The Skinny on Fat

Today we’re talking about the role fat plays in a healthy diet.

For years, fat has been the bad boy of the diet world, blamed for obesity, heart disease and high cholesterol. With the advent of low fat diets, most people should be able to control their weight better or be healthier. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily true.

It’s when you factor in the type of fat with overall intake that makes a difference. There’s a lot of info out there and some of it is contradictory. What’s a poor girl just trying to make healthy choices to do? Research!

Despite the bad name, fat is important for our bodies to function properly. It helps brain function, learning abilities, memory retention and moods. Over half, actually 60% of our heart’s energy comes from burning fats. Fats compose the material that insulates and protects the nerves. Our lungs, eyes, digestion, organs and immune systems all use fats to keep our bodies in working order. Whether we like it or not, fat is here to stay.

As I mentioned before, there are different kinds of fats. In order to make the best choices, we need to know what to look for.

Monounsaturated fats are found in plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil. Other sources are avocadoes, nuts and seeds. People following a Mediterranean style diet that incorporates a lot of monounsaturated fats usually have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in sunflower, corn and soybean oils, as well as walnuts and fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in this group. These fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and your body can’t make them. They’re also found in very few foods.

Saturated fats are found in animal products like red meat and whole milk dairy products. Tropical vegetable oils such as coconut oil or palm oil are in this family. Poultry and fish contain saturated fat but less than red meat. Our bodies actually produce all the saturated fat that we need if we consume enough of the good fats, making it unnecessary to eat these sources of fat.

Trans fats are vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods. Trans fat raises your bad cholesterol, increasing your risk of heart disease and lowers your good cholesterol.

I think we’re all smart cookies and know that we should limit our intake of saturated and trans fats. But how much fat do we actually need to maintain a healthy body and how much is too much?

That depends on you. Your lifestyle, your weight, your age and your overall health factor into the equation. General guidelines recommended by the USDA are:

1. Keep total fat intake to 20-35% of your total daily calories.
2. Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of your daily calories.
3. Limit trans fats to 1% of your calories.

The bottom line is that we need to be aware of what we’re putting into our mouths. I’m so guilty of this, but in the last few months, as I’ve made more conscious choices, I’ve noticed a difference.

I feel better. My body thanks me now. I used to get heartburn 4 times a week or more. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had it since August. I have more energy to do the things I want to do. For the first time, I really get the whole balanced diet thing.

How about you? Do you watch the fats you use? What tips do you have for keeping in the good fat and getting rid of the bad?

Also, I’ve got a poll up on the right hand side under About Me that I’m going to keep up until Tuesday of next week. I’ve been doing Weightloss Wednesdays for quite a while now. I’d like to know if you all like this and want me to keep it up. So please, place your vote.

Friday, Paige Tyler will be here guest blogging with us. Her new book, Dead Sexy, releases that day. Her hero is a zombie and she swears he’s sexy. She’ll tell us more about the premise of her hero and we’ll be giving away a copy for one lucky commenter.

Carbohydrates

First of all, Happy December. Christmas is catching up fast. Are you all ready for it? We've got snow on the ground here and it really feels like winter.

Today's Weightloss Wednesday again. We’ve discussed fruits, veggies and proteins so it’s only right that we discuss carbohydrates in a healthy diet.

In the past few years, carbs have gotten a bad rep. We’ve all seen those high protein/low-or-no carb diets. They’ve been popular for quite a while. Carbs aren’t the villain. As with anything, they just need to be eaten in moderation and there are some that are better than others.

Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient and they’re easily converted into energy by your body. Glucose, which is a sugar, is essential fuel for the brain. Obviously carbs have their place in a healthy diet.

As I mentioned, some are better choices than others. As a rule, the more natural and unrefined it is, the healthier it is. A low glycemic index (GI) is also an indicator of a good choice.

The GI classifies carbohydrates by their immediate effect on our blood sugar. Carbs that are converted to glucose very fast have a high GI value. Those that metabolize slowly have a low GI. Here’s a link to the Glycemic Index so you can check out your own choices.

So what are good carbohydrate choices?

1. Fruits and vegetables. They’re usually low in calories and high in nutrients.
2. Whole grains. Unrefined carbs are higher in fiber and keep you feeling full longer. Companies are making it easier for us with whole grain pastas and noodles and brown rice. Choosing wholegrain bread when possible is another way to make better choices.
3. Potatoes. These have higher GI values. New white potatoes are better choices, but sweet potatoes are the best of all. I’ve even seen sweet potato french fries in the freezer section. Potatoes are fat-free and their higher GI can be reduced by eating them with other low GI foods as part of the same meal.

How many do we need? If we’re making smarter choices and eating less refined carbs, anything between 40 and 60 percent of your daily calories can come from carbs. Lower carb is fine, but try to avoid the very low carb diets except for very short periods of time. Yeah, remember when I said glucose was food for the brain? ‘Nuf said.

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with carbs. I loved them and they loved me back since they wanted to stick around, but I hated how my body looked. These days, I’ve got a better self-image and I’m making better choices. I’m learning that anything is okay in moderation.

What about you? How do you feel about carbs? Have you done the very low carb diets? How did you do? Would you do it again?

German Christmas Markets

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in America and as we are currently living in Germany, we weren’t able to spend it with family as we would have liked to. So what did we do?

Well, I wanted to see the new Harry Potter movie and it was playing in Nuremburg. We had friends that asked us over to celebrate with them. So, we went to the first showing of the movie (and had a private showing) and then went to our friends’ house.

While we were in Nuremburg, we noticed that they were setting up for the Christmas market there. It started this afternoon.

If you’ve ever been to Germany in late November into December, you’ve probably been to one. If you haven’t, these are a tradition and most large cities have one and most smaller cities have a variation. Some people even plan vacations to Germany to coincide with the Christmas markets.

Christkindl markt as they are called here, are booths set up all over the pedestrian zone of the city. The booth vendors are a combination of food and goods.

Gluhwein (pronounced glue-vine) is a mulled red wine that vendors throughout the market sell. It’s common for people to sip this warm drink while exploring the offerings. There are other variations, such as a cherry gluhwein or a spiked apple punch.

Then there is the food. There isn’t much that isn’t offered. Sausages of all kinds, toasted nuts, pastries and other baked goods, schneeballens (from Rothenburg, if you remember that post), chocolate covered fruit, fruit bread, and lebkuchen (laib-kookin), which is a Christmastime specialty consisting of a gingerbread-like tasting cookie that is soft and chewy. It’s really good and hubby loves them.

As for the goods, they run the gamut. Handmade Christmas ornaments, advent candles, other Christmas decorations, pottery, jewelry, slippers, handbags, leather goods, things carved from wood, just about anything.

It feels a lot like walking the fairgrounds at a county fair in the States. They are a lot of fun and last year, we went to several. In doing so, we learned that not all Christmas markets are created equal. So this year, we have a plan.

We’re limited because we’re heading to Texas for the holidays and because hubby has to work one weekend. So, tomorrow I’m heading to Regensburg. They actually have two going on. There’s one in the pedestrian zone and one on the castle grounds. It was really nice last year, so we’re hitting that one again.

On the second weekend of December, we’re heading back to Nuremburg. We only did a quick pass-through last year and only saw a small bit. It seemed really nice and since then, I’ve been told they have one of the nicer markets. The following weekend, if possible, we’re going to try to hop over to Rothenburg. They are kind of the Christmas capital of Germany. We may have to wait until next year for that one.

So I’ll be taking some pictures tomorrow and at the other markets and sharing later in December. Have you been to the Christmas markets in Germany? What did you think? Would you plan a vacation around them?

Hope you all had a great turkey day yesterday and a fun weekend coming up!

Talking Turkey

So we’ve talked about the importance of water. We’ve discussed the benefits of fruits and veggies. Now it’s time to talk turkey. Sorta.

Protein, preferably lean protein, is an important part of a healthy diet. Why?

For one, protein helps you feel full longer and choosing lean protein lowers your saturated fat intake. Making smart protein choices throughout the day can help curb your hunger and prevent you from overeating.

It can increase your metabolism. Really. According to the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, choosing protein for 1/3 of your daily calories gives your metabolism a boost, which helps burn more fat, even when you’re sleeping.

Fiber. We all need it to maintain healthy bodies and decrease the risk of heart disease and colon cancer. Choosing leaner types of protein will naturally increase your fiber intake.

Lean protein helps us build muscle. We need more lean protein when we workout more to help replace the muscle tissue your body breaks down and burns during exercise. More muscle helps you burn more fat.

Lean protein can be beans, chicken, turkey, and believe it or not, buffalo meat. Tofu is another good source of protein.

I’m going to share a rockin’ chicken recipe that I made last week. It’s is so good. I made it with some couscous and veggies, but you could go farther with the Asian theme, if you wanted.

Grilled Sesame Chicken

6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, lightly pounded
2 TB sesame seeds, toasted

Marinade
1 TB sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 TB ginger root, grated
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
4 scallions,chopped

Combine the marinade ingredients. Add chicken and marinate for 3 hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and grill over medium-high heat 4 -5 minutes each side, basting with the marinade.

Toast sesame seeds in frying pan over medium heat, shaking to prevent burning. Sprinkle over grilled chicken.

The sesame seeds were really too much, but I saved those that I didn’t use for the next time I make this. You could probably cut them in half, but it’s to your taste.

I hope you give this recipe a try. Let me know if you like it. How do you get your protein in? Do you get enough?

Importance of Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy and balanced diet. Many experts suggest 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Sounds like a lot, right? Consider this – one serving size is one-half cup of most fruits and veggies. One serving of greens and leafy veggies is one cup and a single piece of fruit is one serving.

Broken down like that, it doesn’t sound so bad. Eat a cup of cooked mixed veggies and you’ve got 2 servings down. I’ve been finding that it does take some vigilance to get enough. I love most fruit and vegetables and still have to plan them into my daily diet.

So why should you make the effort to eat more? There are so many benefits.

They have a lot of vitamins and minerals that help make our bodies strong. Yes, there are supplements out there, but almost every expert will tell you that the body processes natural sources better than supplements. Getting the nutrients we need helps our bodies reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Making fruits and vegetables a part of a healthy diet helps to lose or maintain a healthy weight. They have a lot of water and fiber, which helps to fill you up, but are low in calories.

You can even add some veggies to your favorite baking recipes for lower fat, healthier versions. I have some of those recipes that I’ll be sharing over the next couple of months.

What are some ways to make incorporating fruits and veggies into your diet easier?

Add flavor! Herbs and spices are wonderful flavor enhancers that can really bring out the extra flavor without adding extra calories.

If you must add butter, try I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray. No calories and just a couple of sprays can give you that buttery taste you’re craving.

If fresh isn’t available, canned or frozen are good options, but read labels. Don’t get the ones with added sugar, syrups, sauces or anything else that adds extra calories.

Mix it up. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if a particular veggie isn’t your favorite, try it cooked a different way. This leads me to the recipe I’m going to share with you today.

Zucchini is not a favorite of most people. I could eat it, but preferred other veggies. Hubby didn’t like it all. Someone pointed me to this recipe and I tried it. Hubby liked it and I LOVED it. I made it for the first time last Tuesday. I’ve made it 4 times since. It’s easy and so good.

Zucchini Fries

Ingredients

    4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray   
    1 tsp Italian seasoning   
    1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour   
    3/4 tsp table salt   
    3/4 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, panko-variety suggested   
     2 medium zucchini, about 7-inches each, cut into 4 chunks, then each chunk halved   
     2 large egg white(s), whipped until frothy (almost soft peaks)  

Instructions

•    Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together Italian seasoning, flour and salt. Place bread crumbs in another small bowl.

•    Dredge a zucchini fry in flour mixture and then dip into egg whites; dredge in bread crumbs. Place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients; liberally coat with cooking spray.

•    Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 12 minutes. Yields about 8 fries per serving.
Notes

•    Use this technique with any summer squash or eggplant. It also works great with thick-cut onion rings or even green tomatoes.

For extra crispy fries, increase the oven temperature to 500ºF and knock 2 minutes off the cooking time.

One last thing, the CDC has an awesome website dedicated to helping people get in their fruits and veggies. Check it out.

How do you get your fruits and veggies in? Think you’ll give this recipe a try? I’d love to hear your tips and tricks and your opinion of zucchini fries.

Krenfleisch

So far over the almost 2 years I’ve been here in Germany, this is my favorite German dish. It’s pronounced crane fl-eye-sh. In my little area of Bavaria, they drop the n and call it cray fl-eye-sh.

Sorry that there are no amounts for the ingredients. This is my neighbor’s recipe and she taught it to me so this is from the notes I jotted while watching her like a hawk.

I hope you like it. If you’ve ever had it before, did you like it? If you haven’t tried it before, let me know when you do. I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Enjoy! Everyone have a great weekend.

Krenfleisch

Beef roast
Crisco or butter or lard (my neighbor used lard)
Salt
Pepper
Celery, chopped
Carrots, chopped
Onion, chopped
Bayleaf
Beef bouillon
Horseradish
Granny smith apple
Whipping cream

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Brown in the Crisco (or butter or lard).

Remove the meat from the pan and add the celery, carrots and onion. Saute the vegetables until they start to soften.

Add hot water, bayleaf and beef bouillon. Return the meat to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, grate the horseradish (if using fresh) and the granny smith apple. (500g of grated horseradish makes enough for 4 people).

Remove the meat from the pan and strain the vegetables, returning the juice to the pan.
Add the horseradish/granny smith apple mixture to taste and whip.

Add the whipping cream to taste and whip. Serve as a gravy over the beef and your choice of dumplings or spaetzle.

Rothenburg - Schneeballen

Schneeballen means snow balls in German. These yummy treats are a local favorite in Rothenburg.

Apparently back in the day, the people here came up with this ingenious way of using up excess dough before it went bad. Nowadays, it’s a tasty treat that every tourist tries while they’re here. They’ve also devised many yummilicious toppings to appeal to everyone’s tastes.

Of course, I had to try one. Before I did, though, the man at the shop we stopped at was nice enough to make them slowly so I could photograph each step.

He started by rolling the dough flat and then using a cutter that cut the dough into strips, leaving it attached at both ends.

Then he lifted the dough and kind of shook it out a bit.

He packed it into a metal ball full of holes and dropped it into a vat of oil.

Once fried, he opened the ball and deposited it on the table. At that point, it went through the process of being covered by various toppings, although we didn’t get to see that part. We did get to taste the finished product, however.

Behold, the caramel goodie that I chose.

It was crunchier than I expected. I thought it would be more like a funnel cake, but I was wrong. It was good, though. Definitely not something you could eat on a regular basis, especially if you’re watching your calorie intake.

Hubby chose a chocolate-covered ball.

They make them in all sizes and flavors, so you need to head over to check them out.

Ever had one of these? Want to? Maybe I’ll pick some up for a blog giveaway the next time I’m there.

Remember to stop by tomorrow. I’ve got a special guest joining us.

Weightloss Wednesdays

As I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago, I'm committed to a healthier lifestyle. For me, that includes more exercise, more water and healthier food choices. To that end, I'm going to devote Wednesdays here at the blog for weightloss.

My idea is that we can cheer each other on, share tips and tricks, share recipes and discuss things on mind that go hand in hand with a healthier lifestyle.

I'll also start off with an update on how I did for the previous week. So, I drank my 8 cups of water every day last week but 1. I did well following my program on SparkPeople. I only went over on calories one day. It was the day that we went in town for the festival and I indulged in a couple of beers. I still managed to lose over 2 pounds, which brings my three week total to 7.8 pounds lost.

I also joined a class at the gym on post. It's called Sculpt & Burn and it's a combination of cardio and strength training. It meets Mondays and Wednesdays and I went both days this week. It's really kicking my butt and my muscles, particularly my triceps, quads and hamstrings are letting me know how hard they've been working. I'm also keeping up with the 2.5 mile walks 5 days a week with Peanut. She's loving it and I'm feeling darn good.

I've noticed the biggest difference in my energy levels so far. I've got enough energy to get through the day without that period in the early afternoon when I usually start dragging. At the end of the night, though, I'm whooped and have started going to bed a little earlier. I pass out until I hear my alarm the next morning.

Okay, so that's an update on my three weeks with SparkPeople. Email me with your username if you decide to join up and we can partner up.

Now I have to share a recipe that I just fell in love with this week. While in the States, I picked up the cookbooks that went along with the show on Lifetime called Cook Yourself Thin. I've since purchased the season on iTunes and have watched every episode. I'm sure you can probably catch it on reruns there in the States. Great ideas.

Anyway, I made one of the recipes Monday night for dinner and Oh My God, it was so good. It was Sauteed Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos with Mango-Pineapple Salsa and Spicy Black Beans.

To avoid copyright issues by posting the recipe, I'm posting a link to the recipe on the Lifetime website. I didn't have any tequila so I omitted that part. Some things I noticed.

Using a whole pound of shrimp, you can really get 8 tacos out of the recipe. So add 4 more tortillas and make 2 tacos a serving size. Also, I like spicy food, but 2 TB of red pepper flakes in the beans was just too much. Next time, I'm going to half it.

I wasn't too sure about the mango-pineapple salsa and no cheese (since I'm a raging cheese-aholic), but the salsa was a perfect compliment and I didn't even miss the cheese. From me, that's a bold statement.

So, try the tacos. They're great. Maybe poke around the website. If you'd like to talk about anything in particular here during Weightloss Wednesdays, drop me an email at riley@riley-quinn.com. Are you working on a lifestyle change? How's it going?

Putting it out there

I'm overweight. I have been for most of my life. Luckily for me, I've been supremely healthy save for the weight problem.

I've tried just about every diet known to man. I've had some success but then I end up putting it all back on plus some more. Chronic yo-yo dieting. Same story as most other overweight people.

The problem for me is that I think of it as temporary. Also, I'm not a big exercise fan. Put those two quirks together and you've got a recipe for failure.

In June, I started watching what I eat. I lost 5 pounds in six weeks. Then I went on vacation.

I tried to be somewhat good, though I wasn't as vigilant as I should have been. The good news is that I didn't gain the whole 5 pounds back. Just a couple.

Last week I made a decision that is a long time coming and I'm hoping that by putting it out here for everyone to see, that I will be motivated to finally make the changes that I need to in order to stay healthy. I know that if I don't make serious changes in my life, I'll end up with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and who knows what all else.

No more diets for me. I'm looking to make lifestyle changes that can carry past a time limit. So I joined SparkPeople.

Perhaps you've heard of this. They help you track your nutrition and fitness while teaching you the tools to make lifestyle changes. So far, so good. I've lost almost 3 pounds. I'm sure that most of that is water as I'm back to drinking my 8+ glasses a day. I've started walking my dog more regularly. We do a 2 mile loop around town when the weather's good. I'm checking out an exercise class on post next week that is a combination of cardio and strength training. Basically, I'm becoming more active.

That's important now that I will soon be spending the majority of my time everyday sitting at the computer. I want to be more active and healthy. If I lose some weight along the way, that's a bonus.

Have you heard of SparkPeople? Tried it? If you're on there, shoot me a note and we can be buddies.

Pie in Germany?

Germans don't really do pie. It's funny that I've lived here a year and a half now and I just now noticed.

It came about because one of my neighbors had tried out a new recipe for rhubarb cake. While we were visiting, she gave us a couple of pieces to take home and try. During the conversation, I mentioned that my grandma always made a strawberry rhubarb pie that was always good.

That's where we had some communication problems. They didn't know what pie was. I tried to explain, but fear that I didn't do a very good job. Later, I asked my neighbor, Armin, upstairs, who speaks English very well about pie. Seems he didn't know what it was either. So I turned to my boss. She's American, but she's lived half her childhood and her whole adult life here in Germany. I learned that they some pie-like pastry with apple or cherry but it wasn't really pie.

So I got the bright idea to make a pie. As Armin says, the best way to describe something is to show it. As writers, we hear show, not tell. It was on.

I emailed my grandma and asked for her recipe, which she gladly gave. Then Saturday after work, I made 2 pies. One for the neighbors who gave us the cake. There are a lot of people in their household and I wanted them all to be able to try it. I made a second because hubby has never had it and I wanted to take some upstairs.

My neighbors called it kuchen, which means cake. When I look it up, it also says kuchen. There really is no pie in Germany. I felt fortunate to be able to share something new with my neighbors as they share so many new things with us.

What about you? Are you a pie lover? What's your favorite? Ever had strawberry rhubarb pie?

Zoigl Bier

Saturday night, we got another taste of Germany that not every tourist gets when they visit. Zoigl bier.

Zoigl bier is brewed in two small towns here in the area where I live. It's brewed by communal brewers so it's also called Communbier.

Zoigl is a beer style going back to the times when brewing rights were granted to individuals living in a defined area of town. They place a sign outside the gasthaus, a star often called the Star of David, when the Zoigl bier is ready.

It is only available when this star is out, but oh what a party it is. My neighbors organized this outing. It was our upstairs neighbors, our next door neighbors and then a couple of American friends of mine from post. We hired a taxi for the 30 minute ride each way so that we could all imbibe.

It's called a bottom-filtered beer. Personally, I don't really know what the difference is, but I'm always up for a party. The place we went was a converted house and we were sitting in the garage. They also serve great snacks. I had the cheese plate for dinner. In the middle of the plate was sauer käse or sour cheese. It was actually cheese that was marinated in vinegar and onions. It was pretty tasty.

 They also made fresh pretzels in the same star shape as their signs, but I forgot to get a picture of that. Oops. It was too good and we tore into it right away. We had a good time talking, laughing, eating and drinking Zoigl bier.

As I said before, not many tourists get to experience this side of Germany. Not unless they know about it and can find the small taverns that serve it. I feel lucky, once again, that our German neighbors have taken us under their wing, befriended us and include us in these jaunts around the area. I can honestly say that when my time here is over, I will have experienced Germany as most Americans have not.

Oh, an aside. Armin, my neighbor upstairs told my friend Sabrina that though he had an accent when he spoke English, I've been learning a lot of German and when I speak it, I have no accent. I sound like a German. Cool, huh?

So, who's coming over to visit this summer to try the Zoigl bier?

Black Forest Cake

Okay, so the request was for something sweet and what better than the famous Black Forest Cake. I had this when I visited Titisee in the Black Forest Region and it was oh so good.

Pastry Ingredients
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps)

Filling
1 cup powdered sugar
1 pinch salt
1 can pitted cherries, drained
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp Kirschwasser

Topping
1 square semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of two 8 inch round pans with parchment paper circles. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and 1 tsp salt. Set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk. Beat until combined.

Pour into the prepared pans. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool completely.

Remove paper from under the cakes. Cut each layer in half horizontally, making 4 layers total. Sprinkle layers with 1/2 cup Kirschwasser.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Beat in 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 tbsp Kirschwasser. Add powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Beat again. Spread first layer of cake with 1/3 of the filling. Top with 1/3 of the cherries. Repeat with the remaining layers.

Frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle with chocolate curls made by using a potato peeler on semisweet baking chocolate.

Guten Appetit!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Wooden Shoes and Gouda Cheese

Sorry for the delay of this post. I tried to get it up yesterday but had technical difficulties getting the video uploaded - directly and through Youtube. Still having problems with it today. It loads about 40% and then stops. To say I'm not technically savvy is an understatement, so if anyone has any tips for me, please email me at riley@riley-quinn.com. I'd love for you all to see the video. Now on to our regularly scheduled blog post.

After leaving Keukenhof, we hopped back on the bus and headed over to a local farmer's place.

This farmer made gouda cheese. For those of you that don't know me, I'm a cheese-aholic. I love just about any kind of cheese, but gouda is a particular favorite.When we arrived, we petted the cows. A calf had been born just that day. It was so sweet.

Then we were ushered into the barn. There, the farmer's wife explained the process of making cheese and how to tell (at least in the Netherlands) if cheese was farm-made or factory-made. It's evident by the shape of the label on the cheese.Next, we shuffled into the next room, because cheese making isn't as profitable as one would think. At least, on their small scale. They supplemented their income by making wooden shoes.

This is where we were treated to a demonstration by the farmer himself. He was a trip! It was fun to watch him start from a block of wood and end up with a shoe.Finally, we got to shop. They had a small souvenir store with his shoes, cheese and other items. They carried four different types of gouda cheese - traditional, mustard, pepper, and garlic/herb, as well as a smoked with ham cheese. Yummy! The cheese with the mustard seed was my favorite. I got some of all the different kinds of cheese and some wooden shoes.

Tomorrow is my visit to the Anne Frank House.

Back to Business

First of all, thank you to all who posted well wishes for me Friday. It was a happy day for me, though I did have to work the part time job that day. I was bursting to tell everyone, although my coworkers are tired of hearing about it, I'm sure. Suzanne, you are the winner of a free copy of Stellar Heat. Please email me at riley@riley-quinn.com with the email you want it sent to.

This past weekend was a busy weekend. We started off Saturday with a trip into post to do laundry. I think once we know we're staying longer, I'm getting a washer and dryer for the apartment. The German version is much different though, but trekking into post and then NOT being able to do laundry… When we showed up at the laundromat, it was full of soldiers. I mean, every single machine taken. I've never seen it that busy before. So we headed to the PX (Post Exchange – kinda like Walmart) and an early lunch.

Outside the PX was a Turkish company selling carpets. Now, we've lived here over a year. We've needed carpets for the living room for all this time, but we finally got around to buying some Saturday. Below is a picture of the large one. The couch (in pieces, as you can see) sits on it perfectly and I think the coffee table we have coming will slide right into place. We have a smaller rug and a runner coming that should be here on Wednesday. Once we get the furniture (end of May *fingers crossed*), I'll post a pic of the whole effect. I can't believe the difference the one rug makes.

Then we ate lunch, bought groceries and headed home where we were promptly invited to join the neighbors behind us for dinner. Our neighbor's birthday was Saturday and his son's birthday was Sunday so we celebrated by grilling out. I know I've talked about German food before but have I mentioned the spread they put out? Yum. We had bratwurst, bauch (not sure if I'm spelling it right) which is kind of like really thick bacon, and pork steaks along with potato salad, pasta salad, bread and stuffed banana peppers. Everything was so good.

Sunday I did some work in the office, had my chat with my accountability group and then trekked upstairs for another birthday party. There were 3 kinds of cake, coffee and then later in the evening, baked trout. I swear, I don't know how Germans keep from being huge. Must be the schnapps.

So, lovely weekend with beautiful weather. Yesterday it reached 75 and was sunny. As my neighbor, Renate, said, "Balcony season is open." Today is more like the Germany I'm used to, though. It's overcast and rainy. Cooler than yesterday, but still about 60. I guess that's good incentive to get my work done, right. So, I'm off to the laundromat for another try, along with my trusty AlphaSmart. I really want to finish those last two chapters of the rough draft of OOTS this week.

What was your weekend like? Busy? Relaxing? Good weather?

Flammkuchen

You may or may not remember that I mentioned having Flammkuchen while in Colmar. It was so incredibly yummy and I came home to find a recipe. Last Saturday, I made it for dinner and it was so good, I'm sharing the recipe. It's pretty easy to make and doesn't take long. The dough makes a big serving, enough for more than one person. My hubby doesn't like mushrooms but I do, so I made two. I should have just halved the dough and made two out of that, rather than making two whole ones. Live and learn. Oh, and the picture is the actual flammkuchen I made for hubby, so it's not as pretty as something from a website or cookbook, but it sure was tasty.

Flammkuchen

For Dough:
2 cups flour
2.5 TB canola oil
2/3 cup water
pinch of salt

For Toppings:
1 cup Crème Frâiche
1 onion (red or sweet)
1 TB butter
¼ lb bacon
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic

Preheat oven on the highest temperature it will go or around 400-450 degrees. Combine ingredients for crust. The dough shouldn't be sticky. Slice onions into rings and sauté in butter until clear (don't carmelize). Cook bacon until crisp. Finely chop garlic and add it with seasonings to cream. (Here I used the herbed Crème Frâiche). Roll out the dough as thinly as possible and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the dough has begun to create bubbles and browns. Serve with a green salad and a light white wine.

Let me know if you try this and how you like it. Oh, and my neighbor taught me to make Krenfleisch last weekend also, so that is coming soon.

Have a great weekend!

Andlau, France

After leaving Titisee, we headed to France. We first went to the quaint town of Andlau. 

There we visited an organic winery. Really.

Monsieur Durrman, the owner of the winery, took us on a short walk to see one of his fields of vines. He explained some of the techniques that he employed as an organic vintner. He has planted apple trees among his grape vines to help shade them. Then he collects the apples in the fall and makes a yummy apple juice.

After the short walk up the hill, we went back to his wine cellar for the tasting. We tasted 5 wines – a rosé, a Muscat, 2 different Rieslings and a gewürztraminer. I'm not one for dry wines so while they all tasted fine, it was the gewürztraminer that tickled my taste buds. We ended up buying 6 bottles of it.

During the tasting, we also got to sample a regional treat called kougelhopf. It is a sweet bread, though not too sweet, made with raisins and almonds. Monsieur Durrman uses the same yeast in the kougelhopf as he does his wine. During my time in Alsace, I saw this bread everywhere and knew that I wanted to find the recipe. I even bought 2 different sizes of the twisted bundt-like pan used to bake it.

Arriving home, I learned from my German neighbors that it's popular here as well. So I guess I can buy the middle size pan here, right? I did find a recipe and will be trying it out soon. I'll let you know how it turns out and if right, post the recipe here.

Tomorrow on to Colmar.

Ever had kougelhopf? Interested? What's your favorite type of wine? Like to go wine tasting?


 

I’m back

I mentioned Friday that I was taking a trip to the Black Forest region of Germany and then on to Colmar, France. It was a quick trip jam-packed with interesting sites and information, not to mention shopping and food. So this week I will be blogging about my trip.

First things first, though. My goals for last week. I missed blogging on Wednesday. Bad on me. I did finish the revisions for Blood Diamond and sent it out to four critique partners. I'm now back to working on Out of the Shadows. My goal is to have it finished and polished before the RWA National Convention in Nashville. I have to have something to pitch to the agents there, right? This week I will continue blogging and complete 15 pages.

Okay, now on to Titisee, Germany. Once just an agricultural area, it has become a health resort. The mineral spas here and around the Black Forest region boast wonderful healing properties. Alas, I was unable to test the spas for myself this weekend but I plan to return this summer. 

There is a lake whose water is dammed up by glacial moraines. It's the largest natural lake in the Black Forest at 2 kilometers long and 700 meters wide. It's all frozen over this time of year, and I can't wait to see it in the summer with all the green trees surrounding it.

 

The Black Forest region is well-known for its cuckoo clocks. Hand carved works of art and contrary to the common depiction of annoying birds announcing the hours (though available if desired), they have beautiful music and dancing couples, along with scenes of German life.

Another must-have is the Black Forest bacon. It's smoked according to Black Forest tradition, although I'm not sure what that tradition is. It can be served either hot or cold, but oh, is it yummy. Of course we had to bring a hunk home.

Last but not least, what would a trip to the Black Forest be without having some Black Forest cake? Yes, they really do serve it there and it's a bit different than the American version served in the States. I think I've mentioned before how the Germans love their schnapps. Well, they even add it to their desserts. Seriously. The layer of cherries contains quite a bit, but I even tasted it in the actual chocolate cake layer. It carries a bite, but it is oh so good. I'm going to try to find an authentic recipe (gotta check with the neighbors) and make it.

So, this is a quick overview of my time in Titisee. Unfortunately, it was a quick trip but as I said, I plan to return and try out those spas.

Have you ever tried the bacon or the cake? Care to try to the German version?

German potato dumplings (Kloesse)

Looks like the potato dumplings win it. They are a staple here in Bavaria. My upstairs neighbor says it's not Sunday without dumplings. He also says that they must go swimming, meaning you eat them with a lot of gravy. I'm not a huge fan of them myself, but with enough gravy… If you try them, don't leave them in the water too long after they are done or they have a tendency to turn rubbery. They also make mixes for the dumplings and sell it in the German grocery stores. I believe that's what my neighbor uses most weeks.

Potato Dumplings

• 3 slices white bread
  
• 2 TB butter or margarine
  
• 9 medium potatoes (about 3 lbs), peeled
  
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
  
• 3 TB cornstarch
  
• 3 TB uncooked semolina or Cream of Wheat cereal
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
  
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  

Cut bread into ½ inch cubes. Heat butter or margarine in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add bread; sauté, stirring often, until golden brown. Drain sautéed croutons on paper towels.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cover with a tight-fitting lid; cook 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash potatoes. Add egg yolks, cornstarch, semolina, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

Using your hands, shape the potato mixture into dumplings about the size of tennis balls (This is the size my neighbors make them. Feel free to make them a bit smaller, if you like), pressing one crouton into the center of each dumpling. Place flour on a dinner plate; roll dumplings in flour until evenly coated.

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts salted water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the dumplings into boiling water. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer dumplings 15 minutes or until cooked through; do not allow water to boil. Remove cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon. Serve hot with gravy or melted butter with herbs.

These go well with the rouladen recipe I posted last month so if you prefer these, go for it. Me, I like the spaetzle.

On a side note, I did finish revisions yesterday and my story is safely in the hands of my critique partners.

Okay, so I'm off. I'm heading out to the Black Forest region tomorrow and then on to Colmar, France. I'll be back Monday and I'm sure several blog posts next week will be from my trip. I want a progress report if you make the dumplings. What are your plans for the weekend?

Let’s Dish German

Today's blog entry is a request. Rachel wanted to hear more about Germany and suggested a German recipe. So today we're going to talk about Rouladen (pronounced rue-lah-den). It is my second favorite German dish (I couldn't find the recipe for my favorite but I'll ask my neighbor and post it soon). 

This dish is a treat, usually reserved for birthdays and holidays but it is so good. I'm sure the side dishes vary from area to area here. My neighbors, for example, serve it with potato dumplings the size of baseballs. When I had it at a Christmas party a couple of months ago, it was served with spaetzle (German noodles). I'm not a huge fan of the dumplings so I prefer the spaetzle. Here's the recipe for both rouladen and spaetzle.


Rouladen ingredients:

• 6 slices of top round – have the butcher cut it into thin slices about 3/8 inch thick and at least 6 inches by 4 inches. Pound it until it is about 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick, careful not to put holes in it.
  
• 3 slices of bacon
  
• 1 onion, sliced
  
• 3 garlic dill pickles, sliced
  
• 2 tbsp. butter
  
• Mustard, salt, pepper, cornstarch
• 1-2 cups water
  

Instructions:

• Season beef slices with salt and pepper. Thinly spread mustard on top of each slice.
  
• Divide bacon, pickle and onion slices on one end of each slice.
  
• Roll up slices, tucking the ends in and securing with skewers, wooden cocktail picks, or thread.
  
• Heat butter in a skillet. Brown rouladen well on all sides. Do not crowd them in the skillet or they won't brown nicely. Add extra butter as needed. Remove rouladen.
  
• Once all rouladen are browned, add 1-2 cups of hot water, gently stirring up browned bits. Return all rouladen and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cover, allowing to simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.
  
• Remove rouladen. To thicken gravy, combine about 1-2 tbsp. corn starch in a little cold water and stir gently into cooking liquid until slightly thickened.
  
• Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper. You can add sour cream if you wish.
  
• Remove skewers (or picks or thread) and serve rouladen with its gravy.

Spaetzle ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 2 eggs
  
• About 1/2 cup water
  

Instructions:

• Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
  
• Add eggs and mix well.
  
• Gradually add just enough water to make a smooth, light, and firm dough.
  
• Let dough stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
  
• Push dough through the largest holes of a grater or metal colander directly into the boiling water.
  
• Noodles will float when they are done. Remove with a slotted spoon.
  

You can eat them with gravy or buttered.

Have you either of these dishes? How did you like it? What's your favorite German dish?