Vegan Eat Your Veggies Stew...

with Mixed Baby Greens, and rustic bread. Today I used onion, carrots, parsnip, and a sweet potato - you caught me, Ron :) added pre soaked 13-bean mix, and homemade vegetable broth. I left the soup for a couple of hours on a low simmer on the stove. I had some large couscous left, which was added for the last 10 minutes before serving.  Salt, pepper, and a couple generous splashes of balsamico to brighten the flavor were added at the end...

Success? Alena had two helpings of the soup/stew as she - you surely know that by now - loves beans, Mia Rosie almost finished her soup/stew but the salad was entideologisier gone from her plate. I call this a dinner success in our little House in Portland, Oregon..

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Baked chicken legs, with bruseel sprouts, and potatoes

I did not use the stone once tonight for making Dinner, Nope, all is oven baked, Potatoes peeled, diced, with olive oil, and "Bratkartoffelgewuerz" - spicesnfor herb potatoes ; brussel sprouts halved topped in olive oil, and the chicken legs. An hour in the oven and ist is a delicious winter meal,,,

Alena received a letter from the toothfairy...

Yes, it is true. Here she is with the letter from the toothfairy. A letter that ony a fairy could have written. It. Arrived today including a magnifying glass to ensure easy reading...Let's just say that both of our girlies were excited to hear formte toothfairy....

Sauerkraut, Kassler Ripple, and Potatoes

I love Sauerkraut - yes, it is true. I know it totally fits the stereotype of Germans - and you know what?  Both girlies love it too :)  Tonight's dinner was Sauerkraut with Kassler and potatoes. Kassler are smoked pork chops. The Sauerkraut I use is Mildessa from Hengstenberg http://www.hengstenberg.de/de/rh.php and I let it simmer on low for at least a couple of hours.  I first sautee an onion in olive oil, then add a couple of tablespoons of flour for a roux, put a little of white wine on it and then add the Sauerkraut.  Once it is at a low simmer, I add a finely diced apple as well as juniper berries.  For the last half hour or so, I add the Kassler so it heats up in the Sauerkraut and the smoked flavor melts in with the Sauerkraut.  Perfect on a cold, dark, winter night!

Sauerkraut, Ripple, and potatoes

Saturday night take out

after the long day at school and since my cold is still lingering it was pretty clear that I would not cook dinner.  I was even too tired to go out - can you believe that? and Ron had a taste for chinese food.  Well, what do you think?  Right, perfect time for take out chinese food :)

Saturday night Chinese food

A long Saturday...

started out with me baking brownies before taking our weekly trip out to the Sophie Scholl Schule, our fantastic German Saturday School.  It was a double day, which means school from 10 - 3 with a lunch break.  The school director planned the day with a luncheon in mind for all the kids, parents, and teachers.   In planning the event she asked me what our girls could eat and to make things easier, I offered to organize the food for the luncheon.  It certainly made the buffet a breeze for our kids :)

We got cold cuts and also cheese from the German butcher, bread from New Seasons, veggies, and dessert.  I made galactosemia friendly brownies - using Earth Balance instead of butter - while another Mom brought another cake which was not galactosemia friendly.  It was not a problem - I am so proud of both of our girlies.  They always ask - and because it was at the German School asking "ist da Kuhmilch mit drin" it was even better...and here are a few pictures :)

Mia Rose at the Buffett

Eating lunch with friends

Alena enjoying lunch...

Friday Night - Rigatoni with Bolognese Sauce

Feeling all cruddy, and whiny I tried to recreate the "most amazing pasta sauce". I am happy to report that it worked out and it was almost as good as the one made by our good friend - not quite, but almost. I think the key is to leave it on the stove for a very long time - our was simmering on low for about four hours. Curious how I made it? Maybe? Ok - just in case

1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
2-3 carrots diced
1 can tomato paste
1 cup - or more of red wine
1 cup - less or more of water
1 lb of ground beef
Italian herbs
Pepper, salt, sugar, paprika
Rind of Parmesiano Regiano - you can leave it out
Grated Parmesiano Regianom you can leave it out
Splash of Olive Oil

1. Heat olive oil, and when hot add onions
2. When onions are soft, add Italian herbs, carrots, garlic, and salt
3. When carrots are softer add can of tomato paste and stir it in. Add wine, and water to cover the
vegetables
4. Brown beef in a separate pan. Season it with salt, pepper, italian herbs, and - optional -
paprika
5. Add drained, browned beef to sauce. You may need to add more water at this point.
6. Add cheese rind, a couple pinches of sugar and bring to a slow simmer.
7. Leave it on slow simmer for at least two hours. The sauce should be thick and not watery.
8. When pasta is about ready, adjust spices, and add some grated Parmesiano Regiano.
9. Mix sauce with pasta before serving

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Flaedlesuppe...

...the parental units went out tonight with one of our German good friends who was on business in town this week from Europe. Where did that leave the girlies? At home with an amazing sitter. Both girls were so exacted :) And dinner? Here they are eating their first course of Flaedlesuppe and the second course was pizza. Not just any pizza, but the frozen vegan pizza we bought at Trader Joe's a while ago. It was an overall success...

Levels are in...

it has taken awhile to get the levels back. I was not worried, but there is always this tiny, tiny little worry. It is just there, and we all probably have it when we have tests performed on our kids. In any case we are so happy that the GALT levels are great. Vitamin D levels however were way too low again :( It surely has something to do with the lack of sunshine im the winter. Not to forget that we live in the Pacific Northwest, and it does get dim here this time of year. Well, the girls also take additional supplements and it is my fault about not being always on top of that. Argh, shame on me! But now, we make sure that all drinks contains the supplement are consumed. Fingers crossed, that Vitamin D levels go up, and GALT levels stay down....next appointment wil be the ophthalmologist.

Dinner is vegetarian Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup...

...the wet winter weather has finally caught up with me as I have very unpleasant cold, and both girls are also starting to get the sniffles. So a perfect time for hot soup.

When shopping, I bought a couple of sweet potatoes anticipating to use them along with black beans. But what?! Google search I found a recipe for black bean sweet potato soup - http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2010/12/recipe-for-vegetarian-black-bean-and.html - which linked back to the original recipe at http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/black-bean-soup-sweet-potatoes.aspx. I adapted the recipe by using dried beans - about 2 cups soaked overnight, homemade vegetable stock - about a quart, for obvious reasons - no milk sugar! - I omitted the yoghurt. My broth was already very well seasoned, so I did not add any additional pepper. It turned delicious! The rest of the family added a dollop of Tofutti Sour Cream while I added some cayenne pepper.

I am glad to report that it was an overall dinner success in our little house in Portland :)

Flaedlesuppe and sausages for a Tuesday night dinner

Yes, it was a two course type of dinner tonight. We started out with "Flaedlesuppe", a main dish of sausage with mashed potatoes and salad, and both girlies had ice "cream" for dessert. Cutie for Alena, and Raspberry Sorbet push-up for Mia Rosie.

Are you wondering about Faedlesuppe? Yes? Let me tell you what it is - a Swabian dish and delicious. It is soup with strips of savory pancakes. It really is good! I first fried up the pancakes, cut them into strips, and then placed them in the soup bowls. A ladle of the hot broth - I had homemade vegetable broth - it poured over it right before serving it. Such a nice warm up on a chilly, wet winter day....

Another visit from the Toothfairy....

on Sunday Alena one of her bottom teeth while shopping at New Seasons Market.  This was the - I am not exaggerating - 12th tooth she lost.  Wow, time flies...So Sunday night she prepared a little package for the toothfairy along with a letter which she put underneath her pillow.  But then I fell asleep with the girls and totally jinxed it.  The toothfairy did not visit - however everyone knows that she stays far away from adults....

Alena gave it another try last night. She added "Why did you not come?" to her letter and placed everything underneath her pillow.  I was not allowed in and guess what??? The toothfairy came for a visit and even took the letter with her.  I am just wondering, if there will be a letter coming from her in the future...


 Here is Alena with her presents from the toothfairy.  Bubblegum, and money...

Lauchkuchen on a Monday Night

Now I do not know, how does this dish make the most sense in English.  Leak Tart?,  Leak Pie?, or Leak Quiche? - Well, I really do not like to describe it as a quiche as this is just so far off from what it really is. OK - maybe I will stick to leak tart :) In any case, that was for dinner tonight - we all love leak.  So yummy...and I do not just use the white part, but the entire leak.

Anyways,  I use a yeast dough to make this dish and start it usually make the dough in the late morning  Have I ever mentioned what a great kitchen helper I have?  Mia Rosie loves to cook and she rolled out the entire dough by herself.  I just put some of the flour on it, and put it in the pan.  She did an amazing job!

And here is the finished meal....

what do you think we made with it?  I know, I know it really is not a challenge as we eat salad almost everyday...it is just that good :)

Just in case - I have posted the recipe before.  Please let me know if you would like me to repost, or send it to you.

Zwiebelrostbraten...Sunday Dinner

...so I forgot to mention that Ron ran a 1/2 Marathon this morning.  Time for a special treat.  I made Zwiebelrostbraten which literaly translates to "onion" roast. It is however steak - rib eye - topped with caramelized onions.  Along side we had homemade Spaetzle, and - can you guess it? - a large bowl of mixed green salad. By the way, did you know that Mia Rose is an absolute meat lover?  Yup, she loves it...

Another rainy Sunday...

...we still had a nice, quiet day.  For breakfast we stopped at Pho Van for Chicken Noodle soup.  I know, it sounds a little odd chicken noodle soup for breakfast, but it really was more brunch than lunch plus it is just so good on a cold, rainy, winter day!  After breakfast, we ran to New Season's for our weekly grocery trip and then back home to make some crafts.  We call it "basteln".  Valentine's Day is coming up and we still have not decorated :)  Both girlies love it - hearts, purple, pink, and red.  We cut heart shapes out of "Transparentpapier", glued them together in on large heart flower....

here it is.  Well, the picture really does not do justice.  It looks a lot better in "real life" as Mia Rosie would call it.  In any case, we had a lot of fun making it, and hanging it in the window :)

Both girls also talked on the phone with my Mom in Germany.  Here is Alena talking with Omi.  I think you can tell by her big smile how much she loves talking with Omi :) Oh, and just in case you are wondering - she is speaking in German with my Mom...

Saturday Pasta.....

....what a busy day. I was at an all day out of town conference, while Ron and the girls stayed in Portland. It was a busy day for everyone. Ron took the girlies to the Saturday School, and afterwards they all went to a giant indoor playground for some fun. The topped off the fun with a late lunch at Burgerville. Sounds like a great time to me! Oh. and dinner...here you see it. Egg noodles with peas, olive oil, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper....

Friday Night...

pizza, salad, orange, and grape soda. Now that is the way to finish the week. I am just super tired today so going to Apizza Scholl's for dinner was the perfect idea. Yes, even if it involved waiting in line, in the rain for twenty minutes to make sure that we get a table right away.

Oh, and before I forget - how do you like the revamped Blog? Please let me know...

Ok - This mothership is off to bed...

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Thursday Night Dinner is a first...

it sure is. Can you guess what this is? Nope, it is not pork it is the other white meat. Ooops, just remembered chicken is the white meat and pork is the other white meat. Joke is on me :). - Ok- I will not keep you in suspense any longer. Dinner was sfuffed chicken breast. Truth be said that chicken breast is not the first thing that comes to my mind when planning dinner. But, we now get our meat in a "Family Pack"from New Season's Market and chicken breast is one of the items we get. So, as I looked through my freezer I decided on the chicken and found a recipe from my good friend, "The Joy of Cooking".
Baked, stuffed - Italian style - chicken beast; bleck olives, capers, parmesiano regiano, yelow raisins, walnuts, panko crumbs, and more. I adjusted the recipe by using olive oil in lieu of butter,and panko for breadcrumbs. Served along rice,and the usual - but never boring - salad I call it a dinner success in our little house in Portland....

More comfort food....Risotto

was for dinner last night. Mushroom Risotto to be exact served along the - almost usual - salad of mixed baby greens. Warm, creamy, Full of flavor spells comfort food. - I am cooking my risotto with a rind of the Parmesiano Regiano, and add grated Parmesiano as well as a slice of Earth Balance at the. I would think that it still turns out creamy and delicious if you make it entirely vegan by leaving the rind and Parmesiano Regiano out. Adding some Earth Balance at the end as the risotto sets seems to be key for a creamy risotto. Oh, and just in case you wonder. I used Crimini mushrooms and sauteed them separately and added them to the Rice at the end of the cooking time.

Linsensuppe - lentil soup

Lentil's one of Alena's favorite. Tonight not as the usual Linsen & Spätzle, but as a soup. A perfect meal on a cold winter night. Warming, and comforting. For added delciousness I made it with smoked links (from New Seasons), and as a side we had bread - rest of the "no-knead" bread from last night - as well as a large bowl of baby, mixed greens salad.
And yes, I am aware that legumes are very controversial in the US for the Galactosemic diet. You may know this about is by now but the only foods wie exclude are those containing actual milk sugar. We have introduced These foods to our kids, and then had their levels checked subsequent to eating different foods. This obviously is not for everybody - and please always check with your clinic first.
OK - now here is how I made the soup
1 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
3 carrotts chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2-3 bayleaves
1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
2 teaspoons of salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
Splash of white wine
1 - lactose, whey, etc. free - cube of veggie broth
2 potatoes peeled, and diced
1-3/4 - or so - Cups of dried green lentils
2-1/2 - 3-1/2 Cups of water
Smoked baby links aka Little Bites - optional
Couple of splashes of Balsamic
- Heat a Splash of olive oil in stockpot
- add onions and sautee until soft
- add garlic, carrots - salt and herbs. Sautee until soft
- add a generous splash of white wine - let ist simmer downa bit
- add lentils, potatoes, water, and veggie broth Cube
- bring to a boil - Turn heat down to a slow simmer. Cover, and cook until lentils are soft
- add links - if using - until they are heated through
- adjust salt, and pepper. Add a couple of splashes - or more - of Balsamico to brighten the flavor

No school...

today, because it was Martin Luther King Day. The girlies and I spent the day at home, and wie did not go anywhere. I have to say, that this was really enjoyed by me. Just us - the grls painted while I made vegetable stock, and the dough for the no-knead - quick version - bread. Alena read to Mia Rose, the girlies took a bath, I gave them manicures, Alena worked on her home-work, they both played piano, and then we took a walk around the block. Do you know what wie found? One single pink blossom of a primrose :) - Oh, and I almost forgot the most important part. Wie listened to to the "I have a dream speech" by Martin Luther King. Both girls were in awe. We spoke about him, and what he accomplished. That was amazing! Really! To see now their interest was sparked, the questions...great.

I am sure you get the picture :) We spent a blissfull day at home...

Spaghetti with meatballs...

Angelhair Pasta to be exact with home made rustic bread, and a large bowl of salad greens. Comfort food - exactly what we needed on this chilly winter day.

I have to admit that I created a little. A jar of Newman's Own Sockaroni, and the meatballs were bulk, mild italian sausage from New Seasons. All I did was add some panko breadcrumbs, and some grated parmesiano regiano. I mixed it all up, formel golfball size meatballs, and dropped them in a Single layer into the sauce untl they were cooked through. Yummy! The girlies, of course, ate their pasta "naked" with only olive oil, but with a meatball each. I call this a Dinner success in our little house - no not on thr prarie :) - in Portland, Oregon....

Sunday brunch on an almost snowy day

So, snow for the valley was in the forecast for today. If you have live in Pdx you know what this means. Panic - I have seen People refer to it as "Snowmagedon". We were prepared, and ist actually snowed off and on in our neighborhood, but nothing stuck. Oh well, but it was a Perfect day to just hang out at home...

So, we made brunch at home. Apple, maple, breakfast sausages from New Seasons, eggs, toast, jam, yoghurt - Whole Soy for the girlies, and the cow stuff for the parental units - Müsli, and a big bowl of vitamin packed fresh fruit salad. Just fruit, and a couple tablespoons of sunflower Sseeds. It is like sunshine in a bowl in the middle of winter.

Today I used one of each:-
fresh pineapple, Kiwi, apple, banana; a handful of fresh grapes, as well as frozen blueberries - picked by us :) - ; and a couple of tablespoons of raisins, and sunflower seeds. At the end I squeezed the Juice of 1/2 a large lemon over it and tossed it all up...

German Saturday School followed by...

...a trip back to the east side of Portland to Hopworks - one of the girlies favorite restaurants - for a late lunch. Pretzel bread - without the butter brushed on - is a favorite, then hot dogs, and fries. And drinks? Ok - it was beer all around. Root beer for the girlies, and delicious Hopworks beer for the parental units.

Oh, and before I forget guess what is new on their menu? Daiya vegan cheese - well, neither of my girlies like "cheese" on their pizza, but it is now an option at Hopworks. Whoo-hoo!!! Just in case you need the link here it is http://hopworksbeer.com/

Happy weekend!

Friday Green Bean Stew...

with a loaf of homemade, warm no-knead bread. This is another of these great one pot dishes. Quick and easy to prepare, but it does need time on the stove.

1 lb beef stew - I like it cut in small chunks
1 bag of frozen green beans - I like Haricot Verts
1-2 potatoes optional peeled and chopped
1 onion- chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1-2 TBL Herbs de Provence, and other herbs such as tarragon, thyme, etc. to taste
Pepper
Salt
1 cup of white wine - or more
1-1/2 cups of water - may need more

- sautee onion, garlic, and herbs until soft when soft add
- Beef - when slightly browned add
- wine, and after a couple of minutes add water.
- Bring to a slow simmer - cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes
- Add salt, and pepper
- Add beans, and potatoes
- Simmer for at least another 30 minutes
- Adjust spices to taste. (At the end I added a couple of splashes of Balsamico to brighten up the
flavor)

Enjoy with crusty bread!

New breakfast item on our menu :)

when shopping yesterday, I found non-dairy frozen Toaster Pops by Amy's. I got it as my girls get tired of the same old foods :) In any case, the girlies ate them for breakfast today - along some banana slices. The verdict? Yummy!!! Both girlies loved them and they are Galactosemia safe. Whoo-hoo always fun to find new food items....oh, and before I forget, here is the link just in case :))). http://www.amys.com/products/product-detail/details/000184

Taco Thursday

Here they are ready to make their Taco's. Alena already has her hands on the Tofutti. Shredded lettuce, onions - Mia Rosie's favorite, black refried beans - Alena's favorite, ground beef, pineapple salsa, and plain white rice. Yay! Oh, and I finally made perfect rice. Maybe I should not admit this, but cooking rice has always been a huge challenge for me. But today was perfect -1 cup of rice to 1-3/4 cup of water...finally.

Kaesespaetzle - Spaetzle baked with aged cheeses

was our dinner tonight. We had plenty of Spaetzle left and this is a great, easy, yummy dish. Served with a big salad - delicious. I used Gruyezer, Emmenthaler our "safe" cheeses and everybody loved their dinner. Let's just say that there are no leftovers.

Both girls helped with cooking today and we had great fun. We needed a little more Spaetzle and Alena made the dough - with my help, and Mia Rose assisted in the assembly. Here is the recipe - just in case :)

Make Spaetzle -
5 eggs; 500 gr flour; 250 ml water; salt
- mix all of the ingredients until you have a heavy dough.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil
- put dough in the Spaetzlepress - a potato ricer should work too into the boiling water
- once Spaetzle float on top of the water remove them with a slotted spoon. I like to put the
cooked Spaetzle in a flat baking dish to cool
- repeat with the remaining dough

Prepare onion, and cheese
- app. 3 onions cut into fine rings
- heat olive oil in a pan, add onions, and cook until they are soft and well browned

Grate Gruyezer, and Emmenthaler - at least 3 cups total

Preheat oven at 325 F

Assemble Kaesespaetzle
- layer Spaetzle -app.1/3 - in the bottom of a baking dish
- sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika
- cover generously with cheese
- repeat at least twice
- cheese should be the last layer, cover cheese with the browned onions
- bake for about 45 minutes until cheese melted

Enjoy!

Mia Rose on her winter break as told to her teacher...

a couple of clarifications from the mothership are in place :) It was not yet her birthday, and apparently Alena did not take all her princesses. However, she did play on the monkey bars and had a great time. Her calloused hands are proof :)))

Blount Fine Foods Announces Rip Roar'N Crab Soup Recall For Undeclared Milk, Wheat And Crab Allergens

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Plain and simple - Limsen & Spaetzle

Let's just say, Alena was super excited for dinner. Mia Rose helped make the dough for the Spaetzle and today we added some dried parsley for added color. I should have gotten Wieners from Edelweiss, the German butcher, as hot dogs just do not do the lentils justice. Next time - Mia Rosie still loved the hot dogs, and Alena had a second serving of lentils & spaetzle....

Schnitzel, garlic mashed potatoes, and baby green salad

ahhh, the quintessential German dish. Schnitzel :) Not Wiener Schnitzel - that is veal - but "panierte Schweineschnitzel" (breaded pork cutlets), It was an easy decision as we still had some pork cutlets in the freezer, and since everybody loves Schnitzel it was an easy decision. We also had potatoes, and salad - yay! For breading I always keep Panko breadcrumb in the house as it is - always read label - without whey, or milk. The potatoes I cooked in the pressure cooker along with a couple of garlic cloves. Mashed it all up, added some Earth Balance, dried parsley, salt, and a little bit of the water from cooking the potatoes. Let's just say it was a dinner success at our little house in Portland tonight. No leftovers :)

Eat your veggies stew...

this is the perfect meal to make with a bunch of different veggies. Today I made it with onion, garlic, green pepper, potato, sweet potato, carrot, can of diced tomatoes, and lacinato kale. Chicken broth, 13 bean mix - soaked overnight -, barley, chicken sausage, and sterallini - little pasta stars which are Mia Rosie's favorite :)

It always tastes a little different, but always good. Maybe I leave out the tomatoes next time I make it. Oh, and we ate it with fresh, no knead bread.

French Toast for Sunday Breakfast

I think that this is actually the very first time I have made French Toast. It is usually something Ron makes - but why not? We had pancakes yesterday for a late breakfast, so we needed something different :)

I adapted a recipe for basic French Toast which was on Allrecipies -> http://allrecipes.com/recipe/french-toast-i/ by using soy milk instead of cow, used 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and about 1-1/2 tablespoons of honey. I served it with Earth Balance our vegan butter. Everybody loved their breakfast!

Simple Pasta...

...that was all tonight. OK - there were also apples, carrots, parmesiano reggiano, and gruyezer. The girlies - as usual - chose their pasta "naked" just olive oil, and Italian herbs - but they liked it. Oh, and can you tell that our guests left? Only four plates - we are sad that they had to go back to Europe today :( Just wish we would live closer together - oh well, that s what Happens when you live so far from home. OK - I shall not dwell on it...have a great weekend all. Thank YOU for reading :)

Good bye Portland dinner on Friday night for

our German guests at the Deschutes Brewery Pub in Northwest Portland. The Deschutes Pub is one of our favorite breweries to go to in downtown Portland.  Fantastic somewhat rustic atmosphere, good food, and great beer. A great place that captures some of the essence of the Pacific Northwest. All of us enjoyed dinner - this time the girls choose to have pepperoni pizza - of course without cheese, and a glass of root beer. Each lady finished her pizza down to the last crumb...

Just in case you missed it before - here is the link to Deschutes in the Pearl http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/locations/portland

Alena enjoying her pepperoni pizza, salad, and root beer :)

Rouladen for Dinner

Oh, so delicious. Beef slathered with mustarad, rolled up with Bacon slices, pickled red peppers, onions, and garlic. Served along side egg noodles, plenty of gravy, and a delicious salad. All made by my good friend just for us. Yummy!!!

P.S.: Can you see Mia Rosie in the background?

Not a single picture today

Really, I must disappoint. We were invited for dinner tonight at my friend's house. It was Not only delicious, but everything she made was also safe for the girlies. Cream of zucchini soup - made with Tofutti sour cream. And you so know, that the only reason the soup was made with Tofuttin instead of regular sour cream was because of our girlies. I am beyond grateful for kg. Really! Oh, and the there was also delicious pasta. Galactosemia friendly, but as you may have already guessed theladies ate their pasta plain with just olive oil. We brought dessert - Dairy free carrot cake feom Piece of Cake vor Alena, and blueberry pushup sorbet for Mia Rosie...What a wonderful evening with friends and family

A last hooray this winter break...

We had a lovely start into the New Year, and extended the winter break for one additional day :)  What did we do?  Well, let me start by telling me how we started our trip.

We started the trip with a stop at Kettleman's Bagel Shop in Southeast Portland.  Here are the lovely ladies, enjoying their breakfast.  Salt bagel, toasted but plain for Alena - and Salt bagel, not toasted but with plain Tofutti cream cheese for Mia Rosie...and never, ever toasted for Mia Rosie :)

Oh yes, and never ever with Tofutti for Alena :)

We left Portland, with filled tummies looking forward to our mini-trip to...to...now where did we go again? Can you guess? No, not wanting to play my game - OK - we went to a mini-vacation to the Oregon Coast. All of us love the beach, even if it is stormy as it was yesterday.  It is still so much fun!

We stayed in Canon Beach in a lovely hotel directly on the beach and the only view is to the mighty Pacific Ocean. Generally I do not find hotels to be as ideal for us as we travel.  There was however a fantastic pool which all of us loved, plus the beach right at our doorstep.  Can't beat that even if there were not so many food options for the girlies.  -  I did bring along some bread but not much more - dinner was OK.  The girls - as neither of them like fish that much - had fries, and shared a burger wrapped in lettuce.  Breakfast this morning was a little bit more challenging.  Luckily the little coffee shop had a couple of plain bagels left.  The shop owner, called the bakery so I could make sure they were Galactosemia safe :)  So breakfast this morning looked a little bit different...

bagel in bed while enjoying some OPB Kids :)

The girlies loved the bagels - toasted for Alena, and untested plain for Mia Rosie.  Quickly the batteries were recharged for some play time on the beach...

and after the beach...pool time followed by some time on the playground, before we headed back east to Portland.  On the way home, we introduced our guests from Germany to some great Sushi in Hillsboro at http://www.syun-izakaya.com/. So good - and Galactosemia safe food for our girlies :)

and tomorrow ?  Back to reality...the end of our fabulous winter break

Hopping' John is the first dinner of 2012

We just started a new tradition at our house for January 1st - in the tradition of the South we made black eyed peas. So delicious! I used a recipe by Emeril Lagasse found online http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/hoppin-john-recipe/index.html - instead of the chicken stock, I used vegetable stock. It tuned fantastic!!! Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Here is to a happy, healthy, and prosporous 2012 filled with love, joy, and peace. From our family to your family and yours. May you all have a wonderful 2012!