Currently, I’m obsessed with

Posted byMicahPosted inLife, lifestyleTags:, , , , , , ,

After two months here in Germany, I can safely claim that I am more relaxed and am finally able to flow with the rhythms of life. My inner world can still improve by a lot, but it is okay, currently.

Today, I would like to share a short list of some things that bring me joy and help me get out of my head each day:

Pizza-making

I have tried to make pizza in The Philippines but have always been left wanting when it came to the dough. The difference, I found out, is fresh yeast. It was unavailable to me back home but there is no shortage here.

Markus’ mother shared one of her pizza recipes with me and it was the best thing ever. From her, I also learned that eggplant tasted immaculate on a pizza. We eat it often now!

Ice cream

By now, it is almost a tradition: every time Markus and I would go out to visit old towns or explore a new place, we would grab a scoop of ice cream from a local shop – and there are always plenty of ice cream parlors to choose from.

It kind of reminds me of Archie comics that I read as a child. Going to ice cream parlors is not really a thing in The Philippines. My sisters and I would have thick vanilla ice cream from time to time but we would buy a big tub from the supermarket and eat it at home at night.

Filipino food finds

I am always surprised every time I see something from The Philippines in the stores here. I find myself talking loudly to bottles of vinegar, cans of sardines, and packages of snacks, asking, “Oh my God, what are you doing here?”

It is always a pleasant surprise, though I must admit the oyster sauce situation has not improved. The only known source is this one Asian store in Frankfurt. I have yet to visit it myself, and when I do, all those Mama Sita’s bottles are coming with me!

Fall

This is my first time experiencing fall. It is now 10 C and the sun is even more shy than when I arrived. But I am not complaining. My heart stops when I see the leaves turning in all colors, beautiful and magical in every way.

And the pumpkins! I have never seen such variety. I have yet to try them because all the pumpkins I see are huge and I worry I will be unable to use them up. No waste, remember? For now, I will enjoy seeing them everywhere. The displays at Farmer’s market are really pretty but I get mesmerized I always forget to take a photo.   

I suppose my only challenge is dressing correctly for the season. I only have summer clothes, and steadily, Markus and I are shopping for proper fall wear. His mother helps us, too, so I have no doubt this will all be sorted out soon enough.

I have to say am enjoying the warmth of 100% wool clothes. Still, I feel like a house walking around in all my layers. A few days ago, I had a shirt, a pullover, a bomber jacket, and a scarf on when we went to the city, and some people we came across with were only wearing a shirt and jeans.

Wild mushrooms

Big ones, small ones, isolated ones, clumps, in trees, grasses, wood – mushrooms are everywhere and it is a delight to spot them in the wild. Maybe I will find more as the fall progresses. As you know, I enjoyed growing mushrooms at home and stumbling upon them here on every walk outside brings me joy.

What are you obsessed with lately?

    

80 thoughts on “Currently, I’m obsessed with”

  1. Pingback: In Gelnhausen, on a lovely fall day – Markus + Micah

  2. So fabulous to hear & see you enjoying life around you, Micah!
    I am so envious of the wonderful weather you are experiencing – but you are right, having the appropriately warm clothes is so very important in order to enjoy everything else!
    I love the Fall sights … and I love the the bounty of piles of pumpkins in their various colours & sizes! I hear you about committing to the whole huge pumpkin – I have been cooking mini-pumpkins … very much easier to tackle them!
    Made from scratch pizza: I love it!

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    1. The fall colors are lovely. Watching the trees turn is breathtaking. Maybe not safe for running! I am doing better with the clothes but lots to improve. Now I really need fall shoes, I think. I only have sneakers! Anf oh, we made pumpkin cheesecake brownies! I thought of you. I wanted to make the one from Fat Witch that you sent but I do not have that size or kind of pan as mentioned on the recipe?

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      1. That is the problem with the Fat Witch recipes – I had to buy a pan specially for baking those batches! It’s an American sizing, I believe. I’m sure you could use the pan converter to use what you have available:
        https://www.omnicalculator.com/food/cake-pans
        You’re right – you’d probably need warmer shoes soon … at least, water-proof or water-resistant ones. I don’t know about where you are in Germany, but when we are in London for Christmas, we need the protection against the wet days.

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  3. Your pizza made me drool. Looks so good! I wouldn’t say currently…. But I have an obsession with cups… Like really bad. Like I’m seriously considering removing food from the kitchen.
    What do we need food for? We can survive with cups, no?

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        1. I hear you. There was a pop-up ceramic market here last month and I wanted to bring everything home with me! The best thing was we finally found nice soup cups that we needed. Handmade and dishwasher-friendly, too!

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  4. I love your fall photos!!! 🙂
    and I wish I can see you grocery shopping… people who talk to inanimate objects are the best!!!!!
    -says the girl who talks to ATM machines 😀 –

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      1. Haha. A lot. It started in college whenever I check my incoming allowance. Back then, wire transfers aren’t instantaneous. You have to wait a week or more, depending on the bank partner. So when my mom tells me that she’s sent my allowance and it’s not yet there, I get totally mad at the ATM machine and answer their every automated response. I am like that til now, it’s like it’s an OLD FRIEND whom I have this regular convos with. I didn’t realize I was doing that til my cousin brought it up.

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  5. I love reading about your adventures in Germany! And I too love love love ice cream shops! There is a local one here that features seasonal flavors like peach in summer, pumpkin in fall, Peppermint in winter, and even ice cream with cereal and marshmallows mixed in. Lately I have been obsessed with warm donuts, cleaning out and organizing my kitchen cabinets, and tending to some unknown mini orchids my aunt gave me.

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    1. Thank you. I hope I can blog more now. These ice cream shops sound lovely. I have never had pumpkin ice cream, very interesting! And thanks a bunch for making me crave waem doughnuts. Ugh!

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  6. Haha omg if my friend who lives in Germany visits UAE again, I’ll make sure to send lots of Mama Sita Oyster sauce for you! 😂
    I think u already know my answer to ur last question, tho. BTS… 😌💜 Haha!

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      1. Thank you for the welcome. My favorite pizza topping is mushrooms. As far as ice cream it’s impossible to pinpoint one flavor. I like chocolate, coconut, mint chocolate chip, homemade vanilla, chocolate marshmallow, chocolate peanut butter… the list could go on. 🍨🍦😋

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  11. Sounds like you might be in Italy (pizza and ice cream)! Me? I’m constantly looking into all things Japanese! Recently, I did an online calligraphy taster course and now I’m working out if I can do more. Also, I recently discovered that in Japan the 4 seasons are divided into 72 smaller mini-seasons; fascinating! Wrap up warm, eat well and stay safe! 💐💐🙋‍♂️

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    1. Fall is lovely. It is my first time to experience it. I hope you get your ice cream. The one on the photo is melon and hazelnut. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mine is vanilla and chocolate.

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  13. Hi Micah! It has been SO long since I read your posts – I have just been so out of the reading blogs loop. You moved to Germany? Wow! Sounds like a fresh new adventure!!! Can’t wait to read more about it.
    That ice cream looks to die for. ❤
    Also, I discovered this secret no-yeast pizza recipe during lockdown (when we didn't have access to yeast) which takes only 20 minutes and is genius! https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/no-yeast-pizza-dough-recipe/
    Fall looks so beautiful – we are having a weird autumn in India with a lot of rains (climate change – argh).
    Discovering local food in a different country – is always so fun!
    My current obsession is this newly discovered vegan coconut yogurt – I freeze it and have it as ice cream – love love love it.
    Hope you are doing well! ❤
    -Moksha

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    1. Lovely to hear from you again. Thank you for the pizza recipe – will try. What are your favorite toppings? I did not know there is fall in India, too. I just know it was very cold in Rishikesh when I was there in October. The coconut yogurt ice cream sounds great. I miss coconuts!

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      1. Pizza toppings – I either like nothing on them – just cheese or weird toppings like spinach-ricotta or Pineapple-Jalapeno or eggplant. How about you?
        Delhi has a nice few weeks of autumn before we head into winters.
        How are you adjusting to the new weather?

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        1. Oh, we like more or less the same. I also enjoy eggplant, spinach, and pineapple on my pizza. I am doing better with the weather now. I was medicated for seven weeks from the time I arrived because of the dry air!

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      1. I love that the weather is cooler but still beautiful! I love the fall colors as the leaves change. I love pumpkin and apple flavored everything (not sure if that’s as much a think in Europe as it is I’m the US).
        For clothes, I’d say layers is the way to go given the daily temperature fluctuations. I usually keep a jacket with me.

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        1. True. Yesterday I saw a tree that has so many colors, as if it cannot decide! Apple-anything is everywhere here as it is the season. I have never seen so many variations to an apple pie. And yesterday I saw a small coffee cart selling pumpkin spice latte so it is a thing!

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  15. So good to see you happy and adjusting!
    I, like you, am obsessed with the fall colors of my new home. I think living in a new place allows us the indulgence of seeing with a child-like awe what to others is common and usual, but to us…amazing and unique!

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  16. That big multi-scoop of ice cream looks great!
    I’m glad you’re settling in.
    Your oyster sauce quest made me laugh. But I get it… stroopwafels used to be impossible to find here. After Dutch coworkers gave me some, I’d buy all that stores had in stock. Now they’re everywhere.

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  17. I recall hearing of relatives wearing shorts & tees in Wisconsin when temps climbed to 40F/4.5C. Here in SoCal, I wear a min of 3 layers when temps dip below 50/10… and that’s indoors cause “It’s too cold to go outside”!
    Check on the edibility (did I make up a word?) on those pumpkins. Way more than 75% of the varieties sold here are decorative only.

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    1. I hear you. It is always an adventure going outside. And yes, you are right – yesterday a lady said only one kind of pumpkin on their display is edible. It is still really fun. I will make pumpkin spiced latte soon. Markus likes it. I do not drink coffee but making it will be fun for me. Do you like this drink, too?

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      1. America is bonkers for pumpkin spice flavor/scented EVERYTHING (someone made toilet paper)! It made the news when Star*ucks released their pumpkin spice lattes in Aug this year. I have air fresheners on order.
        I dunno about there but here you only use the spices – clove, cinnamon, nutmeg (sometime allspice and/or ginger) – in most products. Pumpkin itself is in baked goods but not lattes/drinks.

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              1. In high school I drank 2 POTS of coffee a day… about 24 cups!! Per day!! In my 20s, my sister and I went to SF. I had a terrible headache on the drive home… realized I had been drinking 3 giant espressos per day (it was long before coffee shops were everywhere).
                Being down to 1 cup every couple days is difficult. I don’t know how I’m gonna stay awake when I return to the work world next week!!

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  18. It must be a huge adjustment for you to live in Germany after being in the Philippines. I enjoy the changing of seasons. This morning I wore a light jacket when walking, since it was suddenly cooler. Tonight we changed the system from cooling to heating. The temperature will be near freezing! There will be other warm days, so this is just a taste of autumn. I am always thrilled to see the leaves changing colors, too.

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    1. One day, I hope to be able to say I enjoy the cooling of the weather, too! Right now, it is mostly challenging for me since I do not know how to dress and I do not have all the right clothes yet. I hope you enjoy the coming of fall, Anne. What do you cook or bake mostly in the fall?

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      1. I like preparing hearty foods that warm you from the inside like a chicken casserole, baked ziti, and ground beef stroganoff. Butternut squash, sweet potato casserole, and stuffed acorn squash are Fall favorites. We love apples from the local orchard eaten raw, fried with butter and cinnamon, or a dessert called apple crisp. Cooler weather calls for soup, but I rarely make it myself. There are many canned ones that we like.

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          1. Make sure the squash is edible. We have some that are decorative only.
            I cut apples into slices, keeping the skin on but discarding the seeds. Melt some butter in a skillet, add the apple slices, shake some cinnamon on top and a tiny bit of ground cloves if you like, and cover. Cook on top of the stove, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender. If you like it sweet, add a little sugar toward the end of the cooking.

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  21. I am glad you are doing well in Germany. The homemade pizza looks really good. Our fall is starting, and I am happy to have the cooler temperatures. We bought ebikes not long ago, and that is my current obsession. Enjoy your fall!

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      1. We have a regular ebike – not one that folds. Dan and I are both tall, so we had concerns those fold-able bikes wouldn’t be as comfortable for us since the tires are smaller. The fold-able bikes don’t weigh any less, so no advantage there. We are riding the ebikes to the store, the library and for fun. Thanks for reading and your comment. Enjoy your day!

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  22. So fun, I love all these things too! Hmm I’m currently obsessed with trying on makeup because I’ve lived 42 years of my life without! So I just ordered some products to try and am also obsessed with YouTube beauty makeup tutorials. I just find it all so relaxing. Thanks for this post, it’s was light, bright, and beautiful! 🍁🎃🧡

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          1. Yeah YouTube is crazy POWERFUL influencer it’s nuts! I ordered 3 lid lustres from Victoria Beckham beauty bc I couldn’t decide! Honey, Tea Rose, and Mink, still waiting for it to arrive. I also ordered a Posh lipstick in Pout. Then I ordered Ilia skin tint spf serum and one of their blushes in Tenderly, eek! So excited! Do you use any makeup regularly? What do u use?

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            1. Good luck with all these and I hope they arrive soon! The colors sound really cool. I hope you like how they look. I do not wear makeup and have never done it. Maybe I will get to it at some point just like you!

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