Thanksgiving + Lebkuchen

With the holidays quickly approaching we had a jump start on Thanksgiving, since we are unable to celebrate on the actual day. I decided to surprise Stefan with a small feast when he came home from work and I made everything on my own from scratch.

This was the menu:
Spinach Salad
Pumpkin Apple Soup
Apple + Onion stuffing
Blood Orange Cranberry Sauce
Whipped Sweet + Mashed Potatoes
Chestnuts
Turkey

...and dessert consisted of Pumpkin Delights sent from my parents in the US. I kind of ran out of time to make a dessert, because I've been trying several lebkuchen recipes.

So far they have all been relatively successful.

The biggest problem is storing them for several weeks so the flavors can intensify, because I keep making cookies and they are continually disappearing. I guess that's a good sign.

I'm planning on heading up to Nürnberg sometime during their Christmas Market to get some of their flourless cookies, which are fantastic. My flourless version are slightly less picturesque, but at least they taste good.

Thanksgiving comes early

Stefan and I decided we would prepare a Thanksgiving feast this weekend since we won’t be together on Thanksgiving Day. He surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers, which was super sweet of him. It was really amazing how fast we were able to make a rather large (and delicious) dinner together.

Our menu included:
Wine we brought back last year from Liechtenstein
Pumpkin soup
Turkey
Blood orange cranberry blueberry sauce
Knödels (a stuffing substitute)
Asparagus
Chestnuts in a sauerbraten sauce
Sweet potatoes
And pumpkin pie cups

We were very full at the end of the night, and had plenty of leftovers the next day - just like Thanksgiving should be!

Boston + Maine

We are gearing up for our upcoming trip to Boston / Southern Maine. I am really looking forward to this, because it's been some time since we have visited the Northeast. We'll be gone for just 4 days, and it is so difficult to decide where I must take Stefan and my sister. Naturally, I have the honor of planning things, because I have plenty of time to burn and I am a tour guide after all.

I know we can't go wrong with the Northeast. It oozes charm and makes me so happy. I love visiting a place that has character that's so distinctive and unique. I've yet to be disappointed there.

Boston will always hold a special place in my heart as well, because It was the first trip for Stefan and I while we were dating. We had a great time exploring the city together. I still remember thinking how crazy it was that I wasn't getting tired of being with him for the 4 days we were away. I think it hit us then, that this wasn't going to be a temporary thing.



Our hotel was right near the Boston Commons and the squirrels were everywhere. We made clicking noises that brought them from the far corners of town and one even jumped on my leg. Stefan was impressed that I spoke 'city squirrel', as he called it.

Since we were flying home on Thanksgiving day, we stopped at Mike's Pastry, the day before. It was hustling the only way those Bostonian Italians seem to make things work. They always seem to be actors who became bakers, with booming voices and fast paced orders. The trouble is there are so many choices... fortunately everything is delicious.

I instantly recommend Mike's to anyone I know going to Boston. Those simple white boxes tied off with blue and white bakers string always have the most divine contents. It's difficult for me to try new things when there are several places that are my tried and true favorites. I feel at home when we visit and won't be surprised if I call it home at some point in my life.

Logan Airport was empty as we flew home on Thanksgiving Day. It was Stefan's first Thanksgiving in the states... the memories just come rushing back. It was such a fun time and definitely has a special place in my heart.

I also went to Boston during the summer that I lived in Maine, but going in the autumn was utterly romantic. It probably helped to walk through the streets holding hands as opposed to being with 3 other young women.

Another Northeastern place I love is Maine, which explains why we're not staying in Boston longer. I'm partial to the coast, although there are some strange areas as well (Old Orchard Beach - or the OOB comes to mind). I think of the accents and it brings a smile to my face. The small sea-side fishing towns, like Camden, and Boothbay are just great. Even Freeport, with loads of outlets and shopping is nice. All of the original buildings remain and even McDonald's has an elegance about it (yes, hard to believe). The names of all of the cities are wonderful too - Kennebeck, Katahdin, Casco, Androscoggin, Penobscot, and Ogunquit ... to name a few.

I love Portland's charm with the tiny galleries and nautical feel. We'll definitely be enjoying some lobster rolls in Old Port. In addition to great food, Stefan will appreciate having a little bit of a winter while we're there. I'm already wishing that we had more time. We don't have major plans, so we'll see where things take us and hope for decent road conditions.

I'd also love to have another Sea Dog Blue Paw Wheat Ale (which can sometimes be found at Trader Joe's). I have an affinity for anything blueberry (another reason to love Maine) and the Sea Dog mascot is a Great Pyrenees, just like Mieka. There are a myriad of reasons why the Northeast is great.

The beauty of a week

I just love feeling like I got something accomplished!

Not only did we have a decent Thanksgiving after arriving late, but we also got our holiday plans taken care of and booked.

It's always funny to me how Stefan and my cultures rub off on each other. I hate to be late, while Stefan takes the laid back American approach. Thanksgiving was no different. I just missed the subway I needed and expected that Stefan would be finished with the office. I thought maybe he would greet me outside rather than me having to venture up and sit in on a discussion between him and his colleagues. Our reservations were for 8pm... we arrived closer to 8:30pm. I was having flash backs from our trip to Reims where we wanted the day to be a success but somehow weren't communicating clearly.

On our walk to the restaurant I also managed to step in dog poo. Sometimes life is so comical. As a side note, I also learned that Stefan believed that Black Friday was due to the fact that Americans 'got money' on Thanksgiving. I have no idea where he got this notion. He said 'all of these years I have been telling my brother that'.

Needless to say we made it. Our table was there... the feast was there. I think I was a little overzealous with the truffle sweet potatoes because I ended up eating way too much and feeling a bit sick. What is Thanksgiving for right?

As for our travel plans we have decided to maximize our time (seriously) by going to Copenhagen and Stockholm. We are leaving early in the morning on the 26th and arriving home late on the 1st. Not only did we manage to book this trip, I also found out about an ice festival in Bruges. I have heard such great things about the place and the ice festival was all the more reason to go. So we are going to be heading there for the weekend of my birthday.

I am really excited for all of our trips. Each city has great things to offer that I am really excited about. Copenhagen's bright row houses along the waterfront I know are going to be so beautiful for a color enthusiast like myself. I know that the Little Mermaid statue that is there is supposed to be quite small, but I am still going to go visit her.

From all of the descriptions I have read about Stockholm being the Venice of the North and having unique food similar to Japanese cuisine I am sure it is going to be fascinating. We are going to visit the ice bar and go on an ice wrecking cruise around some of the islands.

We'll have a 3 day weekend in Belgium and I know we'll enjoy the waffles, beer, and chocolate. No stops in Antwerp for diamonds this time.

The Christmas markets open this weekend and I am going to hope Stefan doesn't have loads of work and we can go to Regenburg for their market. I have heard nothing but good things about the place. It was one of the few cities that didn't get bombed during the war, so it's very old old Germany with Roman city gates dating back nearly 2000 years. The markets are so spectacular... this is from Allägu last year. I love how each city has a unique take on things, however some things are standard - like glühwein.




That is one of the exciting things about Europe - they really built things to last and with pride. I wish sometimes that America took more of an initiative to build lasting beautiful structures. People travel to Barcelona to see Gaudi's works, they go to Rome to see the coliseum, Paris for the Eiffel Tower... and while America does have plenty of natural beauty, much of the architecture is seriously lacking. Strip malls and the consumer mentality definitely feed the US. That's probably the art historian in me coming out, but I wish America was more willing to leave a legacy behind through public art. I immediately feel happier when I am in a city that obviously appreciates aesthetically pleasing structures.

I guess maybe even the strip malls give the US character. I try to view it as an outsider as I read books by foreigners who travel to the states. Everything must seem grandiose and over the top, especially considering the places that foreigners travel to - Las Vegas, New York, California, Texas, Florida. Rarely do people get a glimpse of smaller American towns. America is a consumer land. Even the Europeans go to shop there since the quality and right now with the exchange rate it's all very affordable. Days like this make me so happy not to feel the urge to join mass humanity on Black Friday or feeling the Christmas spirit through purchasing.

Thanksgiving around the corner

It is still one of the stranger holidays to celebrate internationally. Probably because it's always on a Thursday and the world seems to keep moving here. I have seen some cranberries at the grocery and thought about making some kind of cranberry dessert. It won't compare to Dorothy Lane Market's orange cranberry mix, but it would be something!

We are going to visit Stefan's parents this weekend and I thought of doing some kind of makeshift thing. I'd probably do a modern take on Thanksgiving, but I know how Germans don't really bring things (even though I ALWAYS bring something when we visit). Maybe if I am ambitious I will make pumpkin cookies tomorrow.

It's funny how the largest part of Thanksgiving (minus being with family of course) is the Turkey, but that is not my priority. I'd rather the whipped potatos and pumpkin dishes. Last year we went to the Perkins' house and since I haven't been very active with the International Women's club we're not going to go this year. She even had trouble finding a place that had a whole bird (you have to visit a special man at Viktualienmarkt) -- and then she had the problem of trying to fit it into her oven, because the ovens are substantially smaller. And don't forget the refrigerators are also smaller, so you make food and don't know where to put it.

It doesn't make sense for me to cook things up when it's just Stefan and I. Last year Stefan told his office it was an 'important American holiday' and he needed to leave early, which was sweet of him. It makes me think about celebrating makeshift 4th of July with our cookout. The humor in all of it makes the holidays great.

I am really thinking that we will probably end up making reservations at a restaurant here called 'The Big Easy'. They try to be New Orleans like, which is even funnier - and they will have live Jazz. It almost makes me have to go because I love to see the German take on thing... such as that Mexican restaurant we went to that had (no joke) marinara sauce for chips as opposed to salsa. I could have taught them a thing or two... how hard is it to make salsa from scratch?! Needless to say we drank many maragaritas that night as we laughed about that.



Isn't the best part of the menu the 'you like' in the top right hand corner? English is widely spoken here... it sounds like something you would hear from a ramshakle shop in Tijuana.

I'm not sure what funny aspects will be this year... I guess spending nearly $100 on Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant ranks up there in ridiculousness, but I'm sure we will have a lot of fun. My other favorite is the 'Amerikanish Salate' - I don't quite know what the difference is with an American salad. I guess we don't pour tons of oil and balsamic on it, and put corn and random things in. We have an English speakers message board where people can share information about anything and everything. I could not stop laughing at one man asking where to get 'an entire Turkey dinner for take-away' - in America you can definitely get Thanksgiving catered and it's not a big deal. Finding the same thing here or even thinking you could is hysterical.

One thing is for sure - we are going to have a snowy winter, because it just keeps coming. That is unless the föhn (warm Alpin air) comes through to warm things up again for a while.