A look back and a recipe...

Yep- it's been awhile.  A looong while.  You probably thought I was done blogging.  I thought I was. But then I got a little bit sentimental yesterday looking back at our kiddos' first days of school and thought- oh hey, why not post a picture and a recipe.  It's fun and I have missed it!  So here goes...

Today was the first day back at school.

They are HUGE right?  How did this happen?  We have a Sophomore, an 8th and a 5th grader.

Look how little they used to be ::

First day of 2013,
2012,
2011,
2010,
2009,
2008 ,
and 2007.  We are so proud of them!
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And now, I will move on to a recipe- so I don't have to think about how Luke will be graduating from high school in 3 very short years...

There is a reason I have been craving granola.  This summer we went to Cyprus, and found the most delicious granola Brad and I had ever had.  We found it at Lidl.  So I went searching for it here in Austria, but with no luck.  They have different kinds of granola here, but not the crunchy kind with big chunks of tropical fruit that we fell in love with in Cyprus.

Long story short- I have decided to try to make my own granola, since some friends of mine said it is easy and yummy.

This was the first recipe I tried, but I could never get it crunchy- though it tastes ok.

This recipe had a video, which always draws me in :)  So I tried it and I liked it better, though I still couldn't get it super crunchy!  Is there a secret I am missing?  Help me out!  Now I am on a mission...

(I used pecans and cranberries, because that is what I had on hand)

P.S.  The longer it cooled, the crunchier it got :)

I heart Fall...

We had gone to visit some friends one evening last week, and when we walked outside Luke took a deep breath in and said, "It smells like Fall!"  He was right, the air did have that particular crispness that you get with the changing of the seasons.  And while the leaves have just started to turn slightly, it has not stopped me from baking pumpkin cake, making Roasted Butternut Squash soup and dipping some apples into some homemade caramel!

Next Saturday, our church will have our annual time at Apfel-Hof!  We cannot wait :)

And in other Hunter family news, Milka turned 5 yesterday!  We love her so much!  I was looking at old posts and had forgotten we threw her a little party when she turned 2!  So fun!  Sometimes you just have to celebrate the little things...like your dog's birthday and the smell of Fall!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, finding little things to celebrate!

Meal Planning...

Classic Chicken and Dumplings recipe from Real Simple

Now that school is back in session, I am trying to be more organized!  Do you plan your menus for the week?  I try to, and when I do, I save time, money and energy.

*I just write my menu for the week out on a sheet of paper, but check THIS out!
*You can find all sorts of meal planning ideas HERE
*I found THIS helpful too.
*And have you heard about One tsp.com?  It is an easy way to store your recipes in one place.  (Thanks for the tip Jutta)

Please feel free to share any helpful hints you have with meal planning too!

Spring Break...

Our Spring Break didn't feel much like "Spring"-in fact, we had a few days of snow, but that didn't stop us from bringing some spring into the house... tulips from Hofer bring me much joy ;)

Our Maundy Thursday service was a lovely evening of prayer and reflection...

and our Easter service was a true celebration of the Risen Christ!  I am so thankful for the people He has brought to NCW...

Our days over break were pretty low key- usually spent with friends...

playing in the park

having fun at Bogi park

playing competitive games of Monopoly City

and trying out some new recipes... these are Chocolate chocolate chip cookies with chopped up Reese's peanut butter cups.  I found the recipe HERE and I just chopped up about 1 cup of the peanut butter cups and I added about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the dough

Easy Treats...

We have been busy with lots of parties and gift making...

(This year we did a White Elephant/Yankee Swap gift exchange... and some interesting gifts showed up!)

And I just wanted to share a few very easy treats that are yummy to keep for yourself or give as a gift!

These are Oreo Truffles, and a few of my friends have re-named them "Christmas in your mouth!"

You can find the recipe HERE

We are also making lots of Hot Chocolate to give away as gifts.

You can find the recipe HERE

We altered the mix slightly by grounding a 70% Lindt Dark Chocolate bar in the food processor and added it to the rest of the mix.  Our jars and gift tags are from IKEA.

That's the way the cookie crumbles...

When my mom had her accident several months ago, a friend had made her yummy Madeleine cookies.  Unfortunately, my mom's mouth was too sore to eat anything that wasn't the consistency of mashed potatoes or applesauce~ so that meant that I had to eat them. Torture I tell you!  :)

After my mom was all healed, I was still thinking about those Madeleines.  I asked her if she could ask our friend for the recipe.  Not only did she get me the recipe, she also sent me the special pans that you need to make them.  My momma takes good care of me!

So this morning I was all ready to make the cookies.  I had browned my butter, made cake flour and greased up my new pans.

Well, here are my sweet Madeleines...

THEY ALL STUCK TO THE PANS!  NOT ONE TURNED OUT! UGH... 

(I only greased the pan and did not also flour it like the directions had said to do...lesson learned)

I wasn't about to let these "crumbs" go to waste, so I googled "What to do with cookie crumbs" and this idiom

popped up...

"That's the way the cookie crumbles...something that you say which means that bad things sometimes happen and there is nothing you can do to prevent it, so it is not worth becoming upset about it!"


Wish I could say that I didn't get upset about spending my entire morning for what seemed like nothing...but I redeemed these crumbs by adding them to the top of  ::

CRANBERRY BLISS BARS
(Recipe can be found at www.thegirlwhoateeverything.com)

Redeemed.

Prepping for the holidays...

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is almost here already!  I have "started" Christmas shopping and even got our Christmas cards ordered...still, I feel the days are flying by as I try to prep for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and not fall too behind!

Yesterday, I posted this picture of Pumpkin Squares on my Instagram account (I am viennahunters if you want to follow me) and a few of you said you wanted the recipe...so HERE it is!  It is one of my favorite things to make for Thanksgiving (and way better than plain ol pumpkin pie)

Here are some other recipes that I like to make for Thanksgiving as well...
Sweet Potato Casserole, Aunt Cheryl's Wine Cranberry Mold, and Chocolate- Pecan Pie

What are some of your favorite recipes for Thanksgiving?  Do Share! :)

Recent Days...

:: We took a day trip to Salzburg to visit with one of Brad's college roommates
:: Our bosses came to Vienna for a few days of meetings
:: My mom sent doughnut pans and we made THESE
:: Luke and Abby have had LOTS of soccer games
:: We have had our share of candy corn and peanuts...salty and sweet is a fantastic combo
:: Abby is in the middle school musical, and has been singing around the house non-stop :)

Salad that 2 of my kiddos will eat...

This is a delicious salad that 2 of my kiddos will eat! (2 out of 3 is success in my book)

It is called  Chinese Cabbage Salad and you can find the recipe HERE
I also grate a few carrots and add them to the cabbage and green onions, and I usually serve it with some Honey Teriyaki Chicken

Enjoy!

This week...

:: Levi received the "Fruit of the Spirit" award for Love!

:: Luke and Abby played in their first soccer game together

This was Abby's first soccer game EVER, so she was a little more nervous and saw a little less playing time than Luke, but they did great and tied 2-2.

:: My grandparents celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary!  Happy Anniversary!!!

:: We made these (but without the ice cream)

:: And we may have had some dance parties to this song :)

Happy Weekend everyone!

Bulgogi...

Our entire family loves Bulgogi!  I wanted to learn how to make it, so I asked Soyoung 's mom (a friend of Abby's from school) to teach me how. She graciously took me shopping at the Korean market that she shops at and then invited me over to her place to teach me all of the steps.

Below are my attempts to photograph the process of making Bulgogi!

First you must shop at the Korean Market and get the right kind of meat, soy sauce and sesame oil...

This is just thinly sliced beef with about 1/2 cup white wine poured over it.

While the meat was thawing, we made the marinade (actually she made it, and I just watched)

For 1000 grams of meat,  she used 1 onion, 1 apple and about 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic.  This was put in the blender until it was finely pureed 

This mixture then gets poured over the meat

Then you add 6 tablespoons of soy sauce, 6 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and mix with your hands until the meat is well coated

Then you slice a few green onions, a small purple onion and mushrooms up and proceed to fry it with the meat until it is thoroughly cooked.  Once the meat is cooked, you serve it with rice.  If you are Korean, you most likely have a fantastic rice cooker like this one that makes your rice sticky...

(but you can also just make some regular ol' rice on the stovetop)

Here is the final product with a few sesame seeds sprinkled on top! So yummy :)

Bulgogi Recipe

1000 grams of thinly sliced beef

1/2 cup white wine

1 onion chopped

1 apple chopped

2 T crushed garlic

6 T soy sauce

6 T sugar

2 T sesame oil

(We used a few green onions, 1 small purple onion roughly chopped and about 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms and cooked that with the meat-but I am sure you can use any vegetables you may like)

Put the meat in a big bowl and add 1/2 cup of white wine.  In a blender or a food processor, puree the onion, apple and garlic.  Pour over the meat and add the soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil.  Work the sauce into the meat with your hands. Fry the meat and any vegetables in a few tablespoons of olive oil until thoroughly cooked.  Serve with cooked rice.

Fall arrives...

Fall finally arrived this week!  My favorite season :)

This weather makes me want to hang out in my kitchen and fill my belly with yummy treats, and then head outside to play!

Here is a yummy goulash recipe
Here is a delicious pumpkin sheet cake recipe (which can be turned into muffins too)
Here is a very cute veggie platter idea (found on Pinterest)
Here is a baked pumpkin doughnut recipe
Here is a recipe I want to try, Apple Crisp Pizza
Here are some fun fall ideas!

Happy Weekend!

This week...

Baking:: A few days this week felt like Fall!  This makes me want to bake.  Unfortunately my brand new oven is not working right, but I still managed to make some of these, Apple Crumb bars and I used this caramel recipe instead.

Cleaning:: With the kiddos back in school, I finally have the time and energy to vacuum under beds and couches and realize just how dirty my house is. Oh how i love a good purge though! We have also started a few projects in the kids' bedrooms.  I hope to share more on that next week...

Reading:: this sweet story of adoption over at Under the Sycamore

Making:: I have made two batches of this Taco soup in the last two weeks!  Everyone in our family loves it and I love that it is so easy to make!  Below is the recipe...

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef

1 can each black beans, red beans, and corn

1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1 package of taco seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes

1 and 1/2 cups of water

Brown meat in a lg. pan. Add all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer 45 minutes. Top with a dollop if sour cream or nacho chips.

(my mom sent me this recipe, but I am not sure where she got it from)

Happy Friday!  Hope you all have a lovely weekend :)

This week...

:: Luke and I had a mini date...dinner at McDonalds and his Track and Field Appreciation Dessert

:: All 3 kiddos had an appointment with an Orthodontist here in Wien...Abby will get her braces on June 12th!

:: I went with Abby's class on a field trip to the zoo

:: I started a new photo challenge

::We made Oreo Cupcakes

::And we ate them as we celebrated our friend Sarah Clark's birthday :)

Vanilla Scones + Strawberries= Yumminess!

Every recipe I have ever tried from Pioneer Woman is delicious, and her "Petite Vanilla Bean Scones" are no exception.

We are invited to a friend's house for dinner tonight and I wanted to bring a "fresh" dessert.  I also found a big batch of ripe strawberries at the store yesterday, so I thought I would just switch up her recipe a tiny bit...

*make the scones circle shaped instead of triangles
*cut up some strawberries to put on top
*and then drizzle with the vanilla glaze!

Pure yumminess!  We sampled some last night, and it is like a scone-ish version of strawberry shortcake :)

Here is her recipe::

Ingredients

• SCONES
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• ⅔ cups Sugar
• 5 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled
• 1 whole Large Egg
• ¾ cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)
• 2 whole Vanilla Beans
• GLAZE
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• ½ cups Whole Milk
• 1 whole Vanilla Bean
• Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla “caviar” inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.
Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.
Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.
Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. *(if making small circles- only bake for about 10 minutes)*

VANILLA GLAZE

To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.
One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Recent Days and Recipes...

:: On Saturday, I hosted a baby shower for our dear friend, Tabea.  She is due in just a few weeks and we all can't wait to see this sweet little one!  It was a lovely afternoon of fun!

:: Tabea's mother-in-law made the cakes...they were pretty incredible and tasted yummy too!

:: I certainly do not have the cake making skills that Renata has, but I too like making cakes that taste good...

I have made this Cinnamon Roll Cake, two times in the past two weeks (for different events). Yep, it is that good!  I got the recipe from HERE...

:: Another new recipe I recently tried, was for Gnocchi.  For some reason I had never tried Gnocchi- but it was delicious!  Jen passed this recipe on to me and you can find it HERE... Bacon, cream and parmesan cheese!  What is not to like!
 *I used store bought Gnocchi- but made the sauce, and sorry, I forgot to take a picture :(


:: One day I want to make a cookbook of all of my family's favorite recipes...sort of like this. So cool right?


I don't know when I will ever find the time to do it, but I am gong to try to post more recipes on the blog, with pictures ready-set-go, so hopefully one day that will make the process of a cookbook easier.


:: On a random note...I love how Milka always finds the spot of sunshine to lay in :)