Chef de Cuisine? Well, I'm gettin' there...

So, a little victory that I had this week was tackling the kitchen once again. Now that grandma and grandpa have gone home (I was sad to see them go - it was great having them here!), I will have to pull a little more weight in the cooking department. Normally, everyone knows this would be no issue - I love to cook! However, as I have expressed to many before, cooking in Germany is a whole other thing.

Well, on Friday evening after the boys and I got back from Max's (that's the violin teacher), we decided to make banana bread! I had seen some old bananas in the corner while putting away the new ones we got the evening before (fresh fruit and veggies are delivered each Thursday), and I liked making banana bread at home, so I went for it. Finni helped me with the cooking, and Nico played our "supervisor," telling us good job here and there. Haha! Finni is actually a really great helper in the kitchen! They both are, but Finn really likes to do it more. Anyway, we made the bread batter up and then found a pan for most of it, and some cupcake pans for the extra batter. (The picture here is me cooking with Finni before, but it works!)
So, what was the outcome you ask....?

It was a success! It turned out SO good! (The picture is not my bread, but it looked the same... so, yea...) I was ecstatic because it was a little victory, and yet monumental to me. It gave me more courage in the kitchen and I have faith that I'll mess up with some recipes, but find way to make things work and do just fine with cooking here in Germany. It's weird cause I've been here over a month, but I haven't done much cooking because Grandma was here. It was nice, but I'm ready to give it more of a shot now.

Anyway, another more hilarious tid-bit from the kitchen was what went down the NEXT evening... Patrick and I decided to whip up something small for Saturday dinner while playing with the boys. I was working on the salad when suddenly, to my right, one of the pans on the stove BURST into full-on flames! I said, "Woah! Patrick... Is that...?" I was gonna finish, with "...suppose to happen?," but was cut-off by his yell and lurch to the stove. The boys in the dining room gave little gasps and stared wide-eyed as the flames grew...

We took it off the stove and Patrick set it in the sink as I said, "No, it's a grease fire!" He turned on the water and the flames became bigger, to which he said something about "knowing better," and I offered to get baking soda or flour to put it out. He finally pulled the pot out of the sink, set it on the stool nearby, and covered the top with a lid, smothering the fire. Then, WE burst into some laughter... and coughing from the smoke.

Again, the picture is for dramatic effect and was not taken during the actual event... though, we certainly stared at it long enough to do so! Haha...

Needless to say, no one was hurt and everything was fine. We opened the windows and put the pot outside, and continued to cook. It was a good little moment though in a way... very humorous because it all turned out fine, but we were a bit dumbfounded in the moment... haha! Perhaps you had to be there though.... All that's left of the incident is a large black spot that is burned into the stool from the heat of the pan.... a reminder. Haha!

P.S. I go to London to see my mom, Derek, and Cami in five days! I am BEYOND excited! It's going to be fantastic...
P.S.S. Nico has reminded me a few times this week that I am his girlfriend and should remember that... Haha! I said, "Nico... you have a really cute girlfriend then!" He will shake his head and say, "Yep, I think so." He also DID tell me today about another girl in his life - his "kindergarten girlfriend." I guess that makes me his "home girlfriend?" Haha!

*muah*

Song of the Day: This song just makes you HAPPY! If you need a pick-me-up check out Train's, Hey, Soul Sister and you'll be jammin' along the rest of your day. I love it! Enjoy!