Around the World in 52 weeks

Talking Turkish

2013-05-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Gobble, Gobble?

That's what my daughter said when I asked her if she knew any Turkish words- she cracks me up sometimes. Anyway the real answer to my question would have been a big N-O !! I'm not even sure if I've heard it spoken before, but here are a few words for your foreign language lesson this week.....

Hello- Merhaba Good Morning- Gunaydin Goodbye- Gule gule

Thank You- Tesekkur ederim No - Hayir Yes- Evet

Happy Birthday! - Dogum gunun kutlu olsun!

I Love You - Seni sevi yorum

1- bir 2- iki 3- uc 4- dort 5- bes

6 - altl 7- yedi 8- sekiz 9- dokuz 10- on

black- kara white- beyaz red- kirmizi blue- mavi

yellow- sari orange- turuncu green - yemyesil purple- mor

pink- pembe

The Turkish word for delicious is "Leziz" and I apologize that I didn't make a recipe for you all this week but it's been so busy around here. If you are interested in making some of the delicious Turkish food like we ate at Aspendos please check out these web pages- http://www.turkishcookbook.com/ , http://www.food.com/recipes/turkish, http://www.deliciousistanbul.com/blog/turkish-recipes/
they all look pretty good!!

We are going to be out of town for a few days and so next week we will be taking a break from our "travels" and just enjoying ourselves.

Have a great week and we'll catch up where we left off!!

Mid-week Field Trip!

2013-05-16T12:34:00.003-07:00

Aspendos Restaurant

We had a rough day yesterday, my daughter found out she's going to need glasses and was really bummed about it. I told her glasses are pretty cool but she wasn't buying it (really, I had glasses at her age and I hated them too, but I had to try, right?) So, we had to cheer her up by going out to a new restaurant! I know my kids will always enjoy Mediterranean food- whether it's Middle Eastern, Greek, or, as we found out, Turkish. I'll be honest and tell you that I find many of the dishes from these countries are pretty similar, especially Greek and Turkish food. There were, however, a few delicious differences.

The restaurant we dined at was named Aspendos. It's on Peninsula Ave. in San Mateo if you are from the area and up for some deliciousness. It is named after an ancient amphitheater and town in Turkey of the same name. The amphitheater , which was built in 155 A.D. with seating for 7,000, is still standing and has been deemed the best preserved theater in the world. In fact, until recent times it was still being used.

The restaurant features a painted mural of it's namesake along with other beautiful Turkish items. The TV was even playing the newscast from Turkey (just FYI, it's going to rain tomorrow in Demre). It's definitely a casual restaurant- paper menus and you order at the register, but when you've got 2 kids, casual is best.

Here is what we dined on-

Hummus and flat bread- hummus is hummus the world over it seems. It was good but the bread was better. A fluffy flat bread with some spices sprinkled on top. Yes, I ate it. It was research :)

Zucchini Patties- these were delicious even though I thought a little underdone. They were served with a yogurt and dill sauce and all the grown ups REALLY liked them- the kids? well they were too busy with their bread to eat vegetables!

Lamb and Beef Gyros- I'd have to say that this is one of my children's favorite things to eat. The meat is really flavorful and was served with fluffy rice, some marinated onions, a grilled tomato and salad with lemon and olive oil dressing. I noticed no flatbread- maybe that is the difference between a Greek gyro and a Turkish gyro? Who cares? They were in heaven!

Adena Kabob- this was ground meat (lamb and beef) seasoned with garlic and spices and then cooked on a skewer. So tasty and moist! Served with small pieces of flatbread under the meat to soak up all the yummy juices- delicious!! They had a "Turkish burger" on the menu also and I wonder if this is the same meat they use, it would be soooooo good on a bun with some cacik (tzatziki) sauce and tomatoes and the marinated onions! My mouth is actually watering as I am writing this!

Pida with meat and cheese- this was a flat bread with a delicious mixture of meat and cheese on it and baked in the oven. It looked simple but it was super tasty!!

Turkish Pizza (Lahmacun)- this was very different than American pizza. It was super thin and had a mixture of red peppers and ground meat spread all over the top. It was served with lettuce, tomatoes, marinated onions and lemon. The owner (who was super busy and so we didn't bug him too much) said you put the produce on top of the pizza, squeeze some lemon and eat it rolled like a wrap. I only tasted a piece before the "wrap", it was very red pepper-y, which I liked but got mixed reviews from the kids and my husband.

Surely you'd think we were full by now, and we were, but we trudged on in the name of research and ordered dessert.

Baklava- again, very similar to every baklava you've ever had. We had walnut and pistachio and they were both very sweet and flaky.

Rice pudding- the menu said it was oven baked so I thought it would be warm, but it was regular ol' rice pudding. Delicious, but we too full to really enjoy it.

Turkish tea- the tea came in an awesome little glass tea cup and was made with real tea leaves but other than that I couldn't really see the difference between Turkish and American tea. The cup was cool though.

We left, too full to move, with the thoughts of new glasses far from our mind. It's hard to be told you are going to need glasses for the rest of your life, but, we shall overcome this small inconvenience- hopefully. Wish me luck :)

Hopefully these aren't the frames she picks out!!

A Man of Morals

2013-05-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Aesop- a man of morals

Ok, so before I begin the story of Aesop and his fables, let me say that there are many conflicting stories about Aesop, some even that he wasn't even a real person. The consensus is that he was born in the region now known as Turkey around 620 BC. Then it gets a little iffy- he was either a slave on a Greek Isle who was freed from slavery because of his quick mind, an Ethiopian traveler, or a dwarf with deformed features. Really, I supposed all of them could be true- maybe he was a deformed Ethiopian dwarf traveler who was taken as a slave to a Greek Isle but then freed because of his intellect? Sounds plausible. Anyway, I don't know what's true or not, all I know is that there is a huge collection of stories that are credited to Aesop. No written records of the stories survive but they have been passed down through the millennia and still stand strong. The stories all have 2 things in common- they all feature animals (or insects) as the main characters and they all have a moral. At the end of the story a lesson has been taught. A lesson on how to be a GOOD HUMAN BEING! Even when times are tough. Even when life is hard and you are the underdog. I think I found some new bedtime stories for the kids!!

I picked one story to illustrate a science project for the kids-

The Crow and the Pitcher- a science project
as paraphrased by me

A very thirsty crow was flying one day when he spotted a pitcher of water. He flew down to the pitcher of water and tried to get a drink but the neck of the pitcher was too narrow and the water level was too low for him to reach it with his beak.
(note: It is hard to see the water level in the pics with my daughter. My son's water I dyed red and it is much easier)

So he thought and thought. While he was thinking, he spotted some pebbles on the road. He picked up a few pebbles and dropped them into the pitcher. The water rose higher as the pebbles displaced the water. As the crow dropped more and more pebbles, the water rose higher in the pitcher until the crow was able to dip his beak in and get a drink. When he was satisfied, he continued on his way

The moral-
Persistence pays off, or, where there is a will there is a way!!

The science lesson-
2 objects cannot occupy the same space. The rocks displace the water, and since it has no other place to go, it rises in the pitcher.

Week 43: Turkey

2013-05-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

Let's talk Turkey...

No, not the poultry, the wonderfully historical country on the border of Asia and Europe. In fact, the country's largest city, Istanbul, is the only city in the world that is in 2 different continents. Cool fact. Istanbul has also been the capital at one time or another of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire!! Sometimes, though, it went by the name Constantinople. These days the capital of Turkey is Ankara (39.91° N/ 32.85°E), the second largest city in the country. Because of the importance of Istanbul in the course of history, the who's who list of famous people born in or having lived in Turkey is very impressive.

Here are just a few-

St. Nicholas

King Midas - the same one with the golden touch? I'll check.
St. Nicholas - the one and only Father Christmas was born in Demre on the Mediterranean coast.
St. Paul the Apostle
St. Peter - built the first Catholic church (in Antioch)
Aesop- the famous storyteller and fable writer
Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived in Turkey in her later years.

Turkey has also been the setting for quite a few historical and biblical happenings.

It is said that Noah's Ark landed on Agri Dagi (Mt. Ararat)
Mark Antony is said to have given his new wife, Cleopatra, a section of the Turkish shore as a wedding gift. Supposedly, he even had Egyptian sand imported for the beach.
The oldest writings have been found on clay tablets from 1950 BC and the oldest human settlement, in Catalhoyuk, dates back to 7500 BC.
2 of the 7 wonders of the ancient world are located in Turkey. They are the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.

The Temple of Artemis

The legendary city of Troy and the site of the Trojan Horse battle was in western Turkey.

On top of all that history, the country of Turkey is also responsible for introducing the world to one of my faves- COFFEE!! Thanks Turkey- I owe you one!!

The Netherlands can also thank Turkey for introducing tulips to them and we can all thank them for producing over 70% of the world's hazelnuts. Unless you don't like hazelnuts.

All in all, Turkey is proving to be a pretty awesome country to learn about this week! I can't wait to get started :)

On the Menu: Argentinean Food pt. dos (2) & tres (3)

2013-05-12T09:54:00.003-07:00

Happy Mothers Day!

I have to say that being a Mother can be very difficult. The worries and stress (and attitudes) can be hard to handle some days, and some days I handle it better than others, but I wouldn't trade my two little munchkins for the world!! And I bet you feel the same way!! So give your babies (no matter how old they are) an extra big hug today and enjoy the treats, flowers and cards you (hopefully) get - we deserve it!! And while they feel all helpful and lovey, get them to make dinner tonite - here are a couple recipes :)

I found this one on About.com

Pork and Sweet Potato Guiso (stew)
For the recipe you will need

2 lbs pork cut into 1 inch cubes
1 t cumin
2 T flour (I used garbanzo flour)
3 T vegetable oil
1 T butter
1 onion- thinly sliced
2 sweet potatoes - peeled and cubed
2 cups chicken broth
1 packet Sazon Goya with cilantro and achiote (optional)
3/4 cups raisins
salt and pepper

1. In a heavy, deep skillet heat the butter and 1 T oil to cook the onions until soft and golden.
2. While onions are cooking season the meat with the cumin, flour, and seasoning packet. Throw in some salt and pepper too.
3. Remove the onions from the skillet, add the rest of the oil and fry the meat until it is browned on all sides.
4. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth and deglaze the pan (scrape up all the bits stuck to the pan).
5. Add the onions back and add enough chicken broth so that the meat is just covered. Simmer gently (covered) for one hour.
6. Add the sweet potatoes and raisins and simmer about 30 minutes or just until everything is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper

This was pretty tasty. Not a lot of spice going on - I might add some more cumin next time. My husband liked it more than he expected to - in fact his direct quote was "this isn't bad at all" and my brother scoffed at the fact that it was served with quinoa but actually said it was really good with it. The pork was super tender and actually the best part, but the sweet potatoes were good too. I wish I had cooked them a little less than I did. All in all, it was a pretty healthy meal that everyone enjoyed. I did have leftovers though, so I decided to use them in another South American treat...

Empanadas
For the recipe you will need:

empanada dough (homemade or store bought)
leftover guiso from above or cheese or whatever strikes your fancy.
chimichurri sauce for dipping

1. If you are making your own dough you are going to want to roll it out very thin and cut it into 4 inch circles. I would really suggest buying the frozen dough from a Mexican produce store if you can. Then all you have to do is let it thaw :) Or frozen pie dough would probably work too.

2. I was making these for a party and I didn't want them too big so I cut each circle in half. Put about 1 tsp. of filling or a cube of cheese in the middle them fold it over and crimp the edges. We used a fork to press the edges together- my daughter got pretty good!

3. Put on a parchment lined baking sheet (probably not necessary but makes clean up so easy) and bake in 400° oven for about 10-15 minutes until golden.
4. Because I made 2 different kinds and wanted people to be able to tell them apart, I sprayed a little cooking spray on top and for the cheese ones I sprinkled parmesan on the top and for the sweet potato ones I sprinkled some cumin and smoked paprika. I think it made them look a little fancier too.
5. Serve with some chimichurri sauce (I love that stuff)!!

These were GONE in about 15 minutes at the party. I even sent my husband home to get a plateful that didn't fit on the original platter. The dough was nice and fluffy and not too greasy. Apparently there are different doughs for frying or baking, so remember that if you are buying the premade dough. These made a great finger food, looked like they took all day but were, in fact, super easy to make!! Enjoy!

Argentina- Animals and Art

2013-05-10T07:47:00.002-07:00

Everything from Pumas to Penguins...

Argentina's landscape is very diverse and, because of this diversity, there is a wide array of animals that can be found there. It might be easier go over the list if we break them up by geographical region.

In the North, where the country nears the Equator, the climate is sub-tropical and hot. Here you can find crocodiles and caimans (their smaller cousins), jaguars and pumas, howler monkeys, tapir and peccary (both a type of wild pig), and the largest rodent in the world- the capybara. The air and trees host snakes, toucans and hummingbirds.

Further south, the grasslands area, known as Pampas, is home to giant anteaters, armadillos (one species is called the Pink Fairy), and the South American version of the ostrich, the Rhea.

In the Andes Mountains, which make a natural border with neighboring Chile, you can find llamas, vicuna (smaller relative of a llama), and the largest bird in the Americas- the Andean condor which has a wingspan of up to 10.5 ft!

Along the southern rocky coast you might spot elephant and fur seals, sea lions and Magellenic penguins, which were named after the famous explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, who spotted them in 1519. Further North along the coast, flocks of flamingoes decorate the beaches.

The waters are home to orcas, dolphins and whales, as well as, many, many species of fish.

That's a lot of different kinds of animals! So we made a few very different art projects. It's a very rare day when we make both a penguin and an armadillo but that's the kind of day we had :)

Magellenic Penguins
For the project you will need:

small Styrofoam ball
small water bottle
black and orange construction paper
glue stick and scissors
black and white paint and brushes
knife or pick to make hole (adults only please)
straight pin (optional)

1. Take the cap off the water bottle and try to squish the Styrofoam ball onto the neck. This will mark the circle that you will hollow out with the knife so the "head" will sit right on the "body". Adults should do this step please.
2. Paint the body and head of your penguin black with a white belly. Check the picture of the real thing to get the markings kinda right.
3. Cut out a small, long diamond out of the orange paper and fold it to make the beak. We attached ours with a pin pushed into the Styrofoam and it worked really well, but could be dangerous for younger kids. Glue would work too. Note: Magellenic penguins beaks and feet aren't really orange. They looked kind of greyish and white but I used some artistic license and made them orange.
4. Cut two flippers out of the black paper and attach to the sides.
5. Cut some webbed feet out of the orange paper (see above note) and glue them onto the cute little penguin.

6. Give your little guy (girl?) some eyes and a name get ready for fun and games. Penguins are notorious pranksters. (I totally just made that up- but they seem like they'd be fun at a party!)

Who doesn't love an Armadillo?
For the project you will need:

pint-sized milk or half and half carton
brown paper bag
tape and glue stick
scissors
sharpie or black marker

1. Cut the bag so you have a sheet of brown paper. Use the paper to wrap the carton. On the top, where it's pointy, will be the head. Try to make it come to a point.

2. Cut 2 ear shapes. We colored the middle pink. Fold the edges of the ears and glue the ears onto the armadillo head.

3. Armadillos have a bit of a snout, so cut and glue on some extra paper to make the snout longer and the edges look nicer.

4. Roll up a strip of paper about 5 inches long to make a tail. Glue and tuck it into the folded paper on the butt end to make the tail.

5. Now the fun part. Draw the bumps and ridges and creases of the armadillo armor. I had to print out a picture to show the kids what it should look like since we don't have armadillos.

I think he turned out pretty cute. We named him Bumpy.

On the Menu: Argentinean Food

2013-05-08T09:58:00.003-07:00

Yum.

Yep, that one word sums up the recipe for today. "Fresh" could be another. We made the Argentinean sauce/marinade/condiment called Chimichurri and, boy, was it GOOD! There were a few tasty options we could've made - empanadas, chorizo sausage, a dish called Locro, with corn, beans, meat, bacon and other ingredients, but we went with the basics. As you can see by the tongue-in-cheek food pyramid, they eat a lot of meat in Argentina.

Asado cooked on a parrilla

The chimichurri sauce is traditionally served with grilled steak and is always available at an "asado", or barbeque. It would be a great marinade for chicken or a sauce for fish or vegetables. In fact, since I made it 2 days ago, I have used it on everything. I even put it on my scrambled eggs this morning! There are general recipe guidelines but proportions and ingredients can be changed to make it your own. So here is how I made mine, I hope you enjoy it.

Chimichurri Sauce
For the recipe you will need:

1 cup flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1 cup cilantro
4 -5 cloves of garlic (or less)
2 T chopped fresh onion
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T apple cider or red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
salt and a dash of red chile flakes

1. Using a food processor (or knife) chop the garlic and onions until very finely chopped.
2. Add the cilantro and parsley and process until the herbs are finely chopped but not pureed.
3. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Let refrigerate for awhile to let the flavors combine and then use this stuff on EVERYTHING!!!

It's so healthy and light and herb-y! I think it would be really good on a fish taco!! In fact, I know what I'm making for dinner tonite.
Make a bowl of this to serve at your next asado and just wait for the recipe requests...or you can direct them here :)

Week 42: Argentina

2013-05-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

What do you know about Argentina?

Before I started looking up facts for this post, I didn't know much more than location (South America) and capital (Buenos Aires). Well, now I have a whole bunch of facts and I'm going to share them with you (Because I'm super nice. You're welcome)

Did you know?

Because the country is so long, the North end is in a subtropical region and the Southern end is subpolar. Bring layers :)

The largest dinosaur yet discovered was found in Argentina. You could probably have guessed that from it's name - Argentinosaurus.

The Spaniards came to the area in the 1500s in search of silver. The name Argentina comes from the Latin term for silver- Argentum.

The main exports of Argentina are honey, soybeans, wheat, sunflower seeds, wine and beef. Argentina is the 3rd largest producer of beef in the world. Probably manure too but don't quote me on that :) In fact, don't quote me on anything, ever.

The people of Argentina love going to the movies- they have one of the highest rates of movie goers in the world.

The national drink of Argentina is a type of tea called Yerba Mate. It is traditional to drink it out of a gourd cup and silver straw.

Despite the fact that Argentina is a Spanish-speaking country, the majority of it's people are of European countries other than Spain, Germany and Wales for example.

The national sport of Argentina is called Pato. It is a combination of polo and basketball played on horseback. The most popular sport in Argentina is football (soccer in the U.S.)

There, now we are experts on Argentina! Of course, I using the term "experts" very, very loosely, but we do know a lot more than we did a few minutes ago. I'm off to get some projects together while the hubby and kids are at the movies. Maybe that can be one of their projects - going to the movies just like they do in Argentina! Stay tuned for more about this diverse country :)

The Maltese Cross (and an art project)

2013-05-05T11:06:00.001-07:00

The Maltese Cross

I almost forgot to post this, life got a little ahead of me there for a minute! We had a busy day yesterday, my daughter had her final softball game/pizza party/trophy celebration and then we went swimming at Grandma's....ahh, life is good. Today it's freezing out- go figure. Anyway, we made this project a few days ago and we were able to incorporate my son's love of sword play into an easy project about the Maltese Cross. "What is the Maltese Cross?", you ask. Well, allow me to give you the history of this symbol.

The Maltese Cross (also known as the Amalfi Cross) is a cross symbol with 4 even sides, each side with 2 points. It is most often associated with the Knights of Malta (a.k.a. the Knights of St. John or the Knights Hospitalier), who controlled and protected Malta from 1530 to 1798.

Each of the eight points on the cross stand for a different aspect of the moral code they taught and lived by.

loyalty
piety
bravery
generousity
contempt of death
glory and honor
helpfulness of the sick and poor
respect for the church

Nice moral code to live by and a nice symbol to encase them all. It stands to reason that the symbol is now used by firefighters and other "knights in shining armor".

My son loves playing "knight" - you know, with the swords and shields and dragons and damsels in distress. So we made him an honorary Knight of Malta with our next project...

Maltese Cross Shield
For the project you will need:

cardboard (or paper platter worked perfect)
red construction paper (or paint)
glue if using paper ^
scissors if using paper
pipe cleaners (for handle)
tape (to tape on handle)

1. If using cardboard you'll need to cut out a shield shape. This could really be any shape. I had these large paper platters left over from a few projects (Papua New Guinea, Egypt ) and they were the perfect size, shape and color I wanted!
2. Turn it over and tape one or two pipe cleaners to the back to make a handle.

3. Now the hardest part (for me anyway) cut out 8 triangles that when put together will form the cross. It took me a few tries to get the angles right. If you look at the picture above, I used only the long triangles. If we had painted the cross on it probably would have been easier, but I thought the triangles made a good geometry project. Because, you know, geometry is always a good project for 3 year olds :)

4. Glue the triangles into the shape of a Maltese Cross. This was also a hard part for us because my son wanted to glue them in a "Batman" shape, but since this whole project was supposed to be about the Maltese Cross, I stifled his creativity for a minute. I let him take them all off and rearrange them after I took the picture.

5. If you have older kids making the cross, they could write the different morals on the cross or decorate it more. My son just wanted to get to the playing, so we left it rather simple.

Maltese Food: part thejn (two)

2013-05-03T16:39:00.001-07:00

TGIF!!

Boy am I glad it's Friday! Not that I had a particularly hard week but because we have a fun weekend planned!! And I have a great recipe for you- it's pastizzi time! They are little puff pastries filled with ricotta cheese, or peas, or in our less traditional variation, ricotta, lemon and honey. In Malta they are sold in pastizzerias and are a popular snack after church on Sunday mornings or as a late night snack for the nightclub crowd. Either way they are a tasty, easy to make treat!!

Here is the recipe (both the traditional and sweet variety)-

Pastizzi ta'I-Irkotta (ricotta filled pastizzi)
For the recipe you will need:

Ingredients for both varieties. Fillo dough is NOT used- oops!

ricotta cheese (8 oz.)
1 egg
1 T parsley- chopped (I used dried)
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove crushed
puff pastry sheets ( 2 sheets in a box)
egg for egg wash

1. Thaw the frozen puff pastry. In the picture I show Phyllo dough. I thought this would work but I forgot that they are all individual sheets and so I went back to the store and bought this-

2. Thaw the pastry about 40 mins. (or if it's 90° like it is today- 15 minutes). Preheat the oven to 375° and prepare the filling.
3. Combine the ricotta, egg, parsley and garlic (any spices could probably work) and set aside while the dough thaws.

4. When dough is soft, cut circles and place on parchment lined baking sheet. I used a drinking glass and got about 9 per sheet.
5. Brush one side of the circle with the egg wash. Spoon about 1 tsp. of filling onto circle and fold over to make half moon. Use fork to crimp the edges together.

6. Brush tops with egg wash. We also sprinkled some parmesan on top to be fancy.
7. Bake until they are golden brown- about 20 mins. They puffed up so beautifully and a few popped open but they were still pretty (AND PRETTY DELICIOUS)

We also made a sweet version-

Sweet Lemon and Honey Pastizzi
For the recipe you will need:

ricotta cheese (8 oz.)
zest and juice of one lemon
about 2 T honey
puff pastry (2 sheets)
egg for egg wash
honey for drizzling (optional)

Prepare as above except for the drizzle of honey right before serving. Serve warm from the oven.....SOOOO YUMMY!!!

A perfect little snack!

Let's Learn Some Maltese

2013-05-03T09:07:00.001-07:00

Do you speak Maltese?

Well, then you can probably skip this post. Thanks for checking in :) Those of you still with me, let's learn a couple words and phrases.

The Maltese language is thought to have developed as a variation of Sicilian Arabic. This form of Arabic hasn't been spoken in Sicily in over 700 years but it stuck with the Maltese and developed into the Maltese language used today. Because the country was controlled by so many other countries, there are many words that are French, Arab, Spanish, Italian, Latin, German, Portuguese, and English. In 1800, when the country was governed by the British, they tried to change the official language to English, but when the Maltese gained their independence in 1964, both Maltese and English were given the role of "official language".

Hello- hawn    Goodbye- caw     Please- jekk joghgbok
Thank You- grazzi     Yes- iva    No- le   I love you- Inhobbok

1- wiehed ( WEE-hed)   2- thejn (tneyn)    3- tlieta (TLEE-ta)
4- erbgna (EHR-ba)   5- hamsa (HAM-sa)   6- sitta (SIT-ta)
7- sebgna (SEH-ba)     8- tmienja (tmeehn-ya)
9- disgna (DIH-sa)      10- ghaxra (AA-shra)

black- iswed    white- abjad     red- anmar      blue- blu
yellow- isfar    green- andar    orange- orangjo   purple- vjola

There, now you know the bare necessities of the Maltese language.
I could really see the influences of the other cultures in many of the words. Oh, I forgot one phrase-
L- iklat- tajba! It means Bon Appetit! You'll definitely need that phrase for my next post- we're making Pastizzi!!!!

Another picture of BEAUTIFUL Malta!!

On the Menu: Maltese Food

2013-05-01T09:53:00.001-07:00

Straight to the food!

Yep, that's how I roll :) I'm having a hard time finding fun activities to do for Malta week, any suggestions would be appreciated! So we went straight for the cooking section- everyone likes food right?

Maltese food has been influenced by many of the countries that have ruled it- Italian, French, N. African, but it's major influence is it's LOCATION! The beautiful clean waters of the Mediterranean Sea give it some beautiful seafood (not to mention beaches).

The Maltese love octopus and squid cooked into a stew with some fresh "hobza" (crusty bread) to soak up the sauce. They also make a fresh cheese from goat or sheep milk called "ġbejniet". I found a recipe and we might try to make it later this week. I LOVE CHEESE! But the most "famous" of Maltese foods is the "Pastizzi", a puff pastry shell filled with ricotta cheese or peas. I will definitely be making these this week also.

OK, enough teasing you about what I might make, how about what I did make!! It was called Beef Olives. Now from that name you might think the recipe would include olives, right? Nope. I guess it's called that because you wrap the beef up into little bundles that (maybe) look like olives? Who knows? That's what it's called and here is the recipe to make it.....

Beef Olives
For the recipe you will need:
Sauce-

3 T olive oil
2 smallish onions- diced
5 garlic cloves- crushed
1 16 oz. can tomatoes (w/juice)
1 cup flat leaf parsley- chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves- chopped
1 cup red wine
2 cups water
salt and pepper

Meat-

6 thin pieces of round steak
3/4 lb. of ground beef, veal, or pork
2 garlic cloves- crushed
1/2 cup parsley- chopped
1 T oregano- finely chopped if fresh or 1/2 T dried.
1/2 cup grated ġbejniet (I subbed grated mozzarella)
2 eggs beaten
salt and pepper
Bacon is pictured because the recipe called for 2 slices chopped. I forgot to add it :) but found it wasn't missed.

1. To make the sauce, fry the onions and garlic in the oil until softened and then dump the rest of the ingredients and simmer. Super easy.
2. To make the beef rolls, pound the heck out of the steaks to make them very thin. The kids had fun doing this but I'm sure my brother (who works nights, sleeps days) wasn't very happy with the pounding!
3. Mix the ground meat, garlic, parsley, oregano, cheese, eggs and salt and pepper to make a filling.
4. Take a piece of the steak and put a small amount of the filling (about a tablespoon). Roll it up and use toothpicks to keep it closed. I wanted the filling to really stay in there so I used toothpicks to close the sides too.
5. Put the meat rolls into the sauce and let them simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

In Malta, this dish would be served in courses. The first course would be the sauce served over some pasta. The second course would be the meat. That sounds like too many dishes to me, so I served it all together on one plate. We had a fresh salad and some crusty Italian bread to soak up the delicious sauce. This dish was some work but it looked impressive and tasted really delicious. The meat was able to be cut with a fork and really picked up the flavors of the sauce. The sauce was still a little chunky so if you have picky eaters (like my hubby) you might want to puree it a little so they don't see the onions and tomatoes. It tasted like it was cooked all day! I even caught my Uncle who was over for dinner using some leftover bread to scoop the sauce out of the pan! I would make this again- but probably only if I really liked you since it was pretty labor intensive!! Enjoy!

Week 41: Malta

2013-04-30T12:45:00.002-07:00

Umm, where is Malta?

I'm glad you asked. ;) Get a map of the world. Go ahead, I'll wait. Ready? Now find Italy (the boot), then Sicily (the rock that the boot is kicking), then look south a little - see that little dot?? That's Malta! A teeny- tiny little group of islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

The most Southern country in Europe and also a place more packed with historical sites than possibly anywhere else in the world. The whole of the capital city of Valletta ( 35.90°N/ 14.51°E) is considered a World Heritage Site.

Valletta - Capital of Malta

Since the first people immigrated there from Sicily in about 5,000 BC, the citizens have been raising livestock, growing grains and living off the sea. There is some evidence, like underwater archways and structures, that support the idea that the legendary city of Atlantis was actually another of the islands in the Malta archipelago!

The location of the islands and the natural deep harbors made Malta a very prized strategic location for both the North Africans and the Greeks and Romans. In 1530, the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, gave control of Malta to the Order of the Knights of St. John. The knights built a renowned hospital, churches, fortresses and greatly expanded maritime trade for the islands. Their reign was considered Malta's "Golden Period". The Knights ruled the islands from 1530 until 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte attacked and won control of the country. Luckily, many of the historical buildings and fortified villages still remain standing for tourists and visitors to see.

Malta is an interesting country considering it's size. I'm intrigued to learn more and I hope you are too. I've got a great sounding recipe to make and a lesson in speaking Maltese. We are going to make a Maltese Cross, and maybe watch the Maltese Falcon!!
Stay tuned :)

Field Trip!

2013-04-27T15:40:00.003-07:00

Happy Koninginnedag!

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

It's Queen's Day in the Netherlands on the same week we just have to be studying about them!! Isn't that a wonderful coincidence!! Now we got to celebrate a great new holiday! April 30th is Queen Mother Juliana's birthday and is an annual public holiday in the Netherlands. The current reigning Queen Beatrix continues the tradition in April (even though her birthday is in January) and the whole country has a grand outdoor party. There are dances and concerts, flea markets called vrijmarkt, and feasts. The official color of the Netherlands is orange, and like St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, there is orange food, orange clothes, orange drink, etc. etc.

The Dutch culture in San Francisco is apparently going strong because they had quite a rockin' little festival going on today in beautiful Golden Gate Park, in the shadow of a HUGE windmill!!! Does it get any better? Oh, yeah it does :) Check out the fun we had...

Food! Next pic shows one of each :)
There were lots of food booths selling cookies, cakes and candies also!

They were pretty yummy!

Games for the kids!!

Cheek Flags!

People actually wearing wooden shoes!

Dutch art masterpieces! Here is my daughter as The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

And also as the Queen! (The King looks like quite a catch!)

The windmill actually works! And look at the size of the cheese!

There was a beer garden

and a real garden with GIANT CARROTS!

My son enjoyed the really big shoe :)

and my daughter won some really tiny ones at the games!

We had a blast and really felt like we had immersed ourselves in the Netherlands! Once again I am so thankful that I started this blog because we are finding so many wonderful activities while learning about the wonderful world we share!!

Oh yeah, the had a small vrijmarkt (flea market) and this is what the kids (and I) bought! It's so AWESOME!!!
I just wish we had it before we did Egypt week :)

On the Menu: Dutch Food

2013-04-25T18:41:00.004-07:00

Eet Smakelijk!!

No, that's not what we're making for dinner, it's the Dutch phrase for "enjoy your meal"!! The Netherlands are known for making some of my favorite types of food- cheese and licorice. Not together, of course, that would be gross.

The Dutch have been making cheese since 400 A.D. and are one of the largest exporters of cheese in the world. Edam, gouda, beemster are a few examples. There are markets set up just to sell cheese!

The people of the Netherlands also have a great fondness for licorice. They have over 80 types of licorice, ranging from sweet to salty, chewy to hard. I would definitely go crazy in their candy stores!!

Stamppot

The typical cuisine of the Netherlands is pretty simply prepared. A very common dish is "stamppot", basically mashed potatoes mixed with mashed vegetables. This is served with sausages or braised meat. Soups and stews are very popular. Sometimes they are almost the same thing- Dutch pea soup is traditionally so thick that a wooden spoon will stand straight up in the pot! We made another traditional soup for our weekly recipe- Brown Bean Soup.

Bruine Bonen Soep (Brown Bean Soup)
recipe found on About.com
For the recipe you will need:

8oz bacon - cubed
3 shallots - chopped
2 carrots- diced
1 leek- sliced in rings
1 T ground paprika
3 cans of pinto beans- drained and rinsed
12oz. tomato puree
3 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper
Worcestershire sauce

1. Fry the bacon in a large soup pot. When crispy, remove some of the bacon for later.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients (except salt, pepper and Worcestershire). Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes at least, longer wouldn't hurt but you want the veggies soft.
3. Blend the soup with in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender until it's a little chunky but mostly smooth.
4. Taste the soup and add seasonings to your taste. Top with bacon and enjoy!

This soup was simple but good. It was sweeter than I expected it to be, very nutritious and super easy to make. I would've liked a little more, I don't know? Oomph? I'm used to pretty flavorful foods and this was just, well, BEAN SOUP.

This weekend I found out there is a Dutch festival in SF!! I swear I didn't plan that at all, but I am sooooo excited! Apparently, April 30 is Queen's Day and the celebration is going to be held at the big windmill near the tulip gardens in Golden Gate Park!! I will be sure to try some of the (hopefully) delicious snacks and beverages and post as much as I can!! I love a good field trip!!!!!

Windmills in the Netherlands

2013-04-24T12:49:00.003-07:00

Got wind?

I guess they must have a lot of it in the Netherlands because they are famous for their windmills. At one point the country had over 10,000 windmills dotting the land!! Now they have about 1,000 that are still standing and some of them are even still in use.

Greek windmills

Windmills have been credited to the Greeks, who are believed to have invented them sometime around 250 BC. From there the idea travelled around quite a bit getting refined. The mills were used to grind grain but since the blades were fixed in one direction, they would only work if the wind was blowing from the right way! If only Mother Nature could be that predictable!

Sometime between the 1200s and 1300s, they developed the "post mill" that could be rotated to face the direction of the wind- genius!
Soon, these popped up all over Europe. But they really became popular when Cornelius Corneliszoon van Uitgeest, from the Netherlands, found a way use the wind power to power a saw for cutting wood. The Dutch were beginning a major exploration of the Indies and needed many ships. The windmill-powered saw made that job much easier. But windmills also helped the Netherlands another way.

As I mentioned before, the Netherlands is a very low-lying country. For over 2,000 years they have been fighting the North Sea over land. The sea was winning until the Dutch devised a way to hold back the sea using dikes (walls), canals and windmill-powered pumps to create mineral rich land. Miles and miles of these dikes and canals form the coast of the Netherlands and if these dikes or pumps should fail then many parts of the country would be underwater pretty quickly!!

So windmills are more than just a pretty tourist attraction- they changed the country in more ways than one!! So we made our own little windmills :)

Windmills
For the project you will need:

large plastic cups (1 per mill)
plastic straws (2 per)
brass fasteners (1 per)
paper for sails
tape
pushpin or skewer to poke holes

1. Cut the straws to the length you want. Ours were bendy straws so we cut at the bend.

2. Find the center of the length and poke a hole in each straw. Insert the brass fastener through each straw making a +

3. Cut 4 strips of paper about 1.5 inches wide and as long as your sail arms (straws). Tape them onto the straws.

4. Turn the plastic cup upside down and poke a hole where you want to attach the sails.

5. Now you have your very own teeny tiny windmill!

Where we live it's ALWAYS windy so this could come in handy! Hmmm, maybe on a bigger scale?!

Week 40: The Netherlands

2013-04-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Week 40!?!

I really can't believe I made it to week 40 already!! I have to say this is the longest I've ever stuck with something that was optional :) I hope you are enjoying learning about these countries along with us. Every week the kids and I are learning something new and I can't believe how much they are remembering! I know we are making memories here :)

This week we decided on the Netherlands, actually I wanted to do Holland but guess what? Holland isn't even a COUNTRY!!! See, I'm learning new things, things I probably should've leaned in school. So since Holland is actually what they call an area of the Netherlands, here we are. Let's learn a few fun facts-

The Netherlands actually have 2 capitals. Amsterdam (52.37°N/ 4.89°E) is the official capital but the Hague was the first capital since 1584 and where the government is run.
The official languages are both Dutch and Frisian but over 80% of people speak English as well.

The name "Netherlands" means "low country" in Dutch. That is because almost half of the country is below sea level and is only usable because of the 1,500 miles of dikes that keep the North Sea from flooding in. The highest part of the country is only 1,000 ft above sea level.

Because of the dikes, the Dutch (as people in the Netherlands are called) built windmills to run pumps keeping the areas dry. At one point there were 10,000 windmills in the Netherlands. There are still over 1,000 in use today.

Holland is known for its tulips. The Netherlands is the #1 producer and exporter of tulips and flower bulbs in the world.

Bikes are a very popular way to travel in the Netherlands (probably because it's so flat!). There are specially designated bike paths called "fietspaden" where only bikes are allowed.
There are over 1,000 museums full of Dutch painters like Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Mondrian.

Dutch people are some of the tallest in the world. Men average 6ft and women almost 5ft 6 inches.
The Dutch were avid explorers. They were the first to discover Australia and New Zealand. New York was once also a Dutch colony called New Amsterdam.

They explored the world and now so are we. Luckily (or maybe not) we get to do it from the comfort of our own home- and we get to invite you along with us!! C'mon let's go :)

Language lessons and lunch!

2013-04-21T09:31:00.001-07:00

Ohayou goza masu!!

That means Good Morning! I hope you all had a great weekend! We are going swimming (it's going to be in the 80's today!!) but first I've got some more work to do on Japan!! Let's learn some common words and phrases and then I have a great recipe for Teriyaki Chicken from scratch!!

Yes- hai No - iie Thank You- Arigato Goodbye - Sayonara

Happy Birthday - Tanjyoubi omedetou gozaimasu

Enjoy (your meal)- wo tanoshinde kudasai

I Love You- Daisuki Desi

1 - ichi 2- ni 3- san 4- yon 5- go 6- roku

7- nana (or shichi) 8- nachi 9- kyuu 10- jyuu

Yellow- ki iro blue- ao red- aka white- shiro

black- kuro grey- hai iro purple- murasaki green- midori

Now your treat for being so good....

Teriyaki Sauce (from scratch!)

For the recipe you will need:
(The ingredients used are pictured in the next recipe)

4 T honey (we were out of honey so I used Golden Syrup)
4 T Mirin (a sweet rice cooking wine you can fine in Asian aisle)
4 T Sake (You'd probably find this in the alcohol section)
4 T Soy sauce

That's it! Combine them all together and use as is if you like a dipping sauce or a marinade. Or use it in this recipe I got from an interesting website called No recipes. You should check it out- it had a lot of good recipes despite the name :) Traditionally, Teriyaki is a grilled dish cooked on a hibachi (small charcoal grill) but this technique is cooked in a skillet.

It was delicious and it cooked the alcohol out of the Teriyaki sauce if you are concerned about that!!

Chicken Teriyaki

For the recipe you will need:

Homemade teriyaki sauce (see recipe above)
3-4 T vegetable oil
Boneless chicken thighs or breasts
3 T grated fresh ginger
1/2 t salt
2 T Sake for cooking

1. Combine the chicken, ginger and salt and let them sit for at least 30 mins. Pat the chicken dry.

2. Heat oil in a heavy skillet set on medium heat. Put chicken in hot oil skin side down and fry until golden on one side.

3. Turn over the chicken and add the Sake (or you could use water, chicken broth, orange juice) Cover pan and let chicken steam until it is almost cooked through.

4. When the chicken is cooked most of the way drain any liquids that are in the pan. Turn your heat to high and add teriyaki sauce.

5. Let the teriyaki sauce boil and thicken and turn the chicken often so that it is all coated. The sauce will thicken into a beautiful glaze and the chicken will be a wonderful mahogany color!! Serve with rice and the any sauce left in the pan!!

I love this recipe! It always makes me feel good when I know what's in my food and this was so simple!! Yeah, it was initially a little expensive because we don't normally keep Sake and Mirin on hand, but I found a small bottle of each at the Japanese market. The sauce was RAVED about by my family and I've already had requests to make it again!! I can only imagine that it could be doctored up in many ways- maybe some pineapple or orange juice? Sesame seeds?

For dessert we had ice cream mochi. Mochi is a sweet rice flour treat. They are sticky and chewy and I really like them. Ice cream mochi is that sticky, chewy stuff with ice cream in the middle!! How can you go wrong? Ok, I'm getting hungry I need to stop!

Have a wonderful weekend people!! I'm going swimming :)

2 Field Trips and a bunch of fun projects!

2013-04-19T13:11:00.002-07:00

One Godzilla of a post!!

I try to keep my posts pretty short whenever I can. I don't like to read long lengthy explanations about things and you probably don't either :) But we did soooo much fun stuff this week that I haven't gotten around to posting yet that I need to catch up!!
So here goes....

Field Trip #1- Daiso

A while ago I noticed a new store went up in South San Francisco. It was named Daiso and it looked like a restaurant to me so I never really checked it out.

Well it turns out that it is a super cool Japanese variety store where A LOT of the items are $1.50 or under!! So it seemed like a great idea for a field trip! The kids fought the idea but two steps inside and they were in awe of their Mother's brilliant idea!!

There were toys, little statues, awesome lunch box containers and kitchen utensils, school supplies, gardening supplies, snacks and, well, the list goes on and on!! Japan has some interesting takes on some items that we use every day!!

We bought a Japanese Calligraphy set, and some plain white paper fans that we incorporated into a fun project.

Painted Fans
For the project you will need:

plain white fans- you can buy these or just accordion pleat some white paper and staple the bottom.
watercolors
Japanese Calligraphy Set- this is totally optional.
Examples of Japanese calligraphy- google :)

1. Paint designs or just beautiful colors on the fan. Let it dry for an hour or two (or overnight)

2. Try to copy an example of the calligraphy - maybe just a word that means something to you. Here are a few examples.

Beautiful and useful for the warm Spring days coming up!!

Field Trip #2 - the Japanese Tea Garden

It was a beautiful Spring day yesterday so after school I took the kids to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. I remember going there once for a school field trip, so I thought the kids would enjoy it too! They sure did. It is so beautifully done, quiet and peaceful with arching bridges and waterfalls. Beautiful Cherry blossom trees in bloom reflected in koi filled ponds.

The kids and I explored all the paths and then had some iced green tea and almond cookies in the tea house. The gift shop was a little tension filled because it was filled with beautiful ceramics that the kids just HAD to touch!!

I would have to say that their highlight was the bridge. This bridge is shaped like a rainbow and you have to climb up and over it. My daughter asked me why they would make a bridge like that and my only answer (aside from "it's prettier) was so that boats could go under. I can only assume they didn't have drawbridges in ancient Japan.

There was a large pagoda and other shrines. Pagodas are Buddhist shrines that are meant to reach to the heavens. Stacked rather symbolically like the many lifetimes it takes to reach full enlightenment. There was just so much beauty everywhere and one man to thank.

The tea garden was originally designed as a 1 acre "Japanese village" exhibit for an International Exposition in 1894. After the fair ended, the landscaper, Makoto Hagiwara, was allowed to live on the property and maintain and build on the gardens. Mr. Hagiwara poured his heart and soul into it and built the gardens up into 5 acres of Japanese grace and beauty. He and his family lived there for many years. Unfortunately, in 1942, at the height of WWII, America decided that all Japanese Americans should be put into internment camps. Mr. Hagiwara and his family were forced to leave their beautiful home. After the war when the Japanese Americans were freed, Mr. Hagiwara and his family were not allowed to return to their house in the Tea Gardens. That period was a sad time in American history and, of course, for the Hagiwara family. Thankfully, his beautiful work is still available for the public to visit and will remain a testament to Mr. Hagiwara's sense of beauty, grace and hard work. I dedicate our next art project to him.

Cherry Blossom Tree
For the project you will need:

small branch from a tree
empty can or cup
plaster of paris or lump of clay
pink or white tissue paper
glue

1. Mix the plaster of paris and pour enough to fill your can about 3/4 of the way. Or if using dough, put enough to fill can 3/4.
2. Stick your stick into can and make sure if you are using the plaster to keep it propped up. We used tape to hold it where we wanted it. Let it harden.
3. Cut the tissue into squares and then crumple them up into little "blossoms". This is fun for any age.
4. Glue the blossoms to the tree and step back to admire the beauty!

Happy Spring!!

On the Menu: Japanese Food

2013-04-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sushi anyone?

I remember growing up when sushi was so exotic and (to me) disgusting sounding! Raw fish? Wrapped in seaweed? No thanks. But these days, you see sushi restaurants all over the place, even the supermarkets sell sushi! And you know what? It's good! I'm not very adventurous with the raw fish because, well, I don't even like cooked fish very much, but I will eat the shrimp and eel and crab rolls. I found out that in Japan these rolls are considered "filler" for the main course of sashimi (raw fish). I guess I should at least try sashimi one day. Be brave Jenny. But not today, today we are making vegetable sushi :)

Sushi is actually very easy to make and people are always really impressed. Well, probably not Japanese people because they know it's easy! The most time consuming part is making the rice. You need short grain rice. The newer the better, so if you see "new crop" on the bag, buy that. The rice is also where the food gets it's name. Su = vinegar and meshi = rice, so over time this got contracted into the word sushi. With the rice made, the next step is getting your other ingredients. You'll need nori, which is a paper thin sheet of black seaweed. These are usually pretty easy to find in the Asian section of your supermarket. There are many options for fillings (neta) but freshness and quality are important. Like I said, I'm not very adventurous so I'm playing it safe and only using vegetables. Go online for some other great options if you are braver than I.

There are different types of sushi. Maki sushi is the rolled sushi with nori (seaweed) and a variety of fillings. Nigiri sushi is a mound of rice with seafood draped over the top. Temaki is also called a hand roll because the nori is shaped into a cone with the fillings inside. As the name suggests, it is eaten with your hands. Inari sushi is a fried tofu pouch filled with the seasoned rice.

I think we are ready to begin. I call this maki sushi roll the.....

Jenny Roll
For the recipe you will need

sushi mat or piece of plastic wrap
1 1/2 cups of short grain white rice
1 1/2 cups of water
seasoned rice vinegar (if you don't have seasoned- add 3 T sugar and 1 T salt to 4 T vinegar)
nori sheets
sesame seeds
carrots- shredded
avocado- sliced
cucumber- sliced into matchsticks
gari (pickled ginger)
sesame oil
sugar

1. Wash the rice to get some of the starches off and then cook in rice cooker if you have one, or pot if you don't. The rice should be firm but cooked through.
2. I like marinated carrots in mine so while your rice is cooking put a handful of shredded carrots in a bowl with some rice vinegar, a few drops of sesame oil and about a teaspoon of sugar.
3. When your rice is cooked, put it in large bowl and add about 4 T of rice vinegar and fold into rice. Try not to mush it up.
4. Place sushi mat on table. Lay a piece of nori on top. With wet hands grab some warm rice and press it into a thin layer on the top of the nori. Try to get it even and not too thick.
5. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the rice.
Lay your ingredients on top in a row about an inch from one end of the nori. I like to put my pickled ginger in the rolls along with the carrots, avocado, and cucumber.
6. Lift up the end of the mat nearest your fillings and bring it over your fillings. This starts the roll. Squeeze it tight.
7. Move the mat out of your way a little at a time as you roll away from you. When the roll is all rolled up cut off the rough ends.

8. At this point you can slice it up and eat it with some soy sauce and wasabi (super spicy) mixed together or you can wrap it in plastic wrap and make some more. This recipe should make about 4 rolls.

My brother is "anti-sushi" because he says he hates the seaweed aspect of it, so I found these great soy wrappers.
They are so pretty and I found they work great as low- carb sandwich wraps or crepes. He experimented on some sushi of his own design, and I must say they were really good! Take my recipe above except use cooked bacon as the nori and a hot dog as the filling and leave out all the vegetables. Roll and slice and you've got a tasty treat - Bacon and hot dog sushi. Not very healthy but pretty darn tasty!!

We called his roll

the Heart Attack!!

Week 39: Japan

2013-04-15T21:34:00.001-07:00

Konnichiwa from the Land of the Rising Sun!

Have you guessed where we are? Oh, actually the post title probably told you! Anyway, yes, we are studying Japan this week. This is another week I've been looking forward too. Another week with plans on top of plans that I only hope I can get to!! I've got my husband at home for the next 4-6 weeks while he recovers from his back surgery. This is good and bad for different reasons but it is what it is, so I'd better get on with the learning while I've got a free minute!

Japan is a group of islands (aka an archipelago) in the Asian Pacific. There are 4 main islands and over 5,000 smaller islands. (That fact was news to me!) The islands are very mountainous, with Mt. Fuji being the tallest and most famous mountain in Japan. There are also over 200 volcanoes- some active, some not. The reason for all the volcanoes, mountains, and the fact that Japan has over 1.000 earthquakes a year, is that the country sits very near a junction of 3 tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust. I see a science project in our near future.

The capital of Japan is Tokyo (35.41°N / 139.41°E), which is also the largest and busiest city. The people of Japan call their country "Nippon" or "Nihon" (depending on the language), which translates into "source of the sun". Because the sun rises in the East, Japan is known as the "Land of the Rising Sun" and this is represented on their flag, a red circle symbolizing the sun on a white background.

People have lived in Japan since migrating from mainland Asia about 30,000 years ago. The people were ruled by Emperors from about 600 B.C. until the 12th century, at that time Shogun
warriors took control of the land with military rule. Europeans arrived in Japan in 1543,and in 1635 the Shoguns decided to close their borders to outside trade and emigration. It wasn't until 1869 that the Shogun were overturned, Emperors were reinstated and free trade and travel were allowed again.

Since then the Japanese have been a major player in the world's politics. They have been major players in both World Wars and have changed the auto and technology industries. Japan is a beautiful country that has a rich culture. They have been able to combine grace with strength and the modern with the old. I can't wait to learn more about this amazing place!

Friday Field Trip and German Lesson!

2013-04-13T09:20:00.003-07:00

Friday Field Trip!

Actually it was a Thursday field trip, but that's because we had a dentist appointment today! (No cavities) So yesterday after we visited Steve (daddy and husband) at the hospital where he is recovering from back surgery, we went to a fun German store I had heard about- Gourmet Haus Staudt. I was expecting a small store with a tiny café, but this place was awesome!

They had German snack food and mixes, knick-knacks and gifts, cuckoo clocks, more types of beer than I could count, fresh pretzels, sausages and even some cool hats. It was a really fun little shop. I wish we hadn't had lunch at the hospital because they had a German Bier Garten (Beer Garden) in the back where they served sausages and pretzels and sandwiches. I'm still not eating carbs but the pretzels looked amazing!! I know where I'm going when I need some carbs :)

I wish I had more pictures to share but the battery died on the camera. Oops. We left with some German candies, some pretzel goldfish crackers that my son HAD to have, and a box of Spaetzle that I made for dinner. They were basically egg noodles. But "spaetzle" is more fun to say.

Speaking of "fun to say"-

Let's Learn Some German!!

German was once the unifying language of Central, Eastern and Northern Europe. It is still taught in many areas outside of Germany as a second (or third) language. German also has the most native speakers of any language in Europe. So we should learn some....

Good Morning - Guten Morgen       Good Night - Gute Nacht
Good Bye- Auf Wiedersehen     Thank You- Danke
Yes - Ja     No- Nein      I Love You - Ich Liebe Dich

1- ein        2- zwei       3- drei       4- vier      5 - funf
6 - sechs      7 - sieben    8 - acht    9 - neun    10 - zehn

red - rot     yellow - gelb     green - grun     blue - blau
black - Schwarz     white - Weiss

Monday - Montag    Tuesday - Dienstag    Wednesday - Mittwoch
Thursday - Donnerstag    Friday - Freitag    Saturday - Samstag
Sunday - Sonntag

Airplane- Flugzeug      Train - Bahn      Helicopter - Hubschrauber

That all for tonite folks, I'm beat and ready for bed!! Gute Nacht!!

Aren't these cute?! The store had every animal you could think of- all made of straw :)

On the Menu: German Food

2013-04-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Guten Appetit!

Are you ready for some German food? I was, and it was pretty tasty. German food is very homey comfort food. Breaded meats, pot roasts, dumplings, sausages and soups are all very common. Potatoes and red cabbage seemed to make appearances in many recipes I looked at. Desserts include tortes and cakes that include a lot of fruit, especially apples it seemed. It was hard to decide.

A very traditional food in Germany is sausage, or "wurst", as it is called there. There are over 1,000 different kinds of sausage!! And, as I mentioned before, red cabbage is a popular side dish along with dumplings or potatoes. So I found a dish that includes all these elements and mixes them with some family favorites- bacon and beer! The kids don't drink beer , of course, but it will be cooked so the alcohol will evaporate!! I found the recipe on the internet, but I can't remember where, so I'm sorry that I'm not giving credit where it is due. I changed a few ingredients and quantities anyway, so I guess I can claim it as my own, right? The recipe didn't have a real German name so I'm googling how to say it in German.

Rotkohl, Apfeln und Wurst
(Red Cabbage, Apple and Sausages)

For the recipe you will need:

4 thick pieces of bacon- chopped
2 T sugar- I used real sugar
1/2 onion- sliced finely
1/2 head red cabbage- shredded
2 granny smith or other tart apple- sliced
2 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp caraway seed
enough bratwurst to feed everyone
1lb or so new potatoes
1 cup beer. I found some real German Beer but really "Budweiser" sounds German to me, right?
salt and pepper. See my cute German salt and pepper shakers!!

1. Fry the bacon in a large pan, remove the bacon when crispy but leave the grease in the pan.
2. Add the sugar and let it caramelize until golden, then add the onions and cook them until they are golden also. Don't let your onion-hating husband see this step!!
3. Add the cabbage, apples, caraway seeds, cooked bacon you saved from earlier and vinegar. Mix it all together and then put the sausages and potatoes on top.
4. Pour your beer over the whole shebang.
5. When it comes to a boil reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about an hour. Or until your family comes home from the park and/or the sausages and potatoes are cooked.

I didn't expect to like this that much. I've never thought that I liked red cabbage, but I really enjoyed this. It was sweet and sour and such a pretty color! The potatoes (I only snuck one bite) were soft and fluffy and the sausages were bursting their seams. I love bratwurst with mustard- yum! Now for the rest of the family- my husband said "he didn't hate it" and he finished his serving. I know he knew there were onions in it and so I expect that was all he was thinking about. Really, everything was so cooked together it all tasted the same, so I know he couldn't tell they were there if he hadn't known. My son loved the sausage and potatoes and ate some of the cabbage- he's a trooper!! My daughter was still mad about leaving the park, so she declared she wasn't having dinner and sat in her room. Honestly, I would have been surprised if she even tried the cabbage!

Since it got mixed reviews, I don't know if I would make it again, but I really enjoyed it!! If you like that mixture of sweet and sour and want something different to try- make this!! And invite me over when you do!!!

The Berlin Wall for Kids

2013-04-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

"Tear Down the Wall!!"

Many important world events have happened in my lifetime, but I have very vivid memories of the Berlin Wall being torn down. I was recently out of high school when, on November 9, 1989, the leader of the East German Communist Party declared that the citizens of East Germany were free to cross the border into West Germany if they chose to. That night thousands of people swarmed the wall and took hammers and picks to it! It was such a wonderful symbol of freedom from oppression to see the wall torn down. But, to be honest, I never really knew when or why the wall was built in the first place. Here's what I learned...

After Germany lost World War II, the country was split up. The Eastern side went to the Soviet Union and the Western sections were divided among the U.S., Great Britain and France. Berlin was split in the middle. The Soviet Union (what Russia and some nearby countries were called when they were Communist-run) tried to push the Western Allies out of Berlin in hopes that it would prevent the East Germans from leaving for "greener pastures". The Allies weren't going anywhere though, so the East Germans declared that West Germany was a threat to the socialist society in East Germany and, in 1961, they built a huge wall on the border between East and West Berlin. This idea that the West was a threat was not true, the real reason for the wall was to keep the East Germans in East Germany.

from the Western side

The wall was effective but not at all popular with anyone. By the late 1980's the Cold War between the Soviets and the U.S. and other Western countries was ending. In a very popular move, the leader of the East German Communist Party declared that the people of East Germany were free to cross the border at will. The wall was torn down and on October 3, 1990 the country of Germany was unified once again.

One of my first jobs after high school was working as a Customer Service Rep at "one of the major car rental companies"- I won't name names but it starts with an H. Anyway, one day I was helping a nice German man with his car rental needs, I was pretty good at my job and did something that must have been above and beyond what he expected. He was very pleased, and as a token of appreciation, he gave me (what he claimed was) a small piece of the Berlin Wall. He said he was there that night and he took lots of souvenirs. I keep that treasure with all my special things as a reminder that freedom should not be taken for granted. Some people have to fight for the freedom we enjoy in America!!

My chunk of history.

The kids thought the idea that people were forced to live someplace they didn't want to was very "mean" and they loved the story of the people destroying the wall. So we re-enacted it with legos and action figures. I should have put it on video. (ah, hindsight)

The "Communists" building the wall!! Cutest Communists EVER!

East German side- note the armed guards and lack of individuality of the people.

West German side- where people are allowed to be free and dress like Superheroes if they want to.

The wall is down and the people of East and West Germany are celebrating together!! Life is good.

Week 38: Germany

2013-04-08T18:06:00.002-07:00

Guten Tag!

Hi there everyone! I want to start off the week with a big THANK YOU to everyone who is reading the blog. Last week I had more readers than ever before- each day was at or over 200!! Now some blogs average THOUSANDS a day, but I'm just overwhelmed that hundreds take the time to check out our little project. So thanks for looking- please leave us a comment about what you think! And before you tell me- I already know I have bad grammar and use too many exclamation points!!!!! Now on to Germany.....

Germany is located in central Europe. The capital is Berlin, which can be found on your map at 52.52°N / 13.41°E. The country has a wonderful charm with fairytale castles and quaint villages, snow-capped mountains and beautiful rivers. It also has had a major role in both of the World Wars and the government has had, at times, some serious "control issues" (to say the least). But this is a blog for families with young children and while I think WWII has many important lessons to be learned, I don't think it is appropriate for my 6 and 3 yr. olds. Please don't think I'm glossing over the Holocaust. I'm just saving the discussion for another place and time. So here are some FUN facts about Germany-

Germany has the largest economy in Europe and the 5th largest in the world.
Germany is the largest producer of iron, steel, chemicals, tools, electronics, textiles and is second to Japan for cars.
Some of the great inventions to come out of Germany include insulin, the pocket watch, gasoline and diesel engines, jet engines, the printing press, the cuckoo clock and the gummy bear!!

Many classical music composers were born in Germany- a few include Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms.

Beethoven looks so grumpy in all his pictures!

Germany is home to 700 zoos, aquariums, animal parks and reserves. The largest zoo in the world is Berlin's Zoologischer Garten.
Germany is also home to over 1,300 breweries! The country has the second highest rate of beer consumption after Czechoslovakia. The oldest brewery is Weihenstephaner Brewery which has been operating since 1040.

Wow, that's an armful!!

With all this going for it we should have a pretty fun week! My husband is having back surgery on Thursday so please forgive me if I drop the ball a little this week. I think I have some fun projects planned so check in and find out :) and PLEASE let me know who you are!! I'm so curious to know what you'd like to see or any ideas you have to make us better!!