German Baking

Well, about 2 weeks ago I decided I really wanted to attempt to make  bread.  We are spoiled here as we get fresh baked bread a few times a week. The bread usually lasts  a day or two.  That being said, I decided I really want to learn how to make fresh bread before we ever move back to The States.  What better time to start then now.  So I had bought a package kit from the store for baurenbrot .  It tasted good but there were some obvious issues.  Here is a pic of my first ever homemade bread made by hand and kneaded by hand.

It looks pretty good for a first try and I was happy with it.  It did not rise in the oven and was a little dense, but I was happy and it was tasty.

After making this bread I did some research on the web and I have decided to take the German baking further.  I would like to make Sundays my German cooking day with desserts, dinner, and  of course bread.  Later in the week I decided to give it another try.  This time I made it from scratch by hand.  It had the same issues, no rise in the oven and it was dense, but it looked a little better. I made Dinkelbrot

 

A few days later I wanted to make another attempt at bread, but before so I did some research. I learned that my bread was not making its final rise in oven the because it was forming a crust upon entering the oven keeping the bread from rising.  To prevent the crust you slash the dough right before it enters the oven ( I was doing it when I was forming the bread and letting it stand before it goes in the oven) and you preheat the oven with water in the oven, as well as,  bake the bread with water in the oven. I was putting the water in when I was putting the bread in.  I use a small loaf pan and put water in.  The water forms a condensation in the oven, which  prevents the bread from forming this crust so it can rise. 

 

My third loaf of bread was sunflower bread which did rise in the oven. 

 

It was by far my best try yet, however something was still wrong.  Maybe I wasn't kneading it well enough?  I have no clue what I am doing as far as kneading I just knead and pray.  It says punch the bread and fold.  So for my fourth attempt, which was yesterday, I literally punched the crap out of the dough before folding.  Let me tell you its a great stress relief you ought to try it!!!  I don't know if it was the yeast( we have what is called a würfel or cube of yeast here. I have never seen it in the states but this was the first recipe that called for it.) the kneading, or just the recipe, but this bread was amazing!!!  It was like I bought it and a professional made it.  I don't mean to toot my own horn but I was really shocked.  Even this morning at breakfast it was still so delicious!!! 

 

Now I call this the odd looking monster bread,  because I tried to make it look nice but when it had its final rise in the oven it didn't form as I had planned.  From one side it looks nice but the other side you can see what I mean.  This bread is Weizen-Dinkel Brot, it has flaxseed, sesame seed, oats, and sunflower seeds in it.  Its forms a crunchy crust with a loose inside ( that is how it translates any way).  I think They just mean a nice soft flaky inside.  Here are the pics, see for yourself!!

 

I haven't attempted any desserts or actual dinners yet. Last weekend we were at a Festival and decided to eat dinner there.  This weekend I just didn't think about it to be honest.  If I have time and can prepare properly this week, I would like to make my attempt at schnitzels and some sort of tasty treat.  This is our last full week here before we head to The States for a few weeks, so I would like to try to make at least one meal.  If I do I will post next week about it. 

Saturday last week we were in town at the festival, and we stopped to get something to make for dinner on the grill. We got some Irish rib eye steaks and Kevin bought some wine and beer.  Since we are doing a German baking post I thought this would be appropriate to post this here.  Kevin found quite a surprise at the store and had to purchase it.  In American a typical beer is .33L .  Here in Germany the typical beer size is .5L On the left in the picture below is an average German beer. On the right  is an Oktoberfest beer that Kevin purchased!!

 

 

It's hard to tell from the picture but it's a 2L beer.  We have never seen this before so of course we had to buy it.  We may have to buy one more to bring back with us in August to share!!! 



Well, I know I keep saying I have a lot to share but this week was busy and I will try to get an Ivy post up in the next few days!! 

Ivy's got style, a cool 2 year old style

I have to say, having a toddler can be supper fun and crazy despite the tantrums and the other dreaded terrible 2 episodes.  One way to help toddlers feel like they have more control is to let them pick out there clothes for the day and let them feel like they are making some of there own choices.  Ivy loves that I let her pick out her clothes and honestly she does a great job.  I let her walk out of the house most days with what ever she chooses, with in reason.  If its cold and she wants shorts I try to steer her away and make a few other suggestions that she may like.  I don't tell her "no", I just let her know that it may be a little cold for her and then I throw out a few options and she either picks one or finds something she likes better.  So here are a few pics of some of her more cute and trendy looking decisions!!
                                                    First up its hat on backwards and shades!!! 

Kevin and I didn't think it was cold enough for that hat but hey we aren't going to argue with her.

The next look is how she wanted to dress one day to kindergarten and kindertanzan.  She actually reminded me of Punky Brewster in a more cute and sassy sort of way.  She wore what we call crazy pants, a glitter skirt that she got from Olivia, and a cute shirt to match.  Here is a pic or 2 of that outfit.

    
                                               

 

One thing Ivy likes to do is to pull her socks up to her knees, even if they are not designed that way.  So I guess next year I will have to get some knee high socks for her.  Here is a pic of her in her PJ's with her socks pulled up to her knees. Maybe she is just trying to tell me that she wants to go horseback riding?

 

I love this little girl she has so much character. 

Ivy has confiscated my smallest purse and she loves to play with it around the house.  Recently, she has been putting a few of her little figures in it and taking it with us when we go out.  The first time she did this was Kevin's and my 7th Anniversary dinner.  She was so cute walking down the sidewalk.  Here is a little video of her in a dress, sunglasses, carrying our purse that night.

 

One day , Ivy decided to be goofy and put her underwear on the outside of her clothes.  They were clean ones so don't worry about this next part.  Then she took them and put them over her head and I was able to shoot a few pics and a video of her being silly!!!

 

This week we went to a grocery store I had not been to, but wanted to try.  I don't usually go grocery shopping when I have Ivy these days but we were out of a few things so I decided to take her.  Well, they had a grocery cart just her size.  Let me tell you she was so overly excited it was cute.  She loves when I let her grab items I need off the shelf.  So not only was she grabbing items for me but she also got to push the cart. Here are 2 short clips!! 

Well, I hope you got your good dose of Ivy. Sorry it has taken me so long to post, I hadn't realized it had been 3 weeks.  I have 2 other posts in my drafts.  I will finish them up and let you see those in the next couple of days!! Hope you all had a Great 4th of July weekend!!!

For You Frappuccino Lovers!!!

I like Starbucks Frappuccino's but I don't like the calories and the high sugar content that it has.  I haven't had one in years.  For that matter most of the drinks at Starbucks are high priced, high in sugar, and high in calories. This is not so good for the waste line now is it?  To be honest living in Germany, I can say I have had much tastier coffee then Starbucks!!

Ok so enough rambling what is this post about.  Well, I told you I was going to share recipes and I have been slow to do so.  After many, many years of trying to make my own Frappuccino I have finally found a recipe that not only tastes good its mostly guilt free!! Yes, you heard me Frappuccino, tasty, and guilt free in the same sentence.  This recipe is 70 calories with 7 grams of sugar, compared to the 12 oz mocha Frappuccino at starbucks ( without whip cream) 200 calories and 40 g of sugar. 
You know you always want that whip cream and sadly most of us get it .  That adds 80 calories and 1 g of sugar.

Ok let's get to the recipe, enough ragging on Starbucks!!!   I got this recipe from The Lemon Bowl.  If you click on the name it will take you right to the recipe.  It's for a Mocha Frappuccino and it's delish.  I want to share my version as I have made a few minor changes that help the flavor along. 

First, I do want to point out one thing.  If you click the link it says 70 calories 2g of fat.  That is because they use Stevia.  I do not use artificial sweeteners, sometime soon I will share some articles with you as to why they are not good for you.

So Here is the recipe it's for 2 servings:
INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of chilled coffee

¼ cup half and half (or almond milk)

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 Tsp of Honey

pinch sea salt

2 cups of coffee made into ice cubes

whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings - optional garnish

 

My Notes :The original recipe called for 2 cups of chilled coffee and you add Ice.  I found that it watered down the coffee.  Any day we had leftover coffee (usually during the week when I had to run out and didn't get my second cup of coffee) I would just let it cool then pour it into the ice cube trays and make coffee cubes. Another important note is DO NOT OMIT THE SALT!!!!!  It's very important because oddly enough salt sweetens the cocoa powder.  If you omit you will have a slightly bitter drink.

 

Instructions:

1. Combine coffee, half and half, cocoa powder, vanilla, honey and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth about 30-60 seconds.
2. Add a scoop or two of the coffee ice cubes and puree for additional 45-60 seconds on high. (If it needs to be thicker add more cubes)
3. Pour into a glass and Enjoy!!!

You can add chocolate shavings and coconut milk whip Cream.  This recipe will be added when I try it myself.  I need to see if it's worth it calorie and sugar wise.

 

Here is my not so fancy pic of my homemade Frappuccino. 

Kevin agrees that it is very delicious!!!  I need to work on the coconut milk whip cream and adding some chocolate chunks and seeing how it tastes and how many calories and grams of sugar it adds.  I have tried making half the recipe and it just doesn't taste the same so I would recommend making the whole batch and freezing the second half until you need it.  Enjoy !!!!!

Fun times in Vienna!!!

Hello All, sorry once again it has been a while.  We were busy last week traveling to Vienna.  Kevin had a holiday, I think it was Ascension Day, last Thursday.  We had a lovely day at the house cleaning, packing , and preparing for our trip.  We left first thing Friday morning for Vienna.

I have to say that Vienna is a very beautiful city and it has so much history and the buildings are very unique.  We stayed at Der Wilhelmshof.  What a great location, reasonable price, nice place, and it even included breakfast.  I have included a few pics of our room; however, I didn't take a picture of the outside. 

 Ivy slept on a child's bed which was a sofa that opened up to a bed.  We turned it around so she wouldn't fall out. 

 

 

Each room is named after a historical Austrian, our room was called Johann Straus. They have a wall in the room with his picture and a saying.

 

Ivy was very excited to have discovered they had soap and a "child's sink" at her height (mom and dad, not so excited since we knew it wasn't a sink). 

 

 

Our hotel was located a short walk to the train station as well as to the Famous Ferris Wheel, Wiener Reisenrad at the Prater.  We didn't go on the Ferris wheel because it was a 20 minute ride that moved incredibly slow and it went around one time.  However, the rest of the park was enormous.  It put a place like Trimpers on the Boardwalk to shame.  Ivy loved the carousel and by the end of the first night she was riding it all by herself.

 

 

  Here are a few other videos of her on other rides she braved the last night we were in town. Please excuse the quality of these videos.  I really wanted to share them but the files were too big.  I had to compact them in my movie maker and it ruined the quality.  You still get the idea, but her face is cute on the auto ride even though you really can't see it well, so I apologize for that!!

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday we walked around the town and did some exploring.  First we went to the center and walked through the market.  Right next to the market was St. Stephen's Cathedral.  Like most  Europeann Cathedrals, it was beautiful.

 

 

  After that we walked down the street and ended up at the Well known Sacher Hotel and indulged in there original Sacher Torte.  Unlike  the other tourists, I did not take a pic.  If you google Sacher original Torte you will see a mouth watering  pic of a tasty treat.  I have to say, I wasn't all that impressed.   

 

After a massive sugar high, Ivy took a nap right as we found the Imperial treasury in the museum corridor.  The museum corridor was originally a palace.  I wasn't allowed to take pics inside but this was worth seeing if you ever visit Vienna.  Near the end of the gallery there was a particular section that caught my attention and was the most valuable item in the world assuming its real.  Not that I don't believe a museum.  On display they had a small 2 inch by 2 inch piece of the table cloth from the last supper, about the same size piece of Jesus's Loin cloth, a tooth from John the Baptist, and a piece of wood from Jesus's manger.  Their were a few other things but those are the ones I remember. Since I couldn't take any pictures here are few of the palace. 

 

The rest of the day we walked around the city and ended up at a play ground or Spielplatz. Ivy was thrilled.  I could post more pics from the city but I want to get to the next day as it was worth seeing.  I am thinking of adding all my pics in pinterest so if you have an account you will be able to see these pics in the future, more on that later!!!

 

So Sunday, we went to Schönbrunn Palace.  You have to plan to be there the entire day!!  We bought the classic pass. That cover the palace, this ticket included the grand tour( via audio tour) of the palace, the gardens, the maze and labyrinth, and the Gloriette Panorama Terrace.  Once inside the palace pictures were not allowed. So all the pictures are taken of part of the gardens, the outside of the palace, the terrace and the maze.  I will mostly post the pics but I may add a few comments where I see fit, enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 Ivy Loved this fountain.  We call this her fountain face!!! If you ask her to do her fountain face she does this with a crazy laugh!!! 

 

You had to get through this maze to take this pic. After a bit of a challenge we made it!! 

 

I hope you enjoyed this post!!  I have a few more items to tell you and I will be posting again in the next few days. Please stop by to check out some changes in the  Sours house, along with a few recipes, and finally some exercise posts!!! 

 

My little Angel is getting so big!!!!

Happy Memorial day to all!!  I hope you are having a nice and relaxing long weekend.  It has been a while since I have done a post on Ivy and since I know that is why most of you check this blog I figured now would be a good time to give some updates on her and show you some videos and pictures.  Well to start, Ivy is pretty much potty trained now and has been for about 3 weeks.  She still naps and sleeps in a pull up as she is not old enough to learn to hold it through her sleep yet.  I am very proud of her she did it all on her own and when she was ready!!  They say girls potty train earlier then boys.

She doesn't even look like a baby any more.  She has changed so much just in the last few months, see for yourself!!!

 

She is no longer afraid of the vacuum and now loves to help me.

 

When we go to the parks she can now climb the rope walls small and big ones!!!

 

She has been developing some relationships with children her age. Here are a few pics of her playing with her friend Dabo at the park this weekend!!!

 

Here are just a few fun things we have been up to over this past week.  Rainy day fun!!! She loves playing dress up in her princess outfit I made her. We were playing in her room with her kitchen and having coffee and cake (pretend of course).

 

Some days she likes to workout with me!!  It just depends on her mood and what workout I am doing.

 

In our house we make Ivy clean her own handprints off the sliding glass doors!!

Of course I am just kidding.  I am very blessed to have a child who loves helping around the house.  She may be 2 and not do it the way it needs to be done, but I let her do it and don't discourage her or criticize.  I have read that if you discourage or criticize and child's work then when they get older they will likely be harder to motivate to help around the house. 

Her are just a few other cute pics.   We have been having lots of fun with her and love every minute of her.  We are so blessed!!!

I hope you all have a great week!!!!