Thanks for taking us along! Really enjoyed the trip.
Mary
Spring for the Tropics! My vacation in my first HOME
Mary, I'm really happy you joined in!
Alexandra
Alexandra,Your guided tour was wonderful...I really enjoyed it!Thankyou for sharing.
You're welcome! It was my pleasure to post the pictures.
Alexandra
Great pictures! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Hello, Texasgal! Glad you came with me on my trip!
Alexandra
Alexandra, what a wonderful trip to Romania...thank you so much for letting us tag along! It is such a pleasure to hear your descriptions of your home, something tells me that you enjoy the cherries, ha ha! I'm sure that you will enjoy Texas...just be prepared for some different extremes than you have been used to...and I'm not just talking about the weather. I sure hope that you continue to make DG and the TZG forum a regular part of your day...we look forward to hearing more from you!
Yokwe,
Shari
Hi, Shari!
I'm really happy that you could come. I mostly enjoy cherry picking, and eating them out directly from the tree... I grew up in a house with a small garden, but big enough to have flowers and a few fruiting trees: cherries, sour cherries, apricots and peaches. Also, a few bushes of currants, red and white, a hazelnut tree/bush and some grape-vine. As a kid, I was somehow weird, I didn't go for the sweets (well, maybe chocolate would be an exception, but it wasn't frequent), but I would pick and eat as many fruits as possible, even (or especially) if un-ripe.
At my grandma's house in Brasov,(where my uncle lives now) there was a bigger fruit diversity: along with the cherry trees, you would find gooseberries, apple and plum trees, wax cherries (? - not sure about the translation), strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, walnuts, hazelnuts... After enjoying the cherries in Bucharest, about 2-3 weeks later we could "rinse-repeat" at Grandma's (the nature there is "delayed" a bit by the mountains, probably a different zone).
I hope that those extremes you're talking about are good ones!!! So far, people seem friendly, and we've adjusted to the dry heat. But the first days, with all the unpacking, I would drink 5 liters of liquids a day, and my DH requested a lip balm (he never even touched on before LOL!) We both had cracked lips for about a week, and a very shine-free face!
If rain was an almost daily event in Miami, and thus usually ignored, we got out in the backyard two nights ago: it rained, for the first time since we got here! Next time, we'll probably have a bottle of champagne for the event!!!
Some of my plants are not too happy though, I think I'm going to take them inside. Especially the orchids.
Which reminds me, I should tell you all the story of my orchids.
Hugs,
Alexandra
The picture you paint of your childhood and the wonderful fruits is very enlightening. Many Americans are so very unfamiliar with that part of the world and have a fuzzy, gloomy, picture in their minds if anything. You show us sunshine, and the bounty of nature, happy children picking and eating ... another one of the wonderful things about having friends from different parts of the world - we get a truer picture than what we had previously "known". I know a man who brags about how many countries he has visited...but he doesn't really know any of them. The airport, a hotel, a restaurant, and the weather for one or two days and he fancies himself an expert! When I finally get to visit Romania, I will call on you to give me first hand tips on where to go and what to see!
Texas will test your mettle, but the friendly folks you will meet will help you. And unlike Miami, there is a lot of "there" there. I see you are already encountering some of the extremes I was talking about...buy stock in lip balm!
Yokwe,
Shari
Shari, you know that people can choose what to remember... The Grandma from my mom's side had a wonderful concept of life: remember what made you happy and you'll be happy! So most of the times I choose to remember the beautiful things from my childhood, like our garden in full bloom, climbing trees and fences and sticking the cat's head in the milk saucer so she would eat faster... running for our lives not to be kicked in the butt by my (other) Grandma's ram (male-sheep?), camping trips to the mountains, my first skiing experience, trying to learn how to swim for half of my life...
When I was a kid, things were not too bright or happy. At least for my parents (and most of their generation), who struggled so me and my sis would have a happy, normal childhood. But we were happy kids! I am old enough to remember all their sacrifices and the lack of some basic things, to be forever thankful for every little thing I had and for everything I obtained in my life. But I remember these things only to love them more and to hope that someday I'll be at least half-as-good a parent myself.
A lot has changed in the last years, and hopefully more good things are to come as well.
What never changed is that we have a beautiful country, and many of its people are nice and always happy to have you as their guest. A small country it is, but in my almost 30 years of living there, I still did not see all its beauties. Life in the big cities is always different than the rest of the country, and I would not judge Romania by how the capital looks or feels (and I was born there, LOL!), so I agree with you about those "know-it-all" people.
If you'll plan a trip there, by all means let me know! But you'd better plan a long one, 'cause I have many beautiful places to send you to!!!
And since I took a short walk to the memory lane, here's my Mom, my sister and my Grandma with me back in '77
Alexandra,
What great memories and a great family! You've learned many wonderful things and I am positive that you will be a great parent also!
My early childhood was in northern Indiana and we had apple trees in our front yard and our neighbors had a cherry tree. My Great-Grandfather had a grape vine that was soooooo good. It was the black grape with the thick thick skin. They were just delicious. I think things are often better when you get to pick them yourself. (Even green apples, LOL!)
Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories with us!
Aloha,
Jeanne
"Remember what makes you happy..." Wise words. I too remember picking fruit - for me it was the wild blackberries in the northern California hills, pecans down in San Diego, and papayas in Mexico. Funny... all my good memories revolve around food...maybe that is why I have always had a weight problem! Ha Ha...actually no problem, I have no problem at all when it comes to gathering lots of weight! As an adult it is not so much picking the wild fruit, but picking from amoung all the wonderful restaurants in the many places we visit. Just walking down the street in Spain, your senses are enraptured by the panolply of spices, sauces, and meats. Your ears dance to the tune of moonlight music in Moorea, while your mouth is yearning to taste the luau being prepared. Walking through the spice markets in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia your imagination runs away with all the dishes you can prepare with the wonderful spices that are dazzling your eyes with their color and shapes...
Add the tantalizing sound of laughter and voices rolling through the soft velvet of sounds that you cannot hope to understand but desperately yearn to be part of, and yes...memory - for me - always revolves around food.
Good eating and memory making to everyone!
Yokwe,
Shari
You both need to write a book. From someone who has been in the same home for 42 years and lives 13 miles from the hospital in which she was born, I envy you both with your lust for life and your courage to explore.
PK
Oh, Jeanne, I remember we had some of those thick-skinned grapes, I always laughed at my sister because she wouldn't eat the skin... Green apples are goooood, but the "best" unripe fruit i think is the apricot! Every time we go shopping, at the fruit section, I think of them, and my grandma's green apricot preserves/jam? (hope is the right term). Whenever the apricot crops seemed overgrown, my Dad would pick part of them while still green, with soft pit, for such a sweet-sour delight! I guess I always halved the fruit, probably the only way to keep me away would have been Grandma with a broom! But she never did!
Shari, then you would be for a treat. Our cuisine is not famous like the French one, but is so good! Sometimes so simple, sometimes so time-consuming, but if you don't think of it as a chore, it can be as relaxing as being in your garden! I don't know about the music, but a good bottle of Romanian wine would definitely enhance the taste buds' experience! YUMM! hey, us Romanians love to eat!
Ummmm, the berries, of all kinds, picked in the midst of the wild! At some point, I thought I'm the bear's little sister and somehow lost the fur!
Sweet!
Oh, and for some weird reason, Christmas is not Christmas if I don't have oranges! Oranges are not traditional for Romanians, they don't grow in our gardens. The apples and walnuts are, but not for me! Hi, hi!
Alexandra, I think most people EVERYWHERE like to eat! LOL! Fresh fruit is always the best! Your country sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing your pictures and experiences! It's been a joy! Like a mini cyber vacation!
What a wonderful trip to your home you have taken us all on!! It is very beautiful there!! Hang in there and we will have your El Paso yard looking green in no time at all!!
Jeanne, I'm going to translate some recipes in English (I did it once, with a lot of details, for my Chinese friend) and send them to you. I'll think of short, easy ones, so you should try without thinking you're going to be in the kitchen forever. One thing will always be valid, though: it's always faster to eat than to make!!!
I keep searching thru my saved and stored away pictures for some summer shots of Romania, and when I find them, I'll be adding them.
Well, Marie, one thing I learned: trial and (hopefully not) error. But so much more sweet the victory! I'll find out how to make El Paso giggle!
Alexandra post those recipes here. I love to cook!!
Me too!
Thanks! We definately could use some new recipes! Can't wait!
OK, I'll search for an easy short-timed one and get back.
Good Luck with the tulips in Subtripical/Trop Clmate :)
Goofy, GREAT shot, I love tulips, but after 1 year here you have to refridgerate that, too much for me.
This reminds me of the Lotus Land in this area, "the greateast garden in the U.S., and not one tulip", (quote; The New York Times) Anyway thanks for the great pic!!!!
Thanks, LApalms! I went thru a refrigeration season, ended up with just one flower, and all bulbs disappeared by summer. My next attempt with tulips will be when/if I'll have my own garden, somewhere cooler, and only with species tulips. I want to forget the pretty eye-catching hybrids...
Now, I want to give a short recipe for "Zucchini sour cream salad". This is not a measured recipe, everything goes "by eye", and is one of the few recipes where the "by eye" thing doesn't scare me!!!
The ingredients are simple: your favorite zucchini (I personally love the dark green and the gray ones), sour cream, garlic cloves, salt, spices to taste (peppercorns and basil work nice for me, but you can play), oil (since I came to US this item turned into olive oil/EVOO).
What to do?
Wash zucchinis, cut the "tail" part (the one that used to attach the zucchini to the plant), dry the excess water droplets and slice them in round slices (1/4inch would be great, but don't spend time measuring... not too thin and not too thick will work just fine).
In a large flat-bottomed pan put the oil to heat up. (The amount of oil should be slightly covering the slices once you have them in). With the stove turned to medium, place in the hot oil the zucchini slices, so they do not overlap with each other. Fry them on one side then the other for about 1-2 minutes (of course you can do this with a fryer, so you don't have to turn them, but I find it wastes too much oil, you will not be able to reuse this oil for another frying batch of anything), so that they just turn a bit translucent and softer then the uncooked ones.
Take the slices out and put them in a strainer. At this step, I also do the salting. This will turn them softer, and remove excess oil.
Once you finished frying all the slices, and the excess oil was removed, place your zucchini slices in a bowl. Add the spices (fresh ground peppercorns, fresh finely-chopped basil are my favorites) and 2-5 smashed/pureed garlic cloves (everyone according to taste, we like it garlicky) ...MWAH-HA-HA to keep the vampires away (BTW, this is an American legend...)!!!
Mix briefly, then add sour cream so that it "binds" the zucchinis together, but does not turn everything into a big sauce... I usually go with 2-3 "healthy" tablespoons of sour cream for a 3-4 zucchini salad. Mix again. Let sit for 15 minutes (so everything borrows aromas properly), then enjoy!
You can let it sit in the refrigerator a couple of hours, it is great cold as well as room-temperature, alone or as a side-dish to cooked meats.
Hope you like it!
Alexandra
That sounds so good Alenadra!! I sure hope you keep the recipes coming!!