home again

The fact that I chose this title for my current blog entry shows that we have settled in here in Germany.

I so enjoyed seeing everyone at Lorene's for the big New Year's Eve bash!! Thanks to all who were able to make it (especially those who don't normally venture out for NY's) AND thanks to Lloyd and Lorene for hosting (they actually made it home in time). I had a hard time leaving as I didn't feel I had enough time with my friends. I told Murilo if we could just have all our friends here then all would be perfect!! OR, better yet, if U.S. schools would follow Steven Krashen's and Alfie Kohn's advice (thanks for that email Mary) then I wouldn't have left in the first place!

The German layered salad I made for the party didn't go over very well (it was supposed to sit in the frig overnight before serving) but the soup was a big hit. I promised Susan I'd share the recipe with you here, so...

Red Lentil and Curry Soup
(Cary's own creation :)

1. Heat some oil in a pot (size depends on how much soup you want to make)
2. Fry cut up pieces of meat (I used chicken the other night, but bratwurst is great as is no meat)
3. Add chopped garlic when meat is almost cooked
4. Add vegetable boullion, curry powder, and salt (to your own liking)
5. Add chopped vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions, leeks, kohlrabi, brocolli, ???). You choose the combination based on your own likes/dislikes
6. Add can of tomatoes (or use fresh tomotoes) and enough water to nearly fill the pot.
7. When boiling, add lentils (normal lentils work just as well as red, but red ones taste best)
8. Turn to simmer and cook for 30 minutes
9. I add an egg to thicken (3-4 eggs if not using meat)
10. For the the NY's party, I added frozen, chopped spinach as my green vegetable
11. Cook another 10-15 minutes and enjoy

Only one person asked about the food in Germany and I didn't tell what my favorite is (I guess I forgot) - Currywurst! They serve this at all the festivals and even have it at the mall. I LOVE it. Just fry some bratwurst, slice it and serve it on a plate. Top it with some ketchup and sprinkle with curry powder. The stores here sell Curry Ketchup so you get it all mixed up evenly. Yummmmm, it is so good. I also like the Kartoffelpuffers (little potato pancakes) - they are greasy from the food stands but pretty yummy. In the Asian food aisle at Safeway you can find a Kartoffelpuffer boxed mix - yes, right there in Madras. There is a small section of German foods at the end closer to the meat section.

We left Lorene's a little after 3:30 - after we had to call a locksmith (Murilo swears the car just locked by itself). I promise I didn't do it - as it only bought an extra 20 minutes anyway. The drive to Portland was windy and snowy until we were past ZigZag - then it was rainy. But we made our 7:30 flight to New Jersey in time and even got to sit in first class :). Jess and I also got first class from New Jersey to Frankfurt - what a treat!!! After arriving in Frankfurt, Jess and I had to lug all the suitcases home via train (one weighed nearly 70 lbs). The worst was when we were nearly home. There had been an accident involving a car and the U-Bahn right near our stop so we had to get out at the stop before and walk the rest of the way home. As we approached our apartment building we saw the creepy Hausmeister watching us from the balcony. He just gave a little nod and tip of his hat and then watched us maneuver into the building. He was on our level mopping the floors and didn't even offer to help us get our stuff out of the elevator so I didn't feel bad as he had to remop the floor!!!

Well, that's it! Now we are just dragging ourselves around trying to clean and do laundry when we'd rather be napping. I lugged home two bags of groceries to restock the frig and think I will succumb to that nap for just a little while. I have lesson plans to write tonight as we'll be visiting our German cousins tomorrow in Ingelheim.

Take care and Happy New Year. It was so nice seeing all of you in Madras - I wish we could have stayed longer. Love to all!