Risotto For Dumkopfs

After a week of traveling and eating lots of gas station food I was ready to get back into cooking. In Europe's defense....they have some wonderful tricks of the traveling trade to share with us Americans. Witness the cold pasta/pollo salad:

Yes beloveds, that is a hard-boiled egg in there. This was a yummy refreshing change of pace from your run- of- the- mill fast food nachos and cheese sauce from your local 7-11. Even though in Germany you could get a foot-long hot dog coiled up in a cloudy billious tankard of salty liquid for those who need those sorts of nitrates. But you could still buy a delicious fresh-baked pretzel.

 So even though I was subservient to my one bs (one burner stove) in the apartment I was I excited to cook up something different.

I'd made a yummy salad I'd found on Pinterest

and then later thought I would probably end up eating the whole darn thing because it was DELICIOUS! So I scrambled back to the market and impulsively found a mix for risotto. Not another frozen pizza this week...please! Yes they are yummy but gah! Enough is enough!

Here's my instructions for cooking risotto: First go on-line and click on your fave Spanish/English translation and determine what chorrito means. (Hint: It translates to 'splash'). So go back to your risotto mix and start following the directions you CAN understand. Then it goes something like this....

add more stock
add a little bit more stock
then some more
oh wow some  more (screw that 'chorrito'!)

then you
stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir

and you realize that the flimsy pot the apartment provided will skidder off  the burner if you stir too aggressively so put down your Vogue Espana magazine and focus, woman!

stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir


Switch arms since now your flabby forearms are starting to tingle from the pint-sized spoon the apartment has provided you with.


stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir stir


Eventually you will hope to end up with someone like this. As if this is even close to what risotto is SUPPOSED to look like. All my years of watching Top Chef and hearing of how the risotto was too runny or too crunchy or too starchy...whatever. I think it turned out fine, and will gladly eat my fair share. Looking at this picture I judge it be too dry. It's really just the lighting y'all. It's moist enough.

Didn't have any Parmesan cheese. Padma would be ticked. ;) Made just have to drape a nice slice of Emmental cheese over the top there :)

Bueno Appetito! :P

PS Julia Child I hope you will find it your heart to forgive me.  <3 

October 31

Yes they do celebrate All Hallow's Eve here. I kept reading about it and wasn't getting a fundamentally concrete picture of whether it was Nov 1 or today that they celebrate. No matter. The kids still got into it a little bit and we decorated the apartment. 

A little trip to the 'Chinese store' down the street supplied all the materials required to make this stunning bird ensemble ;) 

Plus some black yarn for Doe to work her magick

The girl on the right took off her witches' hat before I caught the shot. Bump debated going door to door to trick or treat, but also wanted to go to Doe's soccer practice instead. I bought some chocolates for dessert tonight. 

The Alps...on the border between Germany and Italy

...and somewhere in Austria....

Logging chopper clearing underbrush. Oh what a nice reprieve from all of the beetlekill in my beloved Colorado :( 

The sound of cowbells clanging in the valley was almost too precious to bear :')

Alpine water

Deuteronomy 8:2--For the Lord your God brings you into a good land

a land of  (brooks) of water

of fountains and depths that spring out of

the valley and hills... 

Deuteronomy 33:15-And the chief things of the ancient mountains

and for the precious things of the lasting hills 

My beautiful children

They are such champion travelers. So so SO proud of their stamina by driving hour upon hour in a compact car. Love them immensely for their kindness and patience and forgiving hearts to one another, when their patience has worn thin. 

Welcome to Italy :)  

A stunning way to end our time in Germany. After so much gluttony in a material sense it was calming to get out into the beautiful world and appreciate what God had created to reflect His glory. What a wonderful journey into a peaceful idyllic pasture. We appreciated the rest.

Munich 10/24 Spielzeugmuseum (Toy Museum)

When I was a little girl of all of about 10 I remember climbing the stairs in my basement and having this distinct thought of designing my own doll. The appeal of creating her own character and storyline and clothes. It was all very real for me at that time. But I never pursued that dream and soon life got in the way. So I celebrated when Doe was old enough and started wanting her own dolls and rewarded her with Barbies and My Scene dolls, American Girl dolls and the like. Tank was all about Thomas the Tank Engine and Bumpo was all about wearing tutus and boots and getting in the middle of what the other two were doing.

So having heard a rumor about German toy manufacturing and seeing for myself the pride of workmanship the Northern Europeans take in their crafts, I was intrigued to learn of a toy museum in Munich. What fun I thought to take the kids and go check it out. So after I got back from my Alter Peter jaunt I returned to the hotel and rousted the children into getting ready to accompany me.

wind-up bugs

Laboratory 

the Zoo

Vintage flower press 

Metal Army personnel sets 

All Vintage. All Swastikas were blackened out. 

Wooden sets

Because really what childhood is complete without a full Catholic priest, his censure,  and cup for Holy Communion?

The dolls were to be placed on pianos and would 'jig' to the music  on fine-haired wire legs. 

The bears 

A vast milliner's store for making minituare doll hats. Oh so twee!!! 

Beautiful beginnings of a marionette

This wheel is outside of the museum. It spins and makes a dinging noise  on the hour. Very cute. 

If you ever bring your kids to Munich and are looking for a fun and inspiring way to spend a few hours, take them to the Spielzeugmuseum. It didn't disappoint.