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A little update while in Germany
June 7th, 2011 |
| In Potsdam, Germany |
It has been a busy 6 days here in Germany. I have to say that my feet have been broken in, but it has been painful. Despite having tennis shoes, being pregnant and traveling has been a little challenging mostly for my feet. Thank God that eating and morning sickness has been really great as long as I eat on time ( nothing new here.)
Where have we been so far? We were in Berlin the first 2 days, traveled to Dresden for 2 days, making a stop in Wittenberg, and now we are in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It has been nonstop action with lots of sunshine, crazy body odor in train traveling, and yummy foods.
Yes, we had heard about the whole e.coli situation which now has been tagged to sprouts, so we have been staying clear of raw veggies. Either way, we have been enjoying all types of foods from the region and even having some Italian food too!
I just wanted to send a little update to know we’re having tons o’ fun!
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| Dresden Semperopera after watching Anna Bolena |
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Kelapo AppleCrumble Pie and Coconut Oil Review
June 1st, 2011
Hello! Just a quick post before Ryan and I leave for Germany. I know right? We are leaving again! We had 2 days to recover from our North Carolina trip before packing again but this time for an international trip. I have been trying not to stress to much. How many clothes to take? Well, this girl is only doing a carry-on so wish me luck!
Before I left I knew I needed to get my cooking on since we have been eating out for the past 12 days. A kitchen has not been available or an option so it has been a bit difficult. Now as we head overseas, we have the e.coli scare to worry about. We have had salad the past 2 nights in order to get the raw veggies before we do not touch a single one while in Germany. If you have missed the news, here is an update on the E. Coli Scare.
Anyway, I was saying that I cooked for the past 2 days, making breakfast, lunch and dinner, except for last night where I invited myself to a friend’s house for dinner since I was by myself. {Thanks Kristi!} I have had a hankering for apple pie for over a week and I had not had a chance to buy any or to find a slice so I decided that I would use up the leftover sad apples in my fridge to get it done. By the way, sad apples are perfect for apple pie!
When I got back from North Carolina I had a package waiting for me from the nice folks at Kelapo. They sent me an 8 ounce bottle of their virgin coconut oil. I realy like their glass packaging!
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Top of the Hill Restaurant, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
May 24th, 2011
We are nearing the end of our trip in Chapel Hill. Tomorrow we head out to Nags Head to view some of North Carolina’s coast. How exciting! I love the ocean and with the heat we have been embracing here in NC, I would like to feel some cooler temperatures. I am SO not complaining!
Last night, we dined at Top of the Hill with all our NC friends. This place was located in the heart of University of North Carolina’s campus on Franklin Street and on the roof of a building. I was looking forward seeing the view from the top. Chapel Hill is definitely a beautiful city especially for a college town. I HAVE to say that I like it better than Michigan State’s campus town. It seems more quaint and lots of history seems intact. I like that. Ryan preferred the industrial city of Lansing, which confused me but I was glad to hear his opinion.
We had one more friend arrive from Michigan after a long day of flight delays but at least he made it. It was great to add another friend to the group. It was a gorgeous evening for sitting out in the patio especially since we were not the only ones with the same idea. Good thing we had reservations because we got great seats with the sun setting on our faces.
Thanks to our friends, this restaurant turned out to be such a delight. They have such a unique menu using very fresh ingredients. I was just telling Ryan that it is not everyday you get to step into a restaurant that has unique menu items to choose from. This restaurant was definitely unique!
Some of the menu items that tantalized us were the Sweet Potato Cheese Fries that were topped with melted white cheddar, gorgonzola, scallions with some creole spicy ketchup. I had 2 fries but it did not quite intrigue me.
The other appetizer chosen was the Baked Crab Dip made with artichokes, spinach, and cream cheese along with some crostini. I heard that this was lovely.
Another recommended must were the Lizard Chips which consisted of sliced dill pickle & jalapeño chips crispy fried in their homemade beer batter and served with chipotle ranch dipping sauce. I had 2 fried pickles and liked them ALOT. Lately I have been craving pickled or mustardy foods so this was nice to try.
Ryan and I were tantalized by the French Onion Soup so we each ordered a bowl. I have not had this soup in more than 4-5 years so it was SO delicious savoring a warm delicious soup. There was a lot of cheese and a perfect amount of it on top of a piece of bread. YUM!
Now, I could have very well just ordered a salad to finish off my meal but I really was wanting to try one of their unique entrees. Their Wild Mushroom Grit Cakes called my name because it sounded so gourmet without any meat. Here are the ingredients:
portobello shiitake & oyster mushrooms sautéed in a rosemary cashew cream sauce ladled over crisp stone ground grit cakes
I know right???
I got the dish and well, the flavors were not exactly what I imagined. after 4 bites I started getting nauseous and realized that the dish was not going to cut it. I knew that if I continued anymore that I was not going to be a pretty sight. The flavors in the cream sauce were not distinguishable but I am thinking I imagined this to be a cashew cream and not a cream , dairy-based sauce. Silly me…I pretty much asked for it.
Even though I have not been eating vegan I know I have been trying to make the right choices when eating out, but sometimes it is hit and miss. My gut feeling told me to stick with a salad but I probably just ordered the wrong dish.
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Chopped Asian Kale Salad
May 21st, 2011
We are having a grand time in Chapel Hill and Durham, North Carolina. It officially feels like summer with the weather being sunny every day. Ahhhh, so nice. It feels like winter went on forever and that spring hardly made an appearance. I am glad that I am able to get some quality Vitamin D.
It took us a total of 12 hours to drive from East Lansing to Chapel Hill, although we almost thought we made really great time when we thought we were arriving in 11 hours. Somehow our GPS was not corrected to daylight savings time so even though it was telling us we were about to arrive in 15 minutes it told us we have 70 miles to go. It was REALLY wacky. How does a GPS not automatically adjust?? Either way, we were bummer we had an extra hour before we arrived and could meet our friends for dinner. BOY was I hungry!
Why are we in North Carolina? Well, Ryan and 2 other grad students were comissioned to compose choral pieces for a friend who is now teaching at a high school in Chapel Hill. They have been spending time coaching and teaching different choirs their compositions. It has been really neat. Their performance is this coming Tuesday so I am really looking forward hearing these great pieces.
What have I been doing? Well I am totally doing much better. The pain is all gone and I am almost finished with my antibiotics. It is incredible to think that I was feeling pretty crummy just this time last week. The car ride was not so bad but I had to lie down a lot because I was feeling a little car sick. It was all good though, thanks to God!
Anyway, I have been working, doing my day job wherever there is free wireless so that has been real nice. I also went by a Whole Foods and visited a friend’s daughter who works in the bakery. We set up a lunch date so it was real nice to know someone else in a town I have never been.
Yesterday, we were supposed to go to a minor league game at the Durham Ball Park but the only seats left were on the lawn and noone was really excited about that so we just hung around the American Tobacco area and decided to eat outdoors at a Cuban restaurant. It was not the best restaurant but the company was fun and the evening was gorgeous!
One thing I miss now that I am pregnant is not being able to enjoy in fruity alcoholic drinks. Our friends ordered mojitos and beer and I had a sweet tea. Oh well, this too shall pass. I bought a bottle of Mexican non-alcoholic sangria to go with our cook-out tonight so I am looking forward to that!
This morning, Saturday, we slept in, which only meant 8am to me and 9:30am for the rest of the guys. I took advantage of the morning and took a walk while munching a Pink Lady apple. We had talked the night before that were going to a diner for brunch so I knew I had to put something in my tummy so I would prevent any morning sickness.
Our friend took us around Durham downtown and to a great diner called Elmos. There was a nice short wait which we had heard sometimes can be a long wait. We had a great brunch, with Ryan and I ordering omelettes with home fries and biscuits and our friends ordering biscuits and gravy and a Mexican breakfast burrito. It was good! We were assured when we arrived Wednesday that we were going to be eating alot and at good places so we have been prepared.
After brunch, we stopped at the grocery store because we were invited to a cookout and swim at another friend’s house. I made my Papa Rusa, my Chilean Russian potato salad and my friend made an Asian Salad. I will have to update you on how our evening goes.
With that note I leave you a recipe for a salad I created before we left for North Carolina. I had a monstrous bag of curly kale I needed to use and I realy craved a salad. Let me tell you, this is something I have not craved since getting pregnant. If anything I have been feeding myslef greens because I had to but this was a whole different thing.
Once I cleaned the kale I realized I had 10 cups of fresh kale so I froze half of it and used the rest for the salad. I stripped the leaves from the stalks and chopped in smaller chunks and massaged the leaves with sesame oil. If you have an aversion to kale or really do not know what to do with kale, this is one of the best ways to eat kale RAW. The massaging process softens the leaves and makes them easier to chew and enjoy. This was a DELICIOUS salad and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Ryan suprisingly liked it too!
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Strawberry-Lime 7-up Pound Cake
May 16th, 2011
Even though it feels like fall today it is sunny and gorgeous and I do not care. As long as it is not cloudy and dreary, I am happy. I am also happy because I am feeling better as of today. Praise to God, that depite it being almost 3 weeks of being in this pain, He hears my prayers.
Let me tell you something. This has truly been a test for me. Have I been a whiny baby and been obnoxious to be around? I have tried really hard to be a good sport about how I am feeling but there were days I was in tears because the pain was excrutiating. Yes. I have really never been in this type of pain before. I really was not convinced yet to take Vicodin because I was not thrilled at ALL to be giving that to my baby even if the doctor says it is safe.
A test of how I have been feeling is when my husband tells me today that he has not seen me as happy as I have been today in 2 weeks. Is that not sad? Even my appetite seems a little back to normal.
Either way, back to testing. I really realized that my reliance on self is futile. If I proclaim to be a Christian and do not depend on my Creator to be my sustainer even in my pain, what is the point? Hopelessness sets in and then depression and self-pity. I questioned God why I needed to go through this because I was definitely not enjoying being pregnant. I find it healthy to question God just as long as I know that my dependence is still for Him.
Ironic enough, this time has really been teaching me to continually stay in prayer and to remember my first love, the God who has given me the gift of life in my womb even if it means going through pain just for a little bit. I can’t explain why it appeared but I know it has made me stronger and continually makes me stronger.
My husband’s patience is also a test of love, the love God has for me. Ryan has truly been patient and has been such an amazing husband through this time. We sure have not been tested as much as now, especially when it comes to our characters.
Our 3rd anniversary is tomorrow and I can only continue to thank God for such a loving and supporting husband. It is really worth the wait for the man God has ready for you all out there!
I did promise you a recipe. Before I left for Houston almost a week and a half ago, we were invited to a BBQ at one of Ryan’s professors’ home. Even in a bit of pain, I decided to bring a baked good because that is what I enjoy preparing the most.
I grew up making 7-up pound cakes all the time. I also remember the countless of sticks of butter it took too. *shudder* but somehow, eating one slice was not such a guilty pleasure because it was going to be shared with others.
I took a favorite and added some summer fruits and spruced it up with a yummy icing. It is delicious and it will keep people guessing with all the flavors it has. Noone really believes it has 7-up but it makes this bundt look nice and special. Make it this summer!
Bake in the preheated oven for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool on a cake rack for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.
