Czech Republic, visiting continues, the country-side.

You may have seen here on the blog, that we are currently visiting Europe, the Czech Republic, my home town, all my relatives and parents ...even grandparents, which is great grandparents to our son Radovan. 

We left before Easter and went to see Jemniste near Prague first, the chateau that we got married in, take a peek "HERE". 

We will stay a whole month and it seems that the welcoming snowstorm is a real history now and spring is all around us finaly.  

We were enjoying the snowdrops outside today!

Radovan is very excited about all the relatives and family always around and the daily kindergarten visits (just for 2 hours) and learning songs and rhymes and playing with the Czech kids is an extra added bonus, and I am extatic that he can attend the same kinderkarten that I went to myself!  Suddenly he is speaking such long sentences...it is fun to watch him. 

After Kindergarten Class Today!

I was also pleased to discover what a great cook my brother has become and he bought me several cooking books with some great Czech recipes, in case you want to get it, click "HERE" or wait for me to make some of the dishes and I will post about it later when we return to Calgary...smiles.

My favourite was the stretched pastry Vienna type of strudel that my little brother made and I have not eaten a better one even in Vienna's famous hotel cafe. It tasted double sweet as his log cabin Wallachian  traditional house is very cozy and filled with family...nothing can be better. 

I forgot to photograph the whole strudel but here is a small piece of it (very left side) on the table along with the home baked bread rolls that my brother mastered!

And when in the Czech Republic, one must not omitt the shopping for famous porcelain products, like Karlovy Vary porcelain that I have been busy with too, very pretty indeed.

I have selected some beautiful easy silver-white pieces for every day use and beautiful teal-green cup & saucer set with hunting theme, that I just love and fits with my green blue dining room!

Judge for yourself: 

Yes, if you are thinking that it must be hard to transport them all the way across the Atlantic, you are RIGHT, but I can not NOT buy porcelain every time we are here, it is just too hard. I am an ADDICT! 

Hope you are having a lovely week as well! Let me know how you are doing ...

XO, Z

Easter Cinnamon Pears Pancake!

We all know EGGS are a symbol of Easter and I just want to share with you my utmost favourite oven baked "thick" French pancake recipe that would be perhaps nice to make for the Easter Brunch. 

It came from one of the best cooking books! "Cooking in cast iron" by Valerie Aikman-Smith. 

Here it is:

Preheat the oven to 450F.

1. On low-medium heat in a cast iron frying pan melt 2 - 3 TBSP of butter and add medium thik slices of Bosc pear (2 or 1) that was washed and cored (keep the peel). Sprinkle with cinnamon liberarly and turn them after few minutes around. 

2. In a mixing bowl with a hand electric mixer on medium high mix well the following ingredients untill fluffy and smooth: 

4 eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp brown sugar

3. Pour it over the pears in the frying pan and place in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown and puffed up!

Serve drenched in the REAL CANADIAN maple syrup (or honey as the French recipe calls for). 

Enjoy! 

Happy Easter to you all, 

XO Z