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Hello all! So here is another exciting blurb from yours truly at things to cook. Since last I posted I have moved to Germany and have started to taste some exquisite cuisine! Ok so my first day here was great and terrible at the same time. Not much time for eating since jet lag apparently makes me ill. Enough about that though on to day two! My fiancé and I , fiancé is Lance just so you all know, went to dinner with our friends Lynn and Dave. Who just recently got engaged. Kudos to them! Ok back on track. We went to this little restaurant and had this wine that was very refreshing. It is a warm apple wine and it is made at the restaurant. Now just so you know I am still groggy from the trip so they ordered for me and I had no idea what I was drinking or what I was about to be served for my meal. I will tell you though when my meal arrived my eyes went buggy and my brain screamed, ” Oh my goodness what is that! It is huge!” Ok now get your mind out of the gutter! It was Schnitzel! I swear it was served on a platter and covered the platter from end to end. If you worry about cholesterol then don’t come here! I waited and looked at what everyone else ordered. I have to say that by far mine was absolutely beautiful and when I took that first bite I swear I died and went to heaven. You didn’t need a knife just your fork to cut into it. When the schnitzel hit your tongue it melted. I am telling you it melted! It was so good that I seriously thought, “Dang! I have found the land of milk and honey right here in Germany!” Ok so we know I didn’t but I will tell you if you get the chance get over here and try the schnitzel.

All right I know, I know you want to know all about the beer. Well here is what I have to say about the beer in Germany. IT IS AWESOME! Ok not only are the bottles bigger but if you like flavor, and I do, then you will love the beers here. You can taste all kinds of wonderful gumminess in the beer. It has more alcohol, too about three times as much as a normal beer in the states. Lets put it this way, you sit down to the bar order a pint of your favorite beer in the states and you can drink what four or ten of them? Here you sit at the bar order a pint of pils or hefe and you can have two, if you are lucky. Not only will you be calling a cab in the morning you will think you are a god. I know I have been there. Oh yes I know I am a goddess you don’t have to tell me but under normal circumstances beer just makes most of us groggy. These gifts from god himself, I swear they are, make you happy and able to sing with the best of them at kareoke night! Even Benjamin Franklin said “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!” Now there is a quote to live by!

The way of life over here is so far different then what I am used too. Like I don’t watch television any more. I know! Crazy isnt it. But alas that is what the Internet is for and I read more now then I seemed to have time to in the states. People are much more relaxed, happy, and overwhelmingly healthy. Shoot Lance and I ride bikes about four times a week and we are still getting passed, very quickly I might add, by folks in their sixties, seventies, and eighties! I really wonder how good of shape I am in if I cannot keep ahead of these people. Riding bikes is a way of life here. Most families after dinner get on the bikes and go for a few kilometers, figure about two to three miles in the states. Not excessively far but definitely enough to keep them in shape and no I do not mean round!

Some other misconceptions about Germany are that all the people here are fat. Not true. I have seen more healthy people here in Germany then anywhere in the states! Not to mention I frequently get asked from people back home when I call if I have seen the big hairy German women. Let me stop your thinking right now. German women are really some of the most beautiful, well groomed, waxed, plucked, dyed, and fashionable women I think I have EVER seen. I used to work at a restaurant that every one thought they were just THE greatest things ever. The women I used to work with do not even compare to these women here in Germany! It makes you want to better yourself and you do.

Ah well lets see what else can I say, Oh my apartment is fantastic! It is a loft style apartment with hard wood floors and a beautiful view. If I look out my bedroom balcony doors I can see, oh jeeze not really something I want too! They are building a new house right next door so there are roofers and electricians all over the place. Not to mention enough ummmmm…… butt crack to kill an army! Shhhhhhhhh don’t tell! No I do have a great view from just about anywhere in my apartment. I have a great balcony to sit on and just watch the sun go down. I will tell you I am relaxed and loving it. So if you get the chance please come to see Germany. It is beautiful, fun, people friendly, and do not forget the BEER!

Until Later,

Nichole (Things to Cook)

P.s. So you do not die of envy .. Here is the recipe to try at home!

Wiener Schnitzel
Ingredients
· four escalopes of 120 grams each
For the breading
· flour
· 2 eggs
· breadcrumbs
· salt
· oil or lard for frying
Recipe

Pound the meat thin and cut the fringes carefully.
Salt lightly, bread them and put them in a saucepan and fry both sides of them in hot fat.
There should be enough fat in the saucepan so that the schnitzel float in the saucepan and do not touch the bottom.

Breading:

Prepare three plates: Put flour on one, breadcrumbs on a second and two eggs that have been whisked. Cover the meat first in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.

Cooking For Two

So you find yourself having to cook just for two now that your children have gone off to college, gotten married, or you are just starting out with a new relationship.
You want to cook something delicious and exciting with out a huge amount of left over food. Cooking shows can give you great ideas. So do really great cook books. So here we go into the exciting world of cooking for two people.
When you decide to cook a recipe please realize that nine times out of ten the recipe will be made for four people. So you will have to do a conversion to get a correct quantity for two people. Divide your recipes to fit your needs. If the recipe says four servings make sure you are diving it in half. This is of course if you do not want left over food. Should you decide to go ahead with the original recipe make sure you store the left over food properly and safely. Cooking for two is easier then most people think it is. Take a simple chicken dinner with the trimmings. You can always use a small roaster chicken add the stuffing, carrots, potatoes, celery, and onions right to the same pan as the chicken. This will ensure tastier vegetables and starches being they are cooked in the juices of the meat. Just flavor your chicken with a little butter, salt, and pepper, or use the low fat alternative extra virgin olive oil, which has extremely great flavor to make a heart healthy chicken dinner.
You can always use a crock-pot. If you find yourself short on time but you want a nice hearty beef stew for dinner just a little planning ahead of time helps you to accomplish such a dish and have your dinner partner praising you to the end of the week. When you hit the super market buy the already cubed up beef stew meat, you will find it in the meat section of your local super market. Then swing through the produce aisle and get baby carrots, pre cut celery and onions, yes these do exist in most modern day super markets. When the day comes throw everything into your crock-pot set to low and off to work with you. When you get home just make the rue with flour and water to thicken and presto you have a hearty beef stew for two. Easy to make and easy to store for you can keep it right in the same pot you cooked it in.
Making dessert for two is simple depending on the kind of desert you choose. Brownies al a mode is an excellent quick dessert and they store superbly at the end of the day. Another nice quick easy dessert is instant mousse. For those who are on the run this instant mousse is just the ticket for a light flavorful dessert. Start yourself off with instant pudding of your choice; you can have chocolate, vanilla, lemon, and so on. Add some whipped topping, or if you feel creative enough whip up some heavy cream. Gently fold into the pudding. Refrigerate for at least one hour. You can buy the pre made chocolate or puff pastry shells and serve your mousse in them.
Storing your left over food should be high priority on your list when you find that you have made too much of it. When storing any protein based dish make sure you seal it tightly and you should label and date the product. You should never eat a dish that is protein based, which is more then four days old in your refrigerator and more then a week old in your freezer. When you learn the basic simple steps of cooking for two you will soon realize that it is much easier to cook for two then it is to cook for six or eight! There are those who would disagree that it is easier to cook for more but think of all the extra creative dishes you can have cooking for just two people versus cooking for six people. Just make sure you take the time to touch your inner creativity!

What Are You Having For Dessert?

So the dinner is planned. The wine has been chosen. The guests have accepted. It is perfect. Wait a minute! You forgot dessert! Well calm down, I have some quick simple solutions for you to use or to elaborate on. Do not fear, there are chocolate, fruit, cake, and simple pies out there to help you complete your dinner and they take hardly any time at all. What most people do not realize is that desserts are beautiful but easy. You can make many flavors of a three layered pie and they will never know it only took you ten minutes to create your masterpiece.
When you think of dessert most of the time you think heavy filling desserts. This does not have to be the case. When you choose your meal try to think of how you would like to finish the night. Did you choose seared tuna steaks? Why not try a nice light tropical fruit tart? How about juicy prime rib? Try a nice but decadent triple chocolate mousse pie. I know what you are thinking, is she mad? How can I possibly worry about a triple chocolate mousse pie when I have prime rib to make? Well simply put you can do it in a matter of minutes.
Triple Chocolate Mousse Pie is just that! Three layers of chocolate mousse, quick and easy style, in a sweet crust topped with whipped cream. Start by finding a sweet crust you like, be it chocolate, graham cracker, or short bread. These are located in your local supermarket’s baking aisle, pre-made and ready for you to fill them. Then look at the instant puddings. Yes folks I said instant puddings, not the cook first kind. These puddings come in a variety of flavors, so you are able to mix , match, and create new flavor combinations. Think Chocolate Strawberry, Chocolate Banana, Vanilla Raspberry, Lemon Cream! Endless combinations and oh so tasty!
When you have chosen your flavors two to three of the puddings should suffice, then go to your dairy aisle and make sure you get milk and heavy whipping cream, or if you really want to shorten your preparation time use frozen whipped topping. When you combine your puddings as per the directions on the package make sure they are all in separate bowls. Add one half of the tub of thawed whipped topping to each pudding. Fold in the whipped topping. This creates a mousse like consistency. Next layer your new mixtures in your crust, either dark to light or light to dark, or be creative and do it how ever you so see fit. Make sure you have enough whipped topping to cover the top of the pie. This does create either a third or fourth layer to your pie. When you serve slices of your new creation you can be proud of the layers and how beautiful it has turned out in just a matter of a few minutes preparation. You can always go one extra step and garnish with shaved chocolate or cocoa powder.
Fruit tarts are just as simple and easy to create as the mousse pie. You can choose any of the pre-made sweet pie crusts in the supermarket or go and get a pre-made regular crust that just needs to be baked from the freezer section. Get some vanilla or lemon instant pudding, the lemon makes a new creative concoction. Get your fruit you want to use that will look nice sliced and arranged on top of the pudding. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi fruit, star fruit, mango, and papaya all look beautiful. Then spread them out on top of the pudding in a decorative fashion, even is nice but be creative! Maybe one guest does not like strawberries, so you could always do individual fruit tarts. Get some apricot jam and melt with equal parts jam to water to make a nice glossy coating for the berries. This also helps to keep them from browning.
Well there you have it a couple of simple, easy, fast ideas for dessert that only take a few minutes of preparation in your kitchen. Just remember the pudding does have to sit to firm up. Have yourselves a great dinner party and remember to take all the credit for your wonderful creations!
By
Nichole Currier