The PERFECT Salsa

This is literally, as the title says, the PERFECT salsa.  I am a huge mexican food lover and I am super picky about my salsa.  I usually get store-bought salsa, but recently I have been so bored with it.  None of them seem to match what I really want in a salsa.  However, I have always loved restaurant salsa (well, most restaurants), but living over here in Germany, I have been to 3 different mexican restaurants and have yet to find one that I even remotely like.  It seems like the concept of salsa got lost over here and to me, all it tastes like is ketchup with onions and peppers... blah.  I'm not one to turn down chips and salsa, but at the restaurants over here, I won't even come close to the damage that I can do at the amazing mexican restaurants back home.  


I had found this restaurant-style salsa recipe a while back, but hadn't really felt the urge to make it until recently when all I've been wanting is a GOOD salsa.  After the first taste, I was hooked.  I was almost mad at myself for not having tried this earlier!  It was so easy and so good!  I am a huge spicy fan and a huge cilantro fan and making my own salsa lets me have exactly what I want!  This recipe fits both of those loves for me, but the best part is that if I need more spice or more cilantro, I'm making it myself, so I can add it!  I just made a batch this past Saturday and my husband and I have already almost eaten it all (2 mason jars full!).  It is so addicting!  I'm telling you, make it!  You will love it!  I don't think I'll ever go back to store-bought salsa again!


Hope you all enjoy!  I'm going to go eat some salsa now :)

Restaurant-Style Salsa

1 can (28 Ounce) whole tomatoes With juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
1/4  cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour.

Adapted from Fake Ginger

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins... or Donut Holes...

I found this recipe a while ago and have been dying to try it.  Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes, who wouldn't want to try them?  The recipe looked fool-proof too.  Most doughnut recipes I tend to shy away from because they look labor intensive and well, I just haven't stepped up my game yet.  These looked as easy as... muffins.  And it turns out, mine came out as muffins!  I'm still not actually sure what I did wrong with the recipe besides the fact that I used a normal muffin pan instead of a mini muffin pan.  But I still can't imagine how they were supposed to come out round because the dough isn't strong enough to hold it's shape while in the oven.  I could be wrong, maybe the mini muffin pan works wonders, I guess I won't know until I try.  But besides the shape, the taste is amazing!  They're a perfect fall treat with a great pumpkin flavor.  Since mine turned out muffin shaped, I passed them off as muffins and everyone seemed to love them!  I brought them to the teacher's lounge at the school I intern at and even had someone ask for the recipe.  So make them however you want, doughnuts, muffins, as long as it holds it's taste!  This taught me a good lesson in how to not get frustrated when a food experiment goes wrong, and learn to be creative.  Something that doesn't turn out just right might still serve the same purpose!  Enjoy!

Yield: 24 donut holes (mini muffins)

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

ingredients:

For the Donuts:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup milk

For the Coating:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

directions:

1. Preheat oven 350°F. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. In a separate, large bowl whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. While the donuts/muffins bake, melt butter in one bowl and combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove donuts/muffins from oven and cool for 2 minutes. Dip each donut/muffin in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve donuts/muffins warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Corn Cakes with Avocado, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Salsa

Ok so I know it's not summer, and this meal is very summery, but I've been wanting to try it for a while and the opportunity came up.  My husband is not really a fan of any meal that doesn't contain meat.  He'll eat it, but I know it's not his favorite so I usually don't do it.  Well, he's been on a trip all this week, so I took it as an opportunity to make a meatless meal!  It's the only time I've cooked dinner all this week because, let's face it, cooking dinner for one is no fun :(.  But I thought this would be an easy recipe to half and quick to put together.  And it would have been very easy to put together had my food processor not blown a fuse and sparked when I plugged it in to the transformer, and had my landlord not shown up right as I was putting them in skillet, causing me to burn a few (I already can't wait to have an American kitchen again, and to own our own house!)  I actually also forgot one of the best parts of the dish when I went to the grocery store, the goat cheese, but it was even good without it, so I bet it's even more amazing with it!  So don't forget the goat cheese like me!  And try not to blow a fuse in the process either ;)

Corn Cakes with Avocado, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Salsa

For Salsa:
1 large tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup white onion, chopped (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice (from about 1/2 a lime)
1 avocado, pitted and diced
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

For Corn Cakes:
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk

For salsa, place all of the ingredients (except the avocado and goat cheese) in a bowl, and mix. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 200ºF.

Pulse corn several times in a food processor. You want coarse chunks here, not corn puree.

Transfer the corn to a large bowl. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Add eggs and milk, and stir until just incorporated.

Preheat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into the hot skillet, 4 or 5 per batch (don't overcrowd the pan). Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Transfer to a cookie sheet in the warm oven and repeat with remaining batter. Just before serving, add the avocado and goat cheese to the salsa, and mix gently to combine. Serve atop warm cakes.

Adapted from Love and Olive Oil

Super Easy, Delicious Pot Roast

I absolutely love fall!  Oktoberfest beer, pumpkin everything, campfires, jeans and hoodies, boots, and delicious comfort food.  One of my favorite comfort foods for fall is pot roast.  It is so easy and so good! I've seen many different recipes over the years, but back when my husband and I first started dating, I emailed his mom to get some of her recipes so that I could bring a little bit of home to him, and he loved it (thanks for the wonderful recipe, Barb!) I've now made this my go to pot roast recipe because it's so simple, yet amazing, and boy does it leave a wonderful smell throughout your home when you make it.  There's just something about it that makes me feel all warm and cozy :)  

I change up the way I make this every time I do it.  Sometimes I add potatoes, carrots, and onions, sometimes, just carrots, and sometime just onions.  This time, I just did carrots because, well, I forgot the onions (oops!) and I prefer my potatoes to taste like potatoes, so I baked them.  It is totally up to you what veggies you want to add and how much, and depending on what you put in, it can easily be a one-pot meal!  It even makes it's own gravy in the process of cooking!  Enjoy!

Pot Roast

1 sirloin tip roast (it can be any size depending on who you're feeding.  I usually use 2lb. or less)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 packet French Onion Soup mix

Carrots, Onions, Potatoes or anything you'd like!

Place roast in the Crock Pot.  Pour mushroom soup on top, followed by Soup mix.  Cook on high for 3-4  hours or on low for 8-9, depending on your Crock Pot.  About halfway through add any veggies that you want to the Crock Pot.  When finished, remove roast and let sit for 30 minutes before slicing with an electric knife (against the grain).  

The REAL Oktoberfest

Living in Germany has it's ups and downs, but man are those ups pretty awesome!  We fell in to an opportunity to go to Oktoberfest in Munich on the last Sunday in September.  This had always been something that we wanted to do (especially before having kids) but we had ruled out going this year because you have to book hotels and get tickets a year in advance, and we didn't know that until we got here, so we didn't even try.  Well, about a week before we went, our friends told us about two people that were unable to go but still had tickets.  We were hesitant at first because the tickets were for Sunday and we both had to work the next Monday, but after lots of debating we decided we would go.  I mean, who can pass up that kind of opportunity?  So we drove down halfway with our friends on Saturday night and stayed at a hotel that they had booked, had a few beers to get in the spirit, then got up and drove the rest of the way the next day.  It was so worth it!

Our tickets were from noon to 4, so we got to Munich and made our way to the big event.  It was HUGE!  I'm not sure what I expected, but it was better than what I had pictured.  It was like a really big festival.  We had been told that unless you have tickets to a beer tent, you shouldn't go, but we saw so many things that you can do without tickets!  Rides, games, food, etc.  Anyways, we made our way to our tent, found out table and the festivities began!  With our tickets, we each got 3 liters of beer, half a chicken, and the whole table got a big appetizer plate with meats, cheeses, crackers, and radishes.  It was delicious!  After all the fun, we caught a 6:30 train and headed back home.  The next day at work was pretty brutal, but it was so worth it! A lot of people have said that the Munich Oktoberfest is too touristy but we had an amazing time and if you're ever given the opportunity, you should go!  I'm so happy that we decided to!

Here are a few pictures of the fun!  I'll be back in a few days with some yummy fall recipes :)

Cool shot of Munich and the rides

Inside our tent

The appetizer plate

Another shot

The star of the show!

Mmmm... pretzels

Delicious salty half chicken

Our awesome tent!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Ok, so I may be the worst blogger in the world. I know I told you that I would be back with pictures of Oktoberfest like 2 weeks ago (and I eventually will get you those pictures) but I got to go back to, not only the US, but Kentucky and I have been running nonstop since (in a good way). I have spent the week hanging out with family, meeting with friends for lunch, drinks, etc., SHOPPING!, drinking as many Pumpkin Spice Latte's as I can, fitting as much Qdoba, P.F. Chang's, burgers, and any other American restaurant food in, enjoying the beautiful weather, and playing with my parent's new puppy. I am LOVING every second of it. So, I apologize for the delay in my posts. I know I'm a new blog so I should really keep up with my posts to get you wonderful people to follow me, and I will do my best to do that from now on. Or at least, give you a heads up when I'm going to be MIA. :)

Anyways, my sister had a dinner party while I was home last Monday, and oh man was it delicious. It was a kick off to fall dinner, so she had rosemary chicken ternderloins, pork with a pear maple glaze, brie and thyme mashed potatoes (YUM), acorn squash, and mixed roasted veggies with pumpkin seeds (brilliant!). She even had an apple crisp with bacon topping (made by Alli Brown), pumpkin spice sangria and spiked apple cider. Delicious. Everything was amazing and I will be getting most of those recipes from her in the near future. So along with all of the other deliciousness, she asked me to make a sweet potato dish (which I will post later), but I have been wanting to make these cupcakes for a while now, so I told her I would do both.

I borrowed my mom's kitchen and it was SO nice to bake in an American kitchen! One thing I can't stand about Germany is the itty bitty ovens. My oven is so small I have to use special cookie sheets, and it only has one rack. So my baking takes 10x longer because I have to do it in batches. Using my mom's oven was amazing. It took me no time at all to whip these cupcakes at all, and I must say, they were some of the most delicious cupcakes I have ever had. They literally tasted exactly like a pumpkin spice latter (I know, who would have thunk ;)). But in all seriousness, they were really good and everybody that tried one said they loved them, and some even asked for the recipe. One thing that I did change was that I couldn't find espresso powder, so I just used ground espresso and it worked just as well. You could probably even use just regular coffee too. They really are such a perfect fall treat.

Photo taken by Alli Brown

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Yield: about 2 dozen cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. espresso powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs
½ cup coffee or espresso, for brushing

For the whipped cream:
2¼ cups heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

For garnish:
Ground cinnamon
Caramel sauce

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Stir together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer or just a regular bowl, blend together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.

Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full. Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush them two or three times with the coffee or espresso, allowing the first coat to soak in before repeating. Let cool completely.

To make the frosting, place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer, or use a regular hand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-low speed at first, gradually increasing to high speed. Blend in the confectioners’ sugar gradually. Whip until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat. Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and drizzle with caramel sauce. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Pumpkin Waffles

Saturday morning breakfasts were always a tradition in my house when I was growing up.  I used to get so excited to see what my mom would make each Saturday.  Pancakes?  Waffles?  Eggs?  French Toast?  I loved them all.  That excitement has trickled over in to my adult life as well and Saturday morning breakfasts are a tradition that my husband and I have continued.  I love looking up and trying new breakfast recipes and continuing a tradition that I loved as a kid, and hopefully our kids will love just as much someday :)

The first day of fall was yesterday and it's one of my favorite seasons.  I'm sure you'll notice soon that I'm obsessed with apple and pumpkin recipes around this time of year.  To kick that off, I made Pumpkin Waffles this morning.  They were delicious!  My husband doesn't really care for waffles too much and even he said they were delicious and he wanted me to save him one for breakfast later in the week!  They taste kind of like pumpkin bread in a waffle form, and boy do I love pumpkin bread!  I have a Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Maker that makes 4 square waffles at a time and this recipe made about 10 waffles, which was way too much for just us two!  So if you have a similar waffle maker, I might suggest halving the recipe or you can do what I did and freeze them for another time.  This is a perfect fall morning treat! :)  

P.S.  We're going to Oktoberfest tomorrow(the real one!), so I'll be back next week with what I'm sure will be some yummy food and drink pictures!

Pumpkin Waffles

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs, separated (yolks in one bowl, whites in another)
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Cooking Spray

Preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold very soft peaks. Fold them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

 Continue with remaining batter until gone!


Adapted from http://penniesonaplatter.com/