A Tasty Recipe

This pie was so good that I just needed to share the recipe with you!

Peach and Creme Fraiche Pie

We had friends over for dinner last evening, and I braved turning on the oven during a record breaking heat wave in Jerusalem to bake this pie.  The end result was worth elevating the temperature in our apartment to a near unbearable level!

I substituted nectarines for the peaches, since I rarely find the juicy, yellow peaches that I love in the fruit stands here in Israel.  The nectarine version of the pie was just as tasty as I imagine the pie would be with juicy peaches. 

Part of the reason I enjoyed this pie so much was that I made the best pie crust of my baking tenure thus far.  I used the recipe linked to in this recipe.  And perhaps the tutorial on how to roll out the pie crust (also linked to) was the real secret of success.  Whatever the reason, it was a perfect flaky crust...and it was good!

The Bookworm Frolic

It required a very early start to the day, but choosing to not go to help set up for the annual Bookworm Frolic at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society was simply not an option when I was a girl.  This used book sale came around every August, and it was a highlight of my summer vacation.  It was thanks to this book sale that my book collection dramatically increased with each passing year. Each August my father, sister and I (the book lovers in my family) would head down the Route 30 highway in my dad’s Chevy pick up truck to arrive in time to help bring out the first boxes of books. 

The task was demanding.  Tens of thousands of donated books, previously sorted into appropriate categories, needed to be unpacked and placed on the tables in the mere two hours before the official start time and the crowds would rush in.  Most of the volunteers were focused on this task and would rush between the many tables to quickly unpack the books.  My sister and I, however, had a far different strategy.  We were selective about which tables we would go to unpack books.  Paying little attention to the many boxes needing to be unpacked at the history table or the Reader’s Digest Books table…we headed straight to the fiction table.  Once we secured our position, we carefully unpacked the boxes to be sure to not miss any “must have” titles in the mix.  Any book that caught our attention was placed at a special corner of the table, where we could quickly retrieve our finds once the event officially opened.  We certainly were not the only volunteers who used the set up time to get a head start on their shopping, but we were certainly the most deliberate and concentrated in our efforts.  We needed to be careful though, as it couldn’t be too obvious that we were selecting books…especially when the crowds began to form to wait for the official opening time.  There was a true air of jealously permeating from their gazes from across the rope. 

After the blowing of the shofar (a frolic tradition of unknown origin!), the crowds would rush in and disperse among the many tables.  My sister and I would nonchalantly retrieve our stack and then continue browsing.  After I put my newly purchased books in dad’s truck, I would go to the food tent for a cup of homemade root beer and a homemade whoopie pie.  No Mennonite organized event is without a food tent selling homemade baked goods!  And I always made sure to reserve of a few of my precious dollars to spend in this tent! 

Obviously, I have very fond memories of this childhood summer tradition.  It’s been far too many years since I have been able to attend, although I am not sure my now mobile lifestyle could handle the influx of so many new books to my bookshelf.  But I do wish I was in PA this week to be part of the fun.  For those of you who are local, you should definitely stop by. 

Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society Bookwork Frolic

At last!

I have had a blog idea lurking in the wings for a very long time. The topic of this never posted blog was to be about how much I wanted to have a KitchenAid mixer of my own. Shortly after moving to Israel, I had stumbled upon a post by David Lebovitz in which he described his tour of the KitchenAid factory in Greenville, Ohio. His love of his KitchenAid mixer is clearly evident in his writing, and I found myself relating to his statement: “I can't imagine life without my KitchenAid mixer and most other bakers I know feel the same way”.  Being newly married and finally having someone else to cook for than just myself, I was excited to trade in the mismatched clutter of single girl apartment kitchens for a well stocked kitchen that would help nurture my long dormant Mennonite cooking and baking skills. And it was my opinion that a kitchen could only be defined as “well stocked” if it included a shiny, KitchenAid mixer sitting on it’s counter. 

I have my own KitchenAid legacy.  Before I was old enough to use the mixer myself, I assisted my mom with her baking projects.  And once old enough, I learned how to bake for myself using my mom’s KitchenAid.  Being of a personality to follow recipes exactly…and I mean exactly!..baking came naturally to me.  And my mom’s reliable, white KitchenAid was my trusty companion in my childhood discovery of the joy of baking. 

As I grew older and moved away from home for college and later to my own apartments, I would often prioritize baking a batch of cookies when I came home for a visit.  In essence, baking with a KitchenAid mixer conjured up cozy feelings of home. 

 

So I cannot adequately describe the excitement I felt when J bought me a KitchenAid mixer for our anniversary this year!  Since all things electronic are ridiculously expensive in Israel due to taxes, we opted to buy it in the Tel Aviv airport duty free shopping mall (this mall is worthy of a post in and of itself).  Waiting to make the purchase until our next trip out of the country allowed me plenty of time to consider which mixer color option would best suit me.  I made my choice of color, we took a trip out of the country, and my new mixer was delivered a few weeks ago!  I am looking forward to the cool, damp winter months when the oven is a useful tool to help heat our apartment!  But for now, I am just using a strategically placed fan to help keep our apartment to a tolerable summer temperature.  One certainly cannot postpone baking until cooler weather when one has such a beautiful KitchenAid mixer waiting to be used!! 
  

Going Dutch

There is really only one true way to experience Amsterdam, or any Dutch city in fact.  One must join the throngs of bicyclers! 

The Netherlands is truly remarkable in how well integrated bicycle transportation is into the general societal culture.  Biking paths can be found in urban and rural areas alike, with bike specific traffic signs to help bicyclers find their way from Village A to Village B.  The country even has bike specific traffic lights.  I don’t have a picture of one of these traffic lights, but click here if you want to see for yourself. It certainly helps that the country is very flat, making a bicycle ride a much more endurable experience!  In addition, bicycling in a city with proper bike lanes and explicitly outlined (and followed!) rules for bike/car/pedestrian relationships makes for a much safer and more pleasant bicycle ride.

But I must emphasize how very important it is to know and follow Dutch bicycle rules.  If not, you are likely to annoy and frustrate those biking around you (not that I am speaking from experience, of course!).  The busier intersections can be bewildering to navigate to the inexperienced Dutch city bicycler.   And afternoon rush hour on bike can feel just as busy as it does when traveling home by car on a highway.  You definitely have to be prepared and ready to go as soon as that bike traffic light turns green to avoid being run over by those behind you!  However, these technical details can be quickly learned and you are soon navigating around town with ease.  Biking really is a great way to experience a city.  Viewing the sights and mingling with the locals is considerably better when doing it from a bicycle seat rather than from behind a car window. 

About to start our day, after picking up our rental bikes and planning our cycling route. 

During our afternoon picnic and nap at VondelPark

There are bicycles everywhere in Dutch cities and villages.  This picture was taken when Jonathan and I visited Amsterdam in December, 2004.  Yes indeed…that is a multi-tiered bike parking garage!  It is located just outside of the central train station.

For the more interested reader who is curious about the wide use of bicycles (to carry cargo, to transport children, to give a friend a lift), you can check out  Amsterdam Bicycles - 1 Street Corner; 82 Bikes; 73 Minutes.  Being initiated into the Dutch cycling scene by a Dutch husband and my Dutch family, I find the writer and photographer’s commentary to be humorous at his total disbelief at how Dutch utilize their bicycles.  But at the same time, being a fellow American, I can relate with his amazement. 

And this short video is another way to experience the Amsterdam bicycling scene.  Enjoy!

Touring Amsterdam

The weather was perfect!  The lack of rain was atypical for Dutch weather, so we felt very fortunate to enjoy a day with sunny skies and warm breezes.  And after enduring 3+ weeks of intense humidity in Pennsylvania, it was a real treat to enjoy a humidity-free day in the sun.  We rented bicycles to use as our transportation for the day and cycled our way through the picturesque streets and along the peaceful canals of Amsterdam.  

 

Stops included the Westerkerk…

The church is located just down the canal from the Anne Frank House.  When we spotted that long lines of tourists waiting to get inside, I agreed to postpone a visit to the museum.  Best save that for a rainy day visit during off-tour season…or visit by going on this 3-D tour of the house.

  

…the Amsterdam Flower Market, a floating market of beautiful blooms and heavenly smells…

  

A back view of the flower market that sits on boats on the canal, and a glimpse of the beautiful Amsterdam architecture. 

…A boat tour of the canals…
 

 

…and Vondelpark where we picnicked and this weary traveler and her companions could catch a much needed afternoon nap!

 

 

I know that we just scratched the surface of what all Amsterdam has to offer.  But it was the perfect tour for this jet-lagged traveler...no activities that required too much mental energy, lots of sunshine to remind my body that it was time to be awake, and an up close and personal experience of Amsterdam city life from a bicycle seat. 

David and Janneke, dank je wel voor de geweldige dag!