Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I've Got Love in My Tummy

Adjusting to France, amidst the hectic schedules, part time work, and now the pressures of planning for a "future", I have plenty of things on my plate. It took me a while to get used to but now I'm pretty much used to life here in Strasbourg. Like my uncle Jon always says, "You could put that girl in the middle of nowhere and she'd still survive." Uncle Jon is probably right. I somehow always manage to survive and everything always seems to work out in the end. Oftentimes, I don't just survive because I don't want to survive, I want to LIVE and THRIVE! I want to enjoy every minute of my survival and that makes all the difference.

Despite the the lacking intellectual stimulation in the educational department of my life, I am making sure I live my life in the most fulfilling ways as possible. I'm ceaselessly studying the languages I'm so passionate about, I've traveled to villages in France and Germany, meeting and learning new things along the way, and with my oven, I've been baking up a storm. Today is my friend Nico's birthday and to celebrate (and to spite him), I made him a tart... not a French tart, but a British tart! French food isn't better in any way at the non-gourmet level (I'll get into this in a later entry) and since, being French, he's arrogant about his country's cuisine and believes that British food is inferior (despite the fact that he has never been to the UK and has therefore, never tried British food), I made him a Banoffee pie:

"Banoffee" is a portmanteau of the words "banana" and "toffee", the main ingredients of the pie. I made the toffee at home by boiling sweetened condensed milk for about 3 hours (It's extremely time-consuming, but it's also totally worth the time and effort since it's delicious and all-natural! I don't like eating weird chemicals...). Bananas should be ripe, but not overripe, otherwise it would be too mushy for the pie. The topping is a whipped cream topping. 

Banoffee pie was invented in England and its popularity has since spread across the world (or perhaps only just the Anglophone world?) 

Of course, being in France and him being French, I did bake him a quiche as well, this one is filled with smoked salmon, spinach, and blanched white asparagus:

There were absolutely no leftovers, so I figure that means both were good crowd pleasers =) 

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Bitter

You aren't bitter at the world, even though you have a strong personality. Instead, you are sophisticated and cultured. You appreciate acquired tastes. You are very powerful. You have the ability to change a room's energy. While some may find you disagreeable, your points of view are intelligent and interesting.

What Taste Are You?

Kennet's Going to Poland!

My brother, Kennet, is becoming the typical American. He's completely content with staying in the U.S., not traveling, and speaking only one language: English. He's not "stupid," but he's not really aware of the world around him either. I can't let my own brother become a fat, stupid, uninformed, monolingual American!!! Today is Kennet's birthday and he turned 18. He's only been to 2 countries. I really wanted to get him something special for his 18th birthday. It's the age when you become an "adult," right? You can vote, smoke, buy porn, buy lottery tickets, join the military, open an bank account, get a credit card, buy a car, house... you're almost a full-fledged "adult" even though you won't be able to gamble and drink legally until you're 21.

So what did I get him? Like the title of this entry suggests, I bought him round-trip plane tickets to Poland! He'll be going to a country where English isn't the primary language and a place that's different enough (though not as different as Africa). I was going to "surprise" him by blindfolding him, giving him one big bag with clothes and other essentials, and putting him on a plane headed to Africa, but I decided Poland would suffice for now. =) I'm not evil since Tomasz is going to take care of him in Katowice, though he'll be arriving in Warszawa, spending a night or two there. Then he'll have to buy tickets to Kraków where Tomasz will meet him and show him around, then help him to Katowice. Katowice for just a day or so, then he'll head back to Warszawa from there to go back home. The entire trip is only for 1 week and it isn't until late-February, so he has time to prepare.

I don't usually brag, but I think I'm a pretty awesome sister, don't you? =D

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Very Approachable

You can talk to anyone, and it shows. People are eager to start conversations with you. You are open and friendly. You are willing to connect with almost anyone. While it's great to be approachable, there is such a thing as too approachable. Eventually someone will try to take advantage of you. Don't be afraid to say no or end an awkward conversation.

Are You Approachable?