Photo of the Day | Bright Colors, Happy Thoughts

This photo accurately captures what I've been thinking about the past few days.

I feel like fall is taking one last deep breath before closing it's eyes in sleep. 

But the colors here remind me of Christmas.

That bright, shining, sparkling time that chases the winter blues away.

The leaves may be falling, the days getting much shorter and darker... but happy times are just around the corner!

Tschuss Fall, Hallo Holidays! 

Recipe | Easy Weeknight Stuffed Squash with Sausage, Feta, and Basil

We don't enjoy squash nearly enough in this house. Each time I make it I remember how much I love it!

So this was a recent favorite... even got two thumbs up from Double Trouble!

They might have been more excited to eat out of the "squash bowls" but hey, making mealtimes fun means they sometimes eat more of the meal!

While the sausages were cooking, I was roasting the squash in the oven. 

Just preheat the oven to 400 degrees, cut each squash in half and remove the seeds. Brush with oil and roast cut side down for 40-50 minutes until you can poke a fork into them without resistance.

[ side note: I've said it before and I'll say it again, the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook has been my constant friend in the kitchen ever since I got married. It basically taught me how to cook. Every home should have one. And if you follow my amazon link then they will give me a financial high five for referring you! Thanks for your support! ]

Once they are cooked through, I carefully flip them over and fill them with stuff. This particular night I had sausages, feta, basil, and a little bit of sun dried tomatoes on hand.

So I splashed some balsamic on them and popped them back in the oven until the cheese was getting all melty and delicious.

This just in: watching little kids try to imitate the way you eat with a fork and knife is freaking hilarious!

Yum. Now I'm hungry for squash!

What do you like to stuff into winter squash? Leave me a comment with your family favorites!

Inspiring Quote | Happy Fall

A friend shared this quote on facebook this week and I just can't get it out of my mind....

"Live each Season as it passes - breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." - Henry David Thoreau

The "resign yourself" could be interpreted in a negative light but it actually makes me feel pretty peaceful when I look around me at the changing season(s) (of fall and of life) and just truly soak everything in and embrace it!

We all know that fall is a beautiful time of year.

There are certain comforts that come with the changing of the seasons... but since moving to Germany, fall has become a little difficult for me.

You see, I hate the cold and I hate the dark. And fall comes before winter. And winter here is pretty much nothing but cold and dark.

But I don't want to miss out on the beauty of this season because I'm conflicted about the next season!

So I'm "resigning myself" to fall, and whatever comes next! 

How about you? Can you use a little dose of good old Henry's wisdom? Any other fellow residents of Germany (or anywhere else!) struggle with this?

Happy Halloween from the Aiduks!

Morning from Germany and Happy Halloween!  Did you guys carve your Jack 'O Lantern, yet?  

I think this is the first "real" time I've done pumpkin carving with the girls.  I've usually been too busy   thought they wouldn't enjoy it   didn't really want to   made excuses ;o)  But this year the Commissary had them right out front calling my name "Jessica, stop being a party-pooper and get your kids a pumpkin!"  Fiiiiine.

They "helped" us get the pulp and seeds out...

Then we roasted seeds and I called them "pumpkin chips" (and loaded them with salt) so of course they were gobbled up in less than 12 hours!

After Mrs. Pumpkin had her face (the same face I always make for pumpkins... I think I need to branch out) the girls gave her hair and other random squiggly decor.

The smell and feel of this particular Halloween activity took me back to my childhood and strongly reminded me of my Dad (hi Dad!) who was always the wielder of the chef's knife and the great Carver-Man.  I love when simple traditions remind me of family.  

Happy happy Halloween to y'all!  Check out my spooky fire post over at Jesse's Girl Photography!  Have a blast doing whatever it is you're going to do today!

Wordless Wednesday | Big Fall Brunch

Fall Recipe | German Onion Cake! And an Explanation of "New Wine"

Stephanie and I had a "let's do something German" night this week.  So we took my landlady Diana's advice and used this recipe for German Onion Cake.

If you're anything like me, the term onion cake causes a bit of a question mark in the mind.  Rest assured folks, I'm going to enlighten you today!

When Diana was telling me about onion cake it was the same weekend she was gushing about how they were going to collect fresh chestnuts in Otterberg.  I was struck by how excited she was by these clearly sentimental fall traditions. The smile on her face reminded me of how I talk about our family Christmas traditions, that's how giddy she was!

I asked her a lot of questions about chestnuts (I'd never had them before so she left me a bag on our doorstep that night) and had even more questions about this mythical onion cake business.  She said it's always served in the fall with "new wine" (more on that in a second) and that she would try to find me a recipe.

When she sent me a recipe that was already in English I just knew I had to try it! 

It's absolutely delicious and definitely a keeper.  (I'm repeating it today, actually!)  It's appropriately named a cake, because the dough really turns out to be quite cake-like and very delicious!  It's topped with a mix of onions, bacon, eggs, and creme fraiche baked right into the cake!

Fun fact: if you can't find creme fraiche in your grocery store like I can, just use sour creme.  It'll be a little more tart, but it's essentially the same idea.
 

So here's the inside scoop (big thanks to my German pal Julia!) on new wine.  Perhaps they sell new wine in the States but I've never heard of it before, so here's the German version:

New wine is the first wine of the season.  It's not finished all the way, so it's essentially grape juice that is in the process of fermenting.  It has about 4% alcohol... at first.  So when we got it from Globus it was pretty sweet and didn't taste "alcohol-y" at all!  It's cloudy because it still has yeast in it and it hasn't gone through any of the processes that the vinters will later use to turn it into "real wine."  

What's funny is that it's kind of in-process, even as you drink it.  You know I'm a fermentation nerd, so this fascinates me.  They tell you to drink it within a few days of buying it, and even then it will probably have a higher alcohol content by day #3.  New wine is only sold in Germany from September till the end of October because by then it's all done with this fermentation process.

The "new wine" is the same wine that will later be bottled as white, rose, or red wine (according to the grapes) but it's sold in the fall after the harvest so that everyone can get a first fresh sip!  Julia explained to me that this is why there are so many wine festivals in Germany in the fall.  (Like Bad Durkheim, which is still on our Germany-bucket-list!)  She said it's funny to listen to the old people because they'll make projections about the "real wine" based on how the "new wine" tastes... like "Ohhh I can taste that this will be a great vintage." 

One of the reasons new wine is usually paired with something hearty like onion cake is because the wine tastes so sweet and juicy (think, mmm this is like fall lemonade!) and it also takes awhile for the alcohol to effect your system.  But even more dangerous, the alcohol content can vary so much... from restaurant to restaurant, store to store, or even the same place from day to day!   I guess they think it's a good idea to have something in your tummy to absorb the alcohol, whatever it's content may be!  

So whether you're drinking some German "new wine" or not, this onion cake is going to make your tummy happy!  I apologize that the recipe is by weight.  I didn't take the time to convert it but I can assure you that it's not too big a deal because I just guessed for the most part, and happily found that it is a very forgiving recipe!  

And THAT is how you enjoy a deliciously simple (and did I mention delicious?) fall meal, a la German tradition.  

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A big thanks to Diana for sharing the recipe and to Julia for explaining the new wine!  

This Week Only: Fall Fine Art Prints

Hey check out my Jesse's Girl post today and my special fall album Bursting with Color... fine art prints all about fall and available for this one week only.  

50% off your total when you use the coupon code "FallHalfOff" at checkout!  

Getting Fancy-Pants with My Fall Decor. Just Kidding.

I'm pretty much Martha Stewart.  I pretty much never decorate.  But, look!  Fall mantel!

Look again, cause this is the only fall decorating I'll be doing...

...also, look again before the kids have at it...

Ahhhh.  Fall kid crafts on your mantel.  Nothing fancier than that!

We got the pumpkins at the stand outside the Dino Park.  My cheap/fast substitute for going to a pumpkin farm and actually getting big pumpkins for them to carve... I definitely don't have the energy to tackle that project on my own with them right now.  Maybe next year J won't be working mids and I'll be more excited about the idea!

But they really do enjoy painting things with fall colors.  And it's less stressful for me, too.  

Everyone wins!  But mostly me.

I haven't decided yet if I'll let them paint the mini-pumpkins.  They're just so cute.  

And I kind of want to leave something un-kid-ified up there ;o)

Like these little "Chinese lantern" flowers from the bush in our yard.  Love them!  

So bright and festive and fun and all I had to do was chop them off the bush!

I hope you are all having a wonderful fall.  I just drank the equivalent of about two VERY STRONG pumpkin-spice-chai-stovetop-lattes.  It was just the treat/energy I needed... I'm gonna go run circles around the house (cause it's raining and I certainly don't want to go outside until I have to!)  Just kidding I'm not even going to exercise today.  The girls were up early again and I have some catching up to do on the computer.  

Again, have a wonderful fall day!  Even if it's raining!

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Colors