Germany Part 6: Hot Chocolate

I know what you're thinking. Does hot chocolate really deserve its own post? Yes. Yes it does. You see, there's something so wonderful about European hot chocolate. It cannot merely be shuffled into a category with every other beverage I drank while abroad.

I originally fell in love with real hot chocolate last summer on a trip to Paris. We were told to go to a place called Angelina's. Ever since I tasted Angelina's hot chocolate, I have been a self proclaimed "hot-chocolate snob." I can't help it. Angelina's was so chocolatey and thick and wonderful. Once I realized how heavenly hot chocolate could be, I refused to settle for anything less.

Unfortunately, most hot chocolate in the States is just not good. It's either too milky or too bland, which means that my winter beverage of choice is usually water. Yum. Nothing like a glass of water to warm you up on a snowy day.

It's sad, really. And if I could bring European hot chocolate to the U.S., I most certainly would. But since I don't plan on opening a European hot chocolate shop any time in the near future, I take full advantage of every opportunity to drink this beloved beverage while I'm abroad. I guess it sort of evens out. Sort of...

During an unexpected layover in Amsterdam, I had my first chance of the trip to enjoy true European hot chocolate. We were at a place called Cafe Chocolate. Appropriate name, right?

The hot chocolate came in the form of a chocolate spoon. Allow me to explain. You choose your flavor from a list by the register. Then, they steam the milk in one of those fancy steamer things, take a spoon with a big chunk of chocolate out of a little clear bag and plunk it into the steaming milk. At this point, the chocolate chunk melts into the steamy milk and...viola! 

Mmmm......

It was like seeing an old friend after a long separation. And it was only just the beginning! 

At the hotel in Berlin, there was a fancy coffee and hot chocolate machine. While most of the other guests found it rather frustrating, I actually really enjoyed pressing the little button for 'hot chocolate' and watching the hot milk and liquid chocolate mix together in the mug before my eyes. 

Granted, hot chocolate from a machine is not the best. But it was the whole experience that made it worth it.

The next day, our stop in Dresden meant more hot chocolate! This time it came in an adorable little mug and was topped with actual chocolate shavings. 

You can just tell that this is going to be good. Look at the way that whipped cream is nestled into the frothy milk. This one even came with it's own sugar packet to adjust the sweetness, if necessary. It was just so cute. Why do they not make hot chocolate this appealing and delicious at home?

A stop in Nuremberg also meant a stop for hot chocolate! (Of course.)

I think the milk froth must make all of the hot chocolates look so much more fancy. I mean, look at it. It's so warm and inviting- I almost wanna jump right in!!

As the trip wound down, it became almost a routine to order hot chocolate with every meal. My days were numbered. I only had so long to enjoy my favorite beverage in it's truest form. So you can bet that lunch after our visit to the Neuschwanstein castle involved hot chocolate.

We should also note that the whipped cream is perfect in Germany as well. And I think they whip it up fresh. Once, at an ice cream shop, I saw the man behind the counter walk over to a clunky machine, pull a lever, and watch fresh whipped cream form before my eyes! It was so cool! (And I kind of wanted one for home). But anyway, they're not just pulling out the ol' Reddi Whip canister
 and holding down the nozzle. (I mean, some might, but I prefer to think otherwise.)

Germany Part 5: Beverages

This is going to be sort of a baby post mostly devoted to my new love, Apfelschorle. (I will, however, touch on a few of the other drinks I encountered while abroad, out of fairness.)

Way back in the winter, my German class began to study foods of Germany. Being the foodie that I am, I was thrilled! It was at this point in my German career when I felt I would be learning vocab that would be useful on a daily basis. (And trust me, it was!)

When we started talking about drinks, Apfelsaftschorle (or Apfelschorle for short) came up in conversation. My German teacher raved about it, saying how it was the best thing ever, and how we would all be lovers of Apfelschorle if we ever tried it.

With a reputation like that, how could I not order it in the first restaurant we visited?

When it arrived, I was thrilled! My first ever Apfelschorle!

For all you curious readers, the closest comparison I can make is to sparkling apple cider. (Though my German teacher has said that sparkling cider is a poor substitute.)

It's cool, sparkly, slightly apple-y, and very refreshing. Since it's only carbonated mineral water and apple juice, I think you could probably make it at home. If you go to Germany, though, I'd highly recommend getting it from the source! It's the perfect non-alcoholic drink for someone who wants to try something you won't find on a menu at home.

I ordered Apfelschorle at every restaurant (which I'd recommend because you get more to drink if you don't order water) and am officially a fan.

Although the Apfelschorle was the big event, I did try a few other drinks.

On a long day of driving, Miki had us stop at a McDonald's for a 45 minute break. I don't eat at McDonald's at home, and I certainly don't seek them out in foreign countries, but we were stuck, so I ordered a Bubble Tea.

You may have seen Bubble Tea stands in the mall. I think it's been around for a while in the US, but I didn't realize it was a trend. Apparently McDonald's is cashing in on this popular drink in Germany, and now I think I know why.

Bubble Tea is a mix of milk, tea, and boba balls. My most recent experience with boba balls has been at frozen yogurt shops. If you've never seen them before, they're little spherical balls filled with a fruity flavored syrupy juice. My personal favorite is mango.

The Bubble Tea I ordered was strawberry with some kind of white tea and strawberry boba balls. (Sorry for the vague description.) It comes with a big straw so you can drink up all of the boba balls (which is surprisingly fun). Now that I've tasted the wonders of Bubble Tea, I'm going to need to find a local shop at home!

The last drink of note was a surprisingly simple mango juice. On our first night in Munich, we were free to find dinner on our own. When we found our tiny out-of-the-way restaurant, I was shocked to see that they had about 10 different exotic juice choices to choose from. And these weren't from a box, either. Our waiter literally blended each of the juices fresh, with no added sweeteners or preservatives.

Since I'm a mango person, I went with that. It turned out to be somewhat watery and not quite as sweet as I would have liked. But, alas, I couldn't complain about getting fresh mango juice, right? Plus it was a beautiful orange color.

So if you're underage (though I don't even know if there is a drinking age in Germany) or you just prefer non-alcoholic beverages, take heart! Germany has much more to quench your thirst than just beer.

Germany Part 4: Dessert

For this dessert post, I think it'll be best to split it up into a few major categories. The first (and most important of which) is ice cream.

Ah, ice cream. Generally, I'm not a huge ice cream person. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's just not my first dessert of choice at home. In Germany, it is. The ice cream there is so smooth and creamy. As an added plus, it comes in a number of exotic fruit flavors, and is piled temptingly high so that you can see it from the street as you pass by.

My initial love was the banana ice cream. I seem to have become a banana lover as of late, and thus, I was eager to try it.

I ate my fair share of banana ice cream in Germany. (Please note that I did have mango in that second picture.) It would make a fabulous banana milk shake and was so good that sometimes I made a meal off of it.

After a while, I noticed how monotonous my choices had become, so I made a pact with myself to try new ice cream flavors.

Enter, strawberry. The color is a little bit off because of the lighting in the shop, but it was very pink and scrumptious. It was also a nice change from my usual banana. 

In Munich, I continued to experiment with new tastes. This time I gave "Melon" a try. 

Don't ask me what kind of melon it was. All I know is that it was orangey and very sweet. Maybe cantaloupe? Regardless, it was delicious, and also possibly the first time I've ever had an ice cream cone. For most of my life, I have held the belief that I should stay away from ice cream cones because they will melt or fall to the ground after only a few licks. Strange, I know. But I think I've finally begun to come around to the idea of using ice cream cones. Plus, they seem to give you more ice cream when you have a cone. Just sayin'...

On the last day of the trip, we were in Heidelberg, enjoying the historic castle and beautiful views. It seemed too early for lunch, but an ice cream was sure to hit the spot. 

I graduated to two scoops! The top scoop was strawberry, and the bottom one was "American Cookies." This was supposed to be something like chocolate chip, but it tasted more like vanilla with Nutella schmear inside.

Although the cookie one wasn't my usual flavor, it may have been my favorite. There is something about Nutella that gets me every time!

Although the German ice cream was amazing, I did dabble in other desserts. This leads us to the second category: baked goods.

I had originally gone to Germany, intent upon tasting the most delicious apple strudel in the world. So when we visited Hamelin (a tiny town dedicated to the Pied Piper), I decided I'd try a real German apple strudel.

It was very pretty. Almost too pretty to eat, right? But I gave in and took a bite. Let's just say that one bite was all I really needed to be disappointed. Despite its beautiful exterior, there was almost no sweetness in the cakey dessert at all. And that was when I learned that sweet in Germany probably doesn't mean sweet for me. So I left Hamelin, disappointed in both the strudel and the Pied Piper play saw there.

But, never fear! On that same day, we arrived in Hamburg and ate at the Spanish and Portuguese restaurant I mentioned in my last post. For dessert, I ordered the item that appeared to be most similar to a creme brûlée.

This was quite good. The sugar on top was not so burnt that it left a bitter taste in your mouth, and the custard was smooth and creamy. Although I think it would have been better if the sugar had been hot on top, I was pleased and had no problem finishing this on my own.

While in Berlin, we stopped at a bakery to drool over all of the pretty desserts behind the glass case. Inevitably, we broke down and had to buy one...or two to try later.

Unfortunately, we ran into the same problem with these. They were absolutely beautiful, but had almost no sweetness! What is it with German baked goods?!? I was disappointed yet again, but we'd already had ice cream earlier in the day, so I didn't feel too jipped.

While in Dresden, our local guide told us all about this cake we had to try. It was called Eierschecke. (I think it roughly translates to egg shingles or something....) Anyway, we hunted it down.

It looks lovely, right? The cake was very light and almost spongey on top. Then there was that layer of hard-ish custard beneath the sponge, and then there was the crust. This was probably one of the more delicate desserts I tasted. But still, no sweetness. In this case, however, I was glad to have tried it because it was a local specialty. And I couldn't possibly have missed a local cake! The search for a sweet dessert went on.

Nuremberg offered some relief from the monotony of sugar-less desserts. After arriving in the city, Miki led us to a highly recommended gingerbread or, Lebkuchen, stand. I gladly bought a piece to try because if gingerbread isn't good in Germany, then where is it good?

This was delicious! It was very spicy and warm (but not in a temperature way...in a mouth heat way, if that makes sense.) The little Nuremberg coat of arms tasted like almond, which was a nice touch. (I'm always a fan of almond.) This was so good that I went back and bought more to take home. There was no way I was leaving the country without it!

The next day, we were in Rothenburg. And what do you do in Rothenburg? Eat snowballs, of course!! Schneeballen, as they're called, are apparently a local tradition stretching back for centuries. When you walk into the shop and see all of the snowballs piled up and smell the sweet scent of frying dough, there is no way you can walk out of there empty handed.

This is only a quarter of the display...

Being the occasionally indecisive person that I can be, I chose two snowballs so that I could try them both! Hey, if you're only going to eat a snowball once, might as well try as many as possible. The two I chose were nougat (apparently the most popular) and cinnamon-sugar (the one that I thought looked best).

Miki had warned us that they were very sweet, so I was prepared for a moderate amount of sweetness. (I had decided there must be a sweetness conversion.) And I was pleasantly surprised! They were actually a decent sweetness, and they were tasty. The nougat one was filled with...nougat, I suppose. It was kind of a soft chocolate filling, and was very good. The cinnamon sugar one was also yummy, although the sugar sprayed everywhere as I tried to eat it. Overall, it was a very successful dessert!

Germany Part 3: Dinner

Settle in, friends. This post is going to be a long one. You see, regardless of whether I ate lunch or not, I always had something for dinner. And because of this, I have a LOT to write about. Over the course of the trip, we had both included and non-included meals, meaning that some nights we all ate together as a group, and some nights we all went and found our own food. Generally, the meals we found ourselves were far superior to the meals provided by the tour. But there are always exceptions.

The first two nights' dinners were not good. So on the third night, when we were in Hamburg and given the opportunity to find our own meals, I was elated! We walked around, perusing our options, before deciding on a Spanish and Portuguese restaurant called Acqui.

Settling down to a table outside, we soon realized that the menus were all in German. This meant that I quickly became "Laurnie the Translator," decoding the mysterious words for the rest of my table. Since Hamburg is a harbor city, I was in the mood for seafood. (Plus, the menu was overflowing with seafood options, so I figured it had to be a good choice.)

When the waiter returned to take our orders, I asked him what he recommended from the seafood section, and just went with that. I had absolutely no idea what I'd ordered for myself, but I found the anticipation rather exciting!

I realize that taking the recommendation from our random German waiter could have gotten me in trouble (or at least left with an inedible meal). But I was willing to take the risk. What did I have to lose?

As we waited for our meal to arrive, the waiter brought out bread and olives to tide us over.

The olives had pits, so I avoided them. But the spread for the bread was delicious! It was definitely not butter, so I had to ask what it was. The answer: aioli. Wikipedia explains that aioli is a sauce made from garlic, olive oil, and egg. (Which makes sense, because the consistency is a little mayonnaise-y.) Regardless, I could have made a meal off of that!

It's a good thing I had some restraint, however, because I needed a lot of stomach space for what came next.

To be completely honest, I'm still not quite sure what I ate. Looking at them, they look like little squids. This would make sense to me because they had a sautéed calamari-esque taste. Overall, I really enjoyed them. So my mystery meal worked out! 

On our first evening in Berlin, we went with the group to a place called Ziko's Grill Dinner. It was an evening of singing, dancing (not on my part, but on the part of others), and, of course, eating. Although I was skeptical because of the fact that group food is generally not as good as food you find yourself, the evening turned out to be really fun! 

The first course was a tomato and rice soup. It was, admittedly, somewhat Campbell's soup-esque. 

There's nothing wrong with Campbell's. But I did feel slightly cheated while eating it.

The next course for me (we had the option of a few dishes), was a garlic fish.

This would have been great if it hadn't been just an eensy bit too garlicy and oily. I literally scraped chopped garlic bits off of the top of my fish before I could eat it. The chef must have been feeling a little exuberant in the kitchen that night. ;) 

It's safe to say that Ziko's had great atmosphere, but rather mediocre food. I was glad to have gone, though, especially when some of my group mates began to conga line around the room. (Which provided for minutes of entertainment as they couldn't really do a full loop due to the size of the room, and the length of their line.) But I digress...

The second night in Berlin, however, was excellent. After a day of sightseeing, we walked along the Kurfürstendamm, or Ku'damm, (the major shopping street) gazing at the designer shops, and basically being part of the crowd. I have to pause here to mention that Berlin gives off a Paris-y feeling. (At least it did for me.) What with the wide streets, the green city-scape, and the popularity of eating outside for the sole purpose of watching the poor fools who walk by, I had a sort of dejavu moment as we enjoyed the nice weather in the capital of Germany.

Picking a place where we could sit outside and enjoy the sunshine, while not mercilessly staring at passersby, we seated ourselves and were given menus. This was a cute place, not unlike many of the other restaurants we'd passed along the way. It was huge, with most of the customers seated outside, and a few waiters sprinkled in between the red and white checked table cloths.

After placing our orders, we were given bread and butter. Really, they need to make that a dinner option because I would totally order it. I am extremely weak-willed when it comes to bread and butter. Set it on the table, and I'm all over it in a matter of seconds. A flaw, yes, but I'm working on it.....

How can you resist?

So cute!!

But the real show-stopper was my actual dinner. To be honest, I'm still not completely sure of what I ordered. Again, it was kind of a throw-caution-to-the-wind-and-fingers-crossed-it-works sort of thing. Though I'm pretty sure it was a mushroom ravioli in a cream soup. 

This. Was. Divine. I am not even joking when I say that I've never tasted anything like it before...in my life. It was absolutely the sweetest thing because one waiter brought out the bowl with the two ravioli in it, and then the other poured the cream soup part out of a precious little porcelain cup. So adorable!!! I wish I'd taken a video or something. 

I also wish I knew what was actually inside of the raviolis. I would imagine it was some kind of mushroom or truffle- wait that was it!!! The mystery taste inside was definitely truffle-y. It was very light and a little sweet and almost flowery. Does that sound truffle-y to anyone? I think that must have been it. Let me know if you have any other ideas. It was awesome. I wish I could eat it again...

A few days later, we were in Nuremberg, exploring the old city center in search of dinner. We chose an Italian restaurant in the town square and settled in, glad to be out of the rain. 

I was feeling a little under the weather this evening, and just wanted something warm to fill me up. After securing a mug of my beloved hot chocolate, I glanced through the menu. As I write this, I'm beginning to notice a theme on German menus: they're endless. This menu in particular required me to flip through multiple pages to get to the end, which I eventually found after the four or so pages of alcoholic beverages. 

Although there were a lot of interesting and unusual menu items, I went for the gnocchi with mozzarella and tomato sauce. 

I've always enjoyed gnocchi. It's just so light and tasty. When paired with the fresh tomato sauce, I was content. The portion was much too large for me to finish, so I made sure to eat everything with cheese first. :)

Germany Part 2: Lunch

When I am at home, you can be sure that I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. However, that is not the case when I am away. What with jet lag, new foods, so much to see, and so little time, I realized that I didn't eat lunch every single day. Sometimes I had ice cream instead, which would fall under a different category, and sometimes I'd be fine until dinner. That said, there were days when I had very, very good lunches.

On our first day of touring, we took a cruise down the Rhine river to the town of Boppard. It was an adorable little place (the first of many that we visited), with a picturesque town square, old houses, and cobblestone-lined streets.

Our tour guide, Miki, turned us loose for a few hours to enjoy lunch. And thus, we were left to our own devices.

Picking a restaurant in a foreign country can be... daunting at times. You have to know what you're in the mood for, and you have to be able to understand the menu. Fortunately, as Boppard is largely a tourist spot, many of the menus were written in both German and English. We settled upon a restaurant with views of the square, walked in, and seated ourselves. (That's one thing to note: In Germany, you don't need to wait around to be led to a table. You are expected to come in and sit wherever you desire.) Many people enjoy dining outside. But it was a little overcast, so we went indoors.

After glancing at the menu for a few minutes, I found exactly what I wanted: Potato Gratin. Potatoes are hugely popular in Germany, and it's very possible to stumble across potatoes in breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These potatoes, however, were smothered in cheeses, sprinkled with herbs, and served in a sizzling cast iron (?) dish.

This was, perhaps, the best potato gratin I have ever tasted. The potatoes were not only blanketed with cheeses, but also simmering in a cream sauce (yum!). I am drooling just remembering the rich, creamy taste of the potatoes and cheese, all mingling together. It was potato heaven. 

The gratin also came with a salad.

Most people know that I am not much of a salad person. But if I lived in Germany, I might become one. Unlike restaurants in the US, restaurants in Germany do not ask you what kind of dressing you want. While some of you may be thinking that this lack of choice would be an issue, never fear. Literally, every single dressing in Germany is delicious! 

I have no idea what this one was. It was creamy, with a hint of a dill taste. The cool crispness of the salad was a nice contrast to the warm heaviness of my gratin, and I was quite glad that they served them together. 

Ultimately, I was unable to finish either the gratin or the salad (Germany is not stingy with portion size!), but I left with a very full tummy.

The next lunch of note was eaten a few days later, on our way from Lubeck to Berlin. I was particularly disappointed, however, because we we drove for about an hour after leaving Lubeck, only to stop at a rest-stop-esque location for lunch. Since we had just been in the very charming city of Lubeck, it would have been nice to have been able to eat there. But it turned out fine. (Mostly because I was hungry, and would have eaten almost anything!) 

There were quite a lot of choices, but I went for a classic tomato and mozzarella sandwich, vanilla pudding with strawberries, and water. Granted, this was a safe choice. I mean, how can you mess up a tomato and mozzarella sandwich? But, it was just what I needed to get me through the day. 

In fact, it was too much. But again, I left happy and ready to tackle the rest of the bus ride to Berlin! 

Two days later, I found myself in the picturesque town of Dresden. Although the city center was completely destroyed during WWII, today's Dresden is both beautiful and charming. 

Again, we were given time to explore the city, which used to be a World Heritage Site before being dropped due to the construction of a certain bridge, and find lunch. 

I was particularly hungry this day, and thus, sought out a filling meal. On recommendation from our tour guide, we arrived at a lovely yellow restaurant and seated ourselves outside. The sun was shining, and we were eager to take advantage of the nice weather. 

The menu was rather large, but I soon singled in on my choice: a savory crepe. 

Some of you may be sweet crepe people. Some of you may be savory crepe people. I can be both, though I tend to lean towards the sweet side. But this was lunch, and I was hungry. So savory it was. 

This crepe was filled with chicken, mushrooms, and carrots in a red whine sauce. I suppose the greenery on the right side of the plate was supposed to be a salad, but I completely ignored it. There was no way I was going to waste a single inch of my stomach capacity when I had that crepe to attend to. :) 

I think I was a little over-full at the end of this meal, but it was worth it. 

The very next day we were in Leipzig for lunch. On this occasion, I split my meal into two parts. Part one was an order of fries from a street vendor. 

I don't think you can leave Germany without eating Pommes, as they're called. These were fried freshly upon order, served with mayonnaise and topped with an adorable flag! 

Since I was trying to be a true German, I skipped out on the ketchup and tried them with mayo. It was definitely a different taste. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but I think I prefer ketchup (or nothing) over mayonnaise. Regardless, the fries were seasoned perfectly, and really didn't need a sauce anyway. 

Part two was when we stopped at an Italian restaurant. It's true. Italian food actually has taken over the entire world. They seem to love it in Germany just as much as we love it here! But I think theirs is quite a bit better. 

I ordered something called Pizza Brot (AKA Pizza Bread). I didn't exactly know what it was, but hey, traveling is all about new experiences, right?!

This was a very simple concept- dough and sauce. But the flavors were so much more complex. The sauce was light, with a nice blend of herbs and garlic. It coated the thin, crispy bread perfectly, making for an almost airy feeling. Everyone actually really liked this, and I would want to try to make it at home. My only reservation is that sadly, I do not have a brick pizza oven in my kitchen, which I think made all of the difference when baking this pie. 

A few days later, on our way from Nuremberg to Munich, we spent some time in the storybook town of Rothenburg. After climbing to the top of the town's cathedral and shopping in the best Christmas shop ever, we had lunch at the only place that advertised sandwiches. It was such a painful experience. 

The inside was kind of dumpy, but we didn't have a lot of time to look for another place, so we settled for it. It wasn't until after our orders had been placed that I realized what a bad choice this was. 

I had ordered a barbecue chicken sandwich. Simple, right? Wrong. Every step of this process was an effort. Each piece of lettuce was placed on the bun one at a time. I wanted to pull my hair out. 

In the end, all of that effort (or perceived effort, because I can't imagine it's that challenging to make a sandwich) wasn't really even worth it. The sandwich was nothing special.

I was glad to move on. 

The last lunch of the trip, however, ended on a high note. We were in the Black Forest Area, visiting Neuschwanstein castle. (The BEST castle, ever!) After a tour of the castle, we walked down to the village (which was laden with tourists) and ate lunch at the restaurant Miki had reserved for us. 

I chose the Cheese Spaetzel, a dish I hadn't yet had during my time in Germany. 

Do you like Mac and Cheese? Then you would like this. Although that's the best comparison I can make, this was definitely it's own unique dish. The spaetzel were a little doughy, and the cheese was thick (as opposed to a more liquidy sauce in some mac and cheeses). The little crunchies on top were fried onions. Awesome, right? 

It was warm and filling- perfect for the off-and-on rain and cool temperatures we were experiencing. I'm glad to have tried it, and I wish I could have lingered over it for a little longer. But I guess I'll just have to plan another trip to Germany to do that! 

Germany Part 1: Breakfast

Guten Tag! After a delightful trip to Germany, I've returned home with lots to blog about. To make things easier for all of us, I've decided to do a sort of 'German Highlights', split into breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, beverages, and hot chocolate. (And yes, the latter does deserve its own category.) Let's begin with breakfast, shall we?

Since we took a group tour, a Continental breakfast was included each day. It took some getting used to.

The first day was pretty tasty.

Colorful, right?

I was happy with this breakfast. The buffet had lots of lovely fruit and carbohydrates to start my first day on tour. The watermelon was surprisingly sweet, and the chocolate muffin was moist. When it came time for my roll, I sampled a few foreign spreads.

This was actually really fun. Although I had a vague understanding of the contents, I had to guess on a couple of them. Ultimately, the most memorable was the tomato and pepper one (located in the top right corner). Tasting this assortment was definitely an exciting way to begin the day. 

This next breakfast (taken a few days later) was my favorite.

I know. It's silly. I just couldn't help myself. And after days of settling for a hard-ish boiled egg and a piece of fruit, this was practically a feast! The danishes were really yummy. They were a croissant consistency (very flaky and buttery) with either chocolate chips or raisins. Although I'm not a raisin person, that one was my favorite! It was both light and delicious, and balanced out by my kiwis and banana. 

This next breakfast was all about the cake in top left corner.

Yes, the watermelon was fine, and the egg was sufficiently firm (wobbly eggs were a common sight on the breakfast menu) but the cake (or, perhaps we should call it a breakfast bread) was fantastic! It was moist, delicate, and perfectly sweet! The chocolate chips and powdered sugar on top were enough to lure me back for a second piece. I probably should have taken a piece for later too.... It was that good. 

Yogurt was another standby that I frequently fell back upon when all else failed. This peach and passionfruit  flavored one was particularly memorable, as I've never seen a similar flavor at home. 

And finally, breakfast on the last day.

Although the morning was bittersweet (Germany was awesome, but I was excited to come home), the breakfast was all good! I'm always up for a chocolate muffin. And the muffin went wonderfully with the banana milk I found! Chocolate + Banana = Happy Tastebuds.

Have you ever seen banana milk in your local grocery store?! I certainly haven't! (Though according to a google search, it's popular in South Korea.) It's such a good idea! It tastes exactly like a thinner version of a banana milkshake! If you ever have the chance to try banana milk, I highly recommend it.

Overall, there were some highs and lows in the breakfast arena. I think this was the meal I missed most of all, as most mornings left me hankering for a pancake or waffle to dive into. But, alas, it's all part of the experience!

Scones at Home

I typically write about food that I eat while I'm out and about: restaurant food, if you will. But this morning I have to bend that standard just a little bit so that I can tell you about one of my most favorite breakfast foods ever: Nina's blueberry scones.

Those of you who know my Nina know that she is a fabulous cook. So I could probably write a number of posts about all of the delicious things she makes for us. But these scones are particularly special, and thus, they require their own special post.

Most people have had scones at some point in their lives. When you think of store bought scones, you may think of hard, three-dimensional triangles of dough, peppered with one kind of fruit or another. Sometimes they have a glaze. Sometimes they don't.

But in order to understand Nina's scones, I'll need you to completely erase everything you thought you knew about this breakfast treat. After tasting Nina's scones, I have never truly been able to enjoy another.

You see, there's something special about Nina's scones. Hers are soft and flaky, with a hint of sweetness, and lots of berries (usually the blue variety).

When topped with freshly made whipped cream, they cannot be beat. It always makes me sad to see people throw away their money on sub-par scones, without ever realizing what they're missing. It's like walking around in the dark, really. Once you've had good scones, you'll know.

They're best when they're piping hot!

If you ever happen to be at my house, you might be lucky enough to get a taste of these delectable scones.These are a special treat, which is probably what makes them my favorite breakfast food to eat at home. Blueberries, love, and summer. What more could you want?

Special thanks to Nina for making these this morning! Happy eating, everyone!

A Day in Pittsburgh

Ah, Pittsburgh. My future home away from home. I like Pittsburgh, I really do. It's a nice city, and what's more, it has a wide range of local restaurants serving delicious food. We were once advised by a Carnegie Mellon admissions person to never eat at a chain restaurant while in Pittsburgh because there's so many other options. And after four trips to Pittsburgh in the last two years, I have to say I wholeheartedly agree.

After a four and a half hour drive, Mom and I began our time in Pittsburgh with a stop at one of our favorite places, Pamela's.

Let me just preface the rest of this post by saying that it was oppressively hot on this day. And when I say hot, I mean, over 100 degrees hot.

So, we arrived at Pamela's to discover that it was extremely busy (and hot!). But because there were only two of us, we were seated quickly. And, to be honest, they were doing a pretty efficient job of bussing the tables so that more customers could be seated. It wasn't even as if all of the tables were full, I think there were just a couple of big parties that had to wait because of their size.

Fun, right?

But, anyway, Mom and I were seated and didn't even need to look at the menu. We know what we like here, the Strawberry Hotcakes.

The crispy edges are my favorite!

We originally found Pamela's on our first visit to Pittsburgh in 2011. We asked the friendly woman at the front desk of the hotel where we were staying, and she highly recommended Pamela's. I clearly remember her saying that she goes here about once a week herself. 

If the locals were going to Pamela's every week, we knew we had to try it. We only needed one visit to understand. 

The hotcakes are a little tricky to describe. They are fluffy like pancakes, but they're really thin- like crepes. I guess it's best to think of them as the perfect mix between pancake and crepe. 

See how it's thin and fluffy? How do they do it?!?

Simply put, they're fabulous. I highly recommend the strawberry ones. These come filled with brown sugar, sour cream, and lots of fresh, juicy strawberries. Now, I know the sour cream may sound a little crazy to some of you (Mom was, admittedly, unsure at first), but DO NOT BE AFRAID! This combination is awesome. Just trust me. (However, if you must have another flavor, there are others to choose from...)

I definitely plan on coming here to treat myself in the fall. It's delicious, inexpensive food, with fast service. And even in the heat (as it was a little humid at first because of all of the hungry bodies waiting to be fed- it did cool down as our meal progressed) Pamela's is one place you can't miss. 

The view above our table.

Even if you go just to look at the nostalgic board games hanging on the walls, you won't be disappointed. 

After our delicious breakfast, we found ourselves with a couple of hours to spend before my meetings at CMU. And really, what better decision on a hot day than to traipse the sweltering streets of Pittsburgh? 

We walked past my future dorm and then walked to the cathedral where I'll go to church next year. It's beautiful. (And that's an understatement.) After a 10 minute walk from the CMU campus, it was such a relief to feel the perfectly conditioned air inside of the church. 

We looked around, stayed for a while, and cooled off before taking the grueling 10 minute walk back to campus. 

Later, after we finished up at school, we tried a new dinner place on recommendation from one of my future professors. 

We usually go to Joe Mama's for dinner when we're in Pittsburgh (another spot we found on our first visit), but on this particular day we headed to something a little different: Ali Baba. 

Okay, so this place is kind of a dive. 

It was no frills, and it was humid. But with rush hour looming, we didn't want to have to go all the way back to Joe Mama's. So we settled in and thought we'd give it a try.

Our appetizer was perfect. 

  

Fresh hummus with warm pita bread. This was just what we needed. The hummus was cool and creamy, with just a hint of garlic and spices. It was a great starter, especially as it was so hot outside. The hummus was just so refreshing! The pita itself was also yummy. We happily dug in as we waited for the rest of our meal.

What came next was not as universally applauded.

Mom was not a huge fan of her falafel.

The falafel were home made, and the pita was the same yummy pita we'd just consumed. But there was something about the smoky-heat after-taste that Mom didn't really love. I'll admit, I didn't mind the heat of the falafel, but I really can't stand the tahini (sesame seed) paste. The wrap was overwhelmingly dry, and the extra tahini paste Mom asked for did nothing to help. 

It was pretty disappointing. I mean, when you go to a Middle Eastern restaurant, you kind of expect the falafel to be spot-on, right? 

But, never fear. My entree was delicious! 

I ordered the cheese pie. What is cheese pie, you may ask? It's a puffy dough filled with feta cheese and onions. I'd had cheese pie once before, so I thought I'd give it a try.

As you can see, my attempts at showing you the inside of the pie were somewhat less successful than I'd hoped. But you get the idea. 

This was great. And after trying mine, Mom said she would want to try the spinach pie next time (since it's made with the same dough.)  As for me, I'd definitely get this again. It was the perfect size, too. 

When it came time for dessert, we ordered the Baklava. Both Mom and I enjoy Baklava, so it was an easy choice.

Unfortunately, as soon as I saw our waitress take the pre-sliced Baklava out of a refrigerator, I grew suspicious. It's usually not a great sign to see a dessert pre-sliced, especially when it's a dessert that's supposed to be soaked in honey. How could it possibly be moist if it was sliced and sitting by itself?

But alas, we vowed to give it a go.

Unfortunately, my suspicions were correct. This was possibly the driest, crumbliest, dissatisfying baklava I've ever had. You know how some baklava is so sweet and syrupy, you can barely stand it? Well, even that kind of baklava is better than this. 

It was so bad. We both took a bite and left the rest. I always feel really bad about leaving food on my plate. But this was just terrible. 

The one redeeming thing (and the only reason we didn't mention the awful dessert) was that our waitress was super sweet and didn't charge us for Mom's falafel (since we didn't eat it). She didn't have to do that, but it was nice of her, and it is one of the positive attributes I will remember about this otherwise hit-or-miss restaurant. I guess if you know what to get (like hummus and cheese pie), it's great! If not, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment.  

We also made a stop at a local cupcake shop called Dozen. Every time we've been to Pittsburgh before, we've heard about Dozen, but for whatever reason they've been closed. We'd heard about them so many times, so we were really excited to arrive while they were open. 

Going inside was kind of underwhelming. Everything felt unfinished and ram-shackle. There weren't even that many cupcakes in the refrigerated case. I mean, yes, it was after four in the afternoon, but I still thought the presentation was messy. 

Mom and I got half a dozen and brought them home to try. 

When we ate them, we were completely disappointed. The cupcakes were dense and dry. The icing was the only redeeming quality, and they could only redeem so much. I am honestly having a hard time understanding how a place with such terrible cupcakes can stay in business. It was really terrible having to throw away fifteen dollars worth of cupcakes, but I guess that happens sometimes. 

So, that was that. And although I was disappointed by a number of our edible experiences, I've come to realize that not every bite is going to be great. That said, my experiences have not turned me away from Pittsburgh cuisine in any way. There's still plenty of places I'll be able to try, and plenty of time to try them.