Monday, April 30, 2012

Garden Time, Fun Time

The sun is shining. The weather is cool and fresh.

We drove to our mountain garden because it is time to cut/trim the trees and the vines, and maybe, dig out roots of some favorite shrubs to plant in our backyard.

Knowing my girls, I decided to bring a picnic basket and water bottles for each of us. Arriving a few minutes later, the girls grabbed the bread. We have not even started garden works. And we just finished breakfast!!!
My husband in the background trimming the vines,  and the girls munching

Anyway, laughing out loud, my husband decided to start trimming the grape vines while I took care of the girls, and the dog.
The fairy sticks
After cutting down some tree branches, the girls found a way to get busy. By creating their very own fairy sticks and decorating them with flowers picked around the garden.
Of course, climbing trees is always a part of the program.
It is always a paradise for the girls, being outdoors, especially in the mountain garden. They could do whatever they want because the garden is well-fenced. Oh well they know most of the 'dangerous' plants and shrubs, avoid poison ivy and what looks like beehives, skip away from thorny bushes, and they do shout for help if they think they won't be able to handle something alone or together.

And I would say, our dog, Rikki; is learning from the girls, too.
Picnic time with their Barbies
My practical girls tend to bring toys when we visit the garden. For those times when they needed to take a break. This time, they brought along their Barbie dolls.
Our dog, Rikki, needs a break, too; and found a nice spot under the cherry tree.

A wonderful bunch of flowers.
Well, while the girls and Rikki used some downtime; my husband and I used the time to concentrate on tree-trimming. It is  not easy cutting those branches if those three are running all over the place!!

After tackling the grape vines (unfortunately, some of the vines are already too dry to be saved); we moved on to the cherry and apple trees. Choosing carefully what branches to cut, carefully handling the new sprouts and of course, and dragging those fallen branches to a certain area to keep the pathways clear.

It was late afternoon when we decided to stop. It was another fun time in the garden.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Bratwurst Cake (German Sausage Cake)

Bratwurst Cake

Bratwurst is a German sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef. This type of sausage are traditionally grilled or fried, but this time, we are baking our bratwurst.

Ingredients:
250g flour
some salt
125g butter or margarine
3 eggs

a bunch of chopped chives
150 g all-purpose-cream

4 tbps grainy mustard (you could also use a mixture of plain and grainy mustard)
some flour
600g sausage
some butter or margarine (to grease the baking form)

Preparation:
Mix flour and salt; add butter/margarine broken in small pieces and 1 egg, then mix until smooth.


Put the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix cream and mustard; add 2 eggs, then the chives. Set aside.

Roll the dough on a surface with flour. Then place the dough evenly on the prepared greased baking form (about 26 cm in diameter).

I used a baking paper

Prick the dough several times with a fork and add the sausages on top of the dough. Pour the cream mixture evenly.

Bake 200 degrees in a preheated oven around 40 minutes until golden brown.


Bratwurst Cake is best served with green salad and a nice, cold beer. For the kids, they love it with french fries.

The main recipe I got here. Another simple sausage recipe with tomatoes is here.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Happy 75th Birthday, Tatay!

Tatay and Nanay in Bohol a few years ago
Dear Tatay,

Have a great 75th birthday!

A birthday sorrounded by Nanay, your kids and your grandkids! Yes, despite the distance, we are also celebrating with you.

There's a cake we specially baked for you: Hawaiian Cheesecake (see photo).

We are sending our love every bite we make from this cake :-)