Sylv's Silver Spoon Returns

hmmmmm, so much for the return part in the Blog's title :)

2012-02-08T09:23:00.000+01:00

Despite not having updated the blog since donkeys months ( years would be a tad exxagerated) there are still quite a lot of hits a day.....upon checking....it's all the recipe stuff that gets read...so I presume maybe I should put the plan of publishing THE cook book into action:) we'll see about that......

Loads has happened since my last post sometime last year....in the meantime we've been for our last family holiday to Turkey in October and had a good time together with my best friend and the lasses...tagged the last family holiday ...coz...... Celine will start her training as an apprentice chef this year and I remember well from back when Mel did her training, that it is nigh to impossible to coordinate all the holidays to be able to go away together for just one week.......so I saved up all the spare pennies during last year and was able to buy us a superduper week in a lovely Hotel close to Side.

Then I turned ''half ninety'' on November 8th and had a marvellous evening with my girls...celebrating with a Fondue Chinoise and i got so so so spoilt with the pressies....the best one, amongst others stuff, was a lovely silver''friendship'' ring that the lasses and their father choose for me ....haven't taken it off since then!!

Christmas was another great affair...of course I spoilt my loved ones with a multi course affair and for the first time ever on my ''come dine with me'' perfect dinners:) :) we didn't manage to eat the cheese course:) Here's what we had:

Consomme with Porto and little puffpastry stars

*****

Mini Fish Pies with Rucola and Cherrytomato salad

*****

Fillet of Lamb and either Sauce Béarnaise or my Honey/Orange Sauce

Truffled Risotto

Romanesco and variety of different coloured Carrots

*****

Cheese with Gorgonzola Mousse ( which wedidn't ate in the end)

*****

Celine's Frozen Parfait à l'Orange

Mince Pie slices

*****

Coffee and X-Mas Cookies

I was really chuffed with the menu,also coz I saved up and shopped cleverly to get a few new Crockery items such as square glass plates etc which allowed me to present the menu really nicely and much much better than before.

Whilst the lasses were away over New Year I spent it with my best male mate and we enjoyed a Raclette together followed by watching DVD and we even managed to stay awake long enough to toast to the New Year.....that's the great thing about having such a mate...you can really hang out together and chill and have a great time without the need for sparkles,showtime and what not, here there and everywhere! Andwe are best proof that actually it IS possible for people of different sex to be such good friends without anything going on !!

The new year, which I hope will prove to be a better one than the last two, has started with a mixed bag of stuff .......first Celine got really sick with a varied selection of the winter illnesses and needed high dosed antibiotics...then I got a huge bill of over 3'4oo.- chf in tax demands from the year 2010 ...... luckily I can pay it in small instalments ......but also got told at the tax office that I may excpect a similar bill of back payments for 2011 too......WOWSEE....and this coz I have to add the rent to my income declaration,thus propelling the total amount to a ridicolous height ...and also I am now stuck between a rock and a hard place ....if I find work...then this income reaches virtual heights I actually haven't got and thus results in ridicolous taxes .......if I don't find work I'll struggle paying the tax that I already have to pay,too..... hmmpppfffff!!

Well I am hopeful somehow this gordic knot will untangle itself and I'll find a way that is feasible and works for everyone!!

The really best News so far...are...that after a few nail biting months ,Céline successfully got a place as an apprentice in a well known and reputed Restaurant on the shore of the lake... we are really really really over the moon and are looking forward to her three years training as a chef:) :) I couldn't be prouder,,,,of her..but also a teensy weensy bit of me....that despite the traumatic time we have lived through,my depressions and so ( still getting treatment and still seeing my shrink), I was able to provide all the same the right surroundings and give her the support to thrive like this!! And we achieved this on OUR OWN!!!

Nadine has also done well..I may have mentioned that she joined secondary level school and is also doing really well there !! By the end of this week.,we'll get the half term report, where we'll learn whether she stays on that school level or not.....tho' I am really positive about it! She doesn't know yet what she would like to train as/in after school ends ....currently she swings between ''something with animals'' ( tho' those places as apprentice are notorioulsy difficult to secure) and ''something on the computer'' graphics...design or so .....we'll see....we will have to start looking slowly but surely by summer when she'll join 8th grade at school.

So I am hopeful and looking forward of 2012 becoming a good year for us and bringing us more happy than sad moments ...and who knows what other surprises it holds in store for us!

Cheerio

Roesti and Zurich Veal.....for ''Susi'' :)

2011-09-19T15:55:00.000+02:00

I promised a chatfriend of mine to post this ( thought it's already uphere ....) , she is currently staying in ENGLAND ( sooo not jealous :) :) :) ) and wants to cook some of this for her hosts!

Have a nice meal!

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Traditionally Swiss October 2004

Switzerland

exist; I’m sure, as many recipes on how to make the perfect Roesti, as there are villages all around the country. This humble dish was usually served as a Breakfast on the farms along with some milky coffee. Traditionally the farmer’s wife placed a large plate with Roesti on the table and the workers spooned the potatoes off the bowl and dunked their full spoon first into a bowl of milky coffee, before eating it. With a warm and hearty breakfast like this, they were ready to face the day of hard work.

In the haute- cuisine craze in the eighties, inventive cooks lifted our humble Roesti into luculent orbit, by mixing it with such exotic ingredients as truffles, scallops, sushi and other non-Swiss ingredients. Needless to say, that a well made basic Roesti still is one of the best simple dishes to eat.

Basic Roesti recipe
1kilo/2.2lbs potatoes, boiled in their jacket, the day before
2-3tblsp. Butter (I never use oil!)
1-2medium onions cut in small wedges
1-2tblsp. Salt

Peel the potatoes and grate them through a coarse grater.
Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan, add onions and cook until they look glassy.
Add the potatoes and the salt and mix well.

Roast it whilst tossing around in the pan for about 4-6 minutes, then form a
flat cake and let it fry on medium heat until there is a golden crust
on the bottom.
When done, place a well fitting serving plate on the pan and turn the pan upside
down but don’t let go of the plate, so that the ROESTI falls on the plate with the crust on top.

Variations of the basic recipe:Bernese ROESTI = Add smoked streaky bacon, cut in small slices or cubes
Basilean ROESTI= Use half onions and half potatoes
Valaisian ROESTI= cover at the end of cooking with sliced tomatoes and

some Raclette cheese (or any other well melting, salty cheese) let the cheese melt, then serve with the crust on the BOTTOM!!!

Somehow one could be tempted to say, never one without the other, it seems that the Zurich Veal and Roesti are inseparable these days:-)and with the abundance of mushrooms on offer this month, the Zurich Veal is in fact the perfect accompaniment.

Zurich Veal ( Zürcher Gschnäztlets)

600gr(20oz)       Veal for stir frying or schnitzel cut in stripes
250gr(8oz).        Champignons mushrooms
2                         small onions, finely chopped
2dl(7 fl oz)         White wine
2dl(7floz)            heavy cream 35% or cream for sauces
knead to a ball 1oz./20gr white flour with 1oz/20gr. butter
salt ,pepper and a little dash of lemon juice

Dash of oil for frying

Fresh chives cut in rings

Pour a dash of oil in a frying pan and roast the meat quickly in portions until it’s done, set meat aside and keep warm. Then add the mushrooms and onions to the pan, fry for another 2-3 minutes. Douse with the white wine, and add the cream and the flour-butter ball .Let the ball dissolve in the sauce and stir well. When the sauce has started to thicken, omit the pan from the heat, put the meat back in the pan, season to taste with salt and pepper and add the dash of lemon juice. Adorn with chives.
ATTENTION!!!! Serve immediately and don’t reheat or the sauce will separate and looking flaky!

You may well swap the champignons for any other mushroom ( of the same amount) ,then it is not original Zurich veal but will still taste very good!

©sylv04

As promised ...a piccie post

2011-08-17T10:09:00.000+02:00

Girls POWOW :) we got new neighbours in spring, and the mums as well as the kids get on like a house on fire and i am particularly pleased that the kids get on so well,despite the age gap and now my lasses spend much more time downstairs inthe garden again than they did before:) :)

My girls helped one of the downstairs lasses to prepare this as a surprise for her mums birthday in July :)

Liza and Ben....ever watchful from the balcony what goes on around the house:)

All lasses on one pic, not an easy feat to get since Mel moved out;) i made this as a present for their paternal grandmother,and coz i like it so much had another one printed and framed for me too:)

Crikey...how time flies!!

2011-08-12T11:48:00.000+02:00

'ello peeps! :)

My oh my ....I presume if it weren't for the recipes on here, the Blog wouldn't get any hits at all!!

So much time has passed now and so much has happened and most of that good!!

So ....where shall I start?

June was as usual a very busy month.....the last few weeks before the big summer break at school is always a little frenzied...because so much is stuffed into the last few weeks from the school...plays to attend, expositions to see, school trips or school camps to attend and so on and so forth until the first weekend of July, when on Friday they get their school year reports and then five weeks of bliss and dolce far niente are starting:)

This proud mum gladly reports that BOTH girls did really well and their grades were good! Celine managed even to get a better grade in Maths , which made me really proud...coz me and numbers...let's put it this way ...are a runing gag in my family !! :)
But also Nadine made me grow a few inches since she is the child the Docs thought wouldn't be able to attend regular school and has proven everyone wrong and will start secondary level on 15th of August! And last but no least I am also a little bit proud of myself...despite me not being well at times , I still managed to care well for the kids and give them the support and stable surroundings they needed to achieve these wonderful results.

Thanks to my new neighbour i got a little job at the beginning of the holidays and went to help to give the school a big clean and the money I earned went straight into the ''holiday abroad'' fund, also since late May i am translating again for the Indian Foundation, this time it is about a profession really close to my heart as it is similar to what I trained in and thus the terminology and so is much easier for me to translate than if it were about a technical profession. This money too goes to that holiday fund and whatever's left is saved to be able to buy a car....and i hope to manage that in the foreseeable future..its more than 8 months now that we are car-less and we adapted quite well, however public transport is very expensive and despite being very glad about the help of family and friends who help us with the heavy shopping and stuff, I would love to be able to be independent again! Fingers crossed that I will be able to achieve this goal !

Sadly, the weather was AWFUL to put it midly during the summer holidays...:( NOT ONCE were we able to go to have a swim in the lake or public pool, either it raaaaiiiinnneeddd or it was too cold! HMMPPFF!

But we had a good time anyway, the lasses went to a few sleep overs and trips with their friends and we had loads of guests staying here over night and thus we made the most of it all the same!

On really very wet days we enjoyed to snuggle up indoors and watch a DVD together or played loads of card and board games, which we all enjoy to do .

30th of July saw Celine turning 15!!!! years old........i think it is only when you have kids you realise how quick time flies at times! The same day i organised the annual BBQ with the tennants in our house and she was allowed to invite a few girlfriends to stay over,needless to say that we had a ball! And she was spoiled rotten with cash presents and thus will be able now to get a new iPod...she ''inherited'' one from Melanie but it's acting up and switching off and doing all kinds of things it shouldn't, but play music!!! Other news are, that Celine will move over to Mel's old room, wich is bigger and ( especially handy in a few years time) has it's own door to the flat...so when she goes out , she won't wake us when returning late:) :) :)

So we will have to go and buy a new bed and wardrobe for her...to make the transition from a childs to teenage girls' room perfect.........

Celine also organised by herself a two weeks mandatory ( from the school) work practice in a hospital kitchen near to us, as a chef ( seems to run in the family the passion for cooking:) ) ......and who knows,maybe she'll be lucky the same as Mel was.....who got her NVQ training place later on at the same place where she did the two weeks work experience, due to her having made a good impression as well as good grades in the school report:) Fingers crossed!!

As for Nadine, like mentioned above, she'll start secondary level school and will also get a new set of main teachers, two ladies this time, and i hope we will have a similar good understanding between us like i had throughout her whole school career with her respective teachers. She is happy to start the new level at school , but sad at the same time as well, coz her best mates will stay on primary level and thus they will only see each other during break times.....which for an almost teenager is simply NOT ENOUGH :) :) :) i presume cell phone costs will be on the rise from 15th August onwards :) :) :)

Mel has adapted really well into her living away from home, unfortunately there is a bigger problem we need to sort with the co-habitant in the flat,but i am hopeful this will be sorted to everyone's satisfaction in the end and she has already lined up a really nice lass who'll share the flat with her afterwards! She enjoyed her freedom by travelling through Switzerland to attend several Open Air music festivals ..........seems a bit of the Hippie Mum she grew up with has rubbed off on her and i am happy for her to do this stuff....you're only this young.......ONCE.....!!!
She pops by when she can, on her days off for a home cooked meal and a natter and I am happy about that and also about the fact that now we really get on fine,much much better than towards the end of her time here! :)

As for me ...well....i am very very happy about certain developments i organised at the beginning of the summer and hope it will go on to be as satisfactory as it has begun, so that everyone profits in the end from it . I am still on medication and see the shrink frequently but the gaps between my visits to her practice get bigger, which i think is a good sign as well! Like I said I am working on translations and earn a little bit of money like that,but I am also having my eyes open for a proper job, which pays more than the translations........but unfortunately so far my applications for even the most ''stupid'' of jobs haven't even been worth a reply by possible employers and i think it has to do with the fact that i mention my deafness and ensuing problems in my CV ( which has been recommend to me to do so ) ...The application for help i made to teh Swiss Invalids Insurance has been scrapped as well, according to them my handicap degree is 4% !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To get help from them in regards to re-training, re-integration and job seeking help and so you would need at least 25% degree of being handicapped....( sarcasm on) and best of all ( sarcasm off)..................this has been established by them by having me assessed in my own home with questions such as : Am i able to dress myself! Am i cooking daily meals and if yes from scratch or with convenience food? Am i able to hoover the flat myself ? and other such questions....of course i can do all this I am just almost totally deaf,but my body works fine! But I still have a load of problems to encounter in day to day live, mostly in connection with communication with other people.....as in not being able to make phone calls anymore, as in ( despite being fluent in three lingos) having trouble to understand people in offices,shops etc...and this already minimizes the possible jobs i could to to quite a big extent! HMMMPPFFF!! I won't give up and I am certain in the end i WILL FIND work!! So that i will be able to support the lasses and me and lead a normal ( not luxury ) life!! Fingers crossed!!!

Well that's it for now:) i will sort through photos and later on post a few new piccies of us :)

Cheerio !!!xxxx

Fooling around with all of my beautiful girls

2011-05-06T17:29:00.000+02:00

And yet again another month has passed.....unfortunately it was not a very good one personally for me and Depression took hold ( and still does) this illness takes everything so totally out of me that I just function ( if I can) and do the daily tasks, especially for the kids, but not much else and thus my online appearances grow scarce, FB and Blogpage don't get updated at all......for quite some time as you have seen.
BUT, it is not all bad, I also did have some good days !!!!! And the following pictures shall be proof of that :) it's of all my lasses, the two and four pawed ones, fooling around and I am mightily proud of ALL of them and how good they have turned out and what wonderful young women they have become.......

I love them more than words can describe and nothing at all will ever make me do such a stupid thing again as I did almost two years ago..... I'd rather shut myself away in a broom cupbard should I realise I can't fight that effing urge....you see ....if someone suffers from clinical Depression and this urge comes down on you, to do away with yourself........it's stronger than anything you can imagine happening ,taking over you rmind and not allowing for another thought,or being open to reasoning etc !!

Luckily I have now learnt to read the signs as well as learnt, with the help of the Clinic in Bern and my lovely shrink, ways to deal with it EARLY !! And so far I have managed several times to fight back...only afterwards I am sooooo knackered, as it really needs a lot of strenght to do, that I am totally k.o'ed, but I succeeded and thus I am also starting to be proud of myself !!! So I finish blathering on and let you enjoy the piccies :)

Eurovision?? Swissland's got Talent? May I present the future Superstars Celine and Liza :) :) yodelling away ( NOT) :) :)

no comment......t'was taken on a walk and we were fooling around and that's the result :)

As it happens I just snapped this today :) Mel came ''home'' for lunch with us and to talk about Sunday's ''Programme'' ( it's Mothers Day here) and we sat outside on the balcony ,having a laugh and planning our meal for Sunday.....we will prepare a 'fishy' salad and BBQ with all the trimmings a loin of beef I still had in the fridge freezer ,,,,puuuuuurreeee luxury :) ,,dessert hasn't been decided yet...but I am so so so so looking forward to spend that special day with all my girls !!!

My eldest lass, hasn't she grown up to be a very beautiful young woman and mind you she was ill ( viral cold) when I shot this pic at her housewarming party !

Celine again..in her fave shorts and Ed Hardy t shirt ( I am not THAT fond of that designer!!)

We have had such beautiful weather here in Swissland for so many weeks , we sort of live on the balcony most of the time :) and enjoy the warmth and power of the sun!

HOLIIIIDDAAYYYYYSSSSS

2011-04-08T08:31:00.000+02:00

Hello friends ........yup..we are looking forward to yet another two weeks of school break :) although Celine ain't too happy about it,coz for one week she has to go to work ( it's mandatory ,ordered by the school) .Yet another stage in a kitchen, this time in a Restaurant to see the differencies between working in the kitchen in a home for elderly people where the menu is planned way ahead and the workload can be planned better and the way a restaurant kitchen with à la carte service functions....and then we'll see whether she is still so enthusiastic to train as a chef in about 1.5 years time,when she'll leave school and by then MUST HAVE a place to train!

Here are another few piccies for you to enjoy :)

Last weekend we spent an ace time with our friends, the WWW's :), we been invited for a Barbecue at their place and again they came to pick us up since the car problem isn't solved still and they have no public transport to their village.....and then got asked sponateously to sleep over at theirs ......which we gladly accepted and had a great time. It was the first time also for Liza to sleep at someone elses place ( minus her stay at the animal pension last year) and it really went well and we returned Sunday Midday to our place with beaming smiles on our faces! Initially we planned to start the BBQ season at home too,,,but alas it was very windy and i realised i made a mistake when i bought the new BBQ grill last year......it can only be used when there is no wind at all....coz the pan for the coal isn't deep enough and we either have ashes on our food and i am particularly scared about red hot coal pieces flying off and possibly ignite somewhere ......so we 'grilled' indoors and stuffed our bellies this way.

Another lovely tradition are our Sunday walks wih Liza in the local forest, it's a good time to spend with the kids and we chat about everything and usually have a good time together fooling around and laughing a lot!!

I rather like this really new Pic of Nadine, the decision to cut her hair shorter has been one of the best ever,that new style suits her so well ....this will most certainly get printed and framed to be hung in the family gallery :)

Celine went to visit Mel at her new Place and spent almost all the time playing and cuddling the pet rat GOA Mel now owns. She is really a very nice and charming animal,and loves to snuggle up on your shoulder etc...unfortunately ( i alrea dy knewthat from owning my rat years ago) i m still allergic to them : ( :( and can't cuddle herlonger than a few minutes before my eyes start to water and my throat tightens :(

A Piccie Post ;)

2011-03-24T14:56:00.001+01:00

Uh Oh.....it's almost a month since my last post ....so to make up for it this is a looonnnnggg piccie post that tells you what we have been up to over the past weeks :)

This is another shot of Liza an Ben at another outing, Ben's 'mum' and I try to meet up once a week/fortnight for a long walk together, it'is so cute to see how well those two get on when together,despite the big difference in size and age! Just cute :)

I still have really big down and very depressive moments and then I often sit for hours outside on the balcony watching the world go by...just like that ....and it helps me a lot to calm down again and sort of relax from the constant ''thinking spinning wheel'' in my head. The medication DOES help ,but not as much as I'd like. But since I am still considered at high risk my docs don't want to give me 'proper' medication, and I agree with them,at the moment it would be way too dangerous to have the proper meds in the house. So it also happens that I am out there at 4 a.m. coz sleeping is something I almost can't nowadays, if I manage to get 3 -4 hours kip a night that's a lot already....and i don't sleep during the day...so I am up at times for 20 hours in a row.....and still manage to do all my chores I have to during the day....

My little egpytian elf aka Celine :) , she was allowed to go to the local carnaval with Ben's 'mum' and her daughter and for hours she tried to put make up on to look a little bit egyptian....i think she managed just fine and she had a ball watching the night cortège in town and was driven back home at 11pm :) soon she will want to stay out much longer since she will turn 15 in a few months time :)

This is a THANK YOU DINNER for a very good friend, when I went out with the kids to celebrate my godsons birthday at the beginning of this month, our friend looked after Liza and as a thank you I invited him for dinner :) and I was glad, that thanks to him I was allowed to spend the day in the kitchen I really greatly enjoyed it, this is what we had :)

Beetroot and Apple soup with sour cream

Loin of pork in puffpaste with morel sauce, 6 different vegetables with home made wild garlic butter and wild rice

Dessert was panna cotta with marinated strawberries and mousse au chocolat with warm berries cooked in a kind of mulled wine,looks a bit sluggish on the plate but tasted heavenly.

On the day I also made a plaited loaf for sunday brekkie ( züpfe) as well as mini breads for our dinner and a chocolate-orange cake for Sunday afternoon,when I celebrated with the kids the birthday of someone.

Last tuesday I finally went to visit Mel at her new lodgings where she showed me her pet rat :) like mother like daughter...about 25 years ago i used to have a rat myself, he was called Casimir Smirnoff :) and he was very fond of cherrybrandy filled chocolates :)

Oh and we also fiddled around the camera recently as I wanted a new pic of me to put on FB,ST and so on.....Celine took it and whilst it is not the best pic of me, I think it's one I can use online without chasing people away:)

Liza and Ben

2011-03-02T08:32:00.000+01:00

This is Liza and her mate Ben :)

As you can see Ben is a Westie and belongs to a friend of ours,with whom I go on quite regular walks and it is always fun because those two get on like a House on Fire...it was really tricky to get them to be still long enough to take this photo:)

When we're out walking, those two can't stop playing with each other and its really funny at times to watch them ,I think we're always back with big smiles on our faces because of the dogs antics. Long may it last :) :)

She's gone........

2011-02-28T14:11:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday the day arrived where Mel went and spread her wings :) in other words she moved out of her family home and in with a girlfriend in a flat in town.

I am not sad, mind you,I think it was the right time for her to take this step and of course I will miss her, but I am actually happy for her to be able to start to live on her own and fend for herself and I wish her every luck in this new adventure!!

She had a load of friends helping her to move her stuff, altough she only had ONE room here ..she filled upteen boxes and bags with all her stuff ........and the move went well without any damages!

It was a funny peculiar feeling for me when walking to the office/freezer/winecooler I saw this now empty space whereas before it was filled to the gills with her clutter ( eeerrhmmmm to keep her room in order was NOT her main trait :) :) :) :) :) :) )

So I know put the blow-up bed in there to ease the transition of the sight for ME :) and that the room doesn't look as empty , good thing is thus I also have a bed ready should I ever get guests wanting to stay over here :)

Anyone interested in coming?? :)

Miscellaneous.....and some other stuff

2011-02-26T08:43:00.000+01:00

Before you get excited dear readers,my life is a boring as it has been as of late ....though there are a few Snippets to tell you :)

Currently we are on a mini break from school, it's called Sportwoche and lasts a week,,,traditionally this would be the time to go on a skiing holiday but with my measly funds there is no way I could afford to offer the kids a weeks holiday in a resort :(

But they understand and accept this fact without problem, for which I am very grateful and it also goes to show that I was able to teach them the values I cherish and hold high as well! My next goal however is to save enough money to be able to invite my girls to a restaurant for a proper meal ( no MacDo-whatever stuff ) ..it's a really long time since last enjoyed a treat like that ( i think it was 09 )

What use is it to be well off moneywise and owning plenty of assets when you are not happy at all with your life ?? If you ask me it's no use at all.......whereas we may be on the poor side and have just enough money to get by every month but we are happy ,because we are together and love our family-life,are surrounded by great friends with whom we meet often and find lots of comfort in it!! I know someone who hasn't got that all anymore ..and I feel very sad for his person,........

If you want your life to change for the better you have to take it all into your own hands and work hard sometimes, to achieve your goals and I did...and the good thing is once you reach a step on 'the ladder' you set yourself you feel an immense pride and happiness about yourself to have reached it..funny sentence I know but I am sure you get the gist of what I mean........

In remnisinence...when I look back at all I went through ,it may sounds crazy ,but I am actually very thankful that it has happened ....because it allowed me to change and change stuff of my personalty(?) that I wasn't happy with and caused problems for the family.

One thing, and you dear readers bear sort of the brunt of it, is I am much less online than I used to be.That's why this blog doesn't get updated as much and frequently as the old one did.......
In hindsight I have learnt that my endless chatting to friends all over the world online was to fill a big hole that I had inside me.......through chatting I got the appreciation and kind of love I soooo craved from the one special person in my life but didn't get . Or my helping ex-pats and being there for them when they needed me with information and hands on help as well.....then to get their thank you and expressed appreciation for sometimes a little thing I did for them..just made my day and made me happy! The good thing is,I have now sort of reaped what I sowed many years ago...all those people I cared for have now been there for me as well and stayed at my side and listened endlessly to my woes,never gave up on me and were like a net that kept me from falling into a bottomless void! I am soooooo thankful for that!!!

I was taken for granted for so many years,without as much as a Thank you or some gesture of love and/or appreciation for what I did and it was a big fat lot of work I fulfilled especially also for him....and I did talk to him and ask for it, mind it was not even big stuff I wanted from him....I asked for a kiss and cuddle, to go out for a meal just the two of us, to the cinema or any such thing ...to no avail, in the end I never got it and to this day i don't know why he was not able to give that to me .......and to top it off every christmas I heard the lines....well let's not give pressies to each other :( :( that HURT so much.......during the year no nothing neither on official holidays......just nowt, nitchevo...nada..

Now I am alone for almost two years ...but funnily enough, the need to chat has faded away...I do get so much love and appreciation from my kids,the dog......and my family and friends so that the big hole I felt inside me has now filled up.

And I am also really proud of the lasses as well as of myself...may sound arrogant...but before the school break, the little ones brought home half term reports......Celine will stay on secondary level ( she was about to be relegated to primary,but we managed to turn the boat round...just) and Nadine will start secondary level after the summer break. This was no mean feat to achieve under our very special circumstances and I am soo proud of them to have worked so well and I admit I take a chunk of that pride for me too,,,,coz despite suffering from depression and needing meds to get through the day, I was still able to provide them with the safe and stable surroundings they needed to achieve said goals.....well done !!!

I have discovered that there is still some strenght of the old battleaxe I once was in me and I want to start to build on that, I will never ever be the person I once was before this all happened......I think in the end I will emerge as a kind of better person as well as be strong again to take on what life throws at me!

Here's to a better future for the lasses and me!!!

Back to the daily Grindstone

2011-01-31T11:23:00.000+01:00

Sooo, here I am again ......although I got to warn you ....again.........there is not much News from my corner :)

Nadine went and returned in one piece to and from her school skicamp and she enjoyed it immensely....so since Celine can't be bovvered to go skiing more than she has to ( once a year at skicamp:) ) I thought I will see if I can manage to spend a day with Nadine on the slopes some time soon , leaving Celine home to look after the dog! I do miss skiing too, you know! I never was a very very good skiier,just plain old average but I enjoyed it everytime I had the chance to do it!

In other News, Melanie is definitely moving out....she and her friend went to view a flat on Monday last week,completed and handed in all the necessary papers by Tuesday and the rental contract arrived on Thursday!! So by end of February she'll move out into a flat in town with a girlfriend of hers.They will live smack bang in the middle of town ,only minutes distance of walking to the train station,her usual stomping grounds,shops and what not! In a way I am happy for her to do it as we had a few crises over the past 10 months and it will certainly help us to get back to a more relaxed understanding with each other than we had for the past time......the one thing I am looking forward to is actually her realisation of what she had at home when she then has to take care of everything herself and the laundry won't be done by magic, the fridge if it's empty will remain empty if she doesn't go shopping and all these things one has to take care of when living on his/her own :)))

But I am not sad that she is leaving, I think the time is just right !Of course I will miss her,but she is reachable by cell phone or Messenger and it will take roughly 8-10 minutes on push bike to go and see her..........

On Saturday I had a very lovely visitor coming all the way from Zürich to see me .....aye, my dear long time readers ...my ex-FN .......decided to take the plunge and have his ears filled with general drivel and such like by the old gassbag :) e.g. me!!

It was so great so meet up again as it has been years since we saw each other the last time! I enjoyed his visit very much and we had a good time catching up !

Oh...... and I handed in my notice as a committee member of the English Club......for over ten years I was the resident chef of the club and cooked many a meal for the members,created quizzes and did lectures and spent great times with them...but now I have realised I am so taken up with struggling to get better, I simply can't dedicate the time needed to fulfill the 'job' to my high expectations...and I am not known for delivering bad work.......so i had to resign...but will remain for the time being a member of the club.

So that's all from here .....today is back to the grindstone as usual...laundry, cleaning and such like .......my life has become quite boring,but it's actually good like that....as the Depressions recur more often than they had previously............

NTR

2011-01-21T08:14:00.000+01:00

Well my english speaking readers will instantly know its a boring sad old life I am leading :)) coz the title means Nothing To Report......

Celine came back in one piece from skicamp and actually enjoyed the skiing too ....... well a little bit :) and next week it is Nadine's turn to head away for a week with her class, they will spend their skicamp in the village called Lenk in the Bernese Oberland....actually a very lovely place! I know it because in the late 80's I worked several years on several jobs up in that region and I gotta say I am a tad jealous,,,,,me too I would like to strap on the skis again and have a day out on the slopes...but,alas it's not feasible for various reasons....but I am vey happy for my girls that they get to enjoy it!

We are all healthy again, all bugs that invaded our bodies have been chased away successfully! So it' sjust day to day life of school for the kids,work for Mel and household chores etc for me...and walking Liza of course, who is also in fine spirits and well.

On Sunday we'll have my parents round for theis joint birthday lunch....they are born 4 years and 1 week apart :) and so we started a few years ago to have a joint birthday supper or lunch at my place so that my sister also gets a chance to invite them over at her place usually alternating weekends...so this year it's me who is early and thus we are 'more' celebrating my dad's birthday which is January 19th ....I am looking forward to a very nice day !!

Other than that I really haven't got anything to report........:)

My 'new' wheels :):):):)

2011-01-16T09:39:00.000+01:00

Welll actually they are not new as such,but since I had to give the car back to it's rightful owner, I had to find other means to carry the shopping for four ppl and one dog home....

My best friend works in a thrift shop ( Brockenhaus) and alerted me last year to the fact that a bike-trailer had just been handed in and that I could get it cheaply .....which for 60.- CHF indeed I got:)

I have altered it a little to fit my needs better,initially we also wanted it to carry Liza with us when we are out on the bikes,but she doesn't like it very much....so it's main purpose is to go shopping with. To 'have to' shop this way means that I actually spend less money on shopping and really only purchase what we really need ( I was never a spendthrift and always watched the budget tightly) but when you have to carry it home this way you think twice what you are going to load onto it :):):):)

For small stuff I just strap on a Backpack and go by bike only or very often I do a kind of 2-1 thing, walking Liza through the village to the store and shop this way..so she was out on her walk and I have food to cook ....

I just had to post today :)

2011-01-11T11:55:00.000+01:00

Grin..me and my numbers .....11.1.11..double eleven :) :)

Well as you could see from the piccies we had an tremendously good time over Christmas with lots of guests and good times not forgetting good food:)

The girls also went to stay a couple of days with their best friends until the 30th and had an ace time:)

The last week of 2010 we got ready for the change...I am a tad superstitious and for many years now I had the routine of cleaning, decluttering the flat etc before New Years Eve so that we enter the New Year clean and without ballast from the old year. Having accomplished all those chores we then set out to prepare for a lovely New Years Eve ......

That meant taking down all Chrissie Decorations and putting the tree on the balcony, hung with birdseed baubles....and then putting up some garlands and the like for Silvester.

We had a couple of friends coming for dinner that night and enjoyed a luxurious Raclette with Hot Stone ( e.g. we had the cheese,but also grilled some other stuff on top of the hot plate of the Raclette Grill)

After dinner we played a round of 'Nobody's Perfect',,,a game the kids like particularly and we had great fun playing it an all...so much that in fact we didn't realise the time and it was virtually High Noon LOL when we heard the bells ringing out the old year and realised we should start open the bubbly to toast to a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It was really lovely !!!

After having had a superduper night ,imagine my surprise to awake on 1.1.11 with a stinking
cold :( hmmppff. The bug hasn't left me yet and Nadine also caught the bug....so we had a lovely quiet time during the first week of 2011,watching the DVD's the girls got for Christmas, playing games and just working on getting better again:)

Now the holidays are over and it's back to the grindstone:) for all of us ....Celine took of yesterday to the annual skicampwith her class,they went to Adelboden...and I hope they have still enough snow to ski downhill on......
Nadine is back to school too and yesterday I got the information that on beginning of February we will get News whether she will be eligible for Secondary school in the new school year, starting in August. I am very hopeful that she will be able to............ as of all my three lasses, she is the smartest one in regards to school!! Fingers crossed !!

And I......I have to write a kind of Job application letter, as I may be able to do some more translations for the Indian Charity I already worked for some time ago. Let's hope it will be a fruitful attempt and secure me the Job ( it will be limited to a few months.but it is still better than nothing!)

So before i forget it .........

A VERY HAPPY,HEALTHY,PROSPEROUS and LUCKY NEW YEAR to ALL of you too!!! MAy it be a better one for ALL of us !!!

FOOD,FUN and GOOD TIMES

2011-01-03T17:15:00.000+01:00

Crikey,towards the end the year seemed to zoom past sooo quick I didn't have time to properly blog or update anything at all.....and now it's 2011 already:) well better late than never ...here are some piccies of our festivities and the food we enjoyed..........

Countdown to Christmas....or Rexmas as I prefer to call it :)

2010-12-21T10:30:00.000+01:00

Only a few more days to go and we will enjoy a hopefully luvverly time with all our loved ones......I am actually looking forward to it ........

Thursday we will set up and deck our tree, which was a gift from my aunt and uncle ,who are farmers and own some forest.....since it is over 3!!!!!!meters tall I have enlisted the help from a friend to help me to put it up.....safely !!!! :)

We are quite ready now ...apart from food shopping......pressies are wrapped, christmas cookies are baked ...menu or food are planned

We'll start off with a Fondue Chinoise on 24th, when we will have a friend over to enjoy it with us ....then lead on to a 5 course menu ...( Quaxli wägluege itze !!!!!!!!!!!)

I have planned to spoil my parents and family with:

Light Potato Soup with black Truffle slivers and Truffle oil

*****

Fresh Morel and Ricotta stuffed Ravioli with a little sauce on Salad

*****

Ovenroasted Filet of Beef

Roquefort and Béarnaise Sauce

Roesti Galettes

Vegetables

*****

Our annual cheese plate with Gorgonzola Mousse ( nothing new there :)) )

fruits and nuts

Valaisian Bread

*****

Home made three flavoured icecream torte

*****

Christmas cookies and Coffee

Then on 26th some more friends will visit us ...where I will be serving Finger food such as Guacamole and Salsa with Tortilla chips, mini Tartlets with different fillings such as : Salmon Tartare,Curried Chicken, Shrimps in Cocktail Sauce, Tuna Mousse etc etc of course I'll also 'cook' up about 5 liters of Mulled Wine :))) this will ring out our three day foodie feast :)

So I wish you all the Merriest of Christmasses and a wonderful time with your loved ones !!!!!

SWISS CHRISTMAS DINNER -Ham in Breaddough

2010-12-16T18:12:00.000+01:00

TS DECEMBER 05

Again a year has passed by quicker than we thought it would. I hope it was a good one for all our readers.

Christmas is looming around the corner and I am sure you are very busy shopping for gifts, cards and all other necessities one must have for this time of the year. Before you know it Christmas has arrived and you need to decide what to cook for the family dinner. After having covered recipes for cookie baking in 2003 and last year about the Fondue Chinoise, I am bringing yet another delicacy to you. One could argue this dish was a traditional predecessor of the Fondue Chinoise, it may be old fashioned, but it is very delicious, easy to prepare and as many of you will have family gathering around the table, it is perfect for feeding a bigger crowd.

Traditionally the salted and cured meats needed for this recipe are sold over this time of the year so you should be able to find the right sized ham.

Bread dough:

1kg (2.2lb) dark flour (Ruchmehl)

1 kg (2.2lb) semi white flour (Halbweissmehl)

40 gr (1 ¼ oz) Fresh Yeast OR according to the package instructions dried yeast

30 gr (1 oz) Salt

1200ml (2pt) Water

Dilute yeast into the water.

Sieve flour together with the salt into a large bowl, and then add diluted yeast & water.

Knead dough until it shows tiny bubbles when you slit it with a knife. Then form a ball, place in bowl and cover with wet towel, leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour or until it reached double its volume.

Ham in Bread dough

Recipe for 8 to 10 persons

1 cooked, salted and boneless ham of about 3 kilos weight (6.6 lbs)

2kg(4.4lbs) bread dough

4 -5tblsp. Mustard

2tblsp. Sugar

2tblsp white wine

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2-3 bunches of fresh parsley, chopped

Cut off the rind of the ham (if need be)

Mix mustard, wine, sugar and pepper and baste the ham with this mixture.

Roll out the bread dough and scatter the chopped parsley on top, fold and roll out the dough a couple of times to get the parsley all over and into the dough. Roll out the dough to a rectangle of approximately 5mm thickness.

Place the ham onto the dough, wet rims of dough with a bit of water and fold dough, but not to tight, over the ham to form a neat pack -if you fold dough too tight, it’ll tear during baking time and the juice will run out. Press seams well together.

Place seam side down onto a prepared baking tray and adorn with left over dough (cut out shapes with cookie cutters or make a net with stripes of dough)

Bake at 180C°/F°350 for approximately 2 hours 30 minutes.

If need be cover top with tinfoil towards the end of baking time to prevent it from getting burned.

Once done, let it rest for a further 15minutes in the switched off oven before serving.

Sylv’s hints:

Hams of this size are not always readily available in supermarkets; it’ll help to pre-order it at the butcher’s counter or in a butcher’s shop.

Along with this dinner by tradition, only mustard was served as a sauce.

However I for one, much prefer, either a Cumberland sauce or a sauce made of fresh cranberries (not exactly Swiss :) )

Other accompaniments are usually a buffet of salads and nothing else, as the bread around the ham will serve as side too.

©sylv05

SWISS CHRISTMAS DINNER -Fondue Chinoise & Sauces

2010-12-16T18:10:00.000+01:00

Keeping up with recycling :))) oh who'd have thought it but I got a lot of hits since I post that old stuff again :) :) yes I am a saddo and check the hits on this blog frequently :)

We'll be having this on 24th with a dear friend and I will of course make the Sauces myself and maybe invent a new one or two:)

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Traditionally Swiss December 2004

Swiss Christmas dinner

The traditional British Christmas dinner is turkey with stuffing, brussel sprouts, roasted parsnips and Christmas pudding with brandy butter. Nowadays THE Christmas dinner of the Swiss is Fondue – Meat Fondue that is. A non –confirmed rumour says, that Swiss butchers invented Meat Fondue around 60 years ago. The good thing about a festive dinner like this is that the hostess does not need to spend endless hours sweating over a hot oven in the kitchen. During a Meat Fondue, everyone prepares his/her own food at the table.

Basically, the term Fondue for a meat version is WRONG!! Fondue comes from the French verb *fondre* which means melting. This is right for cheese fondues or chocolate Fondues, where you melt something to get a creamy mass into which you can dip things on a long fork. The correct description would be to call it something like BOUILLI, but then Bouilli Boeuf is usually a tough piece of beef, that needs long hours of cooking until it is eatable (in CH it is called SIEDFLEISCH). Therefore, the term Fondue is preferable when describing this dish. (Technically the only difference is that everyone sits around the table and COOKS - instead of DIPS - their meat in a pot over a rechaud with long forks) :-)

What are the different *Fondues*:

FONDUE CHINOISE thinly sliced, rolled beef (or other meat) cooked in broth

FONDUE BOURGUIGNONNE cubed beef cooked in oil/lard/coconut fat

FONDUE VIGNERON beef cooked in red wine

FONDUE NEPTUN different kinds of fish and shellfish, cooked in either chicken stock/or white wine or a mix of both, the fish is cooked in tiny baskets not on a fork.

FONDUE TEMPURA vegetables, shellfish and mushrooms, first dipped in a batter then cooked/fried in oil

When ordering for a fondue, one should calculate approximately 200gram/7 oz of meat/fish/vegetable per person. Amounts may vary, depending on your guests eating abilities as well as available side dishes. Common Side dishes are: French fries, crisps, bread, rice, mixed salad etc.

The most important thing to go along with these *fondues* are the sauces, here are some favourites in an easy to prepare manner. I have experimented with many bases to make fondue sauces and in my experience, plain SOUR CREAM the best. Plain Yoghurt tends to acidic and thin, Mayonnaise too fat, and Curd (Quark) has a floury aftertaste....but that is just MY personal opinion!!

For the following recipes, unless otherwise stated, the basis is approximately 200ml/7 fl oz of sour cream for each sauce.

COCKTAIL SAUCE

125ml/4 fl oz sour cream

125ml/4 fl oz Ketchup

up to three tablespoons Mayonnaise

a dash Worcestershire sauce

1-2 dash lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

HORSERADISH SAUCE

grate half an apple on a fine grater

add horseradish, freshly grated or preserved to the taste you like

give it a few turns of the peppermill

CURRY SAUCE

Add GARAM MASALA and /or Curry powder

2 slices of finely chopped pineapple OR

1 halve of a peach OR

2-3 halves of apricot (All canned fruits)

1-2tblsp. Mayonnaise

GARLIC SAUCE

Add freshly squeezed cloves of garlic and 1 finely chopped, deseeded jalapeno pepper, (to taste). If you want to kiss under the mistletoe after the meal, there's a less smelly variation :-) Add some chilli- garlic sauce from LEE KUM KEE (available in the MIGROS in CH), this is still tasty but less smelly :-)

HERBS SAUCE

Add freshly chopped herbs, such as parsley, chives, a little tarragon and

cilantro, season with salt and pepper and a pinch of paprika.

SYLV'S GINGER-LEMONSAUCE

Add freshly grated ginger, lemon zest a squiert of juice and if you can get it chopped lemon scented thyme (Zitronenthymian), if you can't get it, use normal thyme, if you used dry one, then only add about two pinches as dried herbs are stronger in taste than fresh ones. Season with salt and pepper or the lemon pepper mix ( Zitronenpfeffer)

SAUCE SOUBISE (ONION SAUCE)

peel and coarsely chop two onions and 2 cloves of garlic,

melt a small knob of butter in a pan, add onions and garlic, cook

covered slowly until soft, if you like you can add a dash of white wine, but really only a dash .

Puree the onions in a blender and set aside to let them cool down. Once

cooled, whip 250ml/8fl oz heavy cream and fold into the onion puree.

Careful, if you add too much of the purree the sauce becomes too runny!!!

©sylv 2004

Ps. This articles have been researched and written by me the recipes are my own creation, please if you copy this.....respect the work behind it by resepcting the (c) and give me the credit for MY work !!!

Swiss Christmas Cookies

2010-12-12T12:04:00.000+01:00

Like I already mentioned , I am going to recycle old NST etc . articles on here that have been published over the years,so this postings topic are various Swiss Christmas Cookies......

As you can see some of the articles are quite old, I can't believe my self sometimes how long I have been doing this already :) :) and I have always enjoyed to come up with recipes and explain my home country's food and traditions and hope to come up with new stuff in the future. Although this will only be published here ... some of the recipes below are also converted to lbs/oz....

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Traditionally Swiss December// January 2003// 2004

Another year has gone by and we are looking forward to the festive season. Everywhere we go there’s a smell lingering in the air, of the baking preparations of Christmas cookies and Grittibänz. Firs are waiting for a buyer, to be decorated, to become the most beautiful Christmas tree. This is really a marvellous time of year.

Here are two recipes for Swiss style Christmas cookies.

The first recipe is for the Mailaenderli. According to a survey, this is the all time favourite Swiss x-mas cookie.

250gr(8.5oz) Margarine or Butter

250gr(8.5oz) Sugar

3 eggs

1 pinch of salt

1 lemon grated zest only

500gr(16oz) white all purpose flour

1 egg, slightly beaten for brushing the cookies

Put the margarine OR butter together with the sugar and eggs in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy looking. Add salt, zest of lemon and flour and knead to firm dough. Wrap in plastic foil and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Roll out (on a lightly floured workplace) to a thickness of about 5mm(¼inch). Cut out cookies with different formed cutters and place them on a baking sheet on baking parchment.

Brush each cookie with a little of the beaten egg on top and bake in a preheated oven at 200C°/F°400 for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

TIP:

I like to cut out extra large cookies and let my children decorate them with all kind of things, such as differently coloured Sugar beads, hundreds-and-thousands, coloured icing, marzipan, chocolate drops etc. Large cookies like this may also be used as "nameplates" to decorate the Christmas table or as gift cards on Christmas presents.

Another very yummy cookie is the Basler Brunsli a chocolaty treat from the canton of Basel.

250gr(8.5oz) Sugar

250gr(8.5oz) Ground almonds

1 large pinch ground Cinnamon

2 tbsp. Flour

2 Egg Whites, beaten stiff

100gr(3.5oz) Dark, bitter chocolate, melted in a bain –marie

In a bowl, mix Sugar, Almonds, Cinnamon and Flour. Carefully add the beaten egg whites, and then fold in the melted chocolate.

Scatter sugar on the working surface and roll out the dough to a thickness of 5mm (¼”). They are traditionally cut out with three leaf clover shaped cookie cutters , cut out the cookies, and re-roll the dough (always on a sugar platform). Place cookies on baking tray, which is lined with parchment and leave to dry a couple of hours, then bake in pre heated oven at 250C°/F° 475 for about 5 minutes. The cookie should be firm to the touch but soft on the inside.

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Christmas Cookies 05

This year I went a bit off the beaten track of making Christmas cookies, we did make the Milan cookies, Mailaenderli and I made some Anise cookies ( Anischräbeli) according to an old recipe.

But instead of Cinnamon Stars we made this year ZIMTPITTLI, which hail from the region of Graubünden.

Pre heat oven to 180C°/F°350

150gr(5 oz ) soft butter

180gr( 6 oz ) sugar

2 eggs

1 pinch salt

180 gr(6oz) ground almonds

1heaped tbsp ground cinnamon

150gr(5oz) all purpose white flour

Milk for basting

Place butter in bowl, add sugar and eggs, beat until fluffy, add rest of ingredients and mix well.

Pour dough onto baking sheet, which is lined with baking parchment, spread about 5mm high.

Note: The dough is quite sticky; it worked best for me when I used a wetted plastic spatula to spread it out evenly.

When ready on the baking sheet, baste with some milk and then scatter

80gr(2.5oz) almonds in slivers or in sticks

mixed with

80gr(2.5 oz) sugar

on top

and bake for approx. 30 minutes in the middle of the oven.

Cut into lozenges whilst still hot, then let cool down on wiring rack. The lozenges can easily be broken into pieces once cold. Store in airtight container.

Instead of BASLER BRUNSLI we made Chocolate Hearts ( Schoggihärzli), which are quite similar to the Brunsli and don’t need to be baked!

250gr(8.5oz) ground almonds

150gr(5oz) Sugar

120gr(4oz) Chocolate, finely grated

2-3 tbslp. Kirsch schnapps

2-3 tbslp. Water

Place almonds and sugar in a bowl and grate the chocolate on a very fine grater over the bowl to add to the mixture, then add water and schnapps, and mix well.

Scatter enough sugar on a worktop and roll out the dough onto that sugar to approx.7.5 mm thickness. Cut out hearts with cookie cutters. Place on wiring racks and let dry over night!

And last but not least, the kids enjoyed some easy assembling ‘candy’ as well.

Apricot ‘candy’

You’ll need dried apricot halves, whole peeled almonds, and melted chocolate.

Place one almond on the inside of a dried apricot, dip halfway into the melted chocolate and set on wiring rack to cool off. Voilà!

Sylvs note : In the meantime ,2010 :) , I have grown to prefer the turkish dired apricots over the apricot halves,as they are softer,sweeter and juicier....

Of course we also profited from the ready-made dough’s on sale in Migros.

With the chocolate flavoured dough, we cut out hearts, when baked put two together with apricot jam and dipped them halfway into melted chocolate.

With the ready-made Milano cookie dough, I made Pfaffenhuetli. Pastors’ hats one could say in English :) according to the similar looking, triangular shaped hats pastors used to wear many centuries ago.

Roll out that dough to about 5mm thick then cut out round shapes with a cookie cutter. Place a tiny dollop of warmed jam in the middle, and then imagine the round cookie plate in thirds, press first and second part together and close with third part, you should end up with a cookie that looks triangular, pointed and a bit like a hat of olden days............... get it ??

Happy baking !

©sylv05
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And one from my trusty online cookbook on Yahoo...a group about Swiss Food etc,that I started back in 2001:) :) I now use it as my archive :) this recipe describes my favourite christmas cookie:)

Anischräbeli/ Anise cookies

4 eggs

500gr(16.5oz) white Sugar or icing sugar

3tbsl. Anise seeds

1 pinch baking powder

500gr (16.5oz) white all-purpose flour

1tbls Kirsch schnapps

Blend the eggs, sugar, anise seeds and kirsch schnapps in a kitchen blender until it looks light and fluffy, then add the flour and knead to form a dough.

Then one of the traditional methods would be to:

Roll the dough out, on a floured surface, to approximately 1cm (½ inch) thickness, then press a floured mould with a carved in pattern onto the dough and cut out the form, place on a baking sheet and let dry for a couple of hours before baking at 140C°/F°275 for 20 minutes.

****************************** BUT ******************************

An easier method is to, roll with your hands long finger thick rolls and cut into approximately 5cm(2inch) long pieces. Bow like a crescent and place onto baking parchment on baking sheet, then cut three to four times on the outer rim of the crescent, just a slit not cutting through.

OR

only use 400gr (13.5oz) of flour and use a piping bag with a large nozzle and pipe them in rings directly onto baking parchment.

Continue method of drying and baking as described above.

This is THE cookie for all anise lovers it has a very strong taste!

...there's also a fun side to the White Curse :)

2010-12-08T08:26:00.000+01:00

On Sunday ,before it started to snow again, we took the sledges ( were mine and mis sis' actually and are over 35 years old!!!) when we went for the afternoon family walk with Liza , this has become a tradition now that at least on Sunday afternoon we all go together on a walk, it's a great time for all of us and I really enjoy it to have my girls around me.

The forest we live close to is a tad hilly and thus it has ample paths with enough steppness to them to slide downhill on sledges or the bobsleigh...the kids had fun as did Liza who ran after them up and down and up again ,countless times :))))

Mama Claus was invited to ride the sledge :) and got pulled by Rudy (on the left) and Vixen (on the right :) it was fun and we giggled a lot as they wanted to scare me and ran quite fast .........when I actually enjoyed it :))))

The white curse :)))

2010-12-07T13:03:00.001+01:00

Well, as you know I am still the janitor of the Appartment Block we live in......and my FB and ST buddies have heard me moaning time and time again about how I hate to shovel the white mess away.......especially as I am on my own now........so this was Monday morning after a heavy snowfall lasting all afternoon and though the night and despite me starting well before 6 a.m. with this task, I was a little too late as it already started to rain by then,but sadly more a drizzle than proper rain and this turned the fluffiness into concrete ......

The snowplugs of the villages' roadworks have heaped the snow about 4 ft+ ( 1m20 + ) high and it was quite alot of work to get it down to a level where cars could drive over it without getting damaged

This is the ramp to the garage,it may not look especially steep on the piccie ,but it has a certain steepness to it and due to it being walled at the bottom on both sides by concrete and shrubs I have to push the snow uphill .......an ardous task as well........onthe right hand side , not on the photo,is the outdoor parking,which has to be cleaned of course as well.....

This is a quarter of the pathway to both main entrance doors,actually the easiest bit to clean

I have to do it all by hand...........

Grittibaenz Recipe

2010-12-05T13:59:00.001+01:00

We'll be baking ours today :) as I write this Céline is assembling the dough for them,then we'll go out with Lisa and when we return we'll warm ourselves up by baking :)
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Grittibaenz recipe:

Ingredients for 1 to 15 depending on the amount of dough needed to form 1 Grittibänz

1 kg(2.2lb) white all purpose flour

30gr(1 oz.) fresh yeast

5dl(2 cups) milk

100-150gr.(4-6 oz.) butter

2 eggyolks or 1 entire egg

1 tsp. sugar

1 tblsp. salt

egg yolk to brush the Grittibänz before baking

Put the flour in a large bowl; dissolve the yeast with a little milk. Melt the butter and let cool down again to lukewarm or cooler (if the butter is too hot it'll destroy the yeast and the bread will remain flat).

Add all other ingredients to the flour and knead well until you get an elastic dough.

Cover with a wet cotton-kitchen towel and let it rise to twice its volume on a warm place (again not too hot!!)

After approx. an hour cut the dough into even sized pieces and form the little men and women, decorate to your liking, make eyes with raisins, a nose with an almond, a scarf with twisted threads of dough etc etc.

Brush with beaten egg before baking.

Bake at 200-220C°/F°400-425 about 20 to 30 minutes.

Sylv's Hint: An easy way to control if the bread is done is when you knock on the bottom of it towards the end of baking time. If it sounds hollow, the bread is done!

This is basically also the Zopf ( plaited loaf) recipe, I use this dough to make our Grittibänz, if you like it sweeter, then add more sugar - say about 2-3 tsp. in total.

The term Grättimaa (Basel) and Grittibaenz (Bern/Zurich) comes from Grätti/Gritti, describing a very old man who totters wide legged about :-) and it is said symbolises the SCHMUTZLI and not Samichlaus!

This bread is traditionally made by Swiss before Christmas to celebrate 6th December - St. Nicholas (Samichlaus, Saenti Glaus).

Other terms of description:

Grittibänz, Bänz, Mannli oder Fräuli, Elggermanne, Chläus, Grättimaa, Hanselmanne usw.

Happy Baking

©sylv2005

CHLOUSER , SAMICHLOUS, St.Nikolas

2010-12-05T13:49:00.000+01:00

This is another one of my old articles about the special day we will celbrate tomorrow, and today the lasses and I will make Grittibänz, a bread dough based decorated figure ( recipe follows in the next post)

ENJOY ......

A Holiday Custom in Switzerland

The 6th of December is a really special day in Switzerland, especially for the children. St.Nikolaus is coming !!

Usually the children prepare themselves with little poems or songs they want to ‘present’ to the holy man, who in turn is pleased by all the efforts of the children and gives them his appreciation!!

Of course the well-behaved children get some goodies, such as gingerbreads, cookies, mandarins, nuts chocolate etc, often St.Nikolaus tells the kids a story.

Then the long awaited moment arrives, when St.Nikolaus starts to read out of his golden book and praises the child for his good deeds throughout the last year and offers ideas of ‘betterment’ for the not so good things the child did. (The parents or teachers of the kid usually give these information’s beforehand)

He then leaves a birch rod as a souvenir of his visit and a reminder to keep up the good work.

Though in some parts of Switzerland, it used to be customary, that the children who really didn’t behave only got a birch rod and coal and no goodies at all, basically a bit of the carrot and stick principle to encourage them to better themselves and the promise of goodies the next year.

The historic background in the custom lies in the 4th century AD and was inspired by the Holy Nicolas, Bishop of Myra, who according to legends that surround him, did many a good to youngsters and children and so he became the patron Saint of Children, that he wears a bishops habit and a Mitre shows his holy status, as well as his long beard shall indicate his old age.

The legend of St.Nikolaus got intertwined over the centuries with Celtic customs of Saturnalia, leading to the well-known Samichlaus and Schmutzli.

Schmutzli a dark dressed and dark looking counterpart to Samichlaus, how comes that such a devilish figure accompanies a holy man……………….

The Saturnalias, who took place in December, were festivals of mischief, drink and food, but also a time where people were frightened by the ghosts and dead souls they believed to be around at the time. So over the centuries the custom of St.Nikolaus became entangled with these pagan rituals of trying to frighten away demons and ghosts with light, noise and disguises.

It is believed that Schmutzli is a pagan demon that has been subjected to Christianity, and as helper of Samichlaus his job is to punish the ‘nasty’ children.

Related to this pagan customs in Switzerland, are KLAUSJAGEN, KLAUSHORNEN; KLAUSSCHELLEN or TREICHLETE, I presume of which, the Klausjagen in Küssnacht am Rigi is the most famous in Switzerland, this event happens usually on December 5th.

Back to Samichlaus and Schmutzli, nowadays the role of Schmutzli is not to frighten away the children, he is more seen and Samichlaus’ helper and kind of servant, who carries the large jute bag with goodies and leads the little donkey, who’s often lovely ‘dressed up’ too with lots of small bells on it’s headgear.

It’s is just when the two come across kids, who can not behave for the event, that Schmutzli falls back into his original role and has to ‘stall’ them by pounding on the table or show them out of the room.

AND with Samichlaus all kids usually get some goodies, also the ones who were not the bravest in the past year

©sylv2004

Some poems around this special day

About Grittibänz

Chliini, grossi Grittibänz

u si hei es feisses Ränzli.

Siebe süessi Jaggechnöpfli,

dicki Arme, rundi Chöpfli,

chnuschper-bachni Hosebei

.E Grittibänz für mi elei :)

Der Samichlaus chunnt

Es Liechtli brönnt im Tannewald

Was sött ou das bedüte?

Chunnt ächt dr Samichlaus scho bald?

I ghöre äs Glöggli lüüte.

Es isch dr Chlous mit schwärem Schritt

Chömed lueged gschwind

Er treit e Sack voll Nüssli mit

Für alli, alli Chind.

And another one

S’Füürli chnischteret im Ofe,

d’Uhr, die tigget lys.

I de Stube schmöckts nach Öpfel

und nach Tannechrys.

S’Lämpli lüüchtet hell vorusse

Uf e Glitzerschnee,

und am Waldrand obe güggsled

d’Häsli und d’Reh.

Lysli geit dr Chlous dür d’Tanne.

D’Sterndli halte Wacht.

Vo wytem ghört me s’Glöggli,

häll dür d’Winternacht.

And one more

Dr Samichlous isch uf em Wäg,

mir planged scho sit mängem Tag;

vom Tannewald, do chunnt er här,

si Sack isch gwüss no rächt schwär.

De Chlous, das isch e guete Ma,

me gseht em’s a de Ouge-n-a,

er luegt gar so früntlech dry,

drum chan er gwüss kei Böse sy.

So, bis willkomme i üsem Hus

Und läär dis Seckli weidli us!

Du wirsch scho gseh: das git es Fescht,

dass du grad au no Freud dran hesch!

BLISS :) :) :)

2010-12-03T11:22:00.001+01:00

no comment :) :)

BEWARE THIS IS A GORY POST!!!

2010-12-01T09:54:00.001+01:00

You have been warned and I refuse any liability for queasiness :)) after reading this blog entry:)))))

Our darling has been taken ill on Monday morning and quite badly so .It started over the weekend when she had a bit of diarrhea on Saturday...well this happens every now and again and since she was fit and kept on drinking,eating and playing, i didn't pay more attention than any other times this has happened, usually it was because she picked up something in the forest she shouldn't have and I didn't see her doing...or when she went to Celine's room and stole a pencil which she then chews up:))

Well on Sunday all was still hunky dory, as you saw from the pic of the Raclette post we had a guest staying over and had a good time, Liza was fit and playful on the walk after noon which I undertook with Nadine and we had a good time.Then suddenly towards evening Liza started to give signals that she has to go out NOW ....to which we duly obliged......and from then on it went downhill...she had mightily upset innards.....

.:(

But imagine Monday morning at 6 a.m. after cleaning up the mess she made over night .......and she started virtually spouting from both ends......as if this wasn't enough .....the more she heaved and the more she poo'ed...the bloodier the liquid became and this in only about 2 hours...I was frightened ,since she quickly turned apathic too, she tried to drink water and it returned back as soon as it arrived in her stomach....so by 8 a.m. I went and woke Mel up who luckily was working late shift and at home to phone the Vet for a very quick appointment,after this was set, it turned even worse with Lizzie.....if not from one end then from the other she lost liquid in various amounts and it turned even bloodier every time to various deep shades of red....I really started to count down the minutes until we could leave for the vet and I did my best to keep calm nd not upset her more by showing my sorrow for her,before we left Liza was not just shivering but shaking and could hardly walk ( and this decline happened within about 4 hours!!)

As soon as we arrived at the vets she threw up again in the waiting area and the Vet's assistant ushered us in upon seeing that.......Liza immediately got an injection from the vet ( I forgot to ask what it was) and then he started to examine her properly ,since she stopped shaking like a leaf by then . He explained to me that this can occur in dogs quite often during wintertime and may possibly be started by the dog eating snow...however I assured him to my knowledge Liza didn't swallow any snow nor any other foreign object,but one can never be 100% certain...anyhoooo....Liza then got a subcutaneous infusion ( a so called water depot) to replace in her body the liquid she lost through vomitting and diarrhea......as well as another injection,of which........ again...I don't know what it was.......the vet and I discussed her further treatment and how to feed her afterwards and after a 40 min long consultation we were on our way home again.

As soon as we arrived back home ,she curled up on Nadine's bed and fell asleep..so deep that she didn't even blink as usual when I went to check on her. But the sleep did small wonders for her ....round 3p.m. i took her for a short-ish walk to school to pick up the girls and by then she already perked up a little bit,but was still a tad wobbly on her feet. When we arrived back home I prepared a little bit of chicken stock for her of which she took a few sips and then went back to sleep.

As ordered by the vet, she got just cupfuls of broth at one time,at first she was reluctant to even try it but then I presume hunger and thirst got the better of her :) :) and I was chuffed when she took a little bit of it and managed to keep it down!

Grin...our little hund of the Baskervilles :))) by the late evening she was already perky again and took big steps back on the road to recovery......................btw, if anybody has some tips for me how to be able to erase those scary eyes on photos of our little mite I would be really grateful:) , I am using Picasa as piccie programme.

It's now Wednesday it took me a full three days almost to fnish this post, this goes to show how busy I am currently...........but the most important thing is Lizzie is well again and back to her usual self !!!!!

Fondue and Raclette

2010-11-28T10:17:00.004+01:00

Well since my old blog with all the recipes has been sent ( on purpose) to the Bit and Bytes Nirvana I am going to repost over time my old NST and other articles here, since I have gained a few new readers over the past year. So as the title of the post suggests.....this is as cheesy as it gets :) :)

Since it already snowed here a few days ago the outside conditions are perfect to snuggle up indoors and enjoy a hearty fare, preferably with friends, and have a marvellous time whilst the flakes are silently falling down outside. BLISS :) :) :) So yesterday another friend of the girls stayed here for a sleep over ( this time without her sister who had other arrangements) and we indulged ourselves in a Raclette .......we had not as many additions that I usually prepare to go along,but still indulged outselves in e few yummy combinations of cheese and .................

This article has been published a few years ago in HELLO BERN as well as in the NST even a little earlier

***************************************************

During the long, dark and cold winter months; Swiss cheese mongers businesses will thrive, as it is the typical season to enjoy a Fondue, Raclette or Vacherin Mont d’Or in company of your loved ones.

I presume that Fondue is one of most copied Swiss dishes in foreign countries. It is one of the simplest, yet very tasty meals you can serve to your friends and family. The name ‘Fondue’ comes from the French verb "fondre", which means melting. Accordingly, it is nothing else than melted cheese.
It is a traditional Swiss winter dish, which we love to prepare when we have friends are coming over for dinner. There are almost as many Fondue variations as there are Swiss Cantons.

Basically, for a Fondue one calculates approximately 125-150g cheese,
125ml white wine, 1 tblsp. Kirsch (Schnapps) and ½ tsp. cornstarch per Person!!

You’ll need a CAQUELON (a pan made from earthen ware) and a RECHAUD (a heater to put on the table).

FONDUE NEUCHATELOISE (this is the basic Fondue recipe for 5-6 people)

400gr Grated Gruyere cheese
400gr Grated Emmenthal cheese
1 to 10 (to taste) Cloves of garlic, quartered
4 dl/ White wine
1 tblsp. Cornstarch
1 liqueur glass KIRSCHSCHNAPS
Ground pepper and ground nutmeg to taste

Peel the garlic and slice or dice the cloves coarsely. Cut another clove in half and rub the inside of the Caquelon with it. Add the wine; the grated cheese and the cornstarch (dissolve the cornstarch in a bit of the cold wine before adding). Start to heat the Fondue slowly – stir constantly!! (It’s very important to keep stirring it all the time or you won’t get a creamy Fondue.)

When it is creamy and melted, add the Kirsch and season with nutmeg and pepper.
At table, put the Caquelon on the Rechaud (heater). Using long forks, dip cubes of bread into the cheese. Even at the table constant stirring is important otherwise the Fondue will turn lumpy!!
Fondue is served with either white wine or strong black tea. Sometimes, pickled gherkins and onions are also served .It is not recommendable to drink cold water or fizzy drinks alongside a Fondue, because this can lead to congealing of the cheese to a lump in your stomach, which is very uncomfortable indeed.

NON - ALCOHOLIC VERSION!
Swap the white wine for sour apple juice (Cider) and the kirsch for lemon juice

Three, of the many variations, are:

Fondue Fribourgeoise; replaces the Emmenthal cheese with VACHERIN Cheese.
(Vacherin Fribourgeois is asked NOT to be confused with Vacherin Mont d’Or)

Fondue with Mushrooms; calls for morels and porcini mushrooms to be added to the basic Fondue recipe.

Tomato Fondue; calls for Tomato puree and Tomato squares to be added to the basic Fondue recipe.

Sylv's additional tidbits:

- For each adult, place a Shot Glass filled with Kirsch on the table. Prior to dipping the bread into the
Fondue, dip the bread into the Kirsch
- Boiled, peeled and cubed potatoes taste heavenly with a Fondue (other vegetables as well as fruits,
such as Grapes or Pears, cut into chunks are also very good)
- Add shallots instead of garlic

Helpful Hints

If the Fondue gets too runny, then add another handful of cheese and let it cook on high heat or add a little more diluted cornstarch.
If it gets to thick, add a little more Wine, Lemon Juice or Kirsch.
If it starts to separate, then place it quickly back on the stove on high heat, stir briskly with a whisk and add a little more diluted cornstarch.

To add fun to the art of Fondue eating, the Swiss, usually known as very serious people, agree what the person has to do that loses a piece of bred in the cheese.

This can vary from making the women kiss every bloke at the table to sending someone out to run an errand, reciting a poem, telling a joke and so on and so forth, of course with the level of wine and spirits rising in the bloodstream, the evening will be or end quite hilarious.

Another Swiss cheese speciality is Raclette, its name again based in French, it comes from the
verb “racler “ which means scraping. Originally it was invented by the Alpine herdsmen, they cut
an entire cheese in half, and then held it close to the open fire so that the cheese melts and scraped it with a knife onto a slice of bread.

Nowadays we have little ovens with little pans, into which we add a slice of the RACLETTE cheese and let it melt by the electrical heat. Of course that is by far not as romantic as the original version used to be.
Alongside with that, we serve little jacket potatoes and many side dishes, at least in my household. Traditionally you would only get pickled silver skin onions and pickled gherkins served to accompany a Raclette.

I usually prepare in small muesli or dessert bowls sliced onions, garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, pears, streaky bacon, pineapple chunks, pickled gherkins, chilli cut in rings, silver skin onions and many many more things as well as my particular favourite, freshly sliced ginger , I also find it helps prevent indigestion.

Again, same as with the Fondue ,it is ideal to prepare when you have guests, everybody is preparing it's own favourite Raclette at the table put of the cheese ad the various vegetables and pickles on offer and the portions are not too big, so you can stop any time you want.

Vacherin Mont d’Or AOC

My last ‘cheesy’ speciality to present to you is maybe not so widely known. Vacherin Mont d’Or is a seasonal Swiss delicacy; it’s only available in fall and during winter time. The speciality is made in the “Jura Vaudois” and there is even a Fête named after the cheese in the Vallée de Joux at Charbonnières, to start the season officially.

The bark of the fir tree plays an important role in the making of the cheese.
This bark is washed, peeled and soaked that it may develop its full taste. Then as it becomes supple, it is wrapped around the cheese. The cheese is then placed in its typical wooden box and covered with a lid.

This delicacy can be enjoyed cold or warm; it has a slightly runny texture and a heavenly mild taste with just THE hint of Tannin, coming from the fir bark.
A lovely way to eat it as a small supper is to wrap the whole cheese in its casket but without the lid, in aluminium foil, but before wrapping, prick the top lightly with a fork and drizzle with white wine and then put it in the preheated oven at 200C°/F°400 for about 30 minutes.
Place the cheese still wrapped on a heatproof plate and eat it like a fondue by dipping, with the help of a long fork, cubes of bread or boiled potatoes in it.

©sylv07

Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T11:40:00.002+01:00

I think this is the only American custom, I have adopted into our lives. It started when Polly was over here and I took that lovely chick under my wing , sort of , for the time of her stay in Switzerland......and in her first year in Swissland I invited her to a THX Giving Dinner at my place to ease her homesickness ( if there was any to ease) and just to have a good time.

Of course it was with a little Swiss twist since I never cooked and probably never will cook an entire turkey and all the proper trimmings. :)) and the tradition of having a Thanksgiving day dinner has remained with us ever since. Sadly Polly is back in the US of A, but thanks to electronical means and Facebook we still are in touch with her and we miss her really very much!!

This year it was a little toned down affair, due to cash worries...so we had a turkey breast roast with homemade cranberry sauce ,oven potatoes, minted peas and sprouts...no pecan pie with ice cream for dessert.

As it happens, Celine had her twin friends staying for a sleep over and since Celine was telling them about it and they were keen to try that meal, we postponed the dinner to yesterday ( friday) instead of having it on the correct day........the guests were pleased all the same with it and we had a good time:)

Today,another of the girl's friends is coming for a sleep over and we will have some good ol' Swiss fare by making a Raclette :)) and as you know me,,,it won't just be pickled gherkins and potatoes to go along with :))

Have a good weekend everyone and stay warm!!

Hello again

2010-11-26T14:01:00.002+01:00

My oh my...... how time flies when you are not looking :)

Basically I haven't got much news, but wanted to post anyway so that you all know we're still alive and kicking:) :)

Liza,as you know had her surgery and last Monday the stitches came out,everything went really well and the scar looks good.

She is overjoyed to be let of the leash again ( since three days) but since Little Miss Stubborn
sort of forgot her commands whilst having to walk for a long time on the leash, I have my work cut out again and started to work with her according with/to the cards I got from the dog training course. And lo and behold already on the third day ( today) it starts to take effect ..phhheewwww!

As of next spring I will book another course or two with her and I already am in touch with one friend who also newly got a dog and wants to do the/a course with me :) :)

The girls are well and fine ...and of course slowly but surely counting backwards the days to Rexmas...tonight we will put up the Christmas lights on the windows and indoors ( I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! And yes darling Simon I know you are NOT keen at all:))) but i will always remember your curtain!!!! )

We have already roughly drafted the menu for the 25th and on the 24th we will have a dear friend joining us for some Fondue Chinoise. Since money is quite tight I have to plan so much ahead and then shop smart to stock the freezer and cupboards when the stuff we need for our menus is on sale...otherwise it'd be a crust of bread and a glass of water each :)))) and no foodie feast.

Other than that,considering I will be car-less in a few weeks, I now make the most of the time as long as I still got four wheels to use ..

I am in a clearing out frenzy and have chucked a gazillion things away at the local incinerator or brought to charity shops, cleared out the big garage of our stuff.....(also to make place for items/furniture still in the flat that don't belong to me and that I want to get rid off).......getting staples in such as Icetea, Milk, dog food and the like to weather winter snuggly :)

No seriously I haven't turned into a squirrel all of a sudden, in fact I have so many nice friends around me who all offered to drive me to the shops so that I could shop in bulk ( its cheaper that way) but I don't want to abuse their generosity and so I am having a very watchful eye on the commercial flyers that pop into our letterbox and hit on special sales like mad or as long as I have money to shop for them.....and then I can easily shop for daily small stuff with pushbike and trailer or combining it with Liza's Walkies as we got two main shops not far away from our home...

Céline's cookery

2010-11-16T11:48:00.003+01:00

Yesterday evening I had to absent myself with Nadine for a little more than half an hour....right at our usual dinner cooking/eating time.......soooooo I asked Celine to prepare dinner so that we can eat right away upon our return. I pre heated the oven and put a pack of frozen cheese tartlets in the kitchen for her to prepare for us.....this is what she came up with :) :)

She added a halved cherry tomato, some slivers of garlic and a bit of ham and created faces with those ingredients.......and they tasted all the better for it,than if we'd just eaten them plain as they come.

Poor little mite

2010-11-11T15:26:00.002+01:00

Liza has been to the vet today for some surgery..............and I am quite cranky!!

You see when we bought Liza it was noted in her papers that she has been neutered ( well actually it stated she was sterilised!) .......now imagine our surprise when in June this year she came into heat ...and I was completely surprised by it and didn't even see the signs.....as a bitch shows some signs when this happens......of course I witnessed her not following orders .......especially when I called her back to heel and she went off instead......also her treating of male dogs suddenly differently than before ...it was all there but I really didn't think of it.......it was only when there were spots of blood everywhere in the flat and on a walk when I almost lost my nerve about her disobediance ........another dog walker pointed out to me that Liza was in heat!!!!

I remember saying...no way...can't be true she's been sterilised........to which the nice old lady showed me a few signs on Liza's body as well as how Liza was with her ( male) dog........and THEN the penny dropped.

So today Liza went under the knife....turns out her womb had already been removed ......BUT they forgot an ovary.......so her hormones and everything in connection with a bitch getting into heat were still working as if she didn't have an op in Greece.......which explains everything really! Well our vet did now do a proper job and our four pawed darling is sleeping of the anesthesia while I type this.........

I am not bothered about the cost of the vet, but what makes me soooo angry is that our dog had to go through a basically unnecessary surgery AGAIN...only coz the vet in Greece didn't do a proper job in the first place!!!!

44

2010-11-08T18:44:00.002+01:00

well well today yours truly turned a grand 44 :) I am smiling coz this is a very good number!!

Some of you know that I am a sucker for some numbers ....my lucky ones are 8, 11 and 13 soooooo..................

....................... 4+4=8 and next year is 2011....so I hope this means this my respectively our lives will be very good ones in the coming year.....I think we deserve as much after everything we have been put through!!!!

DAY 5!

2010-11-05T13:58:00.002+01:00

You may wonder what this title may mean....well earlier last week my shrink changed my anti -depressiva medication and today is day 5 of feeling better again.....I hope it lasts for some time.

It's basically awesome to feel the way I did and still do throughout all this week.......there were almost no feelings of fear, worrying, scaredness,can't-be-arsed-ness, sadness and much more...it's still there, I can feel it, but it is very subdued due to the higher dose of medication! I am fully aware that it is ALL down to the meds and meds alone...but I am so thankful for feeling the way I did all this week!My Doc should have ordered that much earlier !! Ah well better late than never,it's just great to have had a better time!

Other than that..I cut Nadine's hair short!!!! And my oh my she looks awesome ! I basically layered her long strands and now she's got a head full of curls and looks really grown up and it matches her face and everything....she is allowed now to chose a colour to tint her hair,but other than with Celine who will keep her blue-black colour...for Nadine we will get something that washes out again an as soon as this is applied we will try to capture the new look on a photo to share with you .

Today the girls were of school, coz of a teacher training day, however, Friday for Celine is home economics day where they cook their own meals at school and thus the teacher asked them to cook at home all the same and we parents must then give a note to the teacher confirming the kids did it.

Well as you may know Celine is already quite advanced in her knowledge of food and cooking and so on, and so under my guidance she made my own version of Beef in Guiness ( tho' with lager and not stout) and potato mash, made from scratch ( we didn't have all ingredients to make Colcannon) and I can proudly report that it tasted just as good as if I had made it:) :) she clearly is another chef in the making :) and I am proud of that and her!

So have a good weekend everyone!!!

No news are good news:)

2010-11-04T14:40:00.004+01:00

I have decided NOT to write a essay or so about our holidays, coz I put comments on the photos which say it all and the pics speak for themselves too.

Day to day life has us firmly in its grip again as well as school life.

There are not many News to share. Mel has started her new Job in Bern and so far likes it. Sad thing is I hardly see her anymore,she gets up at crack of dawn to catch the train and after she comes back she often goes directly to see her friends inour town and then comes home when I am already in bed. If it weren't for the dirty laundry and such stuff ...you could think she'd moved out ;) :) :)

Celine and Nadine also have gone back to their daily school routine and so far there is not much to report.....in a week, respectively a fortnight I have a parent-teacher meeting of each of the lasses and then I will know more :) but I am very confident to hear good News.

As for Liza ....all is well with her too...but next Thursday she will have a small op...to be neutered......she was only sterilised and it was a nightmare when she came into heat.....also it's recommended to let bitches have this op as it will help prevent them getting cancer and other health problems...not to mention no more bothering of four pawed Romeo's lusting after her :))))))

A propos Romeo........recenly spotted this lovely feller on my walk with Liza .....I could slap myself to have been so busy with taking a pic of him ........that I forgot to kiss him...........now I'll never know if he'd have been my Prince on his Stallion to whisk me away to better times ( lasses included of course ):))))))))

We've been away ...

2010-10-20T22:51:00.003+02:00

..........here are the pics......the write up follows later ....

ENJOY :)

a few piccies from us :)

2010-10-10T13:42:00.002+02:00

Out and about in the local forest

A sunset this summer

Nadine stole MY glasses..but he looks cute in them ...don't you think so as well?

If the keep up training they'll soon be ready for circus :)

A sunday afternoon fooling around with the camera....Switzerland's next top model surely :)??

Catching Up

2010-10-06T08:31:00.005+02:00

So September has already passed ,it was a busy month.

On September 1st Mel turned 20 years of age.......where has the time gone ?? It seems to me as if only yesterday she was a tiny baby and now she has grown into this beautiful young woman, happy with her boyfriend and a new job to look forward to in November ! I am mightily proud of her and all she has achieved as well as how she turned out to be ! We have our fall outs and such, which presume are normal in any family,but at the end of the day I would'nt want to miss her in my life! I am thankful for her still living at home as well, not that fear that I'd suffer dfrom empty nest syndrome, after all the small ones and the dog would still be here.....

Nadine turned a full dozen years on the 13th and we celebrated her birthday in style on the day including an outing to Mc Do's :) as well as with a small family do the following weekend. Of course she was spoiled rotten as she so rightly deserves and she was pleased that many of her wishes in regards to getting presents were fulfilled. She has a mighty interest in wolves as well as dogs and I think there is only little she doesn't know about those animals :) :) Her therapy has been put on hold for a few months ( also to give me a breather,as I have been to -ing and fro-ing to the hospital over the past 8 years with her up to 3 times a week) The doctor and the physiotherapist are very happy with her progress and I am thankful to them for everything they did for her over all those years. She has to do excersises at home to keep the muscles etc supple and to prevent another botox therapy on her legs. She is a happy lass and a formidable dog trainer as well:) most of the tricks Lizzie performs have been taught to her from Nadine....I wouldn't be surprised if she'd one day made a career with animals ...a vet, training them ...owning a farm or such like :) :)

Céline has now entered a new stage in live....starting 8th grade after the summer hols they have now the main topic of learning to write Cv's and finding a job they would later like to train in and work . In Swissland it's more common to do a vocational training after ending the mandatory school and entering the workforce than studying at Uni. An we have got one of the best vocational training systems in the world!! So her latest interest,to my big pleasure, is cooking :) and so as it is required of the school she just had her first insight into the profession of a chef at a nursing home. She liked that week very much and the work she was asked to do........she didn't like the getting up at crack of dawn and the long working hours :) :) Bless her, it was her first insight into 'adult' life after school:) so now we have to organise such a work experience for one week during every school holiday until next summer. Coz when she'll start 9th grade next summer, she has to send out Cv's and applications in earnest to find a place to train ( in whatever profession she finally decides to train in) for summer 2012 and that's not soooooooooo far away anymore....

The project I mentioned was giving a hand a again to the Indian Charity that wanted my help.....by translating some document for them. It has been achieved as of yesterday but not easily...not only due to my illness but also .....due to the fact that despite being a SAHM, there is always something to do, walk the dog,household chores, someone who needs me or my help and so on and so forth, so projects like that take longer as I can not work on them 9 to 5 as if I were in an office undisturbed,,,however my attention span isn't what it used to be and I have some trouble concentrating for hours on end.

I neglected the blog shamefully....but if you know what suffering from depression entails...then you know that there are times you just focus on getting through the day as good as you can and you don't care about much else besides.......and it has turned out that I am suffering from this for longer than I'd like...the Sylv you all once knew , the battleaxe and 'busybody' who nothing and no one could throw over and was rushing along like a TGV ...........doesn't exist anymore......

I am just glad to have a diagnosis ......on the upside I have now got medication and I can tell that it starts to work and I hope the progress I now make will last and help me to simply live........and move on!!

I want to try however, to muster the strenght and courage to try to move on, the main thing is that the lasses are happy and well and they are indeed and have come to their decision and are keeping to it without suffering from it ! Which is a great comofort to me ...because this allows me to concentrate more on myself and trying to achieve little goals step by step to get out of the illness and eventually lead a much happier life again.

I am also so grateful for all my family & friends here and those dotted allover the world, they have never given up on me and were always there for me ...I will forever be in their debt and I can not put into words how much this means to me and how I will ever be able to show them my thanks....and I think the best way is to show them that i am really putting an effort in and .............move on :) !

Sorreeeee

2010-09-16T16:43:00.002+02:00

Please don't give up yet on me .....I am super busy with a project which takes up most of my time and I have loads to tell.....after all first Mel had her 20th Birthday on September 1st and then Nadine turned a good dozen years on September 13th......piccies and stories will follow as soon as I am done with the project...........

Cheerio xxx

Foodie Feast and Doggie Fun

2010-08-22T17:16:00.005+02:00

So my dear fans :) :) you had to wait a long time again until you got news from us. We enjoyed the last week of the summer hols and since then the first week back at school as well.

The last weekend of the holidays was spent with another set of guests for dinner on Saturday 15th August:) and again we had tremendous fun, me most certainly....... coz I could spoil my guests with food and the kids coz they could spend time with their bosom buddies. Some of you who know about our dire financial situation may wonder, how can she afford to entertain guests all the time...well it's simple really.

Thanks to the fact that cooking is my biggest passion ( apart from all things english:) ) I am able to purchase quite cheap ingredients ( Aldi, Budgetlines of the Supermarkets) and then turn them into a feast without our guests realising this. I wouldn't say that I am cheap ...but most certainly I AM a cheat ,but in the nicest meaning possible of this word. The ingredients are not of lesser quality at all, they are totally fine and so far no one has complained:)))) so I can go on having guests over and spoil them without overexpanding the really tight budget.

We had the following menu, due to the fact that children were at the table as well it had to be a little more mainstream :) but we already decided next time it will be either a Mexcian or Indian Feast as they know little about those cuisines and I'd love to introduce them to it.

The starter was Tuna Mousse with salad and garlic bread

The main course that followed contained; Orange flavoured Risotto,Loin of Pork in Puffpaste ( a little like Filet Wellington) with a creamy fresh Mushroom and Chanterelles sauce, minted Peas ( they loved it :)) and a Tomato stuffed with cheesy Spinach

Then we had a small plate of cheese with gooey Camembert and Aceto balsamico syrup,Gorgonzola Mousse and a few other cheeses and dried fruits and nuts with a little bread.

We finished the meal with a moist chocolate gateau and marinated Banana Slices ( lemon juice and maple syrup), Panna Cotta and fresh ( from the garden) blackberry compote with a dollop of whipped cream

Thanks to my friend Ursi, I was able to purchase dead cheap an old childrens bicycle trailer which I adapted to be be used for Liza, as well we when we eventually will be car-less towards the end of the year....... to place my weekly shopping in :)

So today (22nd August) we went for a ride to the local forest,where we let Liza roam free and she ran beside the bicycles and had great fun,but at the end of our trip in the forest coming back to the roads she had to ride in the trailer, as we went to the trainstation to buy some ice creams and a drink at the shop and it went really well and she wasn't as scared as I feared she might be :) :)

We will certainly undertake more such trips, especially as Nadine still needs to hone her skills as a cyclist. Due to her several handicaps she never really learnt to ride a bike properly when she was smaller,it's only now that we could start to inaugurate her to roadtraffic etc. And i would like to add that she did super as well!!! I am really proud of my two lasses:) not to dismiss Celine at all,but she never had any trouble regarding this.

Food galore

2010-08-09T14:31:00.004+02:00

We had another great time with a dear friend of the family on Saturday ......I wanted to push the boat out cooking again....but I was under strict orders from our guest ,that I wasn't to do too much and that a three course meal was all he wished for:)

So this was our Menu:

Differently stuffed and grilled Champignon Mushrooms,Sautéed Chanterelles with Herbs and Salad

The Main Course was :
Roasted Duckbreast with an Orange flavoured Sauce ( magret de canard à l'orange), Dauphinoise Potatoes and some Vegetables

And Dessert was: A moist chocolate Gateau with a Blackberry Sauce and whipped Cream

I am pleased to report that all the food turned out to be edible and we enjoyed our meal, I was particulalry proud of the main dish, as I had never cooked duck before .

The meal was followed by several rounds of games such as 'Gemsch' ( a swiss card game), Scrabble and Jenga....we had an ace time and almost laughed our backsides off :)

On Sunday we had a lazy day, just hanging around reading and the like , interspersed with a long walk in the Forest with Liza .

Now it's back on the treadmill again.....and our last week of schoolholidays ......they passed way to quick!

From Plan A to Plan B ..and some other snippets

2010-08-02T19:35:00.006+02:00

Well well another stretch of time has passed until you got News from us all and what we've been up to recently, the school holidays are still lasting on ( until August 15th) and we simply enjoy our time together...unfortunately we were hit with heavy rain over the past week, so no frolicking in the lake or any other such things.

But we kept ourselves busy anyway and quite a lot has happened I can tell you :)

So first of all Céline celebrated her 14th birthday last Friday and of course we spoilt her rotten!! I went and shopped for fresh croissants on the day, whilst Nadine took Liza for the morning walk. Then we surprised the still asleep birthday girl with hot cocoa and croissants accompanied by 'Happy Birthday' sung by yours truly :) :)

This was followed by a very relaxing day where Céline could do as she pleased and in the evening she had her Birthday Meal which she wished for, cooked for her especially. All presents she received from us were welcome and she had a really good time and day. On Saturday her one godmother, godfather and maternal grandparents came to visit to give her another well deserved great afternoon. Céline baked one of the cakes we served herself, she is a keen fan of the young cook Sam Stern and I suspect as well as wouldn't be surprised if she will become the second Pro-Chef in this family , following her older sisters' footsteps! And I got to say I think the Sam Stern cookbooks are really good to get Teenagers going in the kitchen! Check him out.

Last Sunday was the Swiss National Holiday and for many years it was spent with a couple of really good and close friends, of course we kept that tradition alive and planned to have a BBQ on the day .....hmmmmm.......only for the weather gods to decide differently....I planned the meal so that everybody could prepare and assemble their own skewers to put on the grill, with a choice of home-marinated meats, vegetables etc.......about half an hour before I wanted to fire up the Barbie ...thick dark clouds covered the sky and a gusty wind started to blow ...not ideal for our plans.

So we had to think quick and put a Plan B into action:) and as you know me, we managed to pull it off easily :) Since the meat was already cut into bite size strips as well as the vegetables, we placed the Raclette cum Hot Stone grill onto the table and grilled our choice of meat this way.

I prepped, honey/lemon/thyme marinated chicken, Szechuan style pork, and Paprika pork, garlicked lamb, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, onions, bell-peppers, cloves of garlic, zucchini, cherry tomatoes etc etc to be skewered.......

Along with ,the utterly lazy choice of bought ( shriek, shock ,horror....how could she do THAT??!!!) Sauces :) as well as some home made wild garlic butter for the potatoes and the meat and of course since we fired up the Raclette grill ,some Raclette cheese as well as some pickles.

I am NOT that patriotic( after all the UK is still the country I love most) so the table was set very simple....and it wasn't a grand 'candlelight dinner occasion', but a comfy evening with our best friends where the time you spend together is way more important than fancily folded napkins and the like...and since i already have another of the posh dinners planned soon, we can do 'it' then.....

So here we are, happily cooking away at the table , our friend Roger was so pleased to have Raclette he didn't eat anything else ( this due to the fact that none of his family like cheese in no form at all, so he enjoys it whenever he can get it) :) :)

We had an ace time and after we ate, we played the game called NOBODY IS PERFECT together ,which was very hilarious and great fun for all of us and will defintely have other such fun nights. the evening ended with us eating the lovely dessert my friend Ursi prepared for us ...a Raspberry Tiramisù and cupcakes. We parted close to midnight and I was so fired up ,from all the laughing etc I needed a few hours to calm down again and go to bed :)))))))

We are loking forward to the next time when we'll spend an evening with those friends which,hopefully,won't be too far away in the future:)

...when it is as hot as it currently is in Heidiland....

2010-07-20T12:01:00.003+02:00

....then the best place to chill and cool down is undoubtedly in front of a working fan :) :)

The cotton strings attached to the fan are used to put a few drops a scented oil onto them so that the air also smells fresher .....it can get really stuffy and hot in the flat since we live under the roof......

Liza's wounds are healing just fine and so far we have avoided the spot of the attack, since it has been recommended to me to first give her plenty of opportunity to build up trust again into other Dogs to realise that this was a one/off and she mustn't be scared ,she was really nervous the first few days after the attack.... the forest we walk her in, is her territory and she knows most of the dogs we meet there and I am happy to report that she lost her nervousness again and has been playing with some of her four pawed friends. I am really happy about that,coz i was worried sick when she acted so peculiar the first few days, that it'll stay with her!!

Other than that, I have reported the attack last week to the police upon recommendation of the vet and other people. And it turned out that this is now the second filed attack of the other dogs...but unfortunately, the other dog owner reported that her dog had a small scratch on her back ( tho' didn't go to the vet) and because of this i have had a report filed against me too, as well as for the reason that Liza wasn't on the leash at the time ( tho' there is no sign at the place that the dog has to be on the leash at all times) it's the swiss law that condradicts itself....on one hand it states the owner has to have command over his/her dog at all times and basically this can only be achieved by having the dog on the leash the way that law is interpreted and on the other hand it states for the dogs welfare it has to be allowed to run free a few times a day.........catch 22 situation.

So the nice policeman has informed me that it MIGHT happen that the judge will fine me as well and that I may have to present Liza to the special vet for a check of her character. Luckily for me I was able to get hold of the address of a witness of the attack ,who'll state that Liza didn't do anything at all and I hope this will play into our favour as well as the fact that the other dogowner already pays a fine for a similar attack of her dogs a couple of months ago. I can only hope that the judge will take this into consideration before he rules what he thinks is just.......

So now I can't do anything but wait what'll happen ..........I know it's unfair but i gladly pay a fine if i have to, coz my main concern are the other dogs ...it happened twice already......what if, the next time its a toddler throwing a temper tantrum and they attack ????? So if all this leads to the other dogs being examined and tested then I am happy with whatever the judge will rule!!!

A Great Day with a Scary End!

2010-07-13T20:11:00.004+02:00

The visiting girls went home yesterday and today we already got another sleep over guest!:)

I think i could start to advertise as a Hotel and make some dosh this way ;) :) :)

No...... Joke aside!

Today was the annual Summer-Adventure Day with my nephew and my mum, we started that a few years ago that during every school break ( if we can manage it) we make a trip out with my lasses and my nephew ( my mum looks after him that's why she is taking part and not my sis ), it's basically simple things such as a boat trip over the lake followed by a short hike and then a BBQ where the kids have to find the wood to burn themselves....or playing outlaws in the forest and the like.......you see no fancy stuff at all, but we quite like these things and frankly don't need to go to expensive places or do stuff that costs an arm and a leg. ( spending money I haven't got anyway, I am very happy to be a mum of such understanding girls!!!!!)

So today , we packed all the gear for snorkelling in the lake and headed to the newly discovered spot where we lit a fire and made ourselves at home for the day. As soon as every thing was set up and we patiently waited for the fire to be right to put our food on to cook, the kids headed into the water for a first dip. I went in too...but just as quick out again...... as it was a few degrees too cold for me :) :) :)

Finally the embers on the fire had just the right temperature and glow and we indulged in some yummy stuff from the 'barbie' .....

We had a good time until then a as Mel was part of it too, Mum, Mel and I had a good natter whilst the kids kept on diving for mussel shells or waited for waves made by passing boats to ride them with thir small boards.

It was really peaceful until approx. 2pm-------when out of the blue Liza got attacked by two ( what we call ) 'fighter dogs' . Liza barked ONCE , just like that...the other two dogs were a good 20 to 30meters away turned on their heel and ran towards Lizzie,and just from the way they came running one could see this is not a friendly encounter!!!! It lasted no longer than two minutes and they were the most scary minutes in my life when we tried to separate the dogs ......Liza tried to come hiding behind me, but the other persevered and chased her and bit her :( :(

Finally I managed to grab Liza by the collar and Mel chased the other dogs away wielding a big stick!

Poor Liza had been bitten several times!!! It was so upsetting for us, the shock of this sudden attack and then see our little mite bleeding from her wounds! She got quite a large wound on the right shoulder ( there were the fur is missing and it's unprotected :( ) and two holes on her left 'forearm' where the other dog almost bit through her leg as well as a few scratches from their claws!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We managed to talk to the owner of the attacking dog and I told her I will go to the vet and she will have to foot the bill!! Luckily our vet told us to come straightaway ,there Liza was examined, treated with antibiotics and luckily didn't need stitches ...but I now have to pierce into the wounds twice a day with a siringue like tool and inject antibiotic cream into it as well giving her antibiotics with her food! She is one really very poorly dog at the moment and you can see she is under the weather!!

But the most upsetting thing was,upon my return to the shore of the lake after the visit to the vet, I learned by onlookers as we all by an aquaintance of mine that this was the THIRD attack like this ( completely unprovoked ) by those dogs where it seems one is more the ringleader and the other just follows..........of course we discussed this and we are now two people who want to take action against the dog and it's owner....coz these 60 kilo fighting machines should at least wear a muzzle when in public places!! There are a lot of kids around there too....what if one squeaks one day the same way Lizzie barked once today........what then ??????

It was sad to have such an end to such a lovely day out!! Lizzie is now sleeping beside me as I write this and I hope .......come tomorrow......... she'll be a little better!

My nephew is now staying over for one night and currently nattering away commenting a Nintendo game with his cousins :) who enjoy his company as well!

We would like to go to the lake again tomorrow...but it all depends on Lizzies well being! And i'll meet again with the other dog owners to discuss the course of action to take against the 'fighter dogs'!!

And another great weekend has passed

2010-07-12T08:35:00.003+02:00

We have our first week of the summer break behind us and it was a very lovely week.

As I already told in the previous post we met up with two nice people from the chatroom on Tuesday..then had a relaxing Wednesday,before we met up with my Mum and Nephew on Thursday afternoon at a shopping mall for our annual traditional lunch at Mc Do :) and showing my Mum the school term reports ( Usually we did this on the last day of term,but had to postpone it)

The kids had loads of vouchers for that Mall as did I and we shopped like mad after all i didnt have to spend much actual money and could pay most with vouchers, I finally have a few new t-shirts that fit ( since i went down from a XXL/XL to an M) as well as a couple of cropped trousers for summer...YAY! The kids indulged themselves in a few new games for their Nintendo DS as well as a few other items:) They had a ball as I let them go to the shops themselves whilst my mum and I did the Grocery shopping.

On Friday we prepped the flat for visitors ( see piccie above) that came to us from Friday night onwards and will go home tonight.

These lasses are some of the best buddies of my lasses, they are sisters as well and all get one really well with each other.

Saturday we went to the lovely place we discovered on Tuesday and had a good day by the shore of the lake, the kids dived for mussel shells almost all day long and seldom were out of the water which was really very warm, so that even I took a dip in it :)

After dinner they started a 'Jewellery Studio' and created with the shells,glass beads and sequins some bracelets and anklechains and the like, I got to say it really looked good and they were occupied all evening long.

Yesterday it looked as if a thunderstorm was brewing and knowing my luck ( very close to Murphy's law) we thought we rather stay home than go to the lake .....grmmmmppfff. So we started to play our own version of Taboo and other games .In the end the weather cleared up again and by then it was too late to go to the lake as it would be overcrowded,no parking space etcetc . So we had a leisurely stroll to a gas station nearby to shop for some ice-cream and then went to cool of in the forest with Liza and had good fun doing it as you can see from the piccie.

Firing up the BBQ grill towards the end of the day and indulging in plenty of food rounded the day off really nicely, the kids then occupied themselves by drawing new fashion clothes.........Gaultier eat your heart out the new generation is up and coming :):):):)

And i had a lovely surprise when a friend just popped by spontaneously for a drink and a natter,as i haven't seen her for some time we had a lovely evening! And as it looks the next weekends will be very similar...we already have been invited to a dinner as well as will meet up on several occasions with friends of ours for a Barbecue and Games Nights and so on and so forth! I feel really spoiled!

Today is business as usual......landry...cleaning and so on before we will go for another dip inthe lake in the afternoon.

Though, I am looking forward to tonight........last week due to several lucky streaks we found an old friend of mine on the internet who i have lost ouf of sight for at least 10 years ( he moved to Asia an'all)

Ha was part of a group of 3 people I spent a lot of time with almost 20years ago for several years, we were a tight knit group and had great times together and the lads of the group were like big brothers ( male presence) in Mel's life since I was a Single Mom back then.

Tonight we will pick him up and drive to a restaurant where the other guy of our group works and he hasn't a clue about the surprise, since he has lost touch with our friend too....sadly the fourth ( a woman) in our circle was untraceable ....according to rumours she bought a van and is currently in Italy. I do hope, however that before our friend heads back to Asia ,to manage to organise a get together of ALL of us :) :)

So thats the latest from here.........stay tuned for more :) :) and have a good start into the new week!!

Enjoying a day out

2010-07-07T09:13:00.003+02:00

Yesterday we met up with two friends which I got to know in a chatroom I frequent. It was the first time we saw each other 'live' and it's always nice to put faces to an internet nickname.

We agreed to go for a BBQ to the shore of the lake not far from where we live. I got to admit I live about 20 years in this region and to my mind I haven't been before at the place we went to.

One friend came all the way from Basel by train, considering he is blind, I think it's no mean feat to travel through CH alone, as well as undertaking this trip just to meet up with us all.

The other person also lives in our region and she was the one who knew the spot we went to.

So when we met up we lugged all our stuff to a nice place at the shore and were able to secure a BBQ spot for us. All of us also own dogs and it was a pleasure to see who well they got on with each other.

The kids had tremendous fun because both of the other dogs took to the water like fishes whereas Liza just went into it knee deep ( her knee deep.. not her humans:) )

Apart from having her lunch, when the meat was ready Nadine spent the whole day in the water, throwing sticks and toys for the two other dogs to fetch and had really great fun at doing so. Celine also went along with that for some time but then opted to be with us grown ups and have a natter.

It was nice company and just the once Liza went into a fight with one of the other dogs and spots now pierced ear.....we're still debating whether we want to put an earring in :) :) :)

I was totally knackered when we went home again by 6pm...although i didn't do much apart from talking,eating and basking in the sun...

We ended the day all snuggled up in the living room reading our new books from the library,which was very cozy .

We'll definitelly head again to that place on the shore of the lake during our hols...the dog can roam free ( almost all other places demand dogs to be on a leash all the time),as you see from the pic it has a kind of pebble beach to go into the lake, the water is really clean there ( no debris floating about) and to top it off it has a lot of places to BBQ should we fancy it. BLISS!!!

a ''warning''....:) :)

2010-07-05T07:50:00.004+02:00

.......it's just that the school holidays have started here and we are now looking forward to six weeks of fun, dolce far niente and many activities together and thus I don't think I will be a lot of time sitting behind the lappy and be more out and about ( unless it rains:) )

After a very busy few weeks leading up to the holidays, which saw us tying lose ends ( for the school), me prepping and holding a lecture,cooking with Mel as caterersor a do and so on,we want to have quality time together now.

I can also report that the kids brought home really good term reports........and I had a lovely surprise when seeing Celine's report was better than I expected..........the average of all 11 notes in her report is 4.90 ( in CH 6 ist best, 1 is the worst) and Nadine's average out of her 6 notes is even 5.25 !!!! Nadine didn't get a mark for PE, her teacher wrote a nice few lines that she is making progress and that he didn't mark her coz of her handicaps but is happy to see how she tries all the time to take part and to do well!! Really happy about that!

So today sees us getting on top of the chores in the house and garden , laundry ,cleaning the flat and other such fun :) for us then to be able to enjoy the rest of the week for which we have already made plans until next weekend ......with a few BBQ's and sleep overs and the like thrown in.

So stay tuned...I will update and tell you all what we've been up to when I get the time to ...just so you know now why I won't post often :):)

Have a good summer an' all!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZA!!!

2010-06-25T13:39:00.004+02:00

So....... on June 25th Liza turned ( an estimated) 2 years :) :) Since she was a rescue dog the vet in Greece had to estimate her age and put that date into her passport.

It's roughly a little longer than 4 months since she lives with us and we wouldn't want to miss her, she has brought so much good to us all, just by being her and here ! Of course my days, are now much busier coz the time I 'lose' when walking her twice a day I have to somehow catch up again,which means less chatting and online time ( I think I survive that one easily) and more running around to get all the daily chores done. But it's all well worth everything!

We love you Lizzie!!!

Of course all the lasses wanted to spoil her on her special day and here is Mel presenting her with a gift,which Queen Liza gracefully accepted:) She got a bag of Munchies from her.

Here's Nadine presenting her with a gift.......Liza has a somewhat destructive streak sometimes , nothing bad mind you........but she chewed up all her furry animals she had in her basket, so Nadine gave her a new one and we already bet that it won't survive a month in its entirety :)

As you can see, she quickly took to her new toy, which is the spitting image of the one she chewed up:)

And last but not least, Céline presented her with a big,big bone to chew on, a gift that Liza tasted immediately and gave her approval ,by eating half the ginourmous bone :)

We feel GLAM :)

2010-06-19T12:56:00.004+02:00

Céline and I just returned from the hairdressers...whilst I just had the high-lights redone and the tips cut off ( so all the same as before ,just neater) she opted for an amazing new style which suits her really well :) next week we will purchase some dark chocholate coloured tint and cange the colour ourselves :.........

The Turtles have gone to.......

2010-06-18T16:26:00.003+02:00

......a new home !

Long time readers of my 'old' Blog will have read the story about how Mel , smuggled 4 teensy tiny yellow bellied slider turtles (Trachemys scripta scripta) to Swissland about three years ago:) She went to Spain with her then boyfriend and upon spotting those on a Market Stall in Barcelona she HAD T HAVE THEM...........needless to mention I was mightily surprised when she took a small carrier aquarium out of the bag in which she carried them back home......

Of course we all fell in Love with them head over heels and the girls and I often enjoyed just lying in front ofthe aquarium and watching them paddle around. It was really very relaxing......although,despite them being Mel's turtles.............. guess WHO had to clean them often and change their water and so on and so forth, it was reason for many a discussion and 'fight'with Mel, oI was of the opinion if you own a pet yu take over the responsibilty for it an look after them properly ........

So at the beginning of this year I asked Mel to move the Aquarium from the living room to her bedroom, for one reason so I wouldn't feel pity all the time for the poor critters when they again had to swim in darkish, gunky water and didn't feel compelled anymore to do Mel's work, but also in agreement with my passion for Feng Shui. Turtles in general are said to bring good luck to a home under Feng Shui rules, but it's also important that the aquarium is placed in an according space or it won't work and luckily Mel's room was just the place for them to be :) :)

Well, it did the trick in a way.....in the end Mel got fed up ( also coz i didn't stop nagging about changing the water etc ;) ;) ;) ) and has found new owners for the turtles,who in all those years have grown very much as well and last Wednesday they were picked up by their new owners and I hope they will have a long and healthy life in their new Home. In a way I was relieved that they went,but on the other hand I grew attached to them over the years and I was also sad to see them go.

Off i go now to look for some photos to add to the blog ......

Have I got news for you ????

2010-06-14T13:45:00.003+02:00

Well not much apart from the usual after-weekend-dribble :)

But we had a mightily good time, in fact without exxagerating I think I haven't had such a nice evening in ages as I did past Saturday.

Though it was with a laughing and crying eye, last weekend was the Wigan Bop ( that's close to Manchester) and for various reasons I couldn't attend.......and be with my Boley Mates, some of whom I really do miss greatly and look forward to hug them close very very soon again ( hopefully!!)

Ah well, I wont sweat over it, we had a great time anyway ...........

We went to see the kids mates and their parents....initially for a cup of coffee and a natter.....and then we got invited spontaneously for a BBQ that night. So I went home and got some meat for us, prepped quickly three salads to donate for the buffett and headed back again.

The kids in the meantime enjoyed a splash around with their friendsin the generously sized pool :) Thank god they are roughly all of same height and weight, so we could borrow the swimming gear from them, as we didn't take any with us, coz when we left here it was all grey in grey and quite cold... only a 15 minute drive away from us the weather was completely different .............

It was the first time for Liza that we stayed somewhere different from home for such a long time, it all went really well apart from two times when she made off through a tiny gap in the fence:) Bless her, it's a farmers village where we were and there were so many things to see and smell for her and she had that urge to go and inquire :)

I sort of anticipated something like that would happen and took the 10 meter leash with me, with which we kept her from further exploring trips:) She also got on well with the dog of our hosts and was happy when she was cuddled by all the guests who later turned up as well........come 9pm the kids thought they wanted another dip in the pool............... which they did for almost an hour :) :) :) and then finished off the fun with a stint in the whirlpool before drying off and having dessert with us again. Us grown ups had a great time chatting and listening to music and talking . In the end we arrived home, tired but really happy around midnight:)

Sunday was a lazy day again, the kids slept in until noon, during that peace and quiet I enjoyed finishing a book from the library and had a looonng walk with Lizzie in the peaceful forest.

In the afternoon, we got surprised by a thunderstorm on our walk and I was soaked wet through and through :( :( but the good thing is that Lizzie is now sparkling clean again as well :) :)

After I had dried myself off ,I had a cup of hot coffee to warm up and we had our ''Z'vieri'' ( a small repast around four o'clock, usually sweet) .......then played some games since it was still awfully wet outside and finally enjoyed a DVD cuddled all together on the sofa, it was really cosy!

The kids thought the DVD to be hilarious ....I didn't like it as much.......it was a Swiss made film and comedy ( Achtung Fertig Charlie)...but I got to say the Swiss simply have no clue about comedy and such stuff, and they should have a look at the UK comedy scene and copy some stuff from there ........might do them some , no a lot of , good!!!!

have a nice week everyone!!

I must be stupid or a sucker for punishment:) :)

2010-06-08T16:17:00.003+02:00

GRIN, it's half as serious as it may sound actually.....you know I do have my fixed weekly to-do-chores-plan, which I follow quite closely , coz since we have aquired Liza I have a little less time to spend on household duties and stuff and I found with a set plan of weekly chores, I actually get everything done in time and won't be stressed and have enough me or free time for other things.

So my week starts usually on Monday with my laundry day ( in Swissland in rented accomodation you get your weekly slot to do your laundry on a set day) and then I also clean the flat thoroughly............

Tuesday is ironing, folding laundry and every fortnight cleaning the stairwells as well........and so on and so forth..... for every weekday there's a chore.

So yesterday I gave the flat a good shine and polish and marvelled at the smell and look of all the shiny surfaces :) :) :) :)

Only to find this morning , Liza had an 'accident' during the night and as soon as I cleaned that up again, she went out on the Balcony and dug about 3 kKilo of soil out of my biggest plant pot .....and calmly walked in again ....putting foor prints all over the bloody-not-so-shiny-anymore floor........Grrrrrmmmppppffff

And to top it off, she emitted a terrible smell after our afternoon walk ( though I haven't seen her wallow in mud or any such thing!) so Doggie got put into the tub and was given a good scrub down and shampoo........she smells nice now and her coat is all shiny ........but.........the flat................looks a .................mess...........AGAIN!!!!

So if you come to visit me this week you know why it looks like a pirates den here :) :) :) :) coz I really have seen enough hoovering,dustpans and brushes and mops and whatever to last me for the entire week:)

And on the good news ffront, Nadine who is always teaching tricks to Lizzie has finally achieved her to accept to play ball, she isn't afraid of it anymore!!!!! WELL DONE Nadine,I am very very very proud of you !!!!!!

Céline's Moment of Fame

2010-06-05T08:22:00.003+02:00

Fist song playing Keyboard surrounded by two of her best friends

Here she had a Solo Part to sing and did really well !!! Am very proud of her!!

She was styled by Melanie who went to great effort to assemble the outfit and make up and so on , Céline was visibly happy about how she looked and i couldn't agree more that she looked great!

Céline and her personal Stylist, Mel..........aren't we posh :) :) :)

Here I am again, the cold has almost gone and we are back in fighting spirit :)

Yesterday, Céline had a moment of Fame at the local school concert, since she joined fifth grade she has been part of a band of her Schoolyear,following the footsteps of Melanie. Every year end of May/beginning of June the School organises a so called 'Band Fest' where our local schoolbands as well as those from surrounding villages perform what they have learnt during the past year. It's a lovely atmosphere there, with food stalls and game zones, jumping castles and what not.

We are looking forward to a great weekend as the sun has FINALLY come out and it's promising to get very warm an all!! YAY! I am sure we will all have a very good time together!!

out of order........

2010-05-31T14:03:00.003+02:00

.......me that is .........

The whole of last week I just felt a little bit under the weather, starting with that headache on Pentecost Monday...and lo and behold Saturday saw me develop a full blown cold ..........grrmmmppppfff

Am grumpy and very much so ...it's over a year ago that I was 'properly' ill the last time and I hate to be bogged down by a bacteria/virus whatever, and not being able to function properly :(

I hope it blows over soon, in the meantime I am drinking tea à go go and look well after myself to be back on track very very soon again!

we had a good time

2010-05-25T11:18:00.003+02:00

The past weekend was, as you well know, Pentecost, which is a public Holiday in Switzerland and the country shuts down for three days almost completely. We had a very good time, and enjoyed the peace and quiet that surrounded the house.

On Sunday we went for a very long family walk through the forest and I am still happy and glowing from it, it was just wonderful , we ended the walk at a Restaurant for an Ice Cream and I think I can say we all enjoyed it!! The walk as well as the company with each other.

Yesterday we should have gone on a small-ish bike tour, since Nadine got her new bike on Saturday, but I had to cancel it in the end as I had a bout of headache....I seldom suffer from it ... but when .....then

So I took care to get well and prepare the food for the BBQ in the evening.

I prepared several different meats, cut to double bite size ,as well as a few vegetables and every guest could prepare their own skewer with what they fancied best.

I marinated the meat and it was simply delicious ......

Chicken was with a Honey and lemon zest & juice/lemonpepper marinade, sounds awfully sweet but it isn't
Pork got a dash of maple syrup and thyme as well as spices to soak in
Beef got a mustard and herb treatment
Lamb was marinated with a teeny dash of brandy,rosemary and garlic

Alongside we had spare ribs and chicken legs as well as potaoto salad and curried sweetcorn salad

Today i am just glad that it is my laundry day and i have to go down and climb up several stairs in our house to do our laundry,,,coz as you may guess.. I/ we ate far too much yesterday :) :) :) :)

Have a good day you all!!

edit at 6 pm :) I also cleaned the flat thouroughly, finished with a weeks worth of laundry, cleaned the two stairwells and halls as well as mowed the lawn ...I hope the scales will be nice to me tomorrow morning ;) :)

Boulders

2010-05-17T17:13:00.004+02:00

What is it with Boulders.................that kids and dogs miraculously get attracted ............to climb upon them :) ????

Since our forest was once covered by a glacier in jurassic or so times, we got plenty of those erratic blocks of various sizes dotted through the Forest .........

Here's Celine and Liza on top of a smaller one,taken on our walk together last Sunday ....we had an ace time ......!!!!

Oh and btw......Lizzie and I succesfully finished the mandatory doghandler course last Saturday....now we have really complied with all the laws and regulations in Swissland to be able to keep a dog :) :) WOWEEEEEEE!!!!

Random and Miscellanous Stuff

2010-05-11T17:03:00.004+02:00

Well , I promised you a long overdue pic of Liza :) and here it is, taken on a stroll in the Forest with Nadine :) I quite enjoy, especially over the weekend, to take just one of the two legged lasses when walking the four legged lass :) it's quality time that I get to spend with the girls and whilst we walk we can talk about everything and anything and I am pretty certain this is fortifying the bond between us as well! But of course we enjoy it just as much when we are out and about as a family !!!

Remember that sumptuous Apple Pie à la mode de Céline,a few posts back?? We gave it another try and this was even better...we cut the apples in smaller chunks and just made a plain meringue to go on top, it was much better, the apples oozed more juice and the fluffiness of the meringue complimented that perfectly ...we certainly want to keep on experimenting with this.

Last Sunday was Mothers Day in Switzerland and I got spoiled rotten by my family :) It was really funny, at 7a.m. I got up to walk the dog quickly over the road for her morning wee, then read the Sunday Paper and at 8a..m Nadine sent me to bed again :) :) :) :) so that they were able to serve me a cup of coffee at the bed side ;) ;) ;) to which I duly obliged!!

Of course Liza wanted to be in it on everything :) :) our very own Hound of Baskerville :) judging by this almost scary pic, my software doesn't let me correct those white eyes.....if anyone knows of a software that allows to correct that, please let me know!! As I have a few, nice photos of Liza,but these eyes are scary, so I can not put them on here, coz I don't want to be held responsible for your nightmares:)

From Melanie, I already got on Saturday that bunch of lovely (and smelling ) Roses,because she had to work on Sunday , she also brought me a large twig of a pale yellow Lily, which just starts to open its buds and fills the flat with a lovely smell !!

My Mothering Sunday cup of coffee , served in my favourite mug, and some toast with honey and a pic Celine drew of me :) and it's a very good likeness don't you think so as well?? Nadine went ouside and picked a few flowers with which they also decorated my early morning treat:)

These are the gifts they made at school ,they are two garlands of hearts made from felt and in the foreground is a pic of Nadine how she sees me, now before you start to wonder if I have transformed,let me explain it to you . Not only has she mixed the Feng Shui animals ( dragon, phenix, turtle, tiger) into one , but she drew a top where she incorporated all the Karma Colours too. One mighty powerful pic!!!!!

So,thats the News from our Manor .....we're are looking forward to a Bank Holiay in Switzerland over the coming weekend and we already have a lot of plans..........for one of visitors who come to see us as well as people we will go to see, the girls will also go away for a sleep over and before we can say BOO....the four days will be over way too quick....but I am sure will have been enjoyed by us all. I just hope the weather gods get their act together, coz we'd really like to finish the weekend off with a BBQ....Fingers Crossed!!

I think I should ....

2010-05-05T11:20:00.002+02:00

........re-name the Blog to something like ....'her, who never updates '....' lady non-chatterbox' or something along that line :)

Don't you think so as well?

In fact I haven't even got much News to tell or share , we are all fine and well AND healthy ( touch wood) I do get on well with all my chores that I hae picked up again and the dog,as per usual takes up most of my time.

I had to intensify the training with her and am still doing it , indoors as well as outdoors, because I am determined to reach that goal in the end and have a well trained and behaved dog.

She is still a lovely 'mutt', won't say something against her at all, but it just shows all the time that she hasn't had a proper education in her life so far ,but Liza is continually progressing and if fills me still with joy to see how she comes along and learns something every day.

An the other good thing is, since we got Liza,I have seldom been in town and thus was able to save up a little money which will go towards a new bicycle for Nadine, who has grown so much that she has outgrown her push-bike now :)

Also my Feng Shui stuff comes along nicely and you really feel a difference in our flat now and I intend to keep that up as well and keep on learning as much as I can, because I feel we all benefit from it greatly.

Furthermore I have been booked again as 'Party service' for a family do of a friend of mine in June,don't know yet what they want me to prepare ,but all this really gives me a boost !!!

I hope you all are just as well as we are and keep on checking in here, I will try to post some new photos soon :) :)

ta ra

Céline's sumptuous Applepie

2010-04-28T18:13:00.005+02:00

So Celine and I wanted to experiment a little and this is the result :)

A sumptuous Appplepie

We lined a deep round baking tray with parchement, placed shortcrust pastry in it, then layered some sliced and cored apples on top, scattered it with a few small dark chocolate cubes, poured an eggyolk/milk mix seasoned with vanilla on top....... and covered it all with an almond flavoured meringue......baked it for roughly 40 minutes and this is the result .

This is how it came out the oven

And a slice ......it was luvverly to say the least, apple juice, chocloate and egg/milk mix married well together and oozed out when we cut the pie and the meringue looks dry on the pic but was anything but :) simply lovely

Edit: It's even better the day after,,the eggymix has turned into a custard........yummy !!

I don't know why ...

2010-04-25T11:38:00.002+02:00

.....but recently I get the feeling that time is just flying past and I find myself at weekends wondering where has the time all gone and what did I do the past week :)

Of course I don't mind it much ,it's better this way than having too much time one ones' hands to think and mull over stuff.........

Of course a lot of my/our recent busy-ness has to do with Liza , who takes up a big chunk of our time,but the rewards we got from her are immeasureable.

We're making good progress and I intent to keep up lessons with the dog trainer after we finish the mandatory doghandlers course, I realise despite having looked after a few dogs in my time....my experience is null and void when it comes to our Lizzie.....she is not only a new page in our lives but a whole new book.......waiting to be filled :)

It shows more clearly now that she didn't have a proper training as such, but we are very proud to report that she is a fast learner and does often much better than me during lessons, there is so much one has to remember .........sequences of orders and exercises to be done with her .......do it wrong and you cause a problem for you and the dog ..........however,we make good progress and we can be really proud of what we achieved in the short time she is with us.

We can barely remember life pre-Lizzie :) :) she has become everybodies darling :)

The downside of lack of spare time is I can't spend as much time as I used to emailing and chatting with my mates........and I hope they understand why ......it's not that I don't want to know them anymore or have given up on friendships........i simply don't have as much time to be online ,which in itself isn't a bad thing......but still......so come the next rainy day, I will finally see to pay ALL my email debts ........bear with me :):)

Off I go again.........we're going out shortly for a leisurely walk and some quality family time :)

See ya' then ...have a good week everybody!!

Finally .....

2010-04-24T18:16:00.003+02:00

.........inaugurating our new BBQ grill:) looking forward to a feast to say the least :)

Ladies Night

2010-04-22T11:21:00.006+02:00

I got spoiled :) by my guests ...a little bird has told them that yellow is my fave colour as well as 'mums my fave flowers:) :) The Calla is really a yellow to die for......... so beafutiful!!!

We had an absolutely wonderful evening with our guests and enjoyed a proper
Ladies ' n' Lasses night.

Below you see the piccies of the food....now do get me right please....I am not very happy with the meal and i am by no means talking myself or my ability down at all...it's just I realise........ I am out of the loop/training or whatever you want to call it. It was yummy all the same but to me it had more flaws ( ever the perfectionist) ...but those who are my long term readers and knew the old blog , know that iI AM better than this poor delivery below!!! And this is the standard I want to get back to asap!!!

So my remedy to get back on semi-pro cooking standard track is to host a lot more such dinners :) ;)

The Ladies and I already agreed on topic nights of ; Thai, Mexican,Indian and Chinese to be held during this year .........sooooo..... any takers for a dinner at mine soon and act as a guinea pig or laboratory mouse to help me to get back on almost-perfect-cooking track ???????

Cooking up a storm:)

2010-04-21T10:47:00.002+02:00

Tonight I will have two friends round with their daughters for a kind of Ladies Night and good food :) wine , games ( the lasses) gassing ( the moms :) )

I am so looking forward to be in the kitchen almost all day and I hope the menu will please my guests:)

We'll have

Creamy Saffron Soup

*****
Tartare of smoked Salmon in a Crepe
A little tower of mousse of smoked trout
and this on salad garnish
*****

Loin of Pork wrapped in Bacon
Wild garlic Bearnaise Sauce
Potato Croquettes
and a small arrangement of vegetables
**********
Cheeseplate with ( my fave)

Mousse of Gorgonzola with Honey and several other cheeses,fruits and nuts
*****
White chocolate flan
Black choccie mousse with chili
Raspberries and marinated trawberries
******

I hope i won't forget to make photos of the dishes before serving ;) so you can look forward to some hopefully great looking pics tomorrow :)

Cheerio

It's over :)

2010-04-18T14:53:00.003+02:00

...correctly I should have written they're over........the holdays that is :)

We had another smashing week and today we're enjoying the last day of the spring break.

It was another busy week too, on Monday the kids went for a sleep over to friends and one of the girls they visited, then asked to stay the night with us from Tuesday to Wednesday. Mel had friends round Monday night for a DVD night and a sleep over, both her friends are chefs as well so I got treated to a simple but yummy lunch on Tuesday.

The weather wasn't its usual sunny best on Wednesday so the girls opted for a bit of practical chemistry, Celine got a set to grow her own crystals ......apparently they did mix the two wrong liquids together so we haven't seen a glimmer of a crystal yet and come the next rainy day, we'll repeat the experiments.

Parallely they are also trying to assemble a puzzle with 1'500 parts,which we want to frame and hang up in Nadine's room once its finished.

Thursday another friend, from the chatroom I frequent, came to have lunch with us and on Friday my mum and my nephew graced us with their presence,for a day of fun & play amongst cousins whilst mum and I had a good long walk with Liza in the forest.

Saturday I had first my dear neighbour D. round, followed seamlessly by a coffee and cake moment with my best mate .......

No, we are not exhausted, we enjoyed it all immensely and due to the fact of having so many people round and spending a good time with them the second week passed like a flash and now we have to get ready and gear ourselves up for the daily treadmill which awaits us again from tomorrow onwards.

On Saturday I also attended the second part of the dog handlers course.....and now I know it black on white LOL ....I am apparently a wayyyy toooo niiiiicceee and considerate person over all...and I need to become much more firm with the dog or we will have problems one day with her ........hmmmmmmmmm, don't know how I can do that,coz it's not in my nature at all...but in this case needs must and I will really try to do my best ...which will also be the best for the dog :) :)

Liza did really well in the course as did I ( so I am not as stupid as I thought I was ;) ;) ) today I repeated the lesson with her on our walk in the forest and I could already see a tad of progress in her following my commands, so I will try to exercise with her everyday one or two of the things she's got to learn on our daily walks.

I'll let you know how we progress :)

So i bid you good bye for today :) and wish you all a wonderful start into the new week!!!

Holidays :)

2010-04-10T18:05:00.005+02:00

The reason for my not posting during the past week is simple, the kids are on their spring break off school for two weeks and we had a ball in the first week which has passed quicker than we would have liked it to pass:) there is only one more week left and I hope we will have the same good time again!!

So let me start with Easter :) we did celebrate it........ just a little.....for many reasons, but one of them being I am not a believer and christian as such anymore......if i had to describe a religion for me it would be a cross between Wicca-Pagan-Shaman...but certainly nothing to do with what we know as Christendom!!!!

So come Easter Saturday, Celine went to her bosom buddy for the day and Nadine and I inaugurated the Transport Box with Lizzie and took her into town and the library for the first time, it all went really well! In the evening the kids painted a few Easter Eggs ....

So that come Easter Sunday we could start the day in typical Swiss fashion with 'Eiertütsche'.....this could be roughly translated as hitting eggs :):) each 'contender' holds a painted egg, tip side up and they get knocked together.....then round side up with both eggs and then tip over round side so you do it 4 times....the egg that cracks is the loser :) there is nothing to win for the winner,its just fun in a way. So we had a good easter brunch with eggs and cold meats and cheese. In the afternoon we lasses went for a long and fun-ladden and wonderful walk through the sunny forest

Our dear Neighbour D. lent us a few DVD's so we enjoyed watching a comedy one and then had Easter Dinner of chicken Stroganoff and Rice and afterwards watched another DVD together, it was a really cozy day and gave us all a feeling of togetherness.

Eastermonday , saw us doing laundry as every week and cleaning the flat etc. in the afternoon we went for a stroll through our village to the trainstations' shop to get a dessert , Celine came on inline skates, Nadine with her kickboard and I walked with the dog. Again we had a fun time.

From Tuesday onwards it really kicked off :) I had visitors and/or dates every day ...I met up with two people I know from the chatroom I frequent and had a super time every time with them......then my neighbour popped by and other friends showed their faces here :) it was really ace!! And if everything we planned respectively all visitors who announcend themselves for next week will really pop by ...we will have an equally busy week :) and we are looking forward to that, the only 'bad' thing with it will be, that the time will again pass way too quick and the springbreak holidays will be over way too soon.......

Today we attended the first leg of the mandatory practical course and I got to say Lizzie gets an A+* mark whereas I was really the dumb one........ LOL......however after the trainer showed me what she exactly wanted me to do..then...... even I grasped it :) and we will do the exercises now several times a day as homework and then look forward to the next leg of the course in Saturday week.

On the Lizzie front are not many News to report, she is our and everybodies Darling, all people who meet her fall instantly in love with her :) :)

The foodball I bought for her some time ago is getting more interest and attention and she is not that scared of balls in general anymore and I hope in time ,we will even be able to teach her to play ....what ever it is...she already loves running after sticks we throw for her and often picks them up too...but has not yet grasped to retrieve and bring it back to us...but we have such a looonnnngg time before us where we will teach her that as well.

The most fun she and we have,is when we play hide and seek in the forest :)

She also has turned out to be a little 'lumberjack' ....forresters have cut down a big chunk of thick forest ( i still doubt it has to do with the motorway they are building...grrrrmmmmmpppf)and they let the saplings etc lie where they felled them...so as you can see Lizzie loves her sticks to be biiiiiiggg:) and she also loves to chew on them !

So all's well in Swissland and I will see to post an equally good report next week!!

Have a good weekend and week everyone!!

A Bargain

2010-04-03T07:56:00.004+02:00

I struck gold, well symbolically speaking:) The Swiss law requires dogs to be secured in a car the same way as Kids, so I knew I had to get some form of security restraint for Liza. Since our car hasn't got a backbench like others i had to get a transportbox of some kind to be able to travel around with the car AND dog :)

Sadly the really good metal transport boxes are way out of my budget ( for the time being,am saving up for one) So I went onto a swiss ebay style site ,found this box and put my bid in ...in the end I won it for 35 Francs instead of shop price of 169 CHF :) It's brandspanking new and a kind of multipurpose box:)but the surprise was great when upacked, I bid for a box in bright red and when we got that one ........it's the same colour as your car :):):):):) a funny coincidence really.

Liza has taken to the box well and we had it in the living room for her to get a aquainted with it and as you can see from the pic above she took to it really well and has snoozed in there too.

Over the weekend it will be inaugurated for the intended purpose....although we don't know yet where we want to go :):):):):)

Crikey where has the time gone:)

2010-03-30T16:42:00.003+02:00

It's not out of laziness or not enough topics to blather on about......no absolutely not...but since Liza is living with us I am not as much online as I used to be, which in itself is a really good thing:)

She still makes lots of progress, but I have found a few things we really have to work hard with her and if need be doing a kind of therapy course.

Do get me right, I am not complaining but merely stating a fact, she is the sweetest of dogs and a real gem .....when she wants to be that is.......

I presume a lot of the problems , especially when encountering other dogs on our walks in the forest have much to do with her life so far on the roads of Athens, so one thing is to seek more dogowners to walk with, to get her 'socialized' more with other dogs and make her see not all are enemies and that she doesn't need to fight anymore. She will never forget what she has endured when she was a stray dog and what that was, we can only guess and will never know for good. Sadly she is to old for a puppy play group, as they are called, but I am sure I will find a way to get her to accept more dogs around her.

I have read so far a gazilion books about dog handling and I follow the advice given almost to the letter and I make sure that I am not confusing Lizzie, but keep to a/one 'line' and most importantly of all be consequent, but I feel I am not doing enough, it has got better since I have changed a few things.......but the main problem is her thickheadedness when I call her to come to me when she is off leash.

According to the lady who taught me the theory lessons of the mandatory doghandling course,who said that if a dog is called he/she should without fail react and come back to me, and not have a sniff here and there before deciding to follow the command,this is, and I see it the same way, a major security issue as well....and here I mean security for the dog and not me!!!

So I feel I need some help in achieving, that Lizie follows orders on the spot, she does already quite well when not disturbed by anything...but just another person(without dog even) passing us, distracts her so much she is not listening properly ....:( :(

So after I finish the practical part of the doghandlers course, I will see to book us into an OBEDIENCE course, where I should get proper help and advice to reach my goal with Lizzie,until then I will of course keep up working with her myself.....I can see it helps as well,but not as much as I'd like to.........or.............am I too impatient.........readers with dogs please comment :):):)

Other than that, we are all fine, the kids are passing the last few days at school before the Spring break,which we already have made a few plans for :):)

Due to our very dire financial situation, we won't do costly things,but we plan to go inline skating on the shore of the lake ( here or Neuchatel).

That is, Celine and I will be inline skating, Nadine hates it with a passion and is also very scared doing it, so she will be designated doghandler and whilst we race around, she will walk with the dog at a slower pace and everyone will be happy.

I also found I had some tickets for the local indoor pool left, so if the weather is bad we'll go splashing about for a couple of hours in the pools.

If the weather is fine we want to go on a hike through our forest and then have a BBQ somewhere at one of the many fireplaces dotted around in the forest.

We got a few more plans like that lined up and what we can't do now ,we'll save for the summer holidays.

I have started to write again my columns, but now have hit like a writers block and the inspiration has vanished...I hope it'll return, coz I used to love my writing and pouring out my knowledge onto paper, or into the wordprocessor for that matter.

The other thing that has come back and STAYED is my love for cooking, I am spending hours again prepping some feasts and creating new recipes etc. It really feels good to be back at the helm of the hob:):):):) Andi was able so far to stick to my new years resolution of having at least once a month some guests to spoil with food, which I have to say even surpassed :):):) Am a happy bunny
!!

So expect over time new recipes as well as piccies of yummy dishes :)

Thats all!

Lizzie updates

2010-03-23T18:05:00.007+01:00

I have been a very busy gal and I have loadsa good News in regards to our little black devil :) who's an Angel really :)

So where shall I start:) We have now got to a good routine all together from morning to noon to night ..Lizzie's seldom alone and if, it's only for short periods of time, usually on thursdays when I do our weekly grocery shopping,then she is alone at home for a little over an hour and a half and it always goes well, I think she has now realised our daily routines, when the kids are going to school and when they are off, or stuff like my thursday shopping.....aye we're fairly predictable as a family ;) ;)

It has been a month on March 19th that she is with us and we all think she has been with us forever already :) we can not imagine our lives now without her and we all love her to bits and thus have to take care to not spoil her too much to get a 'crazy' dog :)... but I think there is not much danger of that.

We all have trained with her during the past weeks and she now listens to ALL important commands and we keep on working on the less important ones. My experiment with the long leash has paid off and since Sunday I can let her off the leash in the forest and it really goes well!!

She has aquired an admirer who lives close to us and its a joy to see them both play and how overjoyed they are when they meet on our walks:) He is an Irish Setter and more often than not chooses to walk with us than with his master LOL Luckily I now know where they live so I can hand the dog back to his owner when he chooses to follow us ......

Its a good sign when a dog can completely relax where she lives and this is one of her less complicated and awkward positions of relaxing, sometimes she lies in a way you get back ache , a stiff neck and limbs just by LOOKING at her an imagining that you would have to lie like that :):)

We have been blessed with a few spring days,warmth ,sunshine and blue skies as far as the eye can see, she has adopted two spots on the balcony one like on the pic she uses to relax only and the other is her watch post.I think the fact that we live close to a main road and train track has helped tremendously to work towards her fear of said vehicles and she is now reacting almost normal when a train passes or a bus ,regardless if she sees and hears them from atop the balcony or if we pass them at street level.

Of all the lasses,Nadine is the one that plays with her most and has teached her to 'give a paw' as well as a few other tricks,it's a joy to watch them, I sometimes wonder who has more fun the dog or the girl :):)

Our next step is to help Liza to lose her fear of balls.....we presume she hates and is scared of them coz she had stones etc thrown at her in Greece ( to shoo her away or chase her off) so i bought an ingenious toy for dogs...a ball you fill with 'goodies' ( small cookies etc) and it has an opening that you can adjust, so when you roll it over the floor occasionally one of them 'goodies' fall out for her to enjoy and she likes her food :) :)

Oh and in regards to that, I am pleased to report that she now has well filled out, her ribcage and hipbones are not protruding as extremely as they did a month ago and she is slowly getting to her normal weight. She loves pasta and hates vegetables...I hid cooked carrots in her food and like a fussy baby, she carefully placed EACH piece of carrot beside her bowl before she ate her portion:):):)

You can tell...she is a great source of joy to ALL of us!!!

Whoops :)

2010-03-11T17:52:00.003+01:00

I just realised I haven't posted anything for a few days:):)

SORREEEEE!

Was quite busy lately, but enjoyed my busy-ness as well.

I am juggling a few things at once and the dog takes up a lot of my time too, but it's all well and we are all fine.

My project is coming along nicely and I am also researching currently a topic for an NST column...that is if they still want to publish my scriblings after the gap year I took.

My ancient online cook book on Yahoo has been re-opened as well and I hope will attract over time again people interested in Swiss Food and other Swiss related stuff such a customs and traditions and it also gives me an incentive to start writing for that as well.

I almost can't believe it...but that groups is now in its 11th year( well the original one had to be 'culled' , coz of 'adult' people joining in there and spoiling it with what they thought to be funny..... TWATS)

I have to smile a lot when I flick through the pages, you can see how my English knowledge developed over the years, even I can spot my own mistakes now :):):)

I was only taught English for, I think, three years in secondary school ....the rest I learnt on my own via various means and I admit I am quite proud of myself about the level I reached !

And prouder still that my love for this language has rubbed off onto the lasses and they did and still do well at school when it comes to English!!

Liza News:

Having mastered the basic commands quite well.....Nadine is now teaching her to do tricks and it's a joy to watch these two 'training' you can see that the dog enjoys that as much as Nadine :)

If she keeps on behaving this well when out with the long leash I think she can soon be let off it completely and THEN she can finally enjoy our walks a 100% :)

well thats it for now.. have a good evening everyone:)

another master chef in the making and other foodie stuff

2010-03-08T10:53:00.005+01:00

We had a lovely relaxing weekend and I have got a few News as well......

On Sunday we received visit of my godson, who had celebrated his birthday a few days before....so Céline baked a Chocolate Chip Cake and it was delicious,finger lickingly good really!
We had a good time that afternoon, I could catch up with my friend as well whilst the kids played and Liza has got three new Fans :):)

My book project is advancing....only ahem....... it'll be a booklet:) and it'll be alike a food term dictionary in English/French/High German and Swiss German, and if everything works out well, Italian too.

It's an everygreen topic on the English Forum,on which I am helping Expats as well,about what food stuff is called here......

For my Silverspoon Yahoogroup I created once a kind of food dictionary on Excel sheet and each sheet was dedicated to a topic such as 'Bread and Bakery' or 'Herbs and Spices' and over the 10 years it existed constantly added words to it when I came across them. Now this will be completed as good as I can and then printed or photocopied and simply bound to be sold at cost ( just to cover the expenses) and hopefully then will help new arrivals here to find what they want in grocery stores.

I am on a real roll here and really chuffed about the interest i already got for it :)

So that's it from me, back to the Monday treadmill now .......laundry,cleaning and other such interesting chores want to be done:):)

Have a good week!!

A fast learner

2010-03-06T17:47:00.003+01:00

I hope you are not yet fed up to read me gushing about our dog :):)

Today we reached another goal, or I should say we are on the way to it.

I bought a training leash yesterday and this afternoon we inaugurated it, this is a very thin leash of 12 metres/36ft lenght and you use it to train the dog slowly but surely to come off the normal leash. If you look closely on the photo you can almost spot it in the snow :):)

It gives the dog more space to move and makes her feel as if she is unattached.....during the walk you frequently call the dog either by its name or with your order of 'COME' and of course praise the animal every time it does it and at the beginning it also gets a goodie when following the order and thus you can teach it to come to you when you call it, very important in dangerous situations etc. and in general a dog should listen to its owner anyway when he calls the animal.

I am pleased to report that Liza did really well, only when there was something more interesting such as other people nearby or she HAD TO sniff at a place she didn't follow my commands, but apart from that she did really well!!! The regular commands she knows and follows now up to 85% and I think it's a big achievement if you consider she only is with us for a little over three weeks.

......reports one mightily proud doggie mum:):):)

Writing again

2010-03-04T19:04:00.003+01:00

It's really on the up again,that life of mine....I have re-checked into the English Forum ,where I was a very active partaker and helper since 2006 and am also taking up writing columns again ...so watch this space:)

It feels as if everything fell back into place and feels good on top of that!!!

Big Girl

2010-03-04T10:51:00.004+01:00

Today I left Liza home alone for the first time for a longer stretch of time, when I went to do my weekly grocery shopping........and it all went well!

Am a really proud doggie mum now ( as if I weren't before:) ).

Yesterday we went for a walk again with my friend Ursi and Gysmo and it was also great, since Liza has been a feral dog, she is not used to play as we understand a dog should play .....but her seeing Gysmo having fun at fetching sticks we threw for him, she started to pick that up as well, she hasn't grasped yet to bring them back LOL but she started to be interested when we threw them for her and went after them :) :)

And last but not least, yesterday, when outside on our walk she followed the command 'Sit' for the first time:)

I presume she didn't want to do it when outside on a walk, before, coz as a feral animal you have to be ready at all times to run away in case of danger ( well that's what I think at least)and I presume that she followed this command, is also a sign of her gaining more trust every day in her life her and starting to realise that there is no danger as she was used to here in her new life.

busy bee...that's me

2010-03-02T08:57:00.002+01:00

We have now achieved a good routine with Liza and I am able to plan my day around her two-a-day long walks (plus the three or so pee stops just over the road:)) ...however,the time I spend in the forest with her is time that I sort of lose indoors....but it's all good actually. Due to her I spend much less time online chatting and just whiling my time away and am actually being very active and productive to make up for the time 'lost'.....

It is a little bit as if I have a new zest for life and am feeling so much happier and content than I did for a long time before we got her to join us.

She is also making good progress at learning various things such as following commands and we also train her to stay home alone a short time....so far we left her thrice for about 30 minutes home alone and it wen't really well!!

Sunday she got her first shower here and this also went without any big hitches....needless to say that yesterday I had to give the bathroom a good once over :) :)

We also found a new talnt she has :) she is a very very very good tracker.......we started to play hide and seek with her when we're out in the forest...and without fail....she always finds the kids,who are well hidden behind trees and bushes and it's intersting to see when she tracks them she really follows their scent nose on the floor and follows even the minor detours the kids take until the find the tree they want to hide behind......and I always distract Liza before we play that game so she can't 'cheat' and see where they are! AMAZING and something I think we'll pursue,would be sad to let that talent go to waste really !!

She's also filling out slowly and the bones don' t stick out as much as they did when we got her ,the one thing that bugs me is the looks I get when we're out, her bald patch in her coat attracts raised eyebrows and you can see people thinking I/we must have mistreated her....as if I or we would do such a thing!! GRMMMPPFFF!!!

If I get a chance to, then I always talk to the other dogowners and tell them about why she's got that injury .....

The good thing is, dogowners are a folk of their own:) not only do we greet each other,just like that,out in the forest but as you meet each other and dogs all the time, I have also had moments when the dogs sniff at each other or play to have a short natter....no big stuff mind....weather and our furry friends mostly are the topics of talk ....but it gives one a feeling to belong .

March 17th I will start the theory of the mandatory dog handlers course and from Arpil 10th onwards we will do the practial course, as soon as this is done I am legally allowed in CH to keep a dog....after that I want to sign us up for a selection of courses such as 'Obedience' ( I would like to let her off the leash sometime soon) and possibly another one roughly called 'Family Dog'......

It needs a lot of time and involement NOW....but after that we will be blessed with a well trained furry friend :)

So as you can see I am quite a busy bee and thus I apologize already now if I don't find the time to update the blog daily/frequently :):)

Off for walkies now :):)

Lazy Sunday :)

2010-02-28T12:17:00.002+01:00

We're all hanging around like that today...it's windy outside and we enjoy the warmth and coziness of indoors :)

a small change :)

2010-02-27T07:29:00.003+01:00

Just after new year I wanted to make a drastic change to my appearance to signal a New Start and a New Life and coloured my hair dark reddish-brown......at the beginning I liked it very much ....but then the photo Paty took of us when we went to fetch Liza has shown me that ....ahem......it wasn't as good an idea as I thought ....so yesterday this has been rectified and I am back to my usual ( or almost usual) blonde Haircolour and I gotta say it was money well spent:):) definitely suits me better:)

Now I gotta get one of the lasses to take a few photos of me so that I can replace my Avatar pics online.....

On the Liza front, there is nothing new to report, other than that she is making amazing progress in our lessons. I am teaching her the basic commandoes myself ( she had already been trained a bit by Paty ) and I also got a date when I can start the mandatory doghandlers course in CH and am very very happy that the lady agreed to give me private lessons for the practical course, I was too scared I wouldn't understand much if I did this in a group,due to my handicap. I much appreciated her offer and as soon as this has been done and attended we really can start to enjoy our life with our lovely littel mite:)

..in sickness and health ....

2010-02-26T08:07:00.002+01:00

We already had our first health crisis......

Despite my orders to have their rooms spick and span and no stuff lying around on the floor anymore...Liza managed to get & eat, in one of the girls rooms, a cellophane wrapper of some kind.....

I realised something was wrong when she started to eat grass on the morning walk and didn't eat at all during the day....was very subdued and i knew something was not quite right and then on the afternoon walk she passed the wrapper naturally, but then suffered also from a bout of diarrhea which had me up last night cleaning the mess off the carpet......but its not Liza's fault at all!!

The girls all got told off and I sort of read them the riot act on this!! All have now super clean rooms:):) he he andIi think the shock of seeing that something so small can make our little mite suffer has shown them I wasn't just talking coz I love the sound of my own voice.........

Today she seems to be fine again and has eaten half of her breakfast as well as emptied half her bowl of water, so I think the crisis is over and I hope over the weekend i can catch up on lost sleep:)

Been to the Vet today

2010-02-24T16:44:00.003+01:00

I hope and think I have soon accomplished all thats legally required of dog owners in Switzerland.

She is now registered at our village town hall and has got her dog tag ( as well as me paid dog tax),I have got in touch with a lady about the mandatory dog handlers course and today we've been at the Vet's who'll register Liza with the national dog database and also has given her a Swiss Passport. The doc was happy with Liza, she got the all clear and thus we can also start as soon as possible with Doggie School.

Unfortunately the Doc thinks the fur won't grow back over her bald patch , which may prove tricky in summer, then we have to pay attention she won't get sunburnt there.

She also reassured me that Liza won't need additional food to get her back into shape, I shall just keep on doing and feeding what I did so far and just give it time. If everything goes allright we will have to go back in November for another set of jabs.

I just met with someone I met in a chatroom and we had a walk with our furry friends and I was happy to see Liza getting along fine with that other dog,,,,who was quite bigger than her....so far she was apprehensive when we met other dogs......it's going better and better every day :)

starting to feel at home

2010-02-22T17:38:00.005+01:00

Here she is totally relaxed on the sofa ...it's really funny to watch her sleep and the positions SHE finds comfortable to do so..I almost get a stiff neck just by watching her in her funny positions and imagining I would have to lie like that :)

Our little darling makes good progress every day...over the weekend I started to work with her and teach her for example: 'come to heel', 'wait' and 'sit' tho' the latter is something that the little Miss does follow or not......she's got a bit of a head of her own LOL but I got Teeangers,am thick skinned and won't be fazed by that :):):) advantage Sylv I think :)

Here, she is observ.....sleeping Nadine at playing Nintendo :)

Mel is also getting her fair share of cuddles with Liza,today she was dogsitting for me when I had another appointment with my psychiatrist and all went super duper well

Today I also went to the town hall to the get the dog tag and pay the dog taxes and make her an official inhabitant of our village :) She is registered locally now as well as on Wednesday we'll go to the Vet to register her with his practice and he will send her data then to the National Register,switch her Greek passport for a Swiss one and I also want to talk to him about her bald patch ( of the acid attack) and if I can do anything else with her food to help her gain weight quickly or if it's enough what we do already.

As soon as this is organised and done I will look into booking a course for us, I am sure with my knowledge I have already I can teach her a lot myself, but I still think it's a good idea to do proper courses with her.

She had another baptism of fire today as well, we had to leave her alone for about 30 mins when I had to pop into town to the library and shop for a few groceries and all went really well and she behaved well at home...not realising she wasn't al alone at all :):):) Mel's BF is ill and was still sleeping in Mel's room, Liza didn't realise that and Kim didn't hear her bark, howl or whine once! Well done little Miss :) we're proud of you!!

Our Liza

2010-02-20T16:56:00.008+01:00

well well....

Who'd have thought it....it went like a flash from finding her online ot getting her and now she is here and will hopefully stay a very long time with us:)

Here's her story:

Liza was a feral dog, roaming the streets of Athens, when she was found by an animal loving lady , Liza had a really big wound on her side, because someone threw acid over her:( ( she also has a few minor bald patches from that event:( )

That lady in Greece took her in, nursed her back to health and also went to see a vet with her, where she got all her jabs, was neutered and of course has been looked after to get the wound on her side closed.

Liza is roughly 1.5 years old and a mongrel mix between a black labby and ?????? :) the other parts of her are anyone's guess,but i hope to find out more when i take her to our own vet here.

Liza then ended up in France with a loving family who has set the task to themselves to help those feral dogs and find a good and loving home for them.

Which Liza has got now with us.....in the short time she is with us now, we all have fallen hopelessly in love with her and won't give her back ever :)

She is still underweight and her bald patches also need some care but we gladly will nurse her back to her full health and give her the best life possible.

It all started on Thursday night.......for such a long time we were talking about getting our own dog...I was used to dogs since I looked after the in-laws poodles years ago as well as recently after the black labby of my neighbour.......so we went to our local animal shelter to see if they had a dog for us.....they din't have one that fitted our wants and desires and so we went home and first went on websites of labrador breeders.....none had puppies ( almost all of them were expecting litters in spring or early summer,but we didn't want to wait any longer) and by clicking through all the pages on Google we came onto the one where Paty ( the lady in France) had an advertisement up for Liza.

Already when Mel and I saw that photo we said.....THAT IS HER!!! The description of her on the website fitted our wants to a T and we sent an email off in the hope to hear back.......within minutes we go that call.....

I ended up chatting to Paty on MSN and it was agreed that the next day we'd Drive to France to fetch Liza and bring her home:)

It was a kinda hairraising drive and my Navi played a prank on me by leading me the long way round as well as over a mountain pass and through a valley .....and it was snowing thick flakes......:) in the end we arrived at the Place and it was love on first sight from both sides...she really took to us and the lasses as well as we to her:) it as a thing of a few minutes if not less....YES, we will take her home with us!

We took her for a short stroll ( it was raining by then) and then did all the paperwork necessary ....Liza is completely legit with her own passport and everything!! Before we left paty took a photo of the proud new owners of Liza :)

The drive back went a bit better minus the dog throwing up in the car...but if you have driven on french backroads then you understand why ......

Upon arriving home, we had a few mishaps (pee and poo) but I put it down to her agitation and excitement, coz she wasn't long in France only arrived there a few days before we got her and then the drive...new home...new people...new smells ....I imagine it must have been too much for her.

By the end of a really long day she was 'tilt' :)

We had a good nights sleep ( with just one more accident:) ) she took to her basket as if it had been always her's:) she sleeps in my bedroom by the side of my bed:)

Its lovely to see how she is taking to us and 'thawing' a little more every hour ...it's heartwrenching when she looks at you with a look that says... ' Can i really stay with you? Will you look well after me?'......

At first she didn't glance twice at her toys and such stuff ....I think she was like ' Oh i don't want to get used to it when i have to leave it again....', but this afternoon she started to play a little with a furry toy and I hope we will get her to play the way a dog of her age should....coz i have the impression that she had things thrown at her in Greece...when we just rolled a ball towards her.......her tail went between the legs and she went hiding in the kitchen :( :( I hope we can 'rectify' that...she is also respectful of cars and trains which pass our house ...but i think by the time she is here longer she will get used to it.

This morning Nadine and I took her for her first long walk in the local forest which she enjoyed....so many new things to see...so many new smells to sniff out......she's a tad wary yet of other dogs we met on our walkies ......

I think I will wait about two weeks to establish a routine and give her the confidence she needs, to know she'll stay put with us and then book us into courses....

So i can honestly say we are all very happy indeed with our new pet and you can expect to read a lot more on here about her and the antics she will undoubtedly get up to!!

BREAKING NEWS :):):)

2010-02-19T08:08:00.001+01:00

If everything goes according to plan today.....by tonight we will have a new family member and we are all excited :)

Just a few hints.......its a fur ball.....black.......cute and barks :):):)

We hit the slopes today

2010-02-16T16:04:00.005+01:00

It was all quite spontaneous ....as soon as I got up up this morning I had a text from my friend asking whether we'd want to go skiiing today.....it took a little persuasion in regards to get Celine to join us ( Ever tried waking a Teenager BEFORE the time you are allowed to [ e.g. during hols NOT before noon] you know what I mean here :) :))

So within 40 mins we were ready to go, we have a small ski resort in your backyard so to speak ,it's about 15-20 minutes drive away from where we live and called Les Pres D'Orvin ( http://www.presdorvin-ski.ch/ ) another plus for this site is it is dead cheap:) :)

As you can see the sun was out and the panoramic sight we got from the top of the mountain was breathtaking, you could see the whole range of the Alps.
At first both lasses as I were a little stiff but as soon as we slid down the slopes a couple of times it went really well. And now i feel I could take them alone up there, I am just a medium well skier....and considering that the lasses are just after beginner stage it would make for a tricky day for me all alone, but the slope up there is really well prepared and there weren't a lot of people there coz we started very early and so i feel courageous to take them up there on my own the next time.

Sadly we didn't have a lot of time, I had an appointment in town and my friend had to go to work in the afternoon...but it was well worth to risk the 'wrath' of Celine and wake her up to have such a beautiful morning together!

Tomorrow we are thinking of whether going to the ice rink or the indoor pool..depends on the weather really and the forecast talks about rain.....we'll see:)

Indiana Janes' :) :)

2010-02-15T08:59:00.005+01:00

The 'sportsweek' as it is called here has started, it means they have one week of holidays and tradtionally one went skiing during this week,but due to circumstances beyond my power we stay home .... So we started it off with some fun on Saturday....

Nadine as you may remember is very keen on Dinosaurs and Dragons, I think there ain't a thing about them she doesn't know and what she doesn't know isn't worth knowing anyway:) They had, as you can see from the pic ,tremendous fun playing archeologist. It's a set where a Dino skeleton is put into a kind of semi hard plaster and the the tools to dig it out come with it, so we had a lot of hammering and so going on during Saturday....it's incredibly messy, dust and pieces of plaster everywhere :) :) ...but hey had really good fun doing it and were able to assemble the 'bones' to complete the task. Unfortunately, at one set either the head was missing from the start or it was chucked away with the bits of plaster...but then that's real life imitation at it's best too, not even the real archeologists know what they'll unearth when they set to it.

On Sunday we went for a walk through the forest, to get some fresh air, since it wasn't very cold anymore. Shopped for some Muffins at the gas station and then went to the small flower shop opposite the cemetary to get some Roses for my FIL's grave, to bring him a Valentine Gift as he is still terribly missed here.

Got yellow ones, coz he also liked them ( as do i) and i had a lovely experience.....I only had a 100 francs bill in my wallet and not enough small cash to pay for the roses an the lady in the shop didn't have enough cash to accept my note, so I scrimped together the pennies to pay for at least one of the flowers and she let me have the three flowers anyway and said :' Oh,just bring the rest of the cash when you pass here the next time!' ( which I duly will do today)

So we went to visit FIL an laid our flowers on his grave and afterwards home to get warm again with a hot bevvy and the muffins.

I always feel better when I have been to the cemetary and have talked ( in my mind) with FIL...I feel he is somehow still there for us.

Today we want to see all weekly chores done to have all the time we want on our hands to sponateously go away and do some stuff.....on the wishlist are........skiing in Près d'Orvin ( a tiny and cheap resort here), iceskating at the rink,swimming ,sledding and a few more things, so despite us NOT going away for a sking holiday, we'll have our 'Sportsweek' anyway,,,just a tad different than intended.

The Migros girl goes COOP :)

2010-02-11T07:35:00.002+01:00

Ahem, in Swissland we have to major storechains one called Migros and the other Coop ,they are comparable for example with Sainsburys and Tesco in the UK ......it's often so that you remain faithful to one of the chains LOL that your mum already shopped at :) So I am a Migros girl and only used the other stores for branded stuff or wine etc.

But this has changed this week :)

Celine has lost their shared cellphone and despite our best efforts with the police and the place where she probably lost that phone we couldn't find it again :( sadly a lot of photos and thus memories are now lost as well as of course their entire list of numbers, although the latter can be retrieved without much hassle.

The phone that they shared was an old one from their paternal grandmother so i can't even put in a claim at the insurance as the excess i would have to pay is more than the phone was worth.

So since i need them to have a cellphone to stay in touch with me as I can't do proper phone calls anymore and need people to text me when they want something from me:)

So I had to look around for a replacement and this week that COOP store had a special offer for a Samsung phone of their budget line 'Prix Garantie' for 79.- instead of 99.- and the best thing was i could use my accumulated storecard points to pay for them. So now both lasses are proud owners of a brandspanking new mobile phone and i can't rave enough about their customer service and everything, as we had a small problem to get the phones to work properly. And best of all i can use the rest of my storecard points to recharge their phones :) YAY!

Since their gift sheme of stuff you could get from a catalogue never really appealed to me i am more than happy , that in our currently dire financial situation, I could afford to 'buy' them the phones like that as well as finally having a good reason to use up the points i accumulated over at least 7 or so years :)

tho' i will remain a Migros girl in my heart ;) :) :) :) :)

.....we had fun

2010-02-08T12:47:00.003+01:00

We had two friends of the girls over at ours for a sleep over from Saturday to Sunday and we had a really good time.

The lasses are similar in age and behaviour,so the two elder ones stuck together as did the two younger ones and they really had a ball, since it's more funt to play games of whatever nature when you are 4 instead of just two and when there are just two its the 'boring' sister that has to act as a playmate :) :) I think you get my drift :):)

So they indulged in a lot of playing and then had fun pretending they were drinking beer from the bottle :) it's actually a ladydrink and alchol free called Angel and it fitted coz they behaved like Angels.

On Sunday I invited my parents for their annual Birthday dinner. They celebrate their birthdays in January only a week apart and its a traditon now that one weekend they are at my sister's and another weekend at my place for their birthday treat.
This year they wished for a Raclette and I duly obliged by prepping a Raclette de luxe, which in my house contains not only cheese and potatoes and pickles ......but a lot of other things such as several vegetables, meat to grill on the hot stone above the cheese grill,fruits and a gazillion of pickles and spices and herbs and....... we had a true feast and afterwards were stuffed to the hilt with the nice meal so we collapsed on the sofa, whilst the kids watched the dvd of the film 'UP!', we adults were talking or watching the film as well and then had the birthday cake.

Mel came especially home during her break from work to give her pressies to her grandparents and my dad offered to drive her back to work so that she could stay here a tad longer with us.

All in all we had a great weekend......now its back to Monday...and my usual daily /weekly chores ......but i have great memories to keep me going :)

have a good week everyone!!

I did it...

2010-02-05T08:23:00.003+01:00

Without further ado I have now erased the original Silverspoon blog and sent it to rest on a cloud in cyberspace.......

I didn't even bother moving the old recipe stuff over ....coz most of them are on file anyway and thus I can post them when the season fits and I don't have an idea about what I could talk now on here :) :) lazy lazy way out I know :)

Today its raining like mad here and I am glad for that,coz this means it's too warm to snowwwwww again......believe you me, I have seen enough of the white stuff to last me a year or two at least......

Do get me right, basically I love the white mess ....walking/skiing/sledding on it and seeing the world covered in that clean sparkly blanket........what I hate so much, is to clean that white mess away.......you see we have a kinda steepish ramp to the garage and they way its built I have to push the stuff UPWARDS to clear the ramp as well as start as early as 6 a-bloody-m so that the tenants can leave the garage at all! But it looks as if the worst is over now and I have to say we didn't have it as bad as some of my mates in the eastern part of CH who were truly snowed under.......

Oh and I have other news as well......the lasses and I want a dog now.....we will head first to the local pet-shelter and see whether they have got one that suits us and to which I am not allergic.......

I suffered since childhood from a severe allergy against pollen and such stuff as well as animal hair and dust...( and i still had a cat and a rat at one time,suffered badly from asthma etc but loved by pets more than my health:) ).....but I now know that for one I do NOT react to Poodles ( we don't want one of those ) as well as Border Collies and Labradors, so the latter two would be our first choice , I was able to test myself when looking after my neighbours labby recently as well as having my cousin round with her Border Collie and thus I know for certain I am not allergic to these two breeds of dogs......we'll see what we can get and since the law has changed in CH I will also have to do a mandatory course in dog handling ( seriously red tape at its worst, all dogs I looked after so far always followed my orders at once and I never had a problem with any of them ).

I can see more benefits than anything if we get a dog, we ALL love them, I wouldn't be alone as much during daytime and would've company ,I would go out more than I actually do now and spend more time in my beloved forest the only thing that could now tip the balance against getting a dog is, if it would stretch my budget too much....but I'd gladly forego a lot of things to make it happen for us ! And until we get our own I keep on looking after my neighbours labby :)

now you got something to read

2010-02-01T15:57:00.002+01:00

I am currently moving over all my foodie posts onto this Blog, as this is something I want to save before I erase the old one and some of the recipes and stuff got quite a lot of hits and presumably are still wanted by some. So i moved about 7 old posts already now, the search bar on top allows for an easy search on the Blog itself by keying in ...Swiss food, Swiss Tradtion or Swiss Customs.

The old one has to go, for the reason of the story that unfolded last year and I want to get rid of it....coz you need to ditch something old to make place for something new.....and I do trust the Great Universe to spoil me hopefully not too far away with good and new stuff! Fingers Crossed for that , eh?!

Swiss Traditions ...Braderie Biel

2010-02-01T15:48:00.000+01:00

As my keen fans know, I am a regular writer for the 'New Stork Times',where I am proud to have my own colum, titled Traditionally Swiss, for over three years now.If you scroll a little bit through the posted messages here, you'll stumble over some of these articles:)tagged NST column.

As of last year,I also belong to the resident writing team for a new publication called ' Hello Bern'
(http://www.hello-magazines.ch/)
for this magazine I was writing an elaborate article about the BIIIIGGG CITY fair that will take place the weekend after next ( June 30th,July 1st &2nd),unfortunately it had to be 'thrown' out of the current issue to make place for something else, it will be printed next year in the summer issue:)

So an exclusive background report into the Braderie for my fans only :):)

...................................................................................

Braderie in Biel-Bienne

In the early 30’ of last century the City of Biel was in a major economic crisis.
Factories were closed, Workmen were made redundant and the economic and business life was on hold.
The shopkeepers in Biel had plenty of ideas, but none was a real hit with the people.

One of the shopkeepers, was Emil ‘MIGGI’ Tièche, owner of a perfume shop on Bahnhofstrasse.1934 he tried with a ‘quinzaine commerciale’ to curb on the business in Bahnhofstrasse and Nidaugasse, the high streets of Biel. He organised a lot of entertainment and even a raffle, but all his efforts were to no avail.

In the following autumn, Emil Tièche went with two commerce friends of his, Carlo Schneeberger and Max Oester, to support the Biel Soccer team on a game in La Chaux-de-Fonds were their Braderie was happening on the same day. Whilst celebrating the victory of the Biel team the men thought that a city fete like this should be possible to organise in Biel too. So they founded a committee and on July 4/5th in 1936 the first Braderie took place in Biel.

The name Braderie comes from the French word, ‘brader’ which means sell-at-loss................. and indeed the first Biel Braderie was a success. The run of history made it necessary that the fete was put on hold after the fourth time happening in 1939, as in the time of the Second World War no such fetes happened throughout Switzerland.

However in 1947, people remembered the once successful event and now it was not a question of stimulating the local businesses in a time of crisis. No, this time the folks wanted to be merry and enjoy a good time.
Nowadays the fete is indented as a summer sale for the shops to sell cheaply the rest of their stock, before the autumn collection arrives.

Over the past few years the committee, which is now in charge of the event has made a couple of changes. Instead of a big pageant at the end of the three-day lasting city fair, one can enjoy now free music concerts performed throughout the whole city by well-known CH- bands.

Parallel to the Braderie, the autonomic youth centre of Biel aka CHESSU has set up another event, that is now just as established as the main event. It’s the Barbarie that I am talking about, and it takes place around the AJZ- la Coupole in Biel. The AJZ is by the way one of the oldest Autonomic run Youth centres of Switzerland. Well, during the time of the Braderie, you’ll find many alternative bands playing on the grounds of the AJZ, which is situated close to the Kongresshaus.

Back to the Braderie now, for all the various clubs and groups in and around Biel the Braderie is also a welcome event to set up a stall and selling food and drinks to feed their club’s piggy bank and maybe to gain some new members.:-) Basically the whole town is one big party ground for three days.
Traditionally the Braderie is always happening on the last weekend of June, but this year it’ll be from Friday June 30th to Sunday July 2nd 2006.

©sylv06

Traditionally Swiss June 2006 --Cherries

2010-02-01T15:47:00.000+01:00

....this is the column I wrote for the June issue for the english parenting magazine printed in CH

Traditionally Swiss June 2006

When in bloom, the cherry tree is lovely to look at, full of white-pinkish blossoms. A few weeks later the flowers have grown into yellowish-white to dark blue almost black cherries.
Thanks to the Roman commander-in-chief, Lucullus, for discovering the cherry tree in 62 B.C. on a crusade to Asia Minor (nowadays known as Turkey). Apparently when he travelled back to Rome, he brought some of the trees back with him to Italy. Because he found the trees close to a city called KERASUS, this was the name given to them in Rome - Cerasum. Historians believe that the Roman legions then spread the cherry tree - and its fruit, of course - throughout the European continent. Only one hundred years after its discovery by Lucullus, the cherry was well known in middle and northern Europe, even as far away as Britain. Around the mid-15th century, the word Kirsch was already well known in the German-speaking part of Europe, whereas in Switzerland and Southern Germany the word Chriesi was used.
The climate in Switzerland suits the cherry tree very well, so it’s no wonder that the Swiss have taken to this fruit and created many down-to-earth recipes, and are also are renowned for the famous Kirschschnaps.
In Switzerland, the most important cultivation areas are the Bernese Seeland, Central Switzerland, Northwest Switzerland and the areas around Lake Geneva and the Bodensee.
To grow cherries is very work and cost intensive. Almost two-thirds of all the cost involved goes to the care of the trees and to the harvesting of the fruit, as cherries must be handpicked. A slight rain shower can have a bad effect on the fruit and cause the skin to tear. The fruit can then not be sold any longer in shops, and has to be processed technically, usually in a distillery used to make Kirschschnaps.
The main harvesting season for cherries is from late May to early August.

You’ll find cherries in many old-fashioned Swiss recipes, such as Chriesibrägel , Chirschitschu, Clafoutis, and Chriesisuppe, to name but a few.
The fruit can be preserved very well, be it as jam, syrup, frozen, liqueur and, of course, as schnapps.

If you are using lots of fresh cherries during the summer, then it’s advisable to invest into a handy Kirsch-Entsteiner (a device to help you pit cherries easily); for small amounts you can use either the good old kitchen knife or a small handheld device designed especially for pitting cherries.

One world famous Swiss delicacy made with Kirsch is, of course, the ZUGER KIRSCHTORTE. However, as yummy as it is to eat, it’s a very difficult torte to make on your own.

So here’s a recipe that everyone can make and just as yummy - being typical Swiss it’s something very simple and made with plain ingredients everyone has at home.

Bernese Chirschi Tschu/ simple cherry-bread torte
Yield 4-6

Preheat oven to 180C°
Either line a spring form pan with baking parchment OR generously butter it and cover with breadcrumbs.

250gr (8.3oz) dark bread (Ruchbrot) from the day or two before, cubed in equal sizes
50 to 70 gr (1.5 to 2.3oz) croutons (butter roasted tiny bread cubes)
250ml (8.3 fl oz) milk
80 gr (2.5oz) butter
100gr (3.5oz) sugar
4 eggs (separated into yolks and whites)
1kg (2.2lb) black cherries, pitted
60gr (2 oz) almonds
Icing sugar for dusting
Butter and breadcrumbs for the spring form

Place the cubed bread into a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling milk over it, then mash it with a fork.
Whisk butter, egg YOLKS and sugar until pale and fluffy and almost doubled in volume.
Add the soaked bread, ground almonds, croutons and cherries, and finally carefully fold in the egg whites. Pour into a prepared spring form pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until inserted needle comes out clean.

Let cool down in the spring form pan, carefully slide onto torte plate and dust with powdered sugar.

Adorn with cherries.

Sylv’s hints

To give it a little more flavour, you could add some drops of almond essence (Mandelaroma) to the biscuit or 2-3 pinches of dried ginger before mixing in bread, croutons etc.

It tastes heavenly served with some vanilla custard or whipped cream.

©sylv06

chriesi brägu with tatsch/ cherry compote with omelet
yield 4

1kg(2.2lb) cherries pitted
200ml (6.5 fl oz) apple juice
3 tblsp. Sugar
1 cinnamon stalk
1 tsp cornstarch
1tblsp water
croutons

Place cherries with apple juice, cinnamon stalk and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil and let simmer for 4.5 minutes. Then, using a strainer spoon, take out the cherries and set aside. Mix water with cornstarch and add to the liquid, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil again to get a syrupy consistency. Add the cherries back and just re-heat them, stirring a few times.
Scatter croutons on top before serving.

Tatsch

It has a funny name, but is nothing more than a thick omelette roughly torn into bite-sized chunks.

150gr(5oz) all-purpose flour
¾ tbsp salt
200ml(6.5 fl oz) milk
3 eggs

Butter for frying
2 tblsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix flour and salt in a bowl, add milk and whisk well. Add the eggs and keep on whisking until you get creamy dough. Cover and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Melt butter in a large non-stick frying pan and add all the dough mixture at once. Cover and let set for about 10 minutes over low heat. Using two wooden spoons, tear the omelette into bite sized chunks, and raising the heat to medium, fry chunks golden brown on both sides.
Place on a plate and scatter the cinnamon-sugar mix all over the chunks; serve with chriesi brägel.

©sylv06

Barbecues in Switzerland ( a Hello Bern column)

2010-02-01T15:46:00.000+01:00

Barbecues in Switzerland

What the sausages are for Aussies and the huge steaks are for the Americans, the humble pork chop is for Switzies when inviting to a BBQ.
Children get a Cervelat and the adults indulge in plain pork chops usually served with some salads and crisps or pommes chips, as they are known here.
Of course I am joking here, about the idea that Swiss people only know to grill chops!!!
In fact we are just as courageous as any other nation in the world at trying out some new unknown meats and vegetable combinations.
But before I will share some yummy recipes with you let me tell you about various topics regarding BBQ’ing in general in Switzerland.

One thing that might be puzzling to some expats is the fact that one gets invited to a barbeque and is asked to bring their own meat…………….hmmmmm but a Barbecue is being invited to grill meat, isn’t it?

I cannot give you a hundred percent correct answer about this, but I can try to elaborate and explain why this is almost customary in Switzerland.

I assume ever since discovering how to make fire, mankind has enjoyed Barbeques. Whereas it might have been very easy to entertain guests from other clans for Mrs. Flintstone, just throw some mammoth ribs on the fire, it’s a complete different matter nowadays, we are spoilt for choice with all the choice we have in our stores, and our palates have changed very much since the days of the earliest barbeques.

My guess for one reason for asking guests to bring their own meat is certainly the very high cost of meat in Switzerland; this does not mean that the Swiss host/ess is mean. But it has also to do with guaranteeing that everyone really gets the meat/poultry/quorn they like.

I for one also hold sometimes mega BBQ’s and it’s not rare that about 20+ people, plus children are present in our back garden.
Now, there are vegetarians to consider, some like to have a huge T-bone steak other prefer kebabs and another one wants shrimps, squid and such stuff, a few like their meat marinated, others gag just at the thought.
You see it is generally not very easy to meet everyone’s taste and if you have an inkling of what this can cost you’ll see this is not so easily affordable for a family. So it’s easiest if everybody brings what he or she like to have grilled over the fire, that way the hostess in assured that everyone’s palate will be satisfied and the hostess won’t be left with mountains of meat.

I prepare a huge, and I really mean huge buffet of side dishes and desserts. Plenty of wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks on the ready and then let the feast begin.
A barbecue shall be about meeting and getting together with friends in a relaxed atmosphere, having a general good time together and let the children run wild.

Something else to think of, as you may well know Swiss are people are more often than not a folk of tenants, so what’s to consider when one wants to throw a barbeque party on the balcony of the rented flat.

First and foremost ALWAYS consult the rules of the house (‘Hausordnung’) if it states ANYTHING at all about using a grill on the balcony!!! If not, then ask the janitor or phone the letting agency/landlord, to enquire whether it’s allowed or not!

I am stressing this, because legally it is generally not forbidden, the tenant’s law (Mietrecht) does not state anything pro or against this. Landlords can allow or forbid this at their own will.

Open grills, especially the charcoal operated ones are always a potential fire hazard as well as causing lots of smoke and possible soot stains on the walls and on the ceiling of the balcony, so it might be a good idea to consider buying a gas operated grill or an electrical one and you might encounter less problems with landlords and your neighbours.
It also pays off to inform your immediate neighbours of your planned party at your home, so they are ‘warned’ about possible smell and noise emissions from your flat.
It’s more common nowadays, to install a large stone built grill outside in the garden for the use of all tenants of an apartment block, it goes without saying that if this opportunity is offered, usually the use of a grill on ones balcony is then generally forbidden.

It may be a running gag amongst expats, but it’s really true that by law the silent times at night starts at 10pm, after this time the volume of your conversation has to be turned down to a level that the neighbours are not disturbed in their night rest.

How about a barbecue in the open nature? Generally it’s allowed almost everywhere to lit a fire, if not stated otherwise (natural protection area, farmers land, public parks etc) and no general ban has been issued to make open fires outside by the federal government, this can often happen during summertime when everything is dried out and the danger of forest fires is imminent.

The magazine ‘Schweizer Familie’ runs and maintains 505 public fireplaces throughout Switzerland.
http://www.schweizerfamilie.ch/dyn/frame/feuerstellen_neu/index.html

Almost every village owns a log cabin to use for the villagers (Waldhütte / Burgerhütte) whereas one has to pay a small fee to use the log cabin itself; it usually has open fireplaces in front of the house for the free use of everyone. You can check that out via your villages website.

It’s a good idea to take some charcoal, a bottle or two of tap water with you when planning to go out into the woods to have a Barbecue. The coal to ensure that you will be able to light a ‘healthy’ fire, and the water to ensure to extinguish it properly before you leave the place. It goes without saying that everyone takes their rubbish back home to bin, especially if there are no public bins for your rubbish!

Remember how I was joking at the beginning of this article about the Swiss’ favourite meat to grill, so why not add a twist this time with these recipes for “differently” stuffed pork chops. They have been invented, tried and tested by yours trulyJ

For each adult person you need:

One Pork chop with bone, each weighing approx. 200gr/7oz.
Cut a deep slit into the meaty side towards the bone to form a pocket
Short metal skewers OR Wooden toothpicks (soaked in water for two hours)

Each filling is calculated for 4 chops

FILLING 1

150gr(5oz.) Mascarpone-Gorgonzola
50gr(2oz) Sun dried tomatoes in oil, dripped and chopped OR
30gr(1oz) Black Olives deseeded and chopped
2tbslp. Pine nuts, roasted
Whisk everything together and fill the pockets in the cutlets, close the pockets with metal toothpicks

If you can’t get pine nuts then you can swap them for roughly chopped walnuts

FILLING 2 (HOT!!!)

A tub nature Philadelphia cheese or any other fromage frais
Chopped jalapeno pepper to your liking
Crushed garlic
A drizzle of olive oil
Mix well together, season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper,
fill into pockets and close pockets with metal toothpicks

FILLING 3
A tub nature Philadelphia Cheese
1 lemon zest only
2-3 sprigs of lemon scented thyme (Zitronenthymian)
2,5 cm (1”) fresh root ginger, finely grated
Lemon scented ground pepper (Zitronenpfeffer)
Mix all and fill chops with mixture

All chops must be fried at medium heat, slowly on the grill, preferably on some aluminium foil, as they will leak a little of the filling in the cooking process.

Curried Fennel/Apple Salad

3 - 4 bulbs of fennel, halved, finely sliced
3 medium apples, quartered, cored and finely sliced
1 onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced
50gr(2oz) dried raisins

For the Sauce whisk together:
2tblsp. Mayonnaise
2tblsp. Sour cream
1tblsp. Garam Masala
Pepper to your liking
White vinegar and Sunflower oil
Assemble to a creamy sauce add the cut up vegetables, toss well and let stand 1hour in cool place to allow the flavours to mellow.

© all recipes sylv06

All things elder..- ( flower and berry that is:)

2010-02-01T15:45:00.000+01:00

Here is another foodie related post about a seasonal delicacy which has just started to bloom hereabouts, and if you want to follow one of the recipes hurry up, the season doesn't last very long or then you have to wait until autumn to try out one of the recipes that ask for the berries and not the flowers.

Of course one can also make syrup out of the flowers, it goes well with mixers such as the MAYBOWLE ( see post about maypoles) or for a kind of Spritzer,e.g. mix white wine with mineral water and scent with elderflower syrup.
Almost every supermarket has got this syrup on stock, so I won't post a recipe here,but other recipes who've got a little twist to them:)

Elderberry Flower Cream ( Sabayon style)

Elderberries are now in full bloom in Switzerland ,the lovely,lightly lemony scent makes them a wonderful ingredient to cook with :-)

250ml ( 8fl oz) White wine
5 –6 umbels of elderberry flowers in bloom
4 very fresh egg yolks
60gr ( 2 ¼ oz) white sugar
6 pcs. Gelatine
250ml ( 8 fl oz ) Cream for whipping

Place the flowers together with the wine in a bowl and let stand, covered in cool place overnight, to allow flavours to mellow.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy, add the scented wine (omit flowers before) through a sieve.
Soak gelatine in cold water, squeeze and dissolve with a little white wine, add to the egg yolk mixture, stir well until smooth.
Place in fridge until it starts to set, then add the whipped cream adn place back in fridge for about another 2-3 hours.
Serve chilled and on the day of making, because it contains raw egg!!!!!

Berries or fruit compote would go well alongside this cream

Elder Flower Fritters

200g (7oz) all-purpose flour
2 eggs yolks and whites separated
1 pinch of salt
250 ml (8 fl oz ) wine or dark ( strong) beer
2 tbslp. Oil
4-8 elderflower umbels
oil for deep frying
icing sugar
approx. 50gr.( 2oz) redcurrant gelee

Mix egg yolks with the flour, salt, oil and wine (or beer),beat well to get a runny dough.
Beat egg whites stiff and add carefully to the mixture.
Shake well the freshly harvested, just blossomed elderflower umbels and search for possible hidden insects :-)
DON’T WASH!!
Then dip the flowers into the dough and deep fry until crisp and golden.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of redcurrant gelee alongside.

This may sound a little a crazy recipe, but I can assure ya’ll that it tastes heavenly and is very well known especially amongst the elderly ppl here :-)

In autumn the dark, almost black berries, are ready for harvesting and you can create further delicacies with them, one thing I really recommend it to make the syrup,it REALLY helps when you have a cold!

Elderberry liqueur

1kg(2.2lb) Elderberries, washed and picked from the stems
1l(33fl oz) clear Schnaps ( such as Vodka, Bätzi, Korn or Doppelkorn or any other non-
flavoured alcohol with at least 40%vol-45%vol)
1kg(2.2lb) Sugar

Place Elderberries and Schnaps into a large earthenware pot, over lightly and et stand for 14 days.
After that time, our the liquid trough a fine sieve ( or a muslin towel) into a pan and squeeze the berries well for their juice.
Add the sugar to the liquid and bring to a boil, stir well to let the sugar dissolve completely.

Pour piping hot into sterilized bottles and close well with a fitting lid.

Elderberry Syrup

2kilo(4.4lb) Elderberries
1-1.5liter(33-50fl oz) Water
800gr( 27 oz) Sugar

Squash the berries and douse with the water. Place in dark, cool place and let stand for 24 hours. Then bring the berries with the water to a boil in a large pan and let infuse for further 15 minutes.
Pass through a fine kitchen- muslin and squeeze well.
Then measure juice, you’ll need 800gr(27oz) of sugar per ONE litre of juice.
Place measured Juice and Sugar into a pan, bring again to a boil, omit foam from top and pour piping hot into sterilized bottles ,close bottles with a lid.

This syrup has a high content of vitamin C, I use it also as a cough remedy in winter, by drinking it diluted with hot water.

Elderberry Gelee ( Holunder Latwerge)

Latwerge is usually made with juniper or elderberries, both are berries with a low pectin content( pectin is necessary for the gelatinising of a jam or gelee).That’s why it has usually a runny, honey like consistency.

Recipe for a approximately 6dl(20fl oz) of elderberry latwerge

500gr(17oz) fresh elderberries, washed and picked from the stems
Water
500gr(17oz) honey or sugar

Place berries in a pan and add water, half the height of the berries, in the pan. Bring to a boil and keep on boiling it for further 10minutes.Sieve through a fine kitchen muslin and squeeze well.

Then measure juice, you’ll need 500 gr.(17oz) either sugar or honey per 500ml(17fl oz) juice.

Place juice into a pan with the honey OR sugar. Bring to a boil and whilst stirring frequently reduce to syrupy thickness. Pour piping hot into sterilized jam glasses and secure with a well fitting lid.

Elderberry Brandy

1 bottle à 1 litre

1 Kilo(34 oz) Elderberries
125gr(4.5oz) Sugar
2 pinches ground cinnamon
700ml(23.5fl oz) Cognac or Brandy

wash the elderberries and strip them off the stalks. Place in a large wide bottomed pan and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on top, Slowly heat the berries and mash them with a with a potato masher that the berries crack and release their juice.
Then pour the pulp into a sieve over a large jug or similar ,and let filter through over night.
Mix that juice with the brandy ( or cognac) pour into a sterilized bottle and close well with a fitting lid, let the bottle stand for further eight weeks in a dark cool place (cellar) until it has matured to be enjoyed

© sylv2006

Wild Garlic ---additional information

2010-02-01T15:44:00.000+01:00

My Baerlauch Post a couple of days ago has got a big feedback,thanks for your emails,here are a couple of things one can do as well with this luvverly herb:) but hurry up as the season comes to an end very soon!

First and foremost, wild garlic is best eaten raw!! Any cooking and/or other way of preparing makes it loose lots of its flavour.

Basically you can add it to any dish you’d also add onions, chives or garlic.

So here a couple of ideas:

- Add to scrambled eggs just before serving
- Sprinkle chopped over risotto, pasta and similar before serving
- Add to cottage cheese, sour cream or curd and similar when making a sauce for dipping vegs and so
- Add chopped in great amounts to homemade pasta dough when making noodles or ravioli OR to the filling!! (This does not need a long time of cooking and therefore the taste is quite well preserved, I tried it :-)
- Add instead of tarragon to a Hollandaise sauce to asparagus and other vegs
- Mix with grated cheese and top tomatoes with it, grill until cheese has melted
- Make Cordon-Bleus by adding entire, well washed leaves between the ham and cheese cordon bleu recipe # 375 in Silverspoon on Yahoo)
- For an aperitif snack, wrap a lengthwise halved leaf of wild garlic around cubed feta cheese or Mozzarella Perls and put cubes/perls on toothpicks, works well with other things too such as a halved cherry tomato, bite-size chunk of bell pepper, pre-fried halved champignon etc. just let your imagination loose:-) just make sure you add only a couple of them to a variety LOL:-)
- Make Saltimbocca, that’s an Italian meat speciality of thin cut veal schnitzel with a slice of air dried ham and sage leaves secured to the top of one side of the schnitzel, swap the sage leaves for wild garlic leaves.
- Add finely chopped to Spätzli, Knöpfli or Gnocchi dough or dumplings --> #108 in Silverspoon on Yahoo
As these also need just a short time of cooking in the water, it should well keep the taste of the ramson.

These are couple of ideas that spring to my mind right now, I did a research and found that in the US of A you’ve a similar herb called

RAMP (Allium tricoccum), a wild plant with more onion-like flavour, is used for similar purposes.

Here’s a link for those who want to know more :-)

http://www.discoverlife.org/nh/tx/Plantae/Monocotyledoneae/Liliaceae/Allium/tricoccum/

©sylv06

Wild Garlic / Ransom/Baerlauch

2010-02-01T15:42:00.000+01:00

This post is a re-edited version of a presentation I did in 04 when iIwent regularly to Bern to present Swiss Stuff live on the English Radio Show there...........
Has it happened to you, that you went for a stroll out into Mother Nature, to get some fresh air and suddenly there’s a stench of garlic wafting all around you, WHITHOUT a house or restaurant in sight, from where the smell could emit? Well....... you just happened to come across a yummy seasonally delicacy called Baerlauch or ramson in English. The season of this herb starts now, up to mid spring.

Bear's garlic, from the allium family, is growing wild in fens and river woods of Central Europe, is much used in local cuisines, but since it’s not widely cultivated, it has not gained any super regional importance.

In spring, the young leaves are collected, preferably before the plant starts flowering, and used raw to flavour spreads based on cottage cheese and similar, soups and sauces. Dried leaves usually exhibit only a very faint odour and should, if ever, used in liberal amounts. They are better preserved by preparing a pesto-like sauce or simply by freezing.

In Switzerland, and probably other parts of Central Europe, bear's garlic has increased dramatically in popularity within the last few years.

But, attention! Bear’s garlic looks extremely similar to Lily of the valley, which is poisonous, and there have already been some cases of intoxication reported.

Lily of the valley contains cardio active glycosides with effects similar to digitalis. So before harvesting, test a leaf by rubbing it between your fingers and if it smells pungently garlicky, then it is Baerlauch, Lily of the valley DOES NOT SMELL!

While bear's garlic was formerly known only to a few eat-wild-plants-communities, today hardly any of the haute cuisine-chefs will miss the opportunity to create new recipes using this herb and offer them to his guest during the all-too-short season.

Unfortunately, one finds that many chefs mistreat bear's garlic significantly and use way too high temperatures when they prepare their subtly flavoured crèmes, soups and pasta sauces.

Ideally, bear's garlic should not be boiled or simmered at all, but rather used raw, the fresh leaves just being mixed with the hot food and eaten immediately. Otherwise, most of its characteristic flavour is wasted and perfumes the kitchen air, not the food.

Have a mortar and pestle handy; don’t use a blender, because the rotating blades create heat, which makes the Baerlauch taste bitter

You’ll need:

A good bunch of bear garlic leaves, a clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, a large pinch of salt and pepper, approximately 100ml of extra virgin olive oil and 2-3 tblsp, freshly grated Parmesan.

First crush the garlic in the mortar and the leaves of Baerlauch, then add the pine nuts and crush again. Alternately add the oil and the cheese, stir well until it forms a creamy paste. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper. This should keep well, covered, in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks.

The herb has also hidden health benefits :-) it helps to lower cholesterol in your blood and because its lightly antibiotic, it can also be used to help with coughs and best of all it helps to chase away the spring tiredness many of us are suffering from now, at this time of the Year :-)

This is also the reason why the herb is called bears garlic, the legends say, that when the bears woke from hibernating in spring, the herb was growing in abundance and was the first thing they fed on after waking up.......

You can currently find many products seasoned with Baerlauch in all the grocers and supermarkets.
The range goes from fresh noodles, sausages for roasting, fresh cheeses to spread on bread, ready-made sauces, risotto etc.

©sylv04

PS
Many moons have come and gone since I wrote and presented this live on air:-) ( this excerpt was re-edited ad shortened for the sake of the blog)
I still miss my stints on the radio show and I would love to go 'On Air' again,but unfortunately there's no call for an english radio show in the region where I live,despite it having a couple of multinational firms here..............ah well I won't dwell on that and will keep the english radio show fondly in my memories!

Pps I

Btw, to save time and not needing to go looking for wild garlic in the forest, I've planted my own in my small garden patch behind the house and I am thrilled to say that in the two years it's there, it has grown to like that place and this year many new 'baby' plants showed:)

The history of a setting a Maypole ot a loved one

2010-02-01T15:40:00.000+01:00

Further I assume that in Zug there were poeple in traditional swiss costumes ( Tracht) dancing around this tree and holding on to the ribbons whilst doing so, thus creating some lovely colourful patterns.

Here's an article I wrote a couple of years ago,covering exactly this topic.

all photos © M.Wanzenried

During the month May of you can spot in rural villages, funny looking pine trees, placed before a house. Not only have those trees just a wispy top, also the bark has been peeled off. It’s decorated with colourful cotton ribbons and other things and has a nameplate engraved with a girls’ name nailed on it.

What purposes have those funny trees?

To explain this I need to go way back in time.

To put up a May tree is a custom that dates back to a Celtic Feast of Cleaning and Fertility called Beltane who took place at the night from 30th April to 1st of May, when spring was waved goodbye and summer welcomed, where people could burn their winter bedding and floor coverings, ready to be replaced afresh. Bonfires were lit so that a narrow passage existed between two fires, that cattle and other livestock would be led between the fires, to purify them from disease or sterility for the coming year and on the next day they would be taken to the summer pastures in the Alps. Torches of dried sedge (Riedgras), gorse ( Stechginster) or heather ( Heidekraut) were also lit and carried around remaining flocks or stables, to further purify the air.............

It was a time of fertility and unbridled merrymaking, when young and old would spend the night making love in the Greenwood. In the morning they would return to the villages, bearing huge budding boughs of hawthorn and other spring flowers with which to bedeck themselves, their families and their houses.

The raising of the maypole on Beltane is an ancient tradition that belongs to all lands, with Celtic intervention. The Maypole, a phallic symbol, represents the masculine. The soft, colourful ribbons that intertwine represent the feminine. The union of the two symbolizes the union of the god and goddess.

Enough of historical background now, in Switzerland the custom is widespread in rural regions such as the Emmental, Seeland area, parts of Canton Solothurn and Baselland.

In some villages, it’s the young men who have to enter the military service that year who set up the poles, in other communities its the boys who just left school who honour female companions with an adorned tree.

The boy groups get the trees needed usually from the community or farmers, together they then peel off the rind and place coloured ribbons and other decorations on the wispy top of the tree, at night they set up with joined forces the tree in front of the house of a loved one. When the work has been done, the boys ransack the village gardens and carry gates, garden furniture, flower pots and the like away and deposit the plundered stuff in the village square.

To be the receiver of so much admiration sounds lovely, doesn’t it?? Only there’s a slight hiccup connected to this honour………….

The girl, who received such an adorned tree, has to invite all the boys for a home cooked meal within in the following year.
If she fails to thank the boys with a meal, the next year she’ll get a TOGGU, a straw doll with ugly decorations set up in front of her house.

Of course the same boys will take down the may trees at the end of the month!!

The recipe below is a traditional Maybowle recipe, usually woodruff would be added, but it’s quite hard to find in the forests nowadays, so I swapped it for elder blossoms, which’ll give it an equally good taste. Mind you, when the trick playing I described above takes place, the young guys rather drink a beer or something similar, than to rustle up a Bowle.

We’ll serve that drink at the traditional Maybowle get together of the English Club in Biel.

MAYBOWLE

4 -5 Elder Flowers (Holunderblüten)

2 tblsp. Elderflower syrup ( Holunderblüten Syrup)

1 Lemon, cut in slices

2 bottles White Wine, chilled

10 leaves Peppermint, washed

250gr / 8oz .Strawberries, washed and cut in slices

1-2 tblsp. Sugar

1 bottle Sparkling White Wine, chilled

Place the flowers in a large bowl and cover them with the elderberry syrup. Add the lemon slices and 250ml (1 cup) of the white wine. Place bowl in the fridge and let stand for 1 - 2 hrs. (Allows the flavours to mellow).
Shortly before removing the marinating flowers, cut the strawberries into slices, put in bowl and add the sugar. After the “soaking time” is up, remove the flowers from the bowl and add the peppermint leaves, strawberry slices and the rest of the white wine. Just before serving, add the sparkling wine! Enjoy this drink carefully, as the fruits soak up the alcohol - you'll get tipsy quicker than you think!

©sylv 06