Christmas Cookies!
Yesterday, Michael (my boyfriend) and I had our First Annual Day of Baking Christmas Cookies.* He wanted to send out cookies as Christmas presents, so we came up with seven different kinds we wanted to bake. It was a mix of American and German cookies, and the differences between them were quite striking. The American cookies we chose tended to be very sweet and light, while the German cookies are very rich and nutty. I have to say though, the Germans really know their Christmas cookies: they are by far my favorites of this whole bunch. Below is a description and picture of each kind we made.
LebkuchenThis can be literally translated as "life cake," and honestly the first thing I said after took a bite of this was "I could eat one of these every day for the rest of my life." It's that good. It's dense and rich and very intensely flavored with a spicy sweetness. It's a traditional German bread/cake/cookie that is baked for Christmas, and it's similar to soft gingerbread....but so much better, in my opinion!
Zimtsterne"Cinnamon stars!" These things are wonderful! I still remember way back in 1997 when my family hosted a German exchange student, she made these for Christmas. I fell in love with them and have not forgotten the taste, even these 12 years later! These are also traditional German/Austrian Christmas cookies. The funny thing about these cookies is that there is no flour and no rising agent in the batter! It's mostly made up of egg whites, ground almonds, cinnamon, and lemon. That sounds all rather odd together, but end result is incredible. It's crunchy and chewy and intensely flavored. Yummmmm....
GingersnapsA classic Christmas favorite, who doesn't love gingersnaps? I'm going to place these in the American cookie category, since we used a recipe from The Joy of Cooking. I think German gingersnaps tend to be "spicier" anyway. I think the ones we made are a perfect balance of chewy and crisp.
SnickerdoodlesA simple sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon = pure yumminess. I think I am noticing a theme here in my love of cinnamon. :)
Macadamia nutMichael has a huge bag of macadamia nuts in the freezer that he got from his trip to Maui last year. What better way to use them than in macadamia nut cookies?
ButterscotchWe made these as "freezer cookies," meaning you make the dough sometime before you want to use it. You roll it into a tube, wrap it up, and stick it in the freezer. Then when you want to bake the cookies, you slice the tube and bake! Hmm....someone should market this idea... ;) Anyway, I had never made butterscotch cookies before, and I was amazed to find out all it takes is a little vanilla extract and brown sugar to achieve the taste. We also packed a ton of chopped almonds into these cookies, because, let's face it - almonds are delicious.
VanillekipferlThese little guys are Austrian. I believe the translation would be "vanilla crescents." And that's exactly what they are: crunch, light, slightly vanilla flavored crescents. They were time consuming to roll out and shape, but you really can't hold it against them when they turn out so cute.
All in all, I think we spent a total of 9 hours baking cookies, and the entire apartment will smell sweet and Christmasy for weeks to come. Now all we need to do is get these cookies out of here before someone eats them all. No, I'm not talking about Michael or me. I'm talking about this guy. He apparently likes Vanillekipferl too.
*Title subject to change and may not be annual. That was so much work!
Labels: Christmas, cookies
Back to Blogging?
So, um, it's been a while, hasn't it? I haven't used this blog in ages, but I really want to get back to blogging, so I think I may resurrect this one. I have started blogs on other sites (mostly due to friends' requests that I sign up for some particular service), but I think I like blogger the best so far. It seems to let me customize things the most, and I really like that. Plus I have such a history on here! I may consolidate some of the posts from other blogs on here and back-date things...for continuity's sake.
I have been thinking that I should come up with a theme for my blog. I have finished with Peace Corps, so that won't be my focus anymore, although I certainly will talk about it from time to time. The other blogs that I have tried in the past have been so disjointed in the past. I start off with a purpose, but I get bored with it and abandon it. But, maybe that's been my problem all along - trying to limit myself to a single topic like recipes or whatnot. Maybe I should just post whatever I feel like and let this blog evolve naturally.
A lot of changes have taken place since I last wrote in here. The biggest change is that I am completely and totally done with Peace Corps. I finished my service in Ukraine in November 2008. I won't bore you with the details, but since that time, I have lived in Kansas and Ohio. And, just recently, I moved to Seattle with my boyfriend. We have been here for only a few weeks, and I am slowly adjusting. I am still feeling a bit uncentered though, and I am trying to find my place again. I feel like having an outlet like this may be a good idea - a place to jot down my thoughts, feelings, tell about new experiences and discoveries.
Yes, I am definitely liking this idea. If you, dear readers, have any suggestions on what you would like to see here, let me know. (Seattle touristy things, my thoughts on a vegetarian diet, my troubles with keeping my orchids alive, my thoughts on cultural differences between Americans and Germans, ANYTHING!)
For now, I will start off my posting a fantastic recipe I tried out last night. I should let you in on a little secret first though: I am absolutely obsessed with pumpkins right now. Or rather, squash. All autumn I have been trying out different kinds of squash for all sorts of recipes - bread, soup, pie... I even have three different types of squash pureed and in my freezer right now so that I'll be able to savor the squashy goodness this spring. :) But anyway, on to the fabulous recipe!
 | | Rated: |  | Submitted By: Ruth Photo By: Allrecipes Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes | Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 6 | |
"These barely-sweetened fluffy pancakes feature ginger, cinnamon and allspice to emphasize the pumpkin flavor. Serve them hot with maple syrup for the best autumn or winter breakfast dish ever."
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger | 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups milk 1 cup pumpkin puree 1 egg 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons vinegar |
Directions:
| 1. | In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. |
| 2. | Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot. |
| ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com | Printed from Allrecipes.com 12/4/2009 |
I followed this recipe exactly, and the pancakes were amazing. Light and fluffy pumpkiny goodness. Um, just use caution with your portion control. I did not. I stuffed myself silly and felt....well, only slightly guilty, because I went out salsa dancing afterward and hopefully worked off the ten thousand calories I'd just happily consumed.
Back in the USA
I'm sorry I have been so awful about sending out updates. I can't even remember the last time I sent one! The last few months in Ukraine were just a whirlwind of wrapping up projects at work, packing, saying goodbyes, etc. Sending an email out to you was on my "to do" list, but I never quite got around to it! I'm already back in the US now. Actually I flew back on November 19 and have been slowly, slowly integrating myself back to life here. I spent a couple of weeks in Ohio visiting relatives, but I was in Kansas for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was so great to be able to celebrate the holidays with family again!
Let me just try to update you a bit with what I did in the last few months in Ukraine. My last couple of semesters teaching at the secondary school, I picked up some older and younger classes. I ended up teaching grades 4-11! That was quite a challenge, but I really enjoyed it. I liked teaching the older classes, because I got to have discussions with them and didn't have to focus on English grammar so much. Surprisingly though, I liked teaching my youngest classes the most. The fourth graders didn't have the best English, but they were just incredibly eager to learn and really sweet to me.
This past summer I was accepted to work with American Councils again to train Ukrainian high school students who were about to go to the US to be exchange students. We taught them about American culture, how to live with a host family, American high school, etc. I had a lot of fun with this.
June 14 marked a major event in Ukrainian history - Paul McCartney gave his first concert in Ukraine........and I was there to see it! The concert was held in the main square in Kyiv, and it was free. Of course once I learned that, I knew there was no question that I would be making the 14 hour trek to Kyiv to see the concert. Unfortunately there was a TON of rain the day/night of the concert. I mean an absolute downpour! My friends and I stood outside for hours in the rain in order to get a good spot to see the stage. We had umbrellas, but they soaked through to the point where they couldn't repel rain anymore! It was so cold that everyone was huddled together for warmth. But wow. The concert was amazing. The Ukrainians absolutely adored the Beatles, so everyone around me was just as enthusiastic to see Sir Paul as I was. I still can hardly believe that I finally saw him in person!
This summer I became a mother.....to four kittens that is. Many Ukrainians have pets, but they are always outdoor animals and are usually fed table scraps. My next door neighbor's cat was probably the sweetest cat I have ever encountered, so I would often feed her real cat food and let her inside my house to warm up in the winter, or to chill in the summer. She pretty much thought that she was my cat. So this summer when she had kittens, she brought them to me! I looked out my window one day and saw her standing at my front door with a tiny, six day old kitten in her mouth, and I knew I had no choice but to help her. Fortunately the house where I was living had a "mud room," or little enclosed entry area. I set up a cardboard box and food and water dishes there. That was quite an experience raising those kittens! I found homes with three other Peace Corps volunteers, but just could not find a home for the fourth kitten. And....well I really fell in love with one little guy. I named him Mirchik (pronounced Meer - chick). "Mir" means "peace" and "-chik" is the diminutive form Ukrainians give to names. It's like calling "Samuel" - "Sammy." I ended up bringing this kitten back to the States! (My mom jokes that he won the visa lottery.) There was a lot of paperwork and worry before I left Ukraine. I had to get a rabies immunization, passport with a picture, certificate of health, and microchip (since I had a layover in a European Union country - but I don't think this step was actually necessary). There was no quarantine though. In the end, I worried a lot over nothing. The trip was fairly uneventful. I was able to carry the cat with me in a canvas and mesh bag stored under the seat in front of me on the plane. He cried some, but was mostly so tired that he slept for most of the day of traveling (I wish I could have!) Mirchik is settling in nicely to American life. He loves his new Science Diet food, playing with his new sister (my parent's cat), and bird watching. Poor guy probably wasn't expecting that moving to the US would mean getting "demanned," but he's fine now. He's a very, very laid back, sweet, calm but fun-loving cat.
I'm sure I mentioned before about the secondary project I worked on for much of my service in Ukraine - the foreign language resource center. I learned so much from doing this project. There were a lot of negatives (promises that were made about what materials would be provided or work that would be done were broken, and as a result we just couldn't do a lot of what we originally wanted to do with the project, plus we got terribly behind schedule) but also a lot of positives. Between the book drive in the US my mom organized (thank you all so much for the books you donated!), donations from two international book donation programs (Darien Book Aid and Books For Peace), and purchases made with the grant money we received, the resource center has a very impressive library of books. It includes sections of children's fiction, history, science, arts and entertainment, cultural studies, etc, as well as a whole section for teachers including books on methodology, reading/writing/speaking/listening, grammar, and English textbooks and workbooks. We had two bookcases built to hold the books, and we also have a TV with a DVD player and numerous DVDs in English, a computer, printer, copier, scanner, and whiteboard. Throughout my two years in Ukraine, I held a weekly English club, and once the resource center was set up, I had a few movie screenings. I also held weekly teacher training seminars. These mostly had to do with the "communicative method." In other words, more communication and less grammar/translation in English lessons. I taught sessions on how to teach each of the four skills (reading/writing/speaking/listening) communicatively, as well as how to use music in the classroom. I did not get nearly as much attendance at these sessions as I had hoped, so that was really a disappointment for me. I try to console myself with the fact that there were about three teachers who came to all the sessions they could, and I hope that they benefited from them.
Now that I'm back in the US, I have been laying kind of low. I'm enjoying the incredible selection of foods at the grocery store. I became a vegetarian about a year ago, and it is nice having a much bigger variety of foods to choose from here. The first week or so was a little overwhelming adjusting to the mass of STUFF available in the US, but I think I'm used to it again now. :)
Right now I am job/grad school searching, trying to figure out exactly what I want to do next. I've got some good ideas, but would welcome any suggestions!
Is it really December?
So, have you ever received a present from someone and you were a little late in writing your thank-you note? And then you felt bad for being late and wanted to think of an acceptable way to word things, so you put it off a little longer? And then the next thing you know, it's a year later and you never sent the note, and you feel guilty, but you know it's definitely too late to even send the note, so you have to live with that guilt forever? (Wow, I hope I'm not the only one who ever does silly stuff like that!) Anyway, that's a bit like how I feel right now. I can't even remember the last update I sent out, but it was before the summer began, I think! SO MUCH has happened over the last few months - visit from my family, trip to Turkey, lots of camps, trainings, grant writing, teaching, dancing, illness, recovery, adult English classes, friends coming and going. You name it, it's likely happened. I'm sorry for not keeping things up to date. If you'd like any more details, just send me an email and I can fill you in.
To bring you quickly up to speed - I am keeping extremely busy. I wrote a grant (and it got accepted; I'm just waiting to be awarded the money) for a
foreign language resource center for my region. We're going to have all sorts of books and information in English, French, and German, as well as an English club and movie club, and teacher training seminars. This will be my big project for next semester.
I recently started up an adult English class in the evenings. Interestingly enough, I think this is the single most rewarding thing I've done in
Peace Corps so far. I started off teaching them the alphabet, and we are now working on the verb "to be" (which doesn't exist in Russian or Ukrainian) and "I, she, he, we, they, you." The people who come are just so appreciative and eager to learn. I even have one "babushka" (grandma) who comes early to ask lots of questions. It feels really good to teach them.
The biggest news right now though is that I am coming home for
Christmas and New Years! I wasn't really planning on coming home during my service, but I happened across a pretty good deal for a flight, and seeing as I haven't really had a Christmas at home for at least two years, I couldn't pass it up. I will be in
Columbus, OH from the night of
December 20 to December 24. On the 24th, I'll fly to
Manhattan, KS, and I'll be there until
January 3. I have to fly back then to Columbus to get my international flight out on the 4th. If anyone is going to be in those cities for those days, I would love to see you! Please send me an email.
I hope you are all doing well and having a wonderful holiday season. I hope to see you soon!
Pysanky!
This is an Easter egg called "pysanky." I knew that it was a Ukrainian tradition, but I hadn't found a single egg like this until about a month ago. (Apparently they are a lot more common in the western part of Ukraine.) I am absolutely in love with this thing. It is handmade through a process of painting on designs with wax, then dipping the egg in colored water, then repeating, until you get the desired effect.
