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| Flan Cheesecake |
I found a new recipe that combines two of my favorite desserts - Cheesecake and Flan. I tried it and it turned out delicious. (recipe at bottom) Only problem is no one came for dinner on Sunday and so we have been eating it all week until the Elder's came to the rescue and finished it off.
We love our Elder's. They came by and asked if they could leave some clothes at our house and pick them up on the way home after their meeting and then they could have some dessert as well. We are always glad to have them in our home.
Elder Letort and Elder Brown are the two missionaries serving in Freiburg. Elder Letort will complete his mission and return home to France on August 1. He is our District Leader and he is always thinking out of the box. He decided we should have District Council in the forest next to the lake at Titisee. It was a beautiful setting and was actually a really good meeting. I fixed a picnic lunch and it was a great day together with the District.
These young missionaries are so dedicated to the work and to serving Jesus Christ. They have wonderful insights and I learn from them. We talked about some of the challenges they face as they talk to people on the streets. Many of the young people they talk to are dissatisfied with the church their parents attend and so they have chosen to not believe in organized religion. They seem to want to know truth, they just do not know where to find it. If people will just listen, they have an amazing message to share of Jesus Christ.
We decided to take a walk Monday evening after being gone all day to District Meeting. We went to the lake by Amira's apartment (in the background) and found this kyack club. It was fun to watch them in the water. It was the last of the nice days. SUMMER has arrived and it is HOT. Reminder - there is NO Air conditioning and it is do draining and wears us out. We tried to go purchase some additional fans for some of the missionaries and they are all sold out. We went to 6 stores will no success.
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| Vogtsbauernhof |
With only a few P-Day's left in Freiburg we are trying to check off our bucket list of places to visit. So much to see with so little time. The next pictures are of an open air farm museum. We were told it is a must see and it did not disappoint. I have admired the large farm houses all through the Black Forest. They are massive and this gave us an opportunity to see four different styles of homes from the different areas in the Forest. I no longer want to live in one of these farmhouses! I will explain.
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| Thatch roof |
They are massive. The ground floor is used for the animals with their stalls, many are dairy cow farms and have the operation on this level. Some are blacksmiths, wood carvers, grain mills, etc. The large pitch roofs are for the protection from the harsh winters with the winds and snow. Look at the thickness of the thatch - and this is very old. These houses are about 500 years old. They still had cut and haul the hay around the houses.
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| Living Room (eating room) |
The second level is used for living space. They all center around large kitchens. Many times more than one family occupied the home and each would have their own table to sit at in the living room. The would eat out of a large bowl and each person would have their own spoon and dish out of the bowl. When they were done, they would wipe off the spoon and hang it on the wall. There was a separate room for cooking with large ovens and cooking space.
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| 500 Year old farm house |
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| Servant House |
They had to sleep almost sitting up because of the dust in their homes. It made it difficult to breath if they were flat so they slept sitting up. The top floor was for storing the grains, hay and farm equipment. There was either the mountain or a bridge in the back of the house that allowed you to drive the wagon or tractor right in. The top floor is massive. Very high ceilings and large rooms. This floor was the barn. So, the animals on the bottom, the hay and grain on the top and the people in the middle. I decided they look amazing on the outside, but I would have a real hard time with those conditions. Very Efficient.
This was on the front of one of the houses. Around the cross are all of the symbols of the crucifixion - the spear, the sponge, rope, hammer, the coin bag representing the 3 pieces of silver he was ransomed for and more. I had never seen one with so much detail.
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| Cow Bells |
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| Alphabet cards out of wood |
It was very fascinating to learn about this way of life for the people in this area of Germany. They were not wealthy but had enough to take care of their families. It was very hard work and they had to grow their own feed for the animals and also gardens for food. I really enjoyed it.
And of course, we had to end with a lunch of fried potatoes and brots. It was delicious, even in the heat.
Next stop was just down the road in the next berg - The Glass Making Factory. Because they use wood molds for some of the glass forms, they also have a large woodcarving shop with life size wood sculptures. Amazing to watch as they take a ball of hot melted sand and turn it into amazing glass works. I about 10 min. they have taken that ball and shaped it, sculpted it and created a piece of art.
You can make your own vase for $18. They help you and in about 15 min. you make your own vase. That is about half the price that the vase will cost out in their gift shop. I decided they were too fragile and I did not need to have one.
This man made glass birds. He made each one in about 10 min. We watched him make two of them.
They have a Christmas store as part of their gift shop. They have a room for every different color of ornaments. These ornaments are vintage and displayed in a case. The glass ornaments were beautiful and in so many different shapes and sizes.
This is a hand blown Nativity and icicle display. The glass icicles were beautiful. I really liked the glass Nativity and I was disappointed they did not have them for sale - only the isicles. Probably a good thing, it would have been way over my budget. I opted for a red bird tree ornament instead.
Someone sent me a link to a podcast about Young Single Adults. Russ and I listened to the 1 1/2 hour talk on Wednesday afternoon. If was so insightful and gave us some very good helps on dealing with Young Single Adults. I continue to learn that the more knowledge we seek and gain, the more is expected of us. I was so grateful that I had listened to this talk as I was confronted with a difficult situation and many of the answers and helps I needed were there for me to draw from. I know we continue to be blessed as we serve and labor with the Young Adults in this area.
We were invited to lunch with The Hasse family in a little village high in the Forest - Todtnau. We had not been there before and it is lovely. They moved to Todtnau last Fall after they retired and had been living in Frankfurt. She is from France and he is from Germany and we did not know them very well. We took the Elder's with us to lunch - Elder Letort could talk French with her and help with the conversation. We had a fabulous day. What a difference it makes when you get to know someone and on their own turf. They have a lovely home and were delightful to be with. She is an amazing cook and filled us full. She served two tortes, an apricot and a plum. They were the best desserts I have had here. Sweet and moist unlike most of the desserts.
They told us they wanted to take us for a hike. We thought we would be going in the woods.
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| The Hasse's |
They walk into town regularly on a little trail that used to be the railroad tracks. There was a very bad accident about 20 years ago and so they stopped that line and took out the tracks. It was almost 100 and with a full stomach and the heat it just about did us in, but it was a wonderful walk. So, we did 4 km and saw some beautiful scenery.
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| St. John the Baptist Catholic Church |
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| Alter mosaic |
They took us into this Catholic Church. It was built and financed by the Priest in the city in 1875. It is more modern and filled with light. The alter mosaic was one of the nicest I have seen. It was not so ornate, and gave a different feel to the church. Below is a statue depicting the namesake of the Church, John the Baptist baptizing Christ.
Interesting Note: In Matthew 3:16 is says, "
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 - And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
We teach baptism by immersion, just as Jesus Christ was baptized. He also received the sign of the Holy Ghost through the dove.
On our drive home the Elder's had names of people in the Ward that we are trying to find. We were in the area of a few and so we went finding. We ended up at the highest peak of the Black Forest, Feldberg. It is a large ski resort and you can ride the gondolas and walk to the tower at the top. We hope to go back soon and do that hike. We did not find the man or his address. Some people just give work addresses and try not to be found. That's OK, we got to see a new place and it is always a nice drive.
Sis Runga has been a special friend since we have been here. She and Russ served their missions at the same time in Austria. They did not ever serve in the same city at the same time, but they both taught some of the same people. She has had us to lunch many times and it is always a treat. She had us for lunch on Friday. She has never married and worked in banking her whole life. She is retired and getting ready to move into Senior living. We are so grateful to her for her kindness and generous heart.
We left her home, quickly changed and headed to the garden to serve there. It was a very quiet day with not much work needing to be done. There were only two other people there. The heat keeps many away. They assignment board just said, come in and enjoy the garden today. Go sit under the apple tree and enjoy the refreshments. Take what you would like from the garden. So - we went looking in the garden and picked raspberries, peas and artichokes. Made a raspberry tart today for Sunday Dinner and will serve the artichokes with dinner as well. Nothing like fresh produce out of the garden. The potatoes and tomatoes that we planted are growing great. We will not get to harvest any, but it is fun to watch them grow.
It has been a very busy week. I spent all day Saturday shopping and cooking for Zone Conference on Monday and dinner with the YSA on Sunday. We are so blessed to be able to serve our mission and to be a part of the work in the Alpine German Mission. We have been so blessed to be able to serve in such a beautiful place with good people. So sorry this was so long- hopefully you can enjoy the pictures and a little bit of history.
Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's
For those that are interested:
FLAN CHEESECAKE
1 cup sugar Melt lemon and sugar in small pan on low heat until golden. Pour
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice into bottom of 9 in. springform pan. Swirl to coat. Set aside.
1 (8 oz) cream cheese - room temperature
5 eggs - room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix cream cheese til smooth. Add eggs one at a time.
Add vanilla and both milks.
Mix well to combine.
Skim off foam and pour over caramel in pan.
Place springform pan in a larger pan. Put in oven. Pour boiling water halfway up outer pan.
Bake for 45-50 min. or until set.
Remove from pan of water. Cool on rack.
Cover and regrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Run knife around the edges to unmold. Invert on serving tray.
