Frohes Neues Jahr aus Deutschland

This year we truly rang in the New Year in great style -- with wonderful company, a delicious gourmet menu, and a beautiful setting. Joining family in Remscheid, we were decadent and celebratory as we enjoyed a slow (and gluttonous) nine course meal at a restaurant and hotel in the area, Villa Paulus.



Some highlights:


Course 1: (Unpictured) Gänsleberparfait im karamellisierten Kürbiskernmantel
Gooseliver parfait in a carmelized pumpkin crust



Course 2: Hummer Créme Brulée (with Pina Colada Creme)
Lobster Créme Brulée



Course 3:
Kaninchen-Gewürztraminer Pastete mit Haselnusskrokant und Mangosalsa
Rabbit pate with Gewurztraminer jello pieces, hazelnut crunch, and mango salsa



Course 4: Zitronen-Kartoffelsüppchen mit gebratener Jacobsmuschel
Lemon-Potato soup with fried scallop



Serious amount of silverware -- thank goodness I have seen Pretty Woman and know to start from the outside!



Course 5: Rote Ravioli gefüllt mit Nuss-Ricotta in fritierter Raukebutter mit gerösteten Maccadamian nüssen
Red ravioli filled with nuts and ricotta with butter-fried ruccola with roasted Maccadamian



Course 6: Paradeiser-Salbei Sorbet
Tomato Sage Sorbet



Course 7: Filet vom Red Snapper an Pernodschaum mit Rote Beete Risotto



Course 8: Geschmortes und gebratenes vom Lamm mit Maronen-Lila Herzoginenkartoffel
Braised and roasted lamb with chestnut-purple duchess potato



Course 9: Hausgemachtes Nusseckchen mit Salzbutter-Karamelleis
Homemade nut corners with salted butter caramel icecream (tasted just like Werther's candies)



Accolades to the chef (left) and owners (above)


With such a start for 2011, I can say that the New Year looks very promising!



Frohes Neues Jahr 2011!

Christmas time is here

happiness and cheer... love and dreams to share... beauty everywhere... joyful memories there...oh, that we could always see...such spirit through the year...

Here's wishing all of you out there who are dear (and, sadly, not always so near) to us a Christmas that is filled with all that is wondrous, magical, and worthy!

(Greetings from balmy Florida and the Magic Kingdom)

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14

(and some angels who visited our snowy backyard in Tartu)

Jõule Highlights

Everyone knows that there is no place like home for the holidays, but, unfortunately, I wasn't able to go home this year. So, I gathered a few fellow vagabonds -- friends old and new -- and we infused the season with cheer (or rather stuffed it with abundant amounts of tasty homemade morsels). Here are a few of the highlights or our Jõule (Christmas) celebrations!


Gathering on Christmas Eve, we were lucky to have in our midst a world-renowned German MPP (Master Potato Peeler), Hape.

Traveling all the way from Finland, we also had master Chef Jen, pictured right, preparing scrumptious dishes of her home tradition -- cranberry bread, special kind of scalloped potato with sardines that I forget the name of, almond paste coffee bread, meatballs (and the chef is vegetarian... imagine that!) to name a few of the tasty items.

We also had a dancing Russian, Nastya, who prepared her potato salad and blini with much flare and then persuaded us all to join her in a hilarious game of charades/pictionary.


Caroline, a carrot-peeling Nebraskan (who also makes a mean batch of maraschino cherry cookies, by the way) brought many smiles and cheer to our bunch.


Finally, we were lucky to have two elves with us to prepare the salad and add to our lovely Christmas mix. Britta added some traditional German Christmas butter cookies to our table and Marika, the Estonian-Russian in our company, celebrated her first Christmas with our international crowd.


We celebrated both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and filled our time with festivity:

Feasting on fabulous dishes... Trimming the tree with popcorn and cranberries... Playing games... Enjoying hot mulled wine... Laughing...
Watching movies... Sharing stories... Singing... Exchanging Presents...

Jõule 2006

Celebrating Birthdays...
(Hape birthday, Hape! ~ December 25 and Happy Birthday, Jen! ~December 26)
































In the end, a very cozy and beautiful Christmas... I hope yours was as beautiful!

HÄID JÕULE, EVERYONE!

Christmas tree updates

Last weekend some friends came over for a night of playing a German board game called Settler, and, together, we made some new paper cut-out additions to my tree. This creative collection of ornaments carefully constructed during a cozy evening of game playing makes my tree an even more special centerpiece in my living room. Perhaps you can appreciate the difference a few adornments and warm company adds to the tree.

From Game Night

The tree is actually better captured without so much light. Its multi-colored glow reflecting in the glass of my window begs me to slow down in the evening (or morning or night -- it's now dark here a majority of the time!) to admire its beauty and reflect on the season.

I have made one very important philosophic and linguistic discovery this season: Christmas tree is not only a noun but also a verb, something to be contemplated and done during quiet winter evenings as the holidays approach.

Minu Jõulupuu

It's getting rather dark and gloomy outside as daylight truly dwindles. Last weekend was the "official" opening of the Advent season though and, suddenly, lights have appeared everywhere, somehow making it easier to cope with the dreariness of a December without snow. My home was no exception and I put up my Christmas tree this weekend! I take all of the flak for an artificial tree; it's a first for me and my preference, of course, would be to have the authentic spruce-scented article in my living room. However, the sparsely decorated item (more decor to come as I plan to hand-make some ornaments as time slows and the season nears a bit) really brings a lot of light to my living room. I can spend hours in the cozy darkness -- the advantage here is that it is dark more than light this time of year in Estonia -- contemplating the season.

P.S. Isn't jõulupuu a lovely way to say Christmas tree?