Spaetzle and Oktoberfest Happenings

This is Oktoberfest season. It's a fun time to enjoy some of the traditions of the German Oktoberfest that spawned the festivities across the states.

It's a family fun seasonal celebration that is happening during the fall season in many towns across the country.

Way back in the '80's our town held a fun Oktoberfest family event on a Saturday evening in late September. Everyone walked along Main Street and enjoyed the sidewalk entertainment for the kids, 'oompah music', and of course traditional foods and craft beers that our local shop owners would provide.

It seems like ages ago (I guess 30+ years is ages ago or even a generation ago). Alas times change, and today our town is quiet and shy about hosting this type of event.

But I'm not giving up on the good food and fun of Oktoberfest. I'm cooking up a couple of dishes that will compliment any meal even if it is not a traditional German dish.

Spaetzle is a favorite. It's sometime called a German dumpling or noodle which is boiled and served with butter as a side dish. I, for one, can't resist this German pasta style dish. It's an easy recipe that you will want to make all the time.

Spaetzle Noodles/Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
  
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp. butter
• 2 TBLS. chopped fresh parsley
• 4 quarts hot water

Cooking Directions

1. Add the water to a 5 quart pot and heat to a simmer.
2. Mix together the flour, salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Beat the eggs in a small dish and alternate adding the egg and milk to the flour mixture.

3. Mix dough until smooth. Press a small portion of the dough through a metal cheese grater or colander and drop into the simmering water. Add only a portion of the batter and cook approx. 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well. Continue this process until you have used all the batter.

4. Heat a medium sauce pan to medium heat and add the butter and cooked spaetzle and saute 2 or 3 minutes just to coat the spaetzle with the butter.
5. Add the chopped parsley and serve.

Prost!

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Oktoberfest Beer & Brats

Just in case you may have forgotten, beer is the drink synonymous with Oktoberfest is - surprise!

The beer served most often in Munich at Oktoberfest events is a dark copper color beer with a medium to high alcohol content at about 5%-6% ABV. It is labeled as a Bavarian Märzenbier in style.

The name Märzenbier is derived from the word March which is Märzen in German. In Germany March is when the brewing was finished and the brews were kept in cold storage through the summer months to protect it from the hot weather and bacterial infections.

Here in America the craft style beers made are different from German beer.  The ingredients available in Germany are different than those used in the states which results in slightly different styles and flavors.

You can find many fall craft style beers in most markets across the country. If you enjoy beer and brats you can choose a fall craft beer to celebrate Oktoberfest in style.

Enjoy the festivities at Oktoberfest and learn to do the polka, cheer on the contestants of a sauerkraut eating competition or enter the Hammerschlagen contest. It's an Oktoberfest game requiring hand-eye coordination. You'll have to use a certain type of wedge-shaped hammer to strike a nail flush into a tree stump. Hey, you never know how strong you really can be.

PROST!

Peach Crisp

Summer peaches are pretty much gone from the shelves but if you happen to find some they are not as sweet as they were earlier in the season.

If you grill them or make a peach crisp you will have a dessert that is the perfect ending to the sweet days of summer.

A fruit crisp can help satisfy the sweet cravings without dipping into the bag of candy.

I have been trying to substitute alternative sugars for refined sugar whenever possible and this peach crisp is the perfect foil to do this.

I decided to make my peach crisp in individual ramekins, it helps with portion control. Not only that, but it makes a great dessert for guests.

You can use any fruit you like; whatever you have that is starting to over-ripen; or use frozen fruit. I used peaches that were starting to soften which also made for a shorter bake time than if they were not ripe.

All you need is the fruit, butter, sugar (use alternative sugars such as coconut sugar or organic real maple syrup (not the commerical varieties)), flour, oats, nuts and ramekins or use an 8x8 baking dish.

Peach Crisp

Ingredients

• 4 peaches, peeled & sliced
• 4 TBLS. brown sugar (or coconut sugar*)
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 4 tsp. butter
  

Topping

• 1/3 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4-1/3 cup whole wheat flour (or any flour you prefer)
• 3 TBLS. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 4 to 6 TBLS. butter, softened

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the ramekins and set aside.
2. Add the sliced peaches to the buttered ramekins and divide the sugar, cinnamon and butter among the 4 ramekins and stir into the peaches. 
3. For the crisp topping -- add the oats and the walnuts to food processor and pulse  2 or 3 times until they are chopped and you can still see the nuts.  You want to be sure there will be some crunch to the topping.

4. Add the oats and nuts mixture to a small bowl, then add the flour (use only 1/2 the amount of flour to start) and sugar and stir with a fork to blend. 
5. Next add the butter too the mixture and with the fork or your fingers work the butter into the mixture so it's well distributed. If the mixture doesn't hold together work in a little more flour as needed.
6. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the peaches.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until the fruit is tender when the fork comes out easily.    Cooking time will depend on the ripeness of the peaches - more ripe, less time.

For toppings you can use a scoop of vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, or for lunch add plain Greek yogurt. If you are splurging add some whipped cream.

**Coconut sugar has a low glycemic index and has been recommended by Dr. Oz. You can read more about it here.

Coconut sugar is sold in the organic aisle of some supermarkets. It can be purchased on-line if it is not available in your area.

Wordless Wednesday - Who's In The Barn?

What's Behind Door #2?

I've shared this with: Wordless Wednesday

Cookie Baking With Spelt Flour & NO Eggs

The most search requested words I've received in the last 3 months has been for chocolate chip cookie recipe without eggs.

I briefly mentioned in that particular post there are many children with food allergies, and the reason why I shared that recipe.

Now that it's Back-To-School I'm sure parents would like to send their kids to school with snacks from home knowing that they are eating what is good for them.

One particular egg substitution I use, which you will often find when you do a search for baking substitutions for eggs, is 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil + 2 Tablespoons of water. I've been using this substitution for the last 5 years in my chocolate chip cookie, sugar cookie and a chocolate snapper cookie that I make for holiday cookie exchanges. These are the boys most favorite cookies.

Of course shortbread cookies, Mexican wedding cookies and biscotti, just to name a few, do not require eggs in the recipe and they are very easy to make. Even if kids are not crazy about these varieties the adults will enjoy them.

Now on to a little healthier chocolate chip cookie recipe made with spelt flour, and NO eggs.

I've been working on eliminating white flour and refined sugar in our family's diet and finding the right balance when baking cookies and cakes can be challenging but I finally came up with this chocolate chip cookie recipe that everyone agreed was worthy of being a back-to-school snack.

Chocolate Chip Cookie With Spelt Flour

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup + 2 TBLS. butter softened (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 TBLS. agave nectar
• 1 1/2 TBLS. grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 1/2 TBLS. water
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 TBLS. plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 TBLS. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips (60% cacao)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees & line cookie sheets with parchment or silicone mat.

2. In a small bowl combine the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder & soda).
3. In a medium bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy (about 2 min.).
4. Mix the oil & water together and add to the butter mixture, also adding the vanilla, yogurt and agave nectar and mix all until well blended (about 30 seconds).
5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture gradually, beating just until blended.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Chill mixture about 45 minutes.
8. Use a tablespoon to drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 14-16 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown.
9. Cool on wire racks.

Here are a two tips for baking with spelt flour that might be helpful.

• Substitute Spelt flour for whole wheat flour, cup for cup, in most recipes.   Though I found some bakers suggest using 2 TBLS. less spelt per cup in place of 1 cup whole wheat flour.
• Spelt flour does not absorb liquids as much as AP flour, therefore it's good to let the batter sit for a while to give the flour a chance to absorb the liquids.

Homemade Ranch Dressing {Crazy Cooking Challenge}

Tina's at Mom's Crazy Cooking brought back the Crazy Cooking Challenge and Ranch Dressing is "IT" this month.

Ranch is one of the most popular varieties of dips set out among the appetizers at every party and it goes with every raw vegetable you can think of.

I always remember my mom making many different dressings for coleslaw, macaroni and pasta salads (they are different in their own way); tossed green salads and vegetables. As a result I've always made my own dressings and have passed that on to my daughters as well. They always taste so good and the ingredients are all natural and fresh, no preservatives or additives. Using a food processor is a time saver for making dressings any time.

There are lots of homemade dry ranch dressing recipes floating around the web, all trying to recreate a 'copycat' recipe for the Hidden Valley variety. The Hidden Valley Ranch owners were the creators of the now popular Ranch dressing in 1954 and it went commercial many years later when guests loved the dressing so much the owners of HV Ranch were encouraged to package it for the masses.

I happened to be in Target and was checking the ingredients on the HV package & took this picture with my phone. The MSG ingredient is the one ingredient that I avoid on packaged foods. So making homemade ranch dressing is the way to go.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonaise
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 TBLS. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 TBLS. chopped fresh dill
• 1 TBLS. finely chopped chives
• 1/2 TBLS garlic finely chopped
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• kosher salt to taste

Prep Directions

1. You can place the fresh herbs and garlic in a food processor to finely chop them.
2. Mix well the mayo and buttermilk in a small bowl and then add the chopped herbs.

3. Add seasonings to taste.
4. To make a dip add plain greek yogurt or sour cream in place of the buttermilk - depending on your preference. Add seasonings to taste and fresh vegetables for dipping.

The bonus to making homemade dressings and dips is that you can use any seasonings you want. Make it to honor your family's heritage and make it your own!


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

See Food and Choose Wisely

What happens when your diet needs a makeover?   The menu always looks so inviting but the restricted diet doesn't fit. 

How difficult is it to change normal eating habits when someone has to start watching his sugar levels? It's not going to be a fun task especially for grampy,  the 'candy man' and pretzel nosher of all time. But I'm sure I'll be finding out soon enough.

I'm seeing this as a really long process trying to teach an old dog new tricks. It's not going to be fun, but I'm going to give it all I have to get us to change our bad habits.

Though I myself have been working on this for the past three months, grampy hasn't been willing to work with me.  I'm hoping that maybe now he'll think twice.

There's lots of moping around and moaning "oh, what can I have to snack on; I really want pretzels; can't I have cookies?".

I baked enough muffins and cookies to feed 3 scout troops this week, but half of the muffins and cookies are leftover because it's not what the patient is craving.

Normally when I bake any kind of sweets I bring it over to my daughter's for everyone to enjoy.  But the plain muffins and cookies I've been making are not going over too big with the boys so I'm stuck with it all.

I filled the fridge with fresh berries, watermelon and peaches and they are still there except for what I used in my smoothies.  I think now I'm going to make a fruit cobbler or crisp type of dessert.  Maybe that will work.   But dare I bake again and have more food left over?

O.K, I'll give it one more try then I'm giving up - maybe. So I think I'll try a peach crisp since I have a lot of peaches -- I'll enjoy it, but I don't know about the snacker!


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks