Renatle’s Mosaic of Life on Amazon!
As a toddler, in 1944, Renatle survived the infamous Tigerstorm carpet-bombing attack on her hometown Freiburg (Germany). The whole town lay in shambles. In that night 3,000 people died.
What Does Not Kill Me Gives Me Strong Memories: Food Poisoning
My longest lasting food poisoning, contracted in Mumbai in 2004, must have dragged out for about a year. Initially, the affliction started with severe stomach and intestinal eruptions. I was lucky since my place of stay had a functioning Western toilet.
Taj Mahal in Acid Rain
Then the Taj Mahal, as happens with many projects after presentation, sat on the work bench in the garage for the next six months. It was still beautiful, too nice to toss it out. What to do? We couldn’t keep it. So we found a creative way of deconstruction. We put the Taj Mahal in “acid rain”
Bohemian Strawberry Torte
Nothing beats ripe strawberries and fresh whipped dream. Strawberry shortcake is simply delicious. What else can you do with strawberries? Mush them up in a smoothie, put them on cereal, stir them into yogurt, cut some into your salad—if you have too many, cook marmalade or syrup.
Renate Does Body Language 4 Success
Renate reads through the body language. She has eyes in the back of her head, her students discovered. “I could tell from far if anyone in class was cheating or not,” Renate says. “They called me Eagle Eyes.”
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
My mouth waters just by thinking of the smorgasbord of enchiladas, pollo con mole, or a savory rice casserole. Of course, I couldn’t cook all of these delicious things. One of the participants, however, luckily shared her easy recipe for shrimp cocktail with me.
Holy Mole, Guacamole!
Green mush is delightful. The longer we are living in the Southwest, the more we adopt the food styles of this spicy region. Although not all flavors of Southwestern cooking are intuitively delicious–for example the pungent aromas of corn tortillas or cilantro–we loved guacamole from the start.
Canada Trip Made Us Real “Persons”
On the road again, the four of us stopped over at the Hastings House Bed & Breakfast. What a gem of a cottage! We felt like living in a cute jewelry box that left no detail to accident. Housekeeper Elise cooked a luxurious breakfast with ham, egg, and homemade jellies for us. We should have stayed another night.
Blind Spot and Happiness
Everybody has their own taste in colors. But how can I be sure that the other person’s teal or mauve or aquamarine registers in their brain at the same value as mine? Perhaps this is less a question of the brain than of the heart.
Spicy Turkey Cutlets for Any Occasion
If you want to be fancy, make a good sauce: After the spicy turkey cutlets are cooked, deglaze the pan with a good shot of tequila, wine, broth, or cream. Now, let’s play: Add a cup of water, seasonings, spices, herbs, heavy cream in good measure. Thicken your sauce with 1 teaspoonful corn starch dissolved in water.