Going Eggless

Since Savannah is possibly allergic to eggs we never have them in our house and I'm starting to explore eggless recipes. I've made banana muffins and wheat thins and they have both turned out surprisingly delicious. Today I decided to make chocolate chip cookies (for us not Savannah). Even though I would use eggs in this recipe because Savannah would not be eating them, I still had no eggs in the house. The grocery stores are closed on Sunday so I was forced to find an eggless chocolate cookie recipe.

One thing I am not is a baker but let me tell you, these cookies turned out so delicious! I had to share the recipe. Here are the recipes for the cookies, muffins and wheat thins! :-)

P.s. Savannah is being tested for her possible egg allergy this Thursday, I'll keep you posted!

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
http://www.goeggless.com/2008/08/go-eggless-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

I didn't have the self-rising flour so I used 1 cup all purpose flour and added 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt to it. Also I used non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt.


Banana Muffins
http://www.happybabyfood.com/blog/recipes/380-happybabyegglessbananamuffins

I used apple sauce instead of vegetable oil and I think is why they turned out so amazing!

Homemade Wheat Thins
Ingredients:
3  cups  uncooked  oatmeal
2  cups  unbleached  white  flour  (may  substitute  1  c.  whole  wheat  flour  for
the  white)
1  cup  wheat  germ
3  tbsp.  sugar
1  tsp.  salt  (not  necessary  -­‐  omit  if  you  choose)
3/4  cup  oil
1  cup  water
 
Directions:
Mix  all  together,  and  roll  out  onto  2  cookie  sheets.  Sprinkle  with  salt.  Lightly  roll  again  to press  salt  in.  Cut  into  squares  or  diamonds  -­ a  pizza  cutter  works  well.  
Bake  at  350F.  
After  15  minutes  begin  checking  the  crackers  and  remove  the  ones  that  are  golden  brown  and hard.  Continue  checking  every  3-­5  minutes.  Optional  sprinkle  with  sesame  or  poppy  seeds before  baking.

My German Pedicure

This was my Mother's Day treat, a pedicure! Something I have been looking forward to for months now and the reason I haven't gone earlier is because finding an American style nail salon in German is difficult. I finally found a new nail salon that just opened two weeks ago in Konigstein, a town about 5 minutes up the street (I've mentioned this town before).

I walk in and there is a huge pedicure chair, just like the nail salons at home...I felt at ease. The lady was Vietnamese and her name was Lyn. She was very very nice and told me her entire background on why she is living in Germany and why she opened the shop.  The short story is she moved her 10 years ago because her brother and wife were killed in a car crash so she moved from California to here to raise their two children. Well now the children are 19 and 21 and causing major problems and she opened the shop as an outlet and to make money to send home to her two sons that are in medical school in New Jersey. ANYWAY, that's Lyn! :) Very nice lady.

Lyn gave me the May issue of US Weekly and said you are doing what the American women do on Saturdays...getting a pedicure and relaxing! I said, yup and it's incredible! Now for the reason I'm posting this story about my German pedicure.

Lyn said a traditional German pedicure cost 40 Euro and that doesn't include any massage or exfoliation. This pretty much only includes a polish change. They also sit you in this round tub, you get no cozy back message chair. Lyn said the German service is terrible. Her goal is to bring the American nail salon concept to Germany. I told her I would tell all my friends! :) Sounded like a German pedicure was not relaxing nor anything women do together as a girls date like at home. Oh and Lyn only charges 20 Euro, way better! The rest of the day as we walked around I took note of German women's feet. I was surprised to notice most of them had on closed toe shoes, either boots, ballet flats, or tennis shoes. The women that did have on sandels did not have pretty toes! HA! And I think I was the only one where flip flops with spectacular looking toes I might add. The weather was like 80 degrees and sunny so just imagine how trapped their feet must have felt. Now that I know what a German pedicure includes I understand the reason for closed toed shoes in late spring! :)

One more thing. Lyn informed me that Savannah is born in the year of the Tiger. These babies (she said) are very special. They are indepedent, extremely smart and strong. She was very clear and looked me straight in the eye and said, "You and your husband speak to Savannah with one voice." Because if we don't she said Savannah will see that we are not united and she will challenge us. She predicted Savannah will be out of our house by 21 and moved on her own. That made me sad as I sat getting my pedicure on Mother's Day weekend.

By the end of my 60 minute pedicure, I realized I got a lessen on German pedicures, the lifestyle of some German women (that's another story), a psychic reading on Savannah, and Lyn told me she is a certified gemologist!

I will definitely go back to Lyn for two reasons. One great pedicure at a great price and two I'm curious on what else she has to teach me!

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful, strong and loving mothers in my life!

Love,
Elizabeth
XO

Easter Weekend

We had a wonderful Easter weekend! The weather was absolutely perfect, minus the pollen of course! Everyone has said the pollen is really bad this year because it hasn't rained much. This is the first time I wish it would rain!

Saturday we went to Downtown Wiesbaden in search of Easter markets, we didn't find any but that was okay because we walked around the park, the farmers market, then had lunch and shopped. Savannah got a beautiful Easter hat and we bought some Easter chocolates.

The farmers market was really crowded on Saturday so we decided to enjoy a glass a wine from one of the German wineries that was set up there. Well this lady about five feet in front of us was coughing up a lung for like 10 minutes then a man next to us was blowing his nose. I started to get uncomfortable so I said to Rocky, "There are too many germs here lets keep moving." Well he thought I meant, "There are too many Germs (as in Germans) here..." It was really funny but in no way did I mean "Germs" as in Germans! I love the German people! What I don't love are people who cough and sneeze in public and don't cover up! That was my funny story from Saturday.

Sunday was again beautiful weather so we started the day with a walk/hike. We visited Savannah's favorite horse, named Sienna, and this time the owner was brushing the her tail. Sienna she said hello to Savannah. This was the closest Savannah had ever been to a horse, she was about 15 inches from her face. Savannah was holding a dandelion, and the pollen must have aggravated Sienna because she sneezed all over both Savannah and me!!! Needless to say we came home all bathed! Surprisingly Savannah didn't cry she just was really shocked. It was funny!

We had brunch late in the morning at beautiful restaurant where they had a buffet. It was really good, all German food. The buffet wasn't like an American buffet. It was like we were at a small gathering at someones house, the food was placed on little dishes with small proportions. I liked it because it wasn't huge and overwhelming. After brunch we took lots of pictures in the courtyard...and everybody starred at us like we were putting on a show. This is a "German thing". They stare, and they don't care if you know they are staring. It's very awkward and uncomfortable but we're getting used to it.

Then we came home and I made a delicious spinach salad to take to our friends house for Easter Dinner. It has been really nice to have friends here that make us feel like extended family. Without these people the transition would be a lot harder. We got to talk to both our families on Skype and that was nice.

Our first major holiday in Germany was lovely! Hope everyone at home had a nice holiday too.

XO
Elizabeth