Somewhere in the Middle

Welcome to the Double Digits :: The BIG 1-0!

This past week, Little C turned the Big 1-0! We had to make the day a little extra special... I mean it's the first double digit birthday. So in the middle of the night, I placed turquoise balloons all over C's bedroom. What a wonderful surprise to wake up to a room filled with balloons, right? C loved it. He actually told me he woke up in the middle of the night and was so excited when he saw all the balloons. ;)

No birthday would be the same without starting the day with breakfast in bed. The day of C's actual birthday was pretty hectic with school and karate.

    
Before dinner, we opened gifts which included art supplies, fun Halloween items, and lots of Moshi Monster items I managed to pick up in London. I also surprised C by making him Shishi, another favorite Moshling.

We ended the day with C's favorite dinner - pork tenderloin & cous cous. And for dessert he requested an Apple Split (apple slices, lemon sorbet, vanilla ice cream, milk chocolate cream, and three marachino cherries).

Over the weekend, we had a small get together with a couple of friends from school. It was very low key.

C requested I bake an Oddie - Moshi Foodie cake. I've never had much luck with cakes but this year I was shocked because my cake was actually cooked... it didn't burn, shrivel up, nor did the center collapse! I think after 6 years, my oven is beginning to like me! 

The children also played a few games along with a shrinky dink activity. 

When we talked to the parents, we told them we were going to have a small playdate for C's birthday. So most of the kids didn't bring gifts but C didn't even notice. Of course, had they brought gifts C wouldn't have complained. But I like how C wasn't so focused on gifts; he was just happy to have his friends come over and play. Which I think is great. After all, aren't birthdays more about spending time with people you enjoy & love.

Carving Pumpkins + English Conversation

This year I've decided to take on more responsibility with the English conversation groups. It's a group I'm really passionate about so I'm enjoying my new role. With so many international women in our community wanting to practice & improve their English, we have a huge demand for native speakers. So my first goal is to recruit additional native English speakers. But it's tough finding people who are willing to set aside time to help.

Being in a community with so many international women is such an incredible opportunity and if you can make friends with these ladies it makes the time here in Belgium so much more enriching. People just don't know what they're missing. Of course, there is a comfort level when you surround yourself with women from your own country but really? Once I move back to the US I'll have lots of opportunities to make American friends but for now I'm focusing on my international Grrrls! 

After talking with an acquaintance from another conversation group, I decided to spice things up with my group. Since I love crafts I thought it would be fun to incorporate some holiday activities.

And with Halloween just around the corner I decided to have a pumpkin carving get together with my group. It was a lot of fun.

For most of these women, it was the first time they've ever carved a pumpkin. I'm happy to say that they really enjoyed the activity.

We talked about Halloween and how it's a big tradition for many Americans to carve pumpkins especially if they have children. And I explained as children when you're trick-o-treating, a light pumpkin is a sure sign that that house is giving out candy!

Before we started I showed them lots of online images of carved pumpkins. But my group is a creative bunch and they came up with some interesting ideas.

Everyone went home with a really cool pumpkin they can use this Halloween.

Cooking with the Sicilians.

Our 2nd cooking course was hosted by Ice Cream Grrrl (on the right). I love this girl! She always makes me laugh and she's a non-coffee drinker like me. Quite honestly, I've never met an Italian who didn't love a shot of espresso but Ice Cream Grrrl is in a league of her own. Instead of drinking coffee, she has a cup of ice cream every morning. lol! Love it! She says it helps her wake up... "so cold & refreshing". About a week ago, I dragged myself out of bed at 4am to do a flea market and guess who was at the market? Ice Cream Grrrl. And she was eating a bowl of ice cream at 5:30am despite the weather being in the 50's. Franchi, her other Sicilian girlfriend brought it for her. How sweet is that? When I see these Italian women together it reminds me of a big group of loving sisters. I once asked Ice Cream Grrrl how much Ice Cream she goes through... her answer, a few containers of ice cream per week! 

Not only can Ice Cream Grrrl polish off ice cream without gaining an ounce but she can cook too! For our cooking class she showed us how to make Polpotte di Melenzane and Franchi showed us how to make Croccante. The food was amazing!

While Ice Cream Grrrl was cooking, Sardegna Grrrl explained to me that eggplant is a very common ingredient in Sicilian dishes.  

To make Polpotte di Melenzane you need eggplant, parmesean cheese, bread crumbs, fresh parsley, and an egg or two. And of course some garlic from Italy.

When I asked about the measurements for the various ingredients I received some sketchy answers so I believe it depends on how much you're making. I suppose it's a bit like your grandmother's cooking. You eventually learn how much to put in based on taste & experience.

Once all the ingredients were mixed, everyone shaped the dough into little patties that were later fried. 

Don't these look amazing!

Franchi made the Croccante using sesame seeds, almonds, honey, and sugar. She toasted the sesame seeds and almonds until they were a deep rich brown color.

While the nuts cooled off, she carmelize the sugar. As she mixed the sugar in the pan, she poured the honey into the middle of the pan & gradually mixed the two ingredients together.

Once the sugar carmelized, she added the nuts. Working quickly she covered the nuts with the sugar mixture.

Then she poured the mixture between two sheets of wax paper and with a rolling pin flatten the mixture. This step requires some muscle as the mixture hardens quickly.

Once flattened to about 1/2 inch, Franchi cut the mixture into little rectangles.

For lunch, Ice Cream Grrrl served penne with tomato sauce and some melenzane she fried earlier.

The pasta was really delicious and yet it was a simple & healthy dish to make. Perfect combo in my book. I loved it so much I made it for dinner except I baked the eggplant. 

The conversation at lunch was lively and fun! Sex was the main topic which always makes for an interesting conversation! About 70% of the conversation was in Italian but I had a good idea what they were talking about. But the Turkish woman in our group was a bit lost. So when she asked what they were talking about Sardegna Grrrl said.... "we are talking about sex and how we have it". lol!

Thank you Ice Cream Grrrl for an amazing lunch!

An oldie but goodie.

This recipe is my go to recipe during the Fall season. It's super easy and despite my love/hate oven relationship this bread comes out perfect ever single time. I usually make two loaves... one without nuts for Lil' C and one with coarsely chopped walnuts. Bon appetit!

Pumpkin Bread

• 1 ½ c sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ c oil
• 1 c pumpkin puree
• 1/3 c water
• 1 ¾ c flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp all spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix sugar with eggs. Gradually add oil until blended. Add pumpkin and water.  Combine flour with baking soda, salt, baking powder and spices.  Add to the pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Bake for 45 mins at 350 degrees. Makes 2 small loaves or 1 large loaf.

Nutcracker, please.

Everyday I'm reminded more and more why I love the Fall season. Yesterday morning as I was driving through my neighborhood I saw a man putting up a sign for "Noix", walnuts... my favorite. Drive around any of the little roads where I live and you'll be bound to see all sorts of signs..."Pomme di Terre, Oeufs, or even Beurre". It's one of the things I just love about this area. 

Before moving to Belgium I bought my walnuts at the grocery store. And then one day, S brought some walnuts home that a co-worker brought in from his yard. I've always loved walnuts but never did I realize how delicious fresh walnuts can be. These walnuts were moist yet crunchy and filled with intense flavor.

Every fall, I see the "Noix" sign & I always want to stop yet it's never good timing. And before I know it the sign comes down and my only option is to buy them at the local markets.

So yesterday afternoon as I drove past the sign I thought... should I buy them? YES!! I made a quick u-turn and pulled up to the front gate and bought 2 kilos worth. Last night I cleaned them and they're drying now... I can't wait to get cracking!

Crazy for Cornmeal.

I'm definitely in a baking mood. Yesterday, I made this delicious Blueberry Cornmeal cake. Love, love, love the texture cornmeal adds to cakes. A couple of years ago, I tasted an amazing cornmeal cake at a B&B in Tuscany and I've been trying to recreate that cake forever. But the minute I took a bite of this cake, I wasn't transported back to Italy... no, this cake took me back to those early years in New York when my grandmother & Mom would heat up an Entenmann's corn meal muffins. How I used to love those muffins!

Many of the reviews on Bon Appetit commented about it being too salty but I didn't find that to be the case. It was light, slightly sweet and extremely moist! Perfect combo. Would be a great dessert for those finicky Europeans that think all of our desserts are too sweet. lol! 

Blueberry Cornmeal Cake (courtesy of Bon Appetit)

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 3 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen blueberries that I drained really well)

special equipment

• 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Whisk flour and next 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and honey in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl until creamy. With mixer running on medium speed, gradually add egg mixture; beat to blend. Beat in flour mixture just to blend. Add ricotta and yogurt; beat on low speed just to blend. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Scatter 1 1/2 cups blueberries over. Spoon remaining batter over in dollops, then spread to cover blueberries. Scatter remaining blueberries over. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over. I omitted this step and instead sprinkled powdered sugar on the cake once it cooled.
• Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack.

 

Forget French, I need to learn Italian!

Today was the best day ever. And it all started last week....

Sardegna Grrrl sent me an invitation to participate in a group called "Laboratorio di Cucina". Oh, now THAT sounds fun! I love cooking classes but when I looked at the list of members I realized I was the only non-Italian. Did Sardegna Grrrl make a mistake? Won't everyone be speaking Italian? I understand some Italian since some words are similar to Spanish but I really can't speak Italian. So I quickly sent Sardegna Grrrl an e-mail asking if she really wanted me in the group and I assured her I wouldn't be offended if she had made a mistake in sending me the invite. Her response, "I am sure. And I called you on the phone to tell you and left a message. We want you as the international side are you coming?" Unfortunately, I never received the message since the new IOS update to my iphone has completely caused havoc with my voice mail.

Being included in this group was just the thing I needed! Ever since I've come back from our summer vaca in the US, I've been a little down with the whole friends issue... It's a little lonely when your good friends move away... Especially with Backgammon Grrrl gone, things just aren't the same.

I wanted to express to Sardegna Grrrl how much I appreciated her welcoming me into this wondeful group so I gave her an adorable apron. I saw it on Anthropologie and loved it! So I bought a few not knowing who I would give them to. But I have to say this was the perfect opportunity. And since Sardegna Grrrl is super stylish we had to start the class out right by being fashionable in the kitchen!

I love this photo of Sardegna Grrrl. It is so her! Kneading dough and talking... she's a multitasker all right! She loves her iPhone as much as I do!

The cooking class was so much fun!! Imagine 10 Italian woman + one American and one Spanish woman gathered around a table learning to make Seadas.

Home-made dough and everything. It was fabulous!! And to think I used to pay for Italian cooking classes. lol! But this was much more authentic and a lot more fun.

We also received a lesson in fancy napkin folding.

I love how even though all the women in the group are Italian they're all from different regions so their food is very different.

I was the designated photographer so I got a lot of good shots. In addition to the delicious Seadas, Sardegna Grrrl also made Spaghetti with Bottarga (cured fish roe). I've never tasted Bottarga so it was a treat for me. And apparently it's a delicacy in many Medittaranean countries.

Sardegna Grrrl placed thin slices of Bottarga on top of a traditional Sardinian flat bread. She also had Bottarga powder which she poured on top of the spaghetti along with fresh garlic and olive oil. It was really delicious! I'm always amazed how every Italian who has ever cooked for me makes pasta perfect. How do they do that? It's never overcooked.

Sardegna Grrrl also served a fantastic Sardinian wine along with a special sparkling water that can only be found on the island. It was a real treat! By the time the food was served there were 12 of us at the table... eating, talking, laughing, and drinking. I couldn't have asked for a better day!

After lunch, Sardegna Grrrl fried up the Seadas which were absolutely delicious with a little honey drizzeled on top.

We also received three Seadas to take home and cook for our family.

The first Laboratoria di Cucina was amazing! With such talented, funny, and wonderful women as these it's impossible not to have fun. Here's to the next cooking lesson!

Pumpkin Treat

Last week I was browsing through various pumpkin recipes & I came across one for Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese. I immediately had a craving for bagels. And it just so happen S was in the US. So I quickly shot him an e-mail, "Ok, so here's a crazy question. Do you think you'd be able to bring home a few bagels from Einsteins?"  He never answered my question but when I picked him up at the train station he was holding a big bag of Einstein Bagels! He's definitely a keeper!

Immediately, I whipped up a batch of Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese. And we had it with the pumpkin walnut bagels. Yum!

Every day this week I've been treating myself to half a bagel in the morning. Tomorrow my English conversation group is meeting at my place and I'll be sharing my bagels. Sure, they're not New York bagels but they're still really good. And with pumpkin spice cream cheese you really can't go wrong. It'll be interesting what the international ladies will think. When I was telling Canada Grrrl about how I'm experiementing with pumpkin recipes she make a remark about how Americans love their pumpkins. And it's true! Come the end of Sept. and we're already starting our obsession with pumpkin.

Recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese courtesty of "Pinch My Salt"

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour. (I couldn't wait an hour so I ate it right away but it really is best if you wait.)

Happiness

I love books but I'm not particularly fond of collecting them. I rarely read a book twice and space is at a premium in my home. When S & I married we used to buy lots of books and an Ikea bookcase was the first piece of furniture we bought. After living in Germany for 2 years we went back to the US with two pieces of furniture... an armoire and a bookcase! lol! Twenty years later we're accumulated a quite bit more. I've sold or given away most of my books but there are just some books I can not part with. And as I was unpacking some boxes I found my collection of "soul feeding" books. You know which ones those are... books that friends & family give you or those that have beautiful sentiments written inside. And of course those books that make you feel good or are just such amazing stories you can't part with them. 

For me, one of those books is "Selma" by Jutta Bauer. It's a sweet little book about happiness. And sometimes you need a little reminder to make you appreciate and love your life. 

For those who haven't read "Selma". The story begins with a lonely little dog...

When I just couldn't take it anymore, I went to the wise ram....

"What is happiness?"

"Happiness? Let me tell you the story of Selma..."

"Once there was a sheep named Selma... Every morning at sunrise, Selma would eat a little grass... She would play with her children until lunchtime...exercise in the afternoon... eat some grass... have a little chat with Mrs. Miller in the evening... and finally fall fast asleep."

Asked what she would do if she had more time Selma replied...

"Well, I would eat a little grass at sunrise... play with my children until lunchtime... exercise in the afternoon... eat some more grass... have a little chat with Mrs. Miller in the evening... and finally fall fast asleep."

"And if you won a million dollars?" she was asked. 

"Well, I would love to eat a little grass at sunrise... play with my children... exercise in the afternoon... eat some more grass... and it would be nice to have a little chat with Mrs. Miller in the evening... before finally falling fast asleep."

I read this story yesterday to Lil' C and I asked him what he though happiness meant and this what he said...

" It's when you're loved, cared for, getting attention, playing, and one more thing... feeling special."

I couldn't have said it better myself. ;)

Hello Fall

There is no doubt about it... I'm an autumn girl. I absolutely adore this time of the year from the weather to the colors and the holidays we celebrate during the next couple of months. It's a beautiful time of the year here in Europe. For me, fall represents a new beginning. I suppose it has a lot to do with the beginning of a new school year which brings all sorts of changes. Plus it's an opportunity to meet new people and take advantage of different opportunities.

My schedule is a bit more laid back this year so I'm hoping to take advantage of the time and do some things I've missed like blogging and cooking. I also have a long, long, list of art/craft and sewing projects I want to complete.

This past weekend, I celebrated the beginnning of the fall season with pumpkin pancakes. The recipe was super easy and the pancakes were delicious! Almost as good as the Williams Sonoma Spiced Pumpkin Pecan mix & I saved myself $15! Had I added some sugared pecans to my batter I think my mix would have been just as good but Lil'C doesn't like nuts so I skipped that step. I did drizzle my pancakes with maple pecan syrup. Delish! 

So in honor of the Autumn season I'm dedicating the next month to cooking with pumpkin! Bon Appetit!

Note: Right now Lil' C is obsessed with all things Moshling. So last month I sewed Little Jeepers, his favorite moshling. Even Jeepers helped us celebrate by sharing our pumpkin pancakes! lol!

I love how Lil' C posed him... Fork & knife in each hand, ready to eat! lol! I suggested we take another photo with a plate of pancake crumbs and Jeepers wearing a little syrup but C wasn't having any of it! lol!