A White Christmas Indeed

It started snowing here yesterday around 3pm. It hasn't stopped yet. This morning I shoveled the walk and driveway for Mr X while he was getting ready so he could go to work. It took a really long time. It's been 3 hours since I cleared the paths and driveway and there's already nearly another 4 inches again. I guess I'll have to re-shovel for my lunch break. I don't mind because I enjoy shovelling snow. I LOVE the snow.

It is SO quiet here because of all of the muffling snow. And so pristine-looking as well. I think I should go snow shoeing.

UPDATE: As of 11 am we had 32 inches and counting.

Holiday Goodies

Every year I bake a bunch of goodies to take to local neighbors and friends. The last several years my trifecta of treats has pretty much stayed the same. It used to change a lot depending on what I was loving at the moment. I guess it's stopped changing because these are my all time favorites for my holiday baking gifts.

I failed to take pictures most of my treats this year so I scoured the interweb for photos similar to what I made for the two items I didn't capture. These pictures of the Florentine cookies are courtesy of Mr X and they are of my own final product. The fudge and biscotti photos are borrowed.





Florentine Cookies. My absolute favorite.





Dark Chocolate Walnut Fudge. This is Mr X's favorite.




Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti. I really like homemade biscotti and I love this kind in particular because it contains the Christmas colors: red cranberries and green pistachios.



Holiday Decorations

Mr X and I weren't planning on getting a Christmas Tree this year for various reasons but, as is typical with us, at the last minute we changed our minds. The exciting thing about our tree this year is that we chopped it down ourselves. In fact we went outside, strapped on our show shoes and wandered about the trees trying to decide which would be our tree, then we used a saw to cut it down. Let me just say that walking downhill in snow shoes with a tree and a saw is very tricky. I'm pleased to report that all of the tree's limbs and our own limbs remained intact. It was a great adventure.

Our tree was rather small this year so we only put about half our ornaments on it. I love it.

 

This is a new ornament I bought this year. It's a Käthe Wohlfahrt ornament.



This is just a holiday decoration Mr X and I bought a year or so ago in Germany. It's one of my favorites.



These are decorationsMr X and I bought several years ago in Nuremberg at a Christmas Market. And yes, since we bought them in Europe we have to use a power adapter to plug them in. We didn't really think that through when we bought them.



This was a German Nativity that I purchased in Munich several years ago as well. My SIL was with me and she bought one as well. I absolutely adore it. Those Wise Men and Shepard really get to spinning fast when the candles are lit. (See below.)



A Baking Lesson from a Master

During our recent trip to Chicago my Aunt convinced my Grandma to educate us both in the proper way to make Scottish Shortbread.  My Grandmother's side of the family hails from Scotland and she's been making shortbread her whole life. She says she doesn't really remember who taught her how to make it. I was impressed that she didn't even need to look at a recipe at all. She just walked into the kitchen and started the process as if it was as second nature as breathing. My aunt insists that most people get it wrong and when they make it, it lacks that light flaky tenderness that is pretty much a guarantee when my Grandma makes it. So here's how to make a proper batch of shortbread:

In a bowl mix the following:

 1 cup of unsalted butter (It HAS to be real butter people!)

1/2 cup white sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

NOTE: Don't use the entire 2 cups of flour right away, reserved a small portion to use when kneading the dough so that it doesn't stick. I didn't know this part. Apparently if you go over the the flour your cookies will become too dry.

See all of that seemingly 'extra' flour on my Grandma's hands? It's the reserve flour from her 2 cups.



Once you're got all of the ingredients mixed together, you start kneading the dough for precisely 5 minutes. During this time the texture transforms from looking rather lumpy and sticky to appearing quite sleek with everything well incorporated.



Divide the dough in half and flatten into pie dishes.

Imprint fork lines around the edges and then prick the center all over with the fork tines.

Be sure to pre-slice the dough before you bake it. If the dough pulls along with the fork while you are cutting it then my Grandma says you probably didn't knead the dough long enough.

Bake the shortbread in an oven preheated to 325 for 30 minutes. You don't want the cookies to brown, they should just be starting to get sightly golden around the edge. It's easy to over-bake or under-bake these cookies so keep an eye on them.

Sadly, I didn't get a good pictures of the finished product, but it was just as light and flaky and buttery as my aunt promised it would be.

The Windy City

Mr X and I flew to Chicago to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family there. We had a great time! We spent a lot of time with my grandparents there (more photos from that to come) and my aunt her longtime love (let's call him Mr Chicago) took us out on an incredibly extensive tour of downtown Chicago. Apparently Mr Chicago was born and raised in Chicago proper and he has amassed a wealth of knowledge about the city during his lifetime. It was quite amazing and very informative. Thank you very much Mr Chicago! Sadly I failed to capture much of The Tour with my camera so these photos will have to suffice:

Of course Mr X and I tried to sample the famous Chicago fare while we were in town. The hot dog was the only thing I captured for your viewing pleasure. I'm not generally a fan of the hot dog, but Chicagoans certainly know how to transform a mediocre food item into something seriously delicious. I could have eaten one of these every day. They are definitely a must if you are visiting the Windy City. (I recommend Portillo's Jumbo Dog.) And yes, adding ketchup would definitely ruin these dogs.

Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides

Mr X and I have visited many military museums in Europe and for some reason during previous trips to Paris we never made it to the Musée de l'Armée so this time we made sure we toured this place. It's quite large - it holds around 500,000 artifacts, including weapons, armour, artillery, uniforms, emblems and paintings which are are organized into historical collections, representing a chronological tour from ancient times through the end of World War II. As we toured, however, it became clear that the French have a very different opinion about how WWII played out - it seems they really had everything under control and they were going to be able to miraculously take back their own country (which fell in 40 days to the Germans) pretty much on their own. The Americans and the British just helped a little bit. The French Canadians did a bang up job with the French resistance though.

The Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte is also found here so we visited that as well.

De La Fosse's Allegories Dome under which Napoleon's tomb lays.

The acutal tomb.

NOTE: If you're getting sick of Paris photos, no worries, this is the last post from our trip. Now onto other adventures.

The Arc de Triomphe & Cimetière de Montparnasse

I think the Arc de Triomphe is one of my favorite sights in Paris. It is so incredibly impressive and I love the views from the top - you seem to be able to see forever (so long as it's a clear day). Plus, I always find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to be a humble reminder of those unidentified soldiers who lost their lives in both World Wars.

Below are photos of the Cimetiere de Montparnasse. It's a breathtaking cemetery and fascinating to walk explore. Here are some notable people who were laid to rest in this cemetery:

Bartholdi, Frederic August: b. August 2, 1834 d. October 4, 1904
French sculptor renowned for his monumental works, the most famous being the Statue of Liberty. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was born at Colmar, in Alsace, France, on April 2, 1834.


Beauvoir, Simone de: b. January 9, 1908 d. April 14, 1986
French writer, philosopher, feminist. She has come to be seen as the mother of post-1968 feminism.


Chauveau-Lagarde, Claude: b. January 21, 1756 d. February 28, 1841
Lawyer. He was the lawyer of Queen Marie Antoinette and Charlotte Corday.


Garnier, Charles: b. November 6, 1825 d. August 3, 1898
Architect of the magnificent "Opera de Paris."


Picasso, Paul: b. February 4, 1921 d. June 5, 1975
Son of Pablo Picasso. Pablo Picasso painted "Paul Picasso as a Child" (oil on canvas) in 1923.


Marcel Alexandre Bertrand: (1847–1907), geologist, founder of the plate tectonic theory


Pierre Larousse: (1817–1875), author of encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique


Sabine Zlatin: (1907–1996), Polish-born humanitarian who hid Jewish children during the Holocaust

Today I Give Thanks For Food (Among Other Things)

It is physically impossible for me to go to Europe and NOT come home fatter. Now, I really don't want to become portly. HOWEVER, I feel that the deliciousness of Europe is well worth coming home with a few pounds to lose. See below:



Mr X and I actually ate this ginormous steak - we shared it. Our waiter brought it out for our approval before taking it back to be cooked up for us. It was delicious.

Those of you who know me well enough know that I LOVE cheese. Sadly I never got around to actually buying anything from a frommagerie. I'm not sure why...



We didn't buy any of these berries, we just ogled them. I wish red currants were more widely available in the US.



I must be missing our Mission Fig Tree from our old place in San Diego. I actually bought a half a kilo of figs while in Paris. After our purchase Mr X and I walked over to the Eiffel Tower and sat on a bench to devour figs while we gazed at the tower. Oh my gosh they are SO GOOD.

 

This was the little fruit/veggie shop from which we purchased our figs.

 

Believe it or not I have never eaten a proper French Macaroon before. So Mr X and I bought 6 of varying flavors from a store to try. They are small so we split them all in half so we could taste them all. I liked them but I must confess, I prefer coconut macaroons. Homemade.



Based on the recommendation of my in-laws, Mr X and I waited in line to have breakfast at Angelina's. The hot chocolate at this place is legendary. Apparently Coco Channel used to have hot chocolate here every day. It was definitely worth it. I only wish I had gone more than once. I guess I'll have to go back to Paris again JUST for this chocolate.

 

Would you believe that I actually didn't buy any of these sorts of pastries while in Paris, I just took pictures? I guess I just never got around to it because I fully intended to buy and eat loads of them.



This swine looks both repulsive and delicious at the same time, don't you think? I imagine that those potatoes underneath the pig that have been roasting in pork fat are the real culinary treat here - too bad I didn't get to confirm that. We walked past this place right after we'd eaten dinner.