Did somebody say Versatile Blogger?..(smiles).

February 19, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Awards and recognition, My life Tags: blogs, life, versatile blogger award 15 Comments

Oh to be acknowledged. It’s like high school all over. I feel seen. I’ve been having a lot of fun with this blogging platform. Writing, cooking, reading great blogs and taking loads of pictures. And last night I got a little note in my mail from creativenoshing that she was nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award. I was one happy camper going to sleep. After a great day with my fam, I looked so forward to sitting at the computer and writing this post. The meusli post can wait till tomorrow!

So Chloe says to me this morning as I darted from the table to my kitchen window with the perfect natural light… with the last three mini croissants, butter, my homemade kumquat jam and a little cheese knife… she says, “Boy, you are really into taking pictures of food lately. It’s getting kinda weird.”

I said, “Yeah, I’m a little obsessed,” as I carefully arranged my croissants, marmalade and cheese knife about sixteen different ways and stood on the heavy wooden stool that has become a permanent fixture in a place where I manage to to run into it several times a day thus maintaining a permanent bruise on my knee. “But I’m just having so much damn fun.” I replied. “And last night, I got an award.”

“That’s cool.” Chloe grinned, nodded her head a couple times and turned back to making chocolate chip pancakes with grated orange.

Now I just hope I can get this post done before our internet goes off at 11pm (it’s weekend and we get an extra two hours). Nope. I’m back the next morning…Where was I…oh yes…

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Deep dish quiche

February 16, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Brunch, Eggs Tags: crust, gouda, quiche, Torte, vegetables, vegetarian 12 Comments

This was a popular item on our menu at Chez Chloé. Deep dish savory torte. Deep dish quiche. Let me know if you think of the perfect name. Honestly, I can’t remember where I saw this the first time or if I made it up. I don’t think I can take the credit for the original idea but this is my recipe.

This is a great dish to serve for a Sunday brunch or to bring to a gathering. I brought this last week to my choir rehearsal…. and I was an hour late. 30 minutes because I had the start time wrong and 30 minutes because I forgot how long this monster needs to cook. So give yourself a break and do it the night before. You can warm it up in the morning. Or if you insist on baking it fresh… have your crust ready in the springform, your veggies sautéed, and your egg mix ready to pour. Then just put it together and bake. Or how about make it for dinner.

What I love about this is you can really use what’s available in your fridge for the garniture (filling). Leftover veggies, sausages etc. Spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and feta is a great combo too.

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Valentines… bath,duck and kumquats

February 13, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Fruits, Humor, Main: poultry, Side dishes Tags: brussel sprouts, car, custard, duck, raspberries, root vegetables 14 Comments

Ok not the rubber kind and it was the car that got the bath. Happy Valentine’s day honey. Right? What do we get for our loving husbands? Mine isn’t into power tools but how about washing and vacuuming the car, I thought. It was my first car wash in Germany. I was returning from dropping Chloe off at school.. which on a side note is so totally American. These kids here are trained young for church, getting themselves around, and crossing streets only when the green guy flashes. We see 5 year olds out there rain, sun, snow walking to school. They’ve got backpacks as big as their little bodies and until they leave home at 18, they are independent. It’s great. But you have to start straight away. Like with church. My choir did a couple songs for the kids service today and these kids start so young going to church. It is just something you do on Sundays. You start them before they realize they have choices. It’s not like a “hmm… should we go to church today?” It’s just what you do. By the time they hit puberty it’s part of a structure that just is. I’m not religious per se so it’s not about going to church… but the principal of training, ya know?

You can read further about my car wash experience down below. It was pretty funny. But now here are a couple ideas for a lovely Valentine’s Day meal or weekend dinner.

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Sunshine and rotten bananas

February 9, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Baked Goods, Humor Tags: banana bread, chocolate, coconut 15 Comments

I remember when Chloe (aka Alice)…ok the cat’s out of the bag… but now that I’m trying to morph into (or go back) to Chez Chloe – and obviously I haven’t been shy with using my entire name… and it’s not Chloe… you could guess where I may have garnished the name…. Chloe was about two and a half. Yes, we still slept in the same bed. Each morning, she would ever so gently nudge my cheek with her chubby little index finger. She glowed as my eyes opened and I whispered, “Good morning sunshine.” It was another glorious day to be alive, to be loved and to be entertained or provide the entertainment. Many mornings were spent in the kitchen baking, making pancakes and singing. Chloe’s singing and dancing always required an audience. I was happy to oblige. They were sweet days I remember with utter fondness.

Fast forward eleven years. I gently tap on Chloe’s door. I wait. No sound. I peek in the room to see a balled up floral flannel comforter hiding a full size body with a flash of blonde hair streaking from the edges. If I dared to tap her gently and whisper “Good Morning Sunshine,” I’d risk a good slap upside the head. So instead I turn on the lights, shine them directly at her head and grab only a wad of foot. “Hey you, good morning,” I say as I squeeze her foot and deftly step away. I try to maintain some sort of civility, express a mother’s love and protect myself. This is repeated in ten- minute intervals until she rises from the dead.

The first words I heard this morning when she made it to the kitchen for something other than eating breakfast, were “God, those look disgusting.” and she was referring to these beauties. Of course you and I know what’s on the agenda.

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Late bits….

February 6, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Appetizer, Culture Tags: jalepeños, nachos, nutella 1 Comment

So thanks to John Bryan Hopkins at Foodimentary, I learned yesterday was World Nutella Day. So I had to repost these ginormous food service size Nutella jars we saw in the little beach town of Tarifa, Spain.

I love nutella as much as I love raw meat…(still not judging me- right?)

The other thing I became moderately aware of….ha ha… due to gorgeous party food spreads (really the only reason I would ever consider a Superbowl party), was indeed the Superbowl. I’m pretty sure it was yesterday but we are celebrating with nachos today and watching Stepbrothers (note opening scene of nachos). Yes, I do enjoy a pretty broad spectrum of film genres. Ok, the Giants won. Really it was a pretty small article on the NYTimes online homepage. Geez… hope I’m not offending anyone out there!

So you could buy about 5 of those jars of Nutella for the cost of one jar of salsa and one jar of jalepeños here in Deutschland. But it’s worth it. I wish I could get a case of jalepeños. We love them too.

Trick to good nachos is keeping the heat down. I do about 325-350 degrees so they are hot and melted but the cheese doesn’t burn. And I put the peppers on just a couple minutes before they are done so they are warmed up but still juicy. Just don’t multi-task when you are making nachos!

For the love of Kale…..

February 5, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Asian inspired, Fitness and Health, Salad, Vegetables Tags: apples, cabbage, carrots, garlic, ginger, Kale, raw, slaw 15 Comments

Ok… I’m at it again. I’m loving making these videos. I will probably continue unless I hear how boring they are to normal people. Well, honestly, then I may still continue doing them because they are self gratifying. So I’d love to get some feedback. Or not. No really I want it…. thx wt

I’m placing it here, up top, so you have the option to watch…. or you can scroll past to the recipes.

Kale is in. In season. In fashion. Just plain in. It’s a funny thing kale. It’s a great summer salad and really can be grown in the pacific Northwest at least, and I’m sure here in Germany, year round. Just at the peak of heat, it bolts, but usually there’s another patch just coming up and it’s only a short kale eating pause. (Baby red russian kale in summer is great raw in green salads.) But we think of it being “in season” in winter. Certainly here in Hamburg, it’s out in kilo size bags. I think because it is also often the garden Savior. The plant you can knock the snow off of and still harvest. It’s even sweeter after a frost. It has to be very very cold to kill the kale. And it only asks for a light cover such as remay (lite woven fabric) to give that bit of protection to hold out through the freezes.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

February 1, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Cupcakes Tags: cream cheese, cupcakes, lemon, poppy seeds 6 Comments

And for your viewing pleasure…..(well maybe) – Check out this video… do you like it? Is it boring? Would love to get some feedback. thx….wt

See what happens as soon as you say the word diet? When it was just me eating lots of protein and not a lot of bread, things were pretty good. But then I wrote that damn diet post, and my brain wrecked rebellious, emotional upheaval. Well that and our pooch died. All I could think of was baking. Then I thought, just because I make yummy things, I don’t have to eat it all. Yeah right.

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Espresso Cupcakes

January 28, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Cupcakes Tags: buttercream, chocolate, cooking, cupcakes, espresso 9 Comments

You know we made and devoured these last weekend… Do you like how this post follows my “diet” post.

They were squishy and small and seemed to disappear in three bites. I swear that was why we ate so many. Continue reading →

Wendy tries a diet… teehee

January 22, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in Fitness and Health Tags: diet, exercise, fitness, food, health, Henry, Motivation, nordic walking 10 Comments

Being a nutritionist, I’ve never been one to condone dieting. Or diets with names… either for the person who defined the diet nor the place from which it came. It’s so simple it’s mind blowing. When one consumes more calories than the body needs, one will indeed gain weight. Now of course there are variables involved. Primarily, physical activity and from where the calories are derived, a slice of pumpernickel or an oreo. These things certainly have an effect. But it is still so basic. What stands in the way of these simple calculations are our minds and emotions. One doesn’t require a degree in nutrition to know these things and for the most part within the structure of a decent education, we learn what we need to eat to maintain a healthy weight and physical well being. So why in God’s name is it so easy to stuff our gobs till we are sick. Eat because we are sad. Eat because we are bored. Eat because it is raining. Eat because we are celebrating. Eat. Eat. Eat.

I’ve discovered my own personal trend. I tend to work hard for 4-6 months, exercising and using some form of magic ~~emotion~~ portion control. I get “in shape”. Then I sort of coast off that for about 3 years until I notice the circulation starts waning around my bra straps leaving red indented tire tracks in my back and shoulders. The same starts happening around my waist and I look down a) to make sure I can see my belt and b) to see just what notch on this belt I’m actually penetrating. Continue reading →

Dog love and loss

January 19, 2012 By Wendy Ellen Thomas in My life Tags: dogs, domesticated animal, Henry, love, My life 11 Comments

Domesticated animals are a gift to humans and should be treated with the upmost respect. My favorite domesticated animal, the dog, above all else, requires love, attention and fun. Then food, preferably from the table, but they really should stick to kibbles. And finally, an outlet for voiding bladder and bowels. Their needs are simple really. In my opinion dogs provide an unconditional love like no other. I like cats. A lot actually . But tell me a dog who goes and pees on your couch after you’ve returned from a 10- day trip just to get back at you. Your dog is just so happy that you came back.

Dogs are keen observers, have 3-5x the auditory capacity of humans and up to 220 million olfactory cells compared to the human’s 5 million. They wait to hear you rustle in the morning. They come nuzzle their wet nose up under your warm hand, again with a hello, I’m happy it’s another day to spend with you. And another day to play and eat. They watch intently waiting to accept the next stroke, belly caress and listen for the rattle of the leash. They have an eye on your hand or the treat bag in all waking moments.

They sit by your side, follow you from room to room, wait for you outside the bathroom, sit it the middle of the kitchen while you make dinner, make gurgling, light growling sounds when you’ve waited too long to take them for a walk. They get bored when you sit in front of the computer too long and beg you to play or just snuggle up with them instead. They don’t mind if you bring a book.

In the evening they sit next to you on the couch, head or tail in your lap, just wanting to make some sort of contact. They could sit there for hours. Before bed, one last acknowledgement as to the lovely day they had with you. Then they sleep at the end of the bed till they are hot and choose to sleep on the cool tile instead.

One day, inevitably it comes too soon, it’s time for them to say goodbye. They look up at you one last time, breath out one last I love you, then lay still and peaceful. This is the moment we must make every effort to let them go in peace and be thankful for the unconditional love, grace, and presence they bestowed in our lives.

Thank you Henry. What a great 12 years!