COOKING
I have enjoyed the time here without working, to do a little cooking.  I've made a few desserts and dinners.  It is a challenge to figure out what is on packages, how to find things in the stores, and things just end up tasting a little different than it did in the U.S.    I'm making my own vanilla extract, it will only take 3 months!  Vanilla beans are available and something else called vanilla sugar but it isn't the same as vanilla extract.  I made this pumpkin cheesecake with fresh pumpkins.  So far I had no luck in finding any canned pumpkin.  It wasn't hard to cook the fresh ones but without a food processor or blender or mixer, it was a lot of work to try to get it smooth like a puree.   If you want to know how I got the design on the top, let me know, I'll show you, it is easy.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

How to do the design on top:

I used paper doilies this time.  I used a big one that I cut out the center section.  Gently press it down to the frosting so it touches the cake.  You don't want it to stick too hard but also not let the cinnamon sneak up under it.

I added a smaller doily that I cut out a heart.  You can do whatever design you want.

Sprinkle cinnamon all over it and gently push it around with your finger to fill the cutouts.  Blow off the extra into the sink or outdoors.  

Gently pull off the doilies or wax paper template.

Eat big pieces and enjoy.

Here are the two I made last year using waxed paper and cut out the design I created.

CARAMEL SAUCE

I tried 3 different recipes today for caramel sauce.  None of which I had all the exact ingredients that the recipe called for but I used what I had.  For instance, I have not found "light corn syrup" yet so I used Pancake syrup.  I have not found plain cornstarch so I used a starch that the box says is for making white gravy.  It looks kinda like corn starch to me.  The brown sugar here in Germany is not as moist as I am used to in the states but it has a nice dark color.   I think the one of the creams I used was like half n half but they don't call it half n half like we do.  Anyway they all taste great and all have a lightly different texture and color.  We will enjoy having them over ice cream.

VANILLA EXTRACT

I looked all over for vanilla extract and could not find it so I found out how to make it by searching on the internet.  I started this little bottle about a week ago.  It only takes about 3 months to make.  So I should be able to use this around January.  It is pretty easy to make.  When it is done, you can replace the amount of liquid you use with some more and keep the bottle going.  Since I started it I did find a bottle at one of the big stores called Real (like a Walmart) it is a seasonal thing here so I got a bottle of it because it won't be there all the time and I can use it now in my baking.  

PUMPKIN PIE
I made a pie out of the pumpkins that I cooked and made puree from a couple of weeks ago and had in the freezer.
Well, the crust tastes good but since I didn't have pie weights or a real pie pan with sloped sides, I improvised like I do,  used a cake pan and all our spare coins on top of baking paper for pie crust weights.  It would have worked great but I didn't have enough coins so the crust shrank down along the edges that didn't have enough weight next to those edges.  I'll try to find some weights and keep looking for a regular pie dish too.  I'll add pie dish and pie weights if I can't find them to our "bring back list".  But now I have some HOT cash!  My pumpkin pie tastes pretty good even it it doesn't look great.  I covered up the edges with leaves I made from the extra dough.

Pie crust leaves.  I ordered pie cutters but they didn't arrive yet so I'll just make some myself.

These will be decoration for the pie

Finished Pumpkin Pie