julia child's omelette

Today I saw Julie & Julia. I can't believe I never knew about Julia Child. I only ever saw her books and thought they were too intimidating, but needless to say they're on my xmas list now. As an homage I made a super easy and super good two-egg omelette for dinner. I'll let Julia show you how. (I put jelly on mine.)

fall soup

This soup is a combination of Thanksgiving dinner and pumpkin pie. Secret ingredient: cinnamon. Peel and boil the potatoes; fry some turkey breast pieces with a little bit of oil. In a large pot, heat the cream of pumpkin soup and add seasoning. When the potatoes are done, drain them and add them to the soup. Cut up the turkey and add to soup as well.

Shopping List:
- two 500mL boxes of Crema fina de calabaza from Knorr*
- turkey breast
- 3-4 medium potatoes
- parsley
- a few dashes of cinammon
- dash of nutmeg
- salt, pepper

* If you can't find pre-made cream of pumpkin soup (I've only seen it in Spain so far), you can try making it yourself. According to the lable, it contains about half pumpkin puree, half vegetable puree, water, and cream.

quick'n'dirty shepherd's pie

I feel like to be edgy I have to give my recipes stupid names. So, today I present you with quick'n'dirty shepherd's pie. It's fast (less than 30 minutes), filling, and delicious, if a bit lacking in the presentation department. Perfect cold-weather food or dinner for those feeling-bad-about-yourself-and-watching-youtube-videos-all-night evenings. What you need:

- pan with metal or removable handle
- 1lb (400-500g) ground beef*
- 1 jar or 1 packet of brown gravy
- (instant) mashed potatoes**
- frozen or fresh vegetables
- grated cheese

* I prefer ground beef, but you could also use mixed (beef/pork) or, if you're feeling a little fat that day, ground turkey. Haven't tried it vegetarian, but you could experiment with tofu and whatnot.
** Instant mashed potatoes are definitely good enough for this recipe, but read the package. Some only need water, other require milk and butter, so make sure you get what you need. Home-made are also acceptable.

Get out your vegetables (green beans, peas, carrots, etc.) if frozen. Start by browning the meat with a little oil. Meanwhile, in a medium pot get the mashed potatoes started. If you're choosing the home-made option, try to have them almost done by the time you start the meat. Once that's going, heat the gravy (jar) or boil the water for it (packet). When the meat is cooked through, at the vegetables and simmer until thawed.

Next, dump the gravy over the meat/vegetable mixture and stir. Plop the finished mashed potatoes on top and spread. Add some sprinkled cheese. Broil (with overhead heat) the whole pan until cheese is crispy (make sure the pan's handle won't melt -- and obviously use a pot holder when taking it out of the oven). This should take only a few minutes, so watch it closely. Let cool for a minute, then stuff your face.

oma's stuffed peppers

Here's what you'll need for the stuffed peppers:

- 1kg/2lbs ground meat (beef or mixed)
- 6-8 bell peppers (whatever color you like)
- 1 cup rice
- 1 onion, chopped
- tomato paste
- ketchup

- 2-3 tablespoon of flour
- salt, pepper, paprika, parsley

First, we'll make the meatballs because they'll take 45 min - 1 hour to boil. In a bowl, mix the meat, chopped onion, rice, seasoning, and parsley. Before you get your hand all meaty, put a big pot of water with a dash of salt to boil. Then mix everything with your hands. The size of the meatballs will depend on the size of your bell peppers. (I usually make a few without peppers.) While they boil, hang out, listen to music, or do some homework if you're feeling productive.

After about 45 minutes, start preparing the bell peppers. Some people like to save the tops as lids because they think it's "cute," but I just throw them away. Wash inside and out. If you have giant bell peppers, you could even cut them in half. When the meatballs are done, take them out of the water. Take about a cup or two of the broth and put it in a sauce pan. Fill the original pot (still with the rest of the broth) up with wather and boil the peppers.

In the sauce pan with the broth, add about half a cup of ketchup and a small can or two of tomato paste. Whisk in a table spoon or two of flour and boil for a minute. When the peppers are soft (maleable, but not falling apart), drain the water and introduce a meatball to each pepper; cover with sauce. Finished.

party dips double feature - part 2 - tomato butter

People always seem to like my tomato butter, so I make it sometimes for BBQs and parties.  It's super-easy to make and has a lot of flavor.  All you need to do is chop up the dried tomatos and mix everything together.  You should cool it, but take it out at least an hour before serving so it's not too hard.

• 2 sticks soft butter (room-temp, not melted)
• 1 tube or 2 small cans of tomato paste
• couple tablespoons of soy sauce
• chopped sun-dried tomatos
• 1 or 2 tablespoons of Italian herbs to taste
• pre-mixed or make your own with oregano, basil, etc.
• salt
• pepper

It's best on baguette or some sort of white bread, but I eat the leftovers on wheat for breakfast.  (The sausage in the pic is a smoked-pork version of a merguez sausage, which is really popular in Germany, specifically in Saarland where I live.)

And the party double feature is complete!

party dips double feature - part 1 - guacamole

So, I was invited to a friend's BBQ this week. She asked me to bring the tomato butter I'd made last Summer (see Part 2), which is quick and easy. But I wanted to bring something different, too. I was trying to think of something new and maybe exotic, and ended up on guacamole. Although really common in the States, it's relatively unknown here in Germany (even though Tex-Mex is becoming pretty popular).

The only thing to watch out for are the avocados. Not only are they expensive (alright at $1 each in the US, but 1.49Euro/$2.12 in Europe), but if they are over- or under-ripe they can't be used. I like the smaller black ones best. Choose ones that aren't too hard to the touch, but avoid mushy ones. I always buy an extra one because inevitably one or two will be bad. Also, be quick with the lime juice -- brown guacamole looks gross.

Here's what you'll need:
4 - 5 avocados (or more depending on amount)
2 - 3 limes
1 big tomato
1 medium onion (I like red ones)
Goya Adobo powder (see below)
pepper


The process is pretty easy. As with most of the things I cook, I don't really measure. Cut the avocados in half length-wise and twist apart - save the pit if you want an avocado tree! Hold it in your hand and hatch the inside with a knife into squares; scoop out into bowl with spoon. Roll a lime on the counter to get the juice going, cut in half. Sprinkle a little over each avocado in the bowl to keep it from getting brown. Mash them with a fork, or puree them with a blender/mixer if you want to get fancy (I like it chunky).

Then just add the seasoning and pepper to taste, chopped onion, and chopped tomato (without seeds). All the Adobo really is, is salt, garlic powder, and some oregano. If you don't have it, just use those things.  I don't know about you, but my kitchen always ends up looking like crap after I make it, but it's worth it.  Maybe fill it into a nicer bowl (see next Part 2), bring some tortilla chips, and you'll be the hit of the BBQ.