Happy Valentinstag!

A very happy Valentine's Day to all my loves around the world!

 The requisite weenie dog valentine...makes me smile :) Unfortunately Valentinstag is not so popular here in Germany, but I brought a little love to my office in the form of some Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookies. I've been saving the mix (shipped from good ole America) for the right occasion, and they have been well-received. Cookies here are hard as rocks, a co-worker informed me. Germans school us in other baked goods, though. I will definitely miss bakeries with amazing fresh bread and pastries on every corner. And still to come on the baking front: some delicious-sounding coconut brownies from a NYT recipe. 

This past weekend I again made the pilgrimage to Dolores, the might-as-well-be Chipotle, followed by a Mexican restaurant with some pretty legit Piña Coladas. I figure that even though outside is as far from tropical as one can get, simulating it with food and beverages is the next best thing. 

A tale of failing miserably as cultural ambassador: At said Mexican restaurant, I stood up to leave and bam! there went my head knocking into the huge metal Aztec mask above me. The mask became unattached on one side and teetered precariously as everyone in our part of the restaurant stared, cheered, and clapped.Cheeks burning I attempted to gracefully exit, a moot point then. Hilarity. 

The weekend also included a night of macaroni and cheese making followed by some fun ausgehen with friends. Macaroni and cheese just doesn't taste the same without cheddar (it's pretty hard to find and expensive here), but it'll do pig, it'll do. I also did something cultural on Sunday and checked out The Kennedys Museum. It's a fairly small exhibit right on Pariser Platz near the Brandenburg Gate, and very well done with lots of beautiful photos of the Kennedy family at various stages. The Germans really embraced JFK during his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" visit...one thing that sticks out to me from the museum is the Jackie Kennedy quote in which she said her husband's most famous words were not in his own language.

Have a lovely love day everyone!