Homemade Thanksgiving in Romania

Jason came home Thanksgiving afternoon so I took the last four days off to enjoy some family time and work on planning our two week holiday in December.  When he arrived he had just survived a grueling 7 hour drive and had been awake for over 24 hours, poor guy.  After a good long nap I convinced him to help Harlow and I try to find ingredients for a Thanksgiving feast.  Our apartment only has an electric stove for boiling water, no oven, no mixing bowls, no sharp knives, none of the kitchen luxuries one would use to prepare any normal dinner.  So I wasn't expecting any miracles.

Obviously Romania doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving as it's not apart of their history so I had no chance of finding a cooked Turkey anywhere.  We settled for a rotisserie chicken from the butcher, it was moist and mixed with mashed potatoes who could tell the difference.  I bought a bunch of potatoes since I knew we could boil water.  I found a can of green beans and some bacon so I could boil them together like Grandma used to.  Couldn't translate anything that even looked like it could be gravy so I gave up on that.  Found some chicken stock cubes, bought two bags of dried bread loaves, a stalk of celery, a white onion and to make stuffing homemade stuffing.  I found fresh sweet potatoes and used butter and little packets of sugar from our coffee to make yams.  I also bought a bunch of different apples, whipped cream and mayo for a waldorf salad but without the cherries and marshmellows it just didn't taste the same.

Jason found some beautiful Gerber daisies at a flower stand down the street that I put in one of Harlow's bottles for a center piece.   The woman that sold them to him wrapped each flower individually with wire  and then the whole thing with twine all for 10 bucks!  Also I traced Harlow and I's hands to make a
turkey for the table.

Overall it felt like camping trying to cook but it was actually was pretty fun and turned out ok.

We also had a guest but because this is a public blog, I won't post those pictures to protect their privacy as they work in the public eye. Who knows what other newspapers are reading in Romania.

It will be a very memorable holiday for years to come, we were all very thankful and were able to have a little piece of home in that awesome stuffing I made :)

Jason and I will always and forever be most thankful for this little piece of heaven

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday too!!

When in Rome....

I can't stop eating the bad stuff or the oh so good stuff!  I know I've mentioned the bread, cheese and meat that is plentiful in this country, but I've been hiding or rather hoarding the sweet stuff.


I mean honestly who buys two different types of cookies in one day after they've already eaten chocolate filled croissants for breakfast?  Me that's who meeeeeeee!!!  Unfortunately the markets don't carry many or really any healthy options and our kitchen in the apartment is basically for boiling water.  So I've started stocking the fridge with junk, chocolate flavored junk, uh oh.

Wanna see what I've got in there this week??

Let's start with these babies I came across them at the checkout stand when I realized Harlow had added them to the cart herself, good job bug!  Mika Chocominis and they are delightful, they come in little rolls so I can put them in my purse and continue to eat terrible junk food all day :(
They are little butter cookies with fudge centers and when you bite into them there's vanilla filling like an Oreo, not milk pouring out as it implys in the photo, well because then the cookie would just be soggy I guess.

Then there are these heavenly cups of joy!  I have never tasted pudding like this, it must be absolutely awful for you, but since I can't read the labels on anything or understand their calorie system I guess it's better not to know.  By the way I discovered these when Harlow pointed them out too, looks like somebody is a bad influence on mommy.

I discovered these treats a couple days ago when I was starving and in a mini market, it was between these and a bag of chips and I always choose sugar over salt.

Singoalla's are shortbread biscuits with cream and raspberry filling.  Sinfully good.

Last but not least, these chocolate bars by Poiana have been my saving grace, my best friends night after night when Harlow has finally gone down and I'm all alone.  They are milk chocolate, and the best milk chocolate I've ever tasted, filled with gooey caramel.  AMAZING!!!  I can't stop myself from slipping one in the cart every dang time!

I've already talked about the 7days Croissants that are filled with pudding, and not to mention the amazing gelato on every corner I've been enjoying. Wow what's happening to me?  Anyone who knows me knows that I eat pretty well, brown rice veggies fresh stuff.  I've been trying to at least feed Harlow brown rice and frozen peas since I can cook that in the apartment and she doesn't mind if she eats the same thing every night. 

Jason would have a heart attack if he saw all this chocolate, sorry Jay I guess I just miss you... maybe I'm becoming an emotional eater, uh oh!!!  Hurry back baby!!!  This is the longest we have ever been apart and we still have the rest of the week to go.  Good thing summer/bathing suit weather isn't for a while, because I just can't help myself to all these delicious treats, maybe, hopefully it will lose it's luster?!?

A little over 13 more weeks to go!

PS speaking of Jason check out this castle they're filming in, incredible.  I wish I'd seen it in person.

PPS Any ideas where we should go for Christmas?  We've been told Berlin, Prague,Italy and Spain??

We've Been Discovered!!

It looks like someone from a news site in Sibiu discovered my blog and did a little piece on it, you can check it out here http://www.turnulsfatului.ro/5658/o-californianca-la-sibiu-cu-filmul-lui-cage-venita-rezumate.html although it's all in Romanian a rough translation of it just sounds like the writer was  repeating things I've said in past blogs about my experience here and refers to me as the Blonde Blogger, hmmm.

Well great, it never occurred to me that anyone from Romania would read or even be able to find my blog in the first place.  I really hope I didn't say anything that would be considered offensive, I have nothing but love for this country and it's people.

 Lubesc Romania si este oameni!!! (I love Romania and it's people)

The past couple of days I've received a ton of traffic on my blog from this article so to all those reading in Romania.

Pentru cei care citesc in Romania, va multumesc pentru amabillitatea ati aratat fiica mea si am.  Tara dumneavoastra este frumos si mai mult americanii ar trebui sa viziteze.

I said something along the lines of thank you for your kindness and your country is beautiful, more americans should visit.

Well now that we're famous I better start writing some interesting blogs, but to be honest we haven't been doing anything very exciting.  I took a couple pictures around town yesterday when we went for a walk, for some reason with every walk we always end up at the mall, I'm like a magnet and it's the steel.

Check out Harlow carrying the purse her Daddy brought home for her, it's Hello Kitty.  Someone is becoming a big girl.

While hunting for dinner I found this tiny little cafe next to the bank where they had fresh homemade spinach and feta pie, it was freakishly good.

 When I asked for a glass of lemonade I watched the lady go behind the counter and literally squeeze me out a glass with her hands and then added water and sugar.  I actually felt guilty drinking it after seeing how much work she put into it.

 Harlow started doing her I'm going to get fussy routine so I ordered a piece of some amazing looking cherry coffee cake/pie/I don't know maybe it was a tart?  And the woman that brought it to the table broke off a piece with her hands and feed it to Harlow.  Seriously that would NEVER happen at home, someone in a restaurant touching you food, feeding your baby, without asking?!  But I loved it, every time we go out I feel like I'm with family, like I'm at my grandmother's house.  Europeans have managed to keep that old school traditional feel, and I really embrace it.  I wish our culture was more like that.

Outside of that cafe was this bank, you can't tell from the picture but that roof is glass and steel.  It's a beautiful massive structure.

 Here in this photo is a bike path we were walking on that somehow lead us straight to the mall, told you magnet and steel.

 

So those where just me trying to capture the dreary beauty thats happening now, I believe it's the onset of winter occurring.  These photos were taking in the early afternoon and the sky was so gray and it's frosty out.  Man I can't wait for the snow!

It's 12pm here so I'm going to crash, but let me leave you with some pretty photos from our day on the set last week taken by the film photographer.

Miss you xoxoxoxoxo

Fall into Winter

Growing up in California has it's pros and cons and one of them is the absence of seasons.  Just walking around the park here and seeing all the trees in that beautiful burnt orange and golden leaves makes you want to sip hot chocolate and go ice skating.

This week I've noticed more and more bare trees I guess the snow is on it's way, Fall really feels like Fall when you're crunching through piles of leaves on your way home, I love it!!

Today was gloomy and rainy so we spent most of the afternoon painting, drawing and reading books but Harlow is starting to run out of ways to be entertained inside. Even brought the old cardboard box out.

I bought her a couple handmade wooden toys from an art festival at the park last week that she's been in love with, but lately she's been into feeding and putting blankets around her dolls a little mommy in training.

The art festival was pretty fun, they had a bunch of little kid rides and booths set up with art, jewelry etc. It was so packed I could barely fit down the paths where the booths were and people will just run you right over if you're in the way.  Personal space is very different, I can't even count on hand how many times people cut in front of me in line because I wasn't standing close enough to the person in front of me, I guess I'm just supposed to wrap my arms around the guy in front of me or stand with my chin on his shoulder or at least be close enough for him to smell my breath  :)  

I apologize that my photos are so fuzzy, the only camera I have is my iphone, Jason has the good cameras.  Maybe I need to go buy a cheap digital one for the trip anyone know of a good one?  I guess it's time to start researching, that will give me something to do, ohhhhh speaking of something to do.  Did you know that you can take piano lessons on the Ipad?!?!?  Yep just learned to play Silent Night, the Ipad turns into a piano with highlighted keys with this incredible app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/master-piano/id364897373?mt=8

Now all I need is a real piano to try it out on, pretty proud of myself I always wanted to learn to play.  The Ipad has been our best friend here, books, movies, games and now piano lessons!!

Well off to go find some dinner and relax, I gave up on potty training after I wiped up about a dozen puddles of pee, mom needs a break.  There's only so many times I can ask the kid if she has to go potty, now she just runs and say No,No No.

There's always tomorrow I guess.

I'll leave you with a video of a mozart in the making you should see how well she can use the Ipad, she's so smart, even figured out how to turn up the volume.  Let's just hope she doesn't figure out my passcode.

                                                                

Red Faced in the City

Harlow and I ate our usual breakfast downstairs in the hotel, all the male servers there are absolutely in love with her.  I say male because there are only two females and she screams whenever they try to talk to her, apparently she's partial to men.  We have a routine where we walk in I start making the plates, a server grabs her highchair and then another guy lifts her into the chair and then another one usually hands her a muffin.  It's so cute to see all these romanian men treating her like a little princess.

She's one happy customer!

Check out that ridiculously good chocolate filled croissant, I've been trying not to eat one everyday but completely losing that battle.  

The breakfast spread has been the same since day one 3 weeks ago, wow I've been here for 3 weeks already.  Bread, cheese, tomatoes and all kinds of crazy meat stuff.

Now when it comes to food I'm notorious for copying people.  Yep I'm the lady that looks in other peoples shopping carts, their dinner plates in restaurants, and in the store when I  can't make a decision I always chose whatever has been sold the most on the shelves.  I admit it, food copier that's me.  I guess I just figure if everybody else is doing it, it's probably good.  So at breakfast every morning there's a giant pot of boiled hot dogs and most people put about two or three of them on their plate.  Each morning I usually cringe and run pass the pot trying to imagine a spread full of pancakes and french toast instead of bread and cheese.  Well I did it, this morning I freaking ate a hot dog before 9am and it wasn't half bad.

We spent almost the entire day inside working on our potty business, which we were 5 to 1 (five pees in the potty and one poop on the floor, sorry graphic)  when I realized we didn't have any food in the house.  So we suited up and headed out.

Across the street from our apartment is this tiny church that I've seen conducting weddings at 9:00 at night.  A server downstairs told me people save their money for years to get married there, I guess it's where the cool kids get hitched.

Since Harlow's tantrums have been on the up I've been trying to keep her busy asking her to help Mama and keep her occupied, well she took it to a whole new level today

 

Harlow carrying our grocery bag.  Here you have to bring your own or pay for one, and I learned the hard way when a lady rung me up and then started ringing up the next person and I asked for a bag and she sorry too late, I had to kick Harlow out the stroller and make her walk so we could carry the food home.

Nic's is where we do our shopping, it's small but close to our place.  They don't have any big markets in the city.

Once you walk into any building in this country it's blazing hot inside, everybody has the heater on over 80, which sucks when you've layered for the cold weather.  Inside the grocery store they have lockers for you your jackets.   Here's Harlow grabbing a basket, I told you she took helping out to another level tonight.  I didn't dare try to take it from her.  But every person in the store was starring at her as she drug it through the place.

It pretty much doesn't get any cuter then this, Harlow is her own woman at 19 months, this kid kills me.

After we paid and I had to take the basket away was when things got super fun.

I have to say it's extremely difficult to be a first time mother of blooming toddler alone without a break in a big city, an old city where buildings have stairs instead of elevators and busy people zooming by that don't have time for your child's antics.  Some streets aren't well lit and cars drive right up on the sidewalk, in fact people just make up their own road rules here, they make one lane streets into two lanes etc.  Needless to say when Harlow starts throwing a fit in the middle of the city streets I start to panic a bit.  Tonight when I was trying to put her in the stroller she did the whole scream arch your back scenario and I had an arm full of groceries and massive winter coat on.  Trying to control her as people walking by started to stare and speak in romanian I could feel my temperature rising, my heart beat up into my chest and my face was blazing red.  A pregnant woman actually stopped and tried to help me but Harlow was screaming so loud I could barely hear her. I kept apologizing and telling her don't worry they don't get like this till way later.  What Michelle!?  Out of all things to say?

Suddenly a stray dog ran out in front of us and I grabbed a bag of pretzels and handed them to Harlow "feed him, he' so hungry Harlow"  Ahhhhh it worked, thank you god!

I swear everyday I'm here something happens to totally and utterly embarrass me.  I guess this trip is a self-deprecating one.  Well I'm thankful for the experience and it's making me one strong Mama!

Love to all follow us along on this journey, xo.

Home sweet, well kinda...

While waiting in the lobby for our driver to pick us up and take us back to Bucharest at 7am I saw a little black fur ball run pass the window.  I looked over at Jason and said "oh no I think that was a puppy?"  Of course he didn't reply he just gave me the "don't do it Michelle" look.  Before he could do an intervention I scooped up a couple of Harlow's cheerios and ran out the door.

This little girl was huddled in the corner trying to keep herself warm.  Damn 30 minutes before I have to leave and I find a freaking puppy!!  Never in a million years would I walk outside in Burbank and find a homeless puppy, I hate to say it but it's like my dream come true.  Had I been home this little girl would have already had a new collar on and been sleeping on the end of my bed, but my hands were tied.  I have to fill up her belly give her a billion pets and let her go, nooooooooo.

My heart is broken.













This driver took the long way home making the adventure a good 6 1/2 hours.  It was an amazing drive through the mountains but I was so car sick I was ready to be home 2 hours into the trip.  But man you should have seen the castles in the mountains and all the tiny towns along the way, glorious I tell you!! I'm the worst picture taker in the car and I can't remember the name of anything I saw so when I find out I'll post some photos.

But I did take some photos of the movie star madness over here.  The crowds of people standing around the trailers just waiting for a glimpse of Nic Cage was pure insanity they would chant over and over NIC CO LAS NIC CO LAS all morning, all afternoon, all night, talk about some major determination.  I believe that's Jason's makeup trailer they are all standing around and Nic's was behind it.

Crazy Right?  I've never seen crowds like that in Los Angeles unless it's oscar night.

Well Harlow and I are home now and happy to be.  Now I can get started on potty training this little bug.  Who knows how it will turn out since it's been tantrum city over here lately.  Seriously this kid is tough and does not like not getting her way.  She is really putting me through the ringer here.  Last night I broke down and bought a bunch of toddler books on my ipad desperately seeking advice on how to handle her rage.  I'll let you know if anything sticks, right now she went down without a fight so I'm going to celebrate with a nice glass if vino and I leave you with a little taste of what happens when you tell Harlow we have change her diaper...

Oh the joys of motherhood, hurry home and save me Jason!!!!!

Ps it looks like a peaceful protest in those pictures but I assure you they were accompanied with ear piercing screams.

Abusive Blog Post?

I held off from posting the last few days just because it's been a wee bit boring over here and well apparently my posts are offensive to several Facebook users; really?  A couple days ago when I went to post my link about Sibiu facebook gave me a warning and wouldn't let me link the page due to complaints of abusive material.  Sooo I apologize to whom ever I've offended, perhaps it was my last post with photos of meat, maybe an angry vegetarian?  Or my stray dog posts?  Perhaps a hurt animal rights protester?  Or maybe my posts about bringing a child overseas?  An angry mother that doesn't agree with my choices?  Ohhh or maybe a teacher that disapproves of my grammar and spelling errors?  Who knows?  Please let me know if I've pissed you off!

We spent the last couple of days hanging with Daddy on set watching all the action.  Yesterday they had over 300 extras in a market scene.  Poor Jason had to approve every single person's makeup, and a lot of the women came with the makeup loaded on, just in case they were going to get discovered :)  Needless to say Jay was so tired when he got home, the 14 hour days are killing him.

Here are a couple shots of us girls on set

Tomorrow Harlow and I travel back to Bucharest and we won't see Jason for another two weeks.  But last night we talked about signing Harlow up for some serious baby swim lessons while he's gone, so that might be fun to do together.  As always, I'll let you know how it goes.  We still haven't planned our Christmas vacation, we were thinking Italy, but may just end up staying here, it really is a beautiful country. 

Monday I'll be looking for you all on ichat, I really need to catch up with so many of you.  The internet is terrible here so I haven't been able to use my phone at all.

Have a great weekend
xoxo