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! 

Gnocchi with Feta

In Salzburg, we enjoyed the wonderful music of the Salzburg Festival. We did not originally plan to be in Salzburg for the festival, but our timing worked out perfectly. Our two nights in Salzburg fell on the two opening nights of the festival, which featured many free live music events.

For dinner, we dined at a restaurant next to one of the concerts and ate a delicious gnocchi with feta and vegetables.

Last night, I made a copycat-ish recipe at home. It was delicious!

Ingredients
2T. olive oil
around 2 c. cherry or grape tomatoes
around 10 leaves of basil, chopped
salt and pepper
1 package of gnocchi
4 oz. feta cheese, roughly chopped

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Put olive oil in the bottom of a small baking dish. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Boil a large pot of salted water.
3. Near the end of the tomato roasting, put gnocchi into the salted boiling water. Watch as gnocchi rise to the surface, and then let them cook 2 more minutes. Drain the gnocchi, reserving a spoonful of the cooking water.
4. Add tomatoes and roasting juices to the pan with the reserved cooking water. With the back of a spoon, smash the tomatoes. Then, stir in gnocchi and feta. Stir until much of the feta is melted, resulting in a cheesy sauce. There should be some small chunks of feta remaining with the gnocchi and tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with garlic bread and a Greek salad.

Ginger Mojitos

The perfect refreshing summer beverage you've been looking for... ginger mojitos! They were a hit at our July 4 celebration. 

Here's how to make them: 

Boil 1 c. water, 1 c. sugar, and 1/3 c. grated ginger until sugar is dissolved. Throw in a cup or so of fresh mint leaves. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, and then strain out the ginger and mint. You will be left with a ginger-mint infused syrup. 

Then, put 1 part syrup, 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice, and 2 parts rum in a pitcher. Stir well. Add as many parts as you want of sparkling lime water (I added 4 parts). Then, add a lot of ice. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired. Enjoy! Happy Fourth! 

I'll be back soon with exciting new European adventures... 

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

This dip is a copycat recipe from Chuy's (one Austin/now Dallas restaurant we really miss!) Eat it as a chip dip, taco sauce, or get creative and top something else like a burger or salad with it. It's really delicious so enjoy! 

Mix together: 
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 can chopped green chiles (in a can)
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped jalapenos 
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste

Vanilla Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

I love cupcakes. Love them, love them, love them.

These were delicious! This recipe makes only 11 cupcakes, so it is perfect when you don't want too many cupcakes.

Moist Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda

Boil butter and water. Add sugar. Stir until dissolved. Let cool. Add egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir. Add flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir until combined. Pour into lined muffin tins and bake at 350 for 18 minutes. Enjoy!

Marshmallow Frosting

2 egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

In a double boiler (or using a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water) combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Whisk the mixture frequently until it is very frothy and measures approximately 160 degrees. Carefully add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until the egg mixture holds stiff peaks and is a light texture (several minutes). Carefully fold the vanilla into the egg whites mixture.

Pasta Carbonara

Inspired by a magazine article and our Italian friends Sarah and Emilio, I set out to make Pasta Carbonara on Sunday evening. Upon googling "Pasta Carbonara", Pioneer Woman's version surfaced quickly. I usually trust her recipes, so I thought at first I would make hers, until I remembered Emilio's insistence that Carbonara have as few ingredients as possible. So, I did a little more research and came up with my own method/recipe that turned out wonderfully! 

Serves 2.

Ingredients 

1/2 lb. pasta

6 slices thick cut bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch square pieces

1 clove garlic

3 eggs

3/4 c. shredded pecorino-romano cheese

freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Boil a large pot of heavily salted water. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a large bowl (can be the same bowl you plan to serve the pasta in), whisk eggs and 1/2 c. cheese, along with some freshly ground pepper. Put pasta into boiling water. Cook bacon pieces in the skillet for about 4 minutes, until crisp. Add 1 clove garlic near the end. When bacon is cooked, remove it from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. When pasta is al dente, reserve 1 c. of the pasta water and drain. Stirring constantly, add the pasta slowly to the egg and cheese mixture. A nice sauce will form over the pasta. Add a tablespoon or so of pasta water if desired for a creamier sauce. Stir in bacon and garlic, and top with pecorino-romano. Enjoy!