Photo of the Day 2009-08-09: Toast Hawaii

Now you want one! (Well, that's the idea of a pic like this, he he...)

"Toast Hawaii" became very popular in Germany in the Fifties when it was introduced by TV cook Clemens Wilmenrod who had come up with the idea.
The recipe I use is exactly the one that I know from my childhood days:

• a slice of fresh white bread (from the bakery, not the rubber plates from the supermarket)
• a slice of boiled ham
• a slice of pineapple (can)
• a slice of Gouda cheese

Put in oven and bake for about 15 -20 min. at 390°F/200°C until the cheese is melting. Decorate with cocktail cherry.

Guten Appetit!

Peacock Eye

It was much too hot to wear my new Supra sneakers yesterday. I should have known it but then I really wanted to try them out because they are so beautiful and brand-new.

I went to my favourite café in the city of Essen, together with my dear friend S. They had run out of my beloved Kremschnitte, so I settled on a slice of cake called "Pfauenauge" (peacock eye) which was delicious!

I always regret that I can't eat more than one piece because those cakes are really rich. But I plan to not leave this planet before I have tried all their cakes ;)

The café has maintained its wonderful Fifties style and atmosphere despite some (thankfully) careful restoration.
It attracts a mixed audience although it is most frequented by older ladies like me ;) who love the slow pace and the absence of background music.

Café Overbeck
http://www.cafe-overbeck.de/

Barack my birthday!

This is what I got myself for my 53rd birthday: A new pair of kicks and this blog.

I have been making plans for a blog for several years but never could decide on anything – Wordpress on my own server or Blogger, a personal blog and/or a photo blog, English or German or both and so on and so on. Last year I felt inspired to create a blog on Hillary Clinton's speeches and interviews which was easy because I had a cause and I didn't have to write anything personal. At least I could get myself to test-drive Blogger.

So, here I am. Finally. I know you have not been waiting ;)

At least I have stopped procrastinating and set this up. I have plenty of interesting ideas but putting them into action can be complicated for me at times. If I have too many choices, I may get mentally stuck. Like starving in a supermarket in front of a shelf with 99 brands of yoghurt because I can't decide which one to pick.

Fuck perfectionism, I don't have time for that anymore. So, I didn't finish whipping this blog template into shape 100% (I spent hours on it yesterday and ran out of time), I linked a dummy "About" page (#webdesignfail!). I didn't write my bio yet (#PRfail!). And anyway - shouldn't I be cleaning the windows right now?

But I promised myself to get this entry written on my birthday - and yes, this year.

The "Song of the Day" is called "One For My Baby", an instrumental version by jazz guitar player Wes Montgomery, which is, as Orrin Keepnews wrote in the record's liner notes "a rich and leisurely exploration [...] that searches and finds all the "quarter to three" A.M. atmosphere that the song's lyrics talk about."

For me that song has always been somewhat of a birthday tune because the whole album was recorded on my 5th birthday - August 4, 1961 in NYC. And if that date looks a little familiar to you now, it's because it is Barack Obama's date of birth. Yes, Wes Montgomery recorded that album the day Barack Obama was born. You wouldn't have known that, right?

I have plenty of photos, stories and knowledge to share – and will be practicing my English along the way.

I promise you will not be bored.

A female singer who does a handstand for me in the middle of the hotel lobby? The Dalai Lama behind the scenes in Hamburg? Zappa backstage? Musicians, movie stars, writers and photographers, empty places, soccer hooligans, cats and dogs (not raining). Oh, and I haven't mentioned Joni M. yet, have I?

I will take a walk in my new shoes today, figuratively and literally, snap a few pics while doing so and share them with you later.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. President", and have a nice day, y'all.

Later,

moni k.