Shrimp and Tofu Salad

Inspiration: B and I really like tofu, but it always seems like every time that I buy it, I can’t figure out what I want to do with it. Most recipes that I find for tofu are Asian-inspired, but I just wasn’t feeling that this week. I had all kinds of odds and ends that needed used in my refrigerator, including a bunch of lettuce, so I decided to make a salad with a bit of a Mexican twist.

What we Loved: To be truthful, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this meal as much as I did. I’m really not a huge lettuce-based salad fan, and neither is B, but this salad was so great! Perhaps  because I put so many ingredients in it that you could barely find the lettuce. :) Regardless, it was a great meal-sized salad with all kinds of bright, Mexican/Southwestern-inspired flavors. I coated the tofu in a taco seasoning, and I coated the shrimp in a yellow pepper cilantro pesto, and the two different flavor profiles complimented each other very well. The tofu carried the flavors of all sorts of spices, and the shrimp were light and fresh. With the addition of tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and feta cheese, this salad had all kinds of bright, fresh, and spicy flavors that provided for a nice and healthy meal.

Helpful Hints: I mixed a ton of cilantro in with the lettuce, and I thought that it really went well with all of the other flavors. So I would definitely recommend going heavy on the cilantro. I also think that goat cheese or chihuahua cheese would work great in this salad. I used feta because it’s what I had, but really any kind that you’d like would probably taste great. Lastly, using a whole package of tofu makes a lot of tofu. We used about 2/3 of it. If’ you’d like, just use half a package and save the second half for another use.

Shrimp and Tofu Salad
Source: Original recipe to serve two

For the tofu:
1 package extra firm tofu
1/4 cup almond meal (or you could use breadcrumbs)
Chili powder
Cumin
Kosher salt
Oregano
Garlic powder

For the shrimp:
20 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
3 tablespoons yellow pepper cilantro pesto

For the salad:
1 large bunch of lettuce, any kind that you’d like
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
Black pepper
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 lime

1. Add the almond meal to a shallow bowl. Sprinkle in a good shake of chili powder and cumin, and then add a pinch of salt, oregano, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.

2. Drain the tofu, and cut it into slices. Pat the slices dry with paper towels. Cut the slices into cubes, and toss them in the almond meal mixture. Set aside.

3. Add the pesto to a second shallow bowl. Add the shrimp, and toss to coat. Set aside.

4. Wash your lettuce, and tear into salad pieces. Arrange on two plates, topping with the cilantro.

5. Mix the tomatoes, onions, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper together. Add them to the salad, along with the feta cheese.

6. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the tofu, and cook until browned and heated through, approximately 8-10 minutes, stirring often to brown all sides.

7. Heat a second saute pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp, and cook until cooked through, approximately 3-4 minutes.

8. Add the shrimp and the tofu to the salads. Slice a lime in half, and squeeze half over each plate. Serve.

Mashed Cauliflower

Inspiration: I’ve seen the idea of mashed cauliflower floating around for a long time now, but for some reason I never thought to try it myself until last week when I was looking for a vegetable side dish. I was skeptical, but I was so curious that I had to give it a try.

What we Loved: What didn’t we love about this? I was completely shocked with how much this cauliflower tasted like mashed potatoes. The texture of my mashed cauliflower was a bit lighter and less dense than potatoes (almost a little bit soupier?), but with a pat of butter on top and some salt and pepper, the flavor is really outstanding! It really compares well with the flavor of mashed potatoes. And cauliflower is so ridiculously healthy for you. Considering the fact that we’ve had this side dish three times already, I think it gets a thumbs up from both of us (and especially from me, since mashed potatoes with plenty of butter and salt has always been a favorite treat of mine).  And if you’re interested, check out this awesome study regarding vegetables and fats that B recently shared with me.

Helpful Hints: Try this dish out a few times to get it just the way that you like it. The first time that I tried this, I only used a potato masher to mash the cauliflower, and the texture was completely wrong for me. It was almost too much like the texture of rice. I was really disappointed, and almost decided that I really didn’t like mashed cauliflower. But I tried it again, this time throwing the cauliflower into the food processor, and I ended up with awesome results.  Next time, I think I’m going to try Greek yogurt instead of milk for a bit of a thicker texture, which I would prefer. So if the texture doesn’t come out how you like it the first time, keep trying different methods! My recipe below is pretty vague for this reason. You can vary what you add to the cauliflower to adjust the creaminess, and you can process for varying lengths of times to get a lumpy vs. smooth texture.

Mashed Cauliflower

Source: Taken from bits and pieces of information seen around the internet and from my knowledge of making mashed potatoes

1 head of cauliflower, removed from the stem and cut into pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
Skim milk (or you could use any other kind of milk, cream, sour cream, or yogurt – which I think might work best for a thicker result)
Add-ins, if desired, such as cheeses, cream cheese, or chives

1. Add the cauliflower to a  pot, and then add enough water to just barely cover the cauliflower.

2. Bring to a boil, and then cook until the cauliflower is softened, approximately 7-8 minutes.

3. Add the cauliflower to a food processor. Add just a bit of milk (the cauliflower will provide some water, so you don’t need much) or sour cream/yogurt, and season with salt and pepper. Puree until the cauliflower is the texture that you prefer.

4. If you are using any add-ins, add them to the food processor, and pulse a few times to incorporate.

5. Serve the mashed cauliflower plain, with butter and S&P, or with gravy.

Chicken Cutlets with Portabella Bleu Cheese Sauce

Inspiration: I really tried bleu cheese for the first time within the past year, and let’s just say that I couldn’t understand why anyone would eat it. To me, it was so ridiculously strong that I couldn’t even enjoy the taste. I wanted to like it, though, so I kept sampling it here and there, tried out some milder kinds, and before I knew it, I loved it. Now, bleu cheese is one of those random foods that I really crave all of the time, like peanut butter or avocados. Anyway, I get excited when we have some extra bleu cheese that needs used up, because I love finding ways to use it in our suppers.

What we Loved: We loved this sauce because it really tasted like bleu cheese. I’ve tried other bleu cheese sauces before that were too muted, but this one is really strongly flavored, because it doesn’t have many ingredients other than the cheese. If you don’t like bleu cheese, I wouldn’t try this one! On the other hand, if you love bleu cheese, then this is really great. The sauce has a nice, creamy texture, and the mushrooms really compliment the flavor of the cheese.

Helpful Hints: Make sure to let this sauce lightly boil for a bit to thicken up. It will be very thin at first. The sauce works great with chicken, but it would really work well over any protein of your choice. Beef or pork would be great!

Chicken Cutlets with Portabella Bleu Cheese Sauce
Source: Original Recipe

1 chicken breast, butterflied and then cut in half to create two cutlets
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, or other herbs as preferred
1 package baby portabella mushrooms
4-5 oz bleu cheese (I used gorgonzola. Roquefort would also be good)
Splash of milk

1. Season each side of the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, and sprinkle them with rosemary.

2. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan. When it is hot, add the chicken, and saute until the chicken is cooked through and browned on the outside, approximately 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.

3. Add the mushrooms to the saute pan. When the water starts to release from the mushrooms, stir and scrap the bottom of the pan, stirring any browned bits into the mushrooms.  Cook until the water released from the mushrooms is nearly gone.

4. Crumble the bleu cheese into the pan. Add a splash of milk, and stir until the cheese is melted. Bring the contents of the pan to a low boil, and cook for a few minutes longer until the sauce thickens up.

5. Serve the bleu cheese sauce over the chicken cutlets.

Cubanelle Peppers stuffed with Bison and Bacon

Inspiration: Stuffed peppers are one of my new favorite Mexican-inspired dishes to make. I love them because they’re so versatile! In the past, I’ve made these, these, and these, and we’ve loved them all. We weren’t sure what to have for dinner one night this week, so we decided to make up another stuffed peppers recipe. We’ve been meaning to buy bison meat and give it a shot, too, so B came up with the idea of using diced bison pieces with chihuahua cheese as the main part of the filling. It was a great idea, and I have him to thank for this awesome new meal!

What we Loved: B and I both really loved these peppers. The stuffing mixture tasted incredible! You really can’t go wrong combining bison (or beef) with bacon, onions, garlic, and cheese. The result was a hearty, smoky, cheesy filling that really complimented the mild peppers. We really enjoyed the rich, clean taste of the bison, and I’d definitely recommend giving this healthy meat a try if you have access to it. And even though it provided for a very green plate in this case, I love serving fresh avocado slices topped with salt and cilantro when I have stuffed peppers. I feel like the cool flavors are such a great contrast.

Helpful Hints: We originally wanted to make stuffed poblano peppers, but the poblano selection at the grocery store left a lot to be desired. So we used cubanelle peppers instead. This was our first time eating these kind of peppers, and we found them to be very mild and not too spicy at all. For this dish, you could use any kind of peppers that you’d like. Cubanelle, poblano, Hungarian or Anaheim hot peppers, or any color of bell pepper. We also used chihuahua cheese because it’s a great melting cheese, but this can be hard to find. Monteray jack or pepper jack would be great substitutions.

Cubanelle Peppers stuffed with Bison and Bacon
Source: Original recipe to serve 2

4 medium-sized Cubanelle peppers (or other pepper of your choosing)
1/2 lb bison steak (or beef, any cut that you’d like) diced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled or cut into small pieces
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 – 1 cup shredded chihuahua cheese, to your preference

1. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the bison or beef cubes, and cook until the fat renders out and the pieces are starting to brown. Add the onion, and cook until softened. When everything is cooked, add the garlic, stir, and remove the pan from the heat. Add the crumbled bacon to the pan, and stir to incorporate.

2. Cut a lengthwise slit in each pepper, making sure to only cut through one side of the pepper. Cut a small horizontal slit into the top of the pepper, making the shape of a T. Open the pepper, and use a knife to remove the seeds. Rinse the inside of the pepper with water to make sure that all of the seeds are removed.

3. Place the peppers in a baking dish. Fill each pepper to the top with the bison/beef mixture and cheese. I alternated my filling, adding some of the bison mixture, then some of the cheese, etc. in order for the cheese to be incorporated throughout the filling.

4. Bake the peppers at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, until the peppers are softened.

Paprika Chicken

Inspiration: My mom made this dish all the time when I was growing up. It’s a great recipe for fall or winter nights, which is just what we were having when I prepared this for supper. This chicken smells so good as it’s cooking that I can remember hardly being able to wait for it to come out of the oven when my Mom made this when I was a kid. There are a lot of my Mom’s recipes that I love not only for how great they taste, but for the memories, and this is definitely my favorite chicken recipe for both reasons.

What we Loved: I love a lot of things about this recipe, the first probably being that it makes your house smell absolutely amazing while it’s cooking, like I said above. The smell alone takes me back to when I was a kid, and it’s hard to resist opening up the oven while this is cooking just to smell inside :) Secondly, this tastes incredible. The chicken stays very moist and has such a great flavor from the butter, onions, and seasoning. And my favorite aspect of this recipe is that the chicken makes an absolutely awesome gravy. My mom always made the best homemade gravies, and one of them comes from this recipe. It’s a buttery chicken gravy that is really just perfect.

Helpful Hints: When I was a kid, I only liked to eat white meat, so I always ate the chicken breasts when my Mom cooked this. Therefore, it’s what I picked up at the store to make this for myself, too. She tells me, though, that this recipe tastes really great using dark meat chicken. So whatever your preferences, either kind will work! You can make enough to feed a family with all different pieces, or scale it down to serve two, like I did, with whatever cut of meat that you’d like.

Paprika Chicken
Source: Mom

This is the recipe as I made it to serve two.

2 chicken breasts, on the bone and cleaned (or whatever cut you prefer)
Salt and pepper
2-3 slices of onion, separated into rings
1 tablespoon butter, cut into chunks
Paprika
1/3 cup water, plus additional for the gravy
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish that’s just big enough for the chicken to fit, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Scatter the onion rings atop the chicken, and dot each chicken piece with butter. Sprinkle with a generous amount of paprika.

3. Pour 1/3 cup of water into the baking dish, just enough so that the chicken is sitting in the water.

4. Cover and bake for approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. You may need more or less time depending on how many chicken pieces you cook and how big the pieces are. Halfway through, check to make sure that there is still enough water, and if there’s not, add a little more.

5. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, and place on a plate covered with foil to keep warm.

6. Scrape the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan into the cooking liquid. Pour the liquid into a small sauce pan, and heat over medium high heat.

7. Mix the flour in a mixing cup or bowl with just enough water to create a thick mixture that is pourable. Add a small amount of the flour mixture to the sauce pan, whisking as you pour. Heat until bubbling, and as it heats, the gravy will thicken. If the gravy isn’t thick enough, add a little more of the flour mixture. You want to add the flour mixture slowly to avoid a gravy that is too thick or too floury.

8. Serve the chicken with the gravy and any desired side dishes.

Seasoned Tilapia with Yellow Pepper Cilantro Pesto

Inspiration: I really love tilapia. I know that a lot of people don’t really love this kind of fish, but I like it because it has a mild flavor and a flaky texture, and I like it because it’s cheap. I’d love to eat halibut and crab and lobster several times a week, but I really just can’t afford that. So I do love tilapia. And I’m always looking for new ways to cook it that I can add to my rotation.

What we Loved: I was drawn to this recipe because it has layers of flavor. The fish is coated in a rub that gives it a sweet and smoky flavor, and then it’s topped with a yellow pepper cilantro pesto that layers in a fresh, garlicy vegetable flavor. I really enjoyed the contrast between the two sets of flavor on the fish, and I always think that a healthy portion of cilantro adds a great freshness to a dish, too. This is a really good, healthy recipe for fish when you’re looking for something that’s a bit more than just a seasoned and baked filet. I served this with hearts of palm and some homemade refried beans for a super healthy supper.

Helpful Hints: While I did enjoy this a lot, I thought that the rub for the fish was a touch on the sweet side. Even though I’m always tempted by main course recipes that combine sweet and savory, especially in the fall time when I want to combine apples with pork or make cinnamon pan sauces, I know that I just really dislike any sweet and savory combinations when it comes to my main dish. I’m not sure what it is, but I just can’t handle a fruit sauce on my chicken, pineapple on my ham, or a maple glaze on my fish. So next time, I would leave the brown sugar completely out of the rub. That being said, if you enjoy sweet and savory main courses, then you would probably like to keep the brown sugar included. Also, when making pesto, I never use the large amount of oil that a recipe calls for. I only drizzle in just enough so that it’s creamy, which saves on a lot of calories.

Seasoned Tilapia with Yellow Pepper Cilantro Pesto
Source: Ezra Pound Cake, originally from Bobby Flay

I cut the original rub recipe in half to serve two. I made the entire batch of pesto, and I froze the leftovers in an ice cube tray for later. I also adapted this recipe to be cooked inside, rather than to be grilled. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

For the Rub:
1 tablespoon Spanish paprika
1/2 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chile de arbol powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Yellow Pepper Cilantro Pesto:
2 yellow bell peppers, roasated, peeled, and seeded
1 large clove garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

For the fish:
2 tilapia filets
Extra virgin olive oil
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

1. Combine all of the rub ingredients in a bowl, and set aside.

2. Place the peppers, garlic, pine nuts, cilantro, and cheese in a food processor, and process until combined. Drizzle in as much olive oil as necessary to make the pesto as creamy as you’d like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Rub each filet with the seasoning mixture. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan, enough to lightly coat the bottom. Saute until the fish flakes easily with a fork, approximately 5 minutes per side.

4. Top each filet with some of the pesto, and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)

Inspiration: Really, when I came across this recipe online, it looked too good to resist. It went onto my menu plan right away. I love when menu planning is easy like that :)

What we Loved: I’ve said many times that one pot rice dishes are some of my favorite meals, and this is another one that I can add to the collection. All of the different flavors (peppers, onions, garlic, bacon, beer, saffron, tomato….) really combine so wonderfully for a complex dish. I’ve found that I really adore the subtle, light taste of saffron, and it works so well in this recipe. The saffron flavor with the rice really reminds me of paella, and the creamy texture is much like a risotto. Combined with all of the other great ingredients, this recipe really makes for a great supper on a chilly day.

Helpful Hints: When making this recipe, I left the chicken breasts whole, and I served the meal as chicken breasts with rice on the side. When serving the leftovers, we mixed some leftover chunks of chicken into the rice for an all-in-one sort of feel (as seen in the photo above). I really enjoyed both ways of serving this dish, and I would think that it really depends on your preferences. It would be great to shred the chicken after it’s cooked through and then mix it into the pot, too. I served this topped with cilantro and with a side of black beans, and it tasted great to mix these ingredients into the rice as well.

Arroz con Pollo

Source: bitchincamero

I only made a few small changes to the recipe. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

3 cups arborio rice
2 cups warm water
big pinch of saffron threads
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large red pepper
2 slices bacon, sliced into pieces
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
Kosher salt
8 oz of canned tomato sauce
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pilsner-style beer, such as Corona
4 cups chicken stock
Juice of 1/2 lime
Cilantro

1. Place the rice in a medium-sized bowl. Stir the saffron threads  into the warm water, then add the water to the bowl and give it a quick stir. Set aside.

2. Set a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, and cook until the fat begins to render out. Add the garlic, onions, and red pepper, and continue to cook for approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, paprika, and a pinch of salt, and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the pepper is soft.

3. Add the tomato sauce and chicken to the pot, stirring to ensure that the chicken is coated, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, turning the chicken over every few minutes.

4. When the chicken is mostly cooked through, add the beer and chicken stock, and raise the heat to high. When the pot begins to boil, add the entire contents of the bowl with the rice.

5. Bring the liquid back to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the lime juice and another pinch of salt. Let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes, uncovered.

6. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Oktoberfest

Inspiration: B has always loved the German culture, and one of his dreams was to one day visit Germany. After travelling to Munich this past summer, we both really fell in love with the city, its people, and the food/beer. We’ve been meaning to have a get-together with friends that we haven’t seen in a while, and it’s the perfect time of year for an Oktoberfest party. We love the German culture so much that we hope to keep this a tradition.

What we Loved: We have a lot of fond memories associated with German food from our trip to Munich. We loved everything that we tried there. I found that it’s really difficult to impossible to recreate the tastes exactly at home, so we did our best and ended up with a German-American menu that we really enjoyed. We kept some things authentically German, and some things were only very loosely inspired by German culture. We served our favorite traditional German hefe weissbier and a variety of other beers, and we really enjoyed the whole menu!

Helpful Hints: My biggest advice if you’re having a party is to have a lot of items on the menu that can be prepared ahead of time, so that you can enjoy yourself too :)

Soft Pretzels
Source: Alton Brown

Inspiration: While we were in Munich, pretzels were everywhere. They were served in a basket on every supper table. They were sold in the subway stations  in various forms, just plain or coated with cheese, tomatoes, or other toppings and fillings. Pretzels bigger than a dinner plate were sold at the beer garden where we ate one night. I watched a baby in a stroller munching on a pretzel for breakfast at the train station. Pretzels are just a huge part of German culture, and they are really outstandingly delicious alongside a glass of beer. I don’t think that anything goes better with a nice, cold beer than a salty pretzel, so I definitely wanted to try my hand at making them.

What we Loved:  The pretzels in Munich are very hard and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, almost like a cross between the hard pretzels that we buy in a bag here in America  and the soft pretzels that we get at the mall. They’re not buttery and soft on the outside like American mall pretzels are. I really wanted to create the authentic Munich pretzels at home, but I found that the way to do this is to dip the pretzels in lye, which was something that I didn’t want to go near. Instead, I used Alton Brown’s recipe, and it turned out wonderfully. The pretzels aren’t as crunchy as they are in Germany, but they’re still incredibly flavorful and delicious. As far as homemade soft pretzels go, I think that these are the best that you can get.

Helpful Hints: This recipe seems intimidating, but I took my time and it really wasn’t hard at all. Dipping the pretzels into the baking soda water was probably the hardest part. When I dropped the first pretzel into the pan, it immediately seemed to lose its shape a little bit and sunk all the way to the bottom of the pan. I worried that it was falling apart or sticking to the bottom, but then it floated back to the top, and the shape was just fine. I removed the pretzel with a flat spatula, and it worked perfectly. I would also caution to use a little less salt than I did in the photo, if you’re using sea salt. I had to scrape some off. Finally, don’t place these pretzels in a covered container after cooking. Leave them out in the open or in a bowl under a napkin or towel. Placing them in a covered container will cause the pretzels to moisten and the salt to melt.

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Extra virgin olive oil
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (I used sea salt)

1. Combine the water, sugar, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast on top, and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add the flour and the butter. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until well-combined. Change to medium speed, and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl, approximately 5 minutes.

3. Place the dough in a second bowl that has been oiled well with olive oil. Cover with damp paper towels, and let sit for one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper, and lightly brush with olive oil.

5. Bring the 10 cups of water and a baking soda to a rolling boil in a saucepan or pot.

6. Meanwhile, place the dough on your work surface. Divide into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 24 inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, then cross the ends over each other and press them into the bottom of the U to make the shape of a pretzel.

7. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, one by one, for 30 seconds each. Remove them from the water using a flat spatula.

8. Place the pretzels on the oiled baking pans. Brush the top of each pretzel generously with the beaten egg yolk andwater. Sprinkle with pretzel salt.

9. Bake until dark brown in color, approximately 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Cheddar Beer Dip
Source:  Adapted from Taste of Home

Inspiration: Pretzels in Germany are traditionally served plain or with mustard, but I just couldn’t resist this cheddar beer dip when I ran across it online. I guess that I’m American, and I love my cheese :)

What we Loved: This dip really tastes great, and is the perfect dip for a soft preztel. The base of the dip is cream cheese, so it has a great creamy texture and a wonderful cheese flavor. The beer flavor really isn’t strong, but it’s just enough for you to know that it’s there. Combined with some garlic and smoked paprika, the flavor of this dip is just wonderful.

Helpful Hints: There’s really not much to this dip. I used a hand mixer to mix everything together, but you can also use a food processor or just mix by hand. I will caution to go easy on the garlic powder. You only need a sprinkle! I also left out the onions, as onions can be one of those foods that not everyone likes.

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup beer (I used Labatt’s for a light flavor)
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Sprinkle of smoked paprika

1. Mix all ingredients together. Chill until ready to serve. 

Bourbon Franks
Source: My sister-in-law’s family

Inspiration: This recipe comes from my sister-in-law’s family. We had these at a party a while back at my brother and sister-in-law’s place, and B and I both really enjoyed them. They’re a great make-ahead-of-time recipe, as they can just sit in the crock pot all evening. They’re not German, no, but they’re sausages, right?

What we Loved: These have a nice, smoky flavor from all of the ingredients in the sauce, and I really love how you can also taste the sweetness of the brown sugar and the bourbon. There are a lot of great flavors involved in this recipe. And like I said before, one of the great things about a recipe like this is that you can prepare it as early as you’d like in the crock pot.

Helpful Hints: We only buy meats from animals that have been humanely raised, so I was really happy to find that Whole Foods has a version of little franks that meet my criteria and that are much healthier than the typical grocery store kind.

*I really wanted to get this post pubished today, so I’m going off of memory with this recipe. I’ll double check tonight and make sure that I got it right.

20 oz ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup bourbon
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 packages cocktail franks (approximately 80)

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for at least one hour before serving.

Kasespaetzle
Source: Adapted from Wolfgang Puck

Inspiration: A couple of the best meals that I had while I was in German were spaetzle dishes. Spaetzle are small, egg-based dumplings that are served as a side dish or a main dish, often mixed with cheese or other toppings. Kasespaetzle are cheese spaetzle, and I wanted to make them because really, I can’t think of a better German dish!

What we Loved: Right now, parrano is one of my favorite cheeses. Even though it’s not the cheese traditionally used in German spaetzle, I chose this as the cheese for my spaetzle because I really wanted an intense cheese flavor. And it was  great choice! The spaetzle were creamy, cheesy, just a little salty, and the perfect accompainment to our brats. The best way to describe this dish is like a German version of macaroni and cheese.

Helpful Hints: Making the spaetzle dumplings themselves is a time-consuming process if you don’t have a spaetzle maker, which I don’t. I use my colander to push the spaetzle dough through the holes into the boiling water, and it really does take a lot of patience. Be careful not to hold the colander too close to your boiling water for too long, because you don’t want the spaetzle dough starting to cook while it’s still in the colander. It’s best to work in batches, pushing some dough into the pan, and then removing the cooked dumplings to your bowl of ice water. I made these the night before, so I only had to mix them with cheese and bake in the oven during the party.

1 3/4 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
5 ounces Parrano cheese, shredded (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced

 1. Whisk together the milk, egg yolks, and egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Hold a colander with large holes over the boiling water. Add some of the batter to the colander, and push the batter through the holes with a spoon to drop into the boiling water. Repeat until all of the batter is used.

3. Cook the spaetzle for two minutes. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to the bowl of ice water.

4. Drain the spaetzle, and transfer them to a bowl. Stir in one tablespoon of olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Set aside, or refrigerate overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add the spaetzle and the cheese to the dish, tossing to mix. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until beginning to brown.

6. While the spaetzle are cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan over medium low heat. Add the onion slices, and cook until lightly caramelized and softened, approximately 15 minutes.

7. Serve the onions over the spaetzle.

Beer-Braised Brats
Source: Internet research from various sites, with no specific source

Inspiration: I think that the most well-known German food is sausage. As such, B and I knew that we wanted to serve a variety of brats for our main course.  While we were in Munich, we tried countless varieties of sausages, and what surprised me the most was that none of the sausages were served in buns. Here in America, we always have brats and sausages on a bun with lots of toppings. In Munich, every sausage that we had was served on its own or with sauerkraut. For our Oktoberfest, we served our brats up German-American style, braised in beer and served on buns with all sorts of toppings. B and I tried out a few served only with the onions from the braising liquid, too.

What we Loved: First, these smell fabulous while cooking. The sausages, beer, and browned onions combine for a wonderful aroma, and the sausages taste just as good when served. Served on a plate and topped with some of the onions and beer from the pan, these have a rich, comforting flavor, and it tastes great to dip the sausage (and some spaetzle) into the beer broth. On a bun, the brats taste juicy and wonderful topped with some of the beer-braised onions and a healthy portion of sauerkraut.

Helpful Hints: Make sure to keep your beer at a very low simmer so that the brats don’t break open. The beer should just barely be bubbling.

Bratwursts, any variety
Extra virgin olive oil
1 -2 onions, thinly sliced
1 bottle of beer for every 6-8 brats (I used Labatt’s for a light flavor)

1. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onions, and cook until browned, approximately 10 minutes.

2. Add the beer to the pan, reducing the heat to a very low simmer. The beer should just barely bubble.

3. Add the brats to the pan, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, flipping half way through.

4. In a second saute pan, heat another drizzle of olive oil. Remove the brats from the beer, and saute in the second pan until browned, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.

5. Serve the brats on a plate topped with a bit of the beer broth and onions, or on a bun topped with the onions and sauerkraut.

Cinnamon Almonds
Source: Our package of cinnamon almond topping mix

Inspiration: I always love having a few sweets at a party, even though they usually don’t get eaten as much. I guess I just love using a party as an excuse to satisfy my sweet tooth :) These almonds are one of B’s absolute favorite snacks, and we always get them at the little kiosks at Cedar Point that are called “Bavarian Almond” stands. I don’t know how Bavarian or German these little treats really are, but we did buy a nice warm bag of them in Munich at an outdoor carnival that they were having on the last night that we were there.

What we Loved: These are very simple to make, and they’re great for a party because they can just sit out in a bowl. We both really love the crunchy, sweet, cinnamon topping, and they taste great warm or cool. A wonderful snack.

Helpful Hints: To make these nuts, I used a cinnamon-sugar topping that I bought at Target that’s made expressly for this purpose. If you don’t have something like that, you can make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar as you would to sprinkle on toast, using roughly 1 tabespoon of cinnamon per each 1/4 cup of sugar.

2 cups roasted, unsalted almonds
3/4 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture
4 tablespoons water

1. Add the almonds, cinnamon-sugar, and 3 tablespoons of water to a pan. Heat over medium heat, constantly stirring until all of the moisture evaporates and nuts begin to stick together.

2. Remove the pan from the heat, and sprinkle with the additional tablespoon of water. Immediately spread the almonds on a baking sheet to cool.

Black Forest Cookies
Source: The Purple Foodie

Inspiration: I really wanted to make a black forest cake for this party, but such a cake is both a lot of work and not as party-friendly as something like cookies or brownies. I was so happy to find this recipe, which was perfect for the kind of party that I was having.

What we Loved: These cookies were absolutely fantastic. B labeled them as the best cookies that he’s ever had, and then he revised that statement to say that he thinks they’re the best dessert that he’s ever had. And I’m on his side with this one. These cookies are just incredible. If you like chocolate, then you will love these cookies. They’re insanely rich, with a slightly crunchy exterior and a wonderful, fudgy inside that reminded me of a fudge brownie. With chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries as add-ins, these have loads of flavor in every bite. They’re a rich, chocolately, and delicious dessert.

Helpful Hints: This recipe makes a lot of cookies. I would say that it made approximately 3-4 dozen, so if you’re not looking for that many, definitely cut it in half. I would also recommend refrigerating the dough overnight to ensure that it sets up enough. The dough needs to be very cold in order to make these cookies, as it’s a very thin dough immediately after mixing.

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 oz bittersweet chocolate
10 tablespoons butter
6 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup semisweeet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried Bing cherries

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a double boiler, melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate together until smooth. Remove from the heat to cool.

3. Beat the eggs and sugars at high speed until the mixture is thick, approximately 5 minutes.

4. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla to the egg mixture until just combined.

5. Add the flour mixture, and mix until incorporated.

6. Fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and the dried cherries until incorporated. The dough will look like a thin batter at this point. Refrigerate overnight to harden.

7. Preheat the oven to 375 degreees F. Drop the cookies by rounded tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Work quickly, and do not let the cookies come to room temperature. If you’re working in batches, place the remaining batter back into the fridge to keep cool.

8. Bake the cookies immediately for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies are set. Remove to a cooling rack.

Angel Hair Pasta with Italian Sausage Marinara Sauce

Inspiration: Ever since the weather started cooling off a little bit, I’ve been craving a nice plate of spaghetti. Last week, I found myself with a big bag of very ripe tomatoes that B’s parents gave to us from their garden. They needed to be used fairly quickly, and I happened to have a pound of Italian sausage stowed away in the freezer. The stars had aligned. :)

What we Loved: I’m really not a big meat-eater these days, almost always preferring seafood or vegetarian meals. That being said, I really, truly adore things like bacon or Italian sausage. You know, the healthy stuff. I’ve never had a meat sauce for spaghetti made only with Italian sausage, though, so I was excited to give it a try. And it was so good! I plan to always use Italian sausage for my spaghetti in the future. It gave the sauce such a spicy, rich, almost pizza-like flavor. I served the sauce over angel hair pasta, because it’s B’s favorite kind of pasta, and I topped it with a nice sprinkle of fresh Parmesan. I was worried that the sauce might be too heavy for a delicate pasta, but it worked great.

Helpful Hints: I used a combination of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste as the base of my sauce, but you could certainly use canned tomatoes, tomato puree, or tomato sauce. I put most of my tomatoes in a food processor to completely puree them, and then I added an additional chopped tomato to the sauce for some texture. If you like your sauce without any tomato chunks, just puree them all. My pureed tomatoes resulted in a very, very thin sauce, which is why I added a good portion of tomato paste to thicken. Simmering uncovered also helped to thicken.

Similar Recipes: spaghetti with turkey meatballs, angel hair pasta with sundried tomatoes and goat cheese

Angel Hair Pasta with Italian Sausage Marinara Sauce
Source: Marinara sauce recipe adapted from Ina Garten

I used Ina Garten’s recipe as direction, but I changed it around quite a bit. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

Extra virgin olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup red wine (I used cabernet franc)
4 large tomatoes, 5 for tomato chunks in the sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound Italian sausage
Angel hair pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheeese

1. Heat a pot of water to a boil. Add the four tomatoes, and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes, until the skin starts to just barely peel. Remove the tomatoes from the water, let them cool, and peel off the skins. Place the tomatoes in a food processor, and puree until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. The sauce will be very thin. If you’d like, chop an additional tomato, and add it to the sauce.

2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion, and saute over medium heat until it is cooked through and starting to brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for one more minute.

3.Add the wine, and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until almost all of the liquid evaporates, approximately 5 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper to the pan. Mix well, and let simmer uncovered.

4. While the sauce is simmering, crumble the sausage into a dry skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain the sausage, and add it to the sauce. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes.

5. Cook the angel hair pasta according to package instructions. Serve the sauce atop the pasta. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Bacon Bleu Cheese Pizza

Inspiration: Pizza is one of my favorite foods. And I love a nice, greasy deep dish pizza with a big pile of cheesy, garlicy breadsticks as much as the next person. But truthfully, nine times out of 10, I’d much rather make pizza at home. I like to do this for health reasons, but I also love it because it’s one of my favorite ways to relax on a Friday night. I love to come home from work, crack open a beer with my hubby, and make a pizza with whatever ingredients we happen to have in the fridge. And even a homemade bacon pizza is healthier than one ordered for delivery.

What we Loved: B and I only recently started exploring bleu cheeses, because it took us a while to learn to like them. Now that we do, though, we really loved the bleu cheese flavor on this pizza. I scattered the crumbles of bleu cheese over the pizza, so we didn’t get a singular bleu cheese flavor with every bite, which might have been overpowering. Instead, there were little pockets of bleu cheese goodness throughout the pizza, which was perfect. Together with bacon and onion, this pizza definitely had a lot of strong, intense flavors, and we both really enjoyed it.

Helpful Hints:  If you’re not sure that you really like bleu cheese, then I wouldn’t try this pizza. While it’s not completely overpowering in its bleu cheese flavor, I would definitely say that you have to really enjoy bleu cheese to enjoy it on a pizza, even in crumbles. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with a bacon and onion pizza. :)

Similar Recipes: Bacon avocado pizza

Bacon Bleu Cheese Pizza
Source: Original Recipe

1/2 recipe pizza dough
Extra virgin olive oil
Mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
3-4 ounces bleu cheese (I used roquefort)
10 strips bacon
1/2 small onion, diced
Freshly cracked black pepper

1. Add the bacon to a saute pan or griddle, and cook until crispy. Drain on paper towels, and then crumble into small pieces.

2. Spread the pizza dough onto a greased pizza pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and brush to distribute the oil completely over the dough.

3. Top with mozzarella cheese, the bacon crumbles, and the diced onions. Crumble the bleu cheese over the pizza, and top with a bit more mozzarella. Sprinkle with black pepper.

4. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is browned.