My German Kitchen
I love food. I love
to eat it, read about it, talk about it, smell it, watch TV about it and most
of all, cook it. I’m getting used to my
German kitchen, but it definitely took some adjusting. This is what my oven control looks like. Google translate wasn’t much help here, but I think I've kind of got it figured out!
One of my favorite things about traveling is trying and being inspired by different kinds of food. It has also been a lot of
fun trying out new things from the German grocery stores. I can pretty much tell what most of the stuff
is, but being able to read labels and nutrition information is a luxury at the commissary!
We’ve been here in Germany
now almost four months. (One of those
months was spent in a hotel room and eating out!) People have asked me what I’ve been up to
while Kyle’s at work. (I’m not going to
be a bum forever; I’m just enjoying my summer!
Teachers get used to those summers!)
I’ve been our own personal travel agent.
Right now I’m planning for our Mediterranean cruise that leaves in just
over a week! I’ve been a handy woman
spiffing up our house. I’ve been a
gardener taking care of our yard that was forsaken for probably many years
before we came to its rescue. I’m a very
good personal shopper, making sure we fit in with the Germans. I'm Gizmo's dog-walker. My favorite job (I guess hobby is more like
it) that I’ve had this summer is cooking.
I did plenty of cooking back in Maryland. We had a homemade dinner and leftovers to
take to work for lunch everyday.
However, while you’re working full time with a 30-45 minute commute, you
don’t always have the time or energy to create what you’re capable of. Time has been on my side this summer in the
cooking department. I’ve loved having
the time to browse my cooking magazines and old cookbooks, foodie blogs,
Pinterest, and my favorite cooking websites for ideas and inspiration. Here are some of the things I’ve cooked this
past week.
Ratatouille is a delicious and nutritious way to enjoy fresh
summer vegetables. You can pretty much
use whatever vegetables you have on hand.
It sounds kind of fancy, but it’s super easy. We ate it over zucchini cakes and with some
fresh bruschetta over toasted bread cubes. It makes a lot, but if
you have tons left over, throw it in a blender to make pasta sauce for tomorrow
night’s dinner.
Ratatouille |
This dinner was inspired by my Kona Brewery Koko Brown beer
that I’ve been craving all summer and found in London. I was saving the beer to drink with the
perfect, grilled, summer meal and I was not disappointed. We had hickory smoked chimichurri pork chops
with grilled butternut squash, skewered pineapple and onions, and steamed broccoli. I’m now obsessed with chimichurri. If you’re tired of pesto, try chimichurri
instead! (Just make sure your significant other eats it also-TONS of garlic!)
Chimichurri chops |
Chana masala is an Indian dish that is savory and smells
amazing when it’s simmering with all of the different spices. It’s kind
of like chicken tikka masala using chick peas instead of chicken. The sauce is tomato based and is a bit
lighter and fresher than chicken tikka. We
ate ours over cous cous with roasted vegetables. (I love roasted vegetables. Name a vegetable and tell me that it doesn’t
taste better roasted.)
Chana Masala |
This chicken is about as easy as it gets. It's called "Please Your Man Chicken" and I found it on Pinterest. It would be great
for an easy weeknight dinner. It’s
boneless, skinless, chicken thighs baked in Dijon
mustard, maple syrup, and a little vinegar topped with whatever fresh herbs you
have on hand. It’s really delicious and
sooooo easy. Alongside the chicken we
had sautéed zucchini and sweet potato cakes.
I was tired of the usual ways that we eat sweet potatoes so I came up
with the cakes. Just bake the potatoes,
peel and mash them, add some flour, butter and an egg and whatever seasonings
you like. (I used a little brown sugar, cinnamon,
ground chipotle, and a sprinkle of salt.)
Then throw them in a skillet just like you would a pancake. They would also be good as breakfast pancakes
with maple syrup, raisins, and toasted pecans (minus the chipotle of course).
Please Your Man Chicken. It did please my man, and me! |
Sometimes you just want old fashioned American cook out
food. I saw a TV program on Netflix that
showed the best sandwiches in America. One of the sandwiches was a burger from Atlanta
that I couldn’t stop thinking about.
That means it’s time to get out the charcoal! I cooked the whole meal outside on the grill
with a cold beer in my hand. (I love
summer!) With our burgers we had potato
and onion packets and corn on the cob. Simple,
delicious, comfort food.
That is a tasty burger! |
German "American" Buns |
If you want something done, you’ve got to do it
yourself. That’s definitely true when it
comes to Mexican food in Germany. When I have a craving, it usually has
something to do with Mexican food. The
Mexican food we’ve had here is not up to par, so I make it myself. Last week I made shredded pork tacos with
rice and Mexican street
corn, so our fix for this week was chicken tortilla soup. (I know, it’s probably more Tex-Mex, but it’s
still sooo good!) Half of the goodness
of chicken tortilla soup is all of the toppings- cheese, avocado, sour cream,
tortilla strips, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. I can’t have avocados, lime, and cilantro in
the house without making fresh guacamole, so it went right along with the
soup. Mmmmm mmmmm good.
Chicken Tortilla Soup |
If you’ve made it this far you must be a fellow foodie! Let me know if you want any of the
recipes. Thanks for reading. Happy eating!