February 26, 2009

Deutschland Pride


Last Night for dinner we made one of our favorite stand by staples Schnitzel and pierogis.

My father (John) used to make schnitzel for us all the time when we were children. Schnitzel is a breaded pork cutlet that is then pan fried. We have changed the recipe a bit to fit our tastes, but it is basically the same that he makes. Instead of using Kellogg's cornflakes for the breading we use Honey Bunches of Oats. This gives it a sweeter nuttier taste which Julia prefers. In all honesty one day when we were making schnitzel we realized we didn't have Cornflakes and thus used the only cereal we had in the pantry at the time. Sometimes poor planning (or lack there of) has its benefits (Both myself and our future child weren't planned and I am hoping we both turn out ok).

After you tenderize the hell out of the cutlets (it is quite the cathartic experience) and season with salt pepper and garlic powder, you dip the cutlet into flour then eggwash with a hint of milk and finally into the ground honey bunches of oats. The next process is to pan fry the pork. My fathers recipe calls for vegetable oil, but we use grapeseed oil instead. it doesn't really change the taste and it is more expensive, but Julia keeps telling me that the extra cost of the oil will be less then the cost of a heart attack. Depending on the thickness it will take between 2.5 and 3 minutes on each side over medium heat.

For the pierogis, we buy them frozen at the grocery store. I am not proud to admit the fact that we use frozen food, but reluctantly I accept the fact that sometimes its ok to sacrifice your integrity for convenience sake. I take half an onion sliced vertically saute it in 2 tablespoons of butter and then toss in a few tablespoons of brown sugar. After the onions begin to soften i throw in the pierogis and cook them for 4 minutes on both sides.

Wallah you now have a german-polish meal fit for the Kiezer himself.

February 23, 2009

Top 5 Seasonngs

It wasn't long ago that we couldn't tell the difference between oregano and marjoram. I would blindly follow a recipe when it came to seasoning food. Then one day i had a love affair with thyme and my life has never been the same. We are hardly experts at seasoning food, but if you really get to know a few good herbs and the songs they sing dishes will come alive for you. Here is a list of our top 5 Seasonings

1. Tarragon (God bless Julia Childs for introducing us to this sweet lover)
2. Oregano (i greatly prefer greek, as it has more of a bite)
3. Saffron (its expensive, but extremely potent so a little goes a long way)
4.Thyme (Never cook steak with out it)
5 Coriander ( I like to get the full seed and crush it in my morter and pestle for a fresher taste)

Joining the Club

We have recently been inspired by both of Jason’s sister’s to start our own blog. As we start to get closer to the day our family of three (we have to include our puppy dog Bella) becomes a family of four, we thought family and friends might be interested in how our life is changing already. We also want to share stories from our vacations, great recipe ideas, and just general events going on in our lives. We hope you enjoy!

Today actually marks the 100th day of being pregnant. So far adjusting to being pregnant has been an interesting adventure. The first trimester hit me hard with the morning/all day sickness. However, now that I am over that hurdle, I am feeling great. My energy is really high and my appetite is back in full force. A couple of days ago I finally had to break down and buy a pair of maternity jeans. They are a little big on me right now, but that won’t last for long. We have our ultrasound appointment to find out the gender on March 23rd and we are so excited. My money is on a boy, Jason’s on a girl. Whatever it is, we will be happy!

We have now been home from our trip for a little over two weeks. We went to Puerto Rico for about 5 days, and then left from San Juan on a 7 day cruise. We had an awesome time and made great memories. One of our favorite things we did was in Farjardo, Puerto Rico. We kayaked into a bioluminescent bay and were surrounded by glowing micro-organisms. If you ever get a chance to do this, we highly recommend it. We also went to a rain forest and swam under a waterfall, rode a 13 mile bike path along the coast in Bonaire, and snorkeled whenever we got the chance.

Jason swimming under waterfall in the El Yunque Rainforest

Julia walking on the beach

Jason and Julia biking on the coast in Bonaire

Jason snorkeling in St. John

Jason and Julia in Dominica