An Engagement-and Aebelskiver!

Charlotte and I have two very exciting pieces of news to share with you.  We're not sure which you'll find more exciting, so we'll tell you both, and let you decide which you're more excited about.  First off, we're engaged!!!  We took a wonderful trip to Kittery, ME and Portsmouth, NH this past week, and during a visit to our favorite secluded beach, Charlotte made me extremely, extremely happy!

Afterwards, we headed all around Portsmouth and Kittery in a happy fog, trying to avoid making too many people gag.  We're not sure whether we succeeded or not, but this only happens once, so I discovered it's impossible to predict just how ridiculously giddy you'll feel!

Finally, you may notice that Charlotte's hand looks different these days.  Charlotte's grandfather, Bent Gabrielsen, is a Danish goldsmith, and he had very generously agreed to design and make a beautiful ring for Charlotte.  It certainly makes me smile every time I see it : )

Anyway, that's piece of news #1.  Now on to news item #2: Charlotte mastered aebelskiver!  Charlotte and I arrived in Otisville after a wonderful visit in Latham (blog to follow) to find some pre-measured dough ingredients and a well-seasoned aebelskiver pan (aka a task).  What is aebelskiver, you ask?  Think mini-pancakes, but with 2 differences:

1) They're awesome, and

2) They're SPHERICAL!!!

As you can see, it's a pretty standard pancake operation on the stovetop for the first phase, but a THIRD DIMENSION is quickly infused into the process, and that's where things get tricky!

Fortunately, Charlotte is both a true Dane and a genius.  Before long, she was whipping out amazing aebelskivers that would make any chef proud.

With some currants, a little powdered sugar, and a lot of patience, it quickly became a heavenly experience!

Anyway, that's the latest dispatch from this laptop.  Now it's up to you to decide which you personally find more exciting.  As for me?  I'm torn...sort of.