{ prindles a week }

Dear Friends & Family,

What a perfect end to February with the sun out and the day somewhat warm. Saturdays we try to get out of the house and sometimes even out of our neighborhood. The colder and gray days make it hard, but when the sun is out we have no excuse. 

We went to Cocolo because it had been awhile. Usually when we crave ramen, we settle for Vietnamese down the street because it's so close, and I can always go for phở. After that we went to Kaschk in Mitte. It's a coffee shop that also serves craft beers, and they have two shuffleboard tables downstairs. So John picked out a German Pale Ale for us, and we played two games of shuffleboard, and I lost...twice. But there was something so familiar with drinking & playing games. All was missing was a pool table and a dart board, and I'd feel like we were back in California. 

While the sun was still out, we stopped by Lindenbräu at Sony Center. It's a touristy area, but I am a sucker for their Ingwer-Weiße (beer with ginger syrup).  Our home is just a short bus ride away, and once we were back in our neighborhood we got groceries for the weekend and came home to relax. 

Next week we have friends coming to Berlin, and John is busy trying to get work in before deadlines. I'm planning on taking more photos, and I hope to write at least once a week! No promises, but I'm trying to make more of an effort. So here are some photos from our day: 

xoxo,

The Prindles

{ winter, you're drunk. go home }

Dear Friends & Family,

Hi again! I got a little side tracked from writing, and I have no good excuse, so let's just get right into it, shall we?

February is almost over, and I am definitely thinking spring thoughts. I love spring in Berlin. I even have a hashtag on Instagram, #lovespringinberlin. There are not that many photos, but I'll add more.

We didn't have an extremely cold winter in Berlin. It barely snowed. But cold is cold, gray is gray, and it sucks. So many layers, and so many variations of cold. I dislike face cold the most. It's exactly what it sounds like. No matter how many layers you have on, and how covered up you are from beanie, scarf, and gloves, the cold slaps you in the face.

That kind of cold makes me want to stay in bed covered in blankets while crocheting a blanket, and watching all the shows on Netflix. That pretty much sums up my winter this year.

So when it's cold outside, and I need comfort food, I make cháo (rice porridge). It's fast and easy, and I thought I would share the recipe.

What you'll need:
1 cup of uncooked rice (I wash my rice)
6 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable for your vegetarian friends)
optional pieces of ginger big enough to scoop out after

Instructions:
Put all ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook 35-45 minutes stirring occasionally. I like my porridge a little soupy first because it will thicken as it sits.

Here is the full recipe I found but obviously simplified. My review is under Phammy. 
Cháo Ga-Vietnamese Rice Porridge

And while we're here, I'll give you the recipe for soft boiled eggs because making that is much easier than poaching eggs.

Instructions:
Fill small saucepan halfway with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a rapid simmer and add eggs. Cook for 5-7 minutes depending on how runny you want the yolk. I had to experiment a bit with this because I have an electric stove, so I will have two burners on at different temperatures, and well, to each their own. Here's the actual recipe: How to soft-boil an egg.

Et voilà!

xoxo,

The Prindles

{ quinoa fried rice & salmon }

Dear Friends & Family,

One of my favorite things to do is to cook, and I'm getting to try new things here in Berlin. I have found a lot of recipes (courtesy of Pinterest) that I enjoy making, but I'm somewhat limited when it comes to certain recipes. I'v yet to find chicken broth readily available, and I haven't done much baking because I haven't found brown sugar or baking soda, or at least I don't know the translation yet.

The easy things to cook are proteins and vegetables because you don't need a translation book for those.

Tonight I made quinoa fried rice. The recipe called for carrots and peas, but most people use the frozen version, and I prefer fresh vegetables. Instead, I used zucchini & green beans. The nice thing about this recipe is that I don't have to follow exact measurements.

Quinoa-make in advance and let it chill:
Rinse 1 cup with cold water.
Bring to a boil with 2 cups of water
Let simmer for 15-20 minutes

Prep:
2-3 fresh garlic minced
ginger (optional, if I have it I'll use it, but most of the time I don't, and it tastes fine without)
Zucchini sliced and cut into quarters
trim the ends of green beans and break into bite size pieces
green onion cut into small pieces
2 beaten eggs

cook on med-high heat
add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil
add garlic and cook 2 minutes
add zucchini and cook 2 minutes
add 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
add green onions and quinoa and cook for 2 minutes
add Maggi to taste (or Braggs liquid amino....or soy sauce)
make a center to add the 2 eggs
let it cook to your preference of wellness before mixing it all together
add the green beans and stir together for a minute before removing from heat and serving.

Salmon:
This is the easiest if you have a meat thermometer/timer. I prepare the salmon and insert the thermometer to cook until it reaches 145 degrees (I reference cooking temperatures here).
Or you can wrap the salmon in foil and bake for 25 minutes at 200C or 400F.

I like to wrap my filet in foil on slices of lemon and add dijon mustard and black pepper on top. Just a light brush. You can also use bbq sauce or a simple slice of butter with salt and pepper.

That's pretty much all there is to it. While I had my salmon baking in the oven, I made my fried quinoa and dinner was served in 25 minutes. The prep work can take some time, but if you have it done earlier in the day, then the cooking time is very short.

xoxo,

The Prindles