Rehovot

Wah! That's too funny. About a year after we'd been married, my husband said, "Why do we have so much GARLIC in everything?!" I'd never noticed. Growing up with an Italian-American mom, garlic was absolutely normal. So now we compromise: it goes in everything but vinaigrettes. (And I did cure my husband of putting ketchup on pasta, which I consider tremendous progress.) Those are some terribly cute baking pictures, with your son! How many of your cookbooks do you use regularly? I can see one of eGer Dan Lepard's books. Thanks for blogging; it's been fun to follow your week.

I'm glad you explained your coffee mug; I was going to ask about it. What German recipes did Christiane introduce to your family? (By the way, over Christmas, I was snowed in and got to know the pantry well. I even found the back wall. ) Happy blogging!

Great photos! I love the first one, in particular, with the blue cloth. You've definitely inspired me to make Dan's English muffins, next week.

I think there are a few kinds, here: jedla sul -- baking soda prasek do peciva -- baking powder (but, in cube form, yeast!) kypirici prasek -- leavening powder (which seems to function, in packet form, exactly like American baking powder) kypirici prasek do pernik -- leavening powder for gingerbread (with gingerbread spices mixed in; I use this one for nearly every cake project, because it smells great) Is the last one a Czech anomaly, or does "gingerbread" baking powder exist elsewhere in Europe?

Does the Savory Spice Shopcount as a market? Maybe everyone already knows about them, though. I've spent more time in the Littleton shop than in the Lodo one, but the way you can wander around happily, unscrewing giant jars of spices and spice blends, and hearing about where they came from, is great. I got the Pike's Peak Butcher's Rub, Table Mountain Blend, and the Lavender-Vanilla sugar blend for Christmas. As far as real markets go, we usually end up at Heine's for fresh veg, in the summer. A run by there and Edwards Meats, in Wheat Ridge, and you're set, if you want to grill. Edwards is tiny, but they have a great selection and always do custom cuts. (I'm not affiliated with any of these places--am just a long-time West-Side girl.) I second the photos request for HMart!

I love sachlev! It looks delicious, especially in those fluted cups.

Wow! Delicious-looking and very inspiring. You mentioned that your relatives had different opinions on jiaozi wrapping techniques and fillings. Can you explain some of the main differences? Thanks and Happy New Year!

The Pregnancy and Food thread. And a (Not Just) Morning Sickness thread. Congrats!

A few batches of Thomas Keller's lemon curd from Bouchon ought to do the trick. It goes well with quick breads and makes a good gift.

Great blog, Rona. I'm glad you decided to post it. What are sembei? They look a bit like peanut brittle, but could you describe them a bit more?

Making cookies is cathartic, isn't it? The moon-shaped gingerbread cookie in the last photo is very cute, with a great expression. Which gingerbread recipe did you use?

Quelle fabulosity! Am still laughing over "innard beauty." Looking forward to the week.

How about Panforte di Siena?

There's no eG Hannukah foodblog, this year?

It's a lovely idea. If the recipient is in a nursing home, though, you should consider what he can/can't eat, if anything, and which filling (steak or ground beef) would be easier to manage.

Same here. Gravy in our house was homemade tomato sauce.

Sorry, meant to send a PM!

My solution is rugs with undersides that grip the floor. I throw them in the wash every week or so. Ok, so maybe it's not viable for the entire kitchen, but for high-traffic/-spill areas, it's pretty good.

Abra, don't despair; the thread indicates that staples like cranberries and sweet potatoes can be found in abundance in supermarkets in Paris, at least. (I guarantee you that these things are much harder to find, say, east of Strasbourg.)

Gordon Ramsay has opened Maze, in Prague, as of November 1st, at the Prague Hilton (Old Town). Philip Carmichael will be head chef. Read more about it--including sample menus--here.

St. Killian's Cheese Shop, on 3211 Lowell, in Denver, is one of my favorites, selling cheese from around the world. I'm sure it's not the only one of its kind.

We ordered one from Zingermans, last year, for family, and they devoured it before the holidays.

Casa Isoletta (Babenhäuser Landstrasse 1; 60599 Frankfurt) is excellent. The spaghetti with truffles and tagliatelle with wild boar ragu are worth the taxi ride across town.

In Frankfurt last week, I went through many, many slices of pumpkin-seed-covered, fresh brown bread, but have no idea of what it was called. I also kept seeing little savory pretzelish things the size of doughnut balls and covered in different spices and coatings (sesame seeds, etc.). Anyone know what either of these might be?

The Moulinex brand is probably available in Switzerland. They make small but powerful mixers and food processors. In Central Europe, at least, they are about half the price of a Kitchen Aid mixer. Also, consider how much counter space your new kitchen will have. Kitchen Aid mixers have a huge footprint.