Archives for September 2017

Autumn in Europe + Bake Off Bake Along Week 4

September 30, 2017

This time of year, my favorite, also makes me nostalgic for various other autumns I’ve experienced in my lifetime. Funny how seasons work like that, right?

As you may have read, I am currently in my hometown in Montana, which has a pretty nice fall, really. Although it has already snowed…but I don’t care because that means the weather has been nice and chill!

Still, I can’t help but reminisce about some of my favorite autumn moments during my last few years in Europe.

There was the perfectly gloomy autumn in Prague.

Wine tasting in Czech wine country.

The colors of Hallstatt, more majestic against the beauty of the Austrian Alps.

I could never forget Oktoberfest in Munich–a different type of local color to see.

The mind-blowing colors of Slovakia.

The most perfect fall ever in Slovenia, at Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj.

More wine tasting in the Brda wine region of Slovenia.

Oh, and of course…my former home of Budapest, and that castle in the park!

In honor of it fully being fall, I’m embracing the baking side of the season in this week’s Bake Off Bake Along with Amanda.

This past week was caramel week–apparently a bake-off first–and I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. I honestly just wished for another bread week!

The challenges, however, were interesting–millionaire’s shortbread, Dutch stroopwaffels, or a caramel cake showpiece with spun sugar. Since I wanted to do something truly autumnal–and I didn’t have a waffle maker for the waffles–I decided to make an apple spice cake!

(I thought about pumpkin, but it is only September…don’t want to pumpkin myself out!)

Specifically, I made this Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Drizzle.

I am nowhere near a good enough baker to make up my own recipes–but I did tweak this one slightly. I always have to in some way, due to the high altitude. Usually I add more liquid and remove some of the sugar and baking powder. I also increase the temperature.

In addition to the above, for this recipe I doubled the spices and used a more basic vanilla buttercream.

I also experimented with some spun-sugar nests for the top, since that was a requirement for the showstopper described above. I used good old Martha Stewart to guide me.

The result…

Again, rather rustic. Apparently “rustic” is my theme this year.

But just look at that spun sugar nest! My first time ever delving into the spun-sugar world–it was actually fun and I love how it turned out.

The other best thing about this recipe is the caramel sauce. It was perfect and surprisingly easy. You can find the recipe here!

can you spy a couple of little pups??

Of course, the cake itself is also lovely–it incorporates applesauce which is such a great way to use less sugar, and also give it that coveted fall-flavor.

But really, can we just take a moment to appreciate my nest again? I’m just too proud.

Question: do you enjoy baking in the autumn? Do you feel nostalgic for past autumns?

Poland Slovakia

Poland & Slovakia Road Trip

September 28, 2017

A few days after I finished my teaching contract in Budapest, five of us (my mother, father, brother, husband, and I) piled in a way-too-small car and drove from Hungary to Poland, via Slovakia.

While this is not a trip I’d attempt again while pregnant/in the summer, it’s never a bad thing to drive through Slovakia. That country always surprises me with its beauty! We took a different route than we had the previous fall, and so for some reason I didn’t expect it to be as stunning.

It was! Rolling hills, tiny towns, hints of giant mountains in the background, green everywhere. It was quite a contrast to Poland, which flattened almost instantly the second we crossed the border–there’s a reason that country has been invaded so many times! It’s too easy to cross with an army! Or in a car.

We only visited three cities in Poland and one in Slovakia–both just a taste enough to leave us wanting more! Poland has gems farther north I’d love to visit–Gdansk and Poznan, for example–and Slovakia is also a giant country full of hidden spots.

Since I already raved about Slovakia here, let me just discuss a little more about Poland. YOU GUYS. You MUST go to Poland. I loved it so much! It’s full of amazing food at amazing prices, the people are so friendly, and there is so much to do in every city we went to. Add in the history and beauty–I’m telling you–it must be on your list!

Here’s where we went–and where you should go, too!

KRAKOW–two nights

We drove from Budapest to Krakow via Slovakia (the most beautiful part of the whole road trip). It is not a very short trip, but the scenery helps. And Krakow! Wow! Let me say, that city is AWESOME. There is so much to see there, so much history, and it is so pretty. Plus, it’s soooo cheap and seems like such a livable spot. We liked it so much we came back again later on in the trip!

WARSAW–one night

Truthfully, I was least looking forward to going to Warsaw. It was out of the way and a long drive there, and I kept hearing how modern it was, which doesn’t always entice me. Well, I actually really liked Warsaw! It has such a fun vibe, it’s so cheap, and the old town, while “Disney-esque” is still totally charming. If you go, it deserves more than one night!

WROCLAW–two nights

This was the city I was probably most excited about. I mean, a city where little gnomes are hidden all over? What could be better than exploring with a scavenger hunt in mind?? Wroclaw did not let me down one bit. I think the square is the prettiest we saw in Poland (which is saying a lot!), and you just can’t beat those gnomes.

KRAKOW–two nights

We went back to Krakow after Wroclaw, partly to split up the trip back to Budapest, and partly because Krakow is just that cool. My brother was also taking a train from Krakow to Lviv, Ukraine, so we dropped him off here as well.

BRATISLAVA–day trip

We made a pit stop in pretty little Bratislava on the way back to Budapest from Krakow. It’s the best little town for a break on a road trip, because the old town is so small and compact, you could easily see it all in a few hours. We didn’t do too much there–just wandered around and had dinner–but it was fun to show it to my parents!

AND there you have it! A great road trip with my family. I always love traveling with family, even though sometimes the logistics can be tricky, because it’s like seeing everything through new eyes. And it’s so fun to show off Europe to visitors!

Have you been to Poland? Would you consider road-tripping there?

Linking up with Wanderful Wednesday and Faraway Files.

Baking Scotland USA

The Summer of 30 + Bake Off Bake Along Week 3

September 24, 2017

This summer, in the midst of finishing my job in Budapest, ushering my parents, sister, and brother to various parts of Europe, and moving away, both E and I also turned 30!

E comes first–in early July. For his birthday, we took an amazing road trip around Scotland. (I wrote about our itinerary here!) We celebrated E’s birthday on the Isle of Mull, trying whisky and finding as much haggis as he could stuff himself with and wandering around the beautiful island. We ended the day with the best fish of my life, back in Oban, where we were staying.

I followed E to our 30s, in mid-August. This time, we didn’t get to fulfill any bucket-list trips, yet we have been traveling non-stop, it seems, since we arrived back in America. Although we did have airline vouchers that happened to expire on my birthday, the fact that I was about 7 months pregnant made the idea of being on a plane longer than 2 hours (and even that is a stretch, let me tell you) quite horrible. So we used our vouchers to visit the cheapest destination we hadn’t been: Charleston, South Carolina.

Besides Texas and the odd layover, I have never been to the South of the United States. In fact, I have never really been to the East Coast in general.

Turns out, I loved Charleston, despite the fairly unbearable heat and humidity. It is so, so picturesque, with adorable buildings and brightly colored walls and stately trees. We also got time on the beach, with sugar sand and near-bathwater temperatures. And THE FOOD. I think the South might have some of the best food in this country. Especially for a pregnant girl who really only wants all the comfort food (and fruit).

I admit, I struggled with turning thirty. Especially as my life looks absolutely nothing like I thought it would (and really, do I want it to? Should it? Does anyone’s?). However, it seemed harsh to have a big birthday like this when I was jobless, homeless, insurance-less (thanks for that one, America), oh, and did I mention pregnant? When you add turning 30, I think that’s a lot to handle for anyone.

Now that it’s been a month since I turned thirty, I am no longer homeless or jobless–and now that I actually am thirty, I feel…strangely relieved. Like, happy that the birthday is over and I can focus on other things. Weird, I know.

One of the things I’m focusing on is, as cliche as it sounds, the things that bring me joy. And one of these things is most definitely baking!

It’s now week 3 for the Bake Off Bake Along with Amanda.

And week 3 is…bread week! Always one of my favorites. (I mean, look at this gorgeous loaf I made last year!)

Sadly, I really wasn’t too inspired by bread week this year. Tea cakes, a cottage loaf, or a bread sculpture colored with natural ingredients? None of that immediately caught my fancy.

I have no idea what a tea cake is, blame America for that one, although I had never heard of a cottage loaf either. Since none of the bread sculptures seemed to taste all that delicious–and since I’m not actually on the bake-off, I probably care more about flavor than anything else–I decided to go for the cottage loaf. I love making bread from scratch like that! If you haven’t tried kneading the old-fashioned way, you really should. I swear its therapeutic!

I used this recipe, which seems to be a slightly Americanized version of a cottage loaf–and since my current measurement tools are cups, tablespoons and all that jazz, it worked for me!

My only issue with this bread was that it was slightly too dense–and I’m still enough of a bread novice to be unclear why. I suspect it was that I needed to knead it longer–or that I didn’t bake it long enough. Or it could just be the high altitude here in Montana which is always an easy culprit to blame ;).

Again rustic, but rather pretty, no?

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