I took the girls out to the country this weekend, to a manor called Haus Rüschhaus. Nestled into the woods, this mini palace was the summer home of architect Johann Schlaun, the man famous for Münster's palace, among others. The gardens are great for rambling, and there are great trails through the forest. 

It was on one of these trails that Eloise LOST HER MIND. The shrieking, oh my goodness. I thought she'd been bit by a snake. "Mommy!!!! A SNAIL!"  And then, "Can we keeeeeeep him?" Needless to say, one bus ride later Shelly the Snail found a new home in a tupperware container. He's an outgoing snail, as far as snails go. He loves lettuce, broccoli and strawberries for a treat. And he likes to be sprayed with water. Guys, I have a slug in my house and I love him.

If you haven't seen the above video then your life is incomplete. Oh how I embarrass myself with snort inducing laughter. Watch it, be happy and smile. It's worth it.  

Eloise just came to me and said, in her quietest little mouse voice, "Uh, Mommy? My cereal was dinner. Here are the scissors and a freezie." It's 7 am. It's going to be a long day.

On a bike ride the other day, we discovered this cafe named Nachtisch (Desserts) and resolved to make a visit sooner rather than later. Mother's Day was a perfect excuse to have sweets for lunch. We didn't hold back and each ordered what we wished.  

Claudia in her chocolate, chocolate and chocolate glory.

Eloise picked the simplest looking dessert, which ended up being the fan favourite.  It was a white chocolate torte with berries and jam on top.  So freaking good.

How fancy is THIS?  Vanilla bean panna cotta with chocolate brownie and brulèed sugar crisps. Dollops of white chocolate ganache and sour cherries dusted with pistachios. Gelato on the side and oh, of course gold. This was over the top and quite yummy, but looks were definitely its most defining attribute.

We spent the better part of an hour there, just enjoying the sunshine while the girls played with puzzles. If you're ever out Münster way, I definitely recommend a visit. They serve my favourite Roestbar coffee and have a gorgeous patio, abundant with potted herbs. They also sell homemade preserves, which was a perfect little gift to pick up for Mother's Day.  

This is our go-to recipe for when we're too lazy to go pick up ingredients for dinner. Using pantry ingredients, it's a healthy, quick and very satisfying meal. We usually stop by the bakery on our way home from picking Claudia up at school, fresh rolls being the perfect vehicle for sopping up any leftover dressing on your plate. 

Go with whatever you have lying around. We start out by sautéing a red or yellow chopped onion, or a nice leek if you have one, in olive oil. We always add something smoky as well, either bacon or cured sausage. A few grated carrots join the pan, and feel free to use whatever veggies you might have that are reaching the end of their life. Celery, spinach and peppers would all be a good choice. Let this cook over low-med heat until it's all good and melty looking.  

Bring 6 cups water to a rapid boil and add 1 cup and 1/2 French Puy lentils. I choose these because they're tiny and less starchy than other lentils, but to each their own. I usually add a tablespoon of veggie bouillon for flavour. Cook for about 20 minutes, testing for tenderness and then drain and rinse your lentils in warm water.  Set aside.

To make your vinaigrette, add 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup together with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a 1/3 cup olive or canola oil. If I'm feeling ambitious I will mash a clove or two of garlic with a teaspoon of salt in a mortar with pestle and add that to the dressing as well. Either way, you're going to want to add salt and pepper to the dressing, as you haven't added any to the other ingredients yet. Whisk until your dressing comes together.  

To assemble, add your lentils to the pan with the veggies and pour over your dressing. Add some crumbled feta to your liking and stir. This is equally delicious, if not better, the next day. Just make sure to omit the "Warm" from the name when you impress your friends with a bistro style lunch.  

My Mom sent me an interesting link titled This is Why You're German. Filled with anecdotes along the lines of "You know you're from a small town when ..." I was in full on chuckle territory. I would say 2/3 of the sayings went way over my head.  The ones that didn't, appear below, complete with my take on them.  

You wonder why all those people are standing waiting in line when it's easier to walk straight to the front.

This was the number 1 thing I noticed after moving here.  If you don't keep your eye on the prize, someone will move ahead of you in line without a second thought. You may even get a glare for being SO absentminded. You learn pretty quickly to stand in line with your hands on your hips, elbows out. 

You have absolutely no idea who the von Trapp family are and you can't sing along to any of the Sound of Music film songs.
Maybe this goes without saying?  I was naive enough to think otherwise.  Canadians know how to say "auf wiedersehen" more than any other German phrase because of this movie alone.

You think all houses should have roller shutters (Außen-Jalousie) so it´s nice and dark in your bedroom even in daytime.
These things are god-awful. Rolling down the metal blinds reminds me of prison films. You have no choice about this decor statement. German apartments may not come with kitchens, but they certainly come with these.

You wait for the pedestrian light to turn green before you cross the road for fear of being fined.
This is true and I like it this way. Nothing makes me more anxious than having waiting cars watch as a jiggle/run to make it across the street before they hit me.

You greet everyone in a doctors' waiting room with a friendly "Guten Tag!"
The first time this happened to me, I literally looked over my shoulder to see who this stranger was being so fucking chipper with. Good day??? Really? We're in a DOCTOR'S office.

So, yeah. German 101 for you right here. I've passed the half year mark of living in Germany so I'm practically an expert, wouldn't you say?  

 

It's been a busy, wonderful week of hosting the young and the restless.  Friends from Canada are backpacking across Europe and we were more than happy to host them on their way from Amsterdam to Berlin.  I don't have many pictures to post from their visit, except for this one.  I think it sums up what living life as a 20 year old is all about. Or at least what living life with a 20 year old is all about.  

I had to look up Jagerbomb in Wikipedia 
to make sure I wasn't going to die.  

Getting Claudia ready for school this morning.  Doing her hair in front of the mirror.  Pull it back into a ponytail.

Claudia:  "I look like a boy."
Me: "Oh, you do not."
Claudia:  "Okay, I look like a fancy boy, but only cause I'm wearing a skirt."

While I was busy doing this:

And a little bit of this:

Aaron and the kids were busy making this for me.  I'm feeling pretty special.  Please ignore the various references to violence; "poking eyes" is not as common an activity as Eloise would like to suggest.  

I was introduced the the website Little Brown Pen before leaving for Paris.  The author of the site has published a book on the colours of Paris, using inspiring photos she's taken around the city.  I was struck by this beautiful blue door and can empathize with the need to photograph every little detail the city offers you at each turn.  It's like a treasure chest.