technorati tags: bpw, blogger postcards around the world
29. Januar 2007
26. Januar 2007
i might become a vegetarian
in fact, only a part time vegetarian. i think i could never entirely live without meat (and i don't plan to do so), but over the last few years i voluntarily and somewhat accidentally narrowed down my intake of beeves.
i have a friend who claims that he's a vegetarian but sometimes, about once a month at least, he eats meat - when he's at a party and they have really great meat on the buffet or when his girlfriend cooks a really delicious meat dish and he just can't resist to try.
i always bug him that i think it's pretty phoney to call himself a vegetarian because i think he only does it for image-reasons. he likes to draw attention to the fact that he is taking good care of himself. and being a vegetarian totally proves his point there. i always tell him that's really lame and he should try to buy organic food instead.
i never brag about the fact that like 75% of my groceries are organic and from local producers. sure, you can not always buy locally grown stuff, but i really like to pay attention to where my nourishments comes from. it's a really big deal for me and i probably should wear a shirt that says "buy organic food, dammit!" to raise awareness about this issue that has become more and more important to me.
but back to becoming a vegetarian. i often go without meat for several weeks (very often totally unnoticed) and i 've asked myself why i do that. i think i am generally leaning towards a more balanced nutrition and wholefood these days. i simply became more aware of how my diet influences my general wellbeing. and ever since i ordered my first farm box i've discovered so many beautiful new flavours that the taste of plain meat just is not enough anymore.
lamb?
can't stand the taste (and the smell). i never could, and that probably won't change.
beef?
can't even remember if i ever bought beef and prepared it in my own kitchen. maybe some mixed minced meat for burgers every now and then, but that is about it.
pork?
the food of my childhood was all about pork, we had schnitzel or pork roast every sunday. i think i've had enough :)
seafood?
i hardly ever buy seafood. only if a recipe specifically requires shrips, for example. but scallops? nope, never had scallops. the very thought of slurping oysters gives me the creeps. and i can not imagine eating caviar either. how can you eat something destined for procreation? gosh, don't even get me started on the weird (and not seafood at all) rocky mountain oysters ...
fish?
i eat it less often than i wish i would. maybe once a month, and then often as a quick take out of the local nordsee. as a child i was addicted to fishsticks but i think i've never even ate fishsticks since i had my own place. (damn, now i am craving them!)
poultry?
it looks like turkey and chicken are about the only meat i buy and prepare myself. even if i buy processed meat, saussage and stuff i am always choosing poultry over beef or pork.
let's face it. a viennese schnitzel plus potato salad just doesn't do it for me anymore. it's good every now and then, but let's be honest, it is also pretty dull. in fact, at times i don't even crave the odd wurstbrot. i much rather grab a piece of fruit or vegetable.
not eating meat at all is always just a phase, a phase i usually have during summer. but the only meat i had so far this year was the szegedin goulash. it seems that i even try to make my goulash vegetarian these days :) !
it really is time to include some more animal products in my diet, or i might start calling myself a vegetarian for no reason too, just like my sassy old friend :)
so i'll have some lovely green beans and shrimp with a light sauce. nothing special really, just my monthly dose of fish/seafood.
i have a friend who claims that he's a vegetarian but sometimes, about once a month at least, he eats meat - when he's at a party and they have really great meat on the buffet or when his girlfriend cooks a really delicious meat dish and he just can't resist to try.
i always bug him that i think it's pretty phoney to call himself a vegetarian because i think he only does it for image-reasons. he likes to draw attention to the fact that he is taking good care of himself. and being a vegetarian totally proves his point there. i always tell him that's really lame and he should try to buy organic food instead.
i never brag about the fact that like 75% of my groceries are organic and from local producers. sure, you can not always buy locally grown stuff, but i really like to pay attention to where my nourishments comes from. it's a really big deal for me and i probably should wear a shirt that says "buy organic food, dammit!" to raise awareness about this issue that has become more and more important to me.
but back to becoming a vegetarian. i often go without meat for several weeks (very often totally unnoticed) and i 've asked myself why i do that. i think i am generally leaning towards a more balanced nutrition and wholefood these days. i simply became more aware of how my diet influences my general wellbeing. and ever since i ordered my first farm box i've discovered so many beautiful new flavours that the taste of plain meat just is not enough anymore.
lamb?
can't stand the taste (and the smell). i never could, and that probably won't change.
beef?
can't even remember if i ever bought beef and prepared it in my own kitchen. maybe some mixed minced meat for burgers every now and then, but that is about it.
pork?
the food of my childhood was all about pork, we had schnitzel or pork roast every sunday. i think i've had enough :)
seafood?
i hardly ever buy seafood. only if a recipe specifically requires shrips, for example. but scallops? nope, never had scallops. the very thought of slurping oysters gives me the creeps. and i can not imagine eating caviar either. how can you eat something destined for procreation? gosh, don't even get me started on the weird (and not seafood at all) rocky mountain oysters ...
fish?
i eat it less often than i wish i would. maybe once a month, and then often as a quick take out of the local nordsee. as a child i was addicted to fishsticks but i think i've never even ate fishsticks since i had my own place. (damn, now i am craving them!)
poultry?
it looks like turkey and chicken are about the only meat i buy and prepare myself. even if i buy processed meat, saussage and stuff i am always choosing poultry over beef or pork.
let's face it. a viennese schnitzel plus potato salad just doesn't do it for me anymore. it's good every now and then, but let's be honest, it is also pretty dull. in fact, at times i don't even crave the odd wurstbrot. i much rather grab a piece of fruit or vegetable.
not eating meat at all is always just a phase, a phase i usually have during summer. but the only meat i had so far this year was the szegedin goulash. it seems that i even try to make my goulash vegetarian these days :) !
it really is time to include some more animal products in my diet, or i might start calling myself a vegetarian for no reason too, just like my sassy old friend :)
so i'll have some lovely green beans and shrimp with a light sauce. nothing special really, just my monthly dose of fish/seafood.
23. Januar 2007
winter, finally
allright, so we finally have some snow over here! it makes me want to go to a christkindelmarkt and eat some schokofrüchte (chocolate covered bananas and oranges) ... hey wait, as far as the second craving is concerned, i can easily fulfil that desire!
18. Januar 2007
székelygulyás
i just love all the influences of various ethnicities in austrian cuisine! my country used to be a multiethnic monarchy under habsburg rule until 1918, i believe you all know that from history class (or, maybe not). it expanded eastwards starting out from the teeny tiny austria i live in today and included parts of the czech republic, slovakia, poland, hungary, italy, slovenia, croatia, serbia, romania and the ukraine.
up to the present day we have so many diverse dishes, so many flavours and textures and so many regional specialities still influenced by eastern europe and the former duchies, counties and kingdoms of the austrian empire. history around the globe teaches us that it's not exactly easy to manage a large empire with diverse ethnicities and austria inarguably has had a large share of a very dark moment in history.
still, i grew up to not only tolerate but embrace diversity in beliefs, religions, traditions and above all food! i value that highly.
when i was little it never really occured to me that i was so incredibly influenced by eastern european cuisine. i always believed that the dishes i grew up with where typically austrian and only found out about their history when i grew up to be a food loving teenager. bohemian pastry, mediterranean and balkan meat dishes, and not to forget the comforting eastern european stews are all a staple in my diet.
i just adore topfengolatschen (bohemian) with a nice cup of coffee in the afternoon.
minced meat ćevapčići (balkan) where my favorite fast food snack as a child and still are our traditional family christmas dish today. forget the turkey, my family has eaten ćevapčići for at least 20 years on christmas eve. i often get a "what?!? where is the roast pork?!?" when i describe our luscious feast with ćevapčići and a wide range of side dishes, sauces and various breads.
when i think of comfort food from my childhood - cheap, easy, quick, filling and delicious - i always think of the hungarian goulash. it still is the most comforting food i could ever eat.
this will also be my contribution to the brandnew foodblog event waiter, there's something in my ... stew, because goulash really has always been comfort food for me. my mama makes like a gazillion versions of this hungarian speciality and szegedin goulash (or as we call it: szegediner gulasch) has always been my favorite. when we have regular goulash i usually push the meat aside and drown white bread in the sauce, but when szegedin goulash is on the menu is finish off the whole plate, i request seconds (and often more) and i always feel the urge to lick the plate when i'm done eating ... oh yes, and then my pants pop :) ... when i've eaten too much i can always sip a little slivovitz (eastern european) ... indeed, sweet relief!
so i kick back with my goulash and listen to the strong wind outside ... a storm warning has been issued yesterday for central europe, and i am kind of worried about that. though i have always been fascinated by thunder and lightning i have never witnessed something like that before. it's really a very unusual weather situation and the storm is expected to hit the northern part of the alps (where i live) in two to three hours with 150 km/h. i honestly don't know if i should be afraid or excited.
i am just watching the news where they have live coverage of various locations in austria preparing for the storm - everyone is on red alert. that really is a weird situation right now ... i better prepare a few candles and matches, i don't want to be surprised by a power blackout ...
update
it is 23:30 now and various things, odds and ends are tumbling around on my neighbours terrace ... why didn't he put that stuff in the shed? he'll probably find his patio furniture and his plants in the danube tomorrow, a few kilometers downstream ...
now the light starts quivering, that definitely feels weird. thank good i am in a solidly built house and i don't have to be afraid that the roof gets blown off ... but the loud wind and the noise from all the stuff that gets blown away outside is definitely giving me the creeps!
another update
so how did you other europeans survive this stormy night? the hurricane was gone when i woke up and though there still are rather strong winds, neither myself nor anybody i know was harmed during the night. my sister could not get to work in time this morning and there still is a blackout in the remote village where my grandfather lives, but my mama is taking care of him and bringing coffee and warm food until the broken wires are repaired.
apparently upper austria was hit very hard (137 km/h in linz-hörsching) and with lower austria and salzburg the most damage was done along the northern side of the alps. we had a peak of 216 km/h in the alpine upland in salzburg. that sounds really scary!
i will skip university today and i'll take a walk around my neighbourhood later to see if anything is heavily damaged. but it looks totally quiet outside right now, there might be some damage on the current building site near the danube (they are errecting a protective wall to prevent flooding of my neighbourhood). there are no warnings about flooding in linz right now, but its raining heavily and we might have to expect something over the next few days ...
up to the present day we have so many diverse dishes, so many flavours and textures and so many regional specialities still influenced by eastern europe and the former duchies, counties and kingdoms of the austrian empire. history around the globe teaches us that it's not exactly easy to manage a large empire with diverse ethnicities and austria inarguably has had a large share of a very dark moment in history.
still, i grew up to not only tolerate but embrace diversity in beliefs, religions, traditions and above all food! i value that highly.
when i was little it never really occured to me that i was so incredibly influenced by eastern european cuisine. i always believed that the dishes i grew up with where typically austrian and only found out about their history when i grew up to be a food loving teenager. bohemian pastry, mediterranean and balkan meat dishes, and not to forget the comforting eastern european stews are all a staple in my diet.
i just adore topfengolatschen (bohemian) with a nice cup of coffee in the afternoon.
minced meat ćevapčići (balkan) where my favorite fast food snack as a child and still are our traditional family christmas dish today. forget the turkey, my family has eaten ćevapčići for at least 20 years on christmas eve. i often get a "what?!? where is the roast pork?!?" when i describe our luscious feast with ćevapčići and a wide range of side dishes, sauces and various breads.
when i think of comfort food from my childhood - cheap, easy, quick, filling and delicious - i always think of the hungarian goulash. it still is the most comforting food i could ever eat.
this will also be my contribution to the brandnew foodblog event waiter, there's something in my ... stew, because goulash really has always been comfort food for me. my mama makes like a gazillion versions of this hungarian speciality and szegedin goulash (or as we call it: szegediner gulasch) has always been my favorite. when we have regular goulash i usually push the meat aside and drown white bread in the sauce, but when szegedin goulash is on the menu is finish off the whole plate, i request seconds (and often more) and i always feel the urge to lick the plate when i'm done eating ... oh yes, and then my pants pop :) ... when i've eaten too much i can always sip a little slivovitz (eastern european) ... indeed, sweet relief!
400 g diced goulash meat (pork)
500 g sauerkraut
vegetable oil
1 onion
3 tsp paprika powder (you can take as much as you like, even up to 2 tsp)
1 clove of garlic
about 150 ml water
salt
bay leaf
2 tbsp flour
150 ml milki have never made this goulash myself, so danke für das rezept, mama :)
- in a pot, gently fry diced onion and diced garlic in a little vegetable oil
- add pork and continue to cook until the meat is turning brown
- add the sauerkraut. some people like to drain or even rinse it, but i prefer putting it into the pot with all the juicy liquid. i also like to rinse the package with a little water (about 150 ml), so there's enough liquid in the goulash later
- bring to a boil
- now add the paprika and the bay leaf
- reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes
- mix flour and milk and add to the goulash to thicken it
- bring to a boil again
- serve with plain bread or cooked potatoes
my siblings and i gave my parents "the internet" and a laptop for christmas and my mother is slowly losing her fear of technology. she can even skype me now, she can check and send emails and she is also beginning to discover those mysterious things called "weblogs" ...
so i kick back with my goulash and listen to the strong wind outside ... a storm warning has been issued yesterday for central europe, and i am kind of worried about that. though i have always been fascinated by thunder and lightning i have never witnessed something like that before. it's really a very unusual weather situation and the storm is expected to hit the northern part of the alps (where i live) in two to three hours with 150 km/h. i honestly don't know if i should be afraid or excited.
i am just watching the news where they have live coverage of various locations in austria preparing for the storm - everyone is on red alert. that really is a weird situation right now ... i better prepare a few candles and matches, i don't want to be surprised by a power blackout ...
update
it is 23:30 now and various things, odds and ends are tumbling around on my neighbours terrace ... why didn't he put that stuff in the shed? he'll probably find his patio furniture and his plants in the danube tomorrow, a few kilometers downstream ...
now the light starts quivering, that definitely feels weird. thank good i am in a solidly built house and i don't have to be afraid that the roof gets blown off ... but the loud wind and the noise from all the stuff that gets blown away outside is definitely giving me the creeps!
another update
so how did you other europeans survive this stormy night? the hurricane was gone when i woke up and though there still are rather strong winds, neither myself nor anybody i know was harmed during the night. my sister could not get to work in time this morning and there still is a blackout in the remote village where my grandfather lives, but my mama is taking care of him and bringing coffee and warm food until the broken wires are repaired.
apparently upper austria was hit very hard (137 km/h in linz-hörsching) and with lower austria and salzburg the most damage was done along the northern side of the alps. we had a peak of 216 km/h in the alpine upland in salzburg. that sounds really scary!
i will skip university today and i'll take a walk around my neighbourhood later to see if anything is heavily damaged. but it looks totally quiet outside right now, there might be some damage on the current building site near the danube (they are errecting a protective wall to prevent flooding of my neighbourhood). there are no warnings about flooding in linz right now, but its raining heavily and we might have to expect something over the next few days ...
12. Januar 2007
pirogi, pierogi, perogi, perogy, piroghi, piroshki, pirozhki, pyragai, piroghi, pirogi, pyrohy, пирог and пирожок
while the classic pierogi are of eastern european origin these semi-circular dumplings are no strangers to the regional cuisine here in the bohemian forest in upper austria. there are some well known regional varieties in austria like the schlutzkrapfen in tirol or the kasnudeln in carinthia. in germany, or more specific in swabia, they have the famous maultaschen. that's what we call them too. pierogi are really big north america where immigrants added them to the cuisine. i did not know that either.
i don't make them that often and i never made them totally from scratch, but i mostly make them savory and stuff them with minced meat or cabbage. i also like to drown the pierogis in tomato sauce ... mmmmmmh ...
the other day i came across another interesting variation of the pierogi, the karjalanpiirakka from finland and i decided to give it a try. so here we go!
actually, i have no idea how the karjalanpiirakka are supposed to taste and i can only imagine how they should look like ... well, my version seems to be totally bent out of shape *ggg*. making a dish you don't even know can be some sort of a blind flight, but this recipe just sounded too cool not to try. it tastes pretty good and bearing the fact in mind that i really have no idea about the real taste of this dish, i think i did a good job with this version of the pierogi.
ps: i have seen this picto broswer in a few blogs lately. i thought i'll try it too. if you want to know more just click here.
i don't make them that often and i never made them totally from scratch, but i mostly make them savory and stuff them with minced meat or cabbage. i also like to drown the pierogis in tomato sauce ... mmmmmmh ...
the other day i came across another interesting variation of the pierogi, the karjalanpiirakka from finland and i decided to give it a try. so here we go!
(makes 6 pierogi)
75 ml water
50 g rice (originally puuroriisi or grötris, i used risotto rice)
salt
150 ml milk
50 ml cold water
1/2 tsp salt
50 g flour (wheat)
25 g flour (rye)
12 g melted butter
butter
water
1/2 egg
25 g butter
- boil the rice in water and a dash of salt until all the water has been absorbed
- add milk and cook for another 30 minutes on low heat
- mix water, salt, flour and butter until well blended
- roll out the dough into circles on a lightly floured surface. make sure it is thin enough
- place a spoon full of the rice on each circle and fold the edges up
- bake 5-10 minutes at 275-300°c
- melt a knob of butter in some water and brush the freshly baked perogies with the mixture
- serve warm with an egg-butter mixture (dice one hard boiled egg and mix with butter)
actually, i have no idea how the karjalanpiirakka are supposed to taste and i can only imagine how they should look like ... well, my version seems to be totally bent out of shape *ggg*. making a dish you don't even know can be some sort of a blind flight, but this recipe just sounded too cool not to try. it tastes pretty good and bearing the fact in mind that i really have no idea about the real taste of this dish, i think i did a good job with this version of the pierogi.
ps: i have seen this picto broswer in a few blogs lately. i thought i'll try it too. if you want to know more just click here.
9. Januar 2007
oh behave! and bring me the crumpets!
after a couple of lazy days without grocery shopping this morning i unfortunatley had to discover that i was all out of bread! oh god! there is not a single slice of toast left in the freezer and with all my no knead creations consumed ... what is a girl supposed to do on her lazy morning without anything for breakfast?! now i am not a big breakfast person, but if i have to starve on my lazy tuesdays (probably the only lazy mornings left, including weekends) i get totally cranky. sure, i could eat weetabix with milk and honey, but i am so not in the mood for a dusty brick when i want to indulge in a gorgeous toast and jam orgy before i head to university.
trying to find my zen again and trying to chase away that terrible mood of mine (because i just can't stand myself when i am totally pissed!) i remembered something: i've always wanted to make crumpets ever since i found a recipe over at the real epicurean.
so there you go. i am no longer angry, i am british now. or at least in my little make-believe kitchen i am recreating an authentic (and perfect!) au-pair 1996/1997 breakfast. minus the baked beans and the saussage, of course!
oh, i just love the spongy texture of those lovely little things! i have missed them dearly because you just can't get crumpets here in austria ... it is good to know that i can recreate them at home :) why haven't i tried that before?
now, i definitely need to make another batch, freeze it and thaw the crumpets whenever i am hungry for british breakfast. that's probably gonna be every day from now on.
trying to find my zen again and trying to chase away that terrible mood of mine (because i just can't stand myself when i am totally pissed!) i remembered something: i've always wanted to make crumpets ever since i found a recipe over at the real epicurean.
so there you go. i am no longer angry, i am british now. or at least in my little make-believe kitchen i am recreating an authentic (and perfect!) au-pair 1996/1997 breakfast. minus the baked beans and the saussage, of course!
lacking the fresh yeast to try the recipe mentioned above i googled "crumpets instant yeast" and found a lovely little recipe. i adapted my version from here.
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2/3 cup water
1 cup of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
butter
- mix 1/2 cup of flour and 1 teaspoon of instant yeast
- add 2/3 cup of water and mix together until smooth
- cover and leave to stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes
- sift a cup of flour and 1/2 tsp of salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre
- pour in the yeast mixture and 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk
- beat the batter for 5 minutes to incorporate air
- cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour
- melt a tiny knob of butter in a frying pan over medium heat
- grease the inside of cookie cutters (or crumpet rings, if you are lucky enough to have some!)
- ladle the batter into the cookie cutters filling them about 2/3
- cook the crumpets for about 5-10 minutes until the are nicely browned underneath
- turn once and continue cooking until browned
oh, i just love the spongy texture of those lovely little things! i have missed them dearly because you just can't get crumpets here in austria ... it is good to know that i can recreate them at home :) why haven't i tried that before?
now, i definitely need to make another batch, freeze it and thaw the crumpets whenever i am hungry for british breakfast. that's probably gonna be every day from now on.
7. Januar 2007
day seven, finally done
01 coffee
02 bread and jam
03 water
04 cauliflower with a cheese and garlic sauce
05 water
06 cafe latte
07 kiwi
08 a wurstbrot
09 water
10 hot chocolate
11 a tiny tangerine
12 wasabi coated peas, i think i am addicted!
13 water
well, i am finally done with photographing my food and my drinks. and i tell ya, it honestly has become some sort of a pain in the ***. i was really discouraged at times because my daily routine is really really dull. that never occured to me.
when i started this thing, i really thought that i had something to show this week. and honestly, i also wanted to show off a little and cook all those delicious and pretty things for you to see. as far as that is concerned, things did not work out the way i planned and the list of things i ate is rather pathetic.
so instead of showing off i better stick to the things i like and know best in the future: cook a little something and take a few pictures for you to see ... on the other hand i also learned something (of course, you always learn something in every experience!) ... my diet is really monotone. i might want to try out something new every once in a while!
and another thing: i want to include my friends a little more by not always cooking for one but making regular size meals and share them with them. i am known to be sort of an eremite, and they all respect that. but i have four of my lovely friends living right here in my building, and sharing some time (and food!) over the last week made it all the more clear that i need to have them in my life more often. so that's another resolution i want to make for 2007. serve them something nice maybe once a week? that would be cool.
yeah, this week was not so bad :)
6. Januar 2007
day six
01 cinnamon and sugar toast
02 herbal tea
03 coffee
04 water
05 some toasted dark bread with gouda
06 water
07 a hand full of wasabi coated peas. burns! like! fire! but totally worth it!
08 more herbal tea
09 stir fry: instant noodles and asian veggies - momofuku ando died yesterday :(
10 an advantage if your friends live in the same building: the come over with tiramisu ...
11 ... and apple tea to spontaneously chat the evening away!
12 after that luscious sweet treat do not need anything else. well, maybe water!
my personal top 10
i have been tagged by zorra to join the best of 2006 meme. it is not an easy task, but i finally managed to narrow my personal favorites of the last year down to just ten recipes ... wanna see? there you go!
number one just has to be the fantastic lime coconut fudge! no doubt about it!
i saw ainsley harriot make ricotta pancakes on one of his shows. they looked so divine, i had to find a recipe to make some myself!
cooking a pumpkin for the first time this year! the pumpkin soup with zucchini tasted incredible and i've made it a couple of times already!
i discovered so many new tastes and textures this year because of the lovely farm box i get delivered to my porch every week. the parsnip probably was the most surprising vegetable and the parsnip au gratin was just delicious!
god, i am such a fan of soups! i tend to make the same soups over and over, but the lentil soup with roasted bacon was really outstanding!
i always thought making pudding from scratch was difficult. why on earth did i think that?! it's so quick and easy - and oh, did i forget to say delicious?
the green nockerl with mozzarella clearly where an experiment. and while not every experiment in my kitchen turns out okay this one is definitely a keeper!
garlic soup from scratch is definitely a staple dish in my kitchen!
i tend to stick to the tastes i know and like when it comes to trying out new recipes. the coconut soup was all about brand new flavours - and to my big surprise it worked out really well!
oh, the colorful layers of savoy cabbage where divine! adjusting something i've known for years and making my very own dish out of it has got to be my hobby number one since i started my food blog!
i know you always have to invite people to join a food blog meme, but i think i like to leave this invitation open: everyone should scan their archives! it is totally interesting to rediscover recipes you've already almost forgotten about! and it is harder than you think to limit your favorites to only ten!
so join in the fun, my foodblogging friend!
number one just has to be the fantastic lime coconut fudge! no doubt about it!
i saw ainsley harriot make ricotta pancakes on one of his shows. they looked so divine, i had to find a recipe to make some myself!
cooking a pumpkin for the first time this year! the pumpkin soup with zucchini tasted incredible and i've made it a couple of times already!
i discovered so many new tastes and textures this year because of the lovely farm box i get delivered to my porch every week. the parsnip probably was the most surprising vegetable and the parsnip au gratin was just delicious!
god, i am such a fan of soups! i tend to make the same soups over and over, but the lentil soup with roasted bacon was really outstanding!
i always thought making pudding from scratch was difficult. why on earth did i think that?! it's so quick and easy - and oh, did i forget to say delicious?
the green nockerl with mozzarella clearly where an experiment. and while not every experiment in my kitchen turns out okay this one is definitely a keeper!
garlic soup from scratch is definitely a staple dish in my kitchen!
i tend to stick to the tastes i know and like when it comes to trying out new recipes. the coconut soup was all about brand new flavours - and to my big surprise it worked out really well!
oh, the colorful layers of savoy cabbage where divine! adjusting something i've known for years and making my very own dish out of it has got to be my hobby number one since i started my food blog!
i know you always have to invite people to join a food blog meme, but i think i like to leave this invitation open: everyone should scan their archives! it is totally interesting to rediscover recipes you've already almost forgotten about! and it is harder than you think to limit your favorites to only ten!
so join in the fun, my foodblogging friend!
5. Januar 2007
day five
i am invited to a gorgeous brunch at my friends' place and i did not really want to bug them with my camera. so i sneaked a picture of the table and we chit-chatted and gossipped instead during brunch. i'll give you the things i consumed in writing though:
01 cafe latte
02 müsli
03 half a banana
04 bread and mozzarella
05 bread and jam
06 water
07 a pear
08 water
09 yoghurt, a pear, cinnamon and honey
10 water
11 a good old wurstbrot! jause rocks!
12 water
13 coffee
14 black coffee at work - not very good
15 water
16 mohnflesserl with gouda
i really should cook more. but the weekend is coming, i'm staying positive :)
4. Januar 2007
day four
01 i overslept. so no coffee in the morning. water at my desk instead
02 a tangerine
03 water and almost falling asleep
04 lye finger roll
05 the office is out of coffee, so more water.
06 dürüm kebap while window shopping in the afternoon
07 apple juice and still roaming the streets of linz
08 a few bites of chocolate
09 and finally a coffee
10 pasta with swiss chard and onion
11 i'm thirsty. i need water
12 sure, eat all the chocolate. you know you want it. go ahead.
13 i always finish my day with water
i hardly ever drink anything else besides water. whenever i have a craving for coke or sprite or any other soft drink (like twice a year) one sip usually will satisfy my desire. but i like apple juice. grape juice or black currant juice is also great - but only in summer.
pasta with swiss chard and onion
while i grew up with the wonderful but very rich and heavy dishes my mama and my grandmother taught me to cook i desperately needed to discover my very own style. i believe that every generation needs to learn from the previous one but also should adapt and change the food they grew up with and set their own new standards.
well, that's what i did. and compared with the two previous generations my style was totally lean cuisine (which it is so not!). my grandmother for example used to fry all the wonderful bohemian style dishes in lard almost exclusivly. my mother made the transition to butter and margarine while yours truly in the third generation tries to avoid that grease alltogether. or use a non-stick frying pan and a tsp of olive oil or a knob of butter. don't get me wrong, lard and butter have a very distinctive flavour that often is essential and indispensable in upper austrian cuisine (perhaps in all native rural cooking in general) and i would never totally ban it from my diet. but i don't need to eat it every day either!
coming from a family of loud and big ass women (and i say that in the most loving way, after all i inherited the big mouth and the famous tush!), it still took a while until i gained confidence and my organic way of living. because a herd of dominant women can be very daunting!
i try to broaden my horizon regarding food in general. when i grew up spaghetti really was code for any kind of noodle with a meat and tomato sauce. today i have a different, more diverse point of view as far as pasta is concerned. and i especially like my spaghetti with steamed vegetables and very little sauce. i like all my pasta that way, no matter if spaghetti, tagliatelle, cannelloni or sedanini.
if i still had my spaghetti with butter and heavy sauce i guess i'd have a REAL problem with my weight instead of the oh no, my belly is wobbly and oh god, my thighs are really chubby - remarks i tend to make from time to time ...
where am i going with this post?! i wanted to show you my dinner!
since i had swiss chard in my farm box (a vegetable i absolutely adore) i made some spaghetti with swiss chard and red onion for dinner today. what a lovely combination!
well, that's what i did. and compared with the two previous generations my style was totally lean cuisine (which it is so not!). my grandmother for example used to fry all the wonderful bohemian style dishes in lard almost exclusivly. my mother made the transition to butter and margarine while yours truly in the third generation tries to avoid that grease alltogether. or use a non-stick frying pan and a tsp of olive oil or a knob of butter. don't get me wrong, lard and butter have a very distinctive flavour that often is essential and indispensable in upper austrian cuisine (perhaps in all native rural cooking in general) and i would never totally ban it from my diet. but i don't need to eat it every day either!
coming from a family of loud and big ass women (and i say that in the most loving way, after all i inherited the big mouth and the famous tush!), it still took a while until i gained confidence and my organic way of living. because a herd of dominant women can be very daunting!
i try to broaden my horizon regarding food in general. when i grew up spaghetti really was code for any kind of noodle with a meat and tomato sauce. today i have a different, more diverse point of view as far as pasta is concerned. and i especially like my spaghetti with steamed vegetables and very little sauce. i like all my pasta that way, no matter if spaghetti, tagliatelle, cannelloni or sedanini.
if i still had my spaghetti with butter and heavy sauce i guess i'd have a REAL problem with my weight instead of the oh no, my belly is wobbly and oh god, my thighs are really chubby - remarks i tend to make from time to time ...
where am i going with this post?! i wanted to show you my dinner!
since i had swiss chard in my farm box (a vegetable i absolutely adore) i made some spaghetti with swiss chard and red onion for dinner today. what a lovely combination!
1 swiss chard
1 small red onion
1 tsp of olive oil
100 ml of cream (i used rama cremefin)
pasta, which ever one you like :)
cheese, which ever one you like for your pasta (i used a slice of gouda)
- cook pasta in a pot of salted water. i like my pasta very well done, but if you like yours al dente that'll work too
- in the meantime dice the onion, clean and slice the chard
- when your pasta is done drain it but leave enough of the cooking water to blanch the chard for a few minutes
- don't overcook the chard, the vegetable should still be firm to the bite. it really only should take a few minutes
- now drain the chard too
- fry an onion in olive oil (i did that in my pasta/chard-pot) and add the chard before the onion turns brown
- now stir in the cream and bring to a boil
- add the cheese and season to taste
- add pasta and gently toss to combine
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3. Januar 2007
day three
01 a fruity start with leftovers of my farm box ... plus yoghurt and weetabix and honey
02 water
03 coffee
04 water, now at work
05 a lousy baguette with salami and cream cheese - note to self: never buy that again
06 a teeny tiny tangerine
07 awful work coffee. but i am almost falling asleep.
08 more water
09 a pear
10 water
11 i did not drink enough today, so more water please
12 turkey, salad, peppers all wrapped up, an adequate compensation for the baguette
13 some fair trade chocolate that was in the mail today. sent by my newspaper
14 water to finish the day
only a few snacks today ... damn, and i wanted to cook more often! well, that's not happening so far, folks!
2. Januar 2007
day two
01 morning coffee
02 water at my desk at work
03 terrible coffee at work
04 lye finger roll for breakfast
05 water - and still at work
06 more water, because water is good for you!
07 a banana
08 an apple while waiting for the tramway
09 a peanutcreme and chocolate bar. for my blood sugar :)
10 and water again
11 dinner, the chickpea-goulash
12 water, yes
13 and another coffee
14 an orange
15 half a pack of kettle vinegar chips while catching up on my daily online reads
my perception is shifting already.
i always thought i'd drink too little and i'd eat too much.
apparently i don't, really.
is it goulash?
there are two methods of cooking i frequently use when i am out of ideas: frying and stewing.
i once even had a little stewing-phase when i cooked nothing but stews for a few weeks. that phase is fortunately over but even today if i can not come up with a decent recipe or i can't decide what i am craving for dinner i'll stew something up.
i especially like all kinds of goulash, my favorite of all time being the szegedin goulash with pork and sauerkraut (my mama makes the best szegedin goulash, by the way!). every food that only resembles goulash and has lots of paprika powder in it is very comforting for me! we had it pretty often when i grew up and i could not get enough of the gazillion variations my mama is able to create.
i even invented some of my own. stews that taste a lot like goulash but use vegetables instead of meat. though i am not a vegetarian i hardly ever crave meat and i could easily live without it. actually, i often do live without meat for weeks without even noticing! when i was a child i used to push the goulash meat to the side of the plate and i only ate the paprika-sauce with lots and lots and lots of white bread. i still love to dunk a slice of bread in the sauce and i'd probably lick off the plate if you guys wheren't watching ...
i actually wanted to make hummus today and soaked some chickpeas overnight, but when i came home from work (very wet and very cold!) i was suddenly craving something else ... something goulashy ... and so i quickly added lots of paprika powder to a plain and simple chickpeas and tomato stew
the rich thickness of a gulash usually comes from the meat, so i thought i'd throw in some tomatos to give the dish some hearty flavour. eat it with bread! i think that could be a side dish as well but for a single gal like me it's more of a quick fix - well, not so quick after all, stewing still takes some time!
i once even had a little stewing-phase when i cooked nothing but stews for a few weeks. that phase is fortunately over but even today if i can not come up with a decent recipe or i can't decide what i am craving for dinner i'll stew something up.
i especially like all kinds of goulash, my favorite of all time being the szegedin goulash with pork and sauerkraut (my mama makes the best szegedin goulash, by the way!). every food that only resembles goulash and has lots of paprika powder in it is very comforting for me! we had it pretty often when i grew up and i could not get enough of the gazillion variations my mama is able to create.
i even invented some of my own. stews that taste a lot like goulash but use vegetables instead of meat. though i am not a vegetarian i hardly ever crave meat and i could easily live without it. actually, i often do live without meat for weeks without even noticing! when i was a child i used to push the goulash meat to the side of the plate and i only ate the paprika-sauce with lots and lots and lots of white bread. i still love to dunk a slice of bread in the sauce and i'd probably lick off the plate if you guys wheren't watching ...
i actually wanted to make hummus today and soaked some chickpeas overnight, but when i came home from work (very wet and very cold!) i was suddenly craving something else ... something goulashy ... and so i quickly added lots of paprika powder to a plain and simple chickpeas and tomato stew
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 large hand full of dried chickpeas
(how much could that be in gramms? i have no idea!)
3 tomatos
olive oil
salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp of paprika powder
- soak dried chickpeas in water overnight and cook them in water until they are soft enough. you can also use canned chickpeas.
- in a pot, fry onion and garlic in plenty of olive oil
- add the spices and keep stirring
- dice and add tomatoes
- let simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes
- add chickpeas
- cover the pot and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes
the rich thickness of a gulash usually comes from the meat, so i thought i'd throw in some tomatos to give the dish some hearty flavour. eat it with bread! i think that could be a side dish as well but for a single gal like me it's more of a quick fix - well, not so quick after all, stewing still takes some time!
1. Januar 2007
day one
with this new year knocking on my door i want to face the challenge of taking pictures of everything i consume during this first week of the new year. there was a food blog event in november over at becks and posh which i missed. i want to catch up on that now. kind of a new years resolution, i think. most people start the new year with a diet or a very strict workout schedule, but i need to do some different things *. i only want to screen what i eat and drink for a week - because i am curious. i tend to be very lost in my thoughts when i eat. or lost in my computer. or lost in my favorite tv show. i need to focus on eating again.
actually, maybe i jumped the gun here because as i took a picture of the first thing i drank this morning - a plain glass of tap water - i noticed: gosh, this might be terribly boring for you! most of the things i stuff in my mouth don't really photograph very well!
when i post an entry - and i am sure most of you mad foodbloggers out there will agree - i try to make the pictures as perfectly as possible. i consider lighting (no flash, please!), background (as blurry as possible), colors (colorful dishes with boring food and vice versa) and sometimes i even arrange the noodles on the plate to make them look exactly like i want them to ... yeah. now you know. my name is gerda and i am a crazy person. with all that stuff in mind my food usually is lukewarm by the time i get to eat it.
taking pictures of everything i consume is gonna be tricky. how on earth should i take a picture of the weckerl i gulp down in the tramway on my way to work?! this thing is gone in like two seconds!!
of course i will try my best and i intend to not cheat. but the people around me will certainly think i am totally out of my mind by the end of this week ... camera at the ready all! the! time!
okay. that said, in the style of tucker shaw i proudly present the yield of 01.01.2007
01 water
02 latte macchiato plus first cigarette of the day
03 water
04 bread and jam
05 weihnachtsstern tea
06 chili con carne leftovers - that's even better when warmed up!
07 water, again
08 more weihnachtsstern tea
09 a banana
10 cocoa & rum (watching a cheesy chickflick on tv)
11 the last 3 of my lime coconut fudgybabies (ditto!). i will have to make some more!
12 a kiwi
13 even more water
that's not really much food in one day, is it? and while it's challenging for me to remember taking all the pictures it might be totally dull for you.
we'll see what tomorrow brings.
more food and some actual cooking, i suppose!
_____
*
do you want to know what my real new years resolutions are?
yeah, shame on me, i could not resist making some anyway!
actually, maybe i jumped the gun here because as i took a picture of the first thing i drank this morning - a plain glass of tap water - i noticed: gosh, this might be terribly boring for you! most of the things i stuff in my mouth don't really photograph very well!
when i post an entry - and i am sure most of you mad foodbloggers out there will agree - i try to make the pictures as perfectly as possible. i consider lighting (no flash, please!), background (as blurry as possible), colors (colorful dishes with boring food and vice versa) and sometimes i even arrange the noodles on the plate to make them look exactly like i want them to ... yeah. now you know. my name is gerda and i am a crazy person. with all that stuff in mind my food usually is lukewarm by the time i get to eat it.
taking pictures of everything i consume is gonna be tricky. how on earth should i take a picture of the weckerl i gulp down in the tramway on my way to work?! this thing is gone in like two seconds!!
of course i will try my best and i intend to not cheat. but the people around me will certainly think i am totally out of my mind by the end of this week ... camera at the ready all! the! time!
okay. that said, in the style of tucker shaw i proudly present the yield of 01.01.2007
01 water
02 latte macchiato plus first cigarette of the day
03 water
04 bread and jam
05 weihnachtsstern tea
06 chili con carne leftovers - that's even better when warmed up!
07 water, again
08 more weihnachtsstern tea
09 a banana
10 cocoa & rum (watching a cheesy chickflick on tv)
11 the last 3 of my lime coconut fudgybabies (ditto!). i will have to make some more!
12 a kiwi
13 even more water
that's not really much food in one day, is it? and while it's challenging for me to remember taking all the pictures it might be totally dull for you.
we'll see what tomorrow brings.
more food and some actual cooking, i suppose!
_____
*
do you want to know what my real new years resolutions are?
yeah, shame on me, i could not resist making some anyway!
- i want to play guitar more. i started when i was 10 and i haven't played at all last year. i used to love to play and now i don't even know if i can remember all the tricky chords ...
- i did not read a single book last year. i started to read "carmen" by prosper mérimée two weeks ago in an effort to at least look back on one book in 2006, but nope! i did not manage to finish it (i have to admit i picked the original french version and my french is a bit rusty) ... i need to switch off my computer from time to time and grab a decent novel. i've never been a big reader, i mostly read magazines or i catch up on my reading online. but one book a year, for christ's sake! that should be doable, right?
- i want to receive mail again. real mail. with a stamp. written by hand. but i guess i have to start sending out letters in order for that to happen. so another resolution this year is to write letters again. because i can't even remember when i sent out my last letter. i suppose it was before the millenium.
thank you & a question
did a fellow foodpage with a million hits a day link to my humble site and thus share some of the success - or what is going on here? 31.12.2006 has been the busiest day so far on this blog! page views where shooting up and i've had almost twice as many visitors than before! oh man, i am really excited about that and i want to thank you again for visiting :) you certainly made my day! i totally consider this good luck for 2007 :)
but this first post in 2007 is not about cooking, eating or anything else food-related. i want to ask you something: how do you keep track of your (food)blogs? maybe you noticed the blogroll in the sidebar, that's my only archive at the moment - well, i am not really satisfied with that blogroll and i am looking for another way to file my bookmarks online. how do you handle the overwhelming amount of fantastic foodblogs? there must be a better way - tagging, storing in folders, maybe rss ... whatever! i'd love to sort foodies by country.
do you also store your links online or do you keep track in the favorites of your browser?
do you have any tips or suggestions for me?
your help would be appreciated!
but this first post in 2007 is not about cooking, eating or anything else food-related. i want to ask you something: how do you keep track of your (food)blogs? maybe you noticed the blogroll in the sidebar, that's my only archive at the moment - well, i am not really satisfied with that blogroll and i am looking for another way to file my bookmarks online. how do you handle the overwhelming amount of fantastic foodblogs? there must be a better way - tagging, storing in folders, maybe rss ... whatever! i'd love to sort foodies by country.
do you also store your links online or do you keep track in the favorites of your browser?
do you have any tips or suggestions for me?
your help would be appreciated!