Zigeuner Schnitzel (Schnitzel with Mushooms, Peppers & Onions)

The German Schnitzel is a common dish found on most if not all German restaurant menus. Traditionally, Schnitzels are made with veal or pork. My friend Maria prepared this recipe for our recent German Wine & Dine at the request of her dad. Her dad explained that when he was stationed in Germany, he recalls ordering this dish at a restaurant. Ever since, he's tried to find this dish on German restaurant menus here in Chicago with no such luck. Maria did some sleuthing and found this recipe. Her dad completely approves of this dish since it tastes just as he remembered when he first had it in Germany...Zigeuner Schnitzel(Schnitzel with Mushooms, Pep

Read more »

Old Standby "Confusing Cause and Coincidence" Excuse Trotted Out in Advance of Adverse Events Following Swine Flu Vaccinations

"Confusing cause and coincidence" has been used by scientists for decades to explain away the onset of autism disorders in otherwise healthy children following vaccinations. The same people do not, however, bother to conduct credible studies to actually rule out a causal relationship in such cases.Most notably, despite support for an observational study comparing autism rates amongst existing vaccinated and unvaccinated populations from credible sources such as Dr. Bernadine Healy, Dr. Julie Gerberding and Dr. Jon Poling, the IACC, under Dr. Thomas Insel, has engaged in procedural shenanigans and given questionable testimony to Senator Harkin's com

Read more »

FRANKFURTER KRANZ GATTINES

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER: MOWIE TAKES OVER MY KITCHENFor my last post, I was invited to bake... and write... for Mowie over at Mowielicious. I proudly carried over a little something I whipped up in my kitchen, something I created just for Mowie and his stunning little blog, the most elegant creation this simple girl could whip up. Now, my friend Mowie has returned the favor. A knock on my door very early this Saturday morning and there he is, Mowie, standing on my doorstep just waiting to be invited in. He blows me a kiss and pushes past me, rushing towards the kitchen in his excitement. "I have a wonderful surprise for you!" he laughs as he ties

Read more »

Autism and Vaccine Safety in the Swine Flu Era: Does Calling Something A Myth Make It So?

According to many mainstream media sources here in Canada the H1N1 Swine Flu is perfectly safe and effective and .... oh yes ... any possible connection between vaccines and autism has been disproved. These sources usually provide little or nothing to back up their sweeping claims other than to rely on, and refer their readers to, the web sites of public health authorities. "Journalists" in the mainstream media routinely dismiss anything published by a blogger as lacking credibility. These alleged journalists also routinely describe any position on vaccines and autism, or any statement that questions the safety of efficacy of the H1N1 vaccine, as

Read more »

Winner of Foodie Freebie Friday: Chicago Metallic Roasting Pan

Happy Spooky Friday! What a great day to get pumped up for Halloween. Do you have any special Halloween plans in store for the weekend? I'm keeping it pretty low key this weekend by hosting a halloween party with a few friends. Aside from the halloween party, I'm doing some kitchen therapy on Sunday and making a few meals for the week ahead. Be sure to check back to see what I serve up at my halloween party and the recipes I'm making for next week too!This week I asked readers what they enjoy roasting or baking in the oven during the fall. Thank you for all the responses as you've inspired me to make some of those dishes in the future! And because ou

Read more »

Sauerbraten (German-style Pot Roast)

During the fall, a good pot roast is a great comforting dish to enjoy. For my recent German Wine & Dine event, I wanted to attempt a traditional Sauerbraten, which is a German style pot roast. It took about 3 days to prepare but worth every minute.The roast is marinated in a combination of cider and red vinegar, along with water and a few spices. Traditionally, juniper berries are used in making this dish. I didn't get a chance to pick any up at my local spice shop but even without the juniper berries, the dish was delicious! The roast marinates for 2-3 days (I marinated for 2) and then sugar is added to both the marinade and meat. It's covered an

Read more »

Kartoffel Klösse (German Potato Dumplings)

Every cuisine seems to have some comforting recipe using potatoes. For German cuisine, these dumplings fit the bill. They're light, fluffy and perfect to go with Sauerbraten, a German style pot roast (recipe coming later today!)When making these dumplings, I found the consistency to be a little sticky to handle and shape into balls. Instead of adding more flour (which would toughen the texture of the dumplings), I used the dough as is and spooned the dough into boiling water. This produces a more rustic dumpling that is light and fluffy.Kartoffel Klösse (German Potato Dumplings)recipe adapted from Global Gourmet6 medium-size potatoes, boiled in their

Read more »

CARAMELIZED PEARS AND CHOCOLATE PASTRY CREAM MILLE-FEUILLES

DYNAMIC DUO: THE GUEST POSTThough we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.~Ralph Waldo EmersonMy very first guest post on another foodie’s blog. And not just any blog. Mowielicious. Stunning in its simplicity, dramatic in color and style, desserts as luscious, rich and beautiful as the photography, I fell in love with Mowie’s blog on my first visit. When Mowie asked me to guest post on Mowielicious, I was amazed, thrilled and nervous; how could my simple, homey desserts, my flamboyant writing, my oh-so-personal tales of food and family fit into the beauty that he creates? But say no to Mowie? Not a ch

Read more »

Donauwellen (German Danube Waves Cake)

Chocolate, cherries and custard... a winning combination! These are the ingredients combined in this recipe that my friend Maria made for our German Wine & Dine event. The beautiful cake layers are said to look like the waves of the Danube river, hence the name Donauwellen (German Danube Waves Cake). This is just another German dessert that combines chocolate and cherries in a delicious way...This traditional Donauwellen recipe, translated Danube waves cake, is layered alternating with vanilla and chocolate cake dough, sour cherries and vanilla cream. After the cake is baked and cooled off a chocolate glaze is applied to the top of the cake and wa

Read more »

Kohl Und Hackfleisch (German Cabbage Casserole)

Cabbage is one of those vegetables I'll never forget the smell of. When I was in college, there were a number of cabbage fields nearby and the smell of rotting cabbage after the season was over was always in the air during the late fall months. It was horrendous! That alone made me avoid cabbage for a few years.It's not exactly one of my favorite vegetables but I've been buying it more often these past few weeks to use in some ethnic dishes. When my friend, Kelly, prepared this dish for our German Wine & Dine event, I can honestly say it was the best cabbage dish I've ever had. Wow! Unlike traditional cabbage rolls, this one is made as a casserole

Read more »

Kasespatzle (Cheese Spaetzle)

I recently had a cooking session where friends and I made homemade pasta. One pasta that's popular in German cuisine is spaetzle. It's also a homemade pasta that's made with a simple dough of flour, eggs and salt. This dough is then cut into thin noodles and dropped in boiling water to cook. Alternately, many folks use a Spätzlepresse, which is a tool that the dough is smoothed over and the dough comes out in small little bits, which is then boiled. Either way, once the spaetzle floats to the top, they're done.What makes this an even more special recipe is that the spaetzle is topped with grated cheese and broiled to a golden brown. The cheese adds a

Read more »

Το δάσος στο Baden κοντά στη Βιέννη 1

Η παρουσίαση των εικόνων περιλαμβάνει τρείς συνδέσμους για την περιοχή Baden ,για τη μεγαλύτερη Παγκόσμια φυσιολατρική ΜΚΟ , και ένα άλυτο μυστήριο του 1889 τραγικό τέλος σε ένα αυτοκρατορικό ειδύλλιο... Baden Bei Wein Forest 1View more presentations from Dennis Labadarios.

Read more »

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Have you noticed that pretty much the only things I do right now are things that are quick and easy?  Sad but true.  I am busy… I went searching yesterday for a quick and easy recipe to make some pumpkin muffins.  I wanted something that used no appliances and I could whip out in a matter of minutes with minimal mess.  These were perfect and fit my criteria flawlessly! See the crunchy cinnamon/sugar coating on top?  It absolutely made these muffins!!! Pumpkin Muffins (adapted from Smitten Kitchen) Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups White Whole Wheat flo

Read more »

Autism and Education: CACL Promotes Discrimination Against Autistic Children

The Canadian Association for Community Living, and its provincial counterparts like the New Brunswick Association for Community Living, have done much to help persons with disabilities. Unfortunately despite their many good deeds they have also, for many years, been actively and intentionally promoting discrimination against some children with Autistic Disorders and other children for whom education in the mainstream classroom is not in their best interests because of their disabilities.The message of the CACL is clear, consistent, and made without regard to the best interests of some children: No excuses for educating children outside the mainstrea

Read more »

Ontario NDP: McGuinty Government Cutting Children with Autism off IBI (ABA)

Number of Children Awaiting Autism Treatment Balloonslocation: Queen's Parkdate:October 26, 2009 - 1:00pmOntario’s NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is citing more troubling facts concerning the McGuinty government’s approach to treating Ontario children with autism.“The government is cutting off more children from IBI when schools are not able to provide the therapy. Instead of funding treatment, the government is allowing waiting lists to balloon and children to languish,” Horwath said in the Ontario Legislature today after revealing the government’s latest quarterly numbers for April to June, 2009.Compared to the previous quarter, 1,649 children are now wa

Read more »

Homemade Bavarian Pretzels

I've always been a fan of soft pretzels and when I was younger, going to the mall always involved getting a buttery pretzel from Aunt Annie's at the food court. They always made it look so easy, especially the twisting part! For our recent German Wine & Dine dinner, my friend John made these amazing pretzels. They were soft and buttery with the perfect amount of salt and I personally think they're much better than Aunt Annie's.Making pretzels is similar to bagels in that a warm water bath with baking soda is involved before baking the pretzels to a golden brown. These pretzels are certainly delicious as is on their own but I'd like to play with t

Read more »

FRENCH KISS ESPRESSO SEA SALT CHOCOLATE MACARONS

BISOUS BISOUSA kiss, when all is said, what is it?A rosy dot placed on the "i" in loving;'Tis a secret told to the mouth instead of to the ear.~Edmond RostandLet him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.Song of Solomon, 1. 1Ah, the mystery of a kiss. Soft and sweet, tender lips pressed gently against a forehead like the kiss of a parent given to a child, then slowly covering each eyelid, warm and romantic, one by one, breath tickling the cheek, lips wordlessly speaking of love. A nuzzle, lips curved into the neck, a perfect fit, honeyed words whispered barely loud enough to be heard, and finally lips brushed against l

Read more »