Bah! Humbug...

I think my “Christmas spirit” was shipped off with the rest of our stuff, Y’all. I am finding it really hard to get into Christmas this year.  Normally this is my favorite holiday. I love the decorations, the get-togethers, the FOOD, and yeah, the shopping.

But this year, I don’t get to do any of that. (Except the get-togethers.) I can’t decorate because all of our Christmas decorations were shipped two weeks ago. I can’t cook any of my favorite holiday foods because all of my cookware is gone. And I haven’t been able to do much Christmas shopping because we don’t have room for Christmas presents in our suitcases. Anything we buy (or receive) for Christmas we will have to ship to England on our own dime since all of the rest of our stuff has already been sent.

So needless to say, Christmas doesn’t really feel like Christmas this year.

We couldn’t let it slip by without at least having a tree. We decided on one of the “Charlie Brown” variety. It aptly reflects our feelings this Christmas.

Yes, that is a towel being used as the tree skirt.

To add fuel to the fire, our Visas have not come in yet. (YIKES!) The British Consulate e-mailed me earlier this week to let me know they “did not receive” certain documents as part of our applications (although I know beyond a doubt they were in there). So I had to get more and overnight them. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right?

Fingers crossed that the visas (and my Christmas spirit) come in time!

Not Today

Today I am not as excited about moving to England as other days. Today was a very dreaded, sad step in the moving process. Today I had to say “Good-bye” to one of my babies for possibly the next four years: my sweet Sheltie, Luna.

 

This is not the first animal we have had to give up over this move, either. We had a Boxer, my husband’s baby, which we had to find a new home for as well. And then we had a cat, my first pet cat, that went to another home too. This has been especially hard on the kids. They just did not want to give up their furry friends!

You see, for some incredibly stupid (and assuredly ridiculous) reason, the military will not pay to ship our pet with us overseas. I don’t know what the reason is. I can only assume it is because the military does not see family pets as “essential” to their “mission.” Whatever the reason, it's not good enough. And I say it is stupid and ridiculous because, although they will not pay to ship my sweet dog, they will pay loads to ship our furniture (also, not “essential” to their “mission.”)

If given the choice, I would choose to have them pay to ship my pet over my furniture in a heartbeat. They actually have full sets of furniture (beds, living room furniture, etc.) that we could “rent” for free while we are there.  If they offer such a service, why oh why would they pay to ship our furniture when they could use that money to pay for the shipping of family pets??

She is staying in a good home while we are gone, to be sure, and we have known for some time that we cannot afford the plane ticket+British customs fees to take her with us. It was going to cost roughly $1600 to fly her to England (and almost double that for the Boxer!). Plus we would have had to drive her to another airport because animals have to fly on direct flights. There are no direct flights out of our small Southern state. And she would have had to fly alone because the airline the military is flying us on does not fly animals to the UK. Period.

 But I did not know I would be saying “Good-bye” so soon.

This weekend, we went to visit my grandparents once more before the move. We brought Luna with us and they really wanted to keep her for us while we are gone. Although I know this means she will be in good hands, I was not prepared to give her up this early before the move. I wanted to hang on to her for as long as possible. But as my grandparents live out-of-state and not being able to make another trip before we leave, we had no choice but to leave her with them during this visit.



Last-minute Playtime

After having to sell our house, and giving up three pets, moving to England isn't looking so exciting right now. Today, I am finding it hard to appreciate or see the opportunity in going. Today, I just want my Luna home. 

Moving Day No. 2

We survived another bout of packing and shipping. This time, our shipment consisted of the necessary items we will need to have as soon as we get there: towels, dishes, sheets and blankets, pots and pans, etc. A smaller truck was sent this time, with only one large crate. But we filled it up, nonetheless. This shipment will get flown over on a plane and then all we have left to take over to England is ourselves and our luggage.

 

Since all of my cookware just left, cooking for a family of four will be a challenge over this last month, to say the least. To make do, we kept one small pot, one baking sheet, one baking pan, and purchased a cheap sauté pan. All of these things will either get tossed or have to be shipped over on our dime if we want to keep them. 

We also kept three coffee mugs, two for my husband and me to have our morning coffee, and one for our daughter who loves to drink hot tea. For dinnerware, we decided to purchase 4 cheap plastic plates, cups, and bowls; one for each of us. This way we eliminate the waste there would be if we used paper dinnerware. We will just have to wash them a few times a day.

 

Some small appliances we got to keep, sort of by default: toaster, blender, and our precious Keurig coffeemaker. First let me point out that, for those of you that may not know outlets are quite different in Europe than they are here in the states. Not only are they shaped differently, but they use different watts. In order to take and use any electronic devices from the US overseas, you need adapter plugs. These can be very pricey, especially if you need several for different items. For that reason, we chose not to take the toaster and the blender. They are cheap appliances and it would cost about the same to replace them over there as it would to purchase adapters to plug them in and use.

The Keurig is a different story.  We loved our Keurig. It is an amazing (and rather expensive) convenience. And makes a very acceptable cup of coffee. We had every intention of taking it over with us and purchasing an adapter for it. So the night before the movers came for this shipment, we unplugged it and started to clean it when we noticed a problem: there was water sloshing around inside of it. We tried everything to get it out, even unscrewing the bottom to try to drain it. After several attempts with no success, we went to Google and learned, to our utter disappointment, that the internal water reservoir cannot be emptied.

When we told the movers about our dilemma, they informed us that the Keurig could not be shipped if it could not be emptied. (Thanks for the fantastic design, Keurig!) I can’t tell you how heartbroken my hubbie is to leave it behind. Needless to say, we will not be purchasing one of these when we get to England. It’ll be a regular ol’ coffee maker for us.

 

Moving Day No. 1

I really did not think this day would ever come. I saw this day from far off in the distance months ago when we got our orders. But I didn’t really think we would ever get to it. So as I stood in my living room while the movers were bustling all about me, wrapping my stuff, packing it into boxes, carrying it out of my life for the foreseeable future, it felt very surreal.

Now here I am in an unbearably empty and cold townhouse, with the sound of my fingers hitting these keys echoing off the walls and the very intrusive blaze of the overhead light interrupting what would be a normal, warm, relaxing night on my comfy couch under the soft glow of a table lamp.

But this is all just part of a process, right? A journey, or as I prefer to call it, an adventure! The step before this was filling out and sending in our visa applications. That was quite a nightmare. I had no experience with that kind of paperwork and (not surprising) no one at the base here could help me, not even the person who accepts the applications. Go figure.

So I did the best I could and turned them in. That was almost three weeks ago. (We were told the we would get the visas in three weeks.) Haven’t heard a word since. The man in the applications office informed us, as we handed in our paperwork, that me and the kids cannot enter the UK without the visas (yet he wouldn’t let us turn the apps in until we were less than two months from leaving …)Thanks for that, Mister.

Now, we are at one of the last steps in the moving process: shipping our stuff. The first shipment was yesterday and that was shipping all of our big stuff and non-necessities: all furniture, knick knacks, some clothes, some kitchen stuff. This, the biggest shipment, will take 2-3 months to arrive in the UK. It was packed away into plywood crates and is being carried off to the ship that will convey it to England (assuming there are no hurricanes, typhoons, or other crazy mishaps. Cross your fingers!)

We were “authorized” to ship 9000lbs at the military’s expense. So, for that reason, a full-size freight truck showed up at our tiny townhouse complex Friday morning at 9:00 sharp. I did not think we had enough stuff to fill up all of the crates it brought. I was wrong. I think our total came to around 5700lbs for this shipment and it took them all day…

They packed everything in sight. Even my dog’s bowl that I accidentally left on the dining room floor. Poor Luna has to eat out of Tupperware containers for now.

Even though that shipment is going out now, one month before we leave, we will have already been in England 1+ months before it arrives. The next shipment, which will be picked up on Monday, is our “unaccompanied baggage.” This includes all of our necessities that we will need as soon as we get there, such as pots and pans, towels, sheets, etc. We are “authorized” 1000lbs for this shipment and it will actually fly over on a plane.

Once it goes, we will be absolutely living out of our suitcases (all 12 of them) and eating sandwiches off paper plates for the next month. It’s going to be rough.

A Full English Breakfast Experience

Or should I say "Experiment"?

This move has quite literally been one stressor after another. If not one thing, then two things come up that could potentially cancel our orders. All of us have had a medical issue, at some point or another, since receiving the orders, that we thought for sure was going to prevent us from going. Then there have been military issues for my husband: passing a PT test (this is a feat in and of itself even when you don’t have orders depending on it), passing a medical evaluation, and today, qualifying on his weapon. (Which means, he had to demonstrate, in several positions, wearing a suffocating gas mask, that he could accurately shoot a target with an M16). He did pass, or “qualify,” thankfully. But there are still a few more hurdles between now and boarding the plane.

Next on the to-do list: obtaining Visas! The UK requires any foreigner staying in the country for more than six months to obtain a Visa, including US military members and dependents. This will be an interesting experience!

So I promised y’all (an unmentionable amount of time ago) that I would try out a Full English breakfast and report back. Well I finally got around to that this past weekend. (Yay me!) For this British dish, I again turned to The Guardian’s Word of Mouth blog. I like their site because they provide (sometimes comical) background commentary along with the recipes.

An exact recipe was not really required for this dish, which made it easier to tackle.

Unfortunately, an important staple of the “Full English” is missing from my rendition: Black Pudding. There are two reasons for this. One: while it may be available somewhere in the US, it is not available (and rarely heard of) anywhere near the small Southern state from which I hail. Two: it sounds absolutely revolting and, if I could have found it and purchased it, I wouldn’t have because I wouldn’t have eaten it.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Black Pudding (or Blood Pudding), it is a type of sausage “made by cooking blood or dried blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled” (wikipedia.com). If that sounds appetizing to you, please feel free to add it to your version of the Full English (everyone makes their own version, apparently).

Also, real English back bacon is not available near me either. Therefore, I had to substitute with regular “American” bacon. The British-preferred back bacon is, obviously, a different cut of pork. It more closely resembles ham (in pictures) rather than the strip bacon we use here in the States. Also, it is noticeably leaner (and doesn't shrink nearly as much).

The bacon (in any form, really) is a typical item on American breakfast plates, as well as the eggs and toast. The mushrooms, tomatoes, and beans, staples in most Full English breakfasts, were a new-fangled taste for my "breakfast buds."

I was admittedly surprised with the mushrooms, cooked according to The Guardian’s recommendations: sautéed in butter, seasoned with salt and thyme. They turned out to be very tasty and not altogether un-breakfasty.

The tomatoes. I was not impressed with the tomatoes. And that really could be my fault. From researching several versions of this breakfast, I found that many people cook their breakfast tomatoes differently. Many choose to grill them. I do not have a grill anymore so I chose to season and roast them (again, per The Guardian’s instruction.) They did not turn out well and were not a welcomed flavor for breakfast.

I would never have thought to include them in my breakfasts. The only time I eat tomatoes is on pasta or salads...

 

Heinz beans were recommended so Heinz beans I procured. However, there were several flavors available and Word of Mouth does not specify what flavor to use so I was left to my own devices. I went with the “Bacon and Brown Sugar” variety because, well, it was bacon-flavored. The other two options were “Chipotle BBQ” and “Ketchup something.” I feel pretty sure that I either did not get the right kind or the “right kind” was unavailable.

In any case, baked beans are not a breakfast food in the States. At least, not in the South, where I am from. We eat baked beans at times like cookouts, barbecues, and picnics.

The tea (yes, I did add milk) was a welcome change to my normal breakfast beverage: coffee. I chose an “English Breakfast” variety from Twinings. It really hit the spot and accompanied the breakfast well.

I know that my own experience cannot compare with the real thing that I hope to try in England (except the Black Pudding). The departure date is getting so close, I can hardly stand the excitement!


(Read about the follow-up here.)

 

And so the inconveniences begin...

Moving sucks, y’all. And I had forgotten just how much until I got a taste of it a few weekends ago. You see, part of the criteria for moving to England was selling our house (and, unfortunately, we could not time the sell with our PCS). This brought out a lot of mixed feelings. On the surface, we were ready to move out of our house. We were ready for a change. But when it came down to it, we just plain hated it and not just because moving sucks.

Even though our house wasn’t bright, shiny, and new anymore, and maybe our family had outgrown it a little, it was still home and it was ours. It was the place we felt most comfortable. The place we felt safe.

But move we must, and move we did. Into a tiny, no-room-whatsoever-for-storage townhouse about fifteen miles further from town than we already were in our suburban house.  And it was the most unorganized, last-minute move I have ever experienced. We knew we were moving soon. But the date of closing (on the house with the buyer) was up in the air and kept changing for at least two weeks. When we finally got a date, it was sooner than expected. So with very short notice and very little help, and the last moving truck available anywhere near us, we picked up our lives and memories and big, bulky furniture and hauled it to the only apartment complex in a 30-mile radius that would rent to us on a short-term lease.

So, needless to say, this has kept me away for a while. For the first week, our townhouse was in a state of disarray that was just plain unlivable. It is starting to find some order now, except one room at the top of the stairs that has been dubbed the “storage” room and it is approached slowly and with the most apprehension. (You know, like the door in horror movies that you know the bad guy is hiding behind. Yeah, that’s the door.)

Anyway, I have not forgotten my promise of a full English breakfast. It’s coming…Check back soon!

Ode to Autumn

Ode to Autumn

Two really big items on our moving check-list were checked off this week: my husband received his official orders and our passports arrived! Next we have to apply for Visas and Tourist Passports (yes, we have to get TWO!)

With the Autumn Equinox this Saturday, I decided to dedicate today's post to Fall and share with y'all some of my favorite things about this season. Fall is my favorite time of year. It is so much more romantic than Spring, I think. It is the beginning of "cuddling weather," cozy nights by the fire, hot cocoa, and sweaters. (And football!)The air is so crisp and smells so fresh! The beautiful bright reds, oranges, and yellows make me happy. And the food of fall just warms your tummy as well as your heart.

Two of my favorite foods of Fall are Pumpkin Bread and Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha. When I first tried this drink, I fell head-over-heels immediately! Salted Caramel? What a genius idea! So when I ran across this Pumpkin Bread with Salted Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Buttercream by Jessica, over at A Kitchen Addiction, I nearly fell out of my chair. A recipe that combines two of my favorite fall flavors? Oh, yes, please. 

So here are the ingredients:

• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C granulated sugar substitute
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/4 C pumpkin puree

Now, first let me admit that I did change a few of these items in my version. I didn't have any canola oil. I only buy vegetable and olive oils, so I substituted with vegetable oil.

Also, I don't like sugar substitutes. For some strange reason, they always leave a bad after taste in my mouth. So for the "1/4 c granulated sugar substitute," I used regular granulated sugar. It worked just fine. However, I will note that the sugar substitute Jessica uses makes this recipe much healthier.

Finally, I didn't have any plain yogurt in the fridge. All I had was vanilla-flavored yogurt, so that is what I used. Again, it worked just fine. Using the plain yogurt would probably help make the other flavors of the bread stand out better.

Ok, the directions. First, preheat your oven to 325f. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.

Then whisk together the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until well-combined. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, using an electric or stand mixer, beat eggs until creamy. Beat in brown sugar and sugar substitute on medium speed for one minute. Add in vanilla, yogurt and oil. Beat until well-combined. Add flour mixture and pumpkin, beat until just combined. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Spread batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing it to cool completely on a wire rack.

I love that she uses low-fat yogurt in this bread. It is good for you and takes out some of the fat! This bread turned out to be so fabulously moist and full of flavor! 

Alright, so next it needs some frosting. Jessica includes a lovely Pumpkin Buttercream frosting recipe on her blog. I have always like cream cheese frostings so I used Rachael Ray's Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting. And then topped it with Jessica's Salted Caramel Drizzle (which, by the way, I could make a whole batch of and eat by the spoonful. Yum.)

Caramel Drizzle:

• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp salt                  

In a small saucepan, stir together brown sugar and water. Dissolve sugar over medium-high heat. Continue heating until caramel turns dark brown and starts to boil, making sure to stir constantly to avoid burning. Add butter and salt. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Continue stirring for another 1-2 minutes to cool the caramel somewhat before drizzling over the top of the frosting

Isn't it beautiful? Doesn't that caramel drizzle make your mouth water?

 Needless to say, this loaf didn't last long. This is a recipe I will be making again and again! (By the way, it is an excellent breakfast food. Perfect with coffee.)

 Now what goes better with a hot cup of coffee and a sweet treat? A good book, of course. Or poem. And what better one than this by the brilliant John Keats reflecting the beauty of Autumn in England.

To Autumn by John Keats

Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
They hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while they hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music, too-
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from the hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Check back soon for my next try at a British recipe: a full English breakfast! Sounds yummy, right??

My First British Recipe Experiment

My First British Recipe Experiment: Yorkshire Puddings!

First of all, let me tell you a little secret about me: I love food and I love to cook (but not clean!) I enjoy trying new recipes so I am really excited to start this part of getting ready for the move.

Now, “What are Yorkshire Puddings,” you say? Well, as misleading for Americans as the name is, they are not what we call “pudding” at all (as my daughter matter-of-factly informed me as she watched them rise in the oven). Another term for them is “popovers,” and- if I had to compare them to something- I would say they are very close to “rolls” here in the US. They play much the same role (from what I’ve read) in English dishes. It seems they are most popularly paired with roast, so this is how I served them as well.

As I was preparing to assemble the ingredients, I encountered a small obstacle that I hadn’t considered when I found the “Yorkie” (not the dog) recipe I decided to try: metric measurements. I have probably the same basic understanding of metric measurements that most of America has (which isn’t much, I’m sad to say). Metric units that pertain to cooking are measured in weight, whereas American cooking measures by volume, known as US Standard. (Did you know there is a “Standard” and then there is “US Standard”? Talk about complicating things!)  This presents a challenge since the two are very different units of measurement. But the biggest problem came in with the recipe being in metric measurements and my measuring utensils being in standard.

So before I could even begin, I had to figure out how to convert the recipe’s metrically measured ingredients into measurements my American Standard measuring cups and spoons could handle. And also converting Celsius to Fahrenheit for the oven temperature. Thank you, Google! (Note to self: When you get to England, get new kitchen utensils!)

After researching recipes, I settled on this recipe from The Guardian’s “Word of Mouth” blog. There is an interesting little history of Yorkshire Puddings on this page, as well. Best part about this recipe was the short list of ingredients!

Preheat oven to 230C/446F (I used 450F.)

12-hole muffin tin

2 C AP Flour (orig. recipe called for 250g. Roughly 2 Cups.)

150 ml whole milk (I actually had this measurement on one of my Pyrex glass measuring cups)

150 ml cold water

4 eggs, beaten

"Generous pinch of salt" (I used Kosher, as I do for most everything.)

Beef Drippings, or Oil

Sift together the flour and salt into the bowl you will be using to mix everything together. In a separate container, combine the milk and water and set it aside.

 Next, make a well in the flour and add the eggs. Begin whisking the ingredients together, adding the milk/water mixture gradually until you get a "smooth batter." (Mine was about the consistency of pancake batter. Maybe a tiny bit thicker.)

 Let the batter rest at room temp for 15 minutes. While you are waiting, drop about 1/2 tsp of beef drippings (or oil, if using. I skimmed the fat off the top of my roast and used it) into each hole of the muffin tin and pop this into the oven to heat up (about ten minutes.) 

 When this is done, pull the tin out and ladle in the "pudding." According to the recipe's website, it should sizzle when it hits the hot tin.

Pop the tin into the oven for 15-20 minutes to let them rise. Do NOT open the oven while they are cooking. They will deflate! When they are done, eat immediately!

Shown here with the Open-Face Roast Beef Sandwiches we had with our Yorkies. They were excellent at mopping up gravy!

I read on the recipe's website that there is some debate over how many eggs to use. I have to tell you that this recipe produced some very "eggy" tasting Yorkies. I have nothing to compare them too, but this is not a desirable taste for me. So, next time I will adjust to use less eggs!