by making a desert, of course! a desert with virtually no calories :)
01 cut apricots and put in a pan over medium heat
02 add a little water and stir the mixture until the water thickens
03 grate a medium piece of dark chocolate and chop some almonds
04 when the apricots are softened and the added water has turned into sirup pour on a plate and sprinkle with almonds and chocolate
also great with icecream!
... that would be the german equivalent of "when in rome, do as the romans do!".
i was always really bad in converting the values and measures from american or british recipes. i usually cook very intuitivly and when i must follow a recipe i tend to make mistakes. in my world it does not make any difference if i use a level spoonfull or a heaped spoonfull. when it comes to foreign recipes these inaccuracies usually turn into a mini-disaster. as i really want my food to actually look as delicious as it tastes, my americanstyle cakes tend to be a mashed up something (still good to eat though!) and my americanstyle muffins don't rise or melt away.
for future reference i want to point out a webpage i have known for years and might be usefull for all the (german speaking) europeans out there: usa kulinarisch. the site is devoted to american cooking and gives an insights in american traditions, regional dishes, holidays and saisonal recipes ... and they have a great section for all those troubles an european girl has with the "cup", the "ounce", the "fluid ounce" and the "pound" ... don't even get me started on fahrenheit! another great section is the part dealing with replacement of american ingredients that are either hard to get or very expensive import articles here in europe.
convert measures, temperatures / replace traditional american ingredients
and now i will roll up my sleeves and dig into your archives for a nice (and healthy) american recipe for a desert ...
since i am trying to loose some extra inches on my ass and tummy it is particularly hard to visit my parents. as i probably mentioned before my whole family *loooves* to gorge on mamas great dishes. she inherited her way of cooking from her mother and passed it on to her daughters, and though this might be a wide generalization i assume exactly our traditional home cooking is responsible for the struggle with my weight.
of course my mother has her own style and she did not actually copy her mothers recipes. but her only commitment to health probably was to substitute lard for butter or margerine. we where not wealthy at all when i was a kid and so the main aim probably was to feed the kids and put something filling on the table.
only recently as my father is struggling with diabetes my folks had to review their diet and this is a constant battle for them as the really tend to hang on to their (mal??-)nutrition. i do not want to be judgmental and blame my fat ass entirely on my heritage, but it was a real struggle for me to let go of unhealthy food. when i first moved out of my parent's and started my own household i was not able to integrate vegetables and fruits in my daily routine. i really had to force myself to grab an apple instead of a bread roll or a glass of water instead of a soft drink. i was just used to satisfy hunger quickly.
when i am with my parents i am usually adapting the conventions in their household in the wink of an eye. but i was not willing to give in this time! i wanted to stick to my rather strict diet and so i had to use a little trick for myself. though my mother did not want to hand over her kitchen to her daughters today (for gods sake mama, it's mothers day!!!) we somehow made a healthy deal: the other day i told my mum that i was crazy for fennel at the moment. my mum told me that she had never eaten fennel before in her entire life! so i suggested that i would prepare the side dish for lunch today. she agreed.
still my brother and my father would insist on their pasta on the side of their schnitzel but my mum and my sister where swept off their feet by my easy half steamed and half roasted fennel&vegetable creation.
i am strangely proud of myself to introduce my mama into the art of steaming vegetables - or letting a fennel touch her schnitzel :)
tagged with: cooking + food
whenever we make toast with regular brown bread we call it bauerntoast. it usually is way better than using sandwich bread and in my opinion even grilled cheese on brown bread is tasting better. i am a big fan of bread to start with and i put almost everything on bread. like schnitzel for example:
1 small escallop of turkey (125 gramm)
2 slices of whole-grain bread
salad
1 teaspoon of rama cremfin
salt, pepper, fennel seeds
01 toast the bread until slightly crunchy
02 season escallop with salt and pepper and roast over medium heat
03 mix cremfin (or yoghurt, sour cream, ...) with a few fennel seeds.
04 stack bread, salad and escallop and spread the cream/fennel mixture on top
05 top with remaining slice of bread
tagged with: cooking + food + recipe
i am devastated.
yesterday i had to whip out my fat ass jeans. when i hid them in my closet about two years ago i thought "i am doing so well, i will never have to wear them again".
well, there you go. the fat ass obviousely is back and i am crushed.
to be honest, i haven't stepped on the scales yet. i lost quite some kilos three years ago with weight watchers flexipoints ... i might have to start a diet-blog, folks, because i really want to at least get somewhere near my feel good weight again ...
aaahhh! this day sucks.
tagged with: breakfast + diet
finally i am back in my own kitchen after quite some time abroad! my trip to london was just fabulous! i have to make sure to not let this much time pass before i go back to london next time. i think i'll make this an annual trip :)
we where living on sandwiches practically the whole time because we did not really have much money to spend. i just LOVE sandwiches, and the local supermarket in hammersmith had an amazing range of sandwich fillers on stock which i have never seen and tasted before. an entrie section in the fridge-area was dedicated to sandwich fillers, can you imagine that? this is what my ultimate sandwich-fantasy looks like! i posted from my mobilephone while i was there and loaded up pictures later too. there are not too many food-related entries though. check out my photostream on flickr if you like!
after all this fast (prepared) food it is rather tough not to stick to the habit and eat sliced austria bread all day. i have to cook something sturdy now and overcome my newly gained lazyness. how about tyrolean bacon dumplings? as i am always scared that my dumplings fall apart (due to a dumpling fiasko about a year back) i roll the mixture nice and tight in a napkin and cut the mega-dumpling in slices later.
100 g bacon, finely diced
3 rolls diced as well
125 ml milk
1 egg
1/2 onion, finely chopped
parsley
30 g flour
salt, pepper
01 roast bacon and remove from pan
02 roast onion in fat from bacon
03 blend milk and egg, add salt
04 put diced rolls in a bowl and pour over milk/egg mixture
05 stir in roasted bacon and onion and let rest for half an hour
06 sprinkle flour over the mixture and mix well
07 make dumplings - remember to keep your hands moist
08 let simmer in water or soup for about 15 minutes
my easter holidays are always reserved for the family. so i spent the last few days at my partent's, i ate way to much and hung out with my folks ... and i am still not tired of them!
today i am going to london with my sister and my mother for a couple of days. i have been planning this for months now and i can't wait, i am so excited! check out my flickr-account for pictures because i am planning to send pictures from the uk via my mobile phone. i hope roaming is not too expensive in the uk ...
i am a sucker for maralade (or jam as you might call it). though i am not a great eater when it comes to breakfasts, i often start my day with a good slice of brown bread with an even more delicious blob of marmalade. the classic "marmeladebrot" has been comfort food since i was a little girl and will probably accompany me my whole lifetime.
i always keep at least 5 different jams in my kitchen cupboard and when they are down to three i really tend to get nervous. but today i am sitting here in front of my last two glasses, i stare horrified at the remains of rosenmarillen (apricots) and ginger. all i can squeeze out of these glasses will be approximately two teaspoons of jam - i always knew this was going to happen someday but i am just not prepared for it ... having a craving for something and not being able to give in really sucks.
i need more jam!
i need more jam!!
i need more jam!!!
tagged with: jam + marmalade + breakfast + marmelade
so i sent a parcel to mr. david lebovitz for euro food blogging 4.
it is a disaster what happened! read for yourself ....
... and weep - just like i did! i spent so much time and effort putting the parcel together and now pretty much everthing is ruined. not only did i spend (probably way too much) good money on all the stuff (i am sure everyone who participates does that!), i am really disappointed that my first blogging by post experience did not turn out too well. when i heard from david i was really devistated, i was thinking about not joining in anymore ...
... but this would be silly, actually. first of all, david was on holiday for a couple of days and the parcel was probably in a damp corner of some french postoffice for too long.
and second of all i was lucky enough not to get some mouseshit delivered, i got a pretty good parcel.
i am just really disappointed that i probably could not fulfill david's expectations.
tagged with: ebbp + euro blogging by post
ever since i have my foodblog i constantly think of how i could pep up my standard recipes. one thing i cook quite often is some sort of roasted meat, noodles, rice or vegetables on the side and some sort of gravy since growing up in a bohemian influenced middle european home makes it absolutely essential to get ahold of meat at least once a day. vital household recipes in our family include g'röstl (roasted sausage and cut up potatos), schnitzel, bratwurst, leberkäse, gulasch, reisfleisch (rice with meat), speckknödel (bacon dumplings) ... i know way more everyday recipes containing meat and being savory than recipes for sweet dishes (though upper austrian cuisine is supposedly famous for pastries and deserts!).
for most of my life meat was the epicenter of each meal. but growing up and learning about food and health made me think. from the first day i had home economics at school i became very aware of what i consume and how it affects my life. when i was eleven i came home from home ec and proudly announced to my surprised family: "i am a vegetarian now!!!". of course my strong-minded decision only lasted until next sunday's schnitzel.
since i moved out of my parent's flat i had several issues with my weight and even though i made my peace with the fact that i will never be super-skinny i don't want to feast on regional food anymore. i'd much rather indulge in a slimmed down version of traditional dishes and i adjusted my style of cooking. i do not use heavy cream anymore for example. i rarely used salt in my diet, so it was no problem cutting down on heavy seasoning. and i now replace ingredients to get more variety in my dull standards.
i am much more aware of what i eat and how the dish tastes, and that is quite a change. now i can easily make a traditional austrian roast filet taste sort of asian :). today i replaced an onion with an apple for example.
a piece of filet (pork, turkey, whichever you prefer)tagged with: cooking + food + recipe
1 apple
1 onion
200 ml cream (or similar but much lighter rama cremefine)
salt, pepper
rice
01 boil the rice while you prepare the dish
02 roast filets in a pan and put aside when done
03 chop onion and cut apple in really tiny pieces
04 in the same pan now saute the onion over medium heat
05 add the apples and saute a little more
06 add 200 ml of cream, (i like to use rama cremefine instead, it has much less fat and calories) but be careful, the acid of the apple can quickly curdle the sauce!
07 though the juice from the roast meat has a very rich taste you might want to season with salt and pepper
my project "40 soups of lent" is a gigantic failure. i planned on making a different soup each day during lent and so far i have only made 11. oh well. maybe i manage to try out 30 new recipes for soup in passion week, who knows ...
recipe # 11: easy bread and carrot souptagged with: cooking + food + recipe + soup + suppe
1 clove of garlic
1 slice of dark bread
1 big carrot
1/3 l water
oil
salt
01 cut garlic and fry with one tablespoon of oil
02 dice dark bread and add to the pot
03 grate the carrot and add to the pot as well, stir it all well
04 add water and bring to a boil
05 place a lid on the pot and let boil for 20 minutes
06 once the soup thickens season to taste and serve quite hot
i have to admit i never had tofu before. so last week i bought tofu in order to search for some easy recipes on the internet, something even a tofu virgin like me could handle. as i was going through my kitchen cabinet yesterday evening i found some rice noodles i hadn't thought of in ages (i had a big thing for asian cuisine last summer, i ate stir fry every day for like 3 months!) as well as a can of bamboo shoots i purchased a while ago. i thought i might mix that up and have my first tofu experience. i figured when it comes to cooking i could handle the tofu like regular white meat, so this is what i came up with:
250 g tofutasting the outcome of my first tofu adventure was kind of disapointing. i mean, the dish wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't really mouthwatering either. as far as the other ingredients are concerned it all was pretty asian-influenced, but when it came to the tofu ... it was rather spongy and tasteless.
150 g bamboo shoots
teriyaki sauce
garlic
oil
stir fry rice noodles
01 place rice noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water
02 cut tofu and fry with a little oil in a wok over medium heat
03 add finely cut garlic
04 add bamboo shoots and stir-fry until garlic starts to brown
05 season with teriyaki sauce and finally add the drained rice noodles
after managing some dates and appointments i have finally booked a flight to london! i originally planned to make the trip with my sister and brother, but they both don't have time now ... how sad! i thought i'd have to fly alone, but then my mother suggested to come with me! how great! she could not visit either of her daughters during our stays in the uk (i was there 1996-1997 and my sister 1998), so now i finally have the chance to show her all the important places and sights of my life back then ...
chiswick, where i used to live.
ealing, where i went to college to improve my english
hammersmith, sheperd's bush, brentwood, earl's court, where i used to hang out with my aupair friends
my favorite pasttime on sunny days: hanging out in chiswick park, holland park, kew gardens, richmond and hempstead heath, chilling on the riverbanks of the river thames.
i can't wait to show her around. of course mum wants to see the tourist stuff as well - she has never really been travelling, the furthest would be a visit to relatives in plauen, germany. she is very excited, because it also will be her frst time on an airplane ...
this is a delicious spread i invented due to a lack of fresh groceries when i was about twenty and living on my own for the first time. since i am very busy right now i tend to relaps and use processed food rather than fresh ingredients. nevertheless this is a favourite of mine, it goes with breakfast, snacks or munchies.
strain a can of kidney beans (225 g), throw in a food processor, add a little salt and freshly cut herbs if you want. also add a dash of sour creme - this will soften the mixture (you can also use cream, yoghurt or even a little milk). blend until smooth. add more sour creme if you wish to liquefiy the spreadtagged with: cooking + food + recipe
i have been tagged with a nice meme by chili & ciabatta! i am crazy about collecting foodblogs and this is just the perfect meme for this addiction! so here we go:
1. please list three recipes you have recently bookmarked from foodblogs to try: this would be alu paratha by "food, in the main", the espresso bars by "bakingfreak" and the red radish and arugula soup by "la tartine gourmande"
2. a foodblog in your vicinity: there are not many foodblogs in my area, i wish there was a foodblogging map or something ... angelika is from austria and my sister is not too far away either.
3. a foodblog located far from you: the foodies in australia are on the other side of the globe!
4. a foodblog (or several) you have discovered recently (where did you find it?): my most recent discoveries: i came across sailu's food a few weeks ago as i was looking for indian recipes. and i found saffron hut's link in another blog (but i can't remember where i found it)
5. any people or bloggers you want to tag with this meme: anyone who is inspired by this meme should feel free to answer the questions! happy meme-ing!
i received a nice parcel from christina today! how great!! it is filled with various delicious treats.
two cookie cutters - christina wrote that she collected dozens and hardly ever uses them - well, so do i! i collect them as well, but i use them at least 4 times a year (especially around xmas).thank you so much christina, i was so excited by your parcel and its content!
homemade parsley and walnut pesto - how nice to send something she made herself, how thoughtful! can't wait to feast on that!
almond crush - "this unique snack from japan has been loved throughout the world for many years". i have not heard of it before and the writing on the box is intirely in japanese. they look delicious and i will try them with a nice cup of english tea tonight.
scottish oatcakes - i love, love love all things remotely connected to great brittain. did you read my mind?
trout terrine with grilled almonds - sounds like a pretty luxurious ingredient. most surely a nice variation on my dull everyday menu!
tagged with: ebbp + euro blogging by post
oh my god, i am blushing! it is the first time that i take part in euro blogging by post and yesterday i got the adress of the person i am about to surprise with my specific austrian parcel - gosh, the person is fairly famous in the blogoshpere!
honestly: i am a little intimidated by that! i have to send out my servants to fetch the finest of austrian cuisine!
tagged with: ebbp + euro blogging by post
reading about your traditional dishes in other languages actually gives you a hole different point of view. at least for me it shifts perceptions. it transforms the usual, the not ecxiting and sometimes even dull everyday dishes into lucullan highlights and flavourful masterpieces. it also lets you discover new ways to prepare dishes since even when it comes to food a tiny country like austria has an astounding variety of possibilities to offer. it almost seems that even cooking is colored by the local dialect here ...
i was surprised to see that the big bookstore in my town is acutally going global with quite a variety of austrian cookbooks in other languages in stock.
this is nice for tourists and guests from other countries as well as for anglophile people like me :)
