Phaedra's Journal - Eat, Play, Live

[Phaedra]

Hi, I would like to open a thread here and share our days in a small town in Germany.

I used to post with photos (in both TEG and BYC) but didn't really know if it was proper. English is my second language - enough for communication but far away from a native speaker. So, allow me to use a bit more photos from time to time, and I admit that some of my wording might be funny.

I love improvised home cooking, planting, music, learning, and reading. Currently, I am a freelancer and take on projects from the manufacturing industry. As I work from home, we have hens, quails, cats, and dogs after buying the house in 2018.

For me, "Self-sufficiency" is a lovely concept that covers physical and mental aspects. It's a process of getting balance under different stages/circumstances of life and level of maturity. It's an interesting and meaningful lifestyle, too.

Nice to be here and have the chance to become one of your neighbors on the internet.

I made a simple pumpkin stew today, no recipe as usual - beef short ribs, a few plum tomatoes, a homegrown kabocha pumpkin, water, and salt. It's satisfying and can be presented in fully different ways - I love both.

After the first stage of cooking, a natural, tasty, and fresh meal (our lunch)

After it's done - more delicate and complete (part of our dinner)

 

[Phaedra]

Home-created chocolate pralines - the result after about two-hour work this morning.
I recommend this praline-making as a winter indoor activity; its byproducts are as amazing as the main achievements. It's healing and can easily bring me into the 'flow state.'

You can be creative and hide whatever you love inside the pralines. This is something not available from the ready products on the market, no matter how famous and expensive they are.

It's very common to bake all kinds of cookies here for the coming year-end holidays. Making good quality and unique chocolate pralines is a more-than-happy alternative for me.

 

[Phaedra]

I love homemade pickles - with them, I can always have a variety-rich, balanced, and nutritious meal in a short time.

My lunch today - seaweed salad (seaweed, herring, sesame) / Kimchi / spiced corned quail eggs / pickled cucumber and cherry tomatoes / salmon / miso-pickled cucumber / rice / over-easy egg

It's also time to prepare the sweets for Christmas - I will make some cookies, a pumpkin pie, and some chocolate pralines.

 

[Phaedra]

Today's Dinner - we enjoyed the food very much.
Salmon egg roll / seaweed and broccoli / ginger pork / collection of homemade side dishes / rice

It's impossible for me to get a meal like this in Germany, so the best way is to make it on my own.

Saturday is the grocery day. The items I bought were mostly those with special offers of the week or a close best-before discount. For example, we got nice European bass, chicken thighs, and pork at an attractive price; plain yogurt, scallions, and raspberries at a 30%~50% discount.

The discounted Yogurt in the glass jars is my favorite - I love glass jars.

I am used to making the maximized use of all ingredients. Cats, dogs, chickens, quails, and humans (us) get the proper parts and portions under one budget.

When I prepare our food, I also prepare the ingredients for our cats and dogs.

This is their portion for about two days.

The main meal for cats today - they got plain yogurt and egg yolk (from our own hens) as supplements.

The main meal for dogs today, as they prefer cooked food recently...

I am running a mini family restaurant in a small town, and I'm in love with my current lifestyle.

 

[Phaedra]

I love home food!
Fried dumplings with eggs, different styles of pickled veggies, and turkey veggie soup - this is something impossible to get here in Germany. The only chance is that we drive 90 minutes to Düsseldorf downtown and spend something around 35 Euro/per person.

Nope, spending so much money and time on a so-so meal somewhere is ridiculous.

When I have time, I will always make some dumplings and preserve them in the freezer.

I always have a nice clear soup on the stove, especially on cold days. Such soups can be the base of many delicious dishes; for example, our soup today was used for steaming the fried dumplings as well.

Pickled or fermented vegetables are essential elements for quick meals when I don't have time to prepare vegetables separately.

The homemade chocolate pralines are comforting, too.

Tea and coffee are always ready, too - a kind of self-sufficiency.

 

[Phaedra]

Today's Homemade Food - Aioli and Egg Salad

Egg salad A - chicken, ham, sweet corn, peas, eggs - honey mustard flavor
Egg salad B - shrimp, peas, eggs

DH eats no seafood, but DD and I love seafood. I usually have to prepare something without seafood for him. Preparing food for the family is sometimes like those car racing games - practices accumulate experiences. Avoiding these and those specific ingredients is challenging but not impossible.

Two types of Aioli - honey mustard + bacon

Salted pollock roe + garlic

Tomorrow will be a sandwich day!

 

[Phaedra]

I agree! Instagram? Write a cookbook? You have amazing talent and skill.

Thanks, I once liked to share a lot on FB groups and was also invited to write a cookbook. However, I changed my mind later. Those things can add "followers" or "likes," -- but the number of "followers" or "likes" won't increase the quality of my life. It's not worth investing my precious time in those activities.

I feel comfortable participating in TEG and have a similar feeling here.

 

[Phaedra]

My new morning routine - the cats have their first meal (and then go to sleep) while I have my morning tea or coffee and read a bit.

Like hens, I used to give the cats a little food before they went to bed. They usually have their main meal in the late afternoon.

It's a quality time for both, cats and I.

After the morning tea time, the bread buns were also ready to be sent into the oven. This is the bread we share with our neighbors on both sides today - honey and walnuts. Instead of egg wash on the surface before baking, I added a thin layer of salted butter after baking - the overall flavor is amazingly balanced.

And, today is a seafood day - nothing fancy, but everything is tasty. Home food never costs a fortune, but it always guarantees satisfaction.

Homemade sweets also make me happy - Christmas cookies and chocolate pralines.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Love the pic of the dogs beside the road! So tranquil looking.

 

[tortoise]

Wow @Phaedra ! That's beautiful! I love pictures. They're inspiring!