Fotografie Fridays: Mama's Babies

When I started this blog, it was mostly cooking, but I also rambled about my life and photography from time to time. I used to do Fotografie Fridays which was just a cheesy spin on Wordless Wednesday since I live in Germany. Haven't done it in a while but thought it'd be fun to start again :)

So last night I told you all that I was going to purchase a new lens today and that I did. My children accompanied me from store to store as I searched for a new 50 mm lens. This time I wanted 50mm f/ 1.4 instead of the 1.8 I had before. This lens is a bit more sturdy for someone like me with curious children and me being very erm..forgetful! I LOVE it! Can not wait to take more photos with it.

I treated my children to lunch at Pizza Hut after a week of long boring errands. I NEVER sit down at any restaurant because my youngest can't sit down anywhere longer than 10 minutes. Today he sat for 15 minutes. That's a bit of progress!

Standing up on the chair. Don't let the smile fool ya.


My sweeties sharing :)



My little Iron Man at his Fasching Kindergarten Party a couple weeks ago.


Hope you all enjoy your weekend!!! Am planning to cook up a recipe with my son's chicken, waffle, rice, soup idea...only it will not be that, but close! Stay tuned :)

Mama's Christmas

Growing up we didn't make a big thing out of Christmas. I never believed in Santa and we never ever had a tree, though my father would throw some multi-colored Christmas lights on the balcony.

To me Christmas was about Christmas music on the radio, bigger crowds, Christmas movies, and waiting impatiently on Christmas eve for 12 am so we could open the presents our parents gave us (so we didn't feel left out at school after winter break). We also spent time with extended family, however the older we got, the less 'Christmassy' things got. By the time I was a teenager Christmas was just another day.

So after I met my husband, he shared a lot of his Christmas traditions with me and my son. I didn't know A LOT and it has been so much fun learning from him. It was so much fun decorating a Christmas tree for the first time with him. I don't know why, but I was extremely nervous about it. I actually have a video of it, but it's on a broken laptop that my husband is now tinkering with! 

So every year my husband and my children are making our own little traditions, and trying to ensure our children have fond memories of Christmases and pass it on to their own children. This Christmas my eldest son is with his biological father so it was a bit sad, but my 3 and 1 year old were a lot of fun and very appreciative! 

We didn't bring the presents out until the very early hours on Christmas morning so the kids would think Santa brought them loads of gifts, but the first thing my daughter said was "THANK YOU MA AND DAD!" She's too clever and funny ;)

Some photos:

Christmas Eve

A simple dinner- Baked Penne with Sausage and Ricotta with a side salad from vegetables and apples from the crisper and a balsamic vinaigrette 

Mince Pie and spiked eggnog for Santa and a carrot for the Reindeer....yes 1 carrot- we ain't got it like that ;)

Discovered this Christmas morning! Looks like Santa didn't wipe his feet- rude!

At least he's appreciative!

Definitely a White Christmas

Kids woke up late but they got into the presents quickly!!

Peppa Pig obsessed baby was quite happy with this :)

Homemade Vanilla Hot Chocolate to kill the morning chill

Daughter getting ready for Christmas Dinner

The "princess dress" she's been asking for since her birthday :)

Christmas Dinner thanks to Cook's Illustrated Holiday Issue:

 Ultimate Stuffed Beef Tenderloin (stuffed with mushrooms and spinach) 

Candied Sweet Potatoes (not too sweet- just perfect) 

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans with Mustard Vinaigrette

Rolls from Rachael Ray. Those rolls were a hit 2 years straight. They're f##king awesome. Excuse my freedom. ;)

Tunnel of Fudge cake! Soooooo rich and perfectly fudgy! Also from Cook's Illustrated Holiday Entertaining Issue!

My friend's son said the dinner was the best he's ever eaten. I love this kid even more now ;) The dinner was a big hit and we hardly have any leftovers! We still have cake and that's all that matters ;)

Husband aka Santa

Santa Husband to the Rescue!

So, I was pretty sure that I would be without a computer for a good 2 months. With the holidays and birthdays, I didnt think one was in my near future so I got comfy with the iTouch and called it a day. However, yesterday while cooking dinner, my husband rushed in the kitchen and confiscated my iTouch, which was blasting Queen of course, and secretly went off on his own. I was wondering why, thought it had something to do with work. He then came back and said that he found a nice inexpensive laptop and that we were getting it tomorrow. He felt bad about my blog and photos and thought it was important to get one sooner than later. I was ELATED! But didn't get too excited, because, things change quickly---obviously!!

So we picked up a new laptop and router (ours sucked) and I was a happy mama. Even though it took me 5 hours to use it finally, I was happy :)

This weekend, I also got a late birthday present- a new lens! A canon EF 50mm f1.8 II!! I had a stock lens since I purchased mu camera this summer and I've been dying for a new one. I really love it and hope to get better! It's cheap, but everyone I know who has one raves about it.

. Also check out my friend Serena's Blog  for some photos I took of her and her husband. They are such a sweet, fun couple and their first baby is due in a week and a half!! Wish her well :)

Some photos from the weekend.We finally put some Christmas/Winter Decorations up. Am I the only one not really feeling Christmas this year? I've bought presents, baked, been to Christmas Markets and I feel nothing. Not a bah humbug feeling but meh. I don't know, hope it passes. My daughter, is my lil Santa Baby. She is so excited- it's so sweet :)

Lazy Sunday? Not over here!

My son started back kindergarten (the equivalent to preschool in America) last week, and boy has it been tiresome! It's great because the children are on a pretty good schedule and my son is back with friends! They're a lot more mellow these days and nap everyday!  Sometimes on me.

Who knew boobies made great pillows? I had to use a webcam, to take the photo because I was afraid to move!

So it was nice to have some adult time with a good friend yesterday. We ate, gossiped, and took photos of our gorgeous city. We even discussed blogs. She's the one who inspired me to try blogging in the first place! Check her out over at http://livingwrighthome.com 

Breakfast buffet. Where the plates were small as saucers. Yet I didn't feel inclined to stuff my face. 

Trashy Butterfly. I saw this while walking down one of the main streets. I said to my friend, "Geez, with the reflection, that looks like a butterfly." We took some photos and were surrounded by curious onlookers.

I like flower shots, yet I know nothing about flowers!

The Heidelberg Castle

I just really love red!

Was a really fun day, however I was exhausted when I got home! And yesterday was also the first NFL Sunday! Though we live in Germany my husband watch and I tweet we watch as many games as we can together.  It's not a family thing as the first game does not start here until at least 6pm and the last ends around 2 or 3am!! It's frustrating because I do miss the full day of football, so I sort of gotten into soccer. USA!

So to celebrate, I prepared a huge spread for the husband! I started later than usual because I wanted the food to be warm for him while he cursed out cheered his team on! Which was perfect as we rarely get to watch our teams play!

This recipe is from my Food and Wine 2009 Cookbook. This is a must buy! It's full of recipes from chefs around the globe. It's has awesome tips and shows you how to make many variations of classic recipes.

So on the menu- Grilled Corn-Mango-Black Bean Salad with Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette, Loaded Potato Skins, Portobello Mushroom Fries, and Green Jalapeno Hot Wings! Also I made my own ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing. Or at least I wanted to make blue cheese! When making the menu last week, I saw blue cheese in our fridge, actually two, so I didn't buy any. When it was time to make the blue cheese dressing, there was none in there!  I nearly cried and it was after 8 so all the commissary was closed and German shops are rarely ever opened on Sundays (I miss Giant!!). I also didn't have panko bread crumbs or cheddar (cries some more)! And you know what, I wasted tears because everything was AMAZING! I didn't take photos throughout because I was quite chaotic in my little kitchen! But, man. I'd do it again- though earlier :) That's what I love about cooking, you can easily improvise and no one will know that you used a different cheese or didn't use a certain sauce. Hell, it may turn into the way you always make a dish!

So I would like to share the recipe for the Green Jalapeño Hot Wings. They were absolutely DELICIOUS! The recipe as is is perfect for children, but if you want some spice, add way more pickled jalapeños! I didn't make the blue cheese with the big blue cheese fiasco, but I did make some great ranch sauce for the portobello mushrooms, and it also went well with the chicken.

Green Jalapeño Hot Wings

5 pounds chicken wings, split at the joints. Reserve tips for stock, or buy the already wings. Usually found in the frozen food section

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup green jalapeño sauce

2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped pickles jalapeños

1 stick of butter

2 large garlic cloves minced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500F and position 2 racks in the middle and upper third. Spread the wings on the baking sheets then season. Roast 40 minutes, turning twice until wings are golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, puree hot sauce and jalapeños in a blender or mini food processor until smooth. In a small saucepan, cook the butter with the garlic over moderate heat just until fragrant, about 2 minutes, Add the puree to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl.

Carefully transfer chicken to the bowl then toss to coat.  Serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing!

ENJOY!!!

How I Survived 17 days without the World Wide Web

I went nuts about 2 Tuesdays ago when my internet suddenly stopped working. I was slowly weaning myself from access to the internet anyway, but damn, I didn't want to go cold turkey!! Our internet service provider heard A LOT from me and I hope to never call them again unless I have to cancel my service with them when I move from Germany for good!

What I missed the most, more than Facebook and Twitter combined was my blog. I was finally getting a hang of it and finding so many other inspiring blogs. I am not saying this just because it sounds nice, either. But this particular post is about, "How I survived 17 days without the Web: Likes and Dislikes.

LIKES

1. My house has never been cleaner. I finally organized our basement and it's no longer a dark scary spider hell. 

2. Utilizing my cookbooks and magazines. I am a cookbook fiend, but even us fiends go to web as it's easier. I've cooked so much from my Fine Cooking and Cuisine At Home books, it seems like they had exactly what I was looking for!

EX:
 
Cuisine at Home:Circus Hot Dogs with Honey Mustard Coleslaw and French Fries with a BBQ Rub (my recipe)

Buttery Yeast Rolls also Cuisine at Home

Amazing Blueberry and Peach Crisp/Crumble with a Pecan Streusel from my Fine Cooking Magazine. Amazing!

Inspired by the Neely's cookbook. The butter is made with orange zest, scallions, paprika, onion powder and sugar. So delicious

3. Watching TV again. I am not a big TV person, but I rediscovered the good old tube. I watched old DVDs and caught on my favorite show "Come Dine With Me" found loads of inspiration from "Iron Chef: America"  watched "The Simpsons" Seasons 1-10 again and found new shows, "The Great British Menu" and "3 in the Bed". Most of the shows are UK centered, but we have UK satellite!

DISLIKES

1. While the internet was down, the weather in Germany was pretty gloomy so no time outside with 3 bored kids got old fast!

2. Not being able to immediately look up something. I was itching to to buy some jars so i can start jarring this season's fruits, but I did not know where the hell to begin! And all the instructions on the jars are in German so I was pretty much screwed. 

3. Not blogging. This is embarrassing, but I typed out a few "faux" entries on Word. Don't judge me, I needed my fix!

4. Not being able to get up with friends. All my communication and event organizing is usually done via web. This shows me I need to buy a phone book. I am horrible with phones. When I call friends, I always end up dialing the wrong number a few times prior. Le Dork.

Well now I am back, and will share more of my life and recipes with you all! I am so sorry for being away so long. I've been reading blogs like mad. 

Check out more food I cooked here on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummysommer/

Oatmeal Scotchies: Baking After Dark- Captured!

Last night I tried out a new cookie recipe called Oatmeal Scotchies. My husband bought some butterscotch chips at the commissary, and I did not know what to do with them. Of course cookies, frosting, brownies, cheesecake and cake popped in my head- haha! So with half the bag, I tried cookies, an easy fix. Recipe is from Nestle Tollhouse Cookies Recipes.

Baking at night and during the nap time is the best time for a mother of 3 children under 4 to do.....anything and this recipe is relatively easy. The recipe needs some tweaking, but the family approves! Here's the recipe as is, though I halved it as no family needs 48 cookies in their home! Following are some photos from a bored mommy baker/wannabe photographer: 

Oatmeal Scotchies

Ingredients

·         1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

·         3/4 cup granulated sugar

·         3/4 cup packed brown sugar

·         2 large eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange

·         3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats

·         1 2/3 cups  Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. 

COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

inseparable 

Garden Envy

Garden Envy, originally uploaded by YummySommer.

While walking with the little ones, we come across some absolutely amazing gardens in our neighborhood. Some disorganized, some absolutely perfect and some right in the middle. We love walking and smelling the flowers and oooh'ing and aaaah'ing.

For the longest our yard was either barren or a weed convention. Last week, a "Botanical Artiste" and now wonderful pal helped tame our weeds and planted a couple plants for us! No photos yet, but until then, here's a lovely flower we came across yesterday. I know zip about flowers, so maybe one of you can help me identify this beauty?

Fotografie Friday

PennyMarkt Flowers, originally uploaded by YummySommer.

I took this photo yesterday, but I doubt I'll be able to take any cool shots today due my kids being ill. I doubt most appreciate close-ups of vomit or even better explosive diarrhea. :) I am currently reading Scott Kelby's "The Digital Photography Book Vol.1" and I learned that my shots must be a lot sharper and the only way to accomplish that is a tripod. Apparently my tripod isn't that great, but hey it gets the job done. Plus to save shake, I used my camera's timer. It's amazing how sharp this shot is to me.

Also I used some flowers I bought at the local PennyMarkt for 2 Euros :)