Easy peasy Homemade Spätzle

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We're in Berlin and skipped the traditional meal this year, but ate at a crazy huge international market in a ritzy mall tonight. Looking forward to getting out and exploring the city this weekend! This post was for earlier this week, but I had problems uploading photos, so here it is today. You could make some spaztle for a side dish for Thanksgiving :)

I attended my very first cooking class ever Friday night with my friend Stephi, and appropriately, it was a spätzle cooking class. Yum. I love spätzle. And I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to make!

Spätzle is a type of egg noodle, or dumpling you could say, typical in Bavarian cooking. Spätzle means "little sparrow". Before the invention and use of mechanical devices to make these noodles, they were shaped by hand or with a spoon and the results resembled spatzen (little sparrows). In our cooking class, we used two types of spätzle strainers that were so easy to use. Can't wait to buy one so I can start making my own at home.

Our cooking teacher handed out 15 recipes to make from apple spätzle to chocolate spätzle to the standard kasespätzle (cheese spätzle) and everything in between! We divided them up and got to work after she showed us how to to make the basic spätzle recipe. Stephi and I made spinach first, then a dessert version of sweet spätzle with a poppyseed cream sauce topped with sweet plums. Delish! Here is the recipe below for the basic spätzle. Comment below if you would like any of the other recipes I mentioned.

Basic Spätzle Recipe:
500 Grams Flour (we use a Spaztle flour, but all purpose or wheat works fine too) - Close to 4 Cups I believe, but we used a scale in class.
1 Tsp Salt
3 Large Eggs
1 1/4 cups water

1. Add the flour and salt to a bowl. Stir to combine. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk them. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the eggs in it. Add the water (or milk). Whisk the dough until smooth and shiny and a bubble or two appears.
2. Bring at least 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Using a spätzle maker of your choice, press the noodles into the simmering water and cook until the noodles float to the top. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the noodles to a pan with melted butter and mix.

We all finished up at about the same time, spread out our dishes, grabbed our plates and dug in. So freakin good! I stuffed myself to the gill and brought home enough leftovers to feed an Army. My favorite side dish recipe was probably the triage (spinach, tomato, and hazelnut spätzles all mixed together), and my favorite dessert dish was probably apple spätzle or the chocolate spätzle with a raspberry sauce. So divine. Hard to decide.

Have you all ever attended a cooking class? If you could go to one, what would you like to learn to cook? Hoping I can sign up for some more of these in the future.

Bouldering Competition

The weekend came and went so fast! Saturday we had a blast at the Cafe Kraft Soulmoves bouldering competition. It was designed to be fun, with lots of interesting problems, and the prizes for those who placed in the top three were beers! Pretty funny. We were there with a bunch of friends which made it all the more fun.

In this video they made from the comp, you can see my fall off a problem I kept trying over and over at the end. I crumble to the floor laughing at myself for falling on the last move. Just too worn out from all the mantel problems!


Soulmoves Finale 2013 im Café Kraft from cafekraft on Vimeo.

Wish there were comps every month. Our friend Thomasina Pidgeon placed first sending just about every problem first try! So awesome! I placed 5th at the Soulmoves last month, then 7th in this one, which somehow gave me third place overall for the Soulmoves Competition. I was psyched! Feeling motivated to get in better shape and sign up for more of these types of events.

How about you all? Signed up for any Turkey Trot runs? I always feel like I perform better when there are lots of people. All the positive energy and competition gets me going :) 

Handmade Soap Stocking Stuffers

While browsing through last years Martha Stewart Christmas Living magazine, I came across DIY Pantry Soaps. Looked simple enough, so Cooper and I got to work a few weekends ago and made three types for stocking stuffers this year. I just finally got around to taking some pictures of them.

We made a batch of honey and oats soap, lavender, and peppermint. It only took about an hour total to make all three batches and they turned out perfectly! I was honestly surprised how easy and how good they turned out.

For the lavender, we went outside and pulled all the dried up seed/petals  from our lavender bushes out front, and they worked marvelously. We also added a few drops of essential oil to make the bars smell extra yummy. Cooper was creative and found a bottle we could use as a mold for our extra soap mixture (the circle shaped soap in the middle).

For the peppermint, we used peppermint essential oil and some red food coloring. Not so pleased with the food coloring... This soap leaves marks on the sink. Don't think I will be gifting this soap even though it does smell wonderful. Lesson learned.

Below is my favorite. Honey and Oats. We added some ginger and cinnamon and these are so divine. Don't they look edible?

If you are interested in making these, I ordered all natural glycerin soap base on Amazon.com. You simply melt the base in the microwave, add your ingredients, then pour into molds. Voila! Wait a few hours and you have handmade soap!

And since it is Friday, maybe you can make a batch this weekend as well before the holiday craziness begins! What are your plans this weekend? Tonight I'm going to a German Spaztle cooking class and the whole family is planning on going to a bouldering competition tomorrow all day in Nuremberg. Can't wait. Intend on being fully exhausted and sore Sunday from thrashing around Saturday for six hours.

As always, here are some fun links:

Have you checked out these colorized historical photos? Pretty cool.
Thought this cartoon was funny and accurate.
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls looks so delicious!
Oh, and this pie is now on my to do list for this weekend as well.

Enjoy!

Lush Knock Off Bath Bomb Tutorial

I love baths. Seriously love baths. To the point where I have picked the homes we rent or buy over the last few years based on the niceness of the bathtub. Yeah, I know. Pretty crazy. It's my way to unwind. My happiness maker. My zen. The key elements for my perfect bath are: low lights, candles surrounding the bathroom, Norah Jones playing in the background, scented bath goodies, and a husband downstairs entertaining the kids for 20 minutes.

Over the years, I have received many wonderful bath gifts from my husband (he knows me well), my favorites being Lush. Their bath bombs are ridiculously awesome. Huge, fizzy, smelly good and make my skin oh so soft. The price? $6 a bath. Yeah, not really something I splurge on more than twice a year. Thus, the reason for this post. After many scientific experiments, reading a gazillion blog posts on the subject, and some inspiration, I have created the perfect Lush Bath Bombs for about $1 a bomb. I seriously did a happy dance last night when I tested out my newest batch.

What you need: 
2 Cups Baking Soda (I bought a HUGE box at the grocery store for $2)
1 Cup Epsom Salts (I bought a 10 pound box on amazon)
1 Cup Citric Acid (Ordered off Amazon)
10 drops of Food Coloring
1-2 Teaspoons Essential Therapeutic Grade Oils (ordered mine on Amazon)
2-3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (or Almond Oil worked great as well)
Water in a spray bottle
2 Bowls
A whisk
Molds (I used plastic ornament balls I ordered from Amazon)

This recipe makes 6 large Bath Bombs.

Step 1
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl with a whisk. The citric acid might be the only ingredient that is a little hard for you to fine. Probably find it near canning supplies in the grocery store.

Step 2
Mix the food coloring, essential oil (I use lavender because I love it), and coconut oil together in a separate bowl. I tried olive oil in other batches, and didn't feel like it left my skin as soft as the coconut oil or almond oil. Plus, I like the coconut smell mixed in with the lavender.

Step 3
Slowly start adding the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients stirring with the whisk. After all my wet ingredients are added, I squirt water from a spray bottle until the mixture is slightly damp and sticks together when I squish it with my hands. You may need to add more essential oil or coloring or coconut oil at this point. If the water is causing a reaction (fizzing), then stop wetting it. If the mixture is not holding together, add more oil, it will not cause a reaction with the baking soda and citric acid and will help create the consistency you need.

Step 4
Squish the mixture into your mold. I use plastic 11cm diameter ornament balls. Pretty big. They work great and are super cheap. Squish one side of the ball full, then the other, then press together. Let the bomb sit while you make the rest of the bath bombs.

Step 4.5 (Making Bath Bombs Kids Will LOVE)

Before you press the sides of the ball together,  stick a sponge capsule animal into the center of the mixture. Yeah, it is pretty awesome. Your kids will love you. I ordered 12 packs of sponge animals for $10 on amazon. You can get them at the dollar store and each pack comes with 6 capsules. Plus, add a little more dye to their bath bombs so their baths turn colors. I think I'm going to add some Crayola bath tub color tabs to the inside of mine for an even more dramatic effect next time. 

Step 5
Carefully pull the sides of the mold apart. Do not twist. Lay the balls on paper and set them by a heater to dry overnight. If they break (and some of them most likely will your first time), just remix them and add a little water or oil if they were too dry.

Step 6
Wrap them up, place in a cute bag, and voila! The perfect handmade stocking stuffer. Handmade, all natural bath bombs! Make sure to leave one out for yourself and plop one in your bath tonight, lay back, and enjoy!

Linking up to Becoming Martha and The Thriftiness Miss and Gingerly Made 

Awesome Videos

I know this video is going viral, but had to post it for those of you who haven't seen it. He really actually did the stunt in one take! I can't believe he can hold the splits like that first of all.... Crazy!



Also LOVE this ad for GoldieBox! Their goal is to inspire more future female engineers. I want to go home and make one of these with my kids! Maybe not quite so elaborate.;)


Cool huh?

Experience Gifts

The last couple of days, I've been heavily preparing for Christmas. Maybe it's the cold weather, or maybe it's because I am sick of my decor in the house, but I couldn't resist and went ahead and pulled out all my Christmas decorations. Yup. I didn't wait till Thanksgiving as I promised myself I would. I kinda like it. More time to enjoy the changes and get in the Christmas spirit.

 So, all this decorating has me gift thinking away...This year, I was hoping to give a lot more gifts that are handmade, as well as experience gifts. So far, I've made nothing! And no, I haven't bought a single experience gift either. But, I have some time at least.

Oh, there are so many fun ideas out there! Here are a few of the great experience gifts I would love:

Pottery Classes

Cooking Classes

Music Lessons

Hot Air Balloon Rides

Flight Lessons

Race Car Driving

Flying Trapeze Lessons

Concert Tickets

How about you all? Any others you'd add to the list? Spa day? B&B package? I'd love to hear from you.

Watercolor Cards

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Pablo Picasso

Pablo, I so agree! My kids are artists. They dance without caring, sing without abandon, and create masterpieces with paint and crayons. Their creativity is limitless and they hardly know embarrassment or comparison at this point. Oh, to be four again. 

Today I'm sharing a fun and easy artsy craft you can do with your kids. Rainy days are perfect days for baking and crafting with my little ones, and this weekend we had nothing but rain, so we baked and crafted quite a bit. With the holidays approaching, I quickly decided to make use of their  artwork and made some nice cards for the family. See below for some pictures and instructions... 

All you need:
Watercolor Paints
Paintbrushes
Cookie Cutters
Watercolor Paper
Cardstock
Glue
Scissors

First Set up your painting area. 

Then pick out a cookie cutter and start painting inside the borders. 

My four year old got the hang of it really quickly. 

My 1 year old, not so much. She enjoyed making a mess. 

Our masterpieces

I cut out the paintings and glued them on card-stock and wrote messages for the upcoming holidays. 

Super cute eh? 

Hope you enjoy making these if you try some out. If so, please send me a link to photos in a comment so I can see your masterpieces as well.

Living in Germany - Wilderness Parks

Wild boars, reindeer, and rams, oh my! Just a few of the animals you can feed and touch on a trip to the Wildpark Hufeisen just 30 minutes from our house. I think I like going there more than the kids almost! The park has a 1.5km loop you walk through the woods and most of the animals are roaming freely (the boars and large elk are in confined areas). Sort of like a petting zoo, but much better and more exciting. Cooper and I had fun trying to feed as many deer from hand as possible. FYI - their favorite food is chestnuts or buckeyes! The wild boar prefer dry crusty bread remnants.

Apparently these wildparks are all over Germany. The entry fee is usually pretty cheap, this one is only 2 euros, and kids are free. The fee includes free food to hand out to the animals. So, if you are visiting Germany, check one out. Pretty much a perfect way to spend an afternoon outside.

This guy would make a nice Christmas card if he didn't have that huge tumor...

Just a bit too scared to be petted.

 

Papa getting his workout at the playground

Going in. Should I be concerned?

Cooper helped push her through :)

Cooper wanted me to come through too. Didn't happen.

Sleepy Boars.

Friday I'm in Love

Double Rainbows always make me happy

It's almost time for the weekend! A long one for us with Veterans Day on Monday. Yeah! Feel like we have been non-stop busy. October was gorgeous with some crisp fall days and gorgeous leaves, but now that November is here, our days are so short and so cold already. Frosty mornings, brown mushy leaves, and rain  every day this month so far.  I never even got around to posting about Halloween and costumes I made or some other fun stuff I've been working on. Just not enough hours in the day. Hoping to catch up some this month and next as we approach all the holidays. I'm so ready to put out my Christmas decorations, but I suppose I will make myself wait until Thanksgiving...

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Here are some posts you might enjoy:

- For all you chocolate lovers out there, this post has some links to some recipes for truffles I can't wait to try.

- Might be making a few of these this year with the kids.

-  A nice summary about the good, bad, and the ugly of GMO foods.

- This interactive map of real time births and deaths gives me the chills.

- These Pot Stickers look so darn good.  Hope to make them this weekend.

Tuscany Trip - Part 6 - Climbing in Candalla

One thing we really love about living in Europe, is how it can so easily satisfy so many of our interests. Apart from missing family and friends in the states, it has so much to offer in almost every other category. The amazing cultural and historical destinations: cities, castles, museums, exhibits; unbelievable landscapes: mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, oceans, as well as an endless supply of one of our biggest passions, rock climbing. When planning our trips, we try to combine all of those aspects into our destination selection. Naturally, our number one priority is ensuring good climbing is close by.

What is amazing about Europe is that it is so full of good rock, no matter where you decide to travel, you can almost ALWAYS find good climbing nearby. The most difficult part is usually just finding information on the rock the area. Finding good information about climbing areas on the web for all the small, less known areas there are throughout Europe requires quite a bit of research, word of mouth, and even some good old bushwhacking and exploring on your own. Frank has developed a particular knack for this. We usually just go down our never ending list of European places we want to visit, and Frank finds the climbing nearby. 

This time of year, traveling with tour kids and grandparents, we needed somewhere warm. Greece was at the top of our list, but airline tickets were ridiculous, and there happened to be a huge climbing festival right during our window and we weren't particularly thrilled with the thought of the island swarming with loads of other climbers. As tempting as it was to just return to Sardinia, the amazing deals on Ryan Air from Nuremberg to Pisa (59 euros a person) are what swayed us in the end.

Sure enough, Frank had just talked to some locals here in the Frankenjura about the amazing tufas and long, beautiful routes in Tuscany. We had been to Finale Ligure and climbed all over the Ligurain coastline, so it made sense that the neighboring coastline was also filled with very similar climbing. The word was that Candalla was the best in the area, so we situated ourselves in Camaiore, just below the limestone covered peaks nearby.

We did have a bit of rain on this trip, which provided us with perfect rest days and days to go see the cities. On sunny days, we hiked to Candalla, checking out the long and steep, black and white tufa infused limestone cliffs in the Versilian mountains. It was everything I hoped for and more. 

Hiking to Candalla is amazingly beautiful. The trail begins at an ancient water mill, which is fed by a gorgeous and rugged mountain river where people fill giant water jugs for their home. Right next to the mill is a neat little waterfall lapping into a pool which swimmers must frequent on hot summer days as evidence from a rope swing. There are different signs all along the path displaying the areas diverse macroinvertabrates, fish, birds and other flora and fauna. It was a reasonable approach to do with the kids, beautiful setting,  and has awesome climbing. Even with the few rainy days we had, the routes managed to dry up by the time we would leisurely arrive on the sunny days.

Locals were filling bottles from a spout coming directly from the river

Macroinvertabrate sign! In my previous job, I sorted water bugs for a living...

Just after crossing the rugged river lies the base of the cliff. It has a super serene setting with a nice flat base for the kids, pools of water to refresh in, and at the top of climbs, you can see the Liguarian sea in the distance. The entire time we climbed at the area, we only saw one other couple. Pretty unbelievable considering the hundreds of perfect limestone routes there. Only in Europe can such a good crag be empty during the fall with perfect conditions. The only thing we could assume was that there were newer crags than what was listed in our guidebook, and by the look of all the rock in the area I'm sure it was the case. But we were perfectly satisfied with our passe crag.

One interesting feature of this area that we were not expecting was...SCORPIONS! We were hiking around with Cooper one day when he pointed to something on the wall and asked "whats that Mom?" as he gently touched it and it fell to the ground. When I looked down I could not believe it was a scorpion. A little unnerving especially after we started looking around and finding more and more. I mean, the place wasn't "crawling" with them but I did feel the need to look before I sat down on a rock or a log. After a little research we found they are only slightly venomous with a sting much like a bee or wasp. Still, freaked me out enough to hesitate grabbing into deep holds.

I fell in crossing on the slippery rocks, so Cooper decided to join me and test the frigid water.

Awesome tufa warm up we did. "Mano di Alieno". Nice name

Me resting on one of the knuckles

Awesome Water Hourglass

So that's our wrap up of our trip to Tuscany. If you're ever wanting to go but not sure because of the lack of climbing, fear not! We're already missing the long, steep technical routes, and the peaceful quiet setting. Although the climbing of Candalla will never be listed in the top of Europe's long list of famous sport climbing areas, and you probably won't see Chris Sharma or any climbing superstars hanging out there any time soon, it's just perfect for a family wanting to see the nearby historical sights and get in plenty amazing sport climbing. Have fun!