Musings on Beethoven and Chicken.

Tonight I tried to make a fabulous dinner, Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans. Yum, right? Well, it would have been had I heeded any of the warnings that came to me throughout the day. Twice Big A said, "Mom, something doesn't smell right in the fridge." And twice I gave it a cursory look and put it on my To Do Later Today list. Because I just looove cleaning out the fridge. Had I put it on my Now list I would have realized it was the chicken I defrosted for tonight's dinner. On the upside I realized before the chicken went into the meal, on the downside, that was about 2 minutes before I needed it in the recipe and about an hour after I could have made it to the store to replace it. Normally, I set out all my ingredients first so I'm sure I have everything but tonight I lived life on the edge and grabbed things as I needed them. Lesson hopefully learned, though likely not. I will say my veggies were scrumptious- this recipe is still great without the chicken, alas, roasted veggies soaked in chicken juice would have been infinitely better. Here's a picture of what I was supposed to be eating:

Really, reeaaaallly wanted to eat that. Funny discovery from all this- #3 To Be was furious about the lack of meat presented in dinner so I was digging for a miracle in the freezer when to what should my wondering eyes appear? A miracle! Let me explain: I live in Germany, however my German is schlecht. That means really bad. But I thought since I had my grocery list translated before the store (I have no iPhone signal in the store, read: no translations) I could brave the meat counter. They still have live people at their meat counters here, it's a tolle idee (which translates in some places as a "peach of an idea." That tickles me.) And I did it! I bought the meat I pointed at! Even the right amount! However, that was not the meat corresponding to the sign I was looking at. So instead of chicken thighs, I had cubed turkey breasts. Oops. And those have been idling in my freezer for quite a bit. But tonight, voila! I did a quicky micro defrost and fried 'em up in a pan with some lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper and figured at least I'd eat them and Big A inhaled them! "Mom, can you make these again? Can I have some more?" She's not my resident carnivore. At all. So the chicken I would have made? It would have been great, but she would have had a few bites maybe. Tonight she got a week's worth of protein and I discovered the easiest dinner ever that she'll devour! Funny how things turn out.

So, you're probably wondering what on earth this has to do with Beethoven. I am currently bemused by dinner's outcome, however a few hours ago I'm pretty sure smoke was coming out my ears. Something was clear because my wonderful hubby offered to put the kids to bed and I could finish working out whatever it was with some chocolate in the kitchen. Smart man. (And a huge shout out to my Pop for providing the endless supply of said chocolate!) I turned on my Beethoven CD because he speaks to me.

This is the one I love, though I'm not sure there's one out there I don't?

I don't know if music has that affect on everyone? Music changes my mood, every time. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Tonight Moonlight Sonata said: I feel your storm. Rage. Get it out. Then Minuet in G said: lighten up! Dance around and laugh with life! (4 raspberry filled chocolates helped a lot with that.) Then Fur Elise said: Life is beautiful. By the time I got to Sonata in E Flat Opus 7 I was me again. A few chocolates happier and a clean kitchen. So little went as planned today, but so much went well.

Christmas in February?

Not exactly, but that's when the post is coming! I have the most adorable, nauseating reason for the delay, #3 is coming this summer! So most of December was spent trying not to throw up :) Better now, and ready to post again! This December, on a Good Day, we made it to a Christmas market in Bernkastel Kues and it was super cute! I will say I was disappointed by the shopping- mostly it was eats and gluhwein and as much as I love food, it wasn't sounding so hot and gluhwein is, well, wine! Next year! But the town itself was adorable so here are some photos!

This was way up on this hill, so it's hard to see, but beautiful!

Happiness is? Merry-go-rounds.

This is from Hansel & Gretel; can you see the witch?

If you don't know the story of Zwarte Piet, it's an interesting tale. Let's just say it's worse than getting coal here if you aren't "good" all year. Note the little boots coming out of the bag. In short, if you were naughty Z.P. came and took you, put you in his sack, beat you with reeds and took you back to Spain. Yeah.

This is what Really Tired looks like in front of a beautiful tree!

Love is a verb.

Tonight my eldest little bitty girl is sick (again; winter has been rough around our house) and her poor little self looked so, dejected? down? Her spirit was down, so I climbed up to the top bunk with her and we snuggled and as I rubbed her back and her hair until she fell asleep I told her about my mom doing the same when I was smallish. And how to this day I can feel her hands and smell her just closing my eyes. I told her how I felt like I could feel my mom's love coming right through her fingertips to me and she smiled with her eyes closed and did her little "mmmmm" of contentment and I almost cried. I didn't mean the story to be a question of whether or not she felt that way, I was just thinking aloud and she loves stories from when I was little. After she fell asleep, I stayed there for a bit longer rubbing her little back and remembering my dad. When I was sick at his house (my parents are divorced so I get two Get Well stories) he would have me snuggle up to him, no matter how sick I was and would tell me he was going to Love me well. He said he could make me better just by loving me all better. And miraculously not once did he catch what I had; bewildering and something I wish I had inherited. So tonight, I held my sleeping bean, so big and so small and Loved her Well.