No, we didn't skip her birthday this year...  This is the first time I haven't posted about Amelia' birthday right away, but I think it's somewhat understandable, since it was all in the midst of total chaos for us as a family.  Although I did not capture the pictures I'd hoped for, I do want to record the event, since this is the closest thing I do to scrapbooking or keeping a baby book.  Life is so full, and I want to remember these times.
Amelia turned five!  Her two requests for her birthday were a crown and gluten-free chocolate cupcakes.  We made those things happen, and quite a lot more!  In addition to a tiny party at her grandparents' house, we wanted to take a day in Portland to do all of her favorite things, just as we had done the three birthdays before.  It seemed especially important since we don't know when we'll be in Portland again for her birthday.
We started the day with friends at Slappy Cakes, where you can make your own breakfast right at the table.  Our other child guest was Chloe, our former neighbor, and she and Amelia had a blast.

 Waiting for the party to start, Amelia all dressed up in her crown, and she has a big fluffy tutu under her dress.  She loved the amount of attention her crown generated, and had lots of opportunities throughout the day to announce her birthday and soak up all the attention and good wishes.

 We ordered some bottles of gluten-free pancake batter and plenty of toppings, and then Amelia and her buddy both made pancakes and commissioned some special ones, like this kitty cat.  After lots of pancakes and syrup, the staff also came out with a gluten free banana fritter, which she dug into, and this is sort of where all that left her:

 She recovered and let the sweets work their loopy magic on her and Chloe-- their antics were really hysterical!

 This is my favorite picture from the day, with Chloe laughing so hard at her shenanigans!

 That was fun, and we had a great time with our neighbors.  Next, it was off for our birthday tradition-- this was Amelia's fourth year to ride the sky tram on her birthday.

 While we were riding up to the top where OHSU is situated, our tram conductor radioed to the staff at the entrance that there was a little birthday princess on her way.  They met us with stickers and a little pair of binoculars!  That was so sweet.  We walked up to the park area up there, where a farmer's market was being held.  Amelia sampled everything and received plenty of birthday greetings.  A few days before her birthday, she had befriended someone in a bookstore.  This lady found out that Amelia's birthday was coming up, and pulled two dollars out of her purse and gave them to Amelia to buy herself a gift with!  So Amelia spent that money on a fresh-squeezed orange juice.  It was a hot day, so we soaked our feet in a fountain and rested.

 We basically spent the rest of the day visiting fountains all over Portland-- I think five, total.  We also went to Finnegan's toy store for Amelia to play for a while.

 After so many little stops, it was finally time to meet our friend Elie for our main gift to Amelia: a Moroccan dinner! Amelia has always loved experiences more than things.  We have tried many times to think of toys or presents she would actually play with, but it always ends up being a bust.  What she loves is stories, food, going new places, and learning things about other parts of the world.  Could we have a child more compatible for the life we've been living?!  So she had been really looking forward to eating Moroccan food, getting her hands washed with orange flower scented water, sitting on poufs around little tables, etc.  It was dark, so I didn't get many good pictures, but this is a sweet one with Elie.

Amelia's birthday is my favorite holiday of the year.  She is such an interesting little person, and I love to just take the time to delight her and do all of the things I know she likes.  It was a long day, but it was also great to make time in that crazy week to spend our energies on her, and Jeff and I had a blast too!

A-Marketing We Go...

I decided to bring my camera along with me this morning to the open market. I am definitely living out my ideal grocery shopping scenario. We have a tiny fridge-- think of a big dorm-sized one-- so I can't keep many perishables on hand. We have one rack in the pantry where I keep coconut milk, nuts, etc., but otherwise all of our food is either on the counter or in the fridge-- which means I need to keep buying small amounts almost every day.

All week long, there are green grocers with their tents set up in the city square. These items are bought from a big market in Nuremburg in the wee hours of the morning, and many of these are imported from other countries. These stalls are convenient, but I try to wait for the actual farmers to come on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

The daily vendors. They are becoming familiar with me, and today one of them taught me the word for "basket," very patiently writing it down when it was clear that I was not quite getting the pronunciation.

My first shopping day is Wednesday, when I go to buy produce, wild vension, and whatever seasonal items show up in various booths-- this week it was mixed wild mushrooms and wild cranberries. There is a spice vendor there as well as a Turkish man with all sorts of olives, cheeses, hummus, etc.

Fridays are the biggest market day. There are lots of meat vendors, along with breads booths, fish mongers, and farmers. This probably doesn't look too appetizing to you, but this marinated turkey is wunderbar.

Bread cart. I love the old-timey look!

My favorite is the rotisserie truck! You can buy whole roasted hens and geese. I do plan on picking up a goose one of these days, but I usually buy two small chickens-- one to pick apart with Amelia for lunch (she gets out of school early on Fridays,) and the other to use the meat and bones for chicken stock and soups during the week. I tend to be kind of shy with the camera, but asking this man if I could take his pictures warmed him right up, and in turn, he asked me some questions about living here. I love making relationships with the vendors, it makes the whole process of shopping so enjoyable!

Roast Geese.

Why so nervous?

There is also the Herb Lady, who makes beautiful wreaths and little woodsy decorations.


She speaks English pretty well and makes really good pestos and chutneys, and goes to great trouble to explain things to me. She told me today that there will be a festival coming up that the churches celebrate, kind of like Thanksgiving, in honor of the harvest. This explains one of the fancier displays today.

And maybe the presence of a basket weaver...

...And a clog maker...?

It's really nice to see everyone out and about, enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. There was a large group of people from a nearby elderly home.

And look who I ran into! It's Ingrid!

(She tells me she'll be at the upcoming flohmarkt, so stay tuned for that shopping fun!)

This is what I came home with today, minus the meats.

Anyway, I'd say Friday is my biggest shopping day. Many of the farmers return on Saturday as well, so it's nice to walk around and look as a family, but not needing to do much actual purchasing. Every other week or so, I go to a big grocery store to buy some dry goods and such. Then most days, I realize that I am missing one or two items and I go to a little grocery about four stores away on our street. There are little shops nearby that are a mix between a deli and a butcher shop, called a Metzgerei, where I buy meat if I need some for dinner that night. All in all, I get by without really going to a real grocery store for a long time! Food goes through our kitchen quickly, but it is very easy to restock. And I must mention that our food budget is about the same here as it was in Portland!

In light of all of the food allergies I have had to juggle for Jeff and Amelia, and some nagging health issues, our family is transitioning to a grain-free lifestyle. I took a picture today to turn in to a contest on a website that has been fun and inspiring for me, detailing what our family eats in a typical week (delicious-looking child not included.)

Not pictured, but written in: 1 Kilo Fresh Turkey, 1 Kilo Wild Venison, 2 Rotisserie Chickens, and 4 Dozen Pastured Eggs.

Although it could be difficult to make such a big switch, the setup here is so ideal, it has actually simplified my life quite a bit. We basically eat meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and butter. And I enjoy some other dairy. We are all pretty happy with this, and of course feeling good too! I love doing all of the marketing, and look forward to my shopping days very much.

Thanks for coming along with me today!

About the food...

We are in a unique position to really find out what food is like here, since we have no kitchen and must eat almost all of our meals out. It has been very hard to find a bad meal here! We eventually did at an Italian place, but I suppose it's our fault for deviating from the great Bavarian offerings here.

It's funny, because when I read descriptions on the menus, even in English, the entree usually sounds fairly unappetizing. I guess they don't mince words much. I have generally been very surprised and pleased by what shows up on my plate. As I have mentioned before, the salads are really good and fresh, with great flavor combinations-- like one with curried chicken and fresh oranges. There are a lot of deep fried items on the menus, and schnitzels and bratwurst, and many items are accompanied by fries. None of these are things I would usually eat, but there have been plenty of other options. And, the quality of the meats and everything is so good that the meals don't feel as heavy as you'd think. The other night, Jeff and I had steaks that were just amazing, accompanied by fries. I don't know what they did to those fat little wedges, but I swear that they had almost a butterscotch flavor to them-- also enhanced by some kind of dipping sauce that was more like hollandaise than aioli. Salads come with a lot of pickled vegetables, which I love. And I thought I knew what sauerkraut was, and really enjoyed making my own, but it is nothing like what they make here. First of all, they serve it warm, and it is heavily spiced, with allspice and cloves, for example.

Restaurant food seems to cost about the same as it would in the US. Maybe a little cheaper, even, but of course we did most of our eating out at happy hour, and I don't think they have those here. Wine and beer is very affordable, and of course very good! I'd never had a German red wine before, and I really can't understand why! They are delicious, and remind me very much of California reds. A local recently confirmed this impression, telling me that many of the original vintners in CA were German, and brought their vines over to propagate. Ironically, what we need to keep under control when we eat out is our water consumption. It is unheard of to serve tap water at the table, and so we have to pay for our bottled water-- almost always carbonated. I find myself drinking a couple of glasses before we go out so I can save a few euros!

The style of service is also very different, but I kind of like it. Waitstaff are generally paid a reasonable wage, and tipping is very minimal. No one is overly eager-to-please, trying to get everything just right for a higher tip. You seat yourself, and the table is yours for the evening-- no trying to rush you out the door so someone else can sit there. Someone will come and bring you a plate of napkins and silverware for you to place for yourself. Service is a little slow, and food doesn't typically arrive all at the same time-- so the rule is to just eat yours when it comes, and don't wait for the others. It all seems so laid back, with the emphasis being on the food. But of course everything is also very clean, which is extremely high on my list. So far, we've eaten most meals outdoors-- it will be a slightly different experience when the weather changes.

I have yet to go to a real grocery store. We don't have a car yet, but we'll rent one on Saturday and I will finally be able to put some substantial food in our fridge. Fortunately, there is the daily open market that I mentioned previously. I have bought a lot of produce there, and it is all great. And, I think, quite a bit more affordable than in Portland. This is very satisfying to me-- that we can afford to actually shop from farmers, and to do so on a frequent basis. Today I also bought some dairy products from the local convenience market, and all of it was both organic and very affordable. This is fantastic!! I will have so much fun cooking here.

The greatest challenge with eating here actually has nothing to do with local food. We had Amelia's food allergies tested before we left Portland, ostensibly to simplify matters once we arrived here. She has had so many limitations that I hoped we could find out some good news and eat more freely now. Well, there was good news but also some bad. She had graduated from many of her old allergens, including eggs, corn, bananas, melon and tomatoes. However, she has since developed a severe allergy to peanuts and almonds and.... the dreaded GLUTEN. Believe it or not, she hasn't had a bit of bread since we arrived here! The only way this is possible is because there are so many other good options for her, including potatoes, which are served everywhere. The hotel we're at has a crazy-extravagant "continental" breakfast. There are plates of cheeses and cold cuts, desserts, weird salads-- even one with oysters-- sausages, eggs, breads, an assortment of mueslis, fruit salad, and a range of yogurts. Amelia really packs it in, usually eating a bowl of muesli (with fruit juice in it,) three breakfast sausages, two slices of ham, and fruit. She is a very happy camper! And she has also had more meat on most days than she used to have all week! She doesn't mind of course, and I keep watching for a big growth spurt!

We were told that people here really like to eat sweets, and boy!-- They weren't joking! People hand Amelia candy all day, and there are bakeries on every corner selling cakes and danishes. I am trying to just be flexible and not make it a big deal. Also, the portions are huge! I think I've probably finished everything on my plate only a couple of times. Even salads are hard to finish. I have heard that Germans do not like to waste, and my sources confirm that they do indeed finish their portions. I'll work on it-- it shouldn't be too difficult!

First Impressions...

Well, first of all, it is SUPER HOT here right now. Apparently, this is unusual. Also, Germans don't seem to believe in air conditioning at all, but they do seem to be firm believers in cooling from the inside out-- "eis cafes" are packed out, people everywhere digging into huge gelatos and ice cream sundaes. We have yet to try this method, but it looks pretty effective...

So, I have been trying to think of a word to describe Amberg, and I think adorable, picturesque and idyllic are the best I can come up with. The city was originally smaller, and walled in, with a river running around and through it. The "old city" is the downtown, with the smaller shops, theaters and cafes. All of this is still mostly the antiquated structures, including cobblestone streets and wooden bridges. Our apartment is right in the center of all of this, on the main pedestrian street. There are larger, more modern roads outside of the walled city, and this is where you'd find things like car dealerships and big stores. All along the outside of the wall is a beautiful parkway for people to bike and walk along the perimeter of the original city. There are streams and gardens and play areas all along the way-- we have been taking this route over to our apartment as we do our business. We have eaten most of our meals so far at restaurants in the main plaza by the very big, very beautiful old church, with a big fountain and outdoor seating-- incredibly dreamy! And we hear those church bells tolling throughout the day.

Something that struck me right away as we drove from Frankfurt to here is that the terrain looks very much like Portland's! Lots of wild greenery along the roads, but also beautiful farmland. Really lovely.

The driving over here is intense. Cars drive really fast, tailgate like crazy and there is little space between cars in their lanes. Drivers are very aggressive, gunning and breaking all along the way! We've already heard stories about American drivers being intentionally bumped from behind for not being speedy enough! Jeff will be taking his driver's test soon, but I have no timeline for doing it. I think I'll just wait until it seems like I need to be driving-- I plan to get a bicycle soon, and that should meet most of my transportation needs-- the train station is a 5- 10 minute walk.

The quality of food here is very high. All of the produce is super fresh and beautiful. All of the eggs have yolks that are a deep copper color-- scrambled eggs come out very orange! Although I don't particularly care for most traditional heavier fare, I think I will love eating here. I've noticed that there is an open air market set up in the mornings in the plaza I mentioned earlier. All of the produce was beautiful, so I am very excited to be able to do daily shopping there-- it's a few blocks from our place.

More stories and updates soon!

Our Family's Favorite Dinner

At least once a week, we are all very happy with what's on our dinner table. The meal feels elaborate but really was not too much work. Lots of options and colors, and we actually leave the table feeling full. It's Zataar Chicken Night! The zaatar chicken and rice are really good, but it's mostly all of the accompaniments that makes the meal so satisfying. There are so many options for what you can put out with this Middle Eastern meal: pickles or chutneys, hummus and tahini sauce, feta cheese and fresh herbs, any kind of simple vegetable, dolmas, babaganoush... My favorite is a simple herbal green salad.
This time the extras were hummus, tahini sauce, carrot-ginger pickle, and red cabbage saurkraut with dill seeds.


To make Zataar Chicken:
In a medium-sized pot, pile onions cut into thin wedges, frozen boneless chicken pieces (I use thighs,) a good chunk of butter, lots of lemon juice or sliced preserved lemons, zataar spice mixture (available at World Market or Middle Eastern grocers-- probably La Habra Ranch Market) and some water or chicken stock to keep it from going dry. Simmer on medium- low heat for 1/2 an hour or longer until the meat is easily shredded, then season with more salt, if needed.
OK, so the actual chicken dish is not very photogenic-- that is a big reason for the colorful sides!

I usually serve it with rice or quinoa to which I have added a spoonful of bacon grease, cubes of cilantro that you buy at TJ's and a squeeze of lemon-- while it's cooking. And of course you can't go wrong with steamed greens drizzled with tahini sauce.

I enjoy making homemade pickles and preserves and usually use formulas from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook. I also recently made quick radish pickles from this recipe. Amelia loves them, and even likes to drink the juice out of the dish when they're gone!
What about you? What is your family happy to eat again and again?

Make or Buy?

I know most of us are trying to economize on everything, especially groceries. I found a good article online about which pantry staples are actually cheaper to make, which ones we save money (not to mention the time!) on by buying instead.

Reader Survey

Everyone seems to be talking about what they no longer spend money on, or how they are cutting back. Yet I know that, no matter how tight our finances are, there are certain things we choose to spend money on-- whether for luxury, idealism, or just-can't-live-without-it-ness. I'm really curious what these items are for other people.

So, what do you spend money on?

I'll go first. I buy fancy dish soap. It costs at least twice as much as the regular stuff, but it looks nice, smells nice, is easy on the skin and environment, and therefore improves my quality of life-- we don't have a dishwasher and so we spend a significant amount of time standing there washing dishes, smelling the soap. It's completely worth the extra $5 every 2-3 months.

On the more principled end of things, I buy nicer jewelry and shoes. This doesn't mean that I actually spend more money than most people altogether on these things. I have been known to save for two years, without having a watch to wear, in favor of buying the one I really wanted. Same with a pair of $100 earrings-- I just didn't buy any other jewelry that year (by the way, these would be next on my list.) I don't own many pairs of shoes, but almost all of them cost over $100. There is something very essential to me about having really good shoes that hold up and are comfortable but of course, stylish. And no buyer's remorse.... The other thing is that if I do happen to decide that I don't want to own something anymore, it still has value-- even after being used-- and I sell it on ebay!

In the can't-live-without category, Jeff and I love to eat out. We have a very small budget for this each month, and about 70% of our meals out are happy hour deals. If you are local, the best happy hour I have ever found is here. Whenever extra money comes our way, our first impulse is to go out to eat! We don't do fast food, and I try not to eat at places that serve food I could easily make at home, so we have to be super choosy about where we go to spend our precious dinner money. We could save good amount of money by never going out to eat, but we just enjoy it way too much to stop.

Addendum: For you Angelinos, our favorite happy hour spots there were Cafe Santorini and Ciudad (this one was actually my favorite restaurant, period)-- you should check them out!

There are so many things that we have to spend money on, but I am so curious what other people like to spend their money on, even when we're feeling some financial strain. Please share!

A Moroccan Dinner for a Special Lady

I love to cook, but it's not often that I feel like I have a green light to spend what I want and pull out all the stops for a special meal. Maybe once a year or so. Jeff's parents have been such a blessing to us this year, so I wanted to celebrate Amy's birthday in style. Making food is probably my #1 love language, and it's especially gratifying when the recipient feels the same way about food. I only chose the menu the night before, so Jeff stayed home yesterday to watch Amelia so I could focus. It was so much fun! I thought I'd share some pictures, but I didn't remember to capture everything.

The Menu

Pomegranate, Orange, Mint and Rose Coolers

Chicken B'Stilla
(A filo pastry filled with chicken and egg, with almonds and cinnamon between layers of pastry)
I didn't get a picture of mine, but it pretty much looked like this one.

Vegetable Course:
Baked Pumpkin Stars with Caramelized Onion, Raisins and Almonds
Beets with Minty Yogurt Dressing

Lamb Tagine with Prunes
served with Fresh Baked Baguette
Garlic and Lemon Fava Beans


Homemade Baklavah
Fresh Spearmint Tea
White Coffee
(Hot water infused with orange blossom essence)

None of the recipes were very difficult, let me know if you'd like to try one of them!

Need a little budget- friendly cooking inspiration?

I really enjoyed an article by the Washington Post they did on Jacques Pepin cooking a meal for six on $24. Fun and inspiring-- go invite someone over for dinner!

(In this photo he demonstrates sharpening a blade on a porcelain plate-- !!)

Our Big Event

On Saturday evening we had a party. There was no real occasion, so we blamed it on the fact that our house turned 100 this year. I guess it was more like a housewarming, since we never had one and wanted to just have everyone over all at once. We had a really nice turnout-- 30 adults and about 25 kids! The weather was perfect, so that we could spend most of the evening outside (in jackets) as planned.

Although there were plenty of people to feed, this was the most stress-free party I've ever hosted! I was determined from the beginning to not feel the compulsion to have anything perfect, and to make the goal to be FUN (for us especially,) nothing else. I made two huge batches of soup, lots of popcorn and hot cider. Guests brought beer, wine and desserts, and there was more than enough of everything for everyone. I took the plunge and rented the plates, bowls and glasses, then borrowed forks and spoons. I cannot tell you how nice it was to rent the dishes-- all I had to do was give the bowls and plates a quick rinse, and I am returning them today!

The nicest part of the event was having Jeff, his dad, and a couple of friends play music for everyone. We have a firepit in our yard, and we picked up some hay bales for extra seating (to be used for bunnies and chickens later.) Everyone gathered around the fire, chatted and listened to the music. So fun, so fall. I'll share some pictures that Jeff's parents took.

We're Glad You're Here!
Now, Have Some Soup:
Curried Pumpkin with Coconut Milk
Potato Cheese

It's official, this house will soon get a paint job, thanks to the city of Portland!

Putting this patio in was our biggest summer project. And it was free-- we took stepping stone pavers from all over the yard, got some free pea gravel on CL, and went for it, thinking of the potential for a fall party!

It was a lot of fun to have so many kids over and to watch them get to know each other...

Of course, Amelia had a blast. She's been telling strangers about our party for weeks-- "We having a party at our house. Be kids there. Be music there. Be lots of fun!" Here she is with her cousin Piper. She kept bursting into groups waving and shouting "Hi everybody!!!"

This was the first time in about ten years that Jeff and his dad got a chance to play music together again-- what a treat for everyone!

This was so much fun, we're thinking we will do it again next year. It was also a nice moment to look around and see that we have some very lovely people in our lives.

I just put my other blog to bed for a while, as I would rather just work on one, and would like to do more posting about my garden and other sustainability projects right here anyway.

On that note, we are finally enjoying some of the fruits of our labor!  I had a lot of fun the other night pulling up our potato bed.  Digging deep and sifting through the dirt was so addictive that I stayed out till almost 10 p.m, and got completely filthy.  I could have let them go a little longer, but I was ready to use the bed for something else.

From a very small patch and with very minimal dirt mounding, this was our harvest.

I used the grape-sized potatoes in a nicoise-esque salad, along with our first cucumber, the last of our french green beans and plenty of home- grown salad mixed with fresh herbs.  Very satisfying, in many ways!

I've been a bit disappointed with some of the results from other plantings-- it seems like I should be getting quite a bit more produce!  Oh, well.  We'll learn which plants will grow and produce well for us as we go.