Leid und Freud liegen dicht bei einander

Dieser Satz habe ich schon mal gehört. Heute habe ich wieder gehört. Es ist sehr wahr. 
Frau B hat mir was sehr schönes erzählt. Als Weihnachtsgeschenk für ihre Kinder, hat sie ihre Geschichte in Druckform gegeben - ihr Lebens Erreignisse usw. Ich höre gerne Leutes Geschichte an. Ich habe gedacht, lesen wir auch teilerweise Storys von Leute, die wir kaum kennen. Sogar viel besser, wenn man die Leute persönlich kennt und schätzt. Ein geniales Geschenk für ihr Kinder, auch um die Familiegeschichte weiterzugeben oder leben. Sie hat auch einiges erlebt. Sie war nämlich im 1925 geboren und viel erlebt. Ihr Manns Geburtstag ist auch ihr Bruders Todestag. Ist auch Ms Geburtstag und Rs Geburtstag und Hs Urgroßmutters Geburtstag und Us Großmutters Geburtstag.

Magic Cooker/Thermal Cooker vs. Pressure Cooker

Magic Cooker a.k.a. Thermal Cooker
What is it and how does it work? It is a cookware that is best used for soup-based recipes. It saves on energy cost and time. Usually made out of outer form (insulated part) and a stainless pot. The pot is boiled in high heat for a few minutes, then immediately placed in the insulated form. The heat inside the pot will slow cook your food. Wait, depending on what you are cooking from a few minutes (rice) to hours(stews). Reheat before serving/serve immediately. 
When I came to Germany, what my family thought was the most important to send is a magic cooker. I have to agree, it had helped me through quite a number of cold winters. I had made numerous chicken soups, goulash, beef/pork soups, white fungus soup, and congees with it. 
What is so special for me about this cookware is I get soft meat without worrying about the food being burnt or that water has all condensed. As I lived in a dormitory with a shared kitchen, the magic cooker was very helpful. I merely occupied the kitchen top for a few minutes and after few minutes/hours of waiting, I had the meat that I wanted.  To save on time, I usually cook at night and in the morning, voila...... A meal for the whole week!.....hahahaha.

Insulated part

Magic cooker

Bigger version of magic cooker

I recently got a pressure cooker. What a life saver. I used to be very happy with my magic cooker. Though I still am, I realize that with the use of pressure cooker, it makes my soup cook much faster. I like my meat mostly 'fall-off-the bones'. That is to say, I have to cook the soup/stew longer than usual. I normally cook(boil and wait) meat for at least 6 hours in my magic cooker. With pressure cooker, it was only less than an hour. Need to learn how to better make use of the pressure cooker. 
Which is healthier, I am afraid I can't say. More convenient is the pressure cooker at the moment. If anyone happen to know which is healthier, info would highly be appreciated.
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Als ich in DE war, hatte meine Familie von den PH mir einen Magic Cooker oder auch Thermal Cooker/Kochtopf geschickt. Es sei der wichtigste Sache sein. Mein Koffer war ganz voll und leider konnte ich es nicht mit mir sofort bringen. Ich war und immer noch dankbar dafür. Ich habe damit viele warme oder heiße Gerichte z.B. Reissuppe, Gulasch, Hähnchensuppe, usw. gekocht. Ja, man kann auch mit normalen Kochtopf benutzen aber ich möchte das Fleisch zart sein, wenn ich es esse. Zartes Fleisch bekommt man wenn man es länger kocht als üblich. Dieser Magic Cooker ist dann am Vorteil weil es Energiekosten spart. Wie benutzt man es? Topf aus Edelstahl am Herd, ein paar Minuten das Essen kochend bringen. Macht man den Topf in den Anderen rein (der mit Isolierung). Dann abwarten von Minuten (Reis) bis Studen (Fleisch). Ah..was noch, ich hatte im Studentenwohnheim gewohnt. Als die Küche geteilt war, sollte ich auch nicht sehr lange am Herd sein. Der Magic Cooker hat ganz prima gepasst. Ich hatte abends gekocht und morgens.........habe ich Mahlzeit für die ganze Woche...hahaha.
Vor kurzem habe ich einen Schnellkochtopf bekommen. Es ist ganz ideal. Früher muss ich mehr als 6 Stunden warten für mein Gulasch, jetzt hat es weniger als 1 Stunde gedauert. 
Welche ist gesunder oder besser, weiß ich nicht. Falls jemand es weiß, Info wäre gut. Ich mache gleich Weißmorchelnsuppe, aber dieses Mal benutze ich mein Magic Cooker. ;)

Christmas

People have asked me if our place is decorated in tune with the season. I didn't think of decorating at all. Last year, I made a homemade Advent calendar. For unknown reason, we forgot to open the majority of the 'surprise' notes that I figured, this year I simply don't want to put my energy to waste. 
About 2 weeks ago, I helped out by decorating pots/boots to be sold for the Christmas season. It came to mind that if I help others do it, I should also do something similar at home. The forest is just about the corner. I had twigs/leaves here and a few nuts there. The final result is a combination of Fall and Winter motifs on a glass plate.

Table Decoration

The second Advent is over but we didn't light up our candles. If we light them up or not in the end, it hardly matters. It is a nice feeling to have a simple meal with a beautiful decoration to look at. And that is very much enough for me.

Dairy-Free Carrot Cake/ Muffin / Bread

It is the first day of December this year. Christmas is just a few weeks away. :) I wonder if we will bake Christmas cookies soon.

Anyways, I have written it earlier, baking carrot and banana are my favorites. They can be in any form - i.e. bread or muffin. 

The search for carrot cake/bread/muffin is over so I can gladly share the said recipe. Colleagues had begged for this recipe, too. It has a nice texture, is moist, and not too sweet. Of course, I kid myself into thinking it is also healthy because of the substitutions (apple sauce, brown sugar, and whole wheat flour).

I have been wanting to bake in jars to give away as gifts. These can supposedly be stored until 6 months. I have yet to do it because I read some contradicting articles about its safety. We will see what will happen, to bake or not to bake in jars.

Enough of my babbling....

The last piece ...... Nice texture, moist, and not too sweet as I love it

Adapted from allrecipes

Carrot Cake
For 12 Muffin Forms (I use silicon forms)

                               

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 90 ml vegetable oil
• 60 ml apple sauce (unsweetened, I use homemade)
• 80 g white sugar
• 80 g brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or less
• 100 g all-purpose flour
• 25 g whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 165 g grated carrots
• 55 g chopped walnuts or less
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Insert paper muffin form in every silicon muffin form. (For easy clean up)
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce, sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Do not overmix. Stir in carrots. Fold in walnuts. Pour into prepared form.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in form for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. 

Note: 
Test doneness with toothpick AND press the top of the cake, it should spring back a little. I have had experience wherein the toothpick came out clean but the top layer is still underbaked.

Personal Note:
Alternative: use smaller pan, grease and flour, middle rack, 40 minutes of baking in the mini-oven.

Nur Anders

Nur Anders ist eine Serie für Bemerkungen zwischen das Leben in DE (Deutschland) als ich es sehe und zwischen mein Leben auf den PH (Philippinen).

1. Geschirr waschen. In DE, man füllt das Waschbecken mit heißem oder warmem Wasser. Dann ein bisschen Spülli rein. Man wascht das Geschirr und legt es auf den Abtropfgitter. Man trocknet dann das Geschirr mit Geschirrtuch am Ende. 
Auf den PH, man lässt das Wasser laufen. Wascht das Geschirr mit Seife/Spülli und danach spüllt man die Seife mit dem laufenden Wasser weg. Man legt es auf den Abtropfgitter. Dasselbe Geschirr abtrocknet mit Tuch.
Anfangs habe ich Schwierigkeiten anders zu spülen. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass es noch Spülli auf mein Geschirr und es nicht sauber ist. Da niemand in DE davon gestorben oder krank geworden ist, mache ich mittelerweise genau das Deutsch-Styl sozusagen. Nicht nur das, im Winter oder wenn es kalt ist, mag ich es sogar sehr gern, Geschirr zu waschen. Meine Hände werden schön warm von dem Wasser. 

2. Mülltrennung. Hier in DE gibt es Gelbesack, Papiertonne, Biotonne, Glas, Sondermüll, usw. Auf den PH sortieren wir machmal die Papiere und Glas. Also ab und zu kommt jemand und kauft diese Sachen ab. Die Rest macht man in Müll. Obwohl vor kurzem gibt es schon Biotonne dort. Weiß nicht aber nicht insofern ist es durchgeführt. Es freut mich natürlich mit dieser Mülltrennung zu machen. Dieses gute Gewissen, dass man für die Umwelt gutes macht.

3. Ruhezeit. Hier in DE, man kann einfach nicht jedes Mal den Staubsaugen benutzen weil es krach macht.  Das wäre doch was auf den PH, wenn unser Nachbar nicht einfach spätnachts oder Sonntag Nachmittags mit seiner Karaoke schreien dürfte ;p

4. Tastatur. Wenn ich was eintippt, manchmal vergesse ich welches Modus (DE oder EN) das Tastatur eingestellt bin. Schon wichtig, wenn man die Buchstaben Y und Z eintippt. Naja auf den PH habe ich immer nur das EN Modus benutzt. 

5. Dankeschön Geschenk. Sie sind auf ein Fest (Geburtstag, Hochzeit, Taufe) eingeladen. Bekommen Sie normalerweise ein dankeschön Geschenk als Gast/in? Hier in DE ist es nicht üblich, auf den PH aber ja. Üblicherweise bekommen die Frauen es, nicht die Männer.

Food to Impress/ Twisted Wienerwurst Buns

Still crazy over the water roux/tangzhong method. Funny thing is, I don't even know why I make such a hassle baking with it because the baked goods last maximum of only 2 days in our home. Not that we eat everything all by ourselves; we share them with friends/acquaintances. I suppose it is the softness of every bite or maybe, the calories burned while preparing it or even, the test of patience. I started making the water roux starter at 8 am and the first bite of the finished product was at 1:30 in the afternoon. Talk about being patient! Btw, I haven't tried leaving the water roux overnight before using it. This will sure cut down the waiting time.

I gave some of these buns to a friend. She was ecstastic and wanted the recipe. It is always a GREAT sign that you did something truly wonderful when they want the recipe. I am not sure if she was impressed with the presentation or the texture/taste of the bun or both. 

Adapted from angiesrecipes: /Twisted Wienerwurst Buns

Dough

• 300 g bread flour
• 6     g instant dried yeast
• 30   g sugar
• 6     g salt
• 1        medium egg
• 65   g warm soja milk
• 75   g tangzhong starter
• 45   g margarine
• 9        wienerwurst

Topping

• 1 spring onion, chopped (can make it to 2)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions (copied exactly from angiesrecipe):

1. Add flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook. Add in egg, milk, and water roux. Mix at slow speed for 1 minute until combined. Increase the speed to medium, and continue to mix for 3 minutes until the dough forms.
   
2. Add in butter mix at slow speed until incorporated. Then increase speed and knead until gluten is fully developed, i. e. elastic, smooth, non-sticky and leave from the sides of your mixing bowl, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Remove and form the dough into a smooth ball. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, covered with a plastic wrap, and leave in a warm place until dough is double in volume, about an hour. Press the dough down to release gases produced in the fermenting process. Divide dough into 9 portions, each is about 60-62 grams and round up and rest for 10 minutes at the room temperature.
   
4. Flatten each dough ball, with seam side down, and roll into a rectangle. The length of the dough should be the same as the sausage you are going to use. Now turn the seam side up, and place a sausage on the dough. Roll it up and cut into 5 equal portions, but DO NOT cut them through, leaving a thin joint between portions. Cross the first and the last joints, turn the cutting edges of 3 portions over to obtain a flower pattern. Place on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet and cover with a plastic wrapper. Leave to rise for 45-60 minutes.
   
5. To prepare the topping, mix spring onions, egg (reserve 1 tablespoon for brushing the tops) , olive oil, and black pepper in a bowl. Add the salt in just when you are ready to use it. When the buns have doubled in size, brush them with reserved egg mixture, then place some onion mixture atop. Finally sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
   
6. Bake in preheated oven at 175C/350F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. When done, turn the buns onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

I experimented with cutting the wienerwurst into 5-6 portions, just to check how they'd turn out. Not too sure if the dough should cover the wurst at the bottom. I found myself pulling the dough to cover the wurst after twisting the dough to form the flower pattern.

I took 2 bites and realized, I haven't had a photo taken of them yet.  

Lessons learned:
1. Use baking paper / do not use the leftover liquid from the toppings (difficulty in cleaning up)
2. Use egg wash to attain yellower gloss / Don't bake them too long (sausage will look dry)
3. Spread the buns properly 'coz they will still grow and stick to one another.
 

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree/ Having Faith/ Figs

Matthew 21:18-22 from the New International Version

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. ²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

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It is the season for figs around here. Our neighbor has a fig tree and has allowed us to help ourselves with the fruits. I like eating them. The first time I saw it at my mom-in-law's home, I thought it wasn't exactly appetizing. The inside reminded me of worms soaked in blood and still does. But when I put it in my mouth and chewed it, it was sweet and refreshing. :) Since then, I like to eat worms.....I mean, figs :). 

It is also a wonderful feeling to pick vegetables/fruits straight from your own garden. Simply so fresh and without any pesticides/herbicides. The other day, I harvested two tomatoes. It is quite unfortunate that this year, we were endowed with fewer tomatoes from the garden. In total, we only had 4 tomatoes excluding 3 rotten ones. Better luck next year.

Can't get enough of figs