Noth Pole Dakota

After the long drive from Wyoming we came home to every North Dakotan's dream - snow shoveling. We do not own a snow blower, and our shovels were not up for this task. Fortunately, we are blessed with good friends and Mark showed up to help. Here are some photos commemorating this special day.

Avid knitters

Since picking up the skill of knitting from a friend, I hardly let the needles out of my hand. Melissa and I have been working on various projects; scarfs, headbands with flowers (check out my talents below!), booties for kids. Ufda, it is a lot of work!
PS Did I spell "ufda" correctly?

Snowshoeing in the Mountains

Enough of the lounging around and munching on Christmas goodies! Snowshoeing seemed like a perfect opportunity to get fresh air. We drove to the other side of the Teton pass where we found beautiful snow, unlike on the slopes of Jackson or Teton village. Great weather, fluffy snow, fun company; that's all you need.

Ninja

Since I have made the commitment to run the half-marathon in May, I have been slowly preparing for it and trying to run outside when the temperatures are at least positive. Between the North Dakota winds and mountain cold I needed a good balaclava, since I have been borrowing one from a friend. Well, Aaron and I both got our wishes!

Sleeping Indian, Sleeping Knight

The Sleeping Indian mountain in Wyoming reminded me the Sleeping Knight, or Giewont, in Poland. The old legend says that when Poland is in danger the Knight will wake up and defend it. The old joke is, "so what is he still doing there sleeping?", as Poland has been attacked many times.
Giewont is first, followed by the Sleeping Indian. Similar, aren't they?

Can you see the moose?

Preparations for Christmas

Is this more fun than actual Christmas? Sometimes I think so. My favorite pre-Christmas activities include shopping for gifts, baking cookies and making gift baskets.

Pearl Street Meat and Fish Co, Jackson, WY

Today, Lynne Marie and I went out for lunch to a wonderful little shop, which not only included a deli, but all kinds of other products that you may not find elsewhere.

Admiring the delicatessen.
Home-made soups and breads. Famous chili was featured. After a long time of pondering what I should have for lunch I opted for a sandwich with one of my all time favorite foods - smoked salmon.
Cakes! Too bad I did not have room in my tummy for dessert...
Left upper corner - seaweed salad. The clerk offered a sample and it was delicious!

More candy, please!

Before going to the play of "Alice in Wonderland", Melissa, her friend and I stopped by candy store, Yippy I-O and picked out a good snack for the following few hours at the theater!

German Puff Pancake Recipe

The day after my arrival Lynne Marie made this delicious pancake. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons butter
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, optional
1 cup flour

Directions:

Melt the butter in a baking pan. Mix other ingredients and pour on top of the butter. Bake 20 minutes in 425. You can serve it with syrup on top, or sauteed apples, fresh fruit, apple sauce, etc.

I thought that next time I make it I could add some nutmeg or cinnamon, to make it more Christmassy.

Roadtrip

Jackson Hole, here I come! Well, after over 16 hours driving through various conditions, let's review my trip.

Try not to drive through North Dakota alone. There's only so much singing you can do. Finally you get bored and start talking to yourself. Not that it happened to me.

Idaho's Island Park. The moment you pass the sign, the roads magically become white and slippery.

Pretty sky!


Finally...

The map

During my trip to an antique store with Lacey, I discovered this wonderful map of Europe, printed in Danish, where Poland has different country borders than it has nowadays. Google came in handy when establishing the time line and Poland had similar borders between WWI and WWII. The map looks pretty old and it may have been actually printed also around that time! It is now hanging in the dining room.

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Package from mom!

The package has arrived! And in it were our gifts, chocolates and other goodies! Yum!

Sushi pro I am!

My talents deserve to be flaunted in front of my friends, so for the White Elephant party at Erin and George's I whipped out some sushi really quick ;) and also made traditional Polish cookies, all from scratch. I used the pear jam I made this summer as filling - yes, I am the new Martha Steward.
To keep things steady, I had miso soup for lunch. Fishy, smelly, delicious soup!

Antique Store

What an appropriate sign for my kitchen!

This chest may become Kate's coffee table.

Elizabeth is serving "nalewka" at the bar.

Another day and another two-hour trip to the antique store!

Passage to Goodness

Any day that I get a chance to visit my favorite restaurant, Passage to India in Fargo, is a good day. J and I have been trying to come in more frequently now, because the owner, who personally knows us from visiting so often, keeps asking us when we're coming again... How can you say "no" to this?

Personal favorites:

• Palak paneer, a spinach curry with paneer cheese;
• Chicken Tikka Masala, a creamy tomato sauce;
• Masala Chai tea, which was actually adopted into the cuisine under the British influence;
• Naan bread; the best!