V has been on self-assigned food duties this week. He's a great cook, but i feel helpless as i watch from the sidelines... doing things i would do another way... or not at all... lol
This is a soup made from vegetable stock, pasta, and dill. That's really it. Nice and light, and definitely great as a starter, which this was.
Yep. They guy with the silly grin on his face is my loving husband. hehe! He's holding homemade Placki z Jabłkami. In English "pancakes with apples".
This was made from baking apples that were bigger than my fist! And it came out sooo good topped with a little confectioners sugar. I would love to share the recipe with you- however, the exact recipe is probably on a recipe card or in a book at V's mom's house in Poland! V is a fan of cooking with his hands, and doesn't necessarily measure.
It makes me cringe while he's doing it (even though i do the same thing, occasionally) because i'm a kitchen control freak- but it always comes out great. I've learned just to go into another area while he cooks so i don't irritate him too much ;-)
On another note, my Polish is coming along ok. If i didn't mention before, V's parents were very sweet and sent me a course on CD ROM called Polish for Foreigners. So far, i'm learning conjugations (my favorite and always useful part of learning a language) from the disc. Our Polish friends speak so fast that i barely catch a word when they're in conversation- but every now and then i get the gist of what they're saying. I'm having fun with it, and i really enjoy these new friends.
On Saturday, V had to work, so i went over to these friends' house to spend the day with Karina. She's taken two years of English but is shy about speaking it when there's another Polish/English speaker around. When we're alone though, she does really well! I'm always impressed.
When i went over, i didn't want to be a bother- so i brought some things to occupy my time, in case she had other things to do. I brought a skein of yarn (my only one) and my one crochet hook (which the airlines allowed me to have on the plane! win!) to mess around with learning new things. I had a few rows of something crocheted, and inevitably didn't like it so i tore it out and started over. I did this a few times before Karina suggested i make a flower by copying one of her mother's doilies that was on the table. So i did! It was fun! Karina found a tutorial online for making other flowers (love youtube!) and i helped her to crochet one of her own. We had a great time!
Yesterday i decided to look up crochet patterns online. I've decided that i definitely have an affinity for making toys... i can't explain it. I just love making cute little things that a kiddo might enjoy. I found a pattern that i particularly enjoy and decided to give it a try.
I made this:
Into this:
With this! And yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is my Valentines Day bouquet from V, sitting there beautifully in the background. Ahh the perks of living in an icebox cold little house. :-)
To compensate for the cold, we had planned on buying a nice little wood/coal burning stove- but because of the tenacity in which Sallie Mae pursued me, we decided it would be a good idea to just throw on another sweater and pair of socks. We are hoping to afford one this coming week or next! Crossing my fingers (and toes... and eyes...). Actually V and i have a little friendly wager to see whether my stuff arrives from America first or if we end up affording a stove first. LOL!!! We'll see... The game is definitely "on".
I leave you with this photo of tomato soup and rice garnished with dill (we love dill). He grew the dill himself in his own garden last year. What a guy! I married up.
