Gizzy in Heaven!

Gizzy in Heaven!
I love you forever and ever, Amen!

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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

It's almost next year!

Gizzy is my model for this doggy coat (or cat sweater) that I finished this morning:


I woke him up to do this photo shoot, so he looks quite sleepy, poor boy!





This snowflake doggy/cat sweater is for sale in my Etsy shop. (I can also make it in other colors!) Again, any and all my followers get a 10% discount!

I also want to share a popular German New Years Eve alcoholic punch recipe with you, but it needs to be started the night before (Thursday) so you'll have it ready by New Year's Eve! The measurements are approximate and you can ad-lib, but for your first-time, I would recommend sticking to this recipe till you've tasted it once.

The punch drink is called Bowle and you can make it with different fruit and there are a lot of different recipes, but this is the way we made it at the Sturm household.All you need is this:

1-2 cans pineapple chunks or fresh cut up pineapple
1 bottle white wine
1 bottle champagne
1 bottle seltzer water
1 bottle 7 Up (optional)
some dark (or light) rum
3 Tablespoons sugar
Punch bowl set and ice (optional)

At home, we always made this with pineapple, because we all liked pineapple, but it also holds its shape nicely and absorbs the rum without getting mushy. You can make it with fresh strawberries (not frozen - don't use frozen fruits at all) and use pink champagne for a pink strawberry bowle for a Valentine's party perhaps -  and instead of rum, you could use cognac or brandy for it - the possibilities are endless.


Ananasbowl or Pineapple Bowle 
(don't you just love the German word Ananas? It means pineapple - how fun is that?)

Start the night before the party and place one large can of drained pineapple chunks in the bottom of your punch bowl. Sprinkle with about 3 Tablespoons of sugar and add enough dark rum (good quality) to cover fruit entirely. Cover punch bowl and allow to soak overnight!

Right before the party, pour in a bottle of decent white wine (such as Fetzer or Sutter Home or similar) and a bottle of Champagne (white, not Cold Duck or Asti Spumante) - and a bottle of club soda (for extra bubbles) and (if your punch bowl is big enough) a liter bottle of  7-Up....stir gently and serve. 

NOTE: You can add chilled beverages and place the punch bowl on ice to keep everything refreshing, but you don't have to...just don't add any ice cubes to the punch, please!

Serve each guest just 2 chunks of pineapple with each cup or else you run out of pineapple before the punch is gone...and everyone wants to taste the pineapple...if you really want to, you could marinate an extra can of pineapple chunks in a separate bowl overnight  with the sugar and dark rum so that you could add more fruit if needed...trust me, this punch won't last!

Prosit Neujahr! (Pro- zit noy-yar)


Here you can read about some German New Year's customs and why we call New Year's Eve Silvester.

Growing up, we exchanged little symbols of good luck (tokens) made out of chocolate or marzipan to wish each other a happy/lucky New Year, such as:

toadstools (red mushroom with white dots)
chimney sweep
shiny new penny
little piglet
four-leaf clover
ladybug

and sometimes my Oma would do a little led pouring (bleigiessen)

German New Year's always includes a big Fireworks display. Everyone gets fireworks and lights them at home. This is Germany's biggest fireworks time, because there is no Independence Day over there, so New Year's Eve is IT! --- BIG TIME!!!


If you still need another New Year's Resolution, take a look on About.com and see their German Word of the Day section. Now you can learn a German word each day - at your own pace - and if you get stuck, you can ask me or one of my other fellow German bloggers!

I want to learn Spanish and will give About.com a try in their Start Learning Spanish section. Learning another language or an instrument is good brain acrobatics, did you know? It helps keep your brain churning and therefore more nimble for a longer actively thinking mind. (God knows I can use all the help I can get.)

Happy New Year! 

Gizzy and I are going to stay home, light some sparklers (outside, this time) have too many snacks, call a couple of people and watch a movie - or two! That ought to keep us out of harm's way!






21 comments:

Tasha said...

the pet sweater is beautiful :)

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

Hello Doris: What a delightful post. I did a little side trip to about.com and saw what you were talking about. How fun. And there is even a section to send a New Years wish in German. I will have to go back and do that for a friend of my husband's in Colo. Springs.
I hope you have a wonderful and safe New Year and we'll talk again in 2011. XOXO The Olde Bagg, Linda

Andrea said...

LOVE the doggies sweater!
Hope you have an awesome New Year full of unexpected blessings!

Samantha G said...

Those recipes look great! Thanks for posting them! I know a long time ago you and I talked about Bowle.

Also I love the little doggy coat/sweater with the snowflake. There is just something about crocheted snowflakes that are so beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I love your pet sweater and the snowflake on it is darling. What a great idea!

Silke Powers said...

Goodness, did you bring back memories for me!! Wasn't Silvester great fun in Germany? With all the fireworks?! I think we'll have a quiet New Year's Eve here this year, but maybe we'll have to make some Bowle... What are you doing for Silvester? Liebe Gruesse! Silke

Karin said...

Great job on the sweater! That punch sounds wonderful - love pineapple - but since alcohols of any kind don't like me, I'll pass! Have a Happy New Year and God bless!

Piappies World said...

Gizzy looks wonderful in that sweater. It sure looks fashionable and comfty.

Happy Holidays!

Love,
Piappies Fudgie, Princess, Frappie, Mocha, Sugar, Wai-Pai & Wai-Max

Ginny Hartzler said...

Giz is just adorable!!! The snowflake really makes the coat special! The punch looks good, and I love the idea of changing it to the pink for Valentine's day. Your New Year's eve sounds like fun to me, sparklers, too many snacks, phone calls and movies, we would do it together if we lived closer, boo hoo that we don't!! Your candle will be on my blog tomorrow!

Faith said...

Doris, how cute is Gizzy..powder blue is his color..he is stylin.He is so good natured. We are staying home New Year's Eve, we always do, and like you too many snacks.We don't even usually make until 12:00we can't wait for the snacks.hee hee..love them snacks.

Happy New Year Doris..it has been a pleasure to have met you and the Gizzy this year..I look forward to going through 2011 with you..

Anke said...

Mmmh, Bowle... Habe ich schon ewig nicht mehr gemacht..
Ich wuensche dir und Gizzy einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!
Liebe Gruesse,
Anke

sprinkles said...

That little jacket/sweater Gizzy is modeling is cute!

That Ananasbowl sounds delicious only I'd make it with strawberries.

Good luck learning Spanish! I took a year of it in high school but have forgotten most of it now since I don't ever use it. I thought about taking it this semester but didn't. Maybe next semester.

I had wanted to learn French in high school because it's part of my heritage but my mom wouldn't let me. She said I'd never use it. Oh yes, and I get so much use out of the Spanish I took! Still makes me mad.

Thanks for sharing your heritage. That was really interesting!

It's looking more and more like I'll be spending a quiet New Years Eve at home with the chi's.

glor said...

Doris, so enjoyed the post. The sweater is adorable as is your model! The punch sounds wonderful. Thanks for the recipes. Blessings and grace to you and Gizzy.

Thendral said...

I love the colors and snow flake is very beautiful. Wish you a Happy new year.

Pfiffigste said...

Liebe Doris,

ohhh, lieben dank für die Weihnachtsgrüße. Was sehe ich denn da?
Eine Hundejacke? Gehäkelt? Wie schöööön, wenn ich einen Hund hätte, dann würde ich ihm auch eine häkeln, daran dachte ich noch just vor 2 Tagen, als ich mal kurz vor dem Haus den Schnee vom Auto holen wollte.

Liebe Grüße von Pfiffigste.
Frohen Ãœbergang zu 2011!

AkasaWolfSong said...

As always my beloved friend, Giz looks adorable.
I will take a peek to about.com and see what I can learn, lol.
The punch sounds good but I don't imbibe any more...one little drink of that stuff and I'd totally miss out on ringing in the New Year, lol!
Your customs in Germany sound so appropriate and inviting! Fireworks Indeed! :) We should do that here...but instead I go outside with an old pot and big spoon and make a loud ruckus to greet the New Year in...maybe I'll use my Drum this year and change it up a bit!
Happy New Year to You and Gizzy and Big Hugs for both of you!
I love you!

Ann said...

I popped over from Ginny's blog Let your light shine after seeing the crocheted candle you made.
That dog sweater is just the sweetest thing I've ever seen and Gizzy is so adorable

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

The doggie sweater is so pretty - Mom loves blue. And Gizzy did a great job modeling it. We are way behind with our reading but we did enjoy the walk through your area.

Happy New Year.

Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

Nima said...

Happy New year to you..

the pet sweater looks pretty

Chatty Crone said...

Poor Gizzy - he is so cute wearing or modeling your newest creation. You are one busy girl.

Happy New year. sandie

Kristine Mullen said...

Love the sweater Doris. The snowflake adds the perfect touch!