2. August 2007

this and that ... and a few more things

first of all i want to thank you for your overwhelming support.
i honestly don't know what to say.

healthwise i've had some very troubled times lately which i announced on this foodblog to a great extent. it almost seems that this is not a foodblog anymore, this might be a chronic ailment blog now! what a shame, don't you think?! no, i don't want that. i need to turn things around again and this little hiatus has to stop.

now.
like, right now.

because i feel so much stronger! i am getting in shape, i can feel that my body is changing because of my much healthier lifestyle and a very balanced nutrition. i have the feeling that a healthier body might even give me the strength to overcome bad times more easily. i don't want to be weak when i have to face bad times again! and not-so-funny-times are straight ahead: i will start with medication in a few days. i basically had to make the decision to either go ahead with orthodox medicine or rely on alternatives. and while i am not opposed to complementary treatment in general i don't believe in an esoteric approach at all. so i decided that i will be on meds for the rest of my life.

the.
rest.
of.
my.
life.

sounds so ultimate, doesn't it?
i have to admit that i am scared.
like, really really scared.

but actually, it is not so bad ...

... because, uhm ♥ love is in the air ♥ frankly, that's the other reason why i did not blog that much in recent weeks. i did not expect this at all - honestly, i was expecting quite the opposite because i tend to shut down in troubled times ... but this guy, oh, this gorgeous guy ... with his split-second timing! he managed to catch me off guard and just stole my heart - and now we're two enamoured geeks, how cool is that?! and we cook and eat together ... he seems to be a little concerned about my deserted foodblog too, because the other day as we stood by the stove he asked why i was not taking any pictures of the things we cook together ... aaawww, need i say more? i am one very happy gal!

marillenknödel
one happy gal that can offer you another austrian dish today:

marillenknödel (apricot dumplings)

cook and peel 200 g of potatoes. though i am not particularly messy in the kitchen i always need a lot of space for making the dough. so i place my potatoes on the clean kitchen counter when they are cool enough to handle and i thoroughly squish them while they are still warm. use a fork or a potatoe masher, either would work. add a pinch of salt. hollow out a little hole in the middle of your pile of potatoes and crack one egg into it. it really depends on your potatoes how much flour you need, for my dough i added a little more than 100 g of flour. now knead the mixture well until it is compact and smooth. it should not be too moist!

marillenknödel
slice open 4 apricots and remove the pit. my mom always slices them almost half open and replaces the pit with a sugar cube. since my apricots are really ripe and sweet i did not do that.

marillenknödel
in the meantime bring a pot of water to a boil.

now roll out your dough a little and cut it into 4 pieces. flatten one piece with your hand. now hold this fairly round thingy in your hand and place one apricot you prepared earlier in the center. press the dough around the fruit to seal the edges together. make sure there are no leaks!

marillenknödel
marillenknödel
repeat with the other three pieces of dough. now place your dumplings in the water and let simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes. check back often, when your dumplings rise to the top they are done.

melt a knob of butter in a pan. stir in 8 tablespoons of breadcrumbs and one tablespoon of sugar. roast the crumbs until they turn brown. again, my mum makes them much sweeter and adds like 4 times as much sugar (which, honestly, every austrian chef would do. but i want to stay away from too much calories, so i cut out white sugar whenever i can).

when your dumplings are done, place them in the pan and turn them a little to coat them in the crumbs.

marillenknödel
garnish your dumplings with a tablespoon or two of the roasted breadcrumbs.
by the way, you can also use plumbs or other stone fruits for that recipe.

marillenknödel
marillenknödel

17 Kommentare:

Anonym hat gesagt…

hey, super, but then you will have to rename your blog! No more dinner for one, dinner for two!

Ed Tep hat gesagt…

Gerda - I hope that you continue to take good care of yourself, and I look forward to your future posts. Best of luck with the new love. He sounds like a good man.

Helen hat gesagt…

Gerda, I have only just discovered your blog - and look what I have been missing! I love the dumpling recipe and I can't wait to try it out, experimenting with different fruits.

Anonym hat gesagt…

...und so meinten einst Lemon Demon & Herr Kepple.

Anne hat gesagt…

These dumplings look so good- can't wait to make them. And hey- truly heartfelt congratulations to you and your new love!!! I know this sounds cheesy but love really is the best medicine;).

Keep bloggging, coz I'll keep reading!

Rosa's Yummy Yums hat gesagt…

Oh, I'm so happy for you! How great! He seems pretty cool...

Those dumplings look wonderful! I'll have to test that speciality once...

Tea hat gesagt…

Oh, this is perfect! When life gives you thorns there are roses as well (okay, that is cheesy, I'm just so pleased to hear the lovely news!). What a smile you have put on my face. I'm going to be thinking of you quite happy now--enjoy!

And the dumplings look delicious. I love hearing the word marillen, reminds me of Austria.

tschoerda hat gesagt…

oh my dear foodies!
happy happy joy joy!

how i looove cheesy now, hehe!! in fact, i might even be the incarnation of cheesy and giggly and joyful (and thankful) these days!

i guess i will not rename my blog though - hey, this is a trademark now! i even get a little upset if i find other "*** for one" on the www - yeah, stupid, i know. i am not the first "*** for one" and i won't be the last! and as a matter of fact, i kinda stole the title myself when i was looking for a cool name ...

and people: don't let the *geeks in love* - thing fool you: we are way cuter than those geeks in that link oleschri posted, hehe ...

Trig hat gesagt…

It's a classic old story. Woman finds man and stuffs him with dumplings. Man balloons out and can no longer go chasing other women. Woman keeps man for ever. The end.

Keep on fighting and keep on blogging Gerda.

Trig hat gesagt…

I was thinking the exact same thing as rm53 as I read this, Gerda - dinner for two! Congrats on your new man, I hope he'll make you happy. And having someone that you can cook with is priceless. I sometimes wish that more girls my age were interested in cooking. Oh well!

Anonym hat gesagt…

EXCELLENT news (and an undoubtedly excellent recipe as well) I'm extra happy to hear that your life has taken an up-swing. And those lifetime meds? Merely miracles in little vials. If they do their job they'll keep your symptoms at bay, and hopefully we'll have a more permanent "cure" around in no time!

Karen hat gesagt…

Really happy to know that you are in love! It really brightens life up!

Great recipe!

Sara hat gesagt…

glad to hear you are feeling better!

tschoerda hat gesagt…

carroll, your comment single handedly has changed my whole perspective on this meds-thing!!! miracles in little vials! yes, yes yes!

sure, i will definitely start to whine and maybe even cry when i will dart this 5 cm needle into the muscle of my thigh next friday, but you are right. at least there are meds for me! if i was diagnosed with this 15 years ago i would have had zero options. no meds available, sorry sick person! now i even have range of different possibilities. so if this is not keeping the symptoms in check i can switch to another treatment.

thank you for bringing even more hope into the picture, carroll!

cavacavien hat gesagt…

yay!i'm happy for you (^-^)/ ...so do you think this goes well with bananas nstead of apricots? i can't find apricots, the season already had gone ('3')

burekaboy — hat gesagt…

oh gerda, and here i was going to try to get you to come to canada and cook this for me but now i read you've got a man ..... too late ;) LOL.

seriously though, GLAD to read things are on the upswing for you. take care.

tschoerda hat gesagt…

cavacavien, now that would definitely be very interesting! i never tried to stuff sweet dumplings with anything other than stone fruit but since i know you can also make dumplings filled with berries for dessert (but you need a slightly different dough then!)... yes, sure, you might be on to something with your fruit of choice! bananas! i am intrigued!

burekaboy - gosh, if only i knew i had a shot! i always wanted to see canada! now i miss out on the chance to have myself pampered with your delicious food! oh well! life is what happens while you make other plans, right? ;)