This Weekend's Firsts

In the short lull between the blur of wedding/travel/Oktoberfest and the start of the really busy time at work and Christmas/honeymoon, we've been trying to fit in some hobbies. 

This weekend I finally made some progress on a few firsts....

My first knitting project more difficult than a simple scarf: Herr J's new trachten vest is finally starting to take shape. Just 12 more cm and the back will be done. 

This would also be my first attempt at knitting with a pattern and the first time trying to knit in German. Maybe not the wisest combination of "firsts" but after some serious frustration at trying to understand the pattern, I think it's back on track and I'm optimistic. 

And this weekend also brought the first batches of Spekulatius and Vanillakipferl!

Germany has such wonderful Christmas cookies that it would be a shame not to learn how to make them. And the variety of cookie cutters and baking forms available here is astounding. I always want to buy a bunch when I'm in the store. And since the only way to justify buying kitchen gadgets is to use them....

Here are the first two attempts, with a spekulatius form purchased a couple of years ago and a new vanillakipferl form. I'm excited to try some more cookies and experiment with the recipes. Once we figure out the best one, we'll post the resulting recipe. The first batches were a pretty good start, but I had to adjust a few things to make the dough come together and I'd like a little more spice to the Spekulatius. Luckily the stores are stocked with baking goods in preparation for Christmas!

And, what am I most excited about this weekend? 

Not really a first, but something that has been plaguing me for months. Between me forgetting and buying a new roll and Herr J moving in with a couple of his own, we have sooo many rolls of cling wrap. Which is always a pain to use anyway...it always sticks to itself more than anything else and is tough to tear evenly...you know...

But this one box has been like the loaves and fishes of cling wrap - it NEVER ends. For the past couple of months I think I'm at the end and will finally use it up and be able to throw it away, and no...there's plenty more. How old is it? Well, you might notice the writing on the box in Thai. I left Thailand over 7 years ago. It's THAT old. And today, I finally used the last of it. I know that there's no real accomplishment in using up something, but I feel some sense of accomplishment.  

I think Herr J is probably pretty excited to finally throw out that neverending box, too, or at least to have one less box cluttering up the kitchen. But what he's super excited about is that we got tickets this weekend to see Rush when they come through Germany next summer!

All in all, a pretty good weekend. Hope you all had good weekends, too!