German Foods = Honeymoon Foods

After our wedding on July 23, we left 2 days later for our honeymoon in Munich, Germany. We had a great time and I wanted to share some of our food experiences. We ate a lot! And it was all so scrumptous. I failed to take pictures of everything we ate but I did get photos of our favorites. g

To begin, as soon as we arrived in Munich, we dove right into exploring the area. We stopped at a restaurant at the Marienplatz - city square - around 10:45 am for a snack and to watch the Glockenspiel - a 10 minute show of figurines dancing in the bell tower of the city hall. We ordered weisswurst, a traditional white sausage in the Munich area. It's historically eaten in the morning because it is not smoked and can spoil after noon time. You eat the sausage with a pretzel and mustard. Our waiter failed to tell us that you do not eat the skin of the weisswurst :( But we still enjoyed it's unconventional creamy texture.

We also had a bratwurst and sauerkraut. The sauerkraut was the best I've ever had and I'm a huge kraut fan!



During our touring adventures in the old town of Munich, I took a break and slipped into a bakery and got a huge meringue. So sweet and crunchy!

While Adam was in a crowded soccer shop getting his Bayern Munich jersey, I enjoyed a gelato! So many flavors to choose from but I settled on raspberry! Look how divine the flavors look all mounded up in their containers, screaming at me to try each one!

We then wandered on to the Viktualienmarkt to see what the vegetable, fruit, meat, cheese and florists had to offer. I really wanted a pickle. Adam played along and tried it first so I could get a photo. It was both sweet and spicy at the same time - like no pickle I've ever had before. I like it but Adam did not (he's strickly a bread and butter pickle man).

Oh the beer!! We drank lots and lots of beer! Again, the beer was so much better than any beer in the U.S. And I think Adam has only had one U.S. beer since we've been home because nothing can compare to the brews in Bavaria! Pictured below is weissbier and a radler we enjoyed near the English Garden. During our trip Adam drank mostly weissbier. I fell in love with radlers - half beer and half lemonade. So freshing, especially for someone like me that can't drink a ton of beer.
Adside from all the beer we had at cafes, we visited beer gardens and beer halls. Adam's favorite beer was Augustiner and we visited the Augustiner beer hall. We also visited the famous Hofbrauhaus. While in the English garden we drank at the beer garden by the Chinesischer tower. Below are photos of the Hirschgarten, a beer garden a few blocks from our hotel. We went there twice!

Here, Adam enjoys a liter (or mas) of dunkel beer.

Of course we need pretzels with our beer! I ate several soft pretzels on our trip. The outsides were quite hard but the inside was so soft and doughy! In the background of this picture you can see the little shanty where you go to get your beer.

Ahhh! The beer garden cuisine! Let me say, I am hooked on currywurst! A sausage covered in curry ketchup with a side of fries! I was sure to bring home a bottle of curry ketchup and we're going to recreate this dish! I had currywurst 3 times on our trip!

Adam's favorite beer garden fare was schweinshaxe - a pig leg with incredible crispy skin! In this photo he had it with potato salad but other times he had it with fries.

After spending 3 days in Munich, our friends Susi and Jeff came to pick us up to take us to Susi's hometown, Furth im Wald - about 2 hours from Munich.

While in Furth we had some great food! We had one of the most traditional Bavarian meals, schweinsbraten - sliced pork served with gravy and a knodel. One of the best pork dishes ever!

We also enjoyed some local schnapps one evening! And we knew we loved schapps because we've had it several times at Susi's house in Maryland.

In Furth Adam mostly enjoyed Erdinger beer, brewed locally.

One night we went to a beer tent and Susi and I enjoyed gluwein - a hot spiced wine - because it was a very chilly night for July!

Below is a photo of Susi's sister serving up a snack of little sandwiches - delicious bread, some smothered in herbed cream cheese topped with cucumbers and radishes and some topped with sliced cheese and a gerkin.

We were also in town for Susi's son's christening. It was very special becuase I am his U.S. godmother and we was able to be there for the service. After the christening, we went to a restaurant for a champagne toast, dessert and coffee. Here is Susi in front of the dessert table.

To sum things up, we had pork and beer every day and were as happy as can be! We had an amazing trip and we cannot wait to go back soon!

Smothered Pork Chops

Adam and I offered to make dinner for his dad last evening so we formulated a plan, went to the grocery store and an hour later, dinner was served! This was the first meal Adam and I made together and I must say, he is one of the best sous chefs I've ever worked with ;)

After deciding we'll make pork chops, I began browsing the Food Network website for an easy and hearty preparation. I came across Tyler Florence's smothered pork chop recipe and thought it sounded very good for a Sunday dinner. After reading the reviews, I decided to add mushrooms, which isn't in Tyler's recipe. And, of course, I had to cook my chops longer than the time in the recipe. That possibly had to do with me not having a large enough fry pan and/or high enough heat. Either way, the pork was good - not too tough. I was sure to make enough extra gravy to eat with the brown rice I prepared. If I would have had more time, I think mashed potatoes would have been good with this gravy and pork too!

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder (didn't have any so omitted)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne (I only used 1/2 teaspoon this time but will use closer to the entire teaspoon next time)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil

1 package of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (didn't use)

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Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour, pressing flour on the chops and then shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

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Remove the pork chops from the pan and cover with foil. Add mushrooms and brown for a few minutes. Remove and place in a bowl.

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Add a little more oil to the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings.

Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in - I used a whisk. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops and mushrooms to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

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Smothered Pork Chops with brown rice and steamed broccoli and asparagus

I didn't really measure how much seasoned flour I used but I used a generous amount, as well as more stock and buttermilk than called for, just so I had more gravy.

Smokin' Meat with J

On Monday, after Bec and I were exhausted from our photo shoot, Jesse served up some mean smoked pork butt. He spent quite a long time setting up the smoker, heating it with his fancy wook chips and preparing the pork with a rub of sugar and spices. The smoking of the meat took a few hours.

I have had smoked foods at restaurants and my mom has smoked salmon on cedar boards in the grill, but this was the first time I've seen a smoker and learned about the process. Some people really enjoy the smoked taste and some don't. I know for sure that I do and I can't wait to try more from Jesse's smoker.

For all the details on the process, check out his smoking blog!

The Smokin' Chef enjoying his creation.

Two slices of the pork served with rice and broccoli.