Constance Jones Heads Back Home-- Back to Germany!

Constance Jones with her Husband Troy Simmons

We had an amazing time visiting family in Deutschland! These are a few images from Stuttgart, Albstadt, Freiburg Germany! There are also a few pictures from Basel, Switzerland & Strasbourg, France!

Constance Jones Visiting Family in her hometown of Stuttgart, Germany

Constance Jones at the Vitra Design Museum

Vitra Design Museum

Constance Jones Simmons and her Husband Troy Simmons

Troy Simmons at Vitra Design Museum

Troy Simmons at Vitra Design Museum

Vitra Design Museum

Constance Jones with her Mom in Strasbourg, France

Hohenzollern Castle-- Check out Troy's Blue Shoes!!!

With my Cousin at Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle

Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany

Stuttgart, Germany

PROST! At October Fest 2013

Elephant on My Mind

From Mama Talks 

 

When I was a little girl I loved to visit my Oma (grandmother in German). Her carefully placed accent pieces found a new use as my toys. My favorites were two small, hand-carved ebony elephants. They were just the right size for my small hands, and they had inlaid eyes and tiny ivory tusks. One of them was missing a tusk, but it still was perfect in my eyes. I had these elephants walk all over Oma’s furniture – pretending I was accompanying them on exciting adventures -- climbing steep mountains (the backrests of sofa and armchairs), or crossing the savannah (Oma’s parlor) in search of food. They often came to rest at the edge of the jungle, feeding on the leaves of Oma’s plants. 

 

As I grew older, I had it settled in my mind that after Grandmother’s passing, I would inherit those elephants as a treasured memento of my beloved Oma and my childhood. Unfortunately Oma developed Alzheimer’s dementia during her final years, and nobody knows what happened to the elephants. I felt really silly that even years later, I would still think about those elephants and how much it would have meant to me to have them. 

Well, I did go on some exciting adventures though – climbed a few mountains and also crossed some savannahs in the American Southwest! One day, when browsing a small antique store in Central Texas, my heart skipped a beat -- there it was: a small carved ebony elephant. When I picked it up, I noticed that one of its ivory tusks was broken off. To me it was a sign – this was even better than if it had been in perfect shape. Of course I bought it – and now it has a special place on my dresser. It still makes me smile every time I look at it …

Do you have any treasured mementos that occupy a special place in your home?

Schnitzel Time

This is definitely one of my FAVORITE German meals—Jager Schnitzel! The dish is translated as “Hunter” Schnitzel and is served in yummy brown gravy with mushrooms.  The variations can change if you decide to use white wine cream sauce and onions. My mother went back to Frieberg a few months ago, where she picked up a few packages of schnitzel season mix. You can find Maggi’s Jager Sahne Schnitzel Mix at most international food stores.   
It’s super easy to make and delicious to eat! Try it for youself!
 
* 1 lb boneless pork or 1 lb veal cutlet
*salt and peppter
*1 lb of mushrooms
*1 cup of sweet cream/milk
*oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Clean your fresh mushrooms. Put oil in a frying pan and saute your mushrooms.

After they are nice and soft, add 1 cup of sweet cream or milk.  Then, add 1 pouch of the seasoning mix. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once the sauce begins to thicken remove from heat.

Make sure your pork/veal cutlets are thin. You can hammer them out to make sure they are thin enough.  Place the meat in a roasting pan and pour the sauce over the meat.  

Bake for 30-40 minutes and wunderbar-- you have Jager Schnitzel! 
For side dishes--I recommend Spaetzle or German Potatoes.  

Homemade German Salad

From Mama Talks:

With warmer weather on the way, I decided to share a basic German recipe for Vinegar-Oil dressing:

Combine 2 TBS oil (vegetable, olive, whatever you like) with 2 TBS vinegar; add a pinch of salt, a little sugar (about 1/3 tsp). Blend well, using a whisk or a fork. I prefer using German vinegar because of its higher acidity -- and because my family likes it sour! If you prefer a more mellow flavor, use 3 TBS oil with 1 – 2 TBS vinegar.

This dressing works well in a tossed leafy salad, or - with chopped onions and a little black pepper it’s great in a tomato salad. It’s also very good over sliced cucumbers with a little fresh or dried dill weed added. 

One of my family’s favorites is an egg-tomato salad. You need about 4 medium tomatoes, 5 – 6 hard-boiled eggs. Slice eggs and tomatoes and layer in bowl, starting with a layer of tomatoes, followed by a layer of eggs, some chopped onions and fresh or dried parsley flakes. Repeat; finish with a layer of tomatoes. For the marinade you will need about ½ cup of oil, ½ cup of vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Mix well, and pour over salad; marinade should just “touch” top layer. You want this salad to marinate in the dressing for at least an hour, longer is better. 

You might need to test which ratio of oil and vinegar works for you, but I’m sure you will love this versatile dressing. Let me know what salad combinations you are using it!

Mixed Chicks Hair

Au naturel

As most of you may know- I’m a mixed chick. My mom is white and my dad is black.  It was a struggle growing up. My mom didn’t know what to do with my hair.  Often times, she put it in braids.  

 If I wore it curly, my hair would poof up!

Me & Mommy

 For years, I’ve traveled from store to store, trying to find the best product for my locks.  Recently, I was given samples of the “Mixed Chicks” hair products.
 It is a simple three step treatment for those with curly hair: shampoo, conditioner and leave-in-conditioner.

So—I decided to give it a try.

This is how you likely see me on television—hair pressed out and straight.

I started with the shampoo. As you can see—it works up a good lather.  

 

Next step-  the deep conditioner.  It felt a little oily but it seemed to moisturize my curls.

After I rinsed out my hair, I put in the leave-in-conditioner.

 So here is the end result.  It defined some of my curls but not all. :(  After over a decade of pressing my hair for television, some of my curls have soften. However, I was hoping the product would shape my curls a little bit better.

 

Needless to say—I would give this product two thumbs up!  My hair was moisturized- something my locks needed!

You can find the "Mixed Chicks" products at http://www.mixedchicks.net/