The Pig and Fig

Posted on July 31, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

We are big breakfast for dinner fans in the Kiwi and Peach house. It’s simple, straightforward, and usually pretty quick.

When I was in Croatia this spring, I picked up a teeny tiny jar of delicious homemade fig jam. I was kind of saving it to use on something special when I saw this delicious looking sandwich floating around on Pinterest. This was it. What more could you want? There’s fig, there’s creamy brie, and most importantly, there’s pig.

Mmm. Bacon.

Pig and Fig Breakfast Sandwich

{adapted for two from Sweet Sugarbean}

4 slices of bacon
2-3 ounces brie
4 slices of sourdough bread
2 Tbsp fig jam
1 Tbsp butter

Start heating a pan on medium high heat and lay the bacon in the pan.

While the bacon is cooking, cut the rind off of the brie and build your sandwich. Spread the jam on each piece of bread. Layer the brie and, when it’s finished, the bacon on two slices and then top with the other two.

Drop the butter into the hot pan. When it’s melted drop your sandwiches in the pan and cook until the bread is golden brown. Flip and do the same on the other side and the cheese is melted.

Enjoy by itself or with some scrambled eggs or with fresh fruit. The possibilities are endless!

Don’t forget to vote for us in The Kitchn’s Small Cool Kitchens 2013!

Creole Shrimp and Basil Goat Cheese Grits from Tupelo Honey Café

Posted on July 30, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

Thank y’all so, so much for your overwhelming support and kind words yesterday about our kitchen! Obviously a lot of cooking gets done in that kitchen, but like I said on the write up, my absolute favorite thing to cook is shrimp and grits.

On our last trip back to the States, I actually bought two 5 pound bags of grits. The Kiwi thought I was being absurd {which I kind of was}, but I was bound and determined to get back to Germany with enough grits to get me through. Unfortunately, we were over the weight limit on the bag so one of my bags of grits had to go. {It went back home with my mom. Don’t worry, no grits were harmed in the making of this error in judgement.} We have made do with just the one bag, but we do have to ration them. Its always a treat when we break out the grits.

Grits are inherently southern. Go north of the Mason-Dixon or west of the Mississippi and chances are most folks haven’t heard of them. It’s always hilarious to watch non-southerners in the breakfast line at southern hotels. They always scoop them up and let them drop with the most bewildered expression on their faces. Grits, much like polenta, is a ground corn product. It cooks up into a thick porridge-like consistency and {when paired with enough butter, cream, and cheese} are incredibly tasty. To learn more than you ever wanted to know about grits, check out the wiki.

I hesitate to say this because it may come across as bragging, but I’m something of a shrimp and grits connoisseur. By that I mean, if shrimp and grits are on the menu that’s what I’m ordering. As you can imagine, I’ve tried a lot of shrimp and grits. Every restaurant has their own take on the southern staple. Most are good, a few disgusting, but the following are truly, truly outstanding.

Grits A YaYa from Great Southern Café in Seaside, FL

Shellfish {shrimp, scallops, and lobster} over Grits from Magnolias in Charleston, SC

Shrimp {with andouille sausage} and {Vidalia onion} Grits from NONA {originally Harry Bissett’s} in Athens, GA

Shrimp and Grits from Alligator Soul in Savannah, Georgia

and my all time favorite…

Brian’s Shrimp Grits from Tupelo Honey Café in Asheville, North Carolina

Creole Shrimp and Basil Goat Cheese Grits

{adapted for two from the Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook}

The Spice
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

The Shrimp
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small clove of garlic
150 grams of shrimp, shelled
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, sliced
2 Tbsp of a dry white wine
1 1/2 Tbsp butter

The Grits
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup quick cooking grits {If they’re good enough for Tupelo Honey, they’re good enough for me.}
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp soy cream
3 ounces of goat cheese
about 15 fresh basil leaves

Number one key to success in making this is preparation. The actual cooking time is so fast that you really won’t have time to prep ingredients while the others are cooking {my usual m/o}. That said…

Boil your jug and start heating up a medium pot and a large pan on medium high heat.

While they are getting hot, mix up the spice and set it to the side. Shell the shrimp, peel the garlic, thinly slice the roasted red pepper, and measure your butter. Most importantly, open your bottle of wine. You do not have time for wrestling with a cork once the shrimp is on. {Ain’t nobody got time for that!} As far as wine goes, I use a Gewürztraminer because that’s what the cookbook recommends you pair the dish with, and I’m not going to buy two different bottles of wine for one dish. It works well.

To prep for the grits, cut the rind off the goat cheese and crumble it; pick your basil leaves, wash them, and slice them; and measure your pat of butter.

The next few steps are an exercise in orchestration. Ready to multi-task?

By now the pot and pan should be nice and hot. Go ahead and add the olive oil to the pan to get it hot too.

Measure your {boiled} water from the jug and add it to the pot along with the salt.

Back at the pan, add your minced garlic and shrimp and give it a stir. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Over in the pot, the water should be boiling now, so add your grits and butter. Stir constantly to avoid clumps as the grits absorb the water and the butter melts. Add the cream and reduce the heat to low.

Back at the pan, add the spice and stir well. Then add the red peppers and give it another stir. Let this cook for a couple minutes so the peppers can heat up and then add the wine.

Over in the pot, turn the heat off. Add your crumbled cheese and basil and stir until all the cheese is melted.

Back at the pan, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter melts completely.

Plate it up and enjoy!

Linking with Belinda and Bonnie for Travel Tuesday.

{This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. That means that if you head over to Amazon from the link and choose to buy the book, a tiny bit of the money you spent on the book will come back to me for the referral.}

•• Update ••

Apparently I should have consulted the Kiwi before I hit publish yesterday because he had a lot to add! Before he moved to Germany, he was living in North Carolina, and he has tried his fair share of shrimp and grits as well. Here are his recommendations.

Shrimp {with bacon and mushrooms} and {smoked cheddar} Grits from NOLA in New Orleans, LA

Carolina’s Shrimp and Grits from Carolina’s in Charleston, SC

He would also like to add that Gewürztraminer is a great wine to pair with spicy dishes in general {in fact, Gewürz means ‘spice’ in German}, which is what makes it the ideal choice for the Creole Shrimp and Grits.

Don’t forget to vote for us in The Kitchn’s Small Cool Kitchens 2013!

{We’re a Finalist} The Kitchn’s Small Cool Kitchens 2013

Posted on July 29, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

Two posts in one day? Sorry, I just couldn’t contain my excitement!

I’m beyond thrilled to announce that we have been selected as a finalist for The Kitchn’s Small Cool Kitchen of 2013.

I’m just going to let this sink in for a quick minute.

This is a huge deal for us. The Kitchn {an extension of Apartment Therapy} is one of the major food websites out there right now. It’s full of great recipes from some amazing food bloggers and provides lots of inspiration for designing beautiful kitchens. And I’m pretty stoked that we are on it!

Here comes the part where I ask you to go vote.

Now through August 6th, folks can vote of their favorite kitchen and the top 4 will go before the Judge Panel who determine the winner. So please, please, please head over to The Kitchn and favorite our kitchen! I will love you forever and ever. I will make you cookies. I will give you a tomato if ours ever actually come in. But really I will give you a gigantic hug and thank you profusely.

{Disclaimer: You do have to sign up for The Kitchn in order to vote, but I promise that they will not bombard your email with junk! Also, you should probably join The Kitchn anyway because it’s an incredible site.}

{JAM} Zac Brown Band: No Hurry

Posted on July 29, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

How was your weekend? We had a blast exploring the Black Forest, hiking up waterfalls, and relaxing at Lake Constance.

My parents head back to the States tomorrow, so today we are trying to fit in all the hugs, talks, and just general togetherness that we can. While we are soaking up every last minute, I thought I’d share another little something something from my kitchen playlist.

Happy Monday friends!

Friday Links

Posted on July 26, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

Hey there friends! What are you doing this weekend?

The Kiwi and I are off to meet my folks in the Black Forest. We’ll be exploring, hiking, and seeing some pretty spectacular sights. Oh, and did I mention we are staying in a freaking castle?!

If you’re in a reading mood this weekend, here are some fabulous links to keep ya busy. Have a great weekend!

Kiwi+Peach: Friday Links {Pöllat Waterfall at Neuschwanstein}

Tips for making your cut flowers last longer.

Well played J.K. Rowling. Well played.

Simple tip for flavorful grains.

Is ‘real food’ a fad?

This is spot on.

Can’t wait to try this bourbon peach sorbet.

Whoa, genetics.

36 days ’til kickoff.

Beautiful reminder.

It’s amazing what you can recycle!

Gorgeous botanical prints. Fo’ free!

Watermelon, Mint, and Feta Salad

Posted on July 25, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

It. is. so. hot.

I’ve started writing this post 5 times today and had to stop to go stick my head in the fridge. {TMI?} Come on, you know you do it too when it’s 50 million degrees outside. It’s days like this I miss air conditioning the most.

Our apartment is on the top floor of our building and we have huge windows in each room and the ceiling in the hall is a sky light. Please don’t get me wrong. I love, love, love all of our windows, but it’s a little like living in a green house and right now, that blows. Or rather doesn’t. Naturally we have all of the windows and doors open to create a cross-breeze which would significantly cool things down if the wind was blowing–which it’s not.

So I’ve resorted to sticking my head in the fridge and wishing it was big enough crawl inside. And while I’m there I might as well eat some watermelon, yes? And now that I’m thinking about watermelon I’m reminded that we have a lot of it. And since there is no way on God’s green earth I’m firing up that stove tonight, so I should probably figure out a salad.

Melon+mint is always a winner, right? Yes. Yes, it is.

Watermelon, Feta, and Mint Salad from Kiwi and Peach

Watermelon, Mint, and Feta Salad

The Salad Fixings
100 grams of mixed field greens
3-4 mint leaves
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds {or sunflower, or flax, or etc.}
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1-2 cups watermelon, cubed {It’s kind of hard to actually measure. I used about 10 pieces on each salad.}

The Dress
{adapted from Tupelo Honey}
1/4 of a sweet onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic
juice from 1/2 of a lemon {about 1 Tbsp.}
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2-3 fresh oregano leaves
3-4 fresh basil leaves
big pinch of sugar
pinch of salt and black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Wash and dry your greens and mint leaves well. Thinly slice the mint leaves, and then mix them, the greens and the rest of the salad fixings together in a large bowl.

Toss all of the dressing ingredients {except the olive oil} in the food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add half the olive oil and process for about 10 seconds. Then add the other half and continue processing until it’s a consistency you like.

Pour the dressing over the salad fixings and toss well. Enjoy!

Summer Berry Apple Crumble

Posted on July 24, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go berry pickin’. Growing up my grandparents had a blueberry bush out back, and I could strip that thing in no time flat {some even ended up back in the kitchen too}. When I was living in Athens {Georgia, not Greece}, my friends and I would head over to Washington Farms to get our fill of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries! This would of course lead to lots of strawberry margaritas, blueberry pancakes, and berry salads for the following week. Despite our efforts, we could never quite manage to use all of them up before they would start going off and we had to drink a crazy amount of smoothies. {not complaining.} In retrospect, maybe we just shouldn’t have picked as much, but that thought never occurred to me then. I viewed it as a challenge, and I wish I’d had this recipe up my sleeve. You can use pretty much any berry you have on hand and it requires hardly any prep. Thats my kind of dessert!

Summer Berry Apple Crumble

{inspired by a recipe in one of Zane’s cookbooks Kiwi Favourites}

The Fruit
1 granny smith apple
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup blackberries
1/2 cup strawberries
2 Tbsp brown sugar

The Crumble
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp allspice
1/4 cup butter, cubed and cold

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

Peel your apple and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Core your strawberries and cut them in halves or quarters {depending on the size}. Wash the other berries and throw all the fruit in a bowl. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and give it all a stir. Set the bowl to the side and let it sit for a bit while you make the crumble.

If you have a food processor, this is going to be a walk in the park. If you don’t… Why don’t you go grab a food processor? Toss all of the crumble ingredients in the food processor and process until the butter is incorporated and its crumbly. Simple. As. That. {If you don’t have access to a food processor, you can work the butter in using a fork or pastry cutter. I also recommend using slivered almonds instead of whole if you’re going this route. You can thank me later.}

Grease a pie dish {I used a 6 inch one}, and pour your berry mixture in. Sprinkle the crumble over the top, and pop it in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the crumble has browned a bit and looks crispy!

Serve it hot with some frozen yogurt or whipped cream.

Linked to Fresh Food Wednesdays.

Zermatt Food Guide

Posted on July 23, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

Just a bit of housekeeping before we get to the good stuff today. You probably noticed things look a little different around here today. I needed to make a new social media button and then got a little carried away. It happens.

Why’d I need to make a new button? Because I’m now on Bloglovin’! I resisted the RSS feed for a long, long time. I love visiting the actual blog and getting to see the beautiful design that bloggers put tons of effort and resources into. I feel like I get a sense of the blogger’s personality and style, and in my head, its like we are sitting in their living room chatting. {and I want you to feel the same way here!} My favorite thing about Bloglovin’ is that it looks the same as when I’m on the actual blog, only I can hit next and be taken to another fabulous blog with a guaranteed new post. I’m sure this is old hat to some of y’all, but its rocking my world today. So, if you don’t have a new RSS feed yet, give it a try and be sure to follow us!

We’ve been back from Italy for two weeks now and I am still thinking about all of the amazingly delicious food we ate. Its going to take a while to take y’all through each city, especially Rome. Oh my goodness. Rome. I thought I’d start at the beginning {a very good place to start, you know?} and work my way through the trip because the obsessive compulsive part of my brain won’t let me do it any other way. That said, we didn’t actually start our trip in Italy. We started with a trip to the Matterhorn.

Zermatt is the tiny little village at the base of the Matterhorn that is full of cute little Swiss chalets and smells like mountain air and melted cheese. Leading up to the trip, all I heard about was that we had to try raclette and that Restaurant DuPont was the place to have it. My plate came with a heaping pile of melted smelly cheese, a tiny boiled potato, a tiny sweet onion, and a tiny gherkin. As raclette goes, I’m sure it was a fine example, but it wan’t my cup of tea. Never in my life did I think I’d say this, but too. much. cheese. On the other hand, the Kiwi’s rösti {shredded potatoes with various toppings, basically classy hash browns} was delicious.

After checking lots of menus, we decided to go the non-traditional route for dinner the next night. As expected, apart from fondue, most of the traditional foods were the same as in Germany. We love that stuff, but we get it a lot. One of the Kiwi’s friends had recommended a place called the Brown Cow Pub. Specifically he had recommended the Stinky Burger. This my friends is the stinky burger. This huge burger was topped with gorgonzola, garlic, and caramelized onions.

It was strong, but oh man was it good. I strongly recommend that you convince your significant other to order it too {or at least take a couple bites} so that your breath will be equally as bad. That’s love.

{other Zermatt tips}

If you’re interested in the museum, make sure to check the open hours. We didn’t and missed out. =(

Go hiking! We knew we wanted to go to the top of the Kleines Matterhorn, so we took the cable car up. On the way back down, though, we got off at Schwarzsee {still pretty high up} and hiked down from there on the Matterhorn trail. It was just stunning. The beginning of the trail skirts around the base of the Matterhorn so there are great views of the mountain and the valley as well.

Linked with Travel Tuesday

Bruschetta Chicken

Posted on July 22, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

Monday, we meet again.

Have you got a case of the Mondays today? I sure do. My parents are off to Amsterdam and Paris for the week, and the Kiwi and I are back at work after a great weekend of castles, hiking, and the Kocherball. Bummer, man. I can’t really complain though. We’re meeting up with them in the Black Forest on Friday, so life’s not that bad. I guess.

Today I thought I’d share my version of a Pinterest find. I made it for my mom when she was here back in April, and it was one of the first things she requested I make when they decided to come back this summer. This is super simple y’all. You can do with when you’re dead on your feet after a full day of running, bike riding, and walking 40 million miles; or just work.

Bruschetta Chicken

{adapted for two from this Flickr}

The Chicken
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
2 tsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp garlic salt

The Bruschetta
2 medium tomatoes
8-10 fresh basil leaves
5-6 fresh oregano leaves
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

The Pasta
4 oz whole wheat pasta
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
juice from 1/2 a lemon {about 1 tbsp}
1 clove of garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 375°F/180°C. Using olive oil and a pastry brush, grease the bottom of a glass baking dish.

Measure your flour and put it in a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, crack your egg and scramble it a bit. Coat the chicken with the flour first, then dip it in the egg, and place it in the baking dish.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter and add then bead crumbs, cheese, and salt. Give it a mix, making sure that the butter is absorbed, then spoon it over the tops of the chicken breasts.

Cover it with tin foil and pop it in the oven. Set your timer for about 35 minutes.

While its baking, I go ahead and whip up the tomato topping and make my pasta. Since the tomato topping is essentially the ‘sauce’ for the pasta too I make a lot. Chop up everything and add it to a medium sized bowl. Give it a toss and let it sit for a bit.

When the timer goes off, remove the tin foil and spoon the tomatoes on top of the chicken breasts. Put it back in the oven {uncovered} for 5 more minutes so the tomatoes can get nice and warm.

For the pasta, boil your jug and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package {usually 11-13 minutes for whole wheat pasta}. Always remember to salt your water. It makes the pasta taste so much yummier! When its finished, drain the water and turn off the heat. Return the pasta to the pot and mix in the parmesan, garlic, and lemon juice.

Serve the chicken on a bed of pasta and dig in. I suppose you could forego the pasta altogether and have a nice salad with this instead of carbo-loading, but where’s the fun in that. {Just kidding. I think it would be real tasty!}

Seed and Berry Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Posted on July 19, 2013 by kiwiandpeach

When I mentioned on Monday that I’d love to share my dad’s bread recipe with y’all, I had no idea that Daddy would want to write a whole post. What a sweet daddy I have?! So without further ado, I’ll turn it over to the daddy-o to talk y’all through making some of his tasty bread.

First let me say what an honor it is to be asked to contribute to Lauren’s blog. While Lauren is young and the blog may appeal to her generation, I think a lot of people of my age are in the same situation. We empty nesters are now cooking and preparing meals for two, so paring down recipes {and making them work} is essential.

After a visit with Lauren in the Spring 2012, I came back determined to bake a decent loaf a bread. Everywhere we went in Germany there were bakeries with an array of fresh baked breads and pastries. I think I could have lived just on the bread but then there was the pork knuckle, the steckerl fish, and the different beers I had to try {but I digress}. After several attempts and a few failures, I have settled on the recipe below. I have found that by using whole wheat flour you just aren’t going to get the light fluffy bread we are all used to. It will be denser but packed with goodness and flavor.

This is not a low calorie deal by any means but a combination of healthy nutritional foods that will sustain you throughout the day. I have this almost everyday for lunch {crunchy peanut butter sandwich} and it holds me through the rest of the workday and my afternoon exercises. Making your own bread can seem a bit of hassle but the routine can be very therapeutic. Plus, you can customize your loaf to your tastes switching out seeds or berries to your liking. Give a try.

Seed and Berry Honey Whole Wheat Bread

The Proof
¼ cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 pack active dry yeast {I use Fleischmann’s or Hodgson Mill}

The Wet
½ cup honey
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

The Dry
3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 ¼ tsp salt

The Crust
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Start with proofing your yeast. Directions vary by brand, so its best to follow the directions on the back of package. Usually a 1/4 cup of warm water {120° F} and teaspoon of sugar will get it done. Mix water and sugar first, then add the yeast last and give it a quick stir. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. It should have foamed and almost tripled in size. {It’s alive!}

While its proofing go ahead and prep the wet and dry.

Mix honey and applesauce together in measuring cup. Stir together and put in microwave for about 20 seconds. Give it another stir and 20 seconds more in the microwave or until it’s warm to the touch.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowel and stir until evenly distributed.

Prepare bread pan by spraying or oiling all sides.

Once the proof is finished, add it and the wet to the dry. Plunge your hands in and starting mixing. Once the mixture becomes doughy and can be lifted out of the mixing bowl without making mess, place it on your kneading surface. {I use a pastry mat but any clean hard surface should do if floured first.}

Knead dough for about 8-10 minutes. If everything is going right, you should get a dough with a nice elastic texture. You will be able to tell while kneading if it is too dry or too wet. Add more warm water or flour depending on your ‘knead’. {Ya get it?}

Form dough into loaf the size of your bread pan and place in pan. Cover with a towel and put in warm dark place for 1-2hrs. When dough doubles in size you should be good to go.

Place the pan in oven and set your timer for 25 minutes. After the 25 minutes, tent with aluminum foil and put back in oven for 20-25 minutes. The time may differ for your oven but somewhere in the range of 44-50 total time should do it.

Take your loaf out of oven and place on cooling rack. Melt the butter and brush it over the top of your loaf. This will keep the crust from getting too hard. Slice and enjoy!

Seed and Berry Honey Whole Wheat Bread from Kiwi and Peach