German Style Potato Salad

I love the neighborhood I live in....

The streets are made of brick and are incredibly uneven. The houses were built a hundred years ago and look like cottages that were plucked straight out of Germany and dropped into Columbus, Ohio.

Each house looks like it has its own fascinating story as the steel gates are rusted and the gardens are extravagant. You can usually poke your neighbors house just by sticking your hand out the window.

I love it.

It's not for everybody but I appreciate it. Growing up with strong German roots, German Village feels like home to me. I appreciate the shabby aspect of this neighborhood. I love the idea of walking into a cottage with wood floors, brick walls and claw foot bathtubs and calling it home.

I'm a little creepy in that when I go for runs around the neighborhood and see a new house for sale, I do an about turn and run home to Google the house just so I can take a peek on what the inside beholds.

My grandma always makes this German Potato salad that I crave at least weekly. When I Google "German Potato Salad" in the hopes of finding something similar to hers, nothing seems to compare...

But I always see recipes similar to this. I played around with it and decided it HAD to have sauerkraut. It's a must.

German Style Potato Salad
Dame Good

Ingredients:

4 potatoes
4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped (I like to bake my bacon :))
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces sauerkraut
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop.

Add the olive oil, flour, sugar, water and vinegar to skillet and cook over medium heat until dressing is thick.

Add bacon, potatoes, sauerkraut and green onions to skillet and stir until coated. Cook until heated and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

I have a strange relationship with red velvet.

I may be sounding like a broken record...but I can barely remember what I did yesterday let alone what I have written about in this blog so onward...

Red velvet seems to be the popular favorite. But really, I mean really it is just a little bit of vanilla and a little bit of chocolate with a lot of red food coloring. 

Don't get me wrong...I love vanilla. I love chocolate. But I want a strong vanilla or strong chocolate and not a watered down version of both thrown together with an overpowering flavor of food coloring.

No thanks.

If it is done right red velvet can be good. The cream cheese frosting is the kicker if you ask me.

I just think people think it is more special than it really is because it is red and titled "velvet"...wherever that comes from.

So there is my little disclaimer. Perhaps it lends to why I found these to be decent....and not great. It must be me because this recipe is from Brown Eyed Baker and she is a reputable source for delectable sweets. These were also a hit with the red velvet lovers of the crowd...So I accept it...it's me.

You win some, you lose some.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
From Browneyedbaker.com

Ingredients:

For the whoopies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup vegetable shortening
½ cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons red food coloring
1 cup buttermilk

For the cream cheese filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

 Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening and both sugars on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and the red food coloring and beat until just blended.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and remaining ½ cup buttermilk and beat until completely combined.

Using a spoon (or a medium cookie scoop, which is what I used), drop a tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the filling… In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed. Add the sugar and beat on low speed until combined. Add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium-high; beat until creamy and smooth, about 4 minutes.

To assemble: Spread the filling onto the flat side of one cake using a knife of spoon. Alternatively, you can use a pastry bag with a round tip (I used a #12 Wilton tip) to pipe the filling onto the cake. Top it with another cake, flat-side down. Repeat with the rest of the cakes and filling.

Storing: Assembled whoopie pies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you need to stack layers, place a piece of wax paper between layers.

Army Chow

I can't believe the words are coming off of my fingers but I have officially graduated college.

6 years. Done.

It is a surreal feeling. All I have known for the past 6 years is college and being a stressed out student. Now I am a professional sign language interpreter and actually have time to do things like read, or blog, or do nothing.

I can do nothing if I want now.

!

This weekend I celebrated graduation with a few family members at a lake 2 hours from Columbus. It was a blast to throw back some margaritas, olive dip (to die for) and cupcakes.

I can't think of anything better than enjoying a body of water with a few of the people who mean the most to you.

I thought I should post something that has always been a favorite of mine growing up. I don't know what it is because there is really nothing special about this recipe...but I've always loved it.

When I visit my grandparents in Minnesota and step into the familiar home and get a lung-full of that comforting smell that you can only describe by labeling it as Grandma's house, I immediately get a pang and yearning for German potato salad, German pancakes, fried bread and army chow.

I believe this is something they would literally eat in the army. It is simple and no fuss and maybe that is what I like about it.

Making this for that man of mine here in Columbus really made me miss eating it around the kitchen table I have known for years around the people I don't get to see enough.

Army Chow
Dame Good (family recipe)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

4 slices of wheat bread, toasted
1 can of reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup crumbled turkey sausage
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 tablespoon skim milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium-sized pot, heat the mushroom soup, turkey sausage, salt and pepper over medium heat.

Combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour the egg mixture into the pre-heated skillet. Allow to cook for 2-5 minutes or until it begins to bubble on top and brown on the bottom.

Carefully flip the egg and cook an additional 2-5 minutes.

When the gravy is heated and the egg is cooked, divide the gravy evenly and pour over top of the toast. Divide the egg evenly and cut it into portions (I like to divide it into fours). Top the gravy with the egg and enjoy!

Green Olive Chicken

I have the Real Housewives of Orange County on right now. There is a lot of squealing and shrieking.

I want it to stop but I can't look away.

Help.

Once, I saw a recipe on some random food site and was excited when I saw that it was olive chicken. I love olives...and I love chicken! But I was disappointed when I saw the reviews.

I think it had like 3 stars or something.

Meaning it is time to take matters into my own hands.

I threw this together. I found that I made a bit too much of the sauce and that it was just a little thin. I tried to counteract that with cornstarch and reduce the liquid content.

Hopefully this is better.

Green Olive Chicken
Dame Good

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive juice (from jar)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

Season chicken with salt, pepper, dried mustard and celery salt. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; brown chicken in oil, about 5 minutes each side. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add wine, broth, olive and lemon juice to the skillet and let simmer for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add onion, olives, Add garlic, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper (to taste) and mix well, Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken back into skillet.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Flip the chicken halfway through. Remove bay leaf. Remove chicken and set aside. Add cornstarch to the sauce in the skillet and stir until thickened. Pour the thickened sauce over chicken serve.

Turkey Sausage Pancakes

I am a huge fan of sweet and salty.

When I go to the movies, I like to get a popcorn and pour an entire bag of peanut m&ms in it and shovel the salty sweet stickyness into my big mouth while watching the movie.

I'm also that weird person who dips their Wendy's french fries in my chocolate frosty. It's so good its gross.

Makes sense yeah?

This is a crazy recipe I came up with that you will either love or you will hate. If you are strange like me and enjoy dipping your french fries into ice cream then try it. If not, maybe you should avoid this one.

I like it. It reminded me of a McGriddle. That's another one of my sweet and salty guilty pleasures.

Mmm...McGriddles...

Turkey Sausage Pancakes
Dame Good

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup skim milk, plus more if necessary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon artificial sweetener
1/2 cup turkey sausage crumbles

Directions:

Sift together flour and baking powder, set aside. Beat together the egg, milk, salt and artificial sweetener in a bowl. Stir in flour until just moistened, add sausage, and stir to incorporate.

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn, and continue cooking until golden brown.

Serve with sugar free syrup. 

Slow Cooker Reuben Dip

I consider myself a hard worker. So sometimes I surprise myself.

Like the other day, I was a little taken aback with myself when I got extremely annoyed that I had to park down the street from my gym and walk a few extra minutes....to the gym. That's crazy talk.

Just now I restarted the dryer for the third time because I don't feel like folding my laundry. Let's face it, I probably wont feel like folding it at all today and will have had the dryer running for the entire day. Again, crazy talk.

Sometimes laziness just creeps up on me I suppose.

Crock pots are good for laziness. You just throw everything in the pot and wait...

Easy peasy.

Also, I was feeling too lazy to take a decent picture but reuben dip isn't very pretty anyway.

Slow Cooker Reuben Dip

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) jar sauerkraut, drained
1 (8 ounce) package neaufchatel cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded cooked lean corned beef
1/4 cup fat-free thousand island dressing

Directions:

In a slow cooker, combine the sauerkraut, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, corned beef and thousand island dressing. Cover, and cook on high for 45 minutes if you're in a hurry, low for longer if you're not, or just until hot and cheese is melted. Stir occasionally while cooking. Serve with cocktail rye or crackers.