Restaurant Tip: First Christmas Day Dinner at Hotel-Restaurant Reweschnier

In Germany the Christmas Holiday is celebrated over a three day period.  On Christmas Eve almost all stores and businesses close at 14:00 hrs (2 p.m. for you civilians) and traditionally it is that evening that the Christmas tree is set up and decorated by the adults and the presents are put out.  Then the children are let into the room around 18:00 - 19:00 hrs (6-7 p.m.) to see what the "Christkind" (Baby Jesus) has brought them.  Old St. Nick drops off little sweets or coal and a switch, if you have been bad, in your shoe or stocking on the 6th of December, St Nicholas Day.  After the "Bescherung" (giving of gifts), very devout catholics attend midnight mass on the 24th.  The 25th and 26th are the first and second Christmas Days, in my family we usually go out to lunch or dinner at a nice restaurant on the First Christmas Day.  On the Second Christmas Day we usually have 3 or 4 friends over to celebrate and enjoy a Germanic take on a traditional American Turkey Dinner.


Now to the restaurant tip, this year as in the past 5 years we had a table reserved at the Hotel-Restaurant Reweschnier.  It is a family favorite for special occasions and holidays, in fact we celebrated my Grandmother's 80th birthday here.  The Reweschnier is located in the little village of Blaubach just outside of the town of Kusel in the county of the same name.  Blaubach is roughly 25 Km north-west of Ramstein Air Base and 19 Km south-east of Smith Barracks, Baumholder Germany.  The cuisine served at the Reweschnier spans the categories of International to Regional specialties.  My dad opted for the traditional Christmas Goose leg with potato dumplings & red cabbage, my mom opted for the pan fried Wiener Schnitzel (breaded boneless pork cutlet) with french fries and salad from the buffet, and I chose the Pefferrahm Steak (New York Tip with green pepper cream sauce) with fried potatos with onions and bacon & a salad from the buffet as well.   The meals were outstanding and I could not resist swiping a bite of goose with the crispy skin, it literally melted in my mouth.  If I did not have an aversion to the side dishes I would have probably ordered the same as my dad.  We shared a bottle of mineral water with the meal and each of us chose our wine favorites to accompany the meal.  My personal favorite is a semi dry Portugieser Weissherbst, a light and fruity rose', a staple wine made in the Rhein-Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz wine regions.  The meal was rounded off with a bowl of mixed ice-cream for myself and my mom, my dad picked his favorite "Heisse Liebe" (Hot Love) vanilla ice-cream topped with warm raspberry's and sauce.   As always the meal was outstanding!


The Reweschnier is also a very popular location for hosting conferences and weddings.  The most famous wedding reception held there was that of Polish born German National Soccer Player Miroslav Klose.  Klose started his soccer career with the SG Blaubach-Diedlkopf and is now a striker for the Italian Serie A (First League) team Lazio Rom.  If you have an opportunity to dine at the Reweschnier make sure you also check out the Klose wedding pictures prominently on display in the lobby entrance area.  


Guten Appetit (Enjoy Your meal!) and check out the pics and links below.


http://reweschnier.de/en/Home/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blauer_Portugieser


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miroslav_Klose

Site Tip: customerservicenumbers.com

In the spirit of cronyism and the second part of my Blog name E.T.C. (Experiences Tips & Commentaries) I would like to call attention to: http://customerservicenumbers.com// , a site run by my best friend from College.  He was instrumental in helping me get started with this whole Blogging thing; so,  I felt it was only right for me to send a little love his way.  This site is an awesome tool to get assistance and avoid the typical run-a-round of being transferred from one dept. to the next on an endless loop.  I have been giving out the website for well over two years now and have gotten nothing but positive feedback.  There is also a great blog link on the site which I am including below.  So if you need help with a product or service, this is your number one resource to go to so you can talk directly with those who make the product or service in question.


http://www.customerservicenumbersblog.com/

Ultimate Home Theater

The other day at the store I was talking to colleague (Microsoft Rep) about Apple vs Windows, oh I guess I forgot to mention that I work as a vendor rep in the military market selling Apple computers exclusively to members of the United States Military.  So back to the friendly discussion we agreed to agree, that it's good that their are multiple solutions for different needs and that neither of us subscribe to the dogma of "Highlanderism" the belief that "Their Can Only Be ONE!"  I wish I could take credit for the concept; but, I got it from the guys of the "Angry Mac Bastards" podcast.  Warning massive foul language, not for the faint of ear.  If you do not get the reference, time to rent or buy the movie "Highlander" starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery


So what does all of that have to do with Home Theater?  Well the discussion ran its course and morphed into home audio, and having spent almost 22 year selling high end Home & Car Audio products I love every opportunity I get to talk about HiFi systems.  My colleague being retired military, as so often is the case when having been stationed overseas, has a pretty nice set-up consisting of Adcom amps, Yamaha receiver, and Klipsch speakers.  During the conversation he basically told me how he got into Home Theater and where, when and how he acquired the various components of his system.  My own personal system is rather modest, based off a Kenwood receiver and JBL Control series speakers.  Unfortunately I would probably have a system equal or better to his had I benefitted from better timing and had I been a little more flush with cash when the overseas Audio Photo Clubs went out of business.  Regardless my system gets the job done despite the absence of a powered subwoofer.  


Human nature being what it is, and suffering from the need to constantly improve and acquire new toys for ones hobby, you have to ask yourself what would the fantasy sound system look like?  Then I remembered an interview I listened to with Jeremy R. Kipnis, who has probably assembled the Ultimate Home Theater System.  The interview was conducted by Scott Wilkinson on episode 39 of the Home Theater Geeks podcast from the TWiT network.  The Kipnis Studio Standard (KSS) is designed to show off what is possible and advertise the technical expertise of Kipnis Studios, whose core business is the installation and design of Home Theater Systems.  The KSS features a screen in excess of 182 square feet, and a 8.8 & 12.12 (3 Snell Center Channels, 10 Murata Super-tweeters, 8 Snell Full Range Speaker Towers & 16 Eighteen inch Subwoofers) surround sound system powered by 96,000 watts from 56 McIntosh Tube Amps!   The KSS was also the 2009 Guiness World record holder for: Most Technically Advanced Gaming Set-Up as the KSS features a Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii, XBOX 360 plus Apple & Windows computer gaming systems.  The entire KSS can be controlled with an iPhone.  Price Tag: $6 Million!

They say seeing is believing and I would love to hear this system one day as well!  As always please be sure to check out the links below. 


http://www.kipnis-studios.com/The_Kipnis_Studio_Standard/Kipnis_Home_Theaters.html

http://twit.tv/show/home-theater-geeks/39

http://angrymacbastards.blogspot.com/

Skip Stewart at the NAS JAX Air Show 2011

Been away from the blog for a while, "life gets in the way" as I am sure most of you have experienced first hand.  I realized that I did have a tidbit to add to the Air Show post and I finally got around to editing some video I shot at the show.  Ever since I got the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 I have been experimenting with it's video shooting capabilities and learning more about editing video using iPhoto 11 on my '06 White MacBook.  My proficiency at the editing process improves with each attempt mainly because the Apple software is so easy to learn.  My cameraman skills leave a little to be desired due to the lack of a steady hand and a general failure to have a tripod with me at all times as well as running out of battery power or SD card storage space.  None the less I figured I would take what little footage I had available to me and show case just a glimpse of Skip Stewart's aerobatic skills.  If you ever have the opportunity to see Skip first hand you will not regret it, he puts on quite a show!  I hope you enjoy the video below!  Also make sure to visit his website:

http://www.skipstewartairshows.com/

Event Coverage: 2011 NAS JAX AIR SHOW, 6 November 2011

This year's Air Show at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville celebrated 100 Years of Naval Aviation.  Just think 100 years of manned flight for Naval Aviators and it all started when 24 year old Eugene B. Ely launched his Curtiss Pusher off a temporary flight deck mounted to the bow of the U.S.S. Birmingham in Hampton Roads Virginia on 14 November 1910.  Only two months later on the 18th of January 1911 Ely also became first pilot to land an aircraft on the deck of the armored cruiser U.S.S. Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay.  Thus paving the way for the U.S. Navy pioneer Aircraft Carrier operations and extend Naval power beyond the shore line in land by means of air power.  Currently the U.S. Navy projects global air power with 5 Aircraft Carriers, the U.S.S.'s Carl Vinson, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, John C. Stennis and George H.W. Bush.

So back to the show, there were nearly 30 Military aircraft on static display and at least 15 more that were scheduled to fly, not including the six Boeing F/A 18 Hornets and Lockheed-Martin C-130 "Fat Albert" of the Blue Angels.  My favorite flight performances were Skip Stewart in his Bi-plane "Prometheus", you would not believe a plane could carry out those kind of maneuvers.  The WWII Curtis SB2C Helldiver, the only one in flying condition of a total of 7000 planes built, and one of the first model planes I built as a kid.  The WWII Vought F4U Corsair brought back memories of my favorite tv show from the mid-seventies "Baa Baa Black Sheep" that celebrated the life and antics of legendary Marine Ace Fighter pilot  Major "Pappy" Boyington and his "Black Sheep" Squadron.  Pilot John Mohr also did not fail to impress with his aerobatics in a pre-WWII Stearman PT-17 Navy Bi-Plane Trainer, a plane that was never designed to perform that way.  On the ground, the car guy in me got a kick out of the '57 Chevy, dual Pratt & Whitney jet powered, "Super Shockwave".  Man, what a Noise, Smoke and Heat!  If you are a car guy also check out the little automotive morsel I stumbled upon at the show and I will feature shortly on my SkyoöD-Vu P.O.V. Blog.

I almost thought the show was going to be a complete wash for me as the cloud ceiling was quite low for the greater part of Sunday.  I feared that I would not be able to see the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels fly due to the weather and thus eliminate the opportunity to the indeterminate future of ever adding their performance to the long list of world's top flight teams I have already seen.  Having lived in Europe most of my life I have enjoyed the aerobatics of the:

British RAF's "Red Arrows" (10 shows)

Italian Air Force's "Frecce Tricolori" (10 shows)

Belgian Air Force's "Red Devils" (1 Show)

French Air Force's "Patrouille de France" (2 shows)

Royal Dutch Air Force's "Grasshoppers" helicopter flight team (4 Shows)

Swiss Air Force's "Patrouille Suisse" (Practice session over the Swiss Alps while I was skiing on the slopes of Wengen)

U.S. Air Force's "Thunderbirds" (1 show)

Fortunately for all the attendees the weather cleared in time for the Blue Angels to take to the air around 3:00 p.m. to sum it up AMAZING!  I have never seen pilots get their planes so close together and perform complicated maneuvers while maintaining close quarters.  Truly skilled pilots.  I suspect the low cloud cover forced some changes to the flight routines so they could not perform as many group stunts as the Italian's, which I still rate as one of my all time favorites; but, that does not diminish for me the historical importance of having been able to witness the Blue Angels perform at NAS JAX where the team first was formed in 1946.  Finally I would like to extend my personal thanks to the father and uncle of Major Brent Stevens United States Marine Corp, Blue Angel #3, for giving me and my 3 friends tickets to the VIP section in front Blue Angels' staging area.  We were able to witness the precision marching drill of the Pilots and their Ground Crews from some of the best seats "in the house!"  Nothing substitutes seeing and air show in person; but pictures do help spice up the blog.  Enjoy the slideshow shot with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 and edited with iPhoto 11 on an 06 Macbook (OS-X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard).

Check out these links for more info on show, participants and aircraft:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Ely

http://www.skipstewartairshows.com/v4/index.html

http://www.mohrbarnstorming.com/

http://www.quadcityairshow.com/performers/shockwave/shockwave.htm

http://www.daveswarbirds.com/usplanes/american.htm

http://skyud-vupov.blogspot.com/

First Post: Sauerkraut Stew

I mean really, if the blog is going to be named after a stew/Eintopf, how can I not include as my first post one of my own creations or rather adaptations of a recipe I found online.  Before we get to the details lets discuss the inspiration.  I love soups and stews, when I go out to eat on festive occasions I can not resist ordering a soup as an appetizer and I alway try to order something I have never had before or variation of a favorite.  This gets me labeled a "Suppenkasperle" after a beloved German children's story, ironically the main character does not eat his soup and withers away.  Picture from German Wikipedia site and I would paste the wiki into Google Translate as the english version in Wikipedia is pretty weak.

http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:H_Hoffmann_Struwwel_18.jpg&filetimestamp=20051217205200

The love of stews come from my formative years that I often spent with my German Grandparents especially my "Opi" (Grand-daddy).  He was born and raised in Bochum at the heart of the coal mining and steel mill region of Germany.  Bochum is in Nordrhein-Westphalen (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Durcheinander - stews are extremely popular in this region.  Even though the origins of meal hark back to more meager times and were the staple of working class folk,  they are usually potato based with a single type of seasonal vegetable (Leak, Cabbage, Carrots, etc) and maybe a tiny bit of meat for flavoring as meat was alway expensive.  Regardless they were his favorite meals and mine as well.

Now to the stew in the title although it has sauerkraut in it, I have never seen it on a German menu.  I discovered this great dish during a mountain bike trip in Slovenia.  I stumbled upon a little mountain hut in the Triglav National Forest Park, north of Lake Bohinj near a beautiful waterfall.  The Sauerkraut Stew was the house specialty plus a tasty Slovenian Pilsner was just what the doctor ordered to reinvigorate this mountain biker.

O.K. so now after much dilly dallying here is my version of the soup and below that are the originals I found as a guideline, try at your own risk:

Mark's Sauerkraut & Bean Soup or Stew

4 cups of beans or 12 - 18 Ounces (Your choice I like to mix at least three types of beans with one being Kidney)

4 Onions chopped

3 Potatoes chopped

Nice piece of smoked ham is optional but reccommended

6 - 8 Polish sausages browned then cut into bite size pieces and fried some more with a little (teaspoon) bacon grease

4 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped or minced

Bay leaf

Tablespoon of Parsley

Bullion Veg or Beef

Can of Sauerkraut 

Season to taste with: Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper & Paprika

Throw all ingredients in Crockpot, fill with water and set to slow-cook at Low Temp

Original Recipies:

Ingredients: 1 can sauerkraut, partially rinsed 1 pound good wieners or 6-8 Polish sausages 1 medium onion, chopped 1 large bay leaf 1 can kidney beans 3 potatoes, diced 1 clove garlic, minced  Cracklings Salt and Pepper to taste Directions: In a large pot, place partially rinsed sauerkraut, beans, onion and garlic. Add diced potatoes and pieces of sausage which have been cut in 1/4-inch pieces. Add water to cover. Add pepper and bay leaf and just a bit of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours (the longer it cooks the better it tastes). When ready to serve, heat cracklings in a frying pan and pour on top. Directions: The cooking begins with beans that have been pre-soaked. Add diced potatoes and cook until beans and potatoes are soft. The sauerkraut is cooked separately with a few cloves of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds. Mash the bean-potato mixture and add to the sauerkraut. Make a roux of lard (or shortening), flour and more garlic and blend into bean-potato mixture, adding more water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Sour turnips can be used instead of sauerkraut in this recipe. Google Translate link from the site www.marions-kochbuch.de : http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http://www.marions-kochbuch.de/rezept/2225d.htm