Contentment through small things

I had a busy week at work while starting treatment for some health problems. So I was home quite late most evenings. I am looking forward every day to the moment when I enter our small cosy apartment, DH either busy cooking dinner or relaxing in the living-room (he enjoys cooking about as much as I do). I have a hard time adjusting to the fact that I don't have much time to be a keeper of the home during the week, even though this is what DH and I chose together.
So I definately enjoyed some baking time today using my hands, working in our nice kitchen to make our home filled with delicious smells and make DH happy who just loves cakes, cookies and sweets.
So here is the result (it's a cake consisting of many small jam rolls):



Btw I tried this recipe on Wednesday and we both loved. It's a spring version of Tabbouleh, the original recipe is a vegetarian one. We skipped the walnuts and had marinated grilled meat on the side :). Seriously try it, it tastes great.

Tonight we have a charity concert at our church. Maybe my camera might even take a video that I'll be able to post? Hopefully I'll be able to share tomorrow! I also updated my sidebar with quite a number of links to blogs I read regularly.
Have a blessed weekend.

I cannot imagine ...

this happening on the German Idol show. Even though the guy who had least votes last night was a Christian. But a participant singing a Christian worship song? I'd love it, but I don't think it will happen.
Btw "My Jesus, my savior" is one of my favorite worship songs. And there is a German version of it!

Chicken, books and other trivia

Of course weekends have always been cherished, but I don't think I've ever appreciated them as much as now that I work from Monday to Friday. Now I definately agree that weekends should be a day longer ... there is never enough time to do all I would like to :).
Not much happened this week, but I decided to put up at least a short post again. Some of the things I love are cooking and reading.
I especially enjoy historical fiction. Here are some recommandations of books I recently read:

• Anne Perry's WWI series, consisting of five volumes (No graves as yet; Shoulder the sky; Angels in the gloom; At some disputed barricade; We shall not sleep).
• The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahon (Victorian England and the Crimean War)
• Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir (Lady Jane Grey)

We also tried out a funny recipe DH suggested. The pictures may look a little gross, but the result was delicious. It is an interesting way to cook chicken with beer.

Take a (large) beer can, open it and pour a little beer off into a glass. Prepare the chicken, either rubbing it with spices or a mixture of 2 TBS mustard, 2 TBS olive oil, 1 TS salt, about 1 TBS paprika spice and a dash of soy sauce. Place the chicken on the beer can, so that about a third to half of the can is inside the chicken cavity.



Put it upright in the oven at 200° C for about an hour and 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. The chicken will be really tender and tastes great. We definately had fun trying it :).