CHICAGO

We were there for two photo shoots and eating.  Ok… we go everywhere for food.  I had one of the best breakfasts EVER at a little place called The Bongo Room.  BANANA BACON PANCAKES.  Yes, you read that right.  AMAZING stuff. We also had an decadent breakfast at Orange (try the pancake sampler!) and fabulous steaks at Gibsons Steakhouse. Also, for ridiculously good barbecue and blues music, try Smoke Daddy’s… Amazing ribs and they had a huge selection of beers.  Lastly, I know this is bloody tourist of us, but we had a blast on the Wendella Boat tour around the city.  Highly recommend!

GERMANY

We enjoyed most of our meals at Casa Maloman (my inlaws home) because my mother in law is a great cook.  We had fresh Germany Brochen (little buns) every morning with an assorted spread like cheese, salami, preserves… etc.  We did check out one of the most adorable pastry shops I’ve ever seen, Iimori Patisserie. This bakery was a fusion of Japanese flavors and very typical French pastries.  Needless to say, I was in heaven!  It is very pricey… 4 euros for a tiny sliver of cake, but well worth it.  Quality, not quantity!  A definite must if you ever find yourself in Frankfurt, Germany!

AMSTERDAM

Yup, all the rumors are true… Amsterdam is one wild and crazy place.  I do admit I was quite confused at the large selection of… ahem…. teas in the coffee shops.  They sure smelled funny and had odd names like laughing buda and california haze.  And that’s all I’m going to say about that.  :P  Instead of staying in the city, we stayed in a tiny fishing village, Volendam, a few kilometers from Amsterdam.  I highly suggest anyone that goes to Amsterdam check out this place.  It is only a 20 minute bus ride to Amsterdam.  There were sheep everywhere.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen sheep other than at a petting zoo.  We ate in Volendam at a little restaurant called De Dijk the first night.  I had the Pan Sauteed Sole with lemon Butter and Stephan had the pan sauteed Cod.  Talk about fresh fish!  Of course we also had pomme frites and pancakes while in Amsterdam. Schmoke and a pancake?  We had yummy soup at a carry out place called the Soup Kitchen.  For tourist things, we went to the Sex Museum and the Anne Frank House.  Both highly interesting in their own special way.  We also did the boat tour in Amsterdam… best way to see the city!

The “teas” in Amsterdam Coffee shops… what?

PARIS

Stephan and I went to Paris for our honeymoon almost 6 years ago.  It was in December and was so cold that Stephan swore he’d take me back in the Spring.  Well, he delivered and we added Paris to our Euro Road trip.  It was much more enjoyable this time since I could feel my toes and didn’t have snot-sicles.  We had several amazing dinners, starting with tiny place called A la Petite Chaise where I had Sea Bass with Chervil Marinade and a bitter chocolate tart.  Then we have a funny little story about our second dinner.  Online, I found a restaurant called Cafe Constant, a reasonably priced Christian Constant place that was rumored to have fabulous food.  Well cheap and good?  Yes please!  So walking along, we found a place called Les Cocottes de Christian Constant.  It was in the right location and I just assumed it was the right place because of his name so we sat down and had the BEST Provencal beef stew I’ve ever had.  I loved the whole vibe of this place… they served all dinners in little Staub cocottes.  We also split a tasty Country style pate and pistachio Creme Brule.  When we left the restaurant, we decided to walk in a different direction.  So then two doors down, we passed Cafe Constant.  I found out that Christian Constant has three restaurants on Rue Dominique in Les Invalides. Really?  So of course, the next night, we went to Cafe Constant and I wasn’t disappointed!  I had the Sea Bass a la Plancha with sweet potatoes.  So good!  Then we split the Profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.  This should be outlawed it is so good.  I was so impressed with Christian Constant and his restaurants that I purchased one of his cookbooks.  I’m a fan!

You can see many more photos of our travels on our Flickr PhotoStream.

This is us in Prague, close to the Castle and the Famous Charles Bridge



The first stop, Prague, was fabulous!  Prague’s history is just amazing and there was such beautiful things to see in every direction.  Stephan had a field day photographing the old buildings and the famous Prague Castle.  As for the eats, the food we ate was fresh and tasty but nothing to write home about.  The two restaurants we had dinner at were Kolkovna and Cafe Savoy.  Kolkovna was packed with all kinds of different people, not just American Tourists (thank god!)  We had a nice table outside overlooking the Jewish Quarter.  We both had the typical Pilsner Goulash which was flavorful and very filling.  As for Cafe Savoy, it looked really hip and modern, but the food was a bit lacking… I think it would be a great place for breakfast, as they have tons of pastries, though!

More Weiners and meat than should be legal….

Second stop was Vienna, Austria.  And no, I did not see any kangaroos or boomerangs.  Weird, eh?  Our hotel was very close to a street that was lined with restaurants that all featured outside dining.  I picked Witwe Bolte (the Widow Bolte), the most crowded one where I could hear no English spoken.  It was a VERY good choice.  I, of course, had the very traditional Wiener Schnitzel.  This was a HUGE slab of thinly pounded veal that was breaded and pan fried.  Not the healthiest thing, but fantastic!  The food highlight of this leg of our trip was enjoying the Sacher Torte with a Cafe Melange at the Hotel Sacher.  This was the one thing I wanted to do when I was there, and it was well worth it!  Stephan had the apple strudel there which was also amazing.  I highly suggest you treat yourself to this if you’re ever in Vienna.

Sacher Torte from Hotel Sacher

Apple Strudel from Hotel Sacher

Our last stop on our Euro road trip was the heart of Bavaria, Munich…. which is now my favorite city in Germany.  I could have spent DAYS wandering the Viktualienmarkt, which is an enormous outdoor market that has stand after stand of amazing veggies, cheeses, meats and casual foods.  All of the veggie stalls looked like a professional stylist just finished arranged it for a photo shoot.  This market is where I tried the very traditional Weisswurst (White Sausage) which I did not like.  It was a bizarre white sausage with the texture of a very soft mousse.  The flavor was tasty, but the texture was just plain icky.  However, the sweet mustard and pretzel that came with it made up for the yucky sausage.  Then we went to the Hofbrauhaus, which everyone knows from Lampoon’s European Vacation.  It was a huge old touristy place that actually had good food.  I was all wursted out by this time and ordered Pfifferlinge in Krauterrahm (Chanterelle mushrooms cooked in herbs and cream served with a dumpling.)  Fall is Chanterelle season in Germany, and this dish is seen on many specialty menus.  Its worth trying and a welcome vegetarian treat after eating so much meat and sausage.

The weird Weisswurst… not my favorite thing

Check out these veggies at the Viktualienmarkt!


The Hofbrauhaus

Chantrelle mushrooms with Knodel (dumplings)

The whole trip was an absolute blast and I am ready to go back again.  Other than the road trip, we ate very well thanks to my mother-in-law cooking and father-in-law’s garden.  It was a good time, all around!  So now that I am back home I’ve dusted off the old Wii Fit and need to get back to exercising and healthy eating!  Wish me luck!

Rome is an amazing city, and the history there is just fascinating.  When you see the Colosseum, which is probably one of the most well known structures in the world, it takes your breath away.  You just sit back and wonder how the hell this was built back circa 70 AD.  The architecture of Rome is simply gorgeous.  Every direction you looked, there is a beautiful sight.  We touched on all of the main tourist spots, Colosseum, Vatican, St Peter’s Basilica, etc… but spent the majority of our time on the side streets, just wandering and drinking in all that is Rome.  Four full days was the perfect amount of time to spend there and see everything we wanted to see.  Also, the weather in September is magnificent in Rome!

One of the totally unexpected moments of our trip was seeing Al Pacino and Robert De Niro at the Rome Red Carpet Premier of Righteous Kill.  The event was held in the theater around the corner from our hotel, and we were fortunate enough to arrive there right before Pacino and De Niro arrived.  What are the odds of seeing two of my favorite actors TOGETHER… in Italy… bliss I tell ya.  I can’t wait to see the movie now!

About the food… Although I did tons of research beforehand, it was difficult to stick to the list of restaurants I had hoped to try.  Unfortunately, when you’re walking around Rome, looking at the amazing sights, you get hungry and it is easy to make the mistake of stopping to eat somewhere that preys on tourists.  This is where you will get a mediocre meal that costs MUCH more than it should.  We found that if we got hungry in a heavily tourist area, it was better to grab a gelato and take time to find a good place to eat.  Perhaps this is not the healthiest alternative, but it sure was yummy!

In choosing restaurants to eat, we were looking for traditional but casual Roman fare, preferably with good prices.  Its easy to find good restaurants that cost an arm and a leg, but my mission was to find some that were actually well priced.  Our best meal was at Antica Boheme, which was just one block from our hotel.  We had an amazing dinner with three courses including wine for about 35 Euros per person.  Trattoria Lilli was a very close second.  Two traditional dishes to try are gnocchi and spaghetti carbonara.  I tried them both… a few times.  It just so happens they are two of my favorite pasta dishes.

Check out some photos we took of food below, and more amazing photos of Rome on Stephan’s blog.

Gnocchi with Bolognaise

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Spaghetti with Bolognaise

Bruschetta

Restaurants to avoid: ANYTHING close to the major sights of Rome.  If the menu has pictures on it… keep walking.  If the English translation is perfect… keep walking.  If there are large posters of Coca-Cola… keep walking.  If everyone is speaking English or another language other than Italian, keep walking.  Lastly, if the waiter comes out of the restaurant and tries to get you to come in… run, don’t walk away.

Signs of good restaurants: Small restaurants on side streets.  I don’t mean a side street the Colosseum is on… but maybe a 15 minute walk through winding streets.  Go inside and look at the patron’s plates… listen to the language spoken.  Since we were in Rome in warm weather, most restaurants had outdoor seating, which made it easy to survey the plates and listen to the language.

Next week, we’re going to Photokina in Cologne and a quick stop in Amsterdam, then we’ll be back home the following week.

We’re off to Rome tomorrow, which I have been looking forward to.  We have planned our sightseeing and dining very well, and hope to see (and eat) everything we can in the four days we will be there.  I’m sure we will find a little time to take some pics and blog when we’re there.

Some pics of our little snack at the weinfest.  Flammkuchen…


Bretzel (soft Pretzel)

The resort, Edenh Real Arena was lovely. There are many amenities… scuba, snorkeling, wind surfing, kayaking… etc. Since the resort is all-inclusive, the food is also included. We were soooo excited to eat at the four “gourmet” restaurants. That is, until we had our first meal… I was very disappointed, but I now I understand how “all-inclusive” works. I suppose I’m pickier than your average person, but it was disappointing. However, the amazing white sand and unbelievable breeze totally made up for the mediocre food. Anyway, it was a fabulous working vacation. We found a little time to sit under a tiki hut with a fruity drink… a little unwinding and reconnecting after a busy wedding season. Good times for all.

Now to get on to the post, it’s one of my favorites… Linzer cookies. They are traditionally made with ground hazelnuts, but I chose to use almonds. The recipe is adapted from Nick Malgieri’s Cookies Unlimited.

Linzer Cookie Recipe

2 2/3 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
16 tbsp (2 sticks or 8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c granulated sugar
4 oz (about 1 cup) blanched almonds, finely ground in food processor
1 c seedless raspberry jam
Confectioners sugar for sprinkling

1. Combine the flour and spices in a small bowl and stir to mix. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and soft, about 5 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and add the almonds and then the flour, just until almost combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish mixing the dough by hand. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, at least an hour.

2. When you are ready to bake the cookies, set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Cut the dough into three parts and refrigerate two of them. Place one third of the dough on a floured surface and flour it lightly. Press and pound the dough gently with a rolling pin to soften it, and then roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Use a 2 to 3 inch cutter to cut the dough. Place the cookies on parchment lined cookie sheets, leaving about an inch in all directions. If you have a small heart shaped cutter, cut the center out of half of the cookies to create the window. If not, use a small round cutter or a pastry tube. Press the scraps together and roll again to cut more cookies.

3. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until they are a very pale golden color. Cool them on the pans on racks.

4. Stir the raspberry jam until it is spreadable. If you like, you can also reduce it in a small pan on the stove to thicken it. When the cookies are cool, dust the pierced cookies lightly with the powdered sugar. Invert the non-pierced cookies and spread about 1/2 tsp jam on each. Top with the pierced cookie, powdered sugar side up. Use a small spoon or a piping cone to fill the window of the cookies with more jam. Store finished cookies in a tin or plastic container with a tight fitting cover.

Makes about 18 cookies