Isaac loves Späzle!

We brought a package of Maggi Spätzle back from München (they had a company store) and Isaac loved it so much he even licked the spoon!

Peacocks on our property!

The boys who live in our front house knocked on my door (whilst I was cleaning for our brunch party tomorrow) and said, "There are Peacocks on the neighbor's roof." Pretty soon, they were on the front house's roof! Beautiful guys!



I know of two flocks of "kept" peacocks in Austin, but haven't seen them in the wild before...





They made their way around to our backyard and then into our neighbor's garden for a healthy snack.



Afterwards, they moved to the front of the houses and disappeared. Fun times in Austin!

Tschüß!

Grete and the Squirrel

This happened last year with another Squirrel and now it's happening again with a new, younger one. Grete has a best friend to hang out with in the mornings. Near our guest bedroom, a tree comes dangerously close to the window and has a great bump for the Squirrel to sit on.

Lately, this cute girl has been coming to see Grete and they stare at each other, or Grete sprawls and sleeps on the bed while the squirrel cleans her face. She doesn't mind me, I say hello and she blinks back. It helps that Grete's colors are squirrel-esque.



Last year, when Grete was younger, another squirrel would come by and sit with her. That one has moved on, but the friendliness remains.

Tschüß!!

Grilled Parma Schwein (Pork) Rounds

On Thursday nights, the weekly menu is usually out of sorts. I try to plan around the days...Monday's recipe needs to be quick and easy since Ryan is off all day. Tuesday and Wednesday can be more elaborate since he's not home until later and it gives me time to cook. So Thursday sometimes becomes "FFY" or "Fend For Yourself" night. I grew up in a family of 8 and Thursdays usually were "leftover night" - my favorite night of the week. It was always fun to make a hodgepodge plate of some leftover roast pieces (never a roasted carrot survived the original day), mashed potatoes (with some gelatinous gravy plopped on top), sweet-and-sour pork (takeout from China Platter), a bit of chicken enchiladas (G-ma Peyton's recipe), and homemade chop suey.

In our house, with only two of us, most leftovers are eaten the next day for lunch.

Last Thursday night, the freezer had some frozen pork tenderloins and frozen rolls, and the fridge had remnants of a Parma Proscuitto package (today being the last day to use them) and a few carrots. What to do...



Parma, to me, is the tastiest variation of Proscuitto...so after defrosting the tenderloin legs, I cut them into 1 1/2 inch rounds, wrapped them with a piece of Parma folded in half, stuck a toothpick through it, and generously salted/peppered the centers. I put it on the grill (always get it hot, sear one side for a minute, then flip them over before they stick, and then turn the grill down to medium-low), tossed the carrots in olive oil, salt, and pepper and popped it in the oven.

Voila...



And there were enough leftover rounds for a good lunch the next day. We actually repeated this recipe a few nights ago and reheating the rounds in the oven is even better than the microwave. YUM!

For fun, I gave it a somewhat German/Italian name since the Parma is definitely Italian, but pork always reminds me of Germany.

Tschüß!

Photo Recap: Days 9-11, München, Deutschland (Europe 2008)

More from my journal:

The next day we took the train early to München, found our cute hotel, and set out to conquer the city.

Nothing prepared us for the Jodelwirt - it took two nights to find it - but I am so glad we did. You climb up these stairs and enter a tiny room with a table, a bar, and a man perched in between it all with an accordian in his lap, a microphone stretched out of the ceiling, and the biggest shit-eating grin that you've ever seen that quickly turns to a "howdy" glance and - whenever he finds a moment - a joke - about someone or something - and sure not everyone understood it - and his thick Bayern accent tripped up my poor German - but the room would roar with laughter.

He made fun of us because I couldn't find a place to put the coats and he also asked where we were from and put a few "yippees" in [his songs] for us. How fun, we stumbled home after a bajillion Ayinger [beers].

München is one of those familiar-feeling cities that welcomes every time, puts on a great show, but always has something new around the corner to discover. Two days isn't enough. I doubt even two weeks would be - two lifetimes...maybe.



Click here for more viewing options.

Tschüß!

p.s. Life rolls happily by this month, busy trying to stay afloat, and hoping to catch up on the personal life this weekend. Only two more segments of the photo recap to go...Rothenberg is next, then Amsterdam! Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you have enjoyed it!

Photo Recap: Days 8-9, Salzburg, Austria (Europe 2008)

Cute, crowded Salzburg. We arrived on a national holiday and in a successful attempt to keep locals from heading to München for shopping, they put a lot of effort in a huge Christmas market. I think three whole huge city squares had booths setup, plus a few non-official clusters of booths in other streets or hidden squares.



From my journal:

For dinner, the place we wanted to see was closed so we walked up into a tiny street tucked past the crowds - and found a tiny restaurant with Weihenstephaner on tap and insane Goulash. I had the deer, which didn't taste like any of the deer I have had before.

It was a little slow, but we ate early and the early sundown plays tricks with your head. It darkens around 4 here.

Click here for more viewing options.

I hope you're enjoying the recap of our trip last month! Tschüß!

Book Review: Renegade's Magic

Yes, I'm also a fantasy book geek...just finished the thrilling conclusion to Robin Hobb's Soldier Son trilogy. And no, I'm not a very good review writer but need to get the word out about this beautiful author!

Renegade's Magic: The Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
A fantastic conclusion to one of the top trilogies in recent memory. Each book has its own cadence, themes, and era, making each book an exciting and new adventure, rather than repeats through 600+ pages. This final book is exhilarating, with complex plot points seemingly resolving, while tattering apart moments later.



The book resolves itself extremely well, with a satisfying end of the book (as opposed to an abrupt end). The descriptions of the land, forests, and people are exquisite - and I found her vein of "magic" to be intriguing, yet frustrating in a good way.



I definitely recommend starting from the first book, but think that you'll enjoy the beautiful tale.


View all my reviews.

Tschüß!

Photo Recap: Days 6-8, Vienna, Austria (Europe 2008)

From my journal:

I have mixed emotions over Vienna. The people are friendly, [but it is] not as pretty as Slovenia and definitely more modern, but without the chicness of Germany.

Is it a money thing? At the crossroads of Eastern/Central Europe, it seems like there is a very mixed identity and culture.

The sightseeing was awesome and probably would have been better if we hadn't have had the 6 hour train ride plus a sleepless night above yet another nightclub. I can pick them, can't I!

Seeing the Hapsburg palace and treasury was so neat. We saw crowns, clothing and serviing pieces for centuries of Kings. You could spend days in there.

Click here for more viewing options.

Top 3 memories:

* The awful 1st night dealing with the disco - using bathroom fans and all to block the noise
* The Hapsburg palace
* Eating fries at an unnamed institution after a loooooong chat perched at a local bar

Tschüß!!

2008: A year in pictures Part II

July

Ryan moved to a new salon, I focused on my new position...and surely some other things that I forgot to photograph.

August

Ryan turned 30 and we celebrated with our first big party at the house...



...and Grete refined her present-hunting abilities...



September

Travel time! We went to Cancun as Ryan's birthday present for a 5-day relax-fest. Although it was a little windy and rainy from passing Hurricane Ike, we got plenty of sun, beer, and reading...



...and robe/slipper-wearing...



October

We turned over the rent house and gave it a few weeks of solid love before Jeff and Steve moved in - having them around is so wonderful - and I think we finally appreciated the great bones of this house.





...oh, and then Ryan shaved his head!



November

Both sets of parental units in the same month! My parents came down to Texas to visit my brother and me...they finally got a taste of my Rinderrouladen...



...and Ryan's parents joined us for Thanksgiving and beyond...



December

The trip - oh, the trip!













...and then to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve...



...and to now. It was a very good year.

Tschüß!!