With the grand finale of the Euro 2008 soccer championships — Germany versus Spain — serving as a backdrop, Tony and Alison’s last visit to Bielefeld was an old school family weekend.
Alison brought us Frank’s Original RedHot Sauce from the US so we could make authentic Buffalo wings with blue cheese dip. We tossed the chicken wings in flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne and black peppers, and baked them for an hour at 400°F (200°C). Then Tony heated butter and hot sauce in a wok and stirred in the wings as soon as they came out of the oven. The wings were FANTASTIC. Jan liked them so much that he overate. The 4 of us ate almost 6.6 pounds (3kg) of chicken wings!
Alison and I made two retro desserts: German Kalte Schnauze and American Rice Crispy treats. Leibniz cookies are a main ingredient in a classic German party recipe known as “Kalter Hund” (cold dog) or “Kalte Schnauze” (cold snout). Watch 2 American students of German show you how to make Kalter Hund which looks like a cake but does not require any baking.
We spent a lazy Sunday afternoon at the public pool, although it wasn’t “Bratwurst weather”. American’s usually don’t go near a public pool when the temperature is this low, but our guests braved the elements and took a dip. Laying on the lawn is always cozier after a taking a swim.
For dinner we made “Student Lasagna”, something I have been wanting to have again ever since Philadelphia. It’s really easy: spread a baking sheet with corn chips, mix in some shredded cheese, cover with fried, spicy ground beef and kidney beans, and bake until cheese is melted. When it comes out of the oven, top it with salsa, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, salad and cilantro and serve immediately.
After dinner Alison, Tony and Jan headed off to the stadium for a public viewing of the grand finale. Although I wasn’t able to watch the game, because I fell asleep while bringing Leo to bed, the minute I woke up, I knew that the German soccer team lost to Spain: the city was very, very quiet.
See more pictures of the “Old School Family Weekend” on Flickr.
Tony and Alison wrote about experiencing “Football Fever” in Germany and posted some pictures too.
Watch Alison and Leo dance to The Wiggles, one of the CDs Alison brought for Leo:
