Madam Elizabeth's Sausage Pepper Surprise

Here is a good looking recipe that I hope to try soon from my friend, Elizabeth. Thanks lady!

 

Yum!

Sausage Pepper Surprise

serves about 8

Ingredients:

1 package sausage( any kind you like) I get Smithfield smoked beef sausage
1 large onion (any kind you like) we've tried red yellow and white.. All good
1 large bell pepper (again, any kind you like) our favorite has been the orange
1 large jar mild banana pepper rings... Drained
3 large potatoes ( you guessed it, any kind you like) red ones are awesome too!
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary

Method:
Cut everything up, toss in EVOO [extra virgin olive oil] until evenly coated and spread on cookie sheet lined in foil. Salt and pepper to taste... And then sprinkle on the rosemary (Jacobs [Elizabeth's son] favorite part... He says they are awesome!!). Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. DONE. please note this dish will make your house smell amazing! oh, and if you are a garlic lover ,which Adam [Elizabeth's husband] is, throw some garlic in there too


I for one am very much looking forward to eating on some of this very soon! Thanks again!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Doesn't that just look so perfectly moist and yummily full of peanut butter chocolatey goodness? Yes. It does. And yes... they are! Would you have thought that the main ingredient in this lovely little cocoa nugget was black beans? No, probably not! But please don't feel foolish, the idea caught me by surprise as well. If fact, I became so enchanted with the idea of making "bean brownies" that I put some emphasis and slight social pressure behind my request for a certain Ms. Hannah from a certain local artisan grocery store to share her recipe with me. It worked! I have the (slightly altered) recipe in hand and with share it with the wide world here today.

I will begin with a disclaimer: this is a vegan recipe and I carefully followed the vegan-ness (even though I am certainly not a vegan) but also added some Sallyness to it by substituting the sugar for brown rice syrup. Just cause sugar is vegan doesn't mean it's good for you, I think we can all agree on that one.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

vegan, gluten-free, white-sugar free
makes 12 cups

Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can (~ 1 3/4 cups) black beans, rinsed
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flax seed meal + 5 T water)
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup salted natural peanut putter
2 Tbsp "extra" brown rice syrup

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease standard size 12 cup muffin pan. Prepare flax eggs by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.

Add remaining ingredients through baking soda and puree about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. This should lend you a mostly smooth batter about the consistency of cake batter. Evenly distribute the batter into the tins. In a small bowl combine the peanut butter and the extra brown rice syrup. Put about a tsp sized dollop into each cup. Use a tooth pick to coat the dollop with the cocoa mixture. (This helps when removing from the pan as well.)

A dollop of peanut butter mixture per cup

Coat each dollop with the cocoa batter

Bake for 20-26 minutes. Shouldn't be jiggly at all.. but they are too fudgey and moist to be tested with a cake tester. Doesn't matter much either way as all the ingredients are already cooked/safe to eat!

Let them cool 20 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove them from the pan by smooshing any 'overflow' back into the muffin cup and then flipping it over a cutting board and smacking the bottom of the pan about a dozen times. (Let me know if you come up with a better way to remove them! So sticky!)

Here is the trick:These taste the best the day after baking. So make them a day ahead and then save them in a container in the fridge overnight. Make sure to leave time to 'warm up' to room temp before you serve them. About an hour or so worked fine for us.

Fish Fillets: DIY and you'll know whats on 'em!

There is a particular flavor of prideful joy which I relish in knowing that my young children have learned to appreciate and savor fish. Maybe not all seafood (show them shells and they might get a little icked out.) Notwithstanding, if I can disguise the fish so that they don't really look too much like 'Nemo' anymore I can enjoy the sight of my 7, 5, and 3 year old progeny digging in with gusto!

There was even this one time when I ordered some fresh fillets from the deli in our local supermarket and Juda (age 3) insisted on carrying around the wrapped package throughout the rest of our shopping trip enthusiastically saying, 'Mommy, I love fish! It's my favorite!' Doesn't that just warm the cockles of your heart?!

Breaded Fish Fillets
serves 8-10

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs fresh fish fillets*
3-4 cups fresh bread crumbs
3 Tbsp parsley flakes
2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly milled flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Method:
Prepare your ingredients in three shallow bowls as follows: bowl one will be devoted to the freshly milled flour, bowl two to the milk and egg whisked together into a slight froth, and bowl three will contain the fresh bread crumbs, parsley flakes, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Once your bowls are assembled you will want to prep a baking sheet or two with some olive oil and have this set to the side ready to receive your fillets. Now you are ready to rinse and pat dry your fillets. I also like to size them into about 4-5 oz portions at this time.**

With complete abandon towards the idea of keeping your hands clean... dust the fillets in flour, then finish with rolling in the bread crumb mixture. When the fish is fully coated lay flat on the prepared pan and get onto the next one. Once they are all laid out*** and ready to bake pop them into a 375 degree oven for 14 minutes remove and flip and cook for another 14 minutes. Sometimes depending on thickness of the fish you are working with this timing and heat will need to be adjusted. This would be about perfect for a thick 1" Cod fillet. I like to serve these breaded fish fillets with long grain Indian basmati rice and sauteed green veggies.

*For this recipe I usually try to choose a wild caught variety that will bake up flaky and white such as cod, haddock, tilapia or trout.

** Larger fish fillets can be cut into four or five portions. This allows the breading to cover more area and give the dish that individual feel when you are serving.

*** It can be also quite convenient to freeze your prepared fillets at this juncture for a quicker meal at a later date. To do this I lay them on a pan like so...

and then pop them into the freezer just like that for about 2-4hours after which point they are frozen solid and you may gently pry them off and put them into a gallon ziplock freezer bag. Good for up to a few months.

Burma: Shrimp Curry

this image was taken from a google search page without permission

The trip to Burma was short and sweet. The dish was easy to prepare, the children were enchanted with the videos of traditional dancing and music from the country. They were also kind enough to chuckle with me over the idea that since the cookbook we are traveling with was published in the 70's many of the countries names and boundaries have changed... so we are traveling in time as well as space. Totally trippy... and delicious.

So the recipe that I followed was only for the shrimp curry you see pictured above... gracing the rice with it's presence. I added the savory and divine element of garlic na'an to this meal. An addition that was well received by the family with Silas in particular showing his appreciation by telling me, "You make the best Na'an ever Mom!" This was praise I needed to get over the depths of dispair from earlier in the afternoon when I was deeply disappointed over the fact that my local grocery store isn't carrying the most delicious basmati rice ever!!![Edit and update: "Martins" started carrying it again after I made a request. It's on the bottom shelf, closer to the back of the store in the rice section, isle 7. Brand: JYOTi type: basmati supreme (imported from India) Get it. Cook it. Eat it. You won't regret it!]

Pork Stir Fry in Sweet Ginger Sauce with Sticky Rice

Pork Stir Fry with Sweet Ginger Sauce
serves 6

Ingredients:
1 lb bonless pork chops or loin
1 cup carrots, peeled and julienned  
1 cup red cabbage, sliced thin
1 cup green cabbage, sliced thin
one small onion, diced
 3 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
 2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp rice cooking wine
1 Tbsp ground ginger


Method:
Slice the pork into small pieces about 1" wide, 1/2" thick and 3" long. Set this aside and warm the oil in a large skillet while you dice the small onion. Saute the onion and pork together until cooked through. Set this aside in a bowl and saute the rest of the veggies on medium heat until tender but not soggy. Once cooked set this aside on/next to the pork. In a small bowl or measuring cup whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice cooking wine and ginger until well combined. Pour this into the skillet once the veggies have been removed and let it bubble and thicken for a few minutes under a watchful eye. Stir frequently. Once the sauce is just beginning to thicken into a glaze, toss your veggies and pork back into the sauce and stir to coat well. Now your stir fry is done and ready to spoon over some rice!

Green Veggie Juice

 

Sometimes (quite often actually) I like to charge up my fuel cells with a mid-day tall, cool glass of green veggie juice. It is a quick way to get a ton of fresh veggie nutrients, vitamins, anti-oxidants, chlorophyll, etc. It is a low calorie, high-energy kind of food. And I've been told that the green pepper is especially good for the skin. Sold? Yeah, I thought so. I have a non-photo worthy old beat-up Juiceman Juicer that my old man and I were blessed with when we got married. And it has been well used! But it gets the job done... even if it's not quite pretty enough for the pictures!

 

I am particularly fond of my current juicer because it gives you so much juice for what you put into it! I got a full 16 oz glass of juice from the produce pictured above. Half an apple and some old, left over carrot sticks were added for a hint of sweet... and that it is only one cucumber... I promise! Even though I did some unintentional trick photography to make it look like two!

I am really, really looking forward to having a little salad and juicing garden again this year!

Bulgaria: Meatball Soup (and Peach Cobbler)

image taken from a google search page without permission

 

 Recently our dining travels have led us to the charming country of Bulgaria. Upon reading the few recipes listed under this country in the UN cookbook I was initially disappointed with the slim pickings. However, I was wrong to jump to conclusions. I tried out the 'Meatball Soup' and it wasn't much to look at when I was stirring it over the stove.

Upon first reading the recipe I had my doubts so I decided that even if it wasn't strictly 'Bulgarian' I would be sure to serve a tasty dessert to bribe the kids into trying the soup! But in the end the soup was hearty, warm and satisfying and everyone was happy to eat it up! They were also pretty happy about eating up the peach cobbler I made as the shameless bribery dessert. I would highly recommend this recipe. I read through the first few reviews and followed the suggestions to lessen the salt and sprinkled a little cinnamon and nutmeg over the peaches. Which were from a can because they were out of season.

Bulgarian Meatball Soup with fresh homemade bread and butter

 I felt like we made such a cozy little peasant family when we were around the table all happily eating such a simple, hearty dinner of meatball soup and fresh bread with thick butter!

Bulgarian Meatball Soup

Of course when it came time for dessert we were back to eating like kings!

Peach Cobbler

Bolivia: Beef Empanadas with Fiesta Rice

image taken from a google search results page without permission

Our table travels have recently taken us to the exciting, inspiring, soulful South American country of Bolivia! What an adventure it was... this has been one of our favorite countries to research online and learn about. So much color and life and beautiful, soaring music! Check out this video and let it play while you read the rest of the post. It will help set the mood.

There are other, higher quality videos with similar content on you tube... but I chose this one to share with you because it seemed more authentic and spirited.

 The dish we chose from the United Nations Cookbook from the country of Bolivia was called 'Empanadas de Carne' and although it was an enjoyable dish to prepare, I don't think I did it justice.

Empanadas de Carne

In my typical, granola mom style I balked at the idea of deep frying the Empanadas and instead baked them on a sheet... they were very dry and a little hard to chew... versus the way they really should be... soft and flaky. :/

However, it is worth noting that everyone in my family was a good sport and ate them happily and without complaining... they're the best! I really enjoyed the filling as it was beautiful mix of veggies, steak and fruit all stir fried together in a pan until well cooked down and then tucked into the empanadas.

There was a bit of extra filling and I ran out of dough it in! So I saved the day by mixing it into the rice and it was soooo delicious. This I may be making again sometime soon! Who knows? Maybe I will even give deep frying a shot... sometime.

Chicken Curry and Rice... and my best yet Na'an!

Every now and again I get a bit of a taste for some curry. Usually I will whip this up on a school night and skip the extra task of making fresh garlic na'an. Since I found the most perfect homemade garlic na'an recipe I have ever tried... I made it again the next week. Cause I had that tell tale deep hankerin' for some perfect garlic na'an... and I knew that nothing else was going to get that job done.

Chicken Curry
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil 
1 onion diced
2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup plain yogurt 
1 lb chicken, deboned and cubed. left over is fine too.
1 cup sweet green peas
1 small potato rinsed, and diced to pea size and par boiled 5 minutes
1 can chickpeas, rinsed well
1 tsp salt
another 1/2 cup yogurt

Method:
If using raw chicken, cook this few extra Tbsp of olive oil ahead and set this aside. Saute` the onions with the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once they are quite soft add the spices. They will probably absorb any oil left in the pan... this is okay just stir well to fully combine and let the heat roast the spices for a few minutes. Then with a fork or whisk, add yogurt and stir well. Add the chicken to the skillet along with the peas, diced par-boiled potatoes, and rinsed chickpeas. Stir to coat all ingredients with the sauce. Add the rest of the yogurt and salt to taste. If you want more sauce add more yogurt. I like to serve my curry with extra long grain basmati rice from India and some fresh garlic na'an following this recipe.

One mother's quest to reinvent the wheel... with TUNA!

There was a short season of my childhood where if you had told me that I would never have to eat tuna fish again... I would have kissed your feet in unabashed, worshipful appreciation. I hated the stuff for a while there. But, fortunately for you, me and my gifted young progeny my situation with tuna fish has evolved over the years.

 Finally, after much travels and travails I have arrived on the shores of the promised land. I am honored to share with you the often transcendent joy of Tuna Wheels.


Tuna Wheels
serves 5

Ingredients:

For Dough:
1 cup hot tap water
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp flax seed meal
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dill (dry)
2 1/2 cups of freshly milled organic whole wheat flour
  
For Filling:
4 cans of tuna
1/4 cup dollop of mayo
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp celery seeds
 the juice from one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Topping:
4 oz shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Method:
In a large mixing bowl whisk the hot water, yeast and honey. Cover this with a clean kitchen towel and set this aside to activate for ten minutes. While you are waiting is the perfect time to mix your filling. In a medium mixing bowl add your drained tuna, mayo, spices and lemon juice. Mix well with a fork. Return to your yeast mixture and add the rest of the ingredients in order given, whisking before and after each cup or so of flour. This helps to activate the gluten and improves the consistency of the finished product. Then you will roll out the dough on a well floured surface into an approximate 18x20 rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Roll this up like a jelly roll. Using the 'ninja thread' method* cut your wheels in about 1" thickness and lay them on a greased and cornmeal powdered baking sheet. Once they are rolled, cut and laid out there is only one step left! Top each one with a pinch of the grated extra sharp cheddar cheese. Pop those babies in the oven and bake them for about 15 minutes or so at 400 degrees. Sit back, relax and prepare yourself to be loved and adored by your family and friends.

Juda made a 'tuna wheel birthday cupcake' by embedding a carrot stick into the middle of his wheel. Priceless.

*Ninja thread method = slide a long, thin string (unflavored dental floss would work well... I use embroidery thread) under one side of the roll as far as the desired width of the wheel. Make an 'x' shape with the thread over the roll... and then quickly pull the 'x' closed flat across the surface. This will cut a perfect wheel without smushing the roll or the wheel.

Granola: A yummy food... and also a lifestyle discriptor.

I have been known to wax philosophical on granola... the food, the lifestyle... the fact that on more than one occasion I have heard this word called out in a crowd and known, instinctively, that it was a moniker for myself and not anybody else. And I was right!  I have heard tell that granola is indigestible. This may be true and I have yet to test this information any double blind control groups... in the mean time I will continue to make and eat this stuff... cause it's delicious. And it makes me feel like a million bucks. And yes, this could very well be because it's an awesome way to eat lots of indigestible fiber that cleans out my insides... so what? It's been a much more enjoyable experience eating this on the regular than it ever has been to take phsylum husks powder. Bleckity-bleck-bleck-blecks! All that being said.... I make granola frequently and unapologetically and I savor the results with a relish bordering on food worship. Here is my recipe.

Homemade Granola
makes about 10 cups

Ingredients:
6-7 cups oats

1-2 cups "fillers" (this could be nuts, seeds etc)

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 cup honey

1 cup oil ( olive oil is great, coconut oil is divine.)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp flax seed meal

 

 

Method:

Butter a large casserole and fill with the dry ingredients. Give this a little stir while your honey and oil heat up until just warm and mixable. I prefer to to this little warm up act in a sauce pan on the stove. Add the vanilla to the honey and oil and then pour the wet over the dry and stir until it's allwell coated and glistening. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and stir. Bake another 15 minutes and stir again. Might need a little bit more to just perfectly toast your cereal... this is a case by case basis. Use your best judgement. Once it appears to be perfectlygolden brown take it out of the oven sprinkle with the flax seed meal and give that a stir. Then let it sit until room temp. Somehow, magically, when you leave it alone to cool like this it clumps into delicate little crunchy clusters. Fresh, homemade granola is fantastic as a breakfast or snack we usually enjoy our granola topped with some fresh fruit and our homemade yogurt.

Bone Broth: An easy way to stretch your money while adding nutrition and flavor.

Potions Class....

There is something about stirring a large pot full of ambiguous looking bones and scraps that makes me feel ... witchy. In a good way! I stir that junks counterclockwise and reminisce about cloaks, wands, bezoars and widdershins. Fantasy fiction aside though, bone broth can be a great way to stretch your dollars and put more nutrition per bite into your meals. I have heard tell that the apple cider vinegar does an awesome "leaching of the bones" which pulls the nutrients out of them and into the broth. And how this is so good for your immune system it used to be the only thing prescribed by doctors for a cold.... Chicken soup. Because it was assumed that this dish would be prepared with proper bone broth and not from a can that looks strangely similar to some of my favorite pop art. 

Bone Broth
makes 3-4 quarts

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs bones (fresh or leftover)
3-4 cups saved veggie peelings. (onion, carrot & potato skins etc)
12 pepper corns
a bay leaf (if you have it)
3 Tbsp apple cider vingar

Method:   

Throw all the above ingredients in a large soup pot. Cover them/fill the pot with water. Let this sit for an hour or so to thaw if your ingredients were starting frozen. Bring just to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer and let this sit partially covered for a few hours. Then use a colander to strain out the bones and veggies and save your broth in a jar or pitcher. You can skim the top if you want to take your fats out. If you aren't going to use this broth within a week I would suggest saving it in the freezer. It's probably best to use from frozen within 3 months of preparation. There are a couple great methods for freezing broth. Individual freezer bags work well if you use a few cups at once... ice cube trays work well also. Though I would suggest a few hours freezing and then moving your broth cubes into a freezer bag to keep them fresh.

Lentil Stew

This approach to lentil stew was first introduced to me from a great book I picked up on clearance at Boarders years ago called 'Soups and Breads' distributed by Bay Books. I have a few steady variations from their take so I feel confident in sharing this recipe as my own. There are so many ways to make this soup... all you absolutely need are the onions, garlic, lentils and water. All the other ingredients can be either left out or substituted. I have made about fourty pots of this stew since I discovered it was a family favorite a few years ago.    

Lentil Stew served with grated parmesan and parsley flakes

 Lentil Stew
serves 8-10

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 onions, chopped
8 oz bacon, sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, sliced thin/rough chop
3 carrots, peeled and chopped 
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
6-8oz (half a bag) lentils (brown, red or green) RINSED
4 cups broth (can be substituted for water)
4 cups water
10 oz small pasta, such as risotto or alphabets
2 more cups water
2 Tbsp lemon zest

grated parmesan and fresh or dry parsley as a garnish when served. 

Method:
In a large soup pot saute the onions, bacon and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are tender. Add the carrots, celery and parsnips and saute these until tender. Stir in the rinsed lentils. Gradually add the water and stir frequently. Bring this to the boil and lower the heat to keep on a simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and falling apart. Then add the pasta and extra 2 cups water. The pasta should cook in about ten minutes. Then stir in the lemon zest and take it off the heat... it's done! My favorite way to serve this up is in a low bowl with a bit of fresh grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley. A slice of homemade whole wheat bread and butter is the perfect side.

Lentil Stew

Belgium: Vlaams Rundvlees en Bier Casserole "Beef and Beer Casserole"

image yanked from a google search page. without permission.

This weekend I went to Belgium! I was busy with a few other trips and projects... so for my culinary adventuring things were kept to a sweet slow and low style of cooking.  I love this style because one gets the opportunity to appreciate the meal on so many levels. First is the fresh ingredients phase... when you can notice and appreciate the high quality, colors, freshness and raw tang of the foods. Then as you begin chopping and throwing things into the crock pot or casserole dish a few more smells and tiny tastes get thrown into the air. By the time my casserole had been in the oven for a few hours you could smell it all the way down the block. As the boys were sure to tell me when they came back from their tennis show-down at the park. My favorite was our young friend Simon enthusiastically exclaiming, 'Smell that!!!" When he and Silas first walked into the house from outside. Best compliment of the evening. And there were many!

 

 

 

Belgian Beef and Beer Casserole with Belgian style beer!

Here are the basics of what I did so that you could try this for yourself sometime... I'm doing my best not to break copyrights with this book I am posting about so bear with me.

You will need:
A few pounds of quality beef. I used top shoulder think steaks.
A garnish of smoked ham. (I know, meat on meat! Don't you love it!?!)
A pound of thinly sliced onions
A heavy touch of your favorite saute oil... I went for lard. Goes well with the meat theme.
Few tablespoons of flour
Touch of herb... I used thyme.
Dash of Mollasses. (I swapped this for the sugar the origonal recipe called for)
A 12 oz beer.
few tablespoons of red wine vinegar

So basically saute your meat until it's just brown. Don't worry about cooking it through cause you're going to slow roast this lovely meat on meat mixture in your beer sauce. Set this aside and leave the juices in the pan. Saute your pound of thinly sliced onions until they are brown. Set this aside and get ready to ROUX. This was my first experience with a brown beer roux and I loved it so much I can't wait to try some more variations!! If you have a few tablespoons of oil and juices left... fantastic start with this... if not throw a little more oil or fat in the pan.. only a few tablespoons and try to deglaze  the meat and onion into the fat to help get that yummy brown flavor (and so that your pan doesn't start smoking!) add your flour and mix well. slowly add the beer. then the spices. a little bit of minced garlic is lovely as well. hold back the vinegar, that's for last. once the roux has boiled a bit and thickened then you're set to layer your meat and onions in a casserole (chose one with a lid to help keep the moisture in. a dutch oven would be perfect for this!) Once everything is in pour the beer roux over all and cover it with a lid and let it do it's thing in the oven at around 300 degrees for a few hours. When you just can't take it anymore... peel and boil some potatoes. I used golds with their wonderful buttery flavor. However, think that russets would go well with the meat theme as well. These are supposed to be peasant style, boiled and plain, a delicious preparation that I underestimated in the past. I like to have a green veggie represented on the plate of every dinner... this time we went with pan steamed kale and spinach. Once everything is set pull your casserole out of the oven and drizzle the vinegar over all and you are set to eat!

Austria: Tyrolese Soup, Gefullter Kalbsbraten and Linzer Torte

 We went to Austria! It was an exciting trip. We listened to many world renowned musicians as I slaved away in the kitchen over some pretty choice dishes! Mid-meal I flipped through some info about the country and showed the kiddos. I decided that if we did some actual, physical plain traveling that I would want to see the city of Hallstatt first in my visit to Austria. So cool! Oldest salt mines ever... and I love some salt!

Hallstatt, Austria. I ganked this image without permission from miriadna.com

More Hallstatt, this image was also taken without permission from seemorepictures.blogspot.com

And now to show off the fruits of my labor. We enjoyed a three course meal. It began with Tyrolese soup. This soup is like if potato soup and split pea soup had a love child. Totally yummy.

Tyrolese Soup

Next on the agenda was the main course. A lovely veal steak smeared with freshly minced veal, veg and spices and rolled around a hard boiled egg. Pan fried in butter to a golden perfection. Mmmmm.

Gefullter Kalbsbraten

After all that meat we needed something extra special to entice us when the dessert cart rolled around. Of course none of us could resist the Linzer Torte!

Linzer Torte

Linzer Torte, as served with an enormous tower of fresh, organic, grass fed, creamy whipped topping.

I dunno guys... you think Juda might be a little excited about dessert? Ah, my sweet little blur that refuses to be accurately photographed. Gotta love that kid!