Chocolate Covered Cherries

Yesterday Andrew and I made something I intended to make for Christmas: Chocolate Covered Cherries. They are super yummy – way better than those boxed ones – and the perfect Valentine treat! I originally got the recipe from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and I’ve never seen it on another food blog (except the one that I contributed to - check it out if you want step-by-step photo illustrations) or even on Pinterest. They are delicious eaten just as soon as the chocolate hardens (or while they’re still gooey, who am I to argue) but wait a week (if you can) and the insides turn to liquid, just like the store-bought variety (but better.) Either way they are irresistable!

 

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

45 Marschino Cherries with stems (1 1/2 jars)

3 T softened butter

3 T Karo syrup (light)

1 t vanilla

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 pound melting chocolate (milk chocolate or dark chocolate)

Drain Cherries and place on paper towels to dry. Some may need a gentle squeeze to remove the liquid from the inside. Use an electric mixer to combine butter, Karo syrup, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Using additional powdered sugar to coat your hands if the dough is sticky, take a bit of dough about the size of a cherry, flatten it, place a cherry in the middle, and wrap the dough around the cherry, completely covering it.  Place on a sheet of parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator until firm.

Melt the chocolate. Dip each coated cherry into the chocolate, shaking gently to remove all the excess chocolate, and place on parchment paper. Chill until set.  Place cherries in an airtight container in a cool place.

P.S. I found that after dipping them in chocolate there was a hole in the bottom where the filling leaked out, so I dipped them twice. Nothing wrong with a little more chocolate, right?

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Bittersweet

This is the Pacific Ocean, as seen from the California coast. I was there at the beginning of January with my sister, my mom and my dad for the funeral of my Grandmother. It has been a couple of weeks, but I’m still pondering all that transpired.

This blog is not usually a place for deep reflection, but here are some thoughts.

My Grandmother was 89 years old when she died on Christmas day. It was not unexpected; she was diagnosed with bile duct cancer about 6 weeks prior, and the prognosis wasn’t good. Somehow even though I knew it was coming, news of her death felt like a kick in the stomach.

Despte the admonition that I didn’t have to come I decided to make the trip to her funeral. It was a 6 day jumble of emotion, jet lag and insomnia, with some Starbucks, Target, and In-N-Out Burger thrown in. When I returned and was asked, “How was your trip?” my answer was a paradox: Bittersweet.

Bittersweet is recalling my last conversation with my Grandmother and her requests for prayers for healing and knowing that now she is whole and her pain is gone.

Bittersweet is two exhausting days of airplane travel to get to California and two days of travel to get home and only 48 hours at my destination.

Bittersweet is seeing my mom, dad, brother, sister, brother-in-law, and niece but not having my husband and sons with me (and missing my older sister who was not able to come.)

Bittersweet is joyful conversation with extended family that I’ve not seen in a decade even as we gathered for the funeral.

Bittersweet is knowing I will not see my Grandmother on earth again but looking forward to a glorious reunion in eternity because of her faith in Christ.

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to express kind words of sympathy. They are greatly appreciated.

 

P.S. My Grandmother was a bit particular – she insisted that we only call her GrandMOTHER, never any other derivation of that name. So when people expressed sympathy to me by saying, “Sorry to hear about your Grandma,” I inwardly cringed, knowing that if she was present she would have corrected them.

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Monchengladbach

About a month ago I only knew two things about the German city of Monchengladbach: They have a football (soccer) team and a big hospital with a NICU. Thanks to Jeremy’s dad, who, after thorough internet research, decided that would be a great sightseeing destination, I know a little more. We spent the last day of Jeremy’s parents’ visit seeing three things: a castle, a zoo, and a church. (Typical Europe, right?)

First stop was Schloss Rheydt. This castle wasn’t enormous, but it had a classic looking exterior. It was a self-guided tour with limited English signage, but plenty of interesting historical items. Of course no photos were allowed inside, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

It wouldn’t be a castle without a suit of armor. This was on display in the gift shop so it was okay to photograph.

We especially liked seeing the peacocks that were wandering around. Such beautiful colors! Andrew learned they had an affinity for wheat thins.

Apparently some people took one-horsepower transportation to the castle. This guy was parked right outside the restaurant where we enjoyed a yummy Italian lunch.

Our next stop was the local Tiergarden (zoo.) Good thing it was small because it was a bit chilly outside. We saw some not-so-exotic creatures (like these chickens) and some interesting ones (like mongooses – or is it mongeese?)

This poor buffalo was up to his ankles in mud. He didn’t look too happy.

The guinea pigs definitely had the best digs in the whole place, including public transportation. We didn’t see any critters though. I guess they were inside, making the most of their fine accomodations.

But a zoo isn’t just about seeing animals, is it? No way! It’s about the playground and the rides too! For 1 Euro the boys took these scooters for a few laps.

Our last stop was the Minster, which is an old church. How old? It had its beginnings in the year 974. I think that qualifies as the oldest church we’ve seen so far. They have done a few renovations since then.

I’m sure there is plenty more to see in lovely Monchengladbach, but that will all have to wait til another time. After visiting the Minster we headed home.

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Liberty Park – Overloon

Overloon, Netherlands was the site of a significant tank battle during World War II. Nearly 2,500 military members lost their lives during the fighting in the Fall of 1944. It was part of Operation Market Garden, and since I’m not a historian I’ll refrain from trying to paraphrase what I learned on Wikipedia about the battle. Suffice to say it was a significant event even though it may be little known today.

Today, Overloon is the location of Liberty Park. There are two museums here: National War and Resistance Museum of the Netherlands, and the Marshall Museum.

Outside there are a number of artifacts from the battle , such as this bridge.

And this tank.

And this lookout/bunker.

There are also memorials and sculptures and this sign. The English translation:
TAKE PAUSE visitor, and consider that the ground you now occupy was once one of the most fiercely contested sectors of the Overloon battlefield. Bitter hand-to-hand combat ensued here. Many young lives, having escaped from the battlefields of Nettuno and Normandy, met their ends under these trees.

 

There are also tanks inside the building. One of our favorite parts (especially for children who don’t want to read interesting but lengthy displays) was a brief virtual reality experience.  First we were in a mock airplane. There was a video screen on the floor which aired footage of what air crews might actually see during a bombing raid, along with sound effects. Then we proceeded to a room which had a cityscape on the walls. We again experienced a bombing raid from that perspective, with videos of buildings going up in flame. Last we went to a bomb shelter, where we experienced the sights and sounds of a bombing.

Like every other historical museum we’ve been to there were plenty of mannequins.

Many were quite detailed – check out the glowing embers of this soldier’s cigarette!

The museum had extensive displays on the Dutch Resistance movement (which gave us insight into the current relationship between the Dutch and the Germans!), life in concentration camps and a thorough history of Hitler’s rise to power. This memorial recognized the loss of Dutch citizens, both Christian and Jewish. Some exhibits were only in Dutch and German, but many did have English descriptions as well.

 

The Marshall Museum focused on the vehicles used during WWII battles, both on land and in the air.

This was a giant amphibious vehicle used at Normandy. I’d seen these before – I’d even taken the “duck boat” tour of Boston – but I hadn’t seen one this large. It had some very loud sound effects that were playing in the background which is why Thomas has that look on his face!

Another interesting part of the Marshall Museum: this enormous collection of bombs. There were over 1000 of them!

Just outside the gates of the museum there were some other interesting things to see. Two gift shops  had a wide assortment of military gear including models and tiny “army guys.”

They had a playground and this rhinoceros, perfect for climbing.

This high ropes course looked amazing! It might be the destination for another outing in the future!

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More of the Netherlands

When you live in a place that has been civilized for hundreds of years, there is loads of history and interesting places everywhere you look. On our drive back from Amsterdam we made a few stops. Again, my sincerest apologies for the poor photographs. My opinion is that a slightly blurry/washed out/overexposed photo is better than none. Maybe not to those with trained photographic eye, but hopefully they won’t mind too much.

First stop, Leiden. I was here briefly before, but like the last time I didn’t get the chance to shop. Maybe next time! Instead we stopped at an interesting little fortress called De Burcht.

It was on top of a hill so we had a great view of the city. We also attempted to go to the Pilgrim museum, but alas, it was closed. The Pilgrims (of Plymouth Rock, Mayflower, and Thanksgiving fame) started out from Leiden to the New World.

So it’s on to the land of 26 windmills – Kinderdijk.

It was off season here, so no windmill tours, and no treats at the gift shop. It wasn’t too cold but it was a pretty quick stop.

And for those science geeks, check out the size of this Archmedes’ Screw!

Then we headed to a place Jeremy has wanted to visit since our first weeks in Europe: Abbey Onze.

There was some confusion where it was located, and then once we found it we weren’t quite sure it was the right place – but how many beer making Abbeys could there possibly be in the town of Tillburg, Netherlands?

We had a lovely late lunch/early dinner, made a few purchases at the company store, and then headed home.

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Amsterdam, Take 2

The first time I went to Amsterdam I didn’t get to see much of the city. Jeremy’s parents were visiting for Christmas so we decided to go to the Netherlands for a few days to see the sites. Unfortunately, just like the first time there was so much we didn’t see but at least I didn’t have sore muscles afterwards. [By the way, my frustrations with my camera continue so my photos are quite inadequate in many ways. A new lens is on its way though!]

We took the train into Amsterdam and then got tickets for the hop on/hop off canal tour. My thought was that we could see a lot on this narrated tour plus we could get around in heated comfort instead of walking around in the cold. Seeing the city from the vantage point of the canals worked out pretty well.

One of our first sights on the tour was this windmill, one of just a few within the Amsterdam city limits. 

The windmill might be the iconic image of the Netherlands, but seeing a big parking lot of bikes is a very close second.

Our first stop was the Rijksmuseum. The museum is undergoing a major renovation so a limited number of works are on display. It was kind of like the Reader’s Digest Condensed Version, which was just enough culture for the youngest members of our family.

No flash photography was allowed so the photos I took of the Rembrants turned out horribly. This pudi statue was bathed in natural light so I got a clear picture of it. (That is a term I learned in my college art history class: a pudi is an angel, usually a plump naked boy with wings.) In the background is a portrait of Queen Beatrix painted by Andy Warhol.

Then it was back on the boat for another trip around the city. Our next stop was the Anne Frank House. Funny story: I bought tickets online and our whole day was planned around our 2:45 entrance. We walked in the special entrance for those who are super-organized advance planners and I pulled out my tickets. The ticket-taker (I’m sure there is a more sophisticated title but  you know who I mean) took a look at them and said, “These are for tomorrow.” AAARRGH! Thankfully, she had mercy on my pitiful expression and allowed us to enter anyhow.

Here is a bad photo of the Anne Frank House. Do you ever wonder why you hear of tons of people visiting certain places but never see photos? I’ve learned that is probably because photos are not allowed inside! I’ll agree with what I’ve heard - the Anne Frank house is a must-see. I was quite glad we went. Even our boys learned a lot and gained a new appreciation for all that happened during World War II.

After one more lap around the central canal and we were back to the Central Station to catch the train back to Leiden. We picked up yummy food to-go at the train station then headed back to our hotel after a full day. I promptly made a mental list of all the places I want to see the next time I go to Amsterdam!

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