If You Build it, Rain Will Come

This Autumn has been an especially wet one here in Skopje and my taxi-driver this morning informed me as to why that is. The conversation went something like this:

"How do you like all this rain? We are like London now."

"Oh, it's wonderful. I actually enjoy it very much." [Yes, I did say that and actually mean it!]

"Well, it's because of the two new lakes that we have all this rain."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes! We've had Lake Matka for many years, but now they built two new lakes on the Treska River."

Thinking to myself: I've seen at least one of them and it's not much more than a glorified puddle. And the Treska isn't big like the American River... or the Sacramento... For my Folsom Lake friends: Lake Matka is a tad bit bigger than one of the lakes in Hidden Lakes Estates... ie: a stone-throw-and-a-half across and maybe a quarter mile long.


But I responded, "Really? Honestly, I have a hard time buying that. There's more rain all over, not just in Skopje."

To which he replied with authority, "Oh yes, but it's true! My father is a meteorologist and he did a study on this and he told me this is why we are having more rain. Before 5, 6 years we had maybe 175 days of rain and now we have about 200, but with the new lakes we will have more like 260 days of rain this year!"

"Oh, so that's why they built the lakes?"

"Yes!"

So there you go! "If you build it, Rain will come!" =)

Среќен Осми Март! Happy Int'l Women's Day!

It's Осми Март and the annual celebration of women young, old, single and married. As a colleague mentioned earlier today, she likes this holiday better than Mother's day because it includes her too (she's single like me). It's funny, but according to Macedonia language rules (and thus cultural) you're not a жена (woman) until you're married... so even though I'm 40, I'm still referred to as a девојче (girl). So, I must confess that I'm liking this holiday as well because even us девојчиња get to celebrate it along with all the жени! ;)

The fun thing about days like today are that the men around town are more likely to be courteous and open doors and such. Infact, a colleague up in Kosovo was given a ride home by her language teachers husband in honor of the day. It's a distance she normally walks, even in the snow and ice, but not on this day! It's also typical that various parties or celebrations be held around town. It's International Women's Day (IWD)!

An interesting tidbit about this day is that it's not a strictly "American" or "Macedonian" holiday. It's actually celebrated all over the world. Infact, it's been around for 99 years! Here's some text from the IWD website: "International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday."

OK, so all that said, I must confess that I didn't even really celebrate it today! Yeah, shocker! But it was snowing all day and I just didn't want to go out. Yes, I do admit to having an irrational fear of falling on the slippery uneven sidewalks. I did get a couple of surprise phone calls, though, from some Macedonian friends. It'd been a while since we'd talked and so it was really nice to hear their voices and to make plans to see each other when I get back from Switzerland at the end of the month.

Anyways, to celebrate International Women's Day, I've posted this picture of some Springish daisies that I bought to cheer up my apartment a couple of weeks ago. And yes, that IS snow in the backdrop.... gotta love the contrast... =)

Happy International Women's Day!

Taxi Conversation #1: Spring is like a woman

This morning the air was filled with the sweet musky fragrance that only a Spring rain can bring... the rain had past and it was now sunny with a mix a puffy and ominous clouds filling the sky as I hopped into a cab to head to various destinations... After the usual conversational pleasantries I commented on how spring-like the day was.... it began with beautiful warm sun, then clouded over, becoming dark and ominous as a downpour was unleashed, only to clear up a little when a strong wind blew through....

His comment? "Ah, yes! Spring. Just like a woman, always changing her mood and completely unpredictable! Spring is the time of the woman!"

It took me a moment to grasp that he was really saying what I thought he was saying... and then busted out in laughter, to which he joined me, quite pleased that an American woman got his joke and enjoyed it. lol.

Snow! It just may be a White Christmas this year!

Last night I went to bed very late after a very full day exploring all around Skopje with friends, shopping, enjoying the lights, restaurants and cheeriness of the city bedecked in holiday enchantment. At the end of the day I Twittered that the only thing that could have made it even more picture-perfect was if there were snow. Unfortunately the weather forecast was only for rain.

So you can imagine my surprise (and JOY) to wake up this morning to a fresh blanketing of snow over the city, piling up on rooftops and clinging to trees! This is a site I've come to really look forward to just after the New Year... I was hooked three years ago when it snowed right on New Years Day. Then last year it was January 2nd. This years New Year dusting happened a little later, but JUST IN TIME to fulfil a childhood dream of a "White Christmas." Can you hear my girlish squeal of delight???

White Christmas??? Yes, I did say Christmas. That's because Macedonia celebrates the holiday according to the Julian calendar, so January 7th is the day. You might find it interesting that "Santa", Christmas trees and gift-giving happen for New Years. I've recently learned that this transition happened during communism where New Years, being smack in the middle of the "Catholic" Christmas and the "Orthodox" Christmas, seemed the right compromise. The happy by-product of this is that Christmas is just about Jesus' birth, which is pretty cool.

Christmas in Macedonia is celebrated a bit differently as well. I've shared some of the celebrations and traditions in previous years' blogs and so will try to take a different perspective this year. The festivities start tonight with the Kolede bonfires, which have their roots in old Slavic folk religion, but like the Christmas tree, have taken on new meaning over the years ("Christ's light coming into a dark world."). Still, though, the locals tell me they go just for the fire, dancing, food, rakija and visiting with friends and neighbors. With the new layer of snow today, it should make the fires a bit more inviting. :) Anyways, as the tradition unfolds this year I will try to share some stories and pictures along the way.

Until next time, here's a pic of the pile of fuzzy snowflakes that I awoke to this morning....

Happy September

This is a happy picture: the balloons swirling everywhere in various colors, the wide-open mouth of surprise, delighted flapping arms and wind-tossed hair. I see so much of myself in this picture right now.... but it's more like, "Look at all those things I've got in the air with arms flapping trying to catch hold of them!" Happy September!

Well, OK, it's not so bleak as that. ;) Though it is a good representation of the mix of fun and stress that has been my life for the last three months. The "blog-balloon" was just one of the "delights" that I let fly away in favor of the many other things that have taken priority.

The work balloons: When I got back from the US I had just over two weeks to not only catch up on 2 months of bookkeeping and to prepare for fiscal year-end and the splitting up of the books into two autonomous sets... I had to pack up and move the office. With the move to a new place comes all the little details that aren't so big in themselves, but simply suck your time away like a quickly deflating balloon.

Happy September, though, in that I'm caught up, moved, set-up (mostly), completed with the bookkeeping gymnastics and can finally hunker down and get back to "normal" and re-frying some beans (aka. bookkeeping).

There have been many other balloons swirling around in my life these past few months, some stressful, some sad, but also some joyful and pure delight. Now that some of the extra-swirly balloons from summer have been let go (aka. finished tasks/responsibilities), the picture for me is becoming once more a happy one instead of a stressful one. That is the mix that I see in that picture above entitled, "Среќен Септембри!" (Happy September!)

*******

And just in case I haven't already hacked this analogy to death, there is one more that the picture evokes, and it's related to the weather and seasons:

With September came the turning of leaves, the chilly breezes while the hint of summer heat inexplicably remains in the air, the sweet smell of roasting peppers and the SHOCK of the weather changing from Summer to Fall in a DAY (one Saturday afternoon it was 100+, by that evening it was 50 and hasn't really gotten above 80 since)....

The days of summer floating away like those colorful balloons..... Happy September!

OK enough with with analogies! lol. Frankly, I'm glad it's September with the busyness of summer behind me and the cool and more "normal" days of Fall ahead of me. =)

Buying Time

Heading down the detergent aisle I spotted what looked like a bottle of "Tide" only it was actually a bottle of "Time." Ha! I must confess, I simply LOVE the irony of "buying time" and how fitting it is to apply it to doing laundry in the Balkans...

For almost 7 years now I've washed my clothes in a washer that doesn't clean too well and takes up to 3 hours to run a cycle. The clothes are then hung either on a drying rack in my living room in the Spring and Fall, on the balcony in the Summer and, my personal favorite, on the radiators in the Winter.

Hung on the racks it can take up to three days for clothes to dry... and it's hard to escape that musty smell and always wondering about potential mold growth (some colleagues have had this experience, not on the clothes, but on the walls of their apartment!). In the summers, which, just like my hometown in Sacto, are always blistering here in Skopje, clothes can be dry in less than an hour for cottons, two for thicker fabrics. The next fastest drying time is on the radiators in winter, which depends upon how much the heat has been cranked up on the water pumping through them from the central station.

Trivia:
The reason why the last one is my favorite is because it's the closest my towels ever get to the fluffy soft ones that come out of the WONDERFUL dryers in the US. The rest of the year I have to settle with rough stiffness (as evidenced in the picture)... and no, fabric softener doesn't help with that much. (Oh how I miss dryer sheets too!)

The thing about doing laundry here is that it takes planning ahead. There are no quick loads of laundry. It takse time, sometimes days. That's why I love the irony of buying "Time" to do my laundry. =)

This irony deepens for me, however, because I realize how my concept of time has changed since being here... the rhythm of time in the Balkans is so much different than in the US. Sigh.... I'm really tempted to discuss these differences here, but I'm thinking it is best explored in a blog entry all on it's own. So for the moment I will simply leave you with the fascinating image of being able to literally buy some Time. =)

Leaping into Cold Waters for Luck

The men, about a hundred or so, are gathered in the swim trunks at the base of the Old Stone Bridge and ready to jump in an instant into the swift and frigid Vardar river to retrieve some luck and blessing for the coming year. This is Epiphany Day in Macedonia, an Orthodox holiday to celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and to unite with him in it.

Thousands of spectators bracing against the cold January afternoon gather along the "Kej" (river path) to witness the spectacle. The Pontiff HH Stefan, the head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, held a special service from the bridge and spoke a blessing over the river and the people with a cross. Then the cross is thrown into the current and the contestants make their leap. It's believed the one who retrieves the cross will have good health, happiness and luck in the coming year. According to the Macedonian Information Agency, this years winner also received a TV, electric range and fridge among other things.

Soon after this the people who had been watching will then make their way down to the waters edge to dip their hands, to sip and collect some in containers to bring home. It's believed the water is blessed now from the ceremony and so touching, sipping and bringing it home will bring that blessing into their lives and home.

I wasn't able to go today (these pics are from last year), but I am very glad for all those who did attend that the snow and ice has finally melted and the sun was shining brilliantly today, perhaps making things just a bit warmer. =)

Gas and "Refried Beans"

We just heard from colleagues in Sarajevo that the gas is once again flowing, their heat is on and they're beginning to thaw out. =) Thanks for praying, but please do keep in mind those who are struggling this winter.

That was the "gas" and now here's some "Refried Beans" aka... bookkeeping notes. =)

I've been continuing to work from home as I recover from whatever it is that I have, waiting for the other antibiotics to do their magic... yet this cough persists... I'm sure my neighbors are tired of hearing it as I am in hacking it. My muscles around my rib cage are so sore and my stomach feels like I've done several hundred sit-ups... hack, cough, crunch. The good news is that my peak flow meter (a way to measure my lung/breathing status) has shown steady improvement. Still, I'm sick of being sick and actually look forward to getting back to the office.


There is one benefit, though, to me working from home (besides my bed and fuzzy slippers). I suppose you could call it a sort of dry-run for doing the books while on home assignment (beginning in March). In the past when we've attempted to do the books from afar (meaning when the FD was traveling or I was on HA) it just didn't work. However, with the new field structure, I've been working from afar with the TL's now for eight-months worth of bookkeeping. And the process has only improved and been further streamlined. So much so I've been able to do the books completely from home this month (thanks to a portable external backup that contains everything I need and this wonderful laptop thanks to COTF). In fact, if things continue to go well, I'll be able to close in the next couple of days. :::happy dance:::

All this encourages me that the challenges we've had in the past with trying to do the books from afar will not present themselves and gives me a bit of ease in readying for home assignment. Speaking of readying for home assignment, I would appreciate your prayer as there is lots to accomplish between now and March. Additionally, I still don't know where I will be staying either, so would really appreciate your prayers for that too. Thank you!

Quote of the Snowy Day

"Tato! Tato!" cried the young boy sitting on a sled in the snow being towed by his father. "Prvo levo," the boy called and then continued with the mixture of excitement and wonder that only fresh falling snow can bring. "i [ee] sega... Pravo! Pravo! Pravo!"

He then gripped the sides of his sled in great anticipation and complete faith and trust in his father that not only would he pull him fast and with a sense of adventure, but that he'd also keep him safe. "Dobro, srtse," says the father dotingly as he begins to pull his son first left and then straight, straight, straight on the powdery path in the city park. Smiles all around.

While this interaction was going on between one father and son, another father was helping his son to build a snowman on his sled. In fact, there were several families out adventuring in the snow with snowball fights and sledding down hills. Witnessing such special moments between parents and children always brings a smile to my face and warms my heart. May the memories made today by these families last a lifetime and may there be many many more such special moments in their lives in the future. =)

I was so inspired that later while I was killing some time in a cafe with a coffee I had some fun doodling the event.

Flurry of Christmas Preparations

This is my living room right now. My assemble-by-numbers tree is up and decorated as is my apartment. All the other "clutter" though is from preparations for the Christmas Eve service.

The garland on the coffee table will be dressed up with the ribbons and/or pearly garland (hanging on chair) for the Advent candles. For the Advent table I was thinking of using that green/white poinsettia table cloth, but not sure if it will blend or clash... Oh, yes, speaking of poinsettias, we can finally get them here and so thought it would be a nice, simple and cheery Christmas decoration. =)

In the yellow bag is about 10 meters of garland that will hang on one of the crossbars in the school gym. The stack of ribbon on the coffee table and pearly garland will also be used to beautify that garland.... only I'm not so good at those kinds of decorations, which is why I'm glad there are others who offered to help decorate! =) Then there is the question of whether to assemble first and then hang it.... or arrive with all the pieces and assemble it there just hours before the program... oh, yes, and in between practices?

Speaking of practice.... the music on the keyboard is calling me to practice.... no, I don't play for services (yet...) though I did use this keyboard to work out the guitar notes referenced in "Late Nights & Key Signatures." Actually, I'm using the keyboard right now to help me with the vocal warm up, scales, etc. Especially needed for songs like "O Holy Night" which we did yesterday... oui... I don't like sounding operatic, but that's the only way I could hit that high note! Good thing there's only a balcony above me otherwise I think I'd drive my neighbors crazy with practices. "La la la LA LA la la...."

Thank you for your prayers for the Christmas Eve service, which will be at 9AM California time. =)

It's a Pepto-Pink Christmas Tree, Charlie Brown!

Oh how I miss going to the Christmas tree farms for the annual evergreen. The smell of pine wafting within the chilled December air as you get lost in a forest of trees. :::sigh:::

In the Balkans, Christmas tree shopping is a much different experience. Last year the "pepto" tree was all the rage (as were toxic green & pungent orange). This year it's black with red ornaments and red or periwinkle with white ornaments.


As always, if you're looking for a live tree, you can find some "Charlie Brown" ones, which cost about $30 and come complete with roots!

Personally, I opted for the basic green "Super Cdlorado" that assembles by numbers (and I WON'T mention how long it took me to assemble it!). =)

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie in the Balkans

Making a pumpkin pie was an all-day process this year and at times I mused that it was SO "from scratch" that it included all but milking the cow myself! I roasted & mashed the pumpkin, used homemade extracts, ground my own nutmeg and used my Mom's favorite pastry recipe for the crust. The process began at 10AM and finished around 9PM (though to be fair I did make a berry pie too.) In the US, though, one can simply use canned pumpkin, pre-blended spices and Pillsbury ready-made pie crusts.... 2 hours tops from start to finish!

Now the confession... it being an all-day process was not really that big of a deal... because I've been making pumpkin pies from scratch for years as I've fine-tuned my personal recipe (one I've tweaked since I was 9 years old). :) Now, don't be shocked, but I'm finally going to cut loose with that recipe and share (though still keeping a couple secrets secret. ;) )

Ingredients:
2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

The above five ingredients may be adjusted to increase or decrease spiciness of the pie. This year I used homemade spice extracts and found that the overall flavor was more fully blended due to their liquid form. [To make an extract: vodka+whole spice+several months=a really nice extract] Extracts can be substituted 1:1 with the ground ones.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons dark molasses (grape molasses in the Balkans)
1-1/2 cups, mashed cooked pumpkin
2 eggs, beaten
1-2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup cream

Mix all ingredients except pastry. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake in preheated extremely hot oven (500F) for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and bake for 55 to 60 minutes longer until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 6-8 servings. Serve with whipped cream on top (simply a must).

Pumpkin: to make from scratch use an Australian blue pumpkin and/or a butternut squash (don't use the common orange pumpkin as it is basically flavorless). Cut up into large chunks (leaving peel on), cover and roast in oven at 325F until very soft. Scrape out meat from skin while still warm and then allow to cool for about 1/2 hour before blending well with a mixer or in a blender.

Basic Pie Pastry:
2 Cups flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup butter
6-7 Tablespoons ice water

Combine flour and salt then cut in butter and blend well with fork until texture is small and crumbly. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, blending with fork, until the whole mixture is moistened. Form into two balls and turn out on well-floured surface. Place in pan and trim edges to 1/2 inch from top of pie pan. After adding pie filling cover the crust edges with foil for half the total baking time.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday with colleagues in another town and complete with all the trimmings: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, apple butter, corn, cranberry sauce (!!), sweet potatoes (made with butternut squash) and a wonderful harvest salad. Dessert included pumpkin pie, apple crisp, brownies, berry pie, chocolate cookies and pecan pie. I guess from the menu you'd never guess we were in the Balkans!

We had a wonderful time together, sharing some of the things for which we are thankful, lots of laughs, games and so much more. The next day we enjoyed a breakfast of french toast and sausage and then took a hike up the mountain until the rain turned us around. Back at the house the guys played a game of chess while we gals watched (and sang to) the "Sound of Music."

All in all it was a great holiday weekend spent with a wonderful group of people!

Just a few things I'm thankful for....

The last pie for tomorrows Thanksgiving meal with colleagues is in the oven and I thought it would be nice to take a moment and express some things for which I am thankful on this special day:

• The Lord's provision in every way
• For the love and support of my family even though they may not always get what I'm doing
• Delightful conversations with nephews thanks to Skype.... gosh they're growing in to such fine young men
• Dear friends who are content with the reality of limited connectedness when I'm overseas, accept that our time together is brief while I'm in the US and who support and pray for me through it all.
• Colleagues who've become dear friends and family away from family
• That I get to live in a fascinating place, do what I love and be apart of something much bigger than I.... and getting to see and hear the resulting stories...
• For new colleagues
• For new friends locally and from many different countries
• For laughter, lots of laughter
• For girl's days out and trips to our favorite hair stylist
• For snowflakes and fireflies
• For the "girl Friday" without whom I don't know how any of us would make it through the visa process... she's amazing
• For the support and encouragement of those back in the US
• For city heat and radiators that dry the clothes in winter
• For the simple and wonderful Christmas card carrying a greeting and prayer already received in the mail
• Language and cultural coaches/teachers who are so patient
• For the many lovely life conversations in these past few months
• For those who've spoken into my life over the years, encouraging me or challenging me to grow.
• For sweet friends who loan me pie pans so I can make the pies in the picture for our team Thanksgiving dinner. :)

Funny how what I thought would be a short list has become much longer... frankly I could keep going. :) It's a good perspective check for me, though, to really reflect upon the Lord's blessings and to give Him thanks for everything. A good exercise for each day, I think.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Notes from a Sunday

Today was a day off of sorts for me. Basically I'd had the week off from singing on worship team. I did, however, do the clicker this morning for the overhead slides and I must say "hats off!" to all those that do this each Sunday. It's hard to sing and click at the same time. Kinda like walking, chewing gum, patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time--especially on a Mac because if you click just a second too long the "One Note" advances to the end and then there's the quick clicking forward to get back onto the right slide. Then there was the one point where the slide wouldn't advance at all! Have I mentioned recently that I'm not a Mac-fan? ;) The wonderful thing, though, is the graciousness of the congregation. :) If they knew the song they kept singing with boldness and those who didn't waited patiently for me to get the Mac to respond.

After service a couple gal colleages and I went to the city center for lunch, one was down visiting from Kosovo and so it was nice to catch up with her. We ended up eating at a fun place on the center square called "Dal Fufu." Yes, that really is it's name. Great pizza, pasta, meat and potatoes dishes. :) Afterwards we went to a new coffee place that is the closest thing we have to a Starbuck's... my carmel macchiato was amazing. They even had Nutter Butters, Oreo cookies and Snapple... though very expensive. Still, not something we can normally find here. Later we found our way to my apartment and chatted some more before parting ways as the waning sunlight brought the day to a close.

Skopje, by the way, has some of the most spectacular sunsets that I have ever seen in my life. Today's was no exception. The only odd thing was that it was happening at 4pm! But that's early compared to a month from now when it'll be dark by 3:15. Anyways, the picture up top is from this evening that was especially beautiful.

It's now well into dusk and a sliver moon is beginning to set above Mt. Vodno. An end to another lovely day here in the Balkans.

An Autumn Day in Skopje

Saturday is usually my day to cook, clean and do laundry, but I got a bit distracted on the way to the market because it was simply a gorgeous day. It seems most of the city got sidetracked as well as the walking street and surrounding restaurants and cafes were literally teaming with people enjoying the warm "Gypsy Summer" day. I found myself enchanted by the activity:

• the light cool breese sending colored leaves descending towards the cobblestone
• fathers carrying their young children on thier shoulders
• friends walking arm-in-arm and laughing about some inside joke
• the young couple stealing a kiss underneath a majestic tree colored in greens, yellows and oranges
• a group of young adults carrying signs offering "Free Hugs" to passersby
• the strains of the theme song from "The Last of the Mohicans" giving melody to days activity by men in native dress
• the venders selling fresh roasted chestnuts, mini-krofni (aka "American" donuts) sprinkled with powdered sugar and chocolate surrip, or hand-crafted jewelry, belts, or tourist items
• a little girls surprise when her balloon pops and her mothers reassurance that she'd get her another one
• the news crew setting up to interview the "Free Hug" kids and to take video of the general activity of the day

What a beautiful day is was here in the city.

Recipe: Old World Apple Cake

I've always thought that October is the best month in which to have a birthday. The air is crisp but still carries hints of the summer gone by. The trees, parks and wooded paths are colored in various shades of greens, yellows, oranges and browns. Тhen there are the numerous seasonal items like squash, sweet potatoes and, of course, apples. And with apples comes the best game ever for a kid's birthday party: apple dunking (or bobbing)!

For those who aren't familiar with this, imagine a big barrel or ivar-making-tanger (танџер) filled with water and dozens of bright red harvest apples bobbing on the surface. Then the children hold their hands behind their back and try to pick up an apple with just their mouth. :::giggle:::


[Apple-dunking picture source:
http://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/apple_day/ ]

Unless there's a decent stem, the participants will end up dunking their entire heads all the way in to wedge an apple against the bottom and sink their teeth in. Coming up they send splashes of water onto everyone within a 5 foot radius. They are soaking wet from head to torso but with a triumphant apple-filled smile. Ahhh... memories. :) (My Macedonian friends are probably cringing at this moment at the image of children being outside with wet hair in October.)

Now a days I don't go dunking for apples anymore (though the kid in me would love to!) instead I bake. And that's just what I did this weekend with the big bag of organic apples that a friend gave to me on my birthday last week. It's an old family favorite of mine and a gem I thought worth sharing. It's from my Mom's well-worn and loved 1966 copy of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery (Vol. 1, Fawcett Publications, Inc., New York, 1966, pg. 102).

Old World Apple Cake

Ingredients for Filling
3 Pounds cooking apples
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 slices of lemon

Ingredients for Pastry
2 Cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before you measure)
1-1/3 cups sugar (about)
1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 egg yolks (room temperature)

Method

Peel and slice apples. Cook with sugar, water and lemon until tender but not mushy. Drain and cool. Remove lemon slices.

Mix flour, 1-1/4 cups sugar and baking powder. Cut in 1/2 cup butter with pastry blender or work in with fingers until mixture is crumbly. Mix in egg yolks. Reserve 1 cup four mixtrue for top. Pat remainder on bottom and sides of greased 9-inch spring-form pan. Fill with apples; sprinkle with reserved topping; dot with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350F) for 1 hour. Serve warm or cold. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

OK, now for my Macedonian friends who have asked me for this recipe...сега ке пробам да ви го кажам рецептот на Македонски (благодарам на моите учителки кои што ме помогнаат со овој рецепт).

за полнење
3 кила јаболка за печење
1/3 шолја шеќер
1/2 шолја обична вода
2 парчиња лимон

Излупете ги и сечете ги јаболката. Ги варете сите парчиња со шеќерот и лимонот ċе додека не омекнат. Исушете ги и се изладете ги. Вадете ги парчињата од лимон.

процедно (за тесто)
2 шолји приближно брашно
1-1/3 шолји шеќер (околу)
1-1/4 мала лажица пециво (прашок за печиво)
2/3 чаша путер или маргарин (околу)
2 жолтчки (соба темпетура)

Загрејте ја рерната на 177°с.

Во среден сад го мешате брашното, 1-1/4 чаши од шеќерот и пецивото. Само 1/2 чаши од путерот го сечете заедно во смесата со вилушка. Додадете ги жолтчките во садот со смесата и мешајте дури не стане хомогена смеса. Ставете една чаша од смесата на страна и ставете го другиот во една тава. Ставете ги јаболките или овошјете од ваш избор и на крајот ставете ја смесата на врвот на обошјето. Сега, со голема лажица, ставете го шеќерот на врвот. Печете ја тортата на 177°с за еден саат.

Prijаtno јадење! And have an enjoyable and color-filled fall season! :)

A Haunted House, Church and Fellowship

This Sunday, after an extra hour of sleep (yipee!), we arrived to find the school where we meet bedecked with a scarecrow and several school childrens' uniquely carved pumpkins. Saturday night had been the schools annual Fall Festival and inside the gym the left-overs from the haunted house needed to be cleared before we could set up for service. No worries because we had several extra helping hands thanks to the "fall back" time change! :)

As usual worship practice was full of last-minute tweaking, laughter over silly little things, vocal warm-ups, guitar tuning, sound-checks and proofing of slides on "One Note." Even with the necessary detail that is "practice", it was an especially nice practice as it seemed this Sunday we got past the logistics more quickly than usual and entered purely into worship, focusing on the One for Whom we sang.

Come beginning of service, the gym that had been a haunted house the night before was transformed into a hallowed house as we prayed, worshipped through song and received a message on Jesus' resurrection and faith. As summer is now fading into memory the seats are fuller each week as expats from all over find there way here, finding a church home. After service the fellowship, laughter and deep and light conversation continues next door in the schools cafeteria that is more like a delightfully quaint cafe.


In breaks between my own conversations I simply took in the sights of candid moments:

• two ladies engaged in light conversation about their week and how their children are doing
• three little girls sitting around a small table, legs swinging in joy as they sipped their milk or juice and mused little girl musings
• a little munchkin perched on the bar (coffee) totally amused by the barrista making silly faces for her
• the box of homemade ginger-snaps disappearing with each blink of the eye
• discussions and planning for the weeks homegroup meetings: when, where and open invite to new attendees
• a ladies easy laughter a something her husband said
• two men in deep discussion of theological import
• a proud father holding his little baby who squeals in pure delight in his daddy
• the group of adults crowded around the counter ordering macciato's, cappuccino's or "sour water" (aka. bubbly mineral water)
• children scampering around and through the adults legs, playing in the school yard or on the schools Foosball table
• people from literally all over the world drinking coffee, eating cookies and enjoying one another's company and fellowship, forging friendships

Little by little the groups disbursed to head home, to other points of ministry, or to continue the conversations over lunch. For myself I walked out with a couple friends to the main street where we mused about the detour down the road and if it was for the motorcycle race and yes we'll see you at class. Bidding them farewell I decided to enjoy the day and walk home rather than hailing a taxi. Just around the corner I ran into one of the people from church who invited me to join their family for a скара lunch (aka. grilled meat... something Macedonia does awesomely). What a lovely time we had talking about all sorts of things (including a little cheer for Liverpool's win over Chelsey)!

Several full and delightful hours later when I set out for home, it was darker than I'd expected for 5:30pm, but then again a time-change will do that. The streets were quiet and colored with fall leaves, the night air a bit chilly... but my heart was full. Yesterday was a great day. A day that started with church in what had been haunted house the night before, and ended with full and candid fellowship moments.

Recipe: Ljutenitsa or Pinjur... though not exactly ;)

Yesterday I gave a jar of Ajvar as a gift to a baba I know while describing Day-3 of our Ajvar-making weekend. I said we'd made another local specialty called Љутеница but she said that we didn't add hot (lute) peppers so it couldn't really be called lutenitsa. She suggested that it was more like Пинџур (pinjer) but since we didn't add tomatoes it wasn't exactly that either. Oh the dilema! So I teasingly suggest that we call it a combo of the two, something like, pinjenitsa (пинџеница). ;) No matter what name it goes by, the end product spread on bread with some creamy feta was delish!

From the 75 kilos of peppers we set aside about 15 that we cut up instead of ground. Same goes for a couple eggplant. Together with several cloves of garlic, fresh chopped parsley, 1 liter-ish oil, 1/4th-ish liter vinegar, and decent helpings of salt and sugar to taste made up our pinjenitsa.

Throw it all in a tanjer (голем танџер) and put on the stove over a roaring fire. Cook for about 2 hours stirring constantly with a big wooden spoon until broken down and flavor-filled but not completely smooshy like Ajvar. Or you can do what we did and ask a neighbor-lady if it was done yet. :)

Our batch yielded about 12 small jars of this delectible spread... there were a few more but we (7 of us) ate it for lunch while it was still warm. ;)

Ajvar: Community Pepper Peeling

Oui! How is it that every muscle in my body hurts?! It's amazing how sore you get while making Ajvar.... between hunching over and peeling, peeling, peeling and four-hours of stirring, stirring, stirring it's no wonder! Our second day making the local specialty went really well and was full of fun. Here's a picture diary of our day which began with:

Roasting peppers until they're black and easy to peel... this time with the stems on in order to do a comparison of methods used by locals... more to come on the verdict in another blog...
Beginning the pepper-peeling process....

Prepare shish-kabob's for lunch

Quickly move everything inside because the previously sunny day disappeared in a torrent of rain!... and peel more peppers

Roast eggplant (aka "black tomatoes")

Pause for lunch under the once-again clear skies.... the carrots and cherry tomatoes in the salad were fresh from the garden!

Continue to peel peppers and now eggplant (eggplant is by far the hardest to peel btw)...

Begin to grind the peppers and eggplant... don't you just love the innovation of using a drill vs. hand-cranking!?! Zip zip! It went so fast!

Continue peeling and grinding while beginning to stir the mix on the stove... adding 1 liter (!) of oil to start...


Chop fresh parsley from the garden and garlic for the ajvar beginning to boil on the stove..

Short break for early blackberry birthday pie for Pattie and myself [thank you!!].... while still peeling!

More peeling!

Finished the peeling and now finishing up the grinding!!

Now the brewing begins! We needed to cook this mixture until it's 1/2 this size!

That means... four HOURS of stirring... and stirring... and stirring..... Once the mixture had cooked down, thickened and darkened, we brought it all upstairs to begin spooning into freshly sanitized, prepared jars...

It's hard to believe that 75 kilos of peppers and 20 of eggplant boiled down to 20 small jars and 5 large jars of Ivar! (Or as my brother and nephews teasingly pronounced... Ajuh-bep... the Englishification of the Cyrillic for Aye-var... Ајвар)

If you're counting jars in this picture you'll notice there's only 4 large jars... that's because we ate one while it was warm! It's so yummy to slather warm Ivar on bread and top it with some sirinje (a creamy feta-type cheese). MmmmMmmm...

By far, the best thing about making Ajvar, though, are the hours of fellowship, laughs, conversation and community-building among participants enjoying each other, the work and the day. :) Besides making Ajvar with colleagues, I've twice had the priviledge of making Ajvar with a Macedonian family from church. I loved sitting at the stove with the dad and chatting while monitoring the peppers process and adding more when others were done... or the laughter and conversation that happened with everyone around the pepper-peeling on a crisp autumn day. Making ajvar is one of those very special community activities and something I look forward to now each year.

Though I could go another year before I peel another pepper! lol ;)