Recipe 1. Fresh Green Bean Salad with Turkey Bacon, Onion, and Tomato
Wash and snap ends of fresh green beans. Set aside while boiling a medium size pan with a quart of
water. Add a half teaspoon of salt to the boiling water. When the water comes to a full rolling boil, add
the green beans. Do not overcook the green beans. When the beans turn a bright green, they are almost
done. Let them cook another minute. Allowing the beans to turn an olive color means that they have
cooked too long. They will be mushy and most of the vitamins will be boiled out. The objective here is to
have the beans cooked to an al dente consistency. As soon as the beans are cooked, pour into a
colander and run under cold water for two minutes. Drain and put into a large salad bowl and set aside.

Chop a half of a medium white onion coarsely. While the beans cool, use a medium size frypan and add
one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Use medium heat to warm the oil. When the oil turns
shimmering, add the onions. Cover the pan and let cook for two minutes. Chop turkey bacon, five strips
(or pork bacon if you prefer) and cook with the sautéed onion. Cook for eight minutes, stirring to keep
food from sticking. Add a half cup of tomato sauce or freshly chopped Roma tomatoes to the cooking
onions and bacon and cook another five minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Include a few fresh basil leaves,
torn not chopped, to the cooked mixture. Shut off the heat and let cool for ten minutes. After cooling,
add the mixture to the cooked green beans, tossing lightly. Serve this dish warm as a side or as a salad. It
even tastes better the next day.

Recipe 2. Spinach and Broccoli Rabe Sautéed Lightly in Garlic with Lemon Zest, Hot Chicken
Sausage and Penne Pasta

Finely chop three large cloves of garlic, a bag of fresh spinach (one prewashed bag, about 10 ounces),
and one bunch of well washed broccoli rabe. Be sure to cut off stems from the broccoli rabe and discard.

Using medium heat, add two tablespoons of virgin olive oil and let cook until oil shimmers. Add garlic
and brown for two minutes. Add broccoli rabe next, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the pan and let the
broccoli rabe steam until it appears a light green color. Add the spinach, salting lightly and recover the
pan, changing the heat to medium low. Cook for another three minutes. Uncover the pan and stir the
greens from the bottom of the pan up, mixing the broccoli rabe and spinach together with the garlic on
the bottom. Taste and adjust for the right level of saltiness. Put in a large bowl and set aside. Prepare a
baking sheet with parchment paper or foil liner and add one pound of chicken sausage, cut into bitesize
pieces. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn sausage over and bake for another 8 minutes. Check to see that
meat is thoroughly cooked, devoid of pink color in the middle. Remove from oven and let cool.
While the meat is cooling, prepare a pot for boiling pasta. Penne or Rotelli works well with this dish. Use
a two-quart pan filled to half with water and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Add one
cup of pasta. It will double in size after cooking. Use the directions on the box of pasta to determine
cooking time.

Watch carefully how the color of the pasta changes as it becomes softened and cooked. Al dente pasta
is best. The color of the pasta changes to a light straw color. Taste one piece and decide if it suits your
palate. If the pasta color looks almost white, it is overcooked, and its texture will be much! When the
pasta is cooked, strain and rinse with cool water, shaking off excess moisture. Add pasta to the cooked
greens, tossing well but not mixing. Avoid mushing ingredients together at all costs!
Use a fine box grater or raspier to make a teaspoon of lemon zest. Sprinkle zest onto the pasta and
greens and mix gently. If you like, a third of a cup of Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes can be
added. Before serving, add the turkey sausage, turning into the pasta-greens mixture. Serve warm.

Recipe 3. Manicotti Crepes Filled with Ricotta

I recently found out that manicotti is not made in Italy. Cannelloni is the signature Amalfi dish of baked
large, rolled tube pasta Italians know and love. Manicotti, coming from the Italian word manicotti,
meaning large sleeves, is an Italian American food. Manicotti, cannelloni are somewhat interchangeable
as vehicles for stuffed pasta with cheese, veal, pork and chicken, or vegetables as in Bolognese. I
experimented with making my Mom’s version of manicotti from handmade crepes that were later filled
with ricotta, parsley, egg, and cheese. After the crepes are cooled, they are filled with the ricotta
mixture and folded into a tube shape. After a batch of the manicotti rest in a wax paper lined tray, they

can be frozen and later stored in a plastic bag to be used as needed. Manicotti can be frozen and used
for up to two weeks.

For the crepes:

Wax paper squares cut from sheets of wax paper. Have at least a dozen available. Mix in blender,
one egg at room temperature, one cup of all-purpose flour, one cup of water, room temperature, and a
pinch of salt. Blend on low until completely mixed. Using a 9inch non-stick pan, grease with a bar of
butter. Use the bar partially wrapped in paper, so that the surface of the stick of butter stays clean. Each
time the pan is filled with crepe batter, the pan needs to be greased so it can be flipped onto wax paper
for cooling and filling.

Heat the frypan and grease lightly, then fill with the crepe batter, dropping the batter in the middle of
the pan, the size of 4-inch disc. Rotate the pan so that the batter covers the whole bottom of the pan
with a thin coating. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the middle of the crepe is solid. You
can tell it is done when you see the middle does not wiggle when you shake the pan. When the crepe is
cooked, flip it out using a rubber spatula onto a prepared square of wax paper set on a platter to cool.
This recipe will make a dozen crepes. As the batter settles over time, it can become thick. Stir the batter
occasionally, and if needed, add a quarter cup of water to loosen it.

When you have used up all the batter and the crepes are cooling, make the manicotti filling.

Manicotti filling:

ix one-pound container of fresh ricotta with one egg, two tablespoons of minced flat leaf parsley, one
egg, a dash of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, a dash of nutmeg, and half cup of Parmesan cheese.
Scramble the egg before you add it to the cheese mixture. Beat in the egg and the cheese with the other
spices until well blended. Cut up a half pound of mozzarella cheese into quarter inch blocks and fold into
the cheese mixture. The crepes are now ready to be filled.

Using a cookie sheet prepared with a layer of wax paper, assemble one crepe at a time, using 3
tablespoons of cheese mixture. Put a dollop of the mixture in the middle of one crepe at a time,
spreading generously from top to bottom. Fold the crepe over one side of the filling and then the other
side, making a little “sleeve” over the filling. Fill the cookie sheet with the filled crepes, placing them in
the freezer for three hours. The manicotti should be frozen hard and able to be stored in a plastic
freezer bag for later use. Manicotti can be stored for up to 2 weeks in the freezer.

To serve, prepare a baking dish with a layer of tomato sauce, then frozen manicotti, then a top layer of
sauce and Parmesan cheese or grated mozzarella. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30
minutes. After baking, put the manicotti under the broiler on high heat for 2-3 minutes until golden
brown.

Serve immediately.

The post Winter Recipes appeared first on carolfunk.

The Knockout Roses were still blooming in December, and the Christmas cactus is ready for a second
rush of fuchsia and red. But, as the pundits say, “the party is over.” All the Christmas hubbub, ugly
sweater parties, overpriced prix fixe dinners at overpriced restaurants have come to a thud stop. It is
January. It is time to get serious. It is time to settle into winter. This is a good thing. As much as I like
decorating, cooking for family and friends, entertaining, and singing carols, the passing of the holidays,
is, dare I say it, a welcomed relief.

Truly, I do not want to be assaulted by anymore “great deals” or advertising that promises “two for one
if you act now!” I don’t want it. I don’t care. I know exactly what I want and what I care about right now.
I want to settle into winter. I care about having solitude. Silence. Blessed silence. It is a joy to shut off
the car radio and listen to the windshield wipers whisper their back and forth words of wisdom as new
snow clings to the glass. It is an existential moment to listen to my own breathing. My warmth is causing
a pattern of clouds to form on the windshield. As the snow covers the branches of the trees, I imagine
ice forming on bare branches, swaying a melody. Chrystal wind chimes. So precious. It is all mine to see,
and hear, and feel. Silence. It was made for me. Settling into winter.

The post Settling into Winter appeared first on carolfunk.

My cousin upstairs had a magnificent Victorian doll house with beautiful rooms and wraparound porch.
The church across the street supplied my aunt with bows from discarded bouquets to make decorations.
My aunt sewed curtains, bed spreads, pillows and crocheted bedspread for the pink “ little girl’s” room.
It was magical; so different from our spare apartment downstairs.
My cousin, now a teenager, found glamour and boys. No one knew what became of the doll house.
Christmastime I asked Santa for a doll house just like hers. Under the tree was a doll house made of tin
with printed curtains, tiny kitchen, and plastic plates. A rubber tiny turkey was in the kitchen to pretend
bake. I cried. It was nothing like my cousin’s doll house. It lingered in
childhood dreams.
Visiting Cape May with my husband, miniature Victorian houses were displayed all over town. For my
birthday, my husband made me a doll house furnished for every season. Years passed; it fell into lonely
hibernation. This year for my birthday my husband and my son restored it. It became a labor of love
two generations passed down to the next.

The post Tiny Love Stories appeared first on carolfunk.

1) Spinach Crepe Casserole, shortcut version

Cook two lbs. of fresh, washed spinach in a deep frypan with sauteed sweet onions (Vidalia). Sprinkle
with salt very lightly. Put lid on the frypan and let the spinach steam with the sauteed onions until wilted
but not limp like seaweed on a clam. Blend slightly on low speed for 30 seconds. Add one half cup of
ricotta cheese that has been drained in a fine sieve for hours. Let the whey drip from the ricotta, so it
does not add moisture to the spinach. Add ricotta to spinach. Add salt, black pepper, and a dash of
nutmeg. Mix lightly. Add one half to two thirds cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Blend all ingredients for
one minute on low speed.

Grease a casserole dish and line with crepes. Overlap the crepes for more sturdy bottom lining. Add
spinach mixture on top, then another layer of crepes, overlapping each other. Top with more Parmesan
cheese. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes until bubbly and brown.

You can buy crepes frozen, separated by paper layers in the grocery store. Instead of crepes you can use
“No boil” thin lasagna strips. Grease the casserole dish as before and line with the dry “no boil” lasagna
strips, overlapping. Sprinkle or better yet, use spray bottle to moisten the lasagna strips with one third
cup of hot water, coating the strips. If you don’t have frozen crepes or “no boil lasagna strips, you can
use flour tortillas. Do not overlap flour tortillas making this dish. It will make the layers much too thick.
Add the spinach mixture as before. Add another layer of lasagna strips on top and sprinkle with another
half cup of boiling water. Add thin slices of butter, spread on top of the strips. Add grated Parmesan
cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until lasagna strips are tender at 400. When
strips are tender, take off the foil and run under the broiler on low for 3 minutes until top is brown and
bubbly.

Crepe recipe for Spinach Casserole

Have wax paper squares cut out and ready to separate the cooked crepes. Make at least a dozen sheets
of 5”x7” rectangles prepared and set on the counter beside your cooktop.

Mix in blender one egg, one cup of all-purpose flour, one to one and half cup of water, and 1/8 teaspoon
of salt. Start with one cup of water. If batter looks thick like pancake batter, add more water and blend
again. Butter or oil spray an 8inch nonstick fry pan and heat on low flame. Pour ¼ cup of batter into the
heated pan, swirling to cover the whole pan surface. Return to the heat. When bubbles begin to form
around the edges of the crepe, shake the pan slightly by the handle to loosen it. When the middle looks
firm, flip crepe to reverse side and cook for one minute. Place the finished crepe onto the wax paper
rectangle prepared. Stack crepes on top of each other with wax paper separating each crepe. Let cool
for one half hour. They can be stored in the refrigerator for two days or freezer for two weeks for future
use.

2) All-Purpose Herb Mix from Provisions Store, Lake Maggiore

Add one third cup of dried basil, rosemary, a tablespoon of oregano, a teaspoon of lemon zest, pinch of
kosher salt, pinch of ground chili pepper, and teaspoon of smoked paprika. Mix. Add one tablespoon of
Parmesan cheese. Store in a glass jar and cover to top with black pepper corns. The pepper corns will
absorb the moisture and avoid spoiling. This herb mix is perfect for pasta cooked with a few pats of
butter and olive oil tossed with the herb mix by itself. You can also add sauteed spinach, broccoli rabe,
steamed fresh asparagus in addition to small sauteed shrimp or salmon cut into bitesize pieces. Garnish
with chopped flat leaf parsley. This mix can be used as a rub for steak and chicken.

Recipes from Austria

These signature dishes are typical of the cuisine of the alpine countries and are found with slight
variations. These recipes are the Austrian versions of these dishes.

Austrian Dumplings, also called Tyrolese Knodel

The plain version is served with a ragout of mushrooms, onions and rosemary. The dumplings can be
made with spinach as well. Typically the spinach version is served with a topping of Parmesan and a
glass of Riesling.

6 slices of stale white bread, crusts cut off and reserved for another use, for example, making bread
crumbs.

Half cup of milk, warmed.

Half cup of warm water.

2 large eggs, slightly beaten.

Half teaspoon of salt.

Sprinkling of black ground pepper.

Two tablespoons of grated sweet onion, like Vidalia onions.

Half teaspoon of dried or fresh rosemary.

Half teaspoon of fresh chopped chives.

One tablespoon of olive oil, one pat of butter.

White flour as needed.

Two quart pot of salted, boiling water, two thirds full.

Method:

Cut off crusts of stale white bread and cube into half ich pieces. Fill large bowl with cubed bread and mix
with salt and pepper, and rosemary.

Pour water and milk into a pot and bring to a slight boil. Pour over the cubed bread. Mix together well
and let stand in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or dish to help the steam from the liquid to process
softening the bread. Let the bread rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, sauté the onions with one pat
of butter and one teaspoon of olive oil. Let cook briefly while stirring. When onions turn translucent,
remove from the heat and put aside.

After the bread has rested 10 minutes, add slightly scrambled eggs and cooled cooked onions. Mix
thoroughly with your hands. There should be no hard pieces of bread in the mixture. If the mixture feels
too dry to work into a two-inch ball, add more warm water. If the mixture feels too loose, add a
tablespoon of white flour. Wet hands and form bread into two inch balls. Consistency of the mixture
should be firm but sticky. Do not overwork. Do not add more flour than is necessary to have the balls
stick together.

Bring pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Lower to a simmer and gently add the dumplings one at a
time. Cook for fifteen minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Platter and garnish with chopped chives.

Serve with pork, beef stew, or with mushroom ragout.

For a variation with spinach, sauté a half pound of fresh spinach in olive oil and chopped sweet onions.
Sweat the onions and spinach together in a frypan and salt slightly. As spinach wilts, cover pan and shut
off heat. Let the spinach wilt for 10 minutes. Drain off water, squeezing the spinach with a clean tea
towel. You can use frozen spinach also. Use the process outlined above to make the bread dough for the
dumplings. Cool the spinach for 30 minutes. Add cooled spinach to bread mixture. Add eggs and half cup
of Parmesan (Reggio Parmesano or Grana Padana) a twist of ground black pepper, and a pinch of
nutmeg. Shape into dumplings the size of ping pong balls. Meanwhile, have a large pot of salted boiling
water as described above. Lower the heat to medium and gently drop the dumplings into the pot. Cook
for 25 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Serve on a warmed platter and
dot with butter. Sprinkle with more grated cheese and serve as a main dish or with fish. Dumplings can
be added to chicken or beef consume as a hearty simple soup.

The post Recipes from my Alpine Trip appeared first on carolfunk.

Part of our tour was to experience the experiences and everyday life of a local farmer in Switzerland.
The tour also advertised that we would actually milk a cow and taste farm fresh Swiss cheese. The
farmer was very frank with us about the difficulties of dairy farming and told us that dairy farming was
too much work. It was more profitable to raise steers for beef, importing meat to restaurants around
the world. He offered us a table spread with various breads and several cheeses. We were in the
Bernese Oberland area, and he told us this was the best kind of local cheese available. I asked where his
cheese shed was, and where did he produce the cheese. The farmer explained that the cheese did not
come from his farm. Steers do not produce milk beyond that for their calves. He smiled sheepishly (or
bovinely) and told us that he bought the cheese. I wonder if it was imported from Wisconsin!

Home-Hosted Dinner

We enjoyed a home hosted dinner with a couple from Brienz. Their home was built in the 1700’s.
Although renovated for modern use, it had wide oak floorboards, casement windows, low door lintels,
and a lot of history. Our hosts were in love with history. Charlotte was a university professor of art
history; her husband, Daniel, was an archaeologist in charge of all the ancient artifacts discovered and
curated in their canton. We had a very lively discussion. This is an excerpt of our discussion about
American versus Swiss politics.

“America is so divided, all the people we meet from the US have such strong and divergent opinions. We
don’t understand it. We here is Switzerland focus our energy on compromise, forming coalitions, finding
ways to work without argument or dissention. All of us must give in a little otherwise we destroy each
other. Before a local election, we get a raft of information on the topic and on the candidates, so we are
well informed. We cannot allow elected officials to avoid their responsibilities, or for citizens not to
engage and work together. Our laws and our culture are very strict and very clear about all of that. For
centuries we have been surrounded by countries we depend on, we cannot afford to make enemies.
That is one thing we cannot understand about Americans. Despite all the political strife and public
display of dissension, when it comes down to it, the Americans stand together behind their flag.”

Soup at Hooters

It was a cold, rainy evening in Interlaken. After sightseeing and shopping during the day, we were both
tired and looked for a nice place to sit down and have a warm bowl of soup. We searched up the street
after walking several blocks. It was after 10pm on a weeknight, and most of the restaurants were closed.
We spied a Hooters restaurant earlier that afternoon. I announced loudly that “I will never eat at a place
like that! After all the progress with the ‘Me Too’ movement, places like Hooters still exist and still
objectify women.” Needless to say, I had to eat my words. No other restaurant that served soup was
open. I ate my soup very humbly in a Hooters restaurant in Switzerland. Across from my table was a
photo of the original Hooters, founded in Clearwater, Florida, USA.

Eating Sausage

Sausage of all kinds abound in alpine cuisine. I was very curious why local diners stared at us American
diners eating sausage. We slice our sausage and eat it, casing on. Swiss carefully cut the sausage from
top to bottom, peel off the casing with a fork and knife, the slice it and eat it. Who knew?

Osteria d’Amici is a little snack and pizza bar in the town of Lago Maggiore. It was featured on one of
Rick Steves TV travelogues, touring Italy for great pizza. Rick hit it on the mozzarella this time! Pizza at
this place was sublime-light, crisp crust, just the right amount of sauce, not drenched or parched of
tomato, and buffalo cheese. The tour guides recommended this place very often. Luckily we did not
have to wait long for a table.

We learned from experience that Italians, and I think Europeans too, do not eat pizza with their hands.
Our practice of eating pizza that way is considered barbaric and poor manners, aside from poor hygiene.
Pizza in Italy is always eaten with a knife and fork. They do not have take out boxes, nor do they sell
slices in Lago Maggiore.

Difference among Osteria, Trattoria, Restaurant

There are different classes of eateries in Italy. Osteria is a wine bar that serves snacks. It evolved to a
place where one could have a drink and a sandwich, then later to a light meal.

Trattoria is a family style restaurant that is informal. Usually items are served on family style platters
rather than individual plates. Paper placemats are used instead of tablecloths. There is usually one
waiter that serves drinks and meals, not an individual waiter for each course as in a formal restaurant.

Restaurant comes from the French idea that a restaurant is a place to rest and be served a meal in a very
elaborate and elegant way. Tables are set with immaculate white tablecloths. Depending on the time of
day, the tablescape might include a candle and a small arrangement of flowers. Dinner service is usually
presented on individual plates offered on a larger underliner plate called a charger. The tableware is
usually well-appointed China, with silverware and glasses for each course of food and wine. There is a
maître d’hôtel that is the supervisor of the wait captains in each section of the restaurant. Specific wait
staff serves the bread and water at each table. The table waiter takes your order after reciting the
specials of the day and the signature dishes of the establishment. The wine steward will approach the
diner with suggestions for wine paired with each course of the meal. He will allow the host to sample
the wine before pouring a glass for him and each guest pending his approval of the steward’s choice of
vintage. Another waiter serves the meal. A bus boy will clear the dishes after each course and brush
crumbs off the table into a small tray, leaving the table pristine for the next course. Dessert is usually
displayed on a dessert cart where the diner can choose his favorite confection. The waiter returns with
the diner’s choice of sweets that is melded with after dinner drinks and coffee or espresso. The more
elaborate the dining setting and menu, the more the bill increases exponentially!

Edelweiss

Edelweiss is a small, white mountain wildflower that grows along roadsides and grassy paths. It is
emblematic of the alpine countryside and a harbinger of spring. The Broadway musical, “The Sound of
Music’, written in 1959, featured the song, “Edelweiss” composed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein II. The song became an anthem for the purity of the homeland, and the longing of the Von
Trapp family in the story to return to their beloved Austrian countryside. The song became so popular,
many believed it was the national anthem of Austria. Our tour guide set the record straight. She told us
that the movie “The Sound of Music” was never released in Europe, and many Europeans, especially
Austrians never heard this song. Americans associate Austria with Julie Andrews running down the
Austrian hills singing “Edelweiss.” Most Austrians, she told us, only know of Julie Andrews from the
movie, “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang.” Another myth falls to the floor!

Being at the top of Europe

From Interlaken we took a tram from Grindelwald to board a cog train to the “top of Europe.” We rode
not to the top but to the Kleine Scheidegg station an elevation of 2061 meters ( 6,762 feet) approaching
the top of Jungfrau. The group of mountains most prominent in the Swiss alps are the Matterhorn at
4478 meters, the Jungfrau at 4122 meters, and Monch at 4107 meters. We had lunch at the Kleine
Scheidegg station when I began to feel a little giddy and dizzy. My breathing was labored. Simply walking
up the path, though steep, was not difficult to negotiate, yet I felt exhausting. Later, when I looked at
the altitude marker I realized I had experienced the effects of thinning oxygen. It was a new experience
for me.

It is possible to get to the very top of Jungfrau by cable car. There is an outpost and a revolving
restaurant at the very top. I decided to pass on that adventure and settled for what was enough for me.
Our stop was almost one and a quarter miles above sea level. I have been to the Grand Canyon and
viewed the earth a mile below from the entrance to Bright Angel Trail. Now I pondered that depth
upward from where I was standing on a cog train platform. The experience was truly mind-boggling.

The post Experiences and Bits of Conversations from My Alpine Trip appeared first on carolfunk.