I admit that I used to be a bit of a snob about country music. As a teen, it was something I just didn’t want to consider. Dolly Parton singlehandedly changed that. I guess you could say her music opened a door that will never, ever close.

And wow….she had some big hair!

In this example, I’ve made lemon brandy. I also take the brandy-steeped lemon peel and make candied lemon peel, which I’ll either use in a recipe or eat on its own (it’s delicious!)….not sure which yet!

Ingredients:
Lemon peel
Brandy
sugar
water

First I peeled my lemon. I just used one lemon for this recipe, but I only made a small amount:

The lemon peel went in a jar, which was topped up with brandy until the peels are covered. If you want to make a large amount, you might want to use a carafe or jug. Just make sure you cover it (plastic wrap with an elastic band will do). Just keep in mind that whatever bottle you want to keep your finished product in, you also want to leave room for the simple syrup (this keeps your finished liqueur from tasting like medicine).

Next, I left the brandy and lemon peel to steep. Usually it’s about 3+ weeks. I left it for a month.

Then I removed the lemon peel and poured the brandy into a bottle (I save bottles for such uses). I then made a simple syrup (just boil sugar and water until you get a syrup consistency) and added it. The mixture was about 3/4 brandy, 1/4 syrup. I tried it without the syrup but it tasted like medicine.

I candied the lemon peel as well. As it had been steeped in brandy, it made a really great candied peel. I chopped the peel, boiled it in sugar and water until sticky, then let it dry slightly, separated it, and the let it dry completely on some parchment paper.

(excuse the blurriness of the last photo…I had forgotten to take one of the finished peel and by this time it was late at night).

The peel can be saved in a small jar and used for baking, or eaten as a tasty candy! The brandy can be enjoyed on its own or used in cocktails

Enjoy!

(My dinner, via dodgy phone pic)

Anyway, to all you cynics, I think you should consider a change of heart. To all the lovers and optimists, happy Valentines Day! Love you all!

I made this a few weeks ago, but forgot to post about it, but since I’m a bit short on material, I’ll post about it now!

This might look like any other pie, but don’t be fooled. This is no ordinary pie! First off, it’s a meat pie. I first started making meat pies before Christmas using this excellent page on Medieval cookery as a guide. After a while, however, I thought that there must be more that could be done with a meat pie than the traditional ingredients and spices. I’d heard of curried pies, so I tried my hand at making a Thai Curry pie with some leftover red curry chicken I had in the fridge. I still used the instructions in the page I provided above as my guideline, but I threw in lemongrass, red chili peppers, grated ginger, coconut milk, some of the red curry sauce left over from the chicken recipe (available here for reference) and rice. I served it with leftover red curry sauce, and when that ran out it was pretty tasty with some Thai sweet and sour sauce I had in the fridge.

If anyone is curious, I also boiled the bones and the very last hints of meat to make this Thai chicken soup recipe. I got a lot out of that chicken!

*Note* I just use a basic pastry recipe for my pie crust. I usually use that crisco provides, but I use lard instead of shortening (I can’t find shortening that doesn’t have palm oil in it). If you’re gluten intolerant, there are also a number of great gluten free pastry recipes on the net. I recommend the one that Gluten Free Girl has on her site.

1. A very inspiring editorial on mental illness via Huffington Post Canada

2. Literary criticism in the 21st Century via Time

3. 5 Real life places straight out of fairy tales via Cracked. I really want to visit some of these places. I’ve already been to Neuschwanstein. The hoards of tourists somehow made it much less impressive.

4. Latest Game of Thrones Season 2 character photos via HBO. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably already seen them on Facebook, Twitter or everywhere else on the net, but since they’re awesome, I thought I’d share them again. Plus, here, they’re bigger. I love to see how the books come alive in the series. April 1 can’t come fast enough!

And, that’s all folks. I’m hoping for a speedy recovery!

Recipe:
1 chunk of ginger about the size of the top of your thumb, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped in half
1-2 cinnamon sticks
a few whole cloves
a few whole cardamon seeds

Mix ingredients in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for a few minutes. Drink with honey and lemon juice, to taste.

I know the garlic sounds weird, but with the other strong spices you can’t really taste it. The ginger will sooth your stomach (if you’re nauseous) and throat, and help clear your sinuses. Honey will also help out with the throat thing. Garlic and lemon juice are full of nifty vitamins, which help you fight infection. The other stuff helps it taste really good.

I usually make a large pot of it instead and double the recipe, and heat it up and drink it throughout the day. Enjoy!

*Note* I am not a doctor. I am recommending this if you are minorly ill with something like a cold or mild flu. If you’re seriously ill, have bad symptoms or have symptoms that persist for more than a week, please go see a doctor.

I managed to find some used skis from the DDR on ebay. I also got some poles and boots. All together, the lot cost me about 40 Euro. I’d say that if you’re interested in buying cross-country skis in Germany, ebay is a good bet, and it’s cheaper to get everything separately. Also, items in your city for pick-up only are a lot cheaper, as they wont get bids from people out of town. I found that the only problem was that it was a bit tricky to get poles. Most poles that came up on a search were for the nordic walking poles, even when I specifically searched under ski equipment. Also, you have to mind the bindings. Older skis have bindings called NN75 (the ones with the three prongs that the boots clip into), and you have to get boots that match. Newer ones have clip-in bindings.

If you don’t want to buy skis, there are a number of places in Berlin that rent them. A google.de search will get you lots of results, but if you’re lazy, these are the top results I found when I was looking for a friend:

Cheapest, but in Schoeneberg…maybe not so convenient if you’re in Mitte/P-berg/X-berg.
Pricey, but conveniently located in Prenzlauer Berg
Mid-price, and convenient in Tiergarten

Of course, what’s “convenient” depends on where you live. Perhaps you live in the West and Schoeneberg is easier for you. I’m just going by where I am.

There are a lot of great places to cross-country ski in Berlin. Pretty much any park with good pathways will do, and the outer edges of the city contain a lot of park lands. I was considering going to Mueggelsee, but I opted for Wannsee as I was going alone and felt it would be best to go where there would be a few more people. Also, it was a walk through Wannsee that inspired my decision to cross-country ski. I had a fun time. It’s tough if you’re used to downhill skiing, and it’s a definite workout even if you’re fit. The snow was a bit thin (as you’ll see in the photos) but it was ok to learn. I got some strange looks on the S-Bahn on the way there, but I ran into several people on the pathways who thought it was really cool. Apparently many residents of Zehlendorf cross-country ski.

Anyway, now for photos!

(The snow was particularly thin here, but it was good to get them on).

(Snowy forest!)

(Me in the snow)

(I actually had to take my skis off here, as it was a hill and the snow was too worn down, and there were too many tree roots to get in the way).

(The lake was frozen. People were skating on it, and I was told I would be able to ski on it, but I opted not to, because I figured that if something happened, I was alone and no one would be there to help).

(The restaurant by the ferry to Pfaueninsel…all covered in snow).

(Crowd of ducks in the unfrozen patch of the lake).

(Poor ducks).

(Nothing better than an after-ski cocoa!)

Often, we’re a lot harder on our clothes than we could be, and we throw things away that could still be easily worn. Here are a few tips to keep your clothing looking new!

1. Wash your clothes often, but not too often. You want to find a balance here. Some things (underwear, socks) you need to wash after every wear. Others it can be a bit more. I can’t tell you how often because it really depends on how much you sweat, how many layers you’re wearing, etc. Obviously if it smells a bit or you spilled something on it, it gets washed. You don’t want to over-wash you clothes, because even a gentle cycle can slowly wear at them, but you also don’t want to leave it too long, because the oils in your skin can also degrade fabric (especially natural fibres such as silk, wool and cotton). You have to strike a balance here.

2. Don’t pull at your clothes too much when you’re taking them on and off It can stretch at the fabric.

3. Invest in a fabric shaver. Make sure you get a fairly good one. The cheapy ones don’t have much use as they don’t actually shave the fabric. If you don’t know what this is, it’s pictured with the cardigan in the photo accompanying this entry. It shaves off the pills on your clothing. I don’t use mine only for knit wear; I also use it for my wool coat, which gets a bit pilly, and also for my Lululemon yoga pants, which I love but they do tend to pill after a while. My lint shaver keeps these things looking brand new.

4. For pieces you love, consider repairing them Some things are beyond repair, and some things really aren’t worth it (There’s no point in patching up a $20 pair of H&M shoes). I do find though that for my nicer pieces a lot of repairs are helpful. I’m lucky in that I can sew up seams and hems that have come undone myself, but I also do get my good shoes repaired (rather than replacing them). I also think that re-dyeing clothing can fall under this category. Blacks are the simplest to do. Once again, it probably isn’t worth re-dyeing a $10 t-shirt, but if you have a cashmere sweater or a favourite piece that’s a bit faded, it could be worth it.

5. Consider wearing protective garments. By this, I mean that you should wear an apron when you cook (especially when using sauces and oils. I’ve learned this the hard way), and that things like undershirts are your friends. I often wear another layer underneath when I wear wool and cashmere, not just because it’s often very cold when I wear these things, but also because these fabrics are a pain to wash and if I wear something underneath I don’t have to wash them as often. This also leads back to #1.

6. Appropriate clothing for the activity in question is key. This might seem obvious but it’s another one I’ve learned the hard way. Stuff like cleaning might not seem that hard on clothing, but it does wear at it, so when I clean I wear older, cheaper clothing. Also, if I have to walk a lot, I’ll carry my heels so that I don’t wear down the caps so quickly. Use your judgement. While looking great is always a positive thing, you have to consider what you’re doing and throw that into the equation.

Over the years, I’ve learned that there are some really simple ways to save money cooking. I’ll share a few with you now, and perhaps more in the future. Just a disclaimer, some of you may find some of these gross. I assure you, they are safe and not gross once you get the hang of it, but those not used to cooking with such things may be a bit put off. I urge you to get over it, but if you can’t, just ignore it.

1) Stale? Don’t throw it out! I mean stale bread products. This can include bread, muffins, rolls or anything like that. As long as it isn’t moldy, it’s usable. I don’t recommend you eat stale bread, because it’s not very tasty, but there’s lots you can do with it. You can dry it out in the oven and grind it up for bread crumbs, you can cube it, season it and dry it out and make croutons, you can make bread pudding (this is great for muffins), you can make stuffing to use as a side dish to eat with a meal (it’s like mini Thanksgiving…who doesn’t love that?) There are a lot of possibilities. Google it. Back in the day, most people couldn’t afford to throw out bread, so there are a lot of recipes that use stale bread. I know we can now, but just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

2. Old pasta and rice are still usable. This is the same idea as the bread. If it’s not moldy or doesn’t smell funny and isn’t that old (just maybe a bit hard or chewy after a day or so in the fridge), you can throw this in soups or casseroles.

3. In most cases, buying whole cuts of meat is cheaper. This isn’t just because it’s not butchered, though that plays a role. You can also do a lot more with a whole chicken than you can with just a few chicken breasts. I usually make some sort of roast or dish with the chicken, then use some of the leftovers for a casserole, stir fry or pie, and then boil the bones and remaining meat to make stock or soup. Granted, I live alone, but one chicken can feed me for over a week (yes, I have a freezer, so I’m not actually leaving a chicken and eating it after having it sit around for a week!)

4. Cabbage is your friend. At least in winter it is. It takes forever to go off, and it goes a really long way. There’s a reason it’s used in so many different countries’ cooking traditions. It goes a really long way.

5. Storage is key. I think this needs to be its own blog post at some point, but the way you store food plays a huge role in how long it lasts. I freeze stuff when I know I can’t eat it (easy, healthy microwave meals for busy days!), but I also store my food well when I’m using it. I make sure I get rid of anything that’s going off right away, because it causes the other items to go off quicker. I store produce in produce bags that absorb the gases and help them last longer (I swear they actually work, and they can be washed and reused up to 12 times). I store grains and things in sealed containers. There are a lot of tips and tricks to storing food well, so I think I really will have to keep the rest as another post.

6. Due dates are suggestions, not rules. Due dates are not laws of nature. They’re printed mostly for retailers as a guide for when a product must be sold by. Overall, I follow them for things like meat, but some things I’m a bit more lenient, and tend to use my nose and eyes as a guide instead. Dairy is an instance where you can stretch it way past. Even if milk has gone a bit sour, it’s great for cooking (the cooking will kill off anything nasty).