Food Blogs

While the pregnancy has been seriously restricting my diet, I find myself lusting after beautiful cakes, cupcakes, pies and bars on a number of food blogs I have found haphazardly through Pinterest photos. I love food blogs and was tipped off a couple of years ago to a couple that are famous (Orangette and the Pioneer Woman) for their writing, recipes and gorgeous photos. Over time I have found more and more blogs that I like to read not only as a source of recipe inspiration but also creative food photography.

Food photography is a passion of mine and if I were independently wealthy I would make it my career. Now that I have stopped traveling in the last year or so, my hard drive is mainly full of food, glorious food. For the most part I cook and 'style' my own food now and much more than eating the results I get excited about capturing the perfect shot. Friends and family are kind enough to send me various links and groups that give tips for improving and growing my food photography repertoire.

I am not an artistic person but I still need an artistic outlet and for me food and photography are the perfect combination to use as that outlet. I have a web site that I have been hoarding for quite awhile and debating how to use and have been kicking around the idea to build up around this hobby. I have no clue how to actually make that happen so if anyone has any tips on what applications are relatively simple to use for non-technical people to build their own websites, I would welcome any suggestions or experiences you may have in this area.

Happy Friday and here's to hoping the heat in Munich breaks as is predicted.

Posted from Munich

The Great Cornholio

I have a recurring vision of the Saffa coming home from work one evening to find me running around the house Beavis style, in a sugar induced frenzy, shouting 'I am the Great Cornholio, I need teepee for my...' well, you know the rest. Or maybe he'll find a more Dewey-from-Malcolm-in-the-Middle sugar reaction. 'You gave Dewey sugar, didn't you?' as Dewey looks on crazy-eyed and salivating. Or sitting on the floor in the corner of the kitchen like some horror movie version of myself lost in a bowl of cookie dough and wild streaks of brownie batter like blood in my hair, smeared on the walls and down the front of my shirt. Because I am dying for some sugar and carbohydrates. And I am afraid I am going to go on a binge after so many weeks of playing by the rules. I can think of nothing better than a pile of brownies, cupcakes and let's throw in a naan bread and a banana split for good measure.

Controlling gestational diabetes through diet has worked extremely well for the last weeks. I have had will power like I have never had before and been staying with the diet with the exception of sharing half a piece of apple cobbler with the Saffa after dinner one night. Blood readings are well under range with the exception of when I have natural yogurt. This seems to set it a bit on the high side for whatever reason.

Mmmm, apple cobbler. I can still taste it, it was the highlight of the last month and a half. The Saffa is lucky he didn't get injured trying to eat his share of that piece of cake as I had subliminal urges to stab him with my fork every time he went for a bite. He didn't know how much he was tempting fate.

It's not that the basic diabetes diet varies so much from my normal diet. I tend to have a varied diet but I did have to reduce my carbs from some to almost none and cold turkey on the sweet treats. I'm happy I am doing everything I can for a healthy baby but without any fixes and being pregnant on top, the cravings are building and building and the last week or two I am becoming irritable. I want something sweet or at least starchy. A piece of forbidden pizza. A milkshake. A Snickers bar. Even some french fries with ketchup. Oh yum.

If you see a streak with a big belly whizzing by and your ice cream cone goes missing from your hand, I'm sorry. I really am. I just couldn't control it any longer.

Posted from Munich

What's for Breakfast?

A little over two weeks ago I went in for one of my scheduled OB appointments and had my glucose screening test, standard procedure nowadays between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. After the test and ultrasound, we had our normal consultation and Q&A session and I was given the news for the first time in any of my check ups that everything was not normal. My blood iron had dropped too low and my response to the glucose test indicated I had gestational diabetes. I was handed the card of a specialist and a prescription for iron pills and left the office feeling extensively guilty. The doctor was encouraging that with a follow on to a specialist and a controlled diet I would almost certainly be able to get the diabetes under control and limit any impact to Pea. However, I had just returned from Stockholm where the Saffa and I had overindulged in our eating and I was having flashbacks to earlier in the pregnancy where I had eaten a varied diet that also included sweets and wondered if I had brought this on myself. I started the pregnancy at a healthy weight and have gained only within reasonable boundaries but there I was anyway.

The earliest the specialist could see me was yesterday. In those two weeks between, the Saffa and I did a lot of research online (I know, tsk tsk) and made some modifications to our diet. I say 'our' because he has been incredibly supportive throughout the whole pregnancy to the point where he was gaining his own baby bump eating along with me! And now with my changes, he also changed his eating so as not to be tempting me with any naughty foods. Basically the change was not that drastic except to really go to 5-6 small, controlled meals a day and to cut out any sweets, processed foods, and drinks other than water or ginger tea. Basically to switch fully over to a standard recommended pregnancy diet but avoiding high sugar foods and white flour based products.

The first couple of days were tough and then I adjusted and felt fine. So yesterday I went to the specialist with some optimism that maybe there would be a different result when they repeated the glucose tolerance test but it was worse or perhaps just more accurate with their specialized equipment. Rather than feeling guilty I decided I just needed to accept it, move on and do what I need to make sure the baby and I are ok. I met with the doctor regarding the results, he assured me that they weren't bad at all but nevertheless I would need to control my diet and blood sugar levels for the rest of my pregnancy and would need to schedule a follow on with the dietician and himself in the next days. He explained the risks to the baby and me short term and also some longer term risks (we both are at increased risk for developing lasting type II diabetes), which I was not so happy to hear.

The dietician had a cancellation in the afternoon so could see me the same day. She was wonderful. We did the session in German, slowly, and she showed me how to prick my finger with a device and when and how to measure the blood sugar throughout the day. Then we walked through my diet and I was very close to having the right foods and frequency. She modified it a bit more but I was only sad to see ketchup, grapes and bananas crossed off the list. The rest of the bad stuff I already had crossed off myself a couple of weeks ago.

I stopped by the farmer's stand and the grocery store and restocked with the latest advice in mind and started with the monitoring last night. All in all it is not so bad, we will see what the first couple of days results mean tomorrow afternoon.

I guess I knew some bumps in the road were to be expected but am hoping this one is at least manageable. We are in the home stretch now and more than excited to have the little one join us in the next couple of months!

Posted from Munich

More Cupcakes

Yellow cakes frosted with Lindt chocolate. Delish!

Jamie Oliver

When I was back in the US, I made the requisite trip to the bookstore to stock up on whatever looked interesting to read. Browsing through the cooking section, I came upon the heaps of Jamie Oliver cookbooks and decided to add one to my stash of book loot. I never really watched his show or got into the craze over the last years but after a scan through a couple of his books I could see this was my kind of cooking. Nothing overly complicated, emphasis on freshness and flavors extracted from all over the world.

Since I've been back I made two of the dinners and both turned out wonderfully. I'm definitely a fan now.

Yesterday I made a trip to the Viktualienmarkt, the granddaddy of all farmer's markets in Munich, and stocked up on goodies for the rest of the weekend. Fresh fruits and veggies, truffle ham and Scottish highland cheddar, my favorite German birdseed dark bread, appetizers ranging from stuffed cherry peppers to spanish olives to dolmas and headed home in the chilly autumn air to get cooking. It's just hard not to be in a good mood on a gorgeous day like yesterday surrounded by all this yummy goodness.



We started with the delicious Mediterranean appetizers and a very dry Spanish wine. I opted to make Moroccan Lamb with Chickpea Sauce and Couscous from Jamie Oliver's for dinner. Unbelievably good! And for dessert, an Apple Streusel Cake from one of my favorite baking websites (discovered during the ill-fated early cupcake chronicles) the Joy of Baking.



Yes, hearty cooking (and eating!) season is upon us. Oh, my waistline!



Posted from Munich

When You Can't Run Away from Winter

I spent Tuesday through Thursday last week in Mannheim where I am doing what is hopefully a short term assignment as I await news on a possible long term gig in Munich. Finally, finally the awful cold that has plagued me for a month was fading away following a week's worth of antibiotics. As always, whenever I start to feel comfortable in my job, it throws me a new curveball but it felt good to be back to work after a few weeks home and I was still happy from the promotion news, so the challenge was welcome.

I took a late train back on Thursday night and was looking forward to a home office day on Friday, dinner and an evening out with the girls on Saturday and, most of all, seeing Mr. Kilt. We had originally planned to go out for dinner Friday night with his former boss and his wife but he decided to postpone it for a quiet night in until I was fully recovered.

The weather had turned bitter cold again with snow in the forecast. Normally I like long, drawn out winters but after being ill for so long and with limited prospects of more skiing this season, I am for once ready for an early spring. Well, there is not much you can do to control the weather. A girl from New England learns this early on in life. But, you can create whatever season you want in your own house.

And what I wanted to create was Spain. Warm, sunny, and with some fantastic food to boot.

With that in mind, I headed off to the Viktualienmarkt for some seafood, appetizers and a bit of wine to make my own Mediterranean dinner on Friday night with Mr. Kilt. I returned home and was finishing up work for the week when the doorbell rang. I racked my brain for what I had ordered and couldn't think of anything but waited at the top of the elevator to see what was coming.

A warm, sunny bouquet of flowers from Mr. Kilt! Bright orange and yellow flowers, perfect for the Mediterranean dinner. I was beaming.

An hour later, the doorbell rang again. Hmm..now what? It was another bouquet. Honestly. This time from my friend and colleague C., who had spent New Year's with me. A congratulations for the promotion!

Was I feeling spoiled? You betcha! Some days are just too good.



In the evening, I built a fire and Mr. Kilt came over. We made the paella together and barring one chopping accident, I'd say we did pretty well. For anyone looking for a good paella recipe, I can recommend this one from allrecipes. I put in whatever seafood is priced ok and looks nice from the store, so substitute away! It will still be great.



I'm on my way back to Mannheim but can't wait to get home to Munich on Thursday.

Posted from BD

Photography of Food

I love to cook.


I love to photograph what I cook.


Food photography is sexy!

Posted from Munich

Sunday Brunch

I am not a creature of habit, preferring the spontaneous, unplanned and even absurdly random to the predictable rhythms of day to day life, but there is one tradition I hold sacred and that is the Sunday brunch. There are several versions of an enjoyable Sunday brunch for me, including brunch and wine with the girls at a nice restaurant and the picnic version at a beer garden on a sunny day, but I think my favorite is the still in pajamas, snuggled on the couch, cold weather version.

The weather has definitely taken a turn for the fall-like in the last two weeks. My wide, tree-lined street is covered in leaves and the trees are turning yellow, brown and red. It's not as spectacular as a New England autumn, but it will do.



This morning when I finally decided to roll out of bed I started up a breakfast for the Sunday brunch works. Soft boiled eggs, ham and leberwurst, sesame carrot bread from Hopfisterei, Swiss emmenthaler cheese, and a pot of Assam tea. My friend A. remarked to me one times that one of the things she found endearing about European life is how they have something for everything when it comes to cooking and eating. I have to agree on that. It's not in the loud American way (think any kitchen gadget infomercial in the US shouted out with Monster Truck announcer enthusiasm) but more matter of fact. Utensils for any situation, tea pots with tea light candles to keep it hot, bread boxes and different glasses for espresso, cappuccinos and latte macchiatos, for example. A. and I also wondered how the kitchens and houses can be so small and still fit all these specialized items but that is a mystery for another day I suppose.

One of my favorite gadgets I bought recently is the PiepEi. The PiepEi is a plastic egg that you throw in with your real eggs when boiling them. The egg sings a little song when they are ready and it is sold in three versions, one for hard boiled, one for medium soft and one for soft doneness.





Nevermind that it is just me. I spend a good one to two hours between preparing, eating, and cleaning up Sunday brunch. Music is carefully selected and must be either music that reminds me of the beach and vacation, country music or classical. Reading material is either a newspaper, magazine or google reader to catch up on all my blogs. It's simple but it's the good life. Oh, and the burnt edges on the toast? Just as I like it.



Posted from Munich

Cioppino

It's been a long time.

I have been composing a post in my head the last few weeks. I thought I could finally write it this weekend but still don't know how to say what I want, I guess because I still don't know what I want to say.

It is about a love story that began in Chicago, traveled to Mexico, Prague, and Frankfurt, moved me to Germany and Switzerland and finally ended a year ago today in Manila. A big love, a big loss. Our lives have moved on but it still makes me sad. I wish I could at least see why it turned out the way it did or say I learned something from the experience. There is nothing more to add; I suppose I should stop rehashing it. The heart is the last to accept it.

So what about cioppino? We will get there. It started out as a car wreck of a weekend.

I was in quite a rush on Thursday night. For once we landed on time in Munich and I got my rental car. I wanted to join a friend's farewell party as quickly as possible. I was already a couple hours late with the travel. A friend who I met through my Sunday cycling tours is now returning to the US for good. It's a good thing for him to get back home to his family but we will miss him.

Anyhow, I got the rental car and started down the highway. Got about 20 km from the airport when a warning light came on saying something about my tire in German. Soon enough I felt the telltale thump-thump-thump of a flat tire and pulled into a gas station. After calling the rental car company, waiting for 45 minutes for a return call and being told is would be another 1-2 hours until they could come get me, I decided to abandon the car and deal with it the next day.

After all that, I made it for the last hour or two of the farewell party then headed for home. The next day, I called the rental car company again and they somehow had it in their records that the car was already fixed. After establishing again that it was in need of repair, we started several hours of phone calls with various agents telling me any combination of Mercedes has to come get the car, we can come get the car and bring you a new one, you have to pay, you have to rent a second car, you have to pay for the tire as it's not covered by insurance, you shouldn't have to pay since the incident happened just after leaving the airport and on and on.

In between the small army of agents sending conflicting information and yet initiating very little action, the police called. Apparently I had parked the car on top of refill point and a gas tanker had arrived to service the station. Big commotion at the gas station. So could I please come get my car now?

By then, the rental car company finally managed to establish that they had a branch less than 400 m from where my car had been sitting and I could bring it there. But first I had to change the tire. Umm. No clue how to change tire.

So I decided to roll it over to the car rental agency and let someone there figure it out. Bad idea. They still insisted that I change the tire. Finally some taxi drivers who were watching the stupid girl try to figure out the tire jack took pity on me and came over to help. One asked me where was my friend (as in boyfriend) and just as I was about to swat him, I realized he was from the taxi service that M. and I used to use sometimes to go to the airport when we were living together. The second time in a week that has happened (previously with the guy who we used to buy our wine from).

Finally, all squared away and I headed for home but I decided there and then I wanted a low key weekend to just relax, reflect and recharge. I canceled all social plans, stocked up on some gorgeous food from my favorite butchers, markets and stores. I joined a dvd rental store and took out a couple of movies. Then I holed up in my apartment for Friday and Saturday. The weather cooperated with a cold rainy spell. I slept, edited photos, read a book, listened to music, and tidied up the house.

The weather improved today and was warm, sunny and blustery. I rode down to the Isar and catnapped in the sun by the river. Then tonight I made cioppino. Delicious!

In the end I didn't come to any earth shattering conclusions about anything but the company and the food were good. Now back to Geneva tomorrow as we enter into the final stretch.

Posted from Munich

Dill Pickles

The other night for dinner I was having a craving for a cucumber, tomato, dill and sour cream salad. I picked up the ingredients at the Viktualienmarkt, including a fresh bundle of dill, and hopped on the U-Bahn to head for home.

The bag was sitting on my lap and the instant the smell of dill hit my nostrils the memory came flooding in. When I was a child living in Philadelphia, I made summer visits to my grandparents in Connecticut. One of the things I always loved were my grandfather's homemade pickles, waiting in a crock in the fridge, soaking in briney water and seasoned with fresh dill from the garden. Sliced into spears and the highlight of any lunch. I could have eaten them all.

I still haven't found pickles anywhere that I like so much. Maybe I need to pick up the tradition myself now.

Posted from Munich

Eguisheim

Last night, determined to spend the day out of the house today, I pulled out my Switzerland Lonely Planet to plan a day trip. Two sheets of paper fluttered to the floor and I picked them up to see what they were. It was a year old print out of directions from Basel to Eguisheim, France - a recommendation from one of my former clients, who is Alsatian, on where to spend a nice day tasting and buying some regional wine.



I ditched the Lonely Planet and decided to check out this one stop on the wine trail of France. We had never made it last year, always too busy, but today was going to be a picture perfect warm fall day just made for lazing around in the sun and sampling some wine.

I knew I made the right choice as soon as I arrived. I parked the car and started skipping all over town taking photos of everything, wondering how I was ever going to shoot the whole thing in one day.





I had some lunch (a low-calorie tarte flambee) and then went off for some wine tasting. In this area they mostly have white wines - riesling, gewurztraminer, pinot gris, cremant d'alsace and a few reds. Although normally not a fan of white wines, the wines I tasted show how good they can be if done right.

When I walked into the first wine shop, I asked if I could do a wine tasting.
Je ne parle pas anglais.
Mmmm...ok, sprechen Sie deutsch?
Ja.
So I did my best and the woman got a lot friendlier.

When I walked into the second shop I was a lot more confident and just started in German. The man was chatting away and miraculously I understood all he was saying and even could respond. The nice Alsatian man complimented on my German - somehow I am not sure that is a good thing but it put a big smile on my face anyway. Good sales technique.



After lunch and stowing the bottles I bought in the car, I headed through town and up the hills for a hike through the vineyard. It was getting late in the afternoon and the sun was making the hills glow in the autumn sunshine. Another 100 or so photos later, I finally decided to head back to Zurich.



The spoils of the day - averaged about 5 euro a bottle.



Posted from Zürich

To Market

Eating well has become the norm for me in Europe (as my waistline will tell) and Provence was no disappointment in this area. The French supermarket was fantastic. Even better were the markets - every day of the week you could find a nearby town with a local market. In season right now - asparagus, strawberries, cherries, and cavaillons (local canteloupe melons). Cured and seasoned olives, locally produced honey and cheese were abundant, as well. And don't even get me started on the breads, pastries and sweets. We even had our very own cherry trees in the yard, full of ripe cherries for our picking every day.



Posted from Basel

What's for Dinnah?

I couldn't think of anything I wanted for dinner tonight. After browsing around the grocery store for awhile, I decided. Fish sticks!

I can't even remember the last time I had them and I never even really liked them. I found tater tots too. Except they call them croquettes de rösti here.

Doused it all in ketchup. Disgusting but good.

It's light out until after 9 now.

Only a week and a half until I see my parents and we start our Provence and Paris adventure. Oui Oui!

Posted from Basel

Borscht

So delicious and so yummy on a crappy winter day! I've made this recipe twice now (vegetarian version) and it is perfect. First time was for Christmas dinner - I pureed it to make it a little more upscale. Today, just the basic recipe and I think it is even beter. Yum!

Posted from Munich

Nürnberg Christmas Market Nürnberger

Nürnberg Christmas Market Lebkuchen

Zwetschgendatschi

I tried my hand at making a 'German cookie' as M. would say.

This took awhile to make as the recipe was all in German and there were some mystery words for me. I had to send an email to Christina to figure out how to measure in metric and that resulted in a new kitchen gadget for me. I love new kitchen gadgets. The dough is a yeast dough so rising time was needed.



I went to the stand to get some zwetschgen and the guy there was laughing at me - you try saying 'Ich haette gerne zwei kilo zwetschgen' and you will see what I mean. He said, 'Machen sie datschi?" Indeed, my Bavarian friend, indeed. He cut up one on the spot for me to try, smiling at my reaction.



For those who don't know what zwetschgen are*, they are basically plums, but smaller and firmer. This makes them ideal for baking with since they hold their texture under heat.

In the end, I think it was all worth it but I need my taste tester here to confirm authenticity. A couple of notes on the recipe though...

It seems that 1 kilo is more than enough zwetschgen. Fine for me as I will eat the other kilo this weekend. Yum! I wonder if Mom and Dad remember last year when they were here and M. sent us on our way to Vienna with a couple kilo of zwetschgen that we toted and ate for 4 days straight. There were still a kilo left when we got back.

Also, it would have been better if I didn't roll the dough so thin. It ended up more like a pizza with crust than an evenly distributed cake.

Other than that I think I need to invite the neighbors over for Kaffee and Kuechen to make a dent in this!

Before:


After:


*I was summoned at work recently by a friend of a reader of this blog who said he was being asked what a dirndl was (prompted by a previous post of mine). You know who you are ;-) I will try to be better about explaining German things to the Americans in the future.

Posted from Munich

More Pie!

I was inspired by recent discussions with SM and postings from Mausi to bake something I definitely don't need to be eating. But yum!



In other cooking adventures this week, I made a very successful chicken green thai curry and tom yum goong soup. I also tried a pork vindaloo with basmati rice and tomato-yogurt salad last night. I was critical but M. loved it!

For M.'s final two nights in Germany, we will have sesame and wasabi coated tuna (tonight) and mushroom raviolis with butter and fresh sage sauce.

Posted from Munich

Sweet

Have a good day, he said. I glanced up, wondering if I heard correctly. Not the words but the crack in his voice, like a Canadian goose. Probably just imagined it.

Can I help you take your bags to the car, he asked. There, his voice was cracking again.

It took everything I had not to start humming:
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange,
Who you are and what you're gonna be.
Sha na na na na na na na na na.
Sha na na na na.

I've been back in the States for 3 days. I am drowning in sweetness. I never realized how much of a sugar holic I used to be. I never noticed how much high fructose corn syrup is in everything. After a European detox, I indulged a bit in some of my favorite treats here and all the sugar is making me jittery. Then I keep crashing when the sugar wears off. I think it's good I've given up so much of my sweet tooth in Europe. It feels a lot better.

Posted from Delaware

An Old Classic

Sometimes there is nothing better than breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, french toast or omelettes just hit the spot when the effort for a full blown dinner just isn't in the cards.

Tonight I did something I haven't done in, well, at least a year and a half. I had sugary kiddie cereal for dinner. Something called Kellog's Chocos. Never heard of them but they were great nonetheless.

Posted from Basel