Ritter Sport Cookies

     One of our new neighbor friends celebrated his birthday, so I thought I would bake him up something special.  He loves the Ritter Sport Whole Hazel Nut chocolate bars.  So I searched the net and found a cookie recipe to incorporate the chocolate just for him.  I've gotta say, they turned out pretty good.  I can't wait to try out some other Ritter Sport chocolate bars in this cookie mix.

Recipe from Chicago Foodies

What you need:

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup turbinado sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, room temperature

1 egg yolk, room temperature

1 3.5oz bar of Ritter Sport chocolate bar with whole hazelnuts, chopped 

How to make them:

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate large bowl, melt the butter.

Immediately add in your sugars and stir, the turbaned sugar will mostly dissolve.

Add in the egg and egg yolk, then the vanilla.

Stir in the dry ingredients into the wet.

Then chop the chocolate into fine pieces, then fold them into the dough.

Line a cookie sheet with baking parchment paper.

Scoop or roll out cookie dough and place on the prepared baking sheet. (The dough will be greasy because of the melted butter).

Flatten the dough balls slightly.

Put the baking pan in the freezer for 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Remove the pan from the freezer and space to the dough out onto two prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Then transfer to a wire rack or take a bite and ENJOY!

Goat Cheese Green Beans

     Nothing says Summer like a big bowl of fresh asparagus and tomatoes!  Well, maybe except a big bowl of green beans and tomatoes instead.  The original recipe called for some fresh asparagus, which I tried three stores to find.  But had no luck.  So a quick and yummy substitute were some fresh green beans I had on hand.  It turned out perfect!

Modified recipe from Cooking Light

What you need:

1 lb green beans (or asparagus), washed and trimmed

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes

1/2 tsp fresh garlic, minced

2 TBsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

3 TBsp crumbled goat cheese

1/2 tsp black pepper

How to make it:

Cook green beans in bowling water about 2-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Drain, set side.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add tomatoes and garlic, cook 5 minutes.

Stir in vinegar, cook 3 minutes.

Stir in salt.

Arrange green beans on a platter, top with tomato mixture. 

Sprinkle with cheese and pepper then ENJOY!

Gooseberry Tart

     Since moving to Germary, I've come to love shopping at the local markets and grocery stores.  A while back I stumbled across these golden little gems, that us Americans refer to them as Gooseberries.  Where as the Germans call them Physalis.  They are quite tasty on their own, but I really wanted to find a recipe to try.  Thanks to Pinterest, yet again, I discovered one!  

My little sous chef would sneak a few while we were de-tailing them.

On to making the tart shell

Recipe from Good Food

What you need: 

250 g all-butter shortcrust pastry

all purpose flour for dusting

2 large eggs, room temperature

200 ml double cream

85 g granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

300 g small gooseberries, topped and tailed

powder sugar for garnish

How to make it:

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until large enough to line a 23cm loose-bottom tart pan.

Trim the excess pastry from the around the edge, then line the pastry case with baking parchment paper, fill it with baking beans and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200˚C (about 400˚F).

Bake the pastry case for 15 minutes, then carefully life out the parchment paper and beans, and bake for another 5 minutes or until biscuity.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs, cream, sugar, and vanilla together, then strain into a bowl.

Scatter the gooseberries into the pastry shell, then pour in the vanilla custard mixture.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the custard is set and the gooseberries are tender.

Cool a little before serving.

Dust with powder sugar then ENJOY!

August's Funny Friday

     So here's the deal and how it works....Funny Friday, is a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. Funny Friday is a collaborative project.  Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write 5 captions or thoughts inspired by that month's picture.  Links to the other blogger's posts are below, click on them and see what they've come up with.  We hope to bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend!
Here's today's picture:

* Submitted by The Bergham's Life Chronicles

1.  "Mom, is this organic? You know I only eat organic."

2.  "Wait, mom?  Is there honey in this? You know I can't have honey."

3.  "Hey, hey, hey mom.  Is this All Natural peanut butter?"  

4.  "Mom, are you sure this is 100% stone ground whole 12 grain bread?"

5.  "Mom, Mum, Momma, Mommy...I don't want the crust! Can you cut it in the shape of a butterfly? And make it have wings of sprinkles?  And a body of cheese?  And a head like a tomato?  And draw a face on it?  And, and, and her antennas made out of candy?" (Mom makes the butterfly sandwich with pretty pink sprinkle wings, a cheese body, draws a face on the tomato with edible markers, and sticks in some licorice antennas)  "Mom, I'm not hungry anymore."



Click on the links below and let some other blogger make you smile:

Baking in a Tornado Someone Else's Genius Confessions of a Part-Time Working Mom The Momisodes Sanity Waiting to Happen Spatulas on Parade Juicebox Confession Stacy Sews and Schools People Don't Eat Enough Fudge The Bergham's Life Chronicles Follow Me Home

Nectarine & Blueberry Cake

     A couple of weeks ago my MOPs (Mothers of PreSchoolers) group got together to do some crafts, so I baked up this cake to share.  It was quick, easy, and yummy!

Modified from Julia's Album's recipe

What you need:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 stick butter, softened, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature 

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 nectaries, sliced into wedges

6 oz blueberries, washed and dried

1 tsp granulated sugar

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350˚F with the rack in the middle of the oven.

Grease the side and bottom of the pan with butter or cooking spray.

Line the bottom of a 9x3 inch springform pan with parchment paper.

Grease the parchment paper to.

Sift the flour, baking powder, basking soda together in a medium bowl.

In a sperate bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and 2 eggs until very light in color and fluffy. 2-3 minutes on high speed.

Add vanilla and Greek yogurt, continue beating until very creamy and light in color for about 1 more minute.

Keeping the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mix until well combined. DO NOT overmix.

Transfer the cake batter to the springform pan.

Top with sliced nectarines and scatter blueberries evenly on top in the spaces between the nectarine slices.

Sprinkle the fruit with 1 tsp granulated sugar.

Bake until cake turns golden and the tester comes out clean in the center, about 1 hour, depending on the oven.

Midway through baking, put some extra nectarines and blueberries on top of the cake and return it to baking.

When the cake is done baking, let it cool in the baking pan on a wire rack.

After the cake has cooled for about 40 minutes, release the cake from the springform pan.

Transport the cake to a platter, sprinkle on some powder sugar then ENJOY!

Kultur Fest

     One of the many festivals Germany hosts that we actually went to was the Kultur Fest in downtown Sindelfingen.  There was food left and right, rides for the kiddos, bands playing, beer on tap...it was GREAT!

Liam really LOVED these!

Tried a new cocktail...

The hubby enjoyed his tall glass of beer.

These were interesting...

It was like a cheesy rice ball filled with a stew like mixture of meat, peas, onions, and sauce.

These meat kebabs were tasty!

So many sweet treats!

These Donut balls were very good!

I think they approve!

A quick selfie while the kiddos took a ride..

Playing at the spielplaz...

It was a fun festival, can't wait to do another!

Panzella Salad

     Sometimes you just don't want a heavy meal, so I found this very yummy salad recipe that I wanted to try.  It was fresh, crisp, and all around delicious!  Paired it with a simple German Potato Soup and bread and called it a night!

Recipe from Cooking Light

What you need:

1 TBsp unsalted butter

3 oz Italian Bread, crusts trimmed, torn into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup fresh corn kernels

4 large ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 cup small multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved

1/8 tsp plus dash of kosher salt, divided

3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, divided

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup baby arugula

3 TBsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp fresh chives, minced

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

3 smoked bacon slices, cooked and crumbled.

How to make it:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add bread, sauté 5 minutes or until bread is toasted, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, stir in corn.

Sprinkle tomatoes with dash of salt and 12 tsp of pepper, let stand for 5 minutes.

Combine remaining 1/8 tsp salt, remaining 1/8 tsp pepper, vinegar, and oil in a large bowl.

Add bread mixture and arugula, toss to coat.

Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, and chives in a small bowl.

Arrange tomatoes bread mixture on a large platter.

Drizzle with mayonnaise mixture, sprinkle with bacon and basil then ENJOY!

Hugo-rific

     Since we've been in Germany, I have been introduced to this wonderful cocktail called a Hugo.  It's really quite a simple drink, but oh so tasty!  It's been perfect for these hot summer days we've been having!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!     

What you need:

Ice cubes

Fresh mint

1 part Elderflower syrup

3 parts Prosecco or any brut sparkling wine (non-sweet)

How to make it:

Place ice cubes in a large wine glass.

Gently muddle the mint, either using a pestle or your fingertips and add to the glass.

Add 1 part elderflower syrup followed up by 3 parts Prosecco.

Add a straw and ENJOY!

Moving In

     The day had FINALLY come...we moved out of the hotel and into our new home!  Of course our household items haven't arrived, so we borrowed some furniture from post.  A couch, some chairs, dining set, and beds.  Which we didn't have but only a week, since our stuff arrived that Friday!  The military also loans out wardrobes (a form of a closet, since houses here don't have built in ones like the States), washer and dryer, and an American sized refrigerator/freezer (we have German style fridge upstairs in the kitchen, but is is quite smaller then the loaner) for us to use while we are here.   The first few days, while the hubby was at work with the one car we had, the kiddos and I explored our new town of Sindelfingen.

All packed up and ready to go!

Our keys and the underground garage opener

A couple of our new neighbors stopped by and gave us some welcoming gifts.  

Everyone here is so nice, we definitely found an awesome place to live!

Since I forgot to pack our pillows in our unaccompanied baggage, 

we took our first trip of many to come to IKEA for some much needed pillows for us.

Walking around downtown Maihingen (which is the part of Sindelfingen that we live in) we discovered a small grocery shop Netto, an organic or as they say Bio shop, another specialty food shop, a ice cream cafe, a Doner Kabab restaurant, an Italian restaurant, two bakeries, 

a butcher shop, and a spielplatz (playground).

The kiddos and I walk down to the markets about twice a week for fresh fruits and veggies. 

They enjoy the ice cream (Eis) too!

Having fun at one of the playgrounds

Found this art sculpture around the side of the Burgerhaus.

There are some really pretty German style houses around ours.

The Bio market

Bretzeln from the Bakery and Erdbeeren from the Bio Market

Relaxing outside with the kiddos have fun on the trampoline

Our stuff is here!!

Some treats for the movers

Boxes, boxes, everywhere!

It's been about a month or so since our stuff have been delivered and I am still unpacking some!

Can't wait for them to be completely gone.

Till then, I'll just keep unpacking one at time.