Tasty Travels: Munich

The German breakfast at the Hotel Uhland was fantastic!
The Hotel Uhland gave us a nice Christmas basket of cookies and clementines.

We ate a lot of meals at the Hofbraühaus since it was always open even when other places were closed for the holidays.

Grill-sausages (on the left) and "Hofbraühaus Style" sausage (on the right).
Goulash
Cheese Spätzle.
Roast Pork
Schweinehaxe.
The cabbage salad (coleslaw) was awesome!
And the yeast dumpling was amazing. I describe it as tasting like a melted donut.

Bratwurst at the Weisses Brauhaus.

We had dinner at Haxnbauer. In Saint Paul, our favorite German restaurant is the Glockenspiel, where Tim likes to have schweinehaxe. Since the Haxnbauer is famous for theirs, we decided to try it out!
Here are the schweinehaxe on the spit.
The dining roomMy Bavarian radish appetizer
My sliced pork knuckle entrée served with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes topped with fried onions.
Tim's entrée of pork knuckle (schweinehaxe), mixed salad, and green beans with bacon.
The other entrées: veal and pork knuckle with potato dumplings, and roasted suckling pig with potato dumplings.

Tasty Travels: Amsterdam

I had an eight-hour layover in Amsterdam, which was just enough time to revisit some favorite sights.

Along the way, I ran across a beautiful local market. We don't have markets like this in Minnesota during the winter!
I also had time to stop at De Passage for a cheese pancake. The Dutch eat pancakes for lunch or dinner, and they are often topped with savory items. I chose cheese, of course!

Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Cream

In process

Finished product

Inspiration:
Cara Brunetti Hillyard
Featured in Bon Appétit, January 2006

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage (casings removed, if necessary)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 1 14.5-ounce diced tomatoes with liquid
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound whole wheat corkscrew or farfalle pasta
  
• Optional: 1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil
  and/or freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Instructions:

• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
  
• Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes.
  
• Add onion, spinach and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer.
  
• Add tomatoes and cream.
  
• Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.
  
• Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot.
  
• Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry.
  
• Transfer pasta to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Tim's Rating:7/10 (doesn't like chunky meat sauce)
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Curried Chicken Pasta Salad

Inspiration:
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat corkscrew pasta
• 2 cups chopped poached chicken breast meat
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1 1/2 cups seedless green grapes, halved
• salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons red wine or rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
   
2. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, celery, grapes, cooked pasta, salt, and white pepper; mix well and reserve.
4. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, curry powder, cumin, rice vinegar, and sugar; whisk ingredients together and toss with chicken mixture.
5. Cover salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 to 4 hours before serving.

Tim's Rating: 6/10
Liz's Rating: 7/10

Bean and Chicken Crockpot Tacos

In the crockpot

Finished product

Inspiration:
about.com

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix
• 4-oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained
• 8-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 19-oz. can cannellini beans, drained
• 12-24 taco shells
• shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa

Instructions:

1. In 3-4 quart crockpot, place chicken thighs and sprinkle with taco seasoning mix.
   
2. Top with chilies, tomato sauce, onion, chili powder, and drained beans.
   
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Remove chicken from crockpot and shred with two forks.
   
5. Using potato masher, mash some of the beans in the crockpot.
   
6. Return chicken to crockpot and mix well to blend.
7. Make tacos with chicken filing, taco shells, and toppings.
   

Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Vegetable Barley Soup

Inspiration:
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts vegetable or beef broth
• 3/4 cup uncooked barley
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 8 ounces baby Portabella mushrooms
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

1. Pour the broth into a large pot. Add the barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce.
   
2. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 70 minutes.
   
3. Add the mushrooms and simmer 20 additional minutes.
4. The soup will be very thick. You may adjust by adding more broth or less barley if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 7/10

Product Rave: Frozen Door County Berries

These berries are super good.
They are available at Kowalski's in the frozen fruit section.
Tim has a mixture of these berries, yogurt, and granola for breakfast most mornings.