A Time for Traditions

Posted on November 12, 2010 by cellibee

Now that the calendar says November, it’s time to talk traditions. The holiday season holds a special place for many of us when it comes to traditions and the spot they hold in our hearts. I’m going to share a few Ellibee-family traditions, one from a friend, and some we like from Europe.

Enjoy a slice of scrumptious panettone with a cup of coffee.

Enjoy a slice of scrumptious panettone with a cup of coffee.

 

1. The Christmas Pickle. A Christmas decorating tradition at our house was the pickle ornament. Here’s the story—the glass pickle was hidden in the Christmas tree and first person to find it had good luck for the new year. My sister, Margaret, usually found it. I think she just moved it every day so I wouldn’t discover it. Sneaky! 

2. Holiday music. Our friend, Kristin, LOVES holiday music.  I mean she really loves it. Kristin dials into her favorite Kansas City radio stations that play holiday music on November 1 and listens until January 2 or 3rd. She loves the holiday season and feels it’s the happiest, most magical time of the year, so she celebrates with music. Kristin not only listens to holiday music on the radio, but she has over 700 tunes in her iTunes library. That has to be a record. By the way, her favorite holiday song is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

3. Foods. Sue and I love Italian panettone during the holidays. There’s just something about tasting the rich, fruit studded bread (with some butter) that says holiday. It’s the same way for me and stollen. Growing up with German traditions, we always had stollen during Christmas. Now, some people like green bean casserole at Thanksgivng and Christmas, but let’s not even discuss that hot dish. Of course, Sister Margaret does enjoy it—bah humbug!    

  

Say hello to the cheerful Plum Man.

Say hello to the cheerful Plum Man.

 

4. The Plum Man. WOW! We didn’t know about the Plum Man (Pflaumentoffel) until we visited Dresden, Germany during the Christmas Market. This smiling chimney sweep constructed of dried plums brings good luck to everyone. We brought back a tabletop version that will stand on our dining room table this year. Frosty now has some competition in the neighborhood.

What are your favorite holiday traditions and songs? Let us know.

 

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Language Arts

Posted on October 19, 2010 by cellibee

Next Sunday is a big day here at the Ellibees. We’re heading back to school. I’m a little nervous. The last time I sat in a classroom, Ronald Reagan was our president and the Kansas City Royals won the World Series. I’ll let you do the math. Continue reading →

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Just the Flax

Posted on October 7, 2010 by cellibee

Let’s talk flax and specifically, one of its feel good products, linen. While we were in Belgium (one of the world’s linen epicenters), we had the pleasure of visiting Rummeny Textiles to talk linen for EuropeanMarket. Rummeny makes beautiful linens for the home—napkins, dishtowels, place mats, tablecloths, and blankets. Very nice!

Right now, you might be thinking, “What makes linen so special that I want to use it in my home?” Well, my friends, here’s a quick linen primer.

Linen Quality

Linen lasts for years if you properly care for it. Just wash in cool water, don’t put it the dryer, and banish wrinkles with an iron when the fabric is still damp. Pretty darn easy. Linen has a soft, luxurious feel, resists pilling, and is non-allergenic. Plus, a linen kitchen towel makes dish drying a breeze thanks to linen’s awesome water absorption properties. How cool is that? And, I say that from years of dish drying in this house.

The Flax Is Where It’s At

A high-quality linen starts with high-quality flax and that’s found in France—Brittany and Normandy to be exact. French flax produces strong, long fibers, just what you want in your linen. During our visit to Rummeny, we also learned that flax is a “green” crop requiring no irrigation and little fertilizers or pesticides. Eco chic!

So, set a place for linen in your home. Once you experience it, you’ll fall in love—just like we did.

Learn more about the world of flax and linen at these sites:

Masters of Linen—www.mastersoflinen.com

Belgian Linen—www.belgianlinen.com

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A Taste of Belgium

Posted on September 22, 2010 by cellibee

We just returned from a fantastic week in Belgium. A buying/scouting trip for us, so lots of meetings, searching for new products, and talking with folks that are in the know. We found some awesome things including linens (new and antique), antique glassware, and chocolates (of course).

Belgium might be a small country, but it offers up some incredible food. There’s the chocolate, the beer (over 400 varieties), the waffles, the fries, and the mussels (OK, I admit I stayed away from those). But, I sampled everything else and have a few extra pounds to show for it.

I’ll just share a few food faves from our trip.

Chocolate—Belgian chocolate. Two words=yum+yum! I think there is a chocolate shop on every corner. Dark chocolates, milk chocolates, truffles, chocolate bars, chocolate with nuts, chocolate-covered orange slices (a new favorite thanks to our friend, Porter W.), chocolate spread, and chocolate sauce. We did our best to sample as many as possible. We have some fantastic varieties for sale from Baru (a mix and all dark).

Waffles—Not for breakfast in Belgium, but eaten as a treat throughout the day. In Brussels, there were small waffle shops and, gotta love this, waffle vans cruising the streets. I liked them warm with just a bit of syrup. Wrapped in a bit of paper so you can take it and eat on the go. Now, that’s my kind of fast food.

Belgian fries—You might think it was the French that put the French in the fries, but no, it was all Belgian. The nation is in love with their frites. Like the waffles and chocolates, there must be a Belgian fry shop on every street corner. And, hold the ketchup, dip those bad boys in some mayo or curry mayo. Love it!

Do you have a favorite food from a particular place? Share it with us! Happy eating!

Visit the following for more information on delightful Belgium:

Belgium Tourist Office

Belgian Tourist Office: Wallonia and Brussels

Tourist Office for Flanders


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On the Road Again

Posted on September 1, 2010 by cellibee

Ahh, the end of August and Labor Day bring the last getaways of summer. Are you planning on traveling this week to enjoy one last warm-weather break? Whether you’re getting away by car, bus, plane, or ship we have some travel ideas that will help ensure a voyage of  smooth sailing and blue skies.

The Ellibee Top 8 Travel Companions

1. Snacks—I just want to say this, “Never leave home without them.” When we go anywhere, my backpack contains some granola bars and some cashews or almonds (or both). When the pangs of hunger strike, I can just grab some almonds and I’m good to go for another 5 or 10 minutes. Continue reading →

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Hello Gelato

Posted on August 25, 2010 by cellibee

Pick your flavor. A sample of the delicious choices at Rome's Di Rienzo.

With warm temps embracing most of the nation, let’s chill out by talking cold, creamy dessert treats. By that, I mean we should talk about ice cream’s Italian cousin, gelato.

What’s the difference between American ice cream and Italian gelato? Well, both are made with the same ingredients—cream, sugar, flavorings (usually fruits, nuts, chocolate), but gelato has a lower butterfat content than ice cream. Plus, air isn’t added to gelato so it has a richer, denser flavor than ice cream. Gee, what’s not to love about that?

Every Italian town has at least one gelateria. At night, folks buy a cup of gelato and enjoy it while sitting at outdoor tables or strolling through town while savoring it before it melts. Continue reading →

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Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Posted on August 17, 2010 by cellibee

So, when we’re in European cities and towns for business we walk. We walk a lot. But, one of our favorite things is to try to sneak in a day or part of a day to hike in the mountains (if we’re near the mountains). We love the mountain scenery, fresh air, and the vast panoramas. I think that’s because we’re both from the Midwest and grew up surrounded by corn fields and rolling hills.

Here’s a tour of three of our favorite mountain areas.

Rothorn, Switzerland

On the Rothorn, overlooking some of the best views in Switzerland.

On the Rothorn, overlooking some of the best views in Switzerland.

You can’t get far in Switzerland without seeing mountains. They seem to appear everywhere you look. We fell in love with the Rothorn near the central Swiss town of Brienz, on the shores of Lake Brienz. Ride the steam cog railway to the top. Step out of the carriage and hike the gravel path to the lodge. Here, you can grab a seat at the outdoor patio and enjoy a cold beer while you soak in the amazing sights.  Check into the Hotel Brienz in Brienz and ask for a room overlooking the lake. Brienz also is the woodcarving center of Switzerland. All of our EuropeanMarket Swiss wood ornaments and some of our toys come from this charming town.

Switzerland Tourism—www.myswitzerland.com
Hotel Brienz—www.hotel-brienz.ch

Continue reading →

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Coffee, Tea, or Flipping Out?

Posted on August 12, 2010 by cellibee

By now, everyone has heard about JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, and his chops-busting tirade on a flight from Pittsburgh to JFK. Apparently, Steven cracked under the pressure of a rude passenger ignoring the crew’s request to remain seated. Being a traveler, I have to give Steven props for going after the offending passenger. But, I don’t condone the way he did it. To me that was just as bad. And wacky.

All of us have witnessed the creep of poor behavior/manners into everyday life. Whether on a plane, at the store, or at the office. Common courtesy and respect seem to have gone out the window (or down the inflatable emergency chute in this case). Continue reading →

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For the Love of Stollen

Posted on August 9, 2010 by cellibee

OK, many of you know about my love of desserts, especially anything made with butter, sugar, dried fruit, spices, and more butter. This might explain my love of stollen. Well, that and my German genes.

If you’re not familiar with stollen, it is the great, traditional German fruitcake served during the holidays. Of course, I see no reason you can’t eat it all year. I love it for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

Imagine my insulin shock when we traveled to Dresden in December 2009, for the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market). Not only did we find beautiful, handmade ornaments for EuropeanMarket, but we also found some delish stollen. Dresden just happens to be the epicenter of German stollen making. Hmmmm…..color me happy. Continue reading →

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Welcome to EuropeanMarket

Posted on August 8, 2010 by cellibee

Well, here we are jumping into the world of blogging. It’s a whole new adventure for us. We’re glad you’ve joined us for the journey.

We started EuropeanMarket (www.EuropeanMarket.US) to share high-quality European gifts with American consumers. Things not readily available in the States. Our motto sums it up: Shop Europe. No passport required. We seek out special items with a story, a history, and a timeless quality. That’s what we’re all about. We try to visit as many of our vendor partners as possible. We like to establish relationships with them and understand how they make their products. This adds another experience element we can share with you.

We love to travel, so we’ll also reveal info. on the places we love, the places we want to visit, and the places that just sound cool. We’ll also ask for your input on destinations and reviews. It might be a city, a hotel, or a restaurant.

I’m obsessed with reviews, so before we head out on a trip I usually look at sites like www.shermanstravel.com, www.travelandleisure.com, www.TripAdvisor.Com, www.karenbrown.com, and www.Expedia.com. All are awesome for finding out the details before you pack your bags and leave home.

Like most journeys, plans might change as we go along. So, just hang with us as we navigate our blog. Thanks for traveling with us. Hope you enjoy the view.

Visiting the Coliseum, Rome, 06/10.

Visiting the Coliseum, Rome, 06/10.





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