and I were going to go out to dinner and I texted him saying, "I'm not going back out there I'm making a quiche." I am just frustrated by the weather. Anyhow, he brought spring home to me that night:)



Maybe next time is rains, which will be Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, (not Tuesday because it's suppose to snow) I'll try one of these.