Aalborg and Research Meringues

Last week I spent in Aalborg, where I participated in the 2010 European Signal Processing Conference. I got to present two of my papers as posters (one seen above, written with my colleauge Guillaume Defrance). I would like to say people were trampling over each other to get a look, but I take crowd safety very seriously. So I perimeterized the entire zone and allowed one person at a time. I also got to attend some excellent talks by leaders in my field, which I summarize here at my research blog.

While I was gone for the week, Carla had a great time working with her new KitchenAid stand mixer, named "Anchor Baby." Above you can see some apples she made. Carla also claims she made those meringues, but they are far too perfect for this terrestrial realm.

We also received another relief package from Carla's mom! Cold medicine, chapstick, hot sauce, and some Japanese curry cubes. There are also anchovies, taco seasoning, and a cookbook for Vietnamese food! Here we come pho! Thanks yous Sharon!

With Carla's new mixer, she was able to whip up some Hollandaise sauce in a matter of seconds! Faster than I could poach the eggs. Placed on top of the some ham and homemade bread warmed in the over, we had an excellent Saturday breakfast.

After that, I went out on the local street corner and played my accordion to much fanfare. There was no actualized fanfare, but one man stopped by and gave me his card. He is the "formand" of the Gladsaxe Accordion club and invited me to join. He said that they need youth because nearly everyone there is 60 years old. I don't know if I will bring youth, but we shall see! He also said, "We play at the old mans home every Wednesday." Now that sounds like fun.

New Toys and Happy Memories

Santa came a little early this year for Bobby and me. We've been keeping our eye out for used goods on dba.dk, the Danish equivalent of CraigsList. It was through this website we found the used TV we mentioned in the previous post. Aside from household needs, we also look for new toys: accordions for Bobby and kitchen gadgets for myself. Bobby lucked out this week with this great German-made Weltmeister piano accordion, which was purchased for the unbelievable price of $50! Now Bobby just has to relearn how to play a non-button accordion.


I also got a new toy this week. We have been searching for a slightly used KitchenAid stand mixer on dba.dk. We thought we lucked out last week but it turned out to be a scam. The guy wanted us to wire him money before he would send the mixer. Seriously, who runs a scam with kitchen appliances?!? Anyways, I was a bit disappointed and had resigned myself to hoping for a mixer for a Christmas gift. On Saturday, Bobby went to a local store to buy a DVD player. He game home with a brand new stand mixer instead!!





I was so excited and put my new toy to use right away. A stand mixer is one of those appliances that lasts forever and can be used to make so many different things. My Mom has had the same KitchenAid stand mixer since I was born. I remember helping her make chocolate chip cookies when I was little, so I decided to break in my own mixer by making these cookies. You may notice that some of the cookies look like they don't have chocolate chips in them. That's because they don't. I love chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips. If I weren't making cookies for other people to eat, I would leave out the chocolate completely. But, since I am kind-hearted and wanted to share the cookies, I made a separate batch for me sans chocolate chips.












I also made carrot cake earlier in the week using Grandma Townsend's recipe. My paternal Grandmother was an excellent baker. Whenever I had dinner with her and Grandpa (which was pretty often, since we only lived 5 miles apart), she always had a dessert prepared. At her funeral, my second cousin told this lovely story about Grandma:
"When I was a little kid, I ofter went over to Uncle Don's and Aunt Frieda's home for dinner. One day, I came home from such a dinner and asked my Mother why she doesn't make desserts for us like Aunt Frieda does. She responded, 'Oh, that Frieda, she spoils Don.'"
I love this story. My Grandma baked with love and happiness, which is the best way to bake. This cake, which was my Grandpa's and Dad's favorite cake, is very moist and bursting with flavor. I miss both of my grandparents, but some of the heartache is mollified by cooking Grandma's recipes while recalling the wonderful moments we shared.

Nothing to Report but Food

You might have noticed that Bob and I don't write as many blog posts as we used to. The reason why is there isn't much to report. We did buy this used TV! The woman we bought it from told me over the phone that the TV was light enough for a woman to carry. Well, she must have some pretty strong muscles, because it took two people to walk it to our apartment. But we finally have a TV!


Bobby's work is going well. Here he is pictured eating dinner after a long day of work. He wears a helmet to dinner because his brain pays the rent. I still don't have work, though not from a lack of trying on my part. In fact, it has been a bit frustrating receiving so many rejection e-mails. Oh well, I will keep trying.







I have licked my jobless wounds by cooking. And drinking wine. Don't judge me. After one particularly painful rejection letter, I decided nothing would heal my deflated ego better than salsa, guacamole, and Reisling.







Some cooking experiments have gone better than others. One kitchen catastrophe was these cinnamon rolls. My ultra cool retro baking dishes are a bit too small, so the dough baked over onto the oven floor. A lot of smoked followed, which gave the rolls an ... interesting ... smokey flavor. Smokey cinnamon rolls. Not the best thing to come out of my kitchen.




Other experiments have ended in success, like this Coq au Vin. Though it took two days to cook, the results were worth it.











This chocolate mousse dessert didn't taste of smoke, thank goodness. However, the spiced shortbread cookie didn't turn out quite as I had hoped it would. I was planning on having the cookies sticking out of mousse, but my ultra cool retro baking dishes aren't very thick so the cookies cooked unevenly. Perhaps my ultra-cool retro baking dishes aren't so ultra-cool... Anyways, I was able to salvage the unburned parts of the shortbread, crumble it, and add it to the mousse. Top if off with some vanilla whipped cream and you've got dessert!


We had company over for dinner last Friday. Two of Bob's work colleagues, along with their 20-month old daughter. Bob and I never remember to take photos of our guests, but we did catch this photo of on of the guests passed out on our couch. I guess we are just too much fun for some toddlers!

Rainy Days = Baking Days

Our July family guests left at the right time, because it has rained every day since they've left. In my opinion, there are two good ways to spend a rainy day: 1) baking, and 2) going to the movies. Lucky me, I got to do both this weekend! On Saturday, I spend the better part of the afternoon baking. Along with the usual batch to zucchini bread, I also made these Snickerdoodle cookies (shown here, with Bobby's yearning hand). When we lived in Santa Barbara, Bobby and I would go to Borders on the weekend. We'd order a chai latte and a snickerdoodle cookie, which made us feel a little bit less guilty about reading books we had no intention of buying. The Snickerdoodle cookies at the Borders' coffee shops are really awesome, so I decided to make some. They turned out quite nicely, if I may say so myself.

On Sunday, Bobby and I biked into Copenhagen and saw the movie Inception. We both really liked the film and it was a nice treat for us. Since it was the first Sunday of the month, the S-Tog (commuter trains) was free, so we took that home (it's a mostly downhill ride into Copenhagen, which makes biking back to Dyssegård a bit unpleasant).

Today turned out to be a baking day as well. A fellow baking friend sent me a recipe for a no-knead garlic cheese flat bread. Since I have some awesome retro baking dishes that Bobby found on the street (the blue one is pictured here, behind the bread), I decided to try out the new recipe. The bread turned out great!

The bread accompanied Provençal tomato spread. Our new house troll kept the evil spirits (aka gnats and flies) away from the food. Thanks, troll.











I also tried another new recipe tonight. Bobby and I both have an unhealthy and childish fondness for Mac n' Cheese. I hate to admit it, but while in college, we'd make the Kraft version pretty often (though we'd dress it up with peas and broccoli, which Bobby called O n' G, short for Orange and Green... the added vegetable make it healthy, right?). However, we're all grown up now... ok, truth be told, I haven't found Kraft Mac n' Cheese in Denmark. But, even if I did, I would rather eat this Spicy Man n' Cheese (though I don't think my colon agrees with me). This dish is livened up with some chipotle chilies. Next time I make this (don't worry, it'll be about 6 months. Michael Pollan was right... when you know what goes into your meal, you make healthier choices... but that's a whole different post), I'll add a bit less chilies. Bobby and I no longer have our California-trained spice resistance!

Family Visit

Bobby and I have finally had summer visitors in Copenhagen! Last week, Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Ben, Dad, and Gloria arrived in Copenhagen after a 10 day Scandinavian cruise. Behind the five of us is their giant boat. We checked them into the Granny's House B&B, the only hotel in our area. The B&B sits atop one of the best bakeries in all of Denmark. Every morning my family members would wake up to the smells of fresh baking. Lucky them!



I acted as tour guide for the family. We saw all the major attractions of Copenhagen over the course of 3 days. Bobby and I have not done some of the touristy things since moving because we wanted to save them for when we had guests. One of those things was taking a canal cruise. Pictured here is Dad, Gloria, and I, ready to take the canal cruise.






Departing from Nyhavn, the one hour ride took us by many beautiful places. The weather was perfect... a little bit cool but no rain.











One of the bridges we went under was a really close fit.

















Another touristy place Bobby and I have been waiting to see is Tivoli Gardens. Opened in 1843, Tivoli is the second oldest amusement park in the world. There are a few roller coasters and many carnival games. Dad and Bobby played one game where you throw balls at plates. You don't win any prizes... you simply gain the satisfaction of breaking plates without getting yelled at by your mother or wife.





After walking around the entire park and smashing plates, we built up our appetites and ate at one of the many restaurants in the Gardens. This restaurant sits over the Tivoli Lake. Sadly, the view did not make up for the over-priced and bad food. But Bobby and I still put on a happy face.







After three days, Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Ben departed for the States. Dad and Gloria stayed on for a few more days, so we took a day trip to Helsingør, home of Kronborg Castle. This beautiful castle was made famous by Shakespeare's Hamlet, which is set in the castle (Shakespeare anglicized the name of the town to Elsinore). Built in 1420s, Kronborg Castle looks over the Baltic Sea. Any ship wishing to pass had to pay a due to Denmark, which made Denmark very rich.



We explored many areas of the castle, which is still in great shape. The military continued using the castle until the 1990s. In WWII, the Germans occupied it.










There is a church inside the castle. Every pew had a unique carving above it. Many of there were amusing, like this one.











Can you spot Dad and Bobby in the chandelier's orb?












The inside of the castle had many large rooms. Because of the many battles with Sweden, much of the original artwork has been stolen or destroyed. A few original pieces remain in the Grand Hall, which was huge!









What trip to Scandinavia would be complete without a trip to Ikea? We took Dad to the local Ikea, where he kindly bought us a dining room table (we had yet to find one on the street). We enjoyed a last lunch on the new table. Thank you, Dad!

Our New Apartment

Within hours of our return to Denmark, we moved into our new apartment. Our name was already on the board of occupants. Suddenly our last names appear so foreign! Our new address is

Vangedevej 222A
2870 Dyssegård, DENMARK

We have an awesome amount of space -- I would say nearly twice the size of the previous apartment we rented. And now we are paying half the price in rent! Plus I am only two zones away from work, rather than 4. Above, Carla unpacks some kitchen stuff kindly donated by the previous tenants.

The bathroom cabinets have enough space for all of the cold medicine Carla's mom sent us... which continues to be of use with our current colds from Paris.

We even have a porch for my hipster self to drink Akvavit -- the national drink of Denmark.

In addition to our porch furnishings, we have found all of the things seen in the picture above on the side of the street: a wire paper tray, an antique rødbrød slicer, two working lamps, a phone, a clock radio, the 1909 Danish version of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a wood chair, a beach chair, a desk, a pink (not for too much longer) coffee table, a rug, and two book shelves. We also found two cool jackets. We are now patrolling the streets for a clothes drying rack, baskets for our bicycles, and every other thing we can use.

Since we furnished our living room so cheaply, we splurged and bought a bed new. Carla and I aren't so enthusiastic about searching for a bed on the side of the road.

Our final 4 days in Paris

We were happy to return to Paris from Porto and have a few days more to spend with our friends. Bébé Iris was so pleased to see us return!

Katie and Ollie, and their smiling dog Sacha, took us on a lovely picnic in Puteaux.

I brought the old squeezebox and played while sitting on one of the giant plastic rabbits in the park.

With my lovely new hat, and skinny jeans, I have become a hipster.

I drew some beautiful portraits of bébé Iris. Katie and Ollie were so umpressed!

Guillaume and Isabelle had us over for a lovely dinner of homemade paella -- all prepared in their newly refinished kitchen. We even got to try some of Guillaume's new favorite cheese, munster -- which he described as not unlike tasting the back of a tramp's pants. Carla and I both agreed, and much amusement ensued. We can add this to our list of "worldly things we profess to have eaten and survived."

Our time at Katie and Ollie's was so excellent that we did not mind the fact that one of their cats peed all over Carla's shoes -- which we realized only when we have sat down on the airplane and asked, "Is that you?" We also didn't mind the nearly 8 hour apéro/hostage crisis. We look forward to seeing them again and watching Iris grow even more! I am trying to teach her to say, "More accordion please Bobby. Don't listen to what the others say."