Germany and Austria: Highlights

Pin It Back to globetrotting!

This past week we took yet another road trip, this time with Paul's parents.  Have I mentioned we really like road tripping in Europe?  We had a great time seeing some sights in Germany and Austria, had some great tradish-dish, and really have come to like  the weiss beers the region offers.  Trip Itinerary included "Luther land," which is where the reformation began in the 1500's, included stops to Wittenburg, Eisenach and Erfurt Germany, a few days in Salzburg, Austria (confirmed our desire to do an Alps ski trip!  Don't know why it was even a question anymore), a day trip to the Neuschwanstein Castle ("Mad" King Ludwig's creation and Walt Disney's vision for the Sleeping Beauty Castle) , an overnighter stop in Munich (staying overnight is a must, so you can spend your evening in a real German beer hall, of course) and one last stop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a small medieval village that is perfectly in tact and full of German tradition. 
Highlights of the trip included:

Perusing the streets of the city of Erfurt, where you meet square after square filled with cafes and restaurants.  A very nice place to spend an afternoon browsing the shops.

Taking a cable car into the Alps, to enjoy the views and of course a typical Weiss Beer.  The beer was good, the view wasn't bad either ;)

Salzburg. Period. More on Salzburg here!

Schnitzel!  Gotta have me some schnitzel when in Germany and Austria.  In fact, the more the better, which was something all 4 of us agreed on.

While the side trip to Neuschwanstein wasn't everything I dreamed it would be, (read more about that here.) the scenery in the area is surely beautiful.  No wonder Ludwig was such a Romantic.

Hofbrau Haus.  Enough said!  It's mandatory to sip a liter in Germany's most infamous beer hall.  Keep in mind Munich has much more to offer than beer!  Click here or  here to read more about Munich.

If you love Christmas, a stop at Rothenburg ob der Tauber will be sure to make your day any time of the year, where you can visit Christmas shop after Christmas shop.  It is a perfectly quaint little medieval village, and worth an overnight stop to see the city after the day trippers go home.  It doesn't get much cuter than this!!!

From Rothenburg, we headed back home.  I love road tripping, but that first night back in your own bed just adds to the sweetness of traveling!

To read more about our time in Austria click here!!

To read more about our time in Germany click here!!  Pin It

Easy Weeknight Dinners

Pin It I'm always asking myself what to make for dinner.  When I can't figure it out, I ask My Taste Tester (you think he would have more input, since he is the one eating the food).  When he doesn't help, I do what every other woman is doing these days.  I turn to pinterest.  There, I find an overwhelming amount of ideas.. so many, it makes it even more difficult to decide.  So, I decided to put together a list of my go to weeknight dinners and am looking for your suggestions to add to the list.

The Requirements:
something delicious
something nutritious
something that can be thrown together quickly
preferably budget friendly


Comment below your favorite go to weeknight dinners! 

1.) Tortizza (Tortilla Pizza)

This one is kind of a no brainer, but delicious everytime.  The tortilla can be substituted for french bread, english muffin, pita bread, even a portabella, but I prefer whole wheat tortillas.

How to:

Simply top with a plain tomato sauce, some fresh tomatoes, basil & mozzarella.  Bake in oven or toaster oven until cheese is melted.  Top with cracked pepper and balsamic.  Serve with a side of salad or grilled veggies.  Voila!

2.)  Special Pasta (well, that's what we like to call it)

We started making special pasta about 2 years ago and have had variations of it almost every other week since.  Well, Paul's parents brought us something that has brought our special pasta to a whole other (whole nother?) level.  My S-I-L recently started selling Wildtree  products, and Paul's mom brought us grapeseed oil and roasted garlic infused grapeseed oil.  While I used to chop garlic and sautee, that wasn't exactly weekday friendly.  This garlic infused grapeseed oil made last night's special pasta one I couldn't stop eating, and I couldn't wait to eat my leftovers at lunch today.  You know how that is when you pack a really tasty lunch for work?  Not only did this grapeseed oil taste great, they say it is even better for you than Olive Oil.  To read about the health benefits click here. 

 How to:

Boil some whole wheat noodles to al dente.  In the mean time, clean out your vegetable drawer.  Chop and sautee any veggies you have on hand in some grapeseed or olive oil.  Give a squeeze of 1/4-1/2 of lemon over the veggies for some extra flavor.  Combine noodles and veggies.  I like to add fresh basil to the dish, but some dried Italian Seasoning will also work.  As mentioned above, if you have a garlic (or flavor of your choice) infused oil, add a tablespoon to the dish (regular EVOO also works).  Top with a little freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano.  Salt & pepper to taste and crushed red pepper flakes if desired.  In this particular version, I used mushrooms, zucchini, spinach and sundried tomatoes (love sundrieds) and garlic infused oil.  It was delish! 

3.) Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad 

Provided you make the quinoa ahead of time, this dish comes together in a snap!  It's full of protein and healthy veggies, so perfect for a light week night dinner (also one of my favorite leftovers to bring to work for lunch).

How to:

Chop tomato, avocado, red pepper, add to already cooked quinoa.  Add a can of black beans and corn, both rinsed.  Add a teaspoon of cumin.  Salt and pepper.  Add about 10 roughly chopped cilantro leaves.  Cut two limes in half and squeeze over salad.  Dinner is served.

4.)  Breakfast for dinner. 
Simple as that.  Eggs.   Quiche, scrambled, over easy, poached, with a side of veggies, with a side of fruit.  Anyway you like.  You name it.  Have it for dinner.  

How to: 
Click on one of the links above!

5.) Adult Grilled Cheese

Take the childhood classic and glam it up a bit.  First off, no American cheese, please.  Pretty much any other cheese will do.  Stick to one kind, mix it up... the choice is yours.  Next, add some veggies.  Again, the possibilities are pretty much endless.  Then if you really want to get fancy, throw in a slice or two of deli meat.

How to:

Spread a thin layer of butter on the outside pieces of bread.  Layer in cheese, veggies, meat and anything else you want to experiment with.  Cook on stove over medium heat.  Serve with a side salad or soup.  Mmm, everytime.  If you are feeling rather Parisian, add a fried egg to the top, for your own version of a  croque-madame.

This particular version:
Gouda
Gruyere
Sliced tomato
Sliced Avocado

Other Variations to try:

Caprese
Fresh Mozzarella
Basil/Pesto
Tomato

Veggie
Chopped grilled veggies (red pepper, broccoli, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.)
Provolone

Croque-Monsieur
Gruyere
Ham

Do you have any Grey Poupon? 
Brie
Ham
Dijon
Tomato
Arugula


Hungry for dessert?? Okay, no cheese on this one.

Nutella
Banana
PB (optional)

What's your favorite grilled cheese!?   

This pretty much sums up this evening post.  While writing this I was eating my version of the Adult Grilled Cheese.  Not too shabby.  Now, it's time to start getting ready for our road trip!  First things first, shopping list of road trip goodies.  What's your favorite on the road snack? 



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Artichoke Spinach Sundried Chicken Pasta Bake

Pin It Long name for a pasta bake, but when it was time to name this dish, there wasn't a main ingredient I could leave out.  Artichokes?  The dish wouldn't be the same without!  Spinach?  Maybe some would say sure, but I am passionate about spinach in a way Popeye is.   Sundrieds?  Nope.  They bring the perfect pop of flavor, and Sundrieds from Italy put this dish over the top!   Chicken?  Those juicy tender chunks of white meat were a must in my book.  So you see, every ingredient adds a special something to this one, it just wouldn't be right so give one ingredient more credit than the next.  I was looking for a make ahead dish to have with Paul's parents when they got to town on Sunday evening, and was inspired by a make ahead casserole from Iowa Girl Eats (love her blog!).  I like make ahead dishes for guests, then you don't have to worry about what's going on with the food, but can "visit" with your company.  Even though we didn't end up eating it until Monday (which maybe made it even better, I will never know) because a little dish by the name of Belgian Beef Stew or more appropriately, Carbonnade à la Flammande (in French) or Stoofvlees (in Dutch) got in the way (I'm not complaining).  Only the best Belgian dish ever... more on that later.  Where was I?  Oh yeah, make ahead dish!  I came across this fabulous Artichoke Spinach Sundried Chicken Pasta Bake.  I know I say fabulous, amazing, the best, etc. a lot, but this flavor packed pasta bake was by far the best one I have ever made.  Okay, so I also use superlatives in excess, but this was really the BEST!!  Was it the sundrieds or the mix of melty gooey cheeses or the artichokes?  I have no idea, but this dish came together perfectly.  Only regret: ran out of camera battery and had to use the point and shoot, for the final pics and they didn't turn out that great.  This one is definitely going in the rotation, so I will get another pic next time.

A little purple, green, red and ... beige?  Either way, looks appetizing. 

Mmmmmm. And we aren't done yet.  (Although, the pre-dish looks better than the done dish.)  

 Artichoke Spinach Sundried Chicken Pasta Bake
adapted from Iowa Girl Eats (great blog!) and BHG

 Ingredients:
4 small Chicken Breast, cooked and cut into cubes (I used the same method as I did in Chicken Broccoli Casserole with Rice, including rubbing them with a little paprika)
8 oz. (dry) bow tie pasta, cooked (it doesn't look like much, but you don't need more!)
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs butter
1 can of artichokes, drained
1 1/3 c fresh spinach
1/2 c sundried tomatoes
 2 eggs
1 1/4 c milk
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Paprika
3/4 c shredded gouda
3/4 c shredded gruyere
2 Tbs grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan, I had Pecorino on hand)
Freshly ground pepper
1 piece whole wheat bread, dried
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp Paprika
2 Tbsp grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  
 
Start by rubbing paprika on the chicken breasts.  Once covered with paprika, put a dash of cracked pepper on the top.  Bake in oven until internal temperature is 165 degrees.

While chicken is baking, chop the shallots and mince the garlic.  Saute them with 1 Tbsp of butter over medium heat until softened.  Chop spinach, sundrieds, and quarter the artichokes.

Cut cooked chicken into cubes.  

Mix 2 eggs, milk, spices, cheeses, noodles, spinach, sundrieds, artichokes, chicken and softened onions and garlic in a large bowl.  Layer mixture into a greased baking dish.  Refrigerated up to one day until ready to bake or bake immediately.

Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.  While baking, use a food processor to make your bread crumbs.  Combine the bread and paprika and blend.  Mix the crumbs with 1 Tbsp melted butter.  Top your pasta with bread crumbs and shredded Pecorino Romano.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Serve right away and save some for leftovers, please!!!!

Bon Apetit!  Refer to the photos from Iowa Girl Eats and BHG if this photo isn't appetizing enough.  Trust me, you want need to make this pasta bake ASAP. 

No that's not ground beef.  My breadcrumbs are looking a little beefy.  Use your food processor they will look nicer (need to get one of those when I move back to the States!).

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Blueberry Crumb Topped Muffins with Greek Yogurt

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 Aren't muffins with crumb tops 1,000 times better than muffins without crumb tops?  These crumbly top muffins were delightful.  Normally,  I make banana chocolate chip muffins, but in the spirit of our first spring visitors coming for the season, and one of them being particularly fond of blueberry muffins, I decided to try these blueberry crumb top muffins.  They went over pretty well with the in-laws.  I might need to make a second batch to bring on our road trip to in Germany next week. Can't wait until blueberries are in season to try these with fresh ones, and to just stuff my face with blueberries in general.  YUM.

Start by making the crumb topping with brown sugar, flour and some butter.  Rub with your fingers to make this crumbly yumminess.  Refrigerate until you are ready to top your muffins.

Mix your batter, add the blueberries with flour.

Gently fold in the blueberries, and you are ready to fill your muffin tin.  

Fill cups 3/4 full and top with the crumb topping.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F (176 C). 

Blueberry Crumb Top Muffins

adapted from Pip & Ebby

Ingredients:

Crumb Top:

1/2 c brown sugar

1/3 c flour

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp cinnamon

Muffins:

1 c all purpose flour

1/2 c wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 c sugar

1 Tbsp melted butter

1 cup Greek Yogurt (I used half normal, half 0% fat)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp lemon zest

1 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 Tbsp flour

Directions:

Start by preheating the oven to 350 F (176 C).  Make crumb mixture by mixing brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter.  Mix crumbs with your fingers.  Refrigerate until ready to top.  Add dry ingredients (all purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in a medium sized bowl.  In a large bowl beat egg with a hand held mixture.  Add sugar and butter and beat until mixed.  Add Greek Yogurt, vanilla extract and lemon zest.  Mix.  Slowly add the dry ingredients until almost fully mixed.  In a small bowl mix 1 Tbsp of flour with the blueberries and gently fold the blueberries into the batter.  Grease muffin tin.  Fill cups 3/4 with batter. Top with crumb topping.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Enjoy!

Bon Apetit!  Perfect for breakfast or dessert!

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