Hungary - Day 2

Breakfast
Breakfast was an experience unto itself.  I had sausage, eggs, croissants, fruit, hard boiled egg, and coffee.  However, it was the room not the food, as yummy as it was, that was the true star.  I felt like I was dining in Versailles.  Had I known, I would have woken up earlier and lingered over breakfast, enjoying ambiance.  A rarity in my life, I do not think I will need to drag myself out of bed; I know I will be extremely excited to wake up tomorrow and enjoy breakfast in such beauty. 




Danube River Bend Tour
After breakfast we began our tour of the Hungarian countryside along the river.  It was fascinating leaving Budapest and seeing the outskirts of the city as we entered the countryside/forests.  The forest was amazingly different than forests in the states, at least on the east coast.  Our forests are a true heterogeneous mix of numerous types of trees.  This forest exhibited a different kind of beauty; all the trees were either oak or birch.  It was quite stunning looking out and seeing the white trunks of the birch trees filling the landscape.  I remember thinking it was funny how each of the forests resembled the diversity of our two countries.

After driving through an oak and birch forests, we took our first stop in Slovakia, just across the Danube from Hungary, so that we would have a good view of the first church and castle built in Hungary.  It was a short stop, only a few minutes for pictures, an then we drove across the river back to Hungary to go up to the cathedral and castle remains.  Here was the first time I learned about the complex history of Hungary and it has definitely inspired me to learn more about its history.  Hungary has gone through more tumultuous changes than most European countries, probably because it always seems to be on the wrong side in history.

Hungarian Connection
At the beginning of our tour we asked the guide about the artist Munkácsy, who is rumored to be connected to our family.  The guide promptly pronounced the name correctly as "muh(n)-KATCH-e" (I tried to spell it phonetically as he said it).  Basically, it sounded just like Makatche except with a very soft "n" sound after the first "a".  Whether we are really related to the painter or not (as he told us that it is a slightly-common name in Hungary) doesn't matter too much to me.  It was just so special to hear our Americanized name be so close in pronunciation to the original Hungarian.  There is also a town with that name in what was formerly part of Hungary, but is now part of the Ukraine as Hungary lost 2/3 of its land after WWI that area became part of the Ukraine.


Lunch
The beauty of Hungary never ceases to amaze me.  Everywhere we go is absolutely dripping with charm and rich with history.  While not historical itself, the restaurant sat atop a hill and had an amazing view of a local castle.  Our food was phenomenal.  I had a roasted eggplant dip with bread, roasted vegetables, and a type of coleslaw.

Szentendre (Saint Andrew)
This is an extremely charming town along the Danube known for its artists.  The streets are open to pedestrian only and are lined with little shops and restaurants.  It is definitely a tourist destination, however, that has not tarnished the beauty of the town.  In many ways it feels like an archetype of what little towns in Europe should be, at least in my mind - beautiful, vibrant, quaint, and a little removed from modern culture (no cars/traffic). In a town known for its artists, I had to buy a piece of art. So I bought an etching of Budapest - a perfect souvenir from Hungary.

Riverboat to Budapest
Our return to Budapest was via a riverboat; a fitting end to our Hungarian countryside/village tour.  The scenery was gorgeous as was the weather for the trip.  Hungary is divided into two halves by the Danube River - one side is Buda and the other is Pest.  Entering the city by the "dividing line" of the two halves allowed us to see them both simultaneously, a true feast for the eyes.


Dinner

After the tour, we walked to the area of  Saint Stephen's Basilica.  It is a beautiful basilica (cathedral) that stands at the front of a gorgeous outdoor square surrounded by quaint restaurants and lined by small streets also brimming with restaurants.  The cathedral was closed by the time we arrived, but there will  be an organ, trumpet, and mezzo-soprano concert there tomorrow evening (hopefully we can go).  We walked down the square to an Italian restaurant that Aunt Elaine and Uncle Steve had found during their last travels to Hungary.  The outdoor seating was full, so we ate inside, which was equally as wonderful.  We began the meal with a delicious salad of arugula lettuce, cherry tomatoes, olives, and mozzarella cheese balls.  For dinner I ordered a cheese-stuffed ravioli in an amazing herb-cream sauce. We all shared a side of spinach as well as a side of mixed roasted vegetables.  I ended with an absolutely delicious dessert.  I forget what is was called, but it seemed like baked filo dough sandwiching a rich vanilla cream - yum!!!  It was a perfect way to end our day.

Hungary - Day 1

This begins the 14 day chronicle of my vacation with Aunt E and Uncle S to Hungary, Austria, and Czech Republic.  Traveling with them is always a delight and this trip will top the list, I'm sure.

Whew!  The trip in was exhausting.  I always forget how difficult it is to adjust to a different time zone. Much of this day(s)? was a blur so I'm going to attempt to recount all the details.

Business Class

Sooo much leg room

What an experience!  While waiting for our flight, we entered a lounge reserved for business class passengers.  There we had a glass of wine, ate some snacks, and relaxed while waiting for our flight.  Then we boarded the plane; I had so much foot room I kept feeling like I need to pull my chair forward because I felt like I had to be squishing the person behind me.  Which was, of course, absolutely not true, but the amount of space was truly luxurious.  The food, not to be out-done by the space, was also amazingly fabulous.  After eating, my body began entering a food coma, so I moved my chair to recline and put my feet up and fell asleep in an almost horizontal position.  I slept soundly until breakfast.  I was not hungry at all and I should have passed, but I at it anyway (which I fear is going to be a common occurrence on this trip).


Arriving in Hungary
For some reason I was a little scared of Hungary when I first arrived.  It felt so foreign.  Western European countries just feel "safer" (in my mind) because they are such common tourist destinations.  However, that fear was quickly erased when our driver entered the city of Budapest.  It was, even at first sight, gorgeous.  Everyone we met, with the exception of a lady at the grocery store, was so friendly and helpful.  I'm excited to experience more of Hungary.


Hotel
I feel as though I've stepped back into time when I am in the lobby of the hotel.  The grandeur is unmeasurable.  Thankfully the rooms are just as modern and luxurious as the lobby is old and grand.  My room is enormous - an entrance hallway with a desk, a sitting area, two twin beds, and a palatial bathroom.  Everything feels so pristine that I'm even walking around the hotel floor with my bare feet - unthinkable in any other hotel.




Dinner
Our first dinner was at the restaurant in the hotel (we were too exhausted after all our traveling and the time change to go elsewhere).  I have never experienced food as I did during this meal.  Picture the food that is produced during the "Iron Chef" show and that is what we ate. Every course was not only delicious, but a pure work of art.  One of my favorite things was the display of bread on our table to pair with 3 different butters (chilli pepper, sardine, and regular) and finishing salts (english sea salt, champagne salt, tomato salt, and another one but I forget the name).

Our waiter was so friendly and visibly proud of his country.  He took such delight in explaining all the breads and salts and butters that were available to us and was always so pleasant.  On top of the amazing food and service was the stunning ambiance.

The hotel (previously a cafe on ground level and offices above) was built by the New York Insurance Company in the late 1800s.  Opulence and luxury ooze out of very nook and cranny of the restaurant/cafe area.  There are murals on the ceilings, intricate woodwork, marble, gold gilding, velvet, chandeliers ... it was indescribable.

Cachapas!

Success - homemade cachapas!

Last weekend Tim, John and I trekked up to Washington Heights for an eating extravaganza.  On the menu were cachapas, empanadas, pastelitos, pizza from a place on Dyckman (imo: the best ever), and Dominican chicken with rice and beans.  Our plan ended up being a bit ambitious and our stomachs were only able to fit cachapas, empanadas, Dominican chicken with rice and beans ... and some shaved ice (literally shaved off a huge block of ice) with coconut syrup.

Everything was delicious, but the cachapas (from Cachapas Y Mas) were so unique and so unbelievably amazing that we pulled out Tim's handy-dandy iPhone and looked up the recipe (never thinking we would actually make them).  Fast-forward one week and I found myself making up the batter for cachapas with Tim.  Finding the batter for the actual corn "pancakes" was easy.  Finding a recipe for the filling was a bit impossible.  So, we created a Argentine-Venezuelan fusion dish - cachapas = Venezuelan while the filling and topping = Argentine. 

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CACHAPAS

Ingredients
2 15 oz cans of corn
1/4 cup milk
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 large egg
3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
4 T butter

 Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients except the butter in a food processor.
2. Process the ingredients until the batter is the consistency of very thick pancake batter.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high to high heat and add 1 T butter
4. After the butter has melted, add the batter forming a 3 to 4 inch round.
5. Cook on one side until the edges begin to look dry and cooked - then flip the cachapa to the other side and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes.
6. Remove the cachapa and repeat the process with the remaining batter.
7. You can store the cachapas in a warm oven until you have made the remaining cachapas.

 You could definitely make this batter the day before and just keep it in the refrigerator.
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FILLING - Adobo Roasted Chicken

Ingredients
2 T minced garlic

1 T minced parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  (we used 1 rotisserie chicken instead)

Directions

Method 1 (chicken breasts)

1. Combine the garlic, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, red pepper flakes, and olive oil
2. Rub the chicken with the mix, cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight
3. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a pan and fry the chicken over medium heat for about 3 minutes each side
4. Remove the chicken and place them in a baking dish to cook in the oven at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes

Method 2 (rotisserie chicken)

1. Combine the garlic, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, red pepper flakes, and olive oil (you probably only need about 1/4 cup olive oil for this method).  Also add the juices from the rotisserie chicken packaging if there are any.
2. Pull the chicken off the bone and add it to the mixture
3. Heat the chicken in the mixture until the cachapas are ready 

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TOPPING - Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients 

1 cup firmly packed parsley leaves
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried oregano)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes


Directions

1. Place the parsley in a food process and process for several pulses
2. Add the remaining ingredients and process again for a few pulses

Oh, we also topped our cachapas with some queso fresco!

       Enjoy!

Skillet Beef with Lentils

I'm loving my More-With-Less Cookbook that I got at Christmas from Tim.  I bought the cookbook for the Honey Baked Lentils recipe that my mom sometimes made.  If that was the only recipe I ever made from it, the purchase would have been worthwhile ... it is delicious (post to follow soon)!  The cookbook has 5 different lentil recipes, with variations on some, and I plan on trying them all.




So, here is lentil recipe #1 - Skillet Beef with Lentils.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
2 T butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb ground beef
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 T long-grain rice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T cider vinegar
cheddar cheese (optional)
corn chips (optional)

Directions
 1.  Bring 1 qt (4 cups) of water to a boil in a saucepan

 2.  Add the lentils and cook for 20 minutes.

 3.  Drain the lentils, reserving the liquid.

 4.  In a deep skillet, saute the onions in butter until soft and then add the garlic.

 5.  Add the beef to the onions and brown well.

 6.  Dissolve the beef bouillon cubes in the reserved liquid from the lentils.

 7.  Add the liquid to the mixture. 

 8.  Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

 9.  Add the lentils, long-grain rice, sugar, salt, cumin, and pepper to the mixture.

 10.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until lentils and rice are tender and liquid is absorbed.    (I did not cover it because I wanted the remaining liquid to cook off)

11.  Add 1 T cider vinegar.   (This absolutely makes the dish!)

In the end, I found the actual dish to  be quite boring and I wasn't quite sure how to eat it.  It wasn't a casserole and it wasn't a soup, but it looked like something in between ... almost like chilli.  So, I decided to go that route.  I topped a bowl of the lentil/beef mixture with shredded cheddar cheese and ate it with corn chips.  This is the way to go - yum!

Kona Stout Ice Cream

While browsing Strand Book Store one evening, I stumbled upon a book that I knew I needed.  Jenni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home opens to page upon page of ice cream recipes I would never have imagined.  The combinations of flavors are unusual in many cases, but the typical, well-known, comfortable flavor combinations are also represented.

When I opened this Christmas gift, I knew it was time to pull the frozen ice cream canister core out of the freezer, finally!  About a year ago I put it in the freezer thinking I would make ice cream sometime in the next week or two ... it was definitely sufficiently frozen and ready to chill a batch of ice cream.

After leafing through the book, Tim and I made a unanimous decision to make the kona stout ice cream.  Let me just say, Beer + Coffee + Ice Cream = soooooo good!

So, here is our first foray into ice cream making.  While it wasn't the best batch of ice cream ever, we made a few mistakes, it was still pretty amazing!  We now know it is important to chill the ice cream base as instructed, no short-cuts allowed.

Kona Stout Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 T cornstarch
3 T cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 T light corn syrup
2 T dark-roast coffee beans, coarsely ground
1/2 cup very dark stout beer



Prep
Mix about 2 T of milk and cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry
Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth
Fill a large bowl with ice and water


Cook
Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add the coffee, and let steep for 5 minutes.

Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve (if you have it, line the sieve with a layer of cheesecloth)

Return the ice cream mixture to the saucepan and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until slightly thickened - about 1 minute.

Remove from heat.

Chill

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.

Add the stout and blend well.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freeze bag and submerge the sealed bag in an ice bath.

Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Freeze

Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid.

Freeze in the coldest part of your freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

ENJOY!

Engaged ... to be married!!!

I knew it was coming.  I was there when Tim bought the ring we picked out (what a fun time that was!).  I told him he had to wait a year, and that landmark had come and gone.  I then told him to not make me wait too long ... so I knew it was coming.  Yet, somehow, he managed to surprise me!

Tim had asked Michelle to make a date with me to get together at the Brew Pub.  As I turned the corner to walk down to the Brew Pub, Tim was standing on the steps.  I was shocked to see him.  That shock quickly turned to pure excitement.  I knew what was going to happen next.  He proceeded to take me to a bench outside the pub, next to the lovely garden (it was a beautiful night - in the upper 40s), and tell me what a wonderful woman I am.  The specifics of what he said have left my mind completely and Tim doesn't remember what he said either.  Finally, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.  The rest of the night was a blur of happiness.

Film Photography

Ahhhhh!  Tim got me a film camera and macro lens for my birthday.  I'm so excited to begin taking film pictures.  I'm especially excited to use the macro lens since I love to take extreme close-ups of things.  It's been so long since I loaded film ... Tim and I had quite a time trying to get it the film to advance/load correctly.  

Jamie, my brother's girlfriend, took a photography class this past semester.  She got me interested in taking film photos as well as digital photos.  I'm excited to learn how to develop my own photos in the distant future.  I'm just going to have to take a trip out to Kansas to visit Jamie and use her father's dark room ;)

I've been told by Tim's father, who is into photography as well, that when I develop my pictures I should develop them as slides.  Apparently, slides will scan better if I want to "digitize" them.

This should be a fun learning experience!

New Year 2012

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you find you a better person."  ~Benjamin Franklin

I personally love the tradition of making New Year's resolutions.  I don't think I've ever completed resolutions 100%, but I find striving to try something new is a worthy and fulfilling (whether completed or not) pursuit.

2011 Recap

Last year, my resolutions were to bake my own bread, take up photography, and paint something for my apartment.  I did bake bread - a new one per month from January through June.  Then summer hit full force and my bread baking habit ended - who wants to have their oven on when it's 85 outside.  So, although not 100% completed, my resolution has developed into a hobby I will continue with every winter - fresh baked bread is the perfect cold weather comfort food.  I also took photographs.  I have taken 264 to this date, so I did not quite make the goal of 365 pictures within a single year .... but, I plan on finishing the 365 project within the next few weeks.  This was my favorite resolution and definitely a hobby I will continue to pursue.  My last resolution was my true "failure".  I did not paint anything for my apartment.  I did enlarge a few of my pictures and hung them on my walls.  I'll just have to roll this resolution over for 2012.

Resolution 1 - Paint something for my apartment

This is a carry-over from last year ... hopefully I'll do a better job of it this year.  

Resolution 2 - Switch to cash-only

I am excited to make the switch to going cash-only.  This resolution is not quite so exciting, but definitely a challenge that is worthwhile.  My brother and sister-in-law have gone cash-only for the past year.  My sister just made the change in September.  They all rave about it as being a great way to save money.

Resolution 3 - Dance more often

Last year I went dancing twice a week - Wednesday and Thursday night.  That has slowly dwindled down to only once in a while.  A combination of gas prices increasing and my energy levels not being infinite led to a sharp decline in my drives down to Harrisburg for salsa, bachata, merengue, and cha-cha.  I'm sure I won't go twice a week, but I'd like to go at least once a month.  I really miss it!

Paint brush photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/61577651@N00/291470015/.

Cash photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/21174434@N08/3027251691/