Author Archives: kiwiandpeach

Rosemary and Maple Bourbon Lemonade

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Last week I mentioned making a spiked lemonade to go with the shrimp tacos we had for our Labor Day celebration. Well folks, here it is!

We have loads of rosemary at the moment. It is quite literally taking over our herb garden, so I’ve taken to throwing it in everything: drinks, cakes, even the pumpkin ravioli I’m making tonight. Along with the slightly herby taste that the rosemary gives the simple syrup, I feel like the maple syrup compliments the bourbon beautifully. In my world, lemonade is a very summery drink, but the maple and the bourbon give it just a hint of Fall, making this the perfect accompaniment to a Labor Day feast or really, any feast this time of the year.

Rosemary and Maple Bourbon Lemonade | kiwi+peach

Rosemary and Maple Bourbon Lemonade

{makes about 4 drinks}

Rosemary Maple Simple Syrup
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup maple syrup
5 sprigs of rosemary, washed and leaves striped

The Spike
1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice {about 3 lemons}
1/3 cup bourbon

Boil your jug and start heating up a pot on medium heat. Once the jug boils, measure your water into the pot and then whisk in the maple syrup. Add the sprigs of rosemary {stalk and leaves} and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

While the syrup is simmering, you can be juicing your lemons. Remember to roll them really well before you try to juice them. This will break up all the little membranes, and you will get so much more juice!

After a couple minutes of simmering, strain the syrup to remove all the rosemary bits. In a pitcher, stir together the juice, the bourbon, and the simple syrup. Pop it in the fridge for a few hours to cool.

Serve over ice. Extra rosemary optional but oh so pretty.

Rosemary and Maple Bourbon Lemonade | kiwi+peach

Kickin’ the ’cocks Boneless Buffalo Wings

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{Disclaimer: I am aware this title is a bit on the edge. We are playing South Carolina this week and they’re the gamecocks. Come on, you know it’s funny. The twelve year old inside you is laughing right now.}

It’s Friday friends! It’s finally here. This week has been d.r.a.g.g.i.n.g. Why? Because the Kiwi’s parents are coming to town! We love having folks over, but we especially love it when those folks are our folks.

But before I run pick them up at the train station, I wanted to share a quick game day recipe for your tailgate this weekend. Last week was close, but my dawgs didn’t finish the drill. Hopefully they can make it happen this weekend, and hopefully I will be able to convince the crew that what they really want to do on their only Saturday night in Munich is watch an American football game.

Kickin’ the ’cocks Boneless Buffalo Wings

Kickin’ the ’cocks Boneless Buffalo Wings

The Chicken
2 chicken breasts
buttermilk

The Breading
3/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper

To Cook
1/2 cup canola oil {enough for there to be about 1cm of oil in your pan}
1 cup hot sauce {or for the lightweights, BBQ sauce}

Get started by slicing your chicken breasts into strips. Put the strips in a tupperware container and pour in the buttermilk until the chicken is just covered. Let the it soak in the buttermilk for at least an hour, but if possible, overnight is best.

When you’re ready to eat, start heating the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and preheat your oven to broil {or grill for the Kiwis}.

Mix together all of the breading ingredients in a shallow bowl. When the oil is hot, coat the chicken strips with the breading and pop them in the oil. Shallow fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side. When the breading is crispy, transfer the chicken to a paper towel and let some of that grease drain off. Discard the used cooking oil that’s still in the pan.

Grab a bowl and pour your hot sauce {or BBQ sauce} in it. One by one dip the chicken strips in the sauce and then return to the frying pan. Once all of your chicken is back in the pan, pop it in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. This will finish cooking the chicken and crisp that breading even more. Yum!

Serve it up with some blue cheese dipping sauce and dig in!

Roasted Pumpkin Hummus

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I get a stupid amount of the warm and fuzzies when I get to cook for people. There is something about the thought process that goes into creating a meal for someone that is the ultimate display of friendship and caring to me. As we’ve explored the world, I’ve discovered that this communion, which I had always considered inherently Southern, is actually the most universal kind of thing. {duh!}

This weekend one of our close friends here in Munich celebrated the big 3-0. Since food is obviously my love language, I volunteered to do some cooking for her little get together. Since another friend was whipping up dessert, I was got to work on the savories. Wanting to keep it simple and fresh, I made two whole wheat pizza bases and topped one with pesto and roasted heirloom tomatoes and the other with caramelized onions, figs, and gorgonzola cheese. {recipes for both coming soon!}

I also really wanted to whip up something for us to munch on before dinner. I was leaning toward making hummus, and when I spotted pumpkins at the market, it was sold. I love fall!

I’ll go more in depth on how to make your own pumpkin puree next week, but suffice it to say that it is incredibly easy and is so much more flavorful than the canned stuff. {Plus we got pepitas!}

What about you? How do you show people they are loved? What gives you the warm fuzzies?

Roasted Pumpkin Hummus | kiwi+peach

Roasted Pumpkin Hummus with Veggies

The Hummus
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup chick peas
1 clove of roasted garlic {non-roasted will work too, it’s just spicier}
1/3 cup olive oil
juice from 1/2 of a lemon {1-2 tbsp}
1 tbsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

The Presentation
pumpkin seeds
bell peppers of various colors
cucumber

Combine all of the hummus ingredients in your food processor and process the heck out of it. {By that I mean let it go for a couple of minutes until you’re happy with the consistency.}

Prep your veggies for dipping. When you dish it up for serving, sprinkle a few salted pumpkin seeds on top and enjoy!

Naturally Sweetened Coconut Whipped Cream

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Want to know something weird about lactose intolerance?

I am absolutely repulsed by some milk products, specifically milk and cream. Even the fresh stuff smells sour to me, like buttermilk. {Which some people, Germans in particular, drink neat, but it’s not my thing. Clearly.} Now I don’t really know what came first the aversion to milk or the lactose intolerance, the chicken or the egg. Theories abound as to why some folks are completely lactose intolerant, some mildly, and some not at all. The disposition is definitely genetic, but it’s my theory that it is exacerbated by avoidance which, in some cases, is caused by this aversion.

Or maybe I’m just weird.

Either way, long story short, I don’t like cream. But I do like coconut. So if I’m going to make whipped cream, I’m probably going to whip coconut cream as opposed to regular cream because then I don’t have to take an enzyme and I like the taste.

Not a coconut fan? Then this isn’t for you. This definitely has a coconut-y flavor, so keep on keeping on with your cream. But if you are a coconut fan-girl like me, then this can be the perfect dairy-free substitution for those desserts that are just begging for a dollop.

Plus its a ton less work. Can’t beat that. {or rather you can. because you beat it. with a whisk. i’m done.}

Coconut Whipped Cream {sweetened naturally} | kiwi+peachSprouted Kitchen’s summer peach tart
with our naturally sweetened coconut whipped cream, blueberries, and granola.

Naturally Sweetened Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can of full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup of maple syrup, honey, or agave {more or less depending on your taste and the dish}

Put the can of coconut milk in the fridge over night. All of the water will settle to the bottom and all the lovely cream {read: fat} will solidify at the top.

When you’re ready to make the whipped cream, open the can and scoop that all of that cream into a medium sized mixing bowl leaving the water behind. Whisk on high and gradually add in your sweetener until you’re happy with the taste.

The great thing about this is that you can completely adapt it to the delicious treat you’re going to be putting it on. You can add spices, more or less sweetener, whatever! Go crazy y’all!

Florence Food Guide

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While Cinque Terre was my must-see for our tour of Italy, Florence was the place for the Kiwi. He was drawn to the history, the art, and, yes, the food. I can safely say that he was not disappointed and neither was I. Florence was simply amazing–and full of tasty places to grab a bite.

Florence Food Guide | kiwi+peachphoto by the Kiwi

Based on Lauren from Aspiring Kennedy’s glowing recommendation, the first place we headed to upon our arrival in Florence was Trattoria ZaZa. They have an entire truffle menu, folks. An entire menu. In comparison the only thing we get full menus of in Germany is asparagus. {Keep on with your truffles ZaZa.}

It was also just down the street from the apartment we had rented, so since it was so convenient, we ended up eating there more than was strictly necessary. Sure we tried other places, but its hard to beat fried polenta with truffle wild boar sauce or spaghetti carbonara with truffle seasoning. Or pizza with truffle cheese. Or baked herbed rabbit with steamed spinach and garlic. Or truffle french fries. Can you tell we were fans? If you only eat at one place in Florence, eat here. You won’t regret it.

Florence Food Guide: Trattoria Za'Za' | kiwi+peach     Florence Food Guide: Trattoria Za'Za' | kiwi+peach

Somewhere I read about a stand in the Mercato Centrale called Nerbone that we absolutely had to try, and since it was within spiting distance of Trattoria ZaZa, we really had no excuse. This place has been going since 1872, and whatever they have that day, is what they have. It’s the luck of the draw. I love places like that because, let’s be real, folks wouldn’t take the risk if it wasn’t all delicious. The line was long, but totally, totally worth it just for a bite of their shaved pork sandwich, roasted pork {with crackling} and bread skewer, and some delicious fresh pesto pasta.

Florence Food Guide: Nerbone at Mercato Centrale | kiwi+peach     Florence Food Guide: Nerbone at Mercato Centrale | kiwi+peach

This last place we found by accident. We had been trying really hard all week to make it to this place called Zeb by the city wall near Piazza Michelangelo. We went back three different times and they were closed each time. Real bummer too because I heard it was so good. But anyway. Each time we tried to go there we walked by this place, Bevo Vino, that had the best looking Aperol spritzes I had ever seen. It was always busy with Italians sipping and eating this comfy little cafe. On our last day we struck out again at Zeb, so we decided to give this place a go. It was lunch so the place wasn’t as chocka as we had seen it previously in fact we pretty much had it to ourselves, but y’all the food was so good! I had a sandwich on warm focaccia with with cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and capers. The Kiwi ordered the summer parmigiana which consisted of layers of grilled eggplant, thick slices of mozzarella, and juicy tomatoes sprinkled with basil. Yum!

Florence Food Guide: Bevo Vino | kiwi+peach

{other Florence tips}

Get the FirenzeCard. Just do it. It’s good for 72 hours and gets you into pretty much everything, you don’t have to make reservations, and you get to skip the lines in most places. It also gets you free wifi.

Climb all the stairs. We did the Duomo {stairs}, the bell tower, the Palazzo Vecchio tower, and climbed up to the Piazza Michelangelo. The views are stunning, and you’ll work off all that tasty, tasty food you’ve been eating.

Don’t miss the Galileo Museum. Things like the Duomo, the Uffizi, and Palazzo Vecchio are a given, but the Galileo Museum is a gem for science lovers.

Linked with Travel Tuesdays

Honeyed Tequila Shrimp and Mango Tacos

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Hey there buddy. Happy Labor Day! I hope you’re having a lazy day off from work as the summer days wind down.

Fall weather has well and truly made it’s arrival in Munich. That said, we are still getting a good amount of summer produce at the market so I snatched up a mango while the getting was good. {Unfortunately I think we’ve seen the last of the peaches though. Sad day.}

Since it’s not a holiday today for us here in Deutschland, we decided to celebrate last night with tacos! Actually, pretty much any summer celebration means tacos for us. We are big fans. {Okay, I’m a big fan. The Kiwi eats what I put in front of him.} The Kiwi says that these are his favorite tacos yet. {I believe his exact words were that they were “awesomely, deliciously, tasty.”} But really. The spicy and the sweet and the earthy flavors are all perfectly balanced into one little taco bundle that is begging to be eaten.

I also made a rosemary and maple bourbon lemonade and was going to make this fig and salted honey topped faux cheesecake but completely forgot I had to soak the cashews. Doh! {No worries. I made it today. Yum!}

I thought this was a perfect way to say farewell to summer. How are you celebrating today?

Honeyed Tequila Shrimp and Mango Tacos

The Wet
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp chili flakes
pinch of salt, pepper, and oregano
2 Tbsp tequila
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey

The Shrimp
4 oz shrimp, tails removed
1/2 of a sweet onion, sliced

The Assembly
6 wheat soft taco tortillas
3-4 leaves of red cabbage
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 mango, cubed
a few dollops of sour cream {or plain yogurt}

Start heating a pan on medium heat. When it’s hot, pour a tiny bit of olive oil in the pan and toast the tortillas, one by one, lightly on both sides. Set them aside until you’re ready for the assembly.

While the tortillas are toasting, mix all the herbs and spices together in a small bowl. Whisk in the tequila, olive oil, and honey.

If you have some extra time, now is when I generally prep the goods for the assembly and slice my onion, but you can do it whenever.

When the tortillas are finished toasting, add a bit more olive oil to the pan and then pop your shrimp and onions in there. Pour in the wet and, stirring frequently, cook for 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by about a quarter and the shrimp are nice and pink.

Onto the assembly. It isn’t rocket science…load the suckers up! {I do a layer of cabbage, then the shrimp and onions, mango, top it with cheese, and if you feel so inclined, a big ole dollop of sour cream.}

Enjoy!

Friday Football Round-Up

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Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. The leaves are changing. Mornings are crisp, begging you for a run. Afternoons are pleasant, perfect for nice long walks with my favorite Kiwi.

But most importantly, fall is the best because it means football is back!

Being from the south and an alum of a school where football is king, life has always been just a bit more exciting in the fall. Lots of travel to away games, lots of planning and cooking for tailgates, and lots and lots of friendly trash talk. {Unless of course you’re a Tennessee or Florida fan in which case, it’s not that friendly.}

Of course, this weekend is really a double whammy–Labor day weekend and the football kick off. So today I’ve rounded up some great recipes, crafty tailgate decor, and precious game day dresses {because in the South we dress up for football games} to get you in a celebrating mood.

Enjoy the long weekend and GO DAWGS!

Kiwi+Peach: Friday Football Round Upvia*

{decorate}

My weekend project. These pillows would really class up a place.

Build your own corn hole set. {Bean bag toss for the uninitiated. It’s not what you’re thinking.}

This cutting board would be perfect.

Some precious {free} printables.

{wear}

so. many. cute. dresses.

but seriously, I may or may not be ordering this one.

…and maybe this one too.

{eat}

from our archives:

You could throw these blue cheese burgers on the grill.

I shall call these tiger tails, and they shall be destroyed. {too intense?}

You could also give these maple baked beans a whirl.

Need something sweet? Try the strawberry margarita cupcakes.

…or the salted caramel and apple pies. Nom!

from around the web:

Healthy brownies? Stick some raspberries on top and they’ll be yelling Go Dawgs!

Not so healthy puppy chow.

…or this slightly healthier version.

*Pinterest is not a legit source. If you know who made this beaut please let me know so I can update it. Responsible pinning y’all.

Turkey Joes

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When I was cooking just for myself, Sunday nights I would make a big batch of something and then just eat on it for lunches and dinners that whole week. I had about four things that I would rotate between which is good because when you’ve been eating something pretty much every meal for a week you don’t really want to see it again for a month. I will eventually get around to sharing all of these recipes {in their new and improved versions} because they really are still some of my favorites, but today we’re just going to talk about one.

Sloppy joes.

Or rather, turkey joes since I make them with ground turkey breast as opposed to ground beef which, after one of my foods classes, really freaked me out in college.

Ground turkey breast is pretty hard to find here in Deutschland, so these days, more often than not, I end up using beef. I will say that the grass-fed cows that led happy lives in the Alps before they ended up on my plate freak me out a bit less that the stuff we talked about in that class.

However, if I ever see ground turkey in the shop here, there is usually a squeal of delight {which gets many disapproving looks from nearby Germans} and I snatch that sucker up like they’re going to take it away from me {which they probably are because they think I’m insane}. What can I say? Turkey joes are a comfort food for me, and there is nothing like having your comfort food made just right.

I’m curious, what is your ultimate comfort food? When I was sick as a kid my grandmother would make me a fried bologna sandwich. You probably won’t be seeing it on the blog anytime soon, but man! Nothing says you’re safe and loved like mixed meat fried in bacon grease slapped between two pieces of Sunbeam, the whitest white bread imaginable, with globs of mayo. Am I right?

Probably not.

Kiwi+Peach: Turkey Joes

Turkey Joes

The Slop
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 of an sweet onion, diced
1/2 of a red pepper, diced {capsicum for the Kiwis}
200 grams ground turkey breast
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

The Assembly
1/4 cup BBQ Sauce
2 buns

Heat a deep sauté pan on medium high heat and add the olive oil. When it’s hot, throw in the diced onion and red pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent. This usually takes about 5-7 minutes for me. When you’re happy with the veg, push them to the side of your pan then add the ground turkey, chili powder, paprika, and cinnamon. Use your stirring device to break the meat up and slowly incorporate it into the veggies. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and appears to be cooked through.

{If you’re using ground beef instead of ground turkey breast, I advise doing the meat in a separate pan and draining off all the grease before adding it to the onion+red pepper mixture.}

Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the BBQ sauce. Let the whole thing simmer away for about 5 minutes or until the BBQ sauce has reduced by about half.

While the slop is reducing and caramelizing and becoming awesome, you can be prepping the buns. Slice them in half and spread about a tablespoon of BBQ sauce on the top and bottom slices. When the slop is ready, spoon a big ol’, sensible size portion of it on the bottom bun. Add the top bun, smush a bit, and dig in.

Prepare to get messy.

Kiwi+Peach: Turkey Joes

Summer Monogram Swap {and Bourbon Buckeyes}

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One of the best parts of this blog adventure is the wonderful blogging community that it makes you a part of. Folks that know exactly what it’s like pouring your heart and time into your tiny little corner of the interwebs and hope that the people reading it respond to your voice and what you’re talking about.

There are a seemingly never ending number of opportunities to meet and connect with these other folks. When I saw that one of my favorite style bloggers, Nicole from Probably Polka Dots, was hosting a monogram swap I thought “Why not?”. I’ve never done anything like this before but I really liked the concept of connecting with one or two bloggers and really getting to know them. The fact that I’d get to gift and be gifted something personal and unique made it even better.

Our group was a trio. I was entrusted with finding the perfect gift for Susan, a lifestyle blogger from Ohio. I have loved every minute of getting to know Susan and spending time in her space, Charming Lucy. She is creative and stylish, but the thing I find most inspiring about her blog is how highly she talks about her precious daughter and blog namesake, Lucy. Be sure to head over to her blog to see what I ended up giving her!

When I found out that Sarah, a style blogger from Kentucky, was going to be picking out my monogramed goodie I was pretty pumped. The girl has style as evidenced by her blog Simply Sarah Style, so I knew I’d be getting something awesome. Since we are all about the kitchen over here, she picked out some cute personalized recipe cards and a monogrammed tea towel. Thanks so much Sarah!

tea towel     recipe cards
photo credit: the mama

Ladies, thank you all so much for making the swap a great experience. And, because y’all are both so awesome, I thought I’d share a little recipe I cooked up that was inspired by both of y’all.

Football season is THREE days away and, for the football devoted, that means lots of tailgating, football watching get togethers, and a significant amount of cooking every weekend. {At least, that is what it would mean that for me if we were in the States, but we’re not. So football season means 2am game starts and lots of gnashing of teeth if the video feed freezes.}

One of the things I’ve learned in my years of tailgating is that if you put liquor in it, folks will eat it. Traditionally a tailgate favorite for fans of The Ohio State Buckeyes {sorry Michigan fans, I do love you}, I think that regardless of your school allegiance, these are a bite sized, Kentucky bourbon filled dessert that folks can get on board with.

Normal buckeyes are pretty simple–peanut butter, powdered sugar, and chocolate. In a effort to up the nutritional value of these a bit, I wanted to eliminate most of the refined sugar, so instead of powdered sugar, we’re using peanut butter cookie crumbs and mixing it with cream cheese and bourbon and then dipping it in dark chocolate. Bam.

Kiwi+Peach: Bourbon Buckeyes {whole grain, no refined sugar, and so, so delicious}

Bourbon Buckeyes

The Crumb
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 cup whole grain flour {I used spelt.}
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

The Mix
6 ounces {175 grams} cream cheese
2 Tbsp bourbon
2 Tbsp maple syrup

The Cover
8 ounces {200 grams} of dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and melted coconut oil together. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, and salt until they are just incorporated.

Spoon golf ball sized balls of dough onto a lined baking sheet and press flat with a fork. Pop them in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until they are crispy.

You could stop here and just have some peanut buttery cookies, but I recommend you keep going. Its about to get delicious.

When the cookies are finished, let them cool for a quick minute, and then put them into your food processor. Process until there are no chunks of cookie left, just crumbs.

In a small bowl, whisk the bourbon and maple syrup into the cream cheese. Empty the cookie crumbs into a large mixing bowl, and add the cream cheese mixture. Mix until it’s fully incorporated.

Roll into golf ball sized balls and pop in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

To melt your chocolate, break the bar up into small pieces and put the pieces in a bowl. Pop the bowl in the microwave for a minute. Stir the chocolate. If it’s not completely melted yet, keep going in 15 second intervals stirring well in between each. It shouldn’t take more than 1 or 2 more hits.

Dip the bottom of your peanut buttery ball of goodness into the chocolate then transfer to a parchment paper lined tray. Let the chocolate harden and then store in the freezer until about 30 minutes before you’re serving them.

This should get you about 20 buckeyes. Adjust your amounts accordingly, but just a warning, everyone at your tailgate will be gobbling them up!