Tzatziki

Ingredients

• 8 oz plain yogurt (unsweetened)
• 1/2 cucumber - peeled and diced
• 2 garlic gloves - minced
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 lemon - juiced
• salt to taste

Preparation

Start with whisking the yogurt. Then add the diced cucumber (some people like to remove the seeds beforehand, I personally like it with seeds), minced garlic and chopped dill. Mix everything. Add olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste and mix good. 

Serve with pita bread, veggie sticks or use it as a spread for a slice of bread.

Tabouleh Salad

This is a recipe inspired by my good old friend Lisa who also loves food, cooking and exotic spices. Best dishes that we made together will always be our steaming Curry's, we have pictures where we look like brewing witches over their cauldron :)

This recipe however, we made about 5 years ago together with her friends while watching "Germany's next Topmodel". Here I learned that you eat Tabouleh salad originally on a leaf of lettuce. How exciting :)

Ingredients

• 2 cups bulgur (medium grain)
• 2 cups of chicken or vegetable bouillon
• 1 bunch fresh parsley - finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon freshly chopped mint
• 4 green onions - sliced
• 1 pint cocktail tomatoes - cubed (or quartered)
• 1 cucumber - peeled and cubed
• 1/4 of a red bell pepper - cubed
• juice of 1-2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

• Serve with: lettuce, pita bread and tzatziki

Preparation

First, prepare the bulgur. Bring chicken or vegetable stock to a boil, then add the bulgur, cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand and soak for 30 minutes. Then use a fork to fluff up the bulgur. I am using chicken or vegetable stock, because it gives the bulgur already some flavor. You can also already prepare the dressing and let it soak in the cold dressing for 1-2 hours. Bulgur is actually already par boiled, this means it was already boiled before it was dried. Therefore, you can let it soak in cold dressing or even cold water. However, I do like it very soft, therefore I let it soak in boiling hot bouillon.
Next, prepare the vegetables and herbs. Finely chop the parsley and the mint leaves. Best to use flat-leave parsley. You can also use the curly parsley as I did, you will notice the pieces a little bit stronger in the salad. Slice the green onion and dice the tomatoes, cucumber and bell pepper. Add everything to the bulgur and mix.
Last, prepare the dressing. In a separate bowl, mix the juice of the lemon, the olive oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper. Pour over the bulgur mix and stir. Let soak for a little bit. Best to keep a little extra dressing to add directly when serving.

Serve the tabouleh salad on lettuce. It also tastes good with a side of tzatziki and pita bread.

My Mom's "Bohnensuppe" (Navy Bean Soup)

This is my Mom's delicious navy bean recipe. A hearty soup with German wiener sausages and served with crusty bread to dunk into it. The difference between the German and American wiener sausage is, that the German version uses pork instead of beef, turkey or chicken. You can of course substitute with American sausage.

For this soup, my Mom uses a big can of navy beans that already comes a little bit spiced with soup greens (tiny bits of carrots, celery and parsley). However, if you cannot find such a can, you can also use plain navy beans, add some more spices and maybe a few tablespoons of finely chopped carrots, celery and parsley.

Ingredients

• 1 big can "Weisse Bohnen mit Suppengrün" 

(alternatively: 2 small cans of navy beans,  2 tablespoons of finely chopped carrots, 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Bouillon spices such as Knorr or Maggie)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion - diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2-3 potatoes - diced in 1-2 inch cubes
• 2 cups water
• 2-3 German wiener sausages (pork) - sliced
• 3 tablespoon flour (mixed with 3-4 tablespoon water)
• salt and pepper
• vegeta 

• Serve with crusty bread

Preparation

Note: The big can with "Weisse Bohnen mit Suppengrün" basically just contains navy beans with some soup flavor (small pieces of carrots, celery and parsley, salted). If you do not find such a can, just use normal navy beans. Sometimes the navy beans come already slightly salted. Most of them come with some bacon in it, but I don't really like that. If you just use plain navy beans, you may want to add about 2 Tablespoon of finely chopped carrots and celery and a dash of freshly chopped parsley. 

1. Heat the oil and butter, add the onions and sauté till translucent (about 5-10 min).
2. Add the tomato paste, stir and let cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, some salt. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the water and the navy beans (with the water in the can). If you use plain navy beans, also add the finely chopped carrots, celery and parsley and add 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon spice. Stir and let cook for about 15 minutes, till the potatoes are soft.
5. Add the slices of wiener sausage.
6. Thicken the soup: in an extra bowl, mix the flour with some water so that it is free of clumps. Pour a little bit of the mix into the boiling soup and stir. Let cook a little bit. If not thick enough, add more. Be careful, it will thicken up even more after you take it off the heat.
7. Add salt, pepper and vegeta to taste and serve with some crusty bread.

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German Style Breakfast

I love the classic American breakfast. It can be hearty, simple and sweet and there is a huge variety. Either go with differently prepared potatoes, bacon/sausages, eggs and toast or go for a simple oatmeal with brown sugar, maple syrup and raisins, or take a biscuit with gravy, or go sweet with pancakes or french toast.

However, sometimes I just need the German style breakfast that I am used to. As most of it is cold, it does not need long to prepare. Usually a typical German breakfast includes a cold deli meat and cheese plate with fresh roles, hard boiled eggs, fruits, granola and yoghurt, and of course tea or coffee and juice.

Ingredients (for example)

• slices of Italian dry Salami or Pepper Salami
• slices of Blackforest Ham, Cajun Turkey or Lemon Pepper Chicken (my favorites)
• slices of Pepper Jack Cheese (Cheese with Jalapenos)
• fresh cocktail tomatoes, cucumber or German pickles
• Pretzel rolls and pumpkin seed rolls or fresh multigrain bread
• soft or hard boiled eggs
• Fresh pressed Orange juice
• Earl Grey tea and coffee

• Add ons (not on the pictures): Vanilla or Berry Yogurt with Granola (I like Cluster Raisin Bran that has cornflakes, oatmeal clusters and raisins in it)

Preparation

Boil the eggs. For hard boiled eggs, place in cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand covered for 15 minutes, place eggs under cold water, peel an cut in half. Serve with salt. For soft boiled eggs, bring salted water to a boil, place egg in it, cover and let boil for 5 minutes. Quickly remove and run under cold water. Serve in an egg holder, chop of the top and dunk in some toasted bread sticks :)

Plate the deli meat, cheese and veggies on a plate. Salt and pepper the veggies. Cut the fresh fruit and place in a bowl or plate. Serve with fresh rolls or bread, cream cheese and jam.

Place the yogurt in a bowl and top of with a 1/2 cup of granola. 

Juice some oranges and prepare some hot tea and coffee.

Vodka Sunrise

This is one of Adam's creations, using our left-over bar supplies to mix a nice looking cocktail. He called it the "Vodka Sunrise", I called it the "Mermaid Cocktail" :)

Ingredients

• Orange Juice
• Grenadine
• Vodka

Preparation

Add ice cubes to a glass, add 2 shots of vodka, fill it up with orange juice and add a splash of grenadine, let it just drip down on the side of the glass, so that it settles on the bottom. Don't mix or shake to remain the illusion of a sunrise.

My Mom's "Nudelauflauf" (pasta casserole)

This is a simple but hearty pasta casserole recipe that just tastes delicious: Two layers of pasta and in the middle some peas and ham, an egg-milk mix to hold everything together, and a crusty cheese and bread crumb topping. I loved the soft layers of macaronis covered in the egg mix, and also the crispy top.

Over time I played around with my mother's recipe and sometimes, if I want the casserole a little bit juicier, then I add mushrooms and tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of al dente cooked pasta (preferred: straight macaronis or penne)
• 1/2 cup peas
• 3 slices black forest ham - cut into dices or stripes
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk (80ml)
• salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne pepper
• 1 cup cheese (e.g. pepper jack) - grated 
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter

• Optional: 1 sliced tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms, oregano

Preparation

Cook the pasta al dente and preheat the oven at 395 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Celsius). 

Spray/ butter a casserole dish. Pour half of the pasta into the casserole dish. Add the peas and ham (and optional the mushrooms) and mix it up a little bit. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you want to add the tomato slices, arrange them on top of the mix and sprinkle with additional salt and oregano. The tomatoes will make it a little juicier. Top of with the another layer of pasta.

Mix the eggs and milk in a separate bowl. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Pour over the pasta mix.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the pasta mix, and the bread crumbs on top of the cheese. Cut little pieces out of the butter and distribute over the top. Let bake for 45-60 minutes till the top is golden brown and the milk-egg sauce has settled (check with a toothpick). Check after 30 minutes, if the top is already getting too dark, place some tin foil on top.

Optional: added mushrooms and tomatoes

Another layer of pasta and then the egg-milk mix

Ready for the oven

Et Voila! 

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Spiced Apple Cider

This mulled cider is a favorite of mine and so easy to make. Don't use the pre-made powder mixes that look like tea bags, those are way too sweet. The recipe is very similar to my Wassail (mulled juices) or the Glühwein (mulled wine), with the addition of cardamon seeds. As it is still cold outside, it is a perfect drink for a cozy evening :)

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of apple cider
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 lemon slices
• 3 orange slices
• 10 cardamon seeds
• 1/4 cup allspice berries or cider mate mix (orange peel, dried berries, gloves, ginger, anis star pieces)
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 10 gloves

Preparation

Pour the apple cider in a big pot and mix in the lemon juice. The apple cider is usually already so sweet, that I do not need additional sweetener, but rather something on the opposite side. However, if you like it sweeter, feel free to leave out the lemon juice and/or add some sugar, honey or maple syrup. Add the lemon and orange slices, and the spices (allspice berries or cider mate, cardamon seeds, cinnamon sticks, gloves). Heat it up and let it boil for a few minutes.