Frosted Eggnog Cookies

*UPDATE: These cookies have been given a little make-over on my new website, www.rubyjosephine.com. 

Click here for the updated recipe!*

This is the season where I perpetually smell like flour, butter, sugar and spice. 

Do you smell cookies?

Yeah, that's just Ruby. 

The things is, I don't always love eggnog- I kind of feel like I'm slurping pudding out of a cup- but anything is better in cookie form. My family even said these were so good they might become a new holiday tradition, which is saying a lot because we take our Christmas traditions pretty seriously. Everything we do, down to the music we listen to, the ornaments we hang, the friends we see, the Christmas breakfast we make, we have been doing it all since before I can even remember. Christmas is my rock among the other crazy fluctuating things in life. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

Oh boy. Time seriously flies when you're constantly moving around. After a little under 3 months in Berlin I am finally back home in Minneapolis for the holidays, seeing old friends, working at the restaurant, remembering how to drive on solid ice, and, of course, getting back into baking after a long hiatus.

Chocolate & Fig Biscotti

Hey there! It's been a while. I am finally finding things to keep myself busy in Berlin- writing, taking yoga and dance classes religiously, meeting more and more new people, and preparing for the next big adventure (more on that later).

Now that I'm settled a little bit here, I enjoy trying to have a morning routine. The only issue is now that it's the mid-November and it's getting cold and the sun can't decide if it wants to hang out with us or not, I'm having trouble sticking to anything either.

Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes

I have been in Berlin a little bit over a month now, and to be completely honest, I still don't know what I'm doing. I keep getting all inside my head and worrying about the future and my career and silly things like that, when really, all I need to do is stop and look around.

Berlin Tourisms

This past week I finally let go of my stressed out mindset of oh my god I have to make a LIFE in Berlin right now and I got to relax and just be a tourist for a little bit. That is the wonderful thing about having friends come to visit! Remember that sweet and smiley Canadian couple I met in Iceland and road-tripped with for a couple days? Well it just so happened that they were stopping through Berlin, so I was happy to invite them to stay and run around the city with them, seeing things I hadn't had the chance to see yet. Of which there was a lot. Berlin is freakin huge. And full of stuff.

So out of all of the stuff we saw and did, I have paired it all down to my three top favorites. Put simply, here are my Berlin tourism must-sees.

Salted Nutella Espresso Cookies

Let me give you a little lesson on the most important thing to say in any language (in my humble opinion)

German- Einen cappuccino, bitte

Spanish- Un café con leche, por favor

Italian- Una espresso, per favore

Icelandic- Einn Latte, vinsamlegast

French- Un café, s'il vous plaît

...et une crêpe au Nutella.

Welcome to Europe, that's all you need to know.

Baking in Berlin // Blueberry Clafoutis

When you move to or just visit a foreign city it is natural (and crucial) to seek out sources of comfort and familiarity. Otherwise you are just going to feel awkward and displaced all the time and no one, not even me, Ms. Let's-see-how-far-from-my-comfort-zone-I-can-get, enjoys that.

Obviously it's important to take risks and go out of your way to see new places and things or strike up conversations with random strangers on park benches, but you also need to give yourself a break. I often have a hard time with that because I love doing everything at once, but breaks need to be taken. That's why in Berlin I have already found my favorite coffee shop with cozy corners and amazing cookies, where I can go and blend into the crowd by sticking my nose in a book and downing cappuccinos. And why I go on the same run in the same park every other day listening to my favorite music from back home. I cook myself nice dinners and every once in a while, treat myself by baking some kind of fabulous dessert. And share it only to win the affection of my flatmates. Kidding- I would share anyway... right?

First Dates

I have decided that I am going to have a relationship with Berlin. Yep, that's right. A full-time, committed relationship with this city. The whole thing began with a blind date in which I took a chance and said "Hey you seem cool, let's chill" and to be honest, I'm still not 100% sure that we have enough in common to make it work in the long run. I suppose if nothing else it will be an experience. I'm going to go ahead, dive in, and give it a year.

Fjörds Forever

How do I even begin to describe the rest of my time in Iceland? I was only in there for a total of 10 days, but that proved to be plenty of time to tumble head-over-heels in love with the place.

After that day trip to Vik, not even my slogging jet lag could stop me from getting on the road again the next day with my newfound travel friends.

Iceland Without a Plan: Days 1 & 2

About three weeks after getting back from my last trip in May, I bought a one-way ticket to Reykjavik. A month later, I booked five days in a hostel. And that was it. I did no research. I booked no tours or busses or anything. I didn't have any contacts. I barely even glanced at a map.

Just before I left, I started to panic a little bit and felt like I should at least google stuff to do in Iceland, but I suppressed the urge and went on with the planless plan. Thank goodness I did that. Because you know what? Coming to Iceland without an itinerary has developed itself into some of the best travel experiences I've ever had.

New Blog, New Adventure

Well here we go again.

You would think that the more you keep leaving places, the easier it gets. And in some ways, it does get better. This time around, I know more of what I'm getting myself into. I know I can handle it. I know that traveling alone doesn't mean being alone, and that is reassuring.

However, no matter what, saying goodbye is always hard. Especially to the house where you grew up, the friends you've known since you were in diapers, and even to those people you just met, but wish you had more time with. It's the trade-off you make for having awesome adventures.

Tonight, I'm flying away again, heading to a place as random for me as if I had closed my eyes, put my finger on a map and said "There. I'm going to Iceland." But why not, really? I'm of the optimistic view that everywhere in the world has something to offer. And I'm about to to go- without a plan, without a guide, without any kind of schedule- and figure out what Iceland has to discover.

Some people tell me I'm crazy for doing this, and maybe I am, but I'm totally okay with that. Life is more exciting with a little crazy in the mix.

So if you want to follow my crazy journey where I have no clue what I'm doing or what's going to happen, I'll keep updating this blog as often as possible, so at least you'll know I'm alive :)