Imagine that stories were like a stew or a soup. People could weave their stories with ladles of wonderful rich, thick and flavorsome ingredients, adding their own culturally unique seasoning to their tales. Just like stews, all cultures and each tradition intertwines its own specific aromas and tastes – and so their stories could be spicy, sweet, bitter or pungent.
Kohlrabi Celeriac and Parsnip Soup with Chilli Chia Seed Tempering
Root vegetables bring me through most of winter. Over the past months they were some of the only variety of vegetables readily available at the markets. Luckily I love root vegetables and enjoy preparing them in all kinds of dishes. My family – well if I tell them they are getting celeriac or parsnip for dinner I always get that narrowing of the brow look.
With temperatures of -15 degrees C the only thing I have on my mind – the tiny part that is still left unfrozen – is warmth. If you remember the story of Nature Boy and Flirty Flannel Girl you will know I am once again featuring my hottest attire this season!
People say, the second half of our lives will seem a lot shorter than the first. Many people will arguably confirm this feeling. I presume a reason for this could be that many things in our daily lives become more and more routine. Maybe that’s why in retrospect years seem like just a few weeks.
If you are a fanatic for the perfectly manicured lawns then you are probably extremely wary about the ubiquitous common dandelions! Our early memories are probably those of threading the vibrant yellow flowers on a string to wear as necklaces or trumpeting on the stalks until the milky liquid stuck to the lips. The last thing we thought of back then was eating any part of the dandelion!
2015 is well underway with the last week of January already upon us! My schedule has picked up and the quiet few weeks around the Holidays have evaporated. They gave me plenty of time to contemplate about the year past and my goals and core desires for the new year. These thoughts brought me into January as I sorted my feelings and sifted through these goals my aim was to define what would shape and characterize the new year for me.
“Grünes Thüringen” – will bring the wide and plentiful thick forests of Thuringia to mind. For me however Thuringia has a more colorful landscape with abundant bounties of vegetables that this fertile state provides. Cauliflower, kohlrabi, broccoli and a wide variety of cabbages are only some of the types of vegetables that are amply found around the capital of the state, Erfurt. Dig a little deeper and one will find that Thuringia also boasts of cultivating fine aromatic asparagus and after Bavaria it is the second largest herb growing region in Germany.
The weather has changed and showing itself from its glorious side. It’s like summer in spring! The winter was an extremely mild one and by end of February it did not stand a chance against the warming sun. Crocuses and tulips had begun sprouting, the storks had returned and were ardently busy with building house, while beer gardens across Germany opened – probably never before as early as beginning of March!
On the phone I tell her that I will not be hungry. “It’ll be late and I think we’ll just relax and then go to bed!” She fusses and persists as she always does - I let her. I know she needs to do this. She has been planning for weeks already, asking us every time we talked on the phone what should she cook, anything particular we like for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It usually takes up several minutes of our conversation, both of us talking with great passion, before we get to other topics, seemingly inconsequential in comparison.
After I wrote my last post, I was hoping to slowly get back into the saddle and ease myself back into the work load. The two week break did me good and I was raring to go but I like savoring the begin of a new phase. I understand that many do not think this way, but the start of a new year does have a magic of new beginnings and fresh starts. Wipe the slate clean and with the wisdom of an year, an opportunity to do it better than before. I am not talking resolutions - no I do not believe in them - I mean daring to go a step further, climbing that extra rung and getting closer to that goal you’ve been focusing on.
It was just about a year ago that I was frantically packing my suitcases, mentally reciting a few lines from my presentation and packing my camera equipment, heading towards Florence. I always love traveling to Italy as it’s a country I feel attached to - its rich culture, the atmosphere, the people and the food, all entice me and inspire me on many levels. Traveling to Florence this time was special however, as I was going to be joined by 3 dear friends and 12 new faces. What I did not know however I was going to come away with many new friends and cherish the old ones more.
I complain of it sometimes but truth be told I am guilty of it too. Trying to be faster than the fast-paced life we are living in. A touch and go world in need of more information in 140 characters. Our lives are ruled by news tickers, coffee-on-the-go and internet shopping. Apps organize our day, keep us “in touch” and connected, while we are constantly on the move
Anything that will make us faster, better and achieve more - in what seems to be less time than we had before.
First, I want to say WOW! Thanks for all those incredible comments, wishes and feedback on my last post. I was so touched by your heartfelt thoughts. It just blew me away. I enjoyed reading them so much, smiling and tearing up all at the same time.
With the holiday season well behind us and under our, slightly tighter belts, it’s time to tuck into January’s bountiful harvests. And January offers copious varieties of fresh and rich produce, waiting to be turned into cosy and comforting recipes.
In a current school project, my son’s class is discussing dreams, wishes, ambitions and aspirations. Soeren with his 9 years old is very focused and pretty much knows where he wants to go in life. Although he might take up a totally different path and end up doing something completely different to what he dreams of now, what strikes me as impressive is that he has been able to find all the right resources he needs to pave his way for his ultimate goal.
Mercilessly pounded by catastrophes that send it rocking and erupting into a fury, it would seem as if the Earth is falling apart. This weekend most of us probably watched in shock as a massive earthquake shook Japan and minutes later a gigantic Tsunami wiped out kilometers of coastal region in northern Japan. Now while we all sit on edge praying that the developments in Fukushima do not add more devastation, my mind cannot help but ponder on thoughts about the epoch we are currently living in.
Sometimes I think German cuisine is very inadequately underestimated. Fact is, there is a lot more to German food that sausages and beer. Until relatively recently the various regions of Germany were independent and autonomous communities. Prior to the national unification in 1871, Germany was divided into many kingdoms and principalities, each with distinct customs, distinct dialects and of course distinct culinary specialities.
The blustery days of Autumn, blowing leaves in shades of burnt orange and gold make me happy. The mornings are crisp and clean. Walking barefooted out into our back yard early morning, the coffee cup in my hand steaming white puffs in the cool air and the moist dew against my feet give me that needed moment of serenity before I jump into my day.
It's snowing outside! The temperatures have dropped drastically to below zero Celsius. A thin white blanket hugs the rooftops, cars and trees and I really can say that at this time of year Weimar looks amazing in white. As the sun sets into the west skies, shades of pink, orange and purple take over the skyscape and the fields next to our house covered in white glory, sparkle as the rays dance off the frozen ice crystals.
It’s been fairly quite around here, I know. I’ve been feeling rather low and a funny kind of flu seems to have taken hold of me. I say funny because it’s not a full blown flu – it seems it’s fighting inside of me. It wants to come out but I am fighting to banish it from taking control. This is taking away a lot of energy and I’ve been feeling a bit drained.
