Adventszeit - time before Christmas...

I really like fall, and ever since we have kids I love the Adventszeit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent This is the time when we prepare for Christmas. I make an advents wreath (see picture) and light the candles accordingly. Today we lighted the first candle.

This year we started the season the day after Thanksgiving . Alena and I made stars out of craft foil. Gold, purple, pink (of course :) ) green, sliver...just wonderful. Yesterday I made the first batch of cookies so at least we have some for our afternoon tea. OK - afternoon tea we only have during the Adventszeit. On weekdays I take some time, make tea, eat cookies and sing Christmas songs with the girls. Oh, and yes I have also taken out all of our Christmas books and stories. Tomorrow (on December 1st) I will hang up the Adventskalender (advents calendar for the girls. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_calendar They also sell them in stores here in the States but they all seem to be filled with milk chocolate. Our girls cannot have milk I therefore make my own and they will get a little present every day until Christmas.

Oh, there is one thing that is very different to me living here in the States and that is the Christmas tree. When I grew up the Christmas tree went up on Christmas Eve. My parents decorated it and it was this huge secret what it would look like :) I now compromise. We get our tree in mid December and all of us decorate. More about Christmas later...

A perfect Thanksgiving dinner

It is the day after Thanksgiving and I am sure everyone is still feeling full :) The turkey we had yesterday must have been the BEST turkey I have ever had. One confession here, I am not really a turkey lover but this fantastic. Ron put the bird in a brind; it turned out nice and juicy not the least bit dry.

I have to confess to a few mishaps so...for starters I attempted to make rolls. Attempt is the right choice of word. I made the dough and let it rest. A couple of hours later I made the rolls, let them rest, and put them in the oven. Well, I must admit, they did not rise and were the sorriest little rolls I have ever seen :).

Our next mishap was with the turkey. So we all know a turkey has giblets as well as a neck in its cavity. Well, we found the neck and looked all over (as we thought) for the giblets. This bird must have come without them I thought...Well, we took at the bird after three hours and what did we see poking out at the bottom. Yup, you guess right the bag with the giblets :) Thankfully it was all intact. Bird was still delicious. But can you believe this!!!!

We sat down with all of our sides. Bird, gravy, mashed potatoes, yams, brussels sprouts, cranberries...everyone started to eat until our friend asked "So you decided not to make stuffing after all?". Well, the stuffing was all made and waiting to be baked in the fridge. I forgot to bake it!!! Good thing it only takes 3o minutes to bake.

This was the most wonderful Thanksgiving and we have stories to tell about it.

Thanksgiving

This year we will have Thanksgiving for the first time at our house. My family, and German friends of ours. So maybe it will be Thanksgiving with a German twist?! - Well, I think that we actually will keep it pretty traditional.

We already got our Turkey and Ron will put it in the brine tomorrow. And what about sides...oh yes, my favorites. Mashed Potatoes, Yams (not the canned ones), Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, Gravy, and then I will make rolls. Our friends will bring the Cranberries and Brussels Sprouts. One thing I almost forgot, yes there also will be Pumpkin Pie. That we will buy at Sweet Pea...

Schwaebischer Kartoffelsalat - Swabian Potato Salad

My entire family loves Kartoffelsalat (Potato Salad) this is also a great crowd pleaser, and everyone loved it at the B-day Party yesterday. Here is my recipe - sorry units are metric:-

1 kg Potato's - I generally use Russets
1 large onion
250 ml vegetable, or beef broth
1 bunch Parsley - this is not an absolute must...
5 TBL Oil - I think I usually use a little less oil
5 TBL Vinegar - I like white wine vinegar

1. Boil potatoes in their skins until soft
2. Peel and chop onion into fine squares
3. Drain potatoes, once they have cooled off peel, and slice thinly
4. If using, chop parsley fine
5. Put onions, sliced potatoes, and parsley into a bow
6. Heat up the broth, and pour hot broth over onions, potatoes, and parsley
7. Cover and leave for at least an hour (the longer you leave it the better it gets)
8. Add oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. I like my potato salad more on the vinegary side...

Enjoy everyone....Let me know if you like the recipe.

Prinzessin Lillifee Party for Alena - with Swabian Potato Salad and Wiener Wuerstchen...

Prinzessin Lillifee.... Die Maus

Alena's Birthday Party was yesterday...she wanted a theme of flowers, hearts, and pink. I got (on our annual trip to Germany) Prinzessin Lillifee napkins, candles (for the cake), ballons, party flags, and party hats. The entire room was a dream in pink...http://www.prinzessin-lillifee.de/ if you would like to see what the Prinzessin looks like..OK - so what does that have to do the least bit with being German in PDX? Let me tell you. Here is the German twist to the B-day party...We played the Mausgelassene Geburtstagsparty CD, played games, and I made Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) for dinner.

The games we played are the ones I remember from my childhood. One of them is "Topfschlagen", or hit the pot. You put a little gift underneath a pot and place it on the floor. The

player gets her/his eyes covered, and holds a wooden spoon. The player then crawls on the floor hitting it until she/he hits the pot. The crowd tells the player how close she/he is to the pot by yelling "cold", "warm", "warmer", "hot". Once the pot has been found the player gets the little toy underneath. Its great fun...here is a link I found on the web. http://www.topics-mag.com/edition11/games-toddlers.htm. The second game we played involves a cardboard roll, yarn attached and a gift at the end. There are two players. Whoever rolled the yarn up the fastest wins. The very nice thing is that both kids get to keep their prize...For more ideas look to these pages (they are both in German only) http://www.kindergarten-workshop.de/ and http://www.kindersuppe.de/index.html.

After cake, music, games, and some free play the kids were hungry for Wiener Wuerstchen (aka Saiten Wuerstle, Hot Dogs), Potato Salad, and Pink Lemonade with heart ice cubs. I think everybody had a great time...

Remember the Laugenstangen...

Another Friday, and another day we had Laugenstangen (Pretzelbread)...I may sound like a broken record but they are GREAT!!! Go stop by the bakery. Just like in Germany...http://www.littletbaker.com/

German events this weekend

This weekend the holiday season begins...The German American School is having their annual Christmas Market out at the German American School. It is a really nice event and will start to put you in an early holiday mood. More information under http://www.gspdx.com/

Another fantastic event this weekend is the lecture about Charlotte Salomon's life the title of the lecture is "To Create Her World Anew: Charlotte Salomon’s Story in Art" it is at 1 P.M. on November 23rd, 2008 70 NW Couch, Room 142, Portland 97202. The lecture is by Prof. Mary Lowenthal Felstiner. She is a historian at San Francisco State University, Visiting Professor at Stanford University, author of "To Paint Her Life: Charlotte Salomon in the Nazi Era", and foremost authority on Charlotte Salomon. We went to the concert on October 19th 2008 at the Old Church and it was just AMAZING...I am sure that the lecture will just be as fantastic.

Here is the Wikipedia link...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Salomon

A little bit of background about Charlotte Salomon:

Charlotte Salomon, born in Berlin in 1917, grew up in an assimilated Jewish family as the daughter of a surgeon and a singer. Hitler’s rise to power changed the family’s situation drastically and Charlotte escaped in 1939 to her grandparents’ estate in the South of France. The Gestapo arrested her there in 1943 and deported her to Auschwitz, where she was murdered. Before her arrest she gave her complete work to a friend, reminding him: “Please keep this safe. This is my entire life!”

Enjoy these events. - If you go, please let me know how you liked them...

Pseudo Schupfnudeln

Schupf...what? Schupfnudeln, I love them...here is a link that shows how they are being made http://chadogroup.com/oma/schupfnudeln/. To me the great thing about Schupfnudeln are not really the potato "noodles" but the Sauerkraut they are heated up with in the pan together. You get the picture, right? Sauerkraut last night...pseudo Schupfnudlen tonight. So what on earth are pseudo Schupfnudeln? Well it is pasta and then it's fried up together with the leftover Sauerkraut. It's great...remember I love Sauerkraut. And yes, Alena loved it too...

Sauerkraut

How stereotypical a German writing about Sauerkraut :)

Is there anything better on a cold evening than Sauerkraut, Kassler and potatoes? To be exact Salzkartoffeln. I am so glad it is fall again and it is chilly. OK don't laugh but the 50s really do feel uncomfortable...So tonight we are having Sauerkraut & Kassler. I have to admit that I do not like any domestic brands but I can get Hengstenberg Mildessa here in PDX. Both New Seasons Market and Edelweiss carry it. This is almost a staple in the cold season. The Kassler (smoked pork chops) I got at Edelweiss this time. In the past I have gotten them from Gartner's. Gartner's a little far for me, so this time we will give the Kassler from Edelweiss a try. They sure do look good.

Stay warm everyone :)

Fantastic day for the beach...

Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach

What a great weekend. The weather just was spectacular all weekend long. Sunshine during the day, and clear cold nights. Very nice...Today we decided to spend the day at the beach. We just love living in PDX. In less than 1-1/2 hr we are at the Pacific in Cannon Beach. What a great place. We met our friends at the beach and just hung out all day. The four girls were playing in the sand while we relaxed. Everyone enjoyed the sand on their bare feet, the serene sound and beauty of the Pacific. We saw the sun turn the clounds in beautiful pink hues. What a great day!

Being from the south of Germany and very far from the ocean, it is just amazing to me how close we are to the Pacific. And to be able to sit on the beach in the middle of November?! Priceless...

Here is some info about Cannon Beach ->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannon_Beach,_Oregon

Sunny Days call for a visit to the Playground

PICTURE TO THE LEFT IS WASHINGTON PARK - TO THE RIGHT IS BERLIN ZOO

It is sunny here - yes, it does not always rain in PDX...- so yesterday we all went to a trip to the best playground in town in Washington Park right by the Rose Garden. What fun everyone had. there are several slides, places to climb, swings, etc. . It is a really fun playground, but I have to

have to say that it is not quite the same as German playgrounds. Why? For one, the slides are steeper, there are more things to do, just very different. So truth be said, the playground here is perfect for the 2 year old, but for our 4 year old the German playground really had a lot more to offer. When we were in Berlin we visited the Berlin Zoo (and no, we did not see Knut). WOW - what a playground!!! The play structure looks like a ship, and you can climb, slide, down...I think Alena could have played on the structure for hours. Swings were made out of recycled tires (isn't that cool?). That of course was an extraordinary playground, but besides that I really found that the German playgrounds offered a little more for young kids. What do you think? Let me know. I love to hear from you.

Here are the links - If you are looking for a great playground in Portland, go to Washington Park http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=841 - It really is fun, and both kids could have spent hours there as well.

For more information about the Berlin Zoo go to http://www.zoo-berlin.de/en/

What's for dinner?

It is fall and I am ready for full-flavored, stew type meals. So you may wonder, are there only German meals in our home? Not at all...I am just thinking about this. It was Chili on Monday- OK I am caught leftovers from the Laternenwalk on Saturday :); German Potato-Leek Soup on Tuesday; a Hungarian type of Chicken Paprika with Knoedel on Wednesday - OK also very Germanic; and today we had Cauliflower-Potato Curry...with lots of ginger

So what does this have to do with being German in PDX? Well honestly not much, but writing this down proves to me that no matter what my kitchen is still very Germanic based :)

Sauna in PDX

The Blockhaus Sauna at Tuwass in Germany


The out door warm soaking pool at Tuwass, Germany (see the snow around it)



The Finish Sauna at Tuwass, Germany

In Germany I love to go to the Sauna. We try to go at least once a week. In the Tuttlingen Sauna there is a Steamsauna with 50 degree C, Sanarium with 60 degrees C, Herbalsauna with 80 degrees C, Finish Sauna with 90 degrees C, and a Kelosauna with 100 degrees C. I personally love the Sanarium with its great light- and aromathreapy, and the Hebalsauna. Ron really likes the Finish, and also the Kelosauna. Then I like to cool off under the shower, jump into the cold soaking pool, and then rest on a reclining chair. Wonderful!!! - Here is a link to the virtual tour of Tuwass. It is of the entire place including the pool area. It will take awhile to load-up but if you have some time, take a look at it...http://www.tuwass.de/0_virtual_tour.htm

Today I really, really felt like going to the Sauna. Good thing we live in PDX as there now also is a private Sauna in SE. It is called Löyly and located on 2713 SE 21st Ave, PDX. They opened for co-ed, women only, and men only times. Co-ed times require mandatory bathing suits. I am used to the German Sauna were it is mandatory to be nude. So that is not so appealing to me. Women/Men only times however are clothing optional. Great! I went today for the very first time. The place is very serene, candles are everywhere, the scent in the air is heavenly, and there is - very quietly - music playing in the background. The cost is $15 for an hour, or $25 for three hours. For the $25 you will get two towels, and a robe. If you choose to go for an hour only pay an extra $3 for use of a robe. There are two sauna's. One is - I am guessing - around 80 degrees Fahrenheit or so, the other is a steam sauna. They are both small but nice.


I did miss that there is not a time in the Sauna (in Germany they are "sandtimers") so it is hard to keep track of the time spent in there. To cool off there is a cold water shower in between the two sauna's. It does the job. - There is an area to get a cup of water, or a cup of tea (add $3 - bottomless cup). Now the location is very, very small so they really tried to fit a ton of stuff into the area. But there are no reclining chairs, but there are matts you could put on the floor to lie down, or you can sit on a bench (a wooden bench) and put your feet up on the table in front of you (that's what I did)...This is my only gripe about Löyly that there is no place to actually relax after the actual sauna bath, and to me the relaxation is just part of the whole experience. At least a couple of recliners would be nice...

Another nice thing so is that you can get a massage while there, a nice foot soak, or even a facial.

Give it a try. It is almost like being home...at least its as close as we can get. I certainly will be back Check it out online at http://www.loyly.net/

Laternenfest

Yesterday we held our third annual Laternenfest at our house.

What is a Laternenfest? - It is one of my fondest childhood memories. What is a Lanternenfest. It is a procession as soon as it gets dark of children carrying Laternen along with adults. Everybody is singing "Laternensongs". Here is a link to a Laternenfest I found on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY0GUAyRNjI. The Laternen are generally handmade. In the video on YouTube it looks like the kids made them in Kindergarten (Pre-school), we made ours in the Spielgruppen, and at home. As for historic relevance the procession is to honor St. Martin. Here is the link explaining a little more about it on Wikipedia. The entry states that children go door to door - I am not familiar with that part of the tradition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin%27s_Day

We had about 70 children and adults for our Laternenfest. People started coming over starting at 4:30 and we started the procession around 6 PM. It was a pot-luck. I had made Chili, Weckenmaenner. We had home-made Gluehwein....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluehwein. Prior to the procession everybody hung out at house. Yup, 70 people. Let me tell you that no heat was needed. We actually had to open windows as they steamed up.

Our procession was wonderful. We walked through our neighborhood here in SE PDX, it did NOT rain, and sang our songs. Our neighbors were wondering what we were doing...so close after Halloween. So much fun. The lanterns showed us the way, and we sure were able to be heard throughout the neighborhood. Some people left after the procession, the rest of us hung out at our house. The kids played hard, and the adults enjoyed each others companies. I know that I had a ton of fun.

Are you missing Laugenstangen?

Yeah, its Friday. Spielgruppentag...before Spielgruppe we stopped at Little T Baker on SE Division street to get some Laugenstangen. OK, I know I just got back from Germany but I already miss Laugenstangen...What a treat and at $1.75 they are really affordable. Are you in the mood for something else? Well, the bakery actually offers sandwiches, a ton of different desserts all in a sleek, but cozy, urban setting right here in Southeast Portland. And if you want a Salami-Sandwich on a Laugenstange...you have come to the right place.

And here is something else. You want to have Brezeln for your next event? You can special order and they will make them for you. Call so for qty., pricing, lead-time etc.

Enjoy

Contact information is -

little t American Baker
2600 SE Division
Portland, OR 97202
Phone: 503.238.3458

MO-SA 7 AM - 5 PM
SU 8 AM - 2 PM

Rainy Days make me want to go to the pool....

On rainy days I love to go to the pool. The problem however is that I have not really found a indoor pool I really like. So I am on the search for pools...earlier this year in the spring we drove out to Bonneville Hot Springs Resort. It is a really nice pool, large out door soaking pool, and a "sauna". I write "sauna" because, there is no rest area, no cool off pools, and of course everybody in the sauna is wearing a bathing suit. That is rather strange to me...

Today was a nice rainy fall day here in PDX, and we decided to go swimming. In the quest to try out new things we went to the soaking pool at the Kennedy School in NE PDX. I have to say the pool is very nice. The changing area, showers, are quite rustic - but the pool itself is very nice. We had the pool to ourselves. It is outdoors, the water is very nice and warm, you can turn on the jets, float in the water, look at the sky, and feel the rain drops on your head.
Besides the changing/shower situation it is - very nice!!! We did have lunch and a pint afterwards. The whole family was quite happy...

One more thing to the shower/changing area situation. The changing area is right by the pool, the showers however are by the bathrooms which is across the hall. The bathrooms are also across from one of the larger meeting rooms. So picture this...the girls and myself wrapped in towels, barefoot walk through the hallway, past the meeting room (oh, and the doors were open), to the showers. 15 minutes later we did the same thing on the way back...this is a little different...

Here is the link to the Kennedy School Soaking Pool - http://www.kennedyschool.com/index.php?loc=57&id=120

Link to Bonneville Resort - http://www.bonnevilleresort.com/spa_pool.htm

Election Day...

The big day was finally here and at long last we are no longer inundated with political ads. In all aspects this was a historical race. An African-American running for President, and on the other side a woman running for Vice-President. I have never seen such excitement about politics. People wearing their buttons, T-Shirts, bumper stickers, etc. proclaiming you has their vote. I do not recall having ever seen anything like that in Germany. But truth be said, I have been living in the States for a very long time. So please let me know if you feel that is incorrect. Are people in Germany showing their "color" by admitting whom they support?

We spent the election day evening at our friends house on the other side of PDX. Driving back home on Hawthorne, there were fireworks (yup - fireworks), people on the streets dancing, cheering, crying, drumming...This is (to draw an analogy) how I imagine the streets in Germany were when the German soccer team made it to the finals in the 2006 World Cup. But to see this to celebrate an election...

Our Trip to Germany - final thoughts

What a great trip we had!!!

We stayed in Nendingen in an apartment right of the hiking trail, and right off the fields. It was wonderful. Alena (our oldest) went to Kindergarten for the full time we were there. What a fantastic experience. This is the second year she has attended Kindi in Germany and it is the best!!! Full emergence into German. She has been telling everyone that she has two Kindi's a German and an English one.

Besides that it has been great to go to the market twice a week, get great Bretzeln every day...We ended up going swimming every second day! The girls LOVED it. Check out the great pool in Tuttlingen here http://www.tuwass.de/0_fr_start.htm. They were so excited every time we drove to it. - I LOVE to go swimming, but also had some time by myself as I went to the Sauna at the very least once every week. The Sauna in Tuttlingen is fantastic as well. Check it out here http://www.tuwass.de/0_fr_start.htm.

I already wrote about our great trip to Berlin. We also went to the Bodensee (Lake of Constance) pretty much on a weekly basis. Another place the girls loved was the http://www.affenberg-salem.de/. Monkeys roam free, and you get popcorn to feed to the monkeys. Alena actually fed the monkeys. One piece of popcorn at a time. When the monkey wanted a second piece right away she looked at him, pointed to him and said "you have your mouth full!!!!". It was really funny :)

Bottom line about our trip it was great, and staying close to five weeks is just the perfect amount of time. Honestly so, I would like to be able to go at least twice a year. Once for a shorter period (no less than two weeks) and the other time for a longer period of time. But for now I am happy to be back in Portland :)

Are you looking for a German emergence program for your Pre-schooler

Did you know that there are a couple of options in PDX for German language emerging programs for young children?

• The German American School offeres a program Preschool through 5th grade --> check it out at http://www.gspdx.com/

The other options is the Portland Kinderschule. It is a co-operative program and specifically for children aged 3 -5. It is a great little school and they still have spaces available for this school year. WOW - what a great opportunity, full German emerging and still spots open....

• Check it out at http://www.portlandkinderschule.com/. It looks and feels like a typical German Kindergarten...

Fall - my favorite season

Fall is my favorite season. Here in the United States it starts with decorating for Halloween, carving pumpkins, getting costumes for the kids etc. I just LOVE it. Have I mentioned that I love orange :) - I have heard that kids now also go "Trick or Treating" in Germany but are asking for money. This is a little different to me. I would love to hear how Halloween is celebrated in Germany. Let me know. Write a comment, or drop me a line.

After Halloween it is time for all of our GREAT German customs, and festivities. We start out with the Laternenlauf for St. Martin's Day. To learn more about St. Martin's Day check out Wikipidea at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin's_Day. We already made our Laternen at Spielgruppe for the big day. If you would like to know how to make your own Laternen check out the following web-site. There are fantastic links. One caveat so, I am not a very crafty person, and I was able to make great Laternen - http://www.martin-von-tours.de/laternen/laternenbasteln/index.html (the links for the different types are to the left hand side)

So what do we do with our Laternen? We learn songs, and then we walk as close to November 11th as possible with our lit Laternen through the neighborhood. We (Spielgruppe) have gathered for the last three years at hour house. Walk through the neighborhood with our Laternen, sing songs, and afterwards hang out at my house for a pot-luck. The neighbors were all very surprised...but it is SO much FUN for the kids. Oh, yes I do admit this, for myself as well :)

Have fun...Let me know what you are doing for St. Martin's Tag. Are you familiar with this custom? What songs do you sing?