Baking Christmas Cookies in Hungary

I think that whenever you move, whether it be across town, across the country or across an ocean, you can't help but occupy your mind with the many things that are different. Needless to say I had a very long list when I first arrived in Hungary. But now I have lived here over two years and don't notice these differences as often.

This was my second year making Christmas cookies with my advanced-level English students. I figured I wouldn't be in for any surprises this afternoon.

We rolled out the dough,


cut out the shapes,


baked the cookies, made the frosting


and frosted them, exactly as I had planned.

But just in case I forgot I was in Hungary...

Three of my boys knocked on the window of the classroom and showed off a wild boar's head.

I made sure they washed their hands before they came back in.

The Basil-Hungry Caterpillar

I found this little green guy while harvesting basil for some pesto.

Some of our basil plants are enjoying a second summer out on our balcony. The heat in our apartment was so high all winter (We actually opened windows during the day because we couldn't turn it down!) that a few of the plants survived.

We saved and planted seeds from the old plants and now have more than enough basil to treat ourselves to some homemade pesto.

Makin' Bagels

I know Jon is usually the one who posts about food, but here are a few snapshots from our first batch of homemade bagels. Our friends Emily and Tomi invited us to their place in Szolnok for a little tutorial. They were so delicious we made another batch the next day in Kecskemét.

The more I learn how to make things from scratch, the more possible everything in the kitchen seems. Since I've been living in Hungary, I've learned how to make homemade pasta, pita, crackers, jam, mayonnaise, hollandaise, limoncello, mozzarella, ricotta, meringues, mousse, panna cotta, pickles, and most recently: bagels, not to mention the arsenal of soups and side dishes I now have at my disposal. It's true, Jon does most of the cooking around here, but he's a great teacher and we enjoy working in the kitchen together almost as much as we love eating our latest tasty creations.

Blackberry Jam

Pump up the Jam

Yesterday my assistant principal, Ancsa, handed me a big bag of cherries after school that she had brought from her trees at home. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat them all before they went bad, so I decided to try to make jam.

The cherries were so soft and ripe that pitting them was just a matter of squeezing them.



After they were pitted, I cooked them with sugar, lemon juice and a bit of lemon zest.

My bag of cherries yielded two full jars and one small jar of jam. I gave one jar to Ancsa the next day and the other to my contact teacher Margo.

I kept the little jar for myself. Hooray for my first successful jam!