Bebenhausen monastery and castle

The last time we drove past Bebenhausen was en route to a day in Tübingen, so we just looked at the gorgeous exteriors of the buildings in Bebenhausen.

This time, the amazing interiors were admired. As much as I generally dislike group tours, the only way to see the former residence of local royalty was on a tour. I took my chances with a German tour, as English tours are provided only to groups that reserve in advance. I understood about 75% of what was said, which included historical anecdotes and jokes. You don’t need to understand German to be impressed with the intricate wood carvings, decorations, and furniture of the times.

The abbey was self-guided and lovely. Similar to Maulbronn and unheated, I spent less time in Bebenhausen in the cold late fall weather. The combined ticket price of 9 Euros was more than worth it (abbey only is 5 Euros).

There is a small gift shop, restrooms, and a parking lot at street level that often fills up by late morning (the sign on the main road says dead end/no parking). There is a large parking lot a short walk away from the castle on the main road.

In true European style, a couple brought a picnic lunch and were enjoying it on a bench within the abbey gardens. I didn’t see a restaurant or snack bar within the historical property, but there is one along the main street that I didn’t try.

Bebenhausen is definitely worth a 1-2 hour stop if you like history, architecture, churches, and don’t mind climbing a bunch of stairs!  

Ice creams in Germany

OK, this is NOT a comprehensive listing of all your choices… just four that have caught my eye. Well, caught my palate? When I’m out and about, I prefer gelato, but I can’t keep it in the house…only single serve or very small containers of healthy choices.

When I was a kid growing up in Germany, my brother and I really liked this ice cream bar. It was a special treat from the local family-run grocery store. I don’t understand what a North American Native has to do with the title (Brown Bear) in German! I’ve been looking for this ice cream since we moved to Germany in 2015, and when I finally found it, I was thrilled. The flavor is not as great as I remember, which is more likely due to my taste buds evolving, but they may have changed the recipe. My favorite mint-flavored gum is now inedible due to a packaging and recipe change.

I always order a Mango Lassi when it is on the menu, and even tried to make one at home, with less than stellar results. These ice cream bars are really neat, and I’ll definitely get more. If only I could remember which store I found them in. It took over a month to re-find the banana protein milk I discovered in one store, which is NOT stocked in 4 or 5 other stores I sometimes go to. I had to write the store name on the notice board in our house.  

This stuff is very good, and I wonder if the extra protein cancels out the calories? Like, crumbs have no calories? Just kidding. A nutritionist told me that I’m not getting enough protein, as I don’t cook meat or even fish much for myself. My Great Protein Experiment is for another post, but I grabbed everything I could find with extra protein, including two ice creams. We had terrific peanut butter ice cream where we used to live, made with coconut milk, but haven’t been able to find that here yet.

Lastly, this protein ice cream is best served over fruit/dessert. It’s fine by itself but is spectacular over fruit crisp- check out this home-made quince beauty! Yay for the fun protein choices!

Quinces galore!

Back in May, a beautiful and mysterious tree in our new back yard had me puzzled. I don’t remember seeing that corner tree when we looked at the house last Thanksgiving weekend, nor had I ever been around such a tree. I’m thrilled that it’s a quince tree! I got a bag of quinces to cook last year from a friend in Kaiserslautern, but Jeff took them with him to share with others, thinking that they looked like apples. Too bad, as quinces cannot be eaten raw because they are hard as rocks. So, I never got to experiment with cooking them until now. Hope nobody broke a tooth on them last year.

I’ve always adored quince jelly and heard that it is challenging to make because quinces are so difficult to peel and chop. Several blog recipes urged caution when using large knives to chop up the quinces. I thought, “there has got to be a better way!”

It turns out, quinces can be boiled whole, and are sooooo delicious without any fancy footwork (er, knife work). As much as quince jelly makes me happy, I don’t need piles of jars of the stuff, since I’m trying so hard to reduce my intake of carbs (NOT EASY IN GERMANY!). Quince jelly on toast will always be a favorite, but I like fruit lots of other/healthier ways, too.

So, I boiled a pot of quinces and was able to easily peel them while  they were still warm, cutting them into irregular pieces. The area near the core was still solid, so I probably disposed of more than necessary in order to not fight the resistance and risk a sliced finger. One trip to the ER last year to have medical glue applied to a finger which had been attacked by a vegetable peeler was enough! 

I planned to make a fruit crisp, which requires 4 cups of fruit, but used some of the quinces instead with pancakes. The flavor is difficult to describe…halfway between a delicate apple and a peach…sort of. Unique and spectacular.

There is another batch cooling now. The air was fragranced so nicely from the simmering water that I decided to make one pot full every day until I run out. Fruit crisp is up next! Check out how much I’m saving with the back-yard tree! 1.99 Euro per KG. Don't ask me to do conversions for you :).