The True (Southern) German Potato Salad

I know you’ve seen me post pictures of this on my Facebook Page so I figured it was time to spill the secret.  German Potato Salad is made two ways from what I’ve learned while living in Germany. There is the way the northerners make it and the way the southerners make it. The one ingredient that makes the difference, mayo. Thankfully, for my waistline I lived in the South where they opted out of using mayonnaise for this very common dish!

Many moons ago I asked Toblerone’s mom for her recipe for Kartoffelsalat and she wrote it out for me. I use it like there is nothing else in the world that matters. That stays with me in a special place. If I ever lost it, I would be lost. There is something about having a recipe handwritten that makes it feel more like a sacred piece of family history.  Same goes for recipes my mom has written.

On with it already, Kaitlin.

First things first…the ingredients here in the US are not exact but I will try to help you through it best I can!

You will need:

 

Note: Some people cheat and use this little package by Knorr to “fix” Potato salad (See little packet on the right hand side of the picture.) We are doing things the original way today!

 

Potatoes – peeled, and cut in half if they are large. I normally use about 7-8 potatoes just for the two of us (Toblerone loves his leftovers!), or an entire 1lb bag or more for larger groups. (I use the yellow/golden potatoes. They are closest to the potatoes in Germany. Yes…even those are different.)

1 Onion – chopped in small pieces. (This time around I used a red onion for color. )

Vegetable Oil

Distilled white vinegar

Salt

Pepper

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Bouillon (powdered if you can find it. Mixed in warm water – about a 1/2 cup.) I use Knorr Delikatess Brühe (shown below) which you can find on many German import food websites. If you want to get the taste correct, trust me…you need this stuff. I’ve tried others I found in the import aisles at grocery stores and its all sorts of wrong. Threw out many batches because of this small ingredient!

 

How it’s done:

Peel your potatoes and cut in half. They will cook faster when they are smaller. Place in pot and boil until soft or a knife goes through easily.

Chop the onion in small pieces and throw into a large bowl. I always use my tupperware bowls because that would be very un-German of me if I didn’t use my tupperware.

 

Once potatoes are done, drain water. Let sit until they aren’t scorching. If they are still warm I rinse them off with cold water before handling. DO NOT BURN YOURSELVES. IT’S NOT WORTH IT!!!! Once cooled, you will grab a potato and with a knife almost shave the potato over the bowl until it is in small pieces.

 

Should look like this at the end:

 

Now, here is where the recipe gets a little confusing. There are no real measurements. This is a “feel-it-out” situation as is any good recipe. First add the vinegar. I usually make a circle as I pour and that is usually enough to start. You don’t want a big pour. Little at a time is better so you can taste test it. Too much is hard to correct. Start small.

Next up, add the Bouillon that is premixed in warm water . Also in a circular motion.  Add your salt and pepper…also a taste as you go thing.

At the end I do the same with the oil. Circular motion. The idea is not to make the potatoes swim. It’s a salad after all…not a soup, people!! A lot of the watery bits will soak into the Potatoes but you don’t want a puddle at the bottom of your bowl.

Mix gently to get the flavors going.

Most important part of the process….LET IT SIT. Do not touch it. Let it sit on the counter for a while. Not in the fridge. Not in the garage. Just let it sit. Let the flavors work into it. Potato salad is served room temperature in Germany. So be German and do just that. Afterwards of course, whatever is left….if there is any left you can place in the fridge.

And…TA DA! There you have it….You just learned how to make a very Swabian styled Potato Salad. I bet your Omi would be oh so proud!

Guten Appetit!!!

 

 

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxo

 

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Resolutions Schmesolutions…

Every new year gives us the open invitation to begin again. Usually, we start something new and then by mid-February we’ve lost that motivated push and we go back to how we’ve lived every year before. But, I like trendy things usually so I’m jumping on the new year resolution wagon once again but doing things a bit different. Tangible goals. So I suppose sharing them with you here will make them more solid and will hold me accountable!

1. Read more books!
Time to put down the electronics now and then. Flying home for Xmas I bought a book and I’m really into it. Almost forgot how much I loved reading. I want to attempt to read a book in German too. That may be a bit difficult but worth a shot!

2. Eat better and count calories!
Wedding time is just around the corner and I want to feel and look my best for the big day. But besides that, I think its just time to start paying attention more to what I’m eating. I want to change my eating habits so they stick! So counting calories has been helping with that. I write everything down and have been trying to drink 9 cups of water a day. Tough, but so far so good!

3. Live in the “Now”!
Big things are happening this year and I just need to have a healthy balance of looking forward to things and living in the moment. I have a bad habit of looking forward and not coming back! I focus on what is to come instead of making each minute count until I get to that point in the future. So, My goal this year is to live it up, in the here and now!

4. SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!
As I mentioned above, big things are happening this year (you’ll hear about it later :-)) and I really need to get a better savings plan in place for us. Doesn’t hurt to save the pennies. Last year I started a wedding fund and it was basically all loose change goes into the jar. That will be used to buy decorations or whatever for the wedding. Besides all that, I just want a good chunk of money saved in the bank in case anything ever happened or for that rainy day when we need a vacation!

Wish me luck! Starting with these 4 and really hope to turn them into good habits that never go away!

What are you resolutions this year? We are 13 days in, are you still going strong? Have any motivational tips to share? Write them in the comments below!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Delicious Filet Mignon Dipping Sauce

I promise you’ll thank me later for this recipe. If you’re a big steak and potatoes kind of person then you’ll DEFINITELY want to try this out! Pairing this with any red meat would work but I used this specifically for a Filet mignon I had the other night. It was a hit!

What You’ll Need:

1/2 Cup Vinegar
2 splashes of Soy Sauce
Fresh Ground Pepper
1/2 Cup Merlot or any dry red wine
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 teaspoons honey or syrup
Butter

How You Make It:

Bring everything but the butter to a boil in a sauce pan. Then let it simmer for 15 – 20 mins. Towards the end, take the pan off the burner and add small chunks of butter stirring until thick. I added about 5 slices of butter. Don’t want to over do it this is just to thicken it. Serve immediately spooning the suace over the meat or place in ramekins and serve.

Make sure to write down the recipe ahead of time, this is certainly one people will ask for!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Holy Schnitzel!

The word “Schnitzel” just sounds dirty doesn’t it? Like what your younger brother used to call his boy part. Well..this has nothing to do with nakedness but more like the deliciousness that is “THE SCHNITZEL.”

The German people love their Schnitzels (see what I mean…that just sounds wrong!) especially with French fries and lots of beef flavored gravy. I don’t think it’s in any way good for you as it is a fried food but when I first came here to visit and I couldn’t read the menu I always ordered Schnitzel with Käse Spätzle because I knew that was safe to eat. I didn’t want to mistakenly order Liver or something like that. Speaking of Liver, Grandpa, you would LOVE the food here. They have liver soup, liver noodles, liver everything and lots of deer meat!

So, I started to learn how to make Schnitzel for the Toblerone and it’s crazy easy. You can make Schnitzel with a beef gravy, creamy mushroom gravy, tomato sauce, turn it into a Hawaiian (pineapples with cheese), A Caprese Schnitzel, A Schnitzel salad. The possibilities are endless here! And not to mention it takes an assembly line and 20 minutes to cook, tops! You know me, the faster the better. This recipe is to make the very basic Schnitzel. Once you have the base you can make anything you want.

What You Need:

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. All-purpose flour

3-4 pork steaks – thin cut

1 egg beaten

1 cube beef flavored bouillon

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

How to Make it:

1. In a shallow dish, mix bread crumbs, flour, and salt and pepper. Put aside.

2. In a shallow dish, beat egg. Put Aside

3. In a shallow dish, put mustard in bowl.

4. If your pork steaks are still too thick, use a meat mallet to flatten it a bit. Here they have them so thin they spread out to be bigger than the plate. It’s incredible. So, the thinner the better!

5. Heat oil in a large skillet. While the oil is heating up work an assembly line with the pork steaks. First dip into the egg, then coat with mustard, then coat with the breadcrumbs evenly. This is the fun messy part so get down and dirty! Liberate yourself in the mess!

 

6. Place steaks in pan and cook evenly on both sides until browned.

7. Make the bouillon in a separate pot, you may want to add cornstarch or flour for thickness.

My Toblerone usually eats this with gravy poured over his french fries and his schnitzel and whatever else he can find. Literally licking the plate afterwards…(he’s obsessed with gravy.) This is a super quick meal to make and since I wasn’t able to get a finished picture fast enough (he eats like Garfield) I found one that looks similar so you get the idea! When in Germany, eat as the Germans do!  Guten Appetit!

 

 

 

 

Tomato Balsamic Chicken – Holy Decliciousness!

This is one of my favorite recipes ever to make. I’ve made it for those I love the most – Roomie, my FamDamily, and the Toblerone of course! It’s incredibly simple and super fast to make. Flavors are brilliant and I just HAVE to share it with you all!

What You Need:

Boneless Chicken Breasts (up to 6 for this recipe)

Black Pepper

1 can (14.5oz) of diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil and oregano

1 tsp Garlic Salt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 Onion, Thinly sliced

First things first:  Season both sides of the chicken with pepper and garlic salt. I also sometimes use a little bit of greek seasonings I have. I made this last night and used Turkey because I didn’t have Chicken in my giant freezer but it all tastes the same to me! After you season both sides, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. You want the pan to be a little deep because of all the added juices. Once oil is heated, brown the onion and the chicken. You don’t need to cook all the way through, just get it started.

Next you pour in the balsamic vinegar and the tomatoes into the skillet. Throw on your basil and oregano. You can add rosemary and thyme as well but I don’t. Let it simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so.

If I’m feeling extra festive I serve this with garlic bread, fresh mozzarella slices (goes perfect with the balsamic vinegar and tomatoes), asparagus, and chicken flavored rice.  TA DA! Guten Appetit!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxxo