Iceland

On a recent work holiday, J. took a trip to the country of Iceland. While there he was able to do a little sight seeing, ice climbing, glacier exploring and spa visiting. He and a friend went to the Sólheimajökull glacier for a few hours one day and got his 'fix' of ice for the moment. After all of that hard work, he needed a day at the Blue Lagoon. He's off sailing this week... stay tuned for more adventures!

Mecca of Beer

Five down and two to go... Trappist monasteries that make and sell their own beer that is. This past weekend's travels took us to the little town of Westvleteren, Belgium. Westvleteren is the home of The Abbey of Saint Sixtus where the little known and well loved Trappist ale is brewed.
Let me start at the beginning though. Westvleteren is a three hour drive from where we live, and for little ones, driving in the car for more than 10 minutes is boring. We decided to stay the night in the town of Poperinge which is about 10km from the Abby. Poperinge is well known for it's history in WWI & WWII but also for it's hops. The town is home to the national hop meuseum and several historic buildings. We were able to secure our lodging at the Hotel Recour in their beautiful Urania suite. The town in itself boasts many dining opportunities and the chance to taste local and country beer.
Being so close to the French border we were surprised to find that the food as well as the language spoken is Dutch/ Flemish. Being in Flanders we should have known better, but we did not. The meals were not the best we've ever eaten in Belgium, but the beers we had to accompany them made up for any shortcomings.
The Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren is one of the most exclusive monasteries to sell beer. You must make an appointment on the day they specify on their website and then you are given a day and a time that you're able to pick up your beer. You also must give your license plate number and are only allowed 3 crates of beer on your pick up. You are not allowed to sell this beer that you've then purchased nor are you allowed to come back again in the month to pick up more beer. So, I spent over three hours trying to get on the queue for the phone, three hours in the car to drive there, a day to visit the area and then almost four hours to drive home (lots of traffic). This has to be the most expensive beer we've ever owned! Oh, and we brought home the Westvleteren 12 for those interested.

On a side note; apparently the Belgians cannot be without bread for even a moment:

PS: I found love in Belgium too.. shsssh, don't tell J:

Because these photos crack me up every time I see them, I'll post them for you too... T. is enjoying prunes and bread and a bit of attitude!

Two!

Two front teeth that is! Yep, our little guy is moving up in the world. For the past two weeks he's been busily pushing up some chompers so he can move on to real food. Bread that is.

And if you're interested to know, this little 'big' guy can sit unassisted now. Big skills happening here! And not to leave the girl out, she's been honing her snow man building skills with the oodles of firm precipitation we've been having of late. We have decided that adding pine needles to our creation will help him live longer. Kind of like Frankenstein. And instead of smoking a pipe (dad wouldn't let us borrow his) he chews on a sucker... it's just as bad a pipe right? So, here is our hard work... enjoy!

Rainbow cake

Rainbow cake Recipe:

Yellow Butter Cake Recipe:
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Yellow Butter Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Spray one 9-inch x 1 1/2 inch (23 x 4 cm) cake pan with Bakers Joy, line bottom with parchment paper, then spray again with Bakers Joy. Set aside.
In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg yolks, 1/8 cup milk, and vanilla extract.
In the bowl of your electric mixer combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended. Add the butter and remaining 1/2 + 1/8 cup milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the egg mixture, in 3 additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg. Add food coloring of choice here.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with an offset spatula. (Pan will be about half full.) Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.
Place the cake on a wire rack to cool, in its pans, for about 10 minutes. Then invert the cake onto a greased rack. To prevent splitting, re-invert cakes so that tops are right side up. Cool completely before frosting.

REPETE THIS PROCESS 5 MORE TIMES...

Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Double this recipe for the Rainbow cake
9 oz. dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
Note: I use Lindt chocolate- for the best taste, use the best chocolate!
0.5 c. baker's sugar
3 egg whites
0.5 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of cream of tartar
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool. Leave pot of simmering water on the stove.
• Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and baker's sugar in a stainless steel bowl and place over the double boiler. Whisk by hand -- rotating the bowl and removing it from the heat, if necessary, to prevent the egg whites from cooking -- until they are warm to the touch.
• Grab the electric mixer again and beat on high until the meringue holds a stiff peak. Add butter and continue to mix.
• Add chocolate and vanilla and mix until combined.

Cream Cheese Frosting (between the layers)

Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1.In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.

Assembly:

Cut the cake layers to uniform height: I use a Wilton cake cutter to make it even.

Place first layer on wax paper.

Layer with cream cheese.

Place second layer on... repeat until you've used all of your layers.

Use the remaining cream cheese to fill in the cracks on the outside of the cake, so the chocolate buttercream will go on smooth.

Refrigerate cake until it's solid.

Spread Chocolate buttercream on the outside of the cake.

Place candied flowers on cake for decoration- or what ever you'd like.

Enjoy!

Bavaira

After spending three New Years' holidays here in Germany, we took a trip to the south. Way south. Bavaria south. And I am so glad that we did. Who knew that Germany could be so diverse? Well, a lot of people actually, but I'm glad to know that I'm one of the lucky ones to have been able to see it first hand!

Driving to our destination we took a small detour to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Burr... being a 40 minute walk uphill with two small children, we were only able to view this lovely Cinderella Esque castle from afar, but it was still a nice view. We had a quick bite to eat, some hot chocolate to warm up and then on to our destination.

The military has special lodging for it's members to get away and relax, and this is just what we did. Visiting the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, we stayed in the resort Edelweiss. Hello Alps, hello beautiful snow filled valleys, hello Bavaria! W. was in heaven. Not only did our hotel have a pool (that opens at 7am!) it had a hot tub and dining on-site! There was plenty of snow out of doors to make snow angels and for eating. (I'm not sure why, but this is very important to her- the snow must be consumed!)

We were able to meet up with some friends, and on the first full day there J. took advantage of the ski slopes 5 minutes away followed by a hot stone massage and then the best Indian food we've had in Germany. It was a good day.

The next day it was my turn to hit the slopes... unfortunately, they hit me, and after only two hours, I was ready to go home. W. and daddy tackled the lower half of the mountains though and sledded until W. was on the verge of collapse. T. took time to nap the afternoon away with mommy...

Being only an hour away from Munich, we drove over there for some lunch and a little sight-seeing. I have always wanted to go to the Hofbrauhaus and have a beer. I was not disappointed- the food was delicious, and the beers extraordinarily large. Smoking is prohibited, so the place is much cleaner then is has been in previous years, and it is very family friendly. W. enjoyed the pretzels, and T. tried to also... as well as the beer, and coasters and what ever else he could grab.

Driving home we encountered a lot of snow, but we made it safely, and I commend the Germans for keeping the autobahn so clean and clear, it was a wonderful vacation!

Bratislava

Bratis-who?
So this was an unplanned holiday hop for us. While talking one evening, J. mentioned how he would love to visit the country of Slovenia. Being the sly wife that I am, I went up and looked up flights to Eastern Europe. I thought, great, here is an awesome cheap flight to Slovakia! We booked the trip for three days during J.'s birthday. Later that night as we were getting ready for bed he casually mentioned- did I know that he wanted to go to Slovenia, not Slovakia right?! Hand-slap-to-my-forehead...
Slovakia bound we were, and not knowing what to expect. The communists had control over the area for the past few decades, so we were not expecting anything pretty or extraordinary. I'm glad that we didn't set our sights too high. Arriving at the airport at 8am, we were driven to our hotel/ apartment (the best thing about the trip) where we were let in early to relax. We'd been up since 230 that morning, and were ready for a nap.
Visiting the city, there are not many tourist sights to see- hence the cheap flight there? We visited the cathedral for St. Martin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin%27s_Cathedral,_Bratislava and then went to see the castle.
The castle in Bratislava has a very rich history, however, the structure you see today is a reconstruction. After years of conflict in the area, the damage to the castle was too much, so in 1957 a reconstruction project was started- which is still not finished today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bratislava_Castle
To our luck, there was a nice little Christmas market happening in the main square area. We were able to bide our time looking over the interesting food options and sampling the hot alcoholic beverages.
J. did mention that the Church of St. Elisabeth was one of the bast he'd seen in Europe. I thought that it was pretty, but not the best. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Elisabeth_(Bratislava)
Our trip home was uneventful, and our overall impression of the city was blase at best. Since Slovakia wasn't on either of our travel lists, we were glad to have been able to see it, but most probably won't be going back.