Home for Christmas

I can't believe the last time I wrote a blog was right around Thanksgiving. There's so much that has happened since then, I don't even know where to begin! Well I think I'll start with the best news first, Corey and I are now engaged! It still seems surreal to me but I couldn't be happier. He tricked me and I can honestly say that I did not see it coming at all. I was told by one of Corey's team managers, Ruben that he had to take me to fill out some paperwork in regards to me staying in Germany. It sounded right to me...although I did think it was a little strange that we were going on a Sunday when just about nothing in Germany is open on a Sunday except some cafe's and restaurants. Of course I asked why it's open on a Sunday and when he told me it's open once a month, naturally gullible me believed him! I did wonder why we were driving to Landsberg, which is about 25 mins from Augsburg and once again, gullible me believed Ruben when he said this was the closest town to Augsburg that had the paperwork we had to do. Come to think of it...now when I look back at it, I don't know how I believed all that so easily..haha so funny now. Anyways, Landsberg am Lech is the town where Corey proposed to me. I didn't even see him when he first got there. Ruben told me to get out of the car while he parked and I literally just stood there waiting to go somewhere to do paperwork, passport and European citizenship papers ready! Then, I saw Corey all dressed up in a suit standing right infront of the waterfalls...I absolutely knew what was happening then. Corey told me how much he loved me and wanted to be with me and it was the most amazing moment when he got down on one knee and proposed. I don't think my hand could have shaken any more- I was so nervous/excited. And I have to say, I couldn't have picked out a more beautiful ring. Not only is it gorgeous, but it really means so much to me since the diamond in my ring, is the same diamond from the ring my dad gave my mom. It's absolutely perfect.

Now that you know the best news of my life, on a side-note, I also started teaching English at an English Language school in Augsburg. I am only able so substitute teach and help teach their 1 week intensive classes since I'm only in Augsburg until April but it's nice to be able to work a little bit for now. I wish I could work more but hopefully next year I can work full-time since I finally have my European citizenship!

Lastly, I am so excited because tomorrow I am flying home to the US for Christmas! I cannot wait...I miss my family, my adorable dogs Milo and Duchess and all my friends do much. I have so much to talk about with everyone- wedding planning, my life in Europe..everything, I just can't wait to be home for a bit. Not to mention living somewhere where I can 100% understand what everyone is saying will be amazing...German is such a tough language to learn but i'm still working on it! Well Ciao for now...finishing up my packing for home :)

Thanksgiving Recipes and Delicious Desserts!

The night before Thanksgiving in Germany so I'm sad to say that I won't be with my family at my Aunt Judi's house in NJ...first time not home for Thanksgiving which means I'm trying out some recipes for everyone to try tomorrow! We're having a small get together at mine and Corey's apartment...all of the Americans and a few others are coming to celebrate! I decided to make a homemade cheesecake (was going to make a homemade pumpkin pie then I found out that there is no pumpkin puree in Germany...I didn't feel like literally cutting up a pumpkin so that's why I decided on this cheesecake recipe) I also made a low sugar Cranberry Pear Sauce! 

Low fat Cheesecake

Adapted from food.com 

Ingredients

• Pie crust 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Cooking spray
• 2 8-ounce packages Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
• 2 8-ounce packages fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups Stevia or Splenda
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 large eggs and 3 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Berry topping (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mold pie crust to pan. Beat both cream cheeses and the sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 5 minutes, then beat in the sour cream on low. Lightly whisk the 3 egg whites in a bowl, then add to the cheese mixture along with the 2 whole eggs, flour, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Pour over the crust.

Place the cheesecake in pan and bake until the cake is set but the center still jiggles, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Turn off the oven; keep the cheesecake inside with the door closed for 20 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge, then cool completely. Chill until firm, at least 8 hours. Top as desired.

(the sauce being cooked!)

Cranberry Pear Sauce
Adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Ingredients: 
12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
2 ripe pears, peeled and cored, cubed small
1/4 cup Stevia (agave, splenda or sugar can be substituted)
1 cup water

Directions:
Bring all the ingredients to a boil on high heat in a medium saucepan.
When boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool before refrigerating.Serve chilled or room temperature. Makes 3 1/4 cups.






This is "Lebkuchen" which is very similar to gingerbread in the US but it's more like a cake and comes with chocolate on top (of course the one I chose was the chocolate one), sugar or just plain. 

And this delicious piece of cake is from a chocolate shop in downtown Augsburg. Corey and I stopped to pick up a piece of cake after walking around the Christmas Market today..thought it would be a nice treat for our 3 year anniversary. I decided on the most chocolatey type of cake they had. It was even more delicious then it looks! 

Loving Winter in Germany

I just got back from the opening night of the Augsburg Christmas Market. It was so beautiful..I know i'll be going back there a lot more. I sampled Gluhwein which is "popular in German-speaking countries.  It is the traditional beverage offered and drunk during the Christmas holidays. It is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus and sugar. Glühwein is drunk pure or "mit Schuss" (with a shot), which means there is rum or liqueur added." My first tasting of Gluhwein was definitely strong but I hear that Gluhwein is different at all of the different places that serve it so I'm excited to try all of the different kinds. I am going to Rothenberg Ob Der Trauber this Sunday for Corey and I's 3 year Anniversary so I'm excited to see that Christmas town. Rothenberg is know for being Christmas-like all year round and for having one of the most romantic Christmas markets in all of Germany. 


                                      

Gluhwein..delicious!

This Thursday is Thanksgiving so it's a bit sad that it's my first Thanksgiving not in the U.S. with my family but I'm excited to celebrate it in Germany with everyone. It should be interesting trying to cook everything in my little oven but I am going to make as much as I can. (All of the instant mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and spinach dip my mom mailed me will definitely help so thanks mom) 


And I have training for teaching English tomorrow. It's actually been really tough for me. I found this job where I could teach English to adults and to business professionals who were looking to learn English but it's been really difficult for me. I've never taught before..I actually went for Business so this is all brand new for me. Not to mention that I don't remember learning most of the stuff I'm being asked about since third grade. When my trainer asked me for an example of a past perfect continuous verb...I pretty much had no idea. It's funny how one can speak a language so well but when it comes down to knowing the rules as to why you say "a cup" and not "an cup"..it's interesting that you or shall I say that I don't know the rule as to why you use that word or why a tense changes then and not now. So I've training tomorrow and hopefully I can start substitute teaching by next week. It looks like for this year, I'll only be able to substitute English teach but I'm looking forward to working and teaching - any experience is helpful! Hopefully i'll be babysitting more this winter too. Anyways, almost 3 weeks until I'm back home in NY...I go home to the US December 15th-January 3rd and I can't wait to see all my friends, family and adorable dogs! I miss all of them so much... but for now Ciao and Frohe Feiertage!

amazing chocolates at the Christmas Market..had to take a picture to show how good they looked!

Corn Flake Peanut Butter Cookies

Once again I felt like baking something good to try but I wanted to make something that I've never done before...so I tried this recipe that I found on allrecipes.com. We have a huge box of cornflakes that we got & quickly realized why they were so cheap..they're plain boring cornflakes so I'm so glad I found a good way to use them up. I changed a few things from the original recipe so make any changes you'd like but this is how I created my cookies! 

Wow...as I am typing this, after I've tried one, I look over at the cookies and there are FIVE eaten already by my boyfriend in literally a matter of minutes! haha so funny...so clearly someone loves them, hopefully you do too! 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup splenda or stevia 
• 1/2 cup sugar free syrup or light corn syrup 
• 2 tablespoons light butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 cups cornflakes cereal
• 
  
• Directions:
• Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Bring the sugar and syrup to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in butter and peanut butter until thoroughly mixed, and remove from heat. Place the corn flakes into a large bowl, and pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal. Mix until the corn flakes are coated with the mixture. Drop by tablespoon onto the waxed paper; flatten slightly if desired. Allow to cool before serving.

Nutritional Info 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 85 | Total Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 2mg

Lightened Strawberry Crepes Recipe

I found this recipe on food.com and made a few variations to it. I didn't have any brown sugar or cool whip so I made my crepes without those two ingredients and they were still delicious! But I decided to make something different for breakfast this morning..something nice for Corey to celebrate his teams first win last night! This recipe is great but after making 2 crepes, I realized it wasn't enough to feed my boyfriend...so I tripled the recipe and there wasn't a crepe left after he finished eating so if you have some hungry people, I'd recommend doubling or tripling this recipe. 

Ingredients:

8 ounces strawberries, sliced (optional) 

1 tablespoon brown sugar, Splenda (optional)

1 cup Cool Whip Fat Free (optional)

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

1/2 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup skim milk

1. For the filling: toss the strawberries and brown sugar in a bowl and set aside.

2. For the crepes:In a medium bowl whisk flour, egg, oil, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and skim milk.

3. Heat frying pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 a cup of the batter in the pan and make sure it evenly covers the bottom.

4. Cook each side for 30-45 seconds on each side (should not be completely browned) And remove to a plate.

5. When all crepes are fully cooked, spread one or two spoonfuls of cool whip into the middle, cover with a spoonful of the berry mixture. Then wrap one side of the crepe over the mix and the other side over the first. Cover with cool whip and more berry mix. Repeat and enjoy!

Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I found this recipe on Skinnytaste.com and decided to try it because they looked so good. I just made them tonight and they are amazing! I doubt there will be any left considering my boyfriend just went back for his 6th cookie I think? I love love love dark chocolate and my boyfriend doesn't so I just made half with dark chocolate chips and half plain oatmeal cookies without any chocolate. I made a few minor tweaks to the recipe but they came out perfect! I highly recommend them and they're definitely one of the healthiest cookies I've ever had! 

Servings: 15 • Serving Size: 2 cookies • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 190 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 2.6 g • Carb: 34.2 g • Fiber: 2.0 g • Sugar: 19.3 g

Ingredients: 
1 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup Sugar (Stevia or Splenda for lower sugar)
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar (splenda brown sugar for lower sugar)
1 large egg (egg white for less fat)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars on medium speed.  


Add the egg, followed by the applesauce and vanilla extract.

Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls (approx 1 tbsp each) of the dough onto prepared baking sheets, flattening each cookie slightly (skinnytaste mentioned they forgot to do this and I also did..oops). Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies become light brown at the edges.

Homemade Light Applesauce

Homemade applesauce is something that I instantly associate with the Fall so when I felt like baking something that I've never tried before..I decided to go for applesauce since I had plenty of apples in my kitchen and all else you need is sweetener and cinnamon. It's very easy, delicious and a lightened, healthier  version made with stevia instead of sugar. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients:
4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Stevia (can substitute any type of sugar, splenda, etc)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cover and cook on medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes or until apples are soft. Allow apples to cool, the mash with a potato masher. Serve warm or refrigerate to enjoy later!

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween! Too bad they don't really celebrate it in Germany! I have to say, I did miss getting dressed up this year & all the fun Halloween parties! I especially missed my adorable dogs who my mom always dresses up for anything and everything! haha I love it though! Thank goodness for Facebook and getting to see what  everyone else dressed up as this year! This whole week is a Holiday in Germany...I think someone told me that Germany has the most holidays of any country in Europe..not sure if that's true but it definitely seems like it! I was going to go grocery shopping while Corey went to an early practice today and then when I went to go..I realized that Corey gave me his debit card but forgot to tell me the pin number! And me trying to ask the cashier to run the card as credit would simply not work lol so I suppose Corey has to enjoy the grocery shopping with me later after the gym! Time to do some research about where I want to travel with my mom when she comes to vist and some work for my internship! Ciao!

Enjoy some pics of the dogs from last year! 

Fall in Augsburg

Hello..I know it's been a bit too long but I've now been living in Augsburg for about a month and a half! I can't believe it..sometimes it feels like longer and sometimes I can't believe it's already been that long. I have to say...adjusting has been harder then I ever imagined. I assumed coming to Germany, a lot more people would speak English..but no, it's actually reversed, not a lot of people speak English. All of Corey's teammates do and a lot of younger people speak English but then you think going grocery shopping or ordering a coffee will be easy but that can actually be an adventure in itself! Corey and I ordered iced coffee's the first week I was here and guess what we got....we got ice cream and coffee! Ice cream is Eis so when we say iced coffee, they give us Eis and Kaffee...ice cream coffee. Looked delicious but not at all what we wanted! And grocery shopping is another story in itself. Sometimes, I don't know what I'm even eating..but I think me & Cor have been pretty good about adjusting. We do tend to stick to our comfortable foods- aka eggs, yogurt, frozen chicken, potatoes and fresh veggies -you can't go wrong with that kind of food..at least we know what it is anyways!

All in all, it's a great life experience. We're going to German classes 3 times a week...I hate to say I doubt I could hold much of a conversation but at least we know some basic German so far like Hallo, Tschuss (goodbye), eine Kaffe, bitte (one coffee please) and Ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch (I don't speak German very well). The team Corey is on just moved up to the second highest league in Germany, Pro A, so they are the least favorite in the league but Corey and the other two Americans, Logan & Skyler are definitely working hard & trying their best! They haven't won a game yet, but they are trying so hard so keep your fingers crossed for them. With gas and food being so expensive here, we really are on such a tight budget, but we're trying to do as much as we can with the little bit we've got! We went to see Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that the Disney Castle is based off of! And we also went to see a sad party of history, Dachau Concentration Camp. It was a terrible thing to see but absolutely worth seeing especially with it being only 25 minutes from us. We also went to a nearby town on the Romantic Road, Landsberg. It was beautiful! And I hope Rothenberg Ob Der Trauber is just as beautiful. Corey and I are going to go to Rothenberg for our 3 year anniversary - November 23rd! We heard that Rothenberg has the most romantic Christmas Markets in all of Germany so hopefully this is true, I can't wait to see it!

One more note- I've had a lot on my mind lately...debating what I want to do with my life. I'm interning at BodiMojo.com right now as a Social Media Intern but I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I am always thinking of a million different possibilities....I went to school for Business Administration so clearly something in business would be smart, but I always have other thoughts like being a PE teacher, Dietician, elementary school teacher..possibly opening my own store one day with Chelsea or who knows what else. Is is bad that it's going to be 2 years this May since I graduated from Sacred Heart and I still don't know what I would love to do with my life? Anyways, long day today and almost 1am here now so bed time soon! Heading to an away game in Jena, Germany tomorrow, so goodluck to Cor & his team!

Kerri's Life at a Glance!: First Blog Ever

Kerri's Life at a Glance!: First Blog Ever: So I finally decided to start a blog..I thought it might be nice since I will be moving and traveling soon! And with Hurricane Irene hitting...

First Blog Ever

So I finally decided to start a blog..I thought it might be nice since I will be moving and traveling soon! And with Hurricane Irene hitting this weekend...I figure I might as well do it now! I am leaving so soon for Augsburg Germany, where my boyfriend, Corey Hassan is playing proessional basketball in the second highest league in Germany...amazing start for him after a year off and thinking he wasn't going to even play pro after that year off! I leave September 19th and I cannot wait for that day to come! Some people are asking me what do I plan on doing over there....but to tell you the truth, I have no idea. And to have no plan for my life, actually feels amazing! Those of you who know me well, know that I am the type that has always had a plan every second of my life...whether it was an internship after internship or job after job..I always had something planned for myself. I don't know why but I have always felt like I had to do something to make sure I would be okay in life. But for once in my life, I am picking up and moving to Europe with my boyfriend where I am going with no plan but to enjoy the amazing opportunity we have! I mean the team is being SO helpful..giving us 2 round trip flights (to go there & back and also home for xmas!), a really nice apartment, a car (standard- so I have some practicing to do), and the entire team has been so nice & helpful to my b/f Corey and I so far. Although, I have to say, I;m so happy that there is another American girl over there..so Rachel..I can't wait to be there too!!

I know it's going to be an amazing experience...people do take a year off after college to travel Europe..I guess my year off is just coming a year later...and my traveling of Europe might just be more then a year..but who know because I'm going out on a limb here doing the whole no plan and just live for the moment thing.

Anyways, all I can say is that there are so many things in life changing...my friends are graduating grad school..going to be pharmicist's Occupational Therapists, teachers, doing their own things in business, living in Cali, Hawaii, NYC...so I think it's safe to say that everyone has their time doing their thing and I'm really excited for me and Corey to live together in Augsburg, Germany this year. I hope we love it and get to see as much of Europe as possible! And I really hope some of my friends save up their money and come visit us! I know a lot of you want to come to Oktoberfest!! Germany is coming so soon for me and I cannot wait..the countdown is definitely beginning! :)