Belgian Waffles with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

We bought a waffle maker! Best $20 we ever spent... although we are trying to ignore that this purchase may make has already made us fatter! The next variation we hope to try is fried chicken and waffles... ha!

I have so far experimented with 2 recipes, and liked this one the best. They were fluffy yet crisp. My favorite toppings are strawberries and whipped cream, so I sliced strawberries and whipped up some cream for the toppings. I also sprinkled sugar on top :)

I may try this recipe again with 1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable oil. I think with some added butter flavor, they would be even more delicious!

Ingredients

3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. buttermilk (or regular milk if you don't have buttermilk on hand)
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg, separated into yolk and white
1 1/2 t. sugar
3/4 t. vanilla

Instructions.

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in buttermilk, milk, oil, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whip egg white and sugar in a separate bowl. Fold into batter mixture. Pour onto waffle iron. With our waffle iron, 1/3 c. batter is needed for each square waffle and the waffles are ready after 5 minutes in the waffle iron.

BALT sandwiches

Simplest recipe there is! Bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato stacked between two pieces of bread! A little mayo on the inside and butter on the outside, grilled to perfection. So simple and so delicious!

Goat Cheese Salad

Our favorite meal in Alsace this summer included a goat cheese salad. I was so happy to be able to recreate it at home, and it certainly was delicious. We ate it alongside TJ's Alsatian tart... yum!

This recipe makes 2 salads.

INGREDIENTS

• • 1 demi-baguette
  • 1 5 oz. log of goat cheese
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/2 c. corn
  • 1/4 c. diced pancetta, browned
  • 1 persian cucumber, sliced
  • mixed greens
  • salad dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Slice baguette into 6 1/2 inch slices. Toast the slices.
  2. Slice goat cheese into 6 1/2 inch slices. Place each slice on top of a slice of baguette. Toast again.
  3. Toss together mixed greens, corn, sliced cucumber, and salad dressing. Distribute evenly onto two plates.
  4. Place tomato slices on top of the greens. Top with the browned diced pancetta.
  5. Place toasted goat cheese bread slices on top of the salad. Serve.

Easy Fudge

This is one of the easiest desserts I have ever made. And it's delicious. I opened a can of sweetened condensed milk to make a Vietnamese coffee recipe, and I had no idea what to do with the rest. Considering the nutrition facts, I wanted to just throw it away, but I figured as long as I didn't use the WHOLE can, it would be okay to eat it. So, I used part of it in this fudge and it was delicious!

The pecans and white chocolate chips are optional and could be replaced by other items you may want to eat in your fudge. If I had marshmallows, I would have added them to make a rocky road fudge, but I didn't have any.

Note: This recipe makes one very small batch of fudge. If you want to make a lot for gifts or for a large party, double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients

4 to 5 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 t. vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. white chocolate chips.

Instructions

1. Over low heat, melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in a pinch of salt. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts, white chocolate chips, and vanilla.

2. Spread into parchment-lined small loaf pan (mine is probably 2"x4" or something similar). Chill 2 hours or until firm. Slice, eat, and enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

We rarely make homemade ice cream. I find that the ingredients are usually expensive, and it is time consuming to make. However, when I tasted Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream while we were in Munich, I knew I would be making a batch when I got home. The combination of strawberry and rhubarb is one of my favorite summer flavors, and I had never seen the two combined in an ice cream before.

I found a recipe online, here. The website listed two recipes, one for an ice cream and one for a sorbet. I made the ice cream. I followed the directions but made a few changes. First, I put the entire batch of "strawberry rhubarb puree" into the ice cream. Second, I blended the custard base in a blender before adding the puree because it became a strange consistency after heating. Custards can be challenging, and I'm not sure if I over-whisked the yolks, over-heated the cream, or over-heated the mixture of the two of them. Whatever it was, the Ninja saved the day! I just poured the mixture in, whipped it up, and the result was a perfect ice cream base.

I liked that this recipe used half and half instead of cream both because it has less fat and is less expensive. Also, it called for a lot of egg yolks, so I will be making another dessert soon with meringue/marshmallow frosting... my favorite! Or maybe I should make homemade marshmallows? we'll see!

Here is the recipe for the Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream:

INGREDIENTS

• Strawberry Rhubarb Puree

  • 3 stalks rhubarb, ends trimmed and sliced
  • 2 cups sliced hulled strawberries
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sugar

• Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

  • 1 3/4 cup half and half
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 3/4 cup strawberry rhubarb puree

INSTRUCTIONS

• Strawberry Rhubarb Puree

  1. In a large saucepan, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, water and sugar over low heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb and strawberries have broken down and the liquid is thick, 20-25 minutes.

• Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

  1. Heat the half and half on medium heat in a medium saucepan. While the cream is heating, whisk the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar together. Be careful not to over-whisk. Once the cream is simmering, slowly pour it into the egg yolks and sugar while whisking.
  2. Pour back into the saucepan and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in a figure 8 motion for several minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. If the consistency is not creamy, pour mixture into a blender and blend. Stir in the strawberry rhubarb puree.
  3. Allow to chill completely in the refrigerator. Prepare in an ice cream machine. Enjoy!

Europe 2013

Last year, I posted day by day accounts of our first European Vacation. This year, I am overwhelmed by the thought of writing such lengthy details about our trip, so I'm not doing that this time. If you'd like to see all of our pictures (really only 1/6 of them... we have a picture taking problem), click here.

This year, our travels began in Amsterdam. After 3 nights in Amsterdam, we took a train to Cologne, Germany, where we rented a car, drove south and stayed the night in Cochem, Germany. The next day, we drove to Alsace, France where we stayed in Rosheim for 4 nights. We then drove to Rothenburg, Germany where we spent 2 nights, and we then ventured to Austria for 3 nights in Reutte followed by 2 nights in Salzburg. We ended our trip with 3 nights in Munich. Here is the map of this year's trip:

This year, our planning was similar to last years' planning. I spent my February Vacation finding accommodations, and Jamie spent lots of time researching travel options. We started out with a budget flight (Iceland Air) that arrived in Amsterdam and departed from Munich. At first we were going to take advantage of the free Iceland stopover, but after researching the cost we decided against it. It cost us less to spend more time in Amsterdam which in the end we were happy about.

A big difference in our itinerary this year was taking advantage of the low rental car rates from Hertz in Germany. Last summer, we rode trains and planes around Europe, but this summer, we decided to rent a car. It sure was an adventure! It gave us freedom to travel to small places that we wouldn't otherwise be able to travel to, but it required us to learn to navigate a whole new world of driving. Jamie quickly got better at driving a manual, and I quickly tried to learn how to navigate foreign maps. We both looked at many roadsigns with much confusion and hoped we weren't breaking any laws. Let's just say we were happy to return the car in one piece after a 12-day driving adventure.

Since this was our second trip to Europe, we were experienced in planning the details. We took Rick Steves' advice of planning out our lodging, travel, and activities for each day in advance. This year, we didn't follow our planned activities too closely as we found the weather to be so beautiful that most of the time we wanted to stay outside and enjoy nature. We did lots of hiking and biking which we really enjoyed. We used Rick Steves as well as TripAdvisor to plan and both were very useful in their own ways. Rick Steves' Audio Europe Tours are also extremely informative and fun to do in the big cities.

Here are some highlights of the trip...

Biking through the parks in Amsterdam

The return of fries with mayo!  

Listening to Rick Steves in the heart of Amsterdam! 

Eating lunch on the library rooftop. 

Visiting a local brewery.

Re-discovering La Chouffe!!

The canals of Amsterdam at night.

Hiking back from the Burg Eltz Castle.

Driving across Europe in an Opel Astra Turbo.

Doing a little off-roading in the Opel Astra.

Experiencing the beautiful Mosel Valley.

Driving through the German countryside.

Sleeping at La Rose d' Alsace.

Hunawihr.

Alsatian tarts and wines.

Gasoline, petrol, diesel?!?

Climbing to the "top of the world"?

Goat cheese salad!

Delicious apple strudel.

Jamie being recruited for the German army... in France.

Driving too fast in the Opel Astra on the Autobahn.

Laughing at all of the ausfahrts.

Walking the wall in Rothenburg.

Eating way too much pork.

Enjoying the beautiful views in Rothenburg.

Meeting Rick Steves' biggest fan.

A true biergarten experience! 

Following around the nightwatchman!

Sleeping at Gintherhof.

Climbing castle ruins.

More beautiful views...

And castles!

Beautiful castles!

Experiencing wildlife.

Drinking Franziskaner.

Crossing this shaky bridge with a fear of heights and lack of trust in engineering.

Hiking A LOT while trying to keep smiling!!

Hotel Maximilian.

Meeting the locals :)

Beautiful Salzburg!

A traditional show.

The Salzburg Festival.

The candlelight music.

Biking around Salzburg.

More natural beauty.

The famed Hofbrauhaus.

Drinking enough German beer to fully appreciate the beauty of American craft brews.

Strawberry rhubarb ice cream.

Walking around Munich.

Tasting almost every German beer.

Climbing for a view in Munich.

Enjoying an American treat.

Touring BMW.

As our trip came to a close, we were happy to return home. Afterall, it was HOT without A/C and we missed iced beverages. We had a blast and are excited for future adventures!