happy thanksgiving.

around the house...

fall is here....

random prettiness.

flohmarkt am naschmarkt.

This one made Ethan and me ache. Home and how to define that has been on our minds throughout the last year here in Vienna. We don't have an answer. But the kitchen towel does!

awesome city creature eating street food.

After the flea market we went to the movies. Part three of one of our favorites!

lieblingsessen.

puff pastry tarts.

puff pastry

soft goat cheese

drizzle with honey

some pepper

tomato slice

thyme

sea salt

bake at 200 celsius for about 15 minutes.

tomaten-nektarinen-salat.

really ripe tomatoes

really ripe nectarines

basil

olive oil

balsamico

lemon juice

salt pepper

oh, so good.

crunchy black bean tacos.

Have I mentioned how much I adore black beans? We have been eating these tacos a lot lately. They are soooo good! The recipe comes from the cookbook Cornerstone Cooking. 

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

Makes 8 tacos.Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 C. black beans, cooked
½ C. red onion, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Pinch of salt and pepper
8 corn tortillas
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

2) In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.

3) Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1?4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

4) Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.

5) As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.

6) Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.

7) When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.

8) Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

Note: Corn tortillas are resilent to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy.

blumen.

flowers from the saturday morning market.

peanut butter cookies

Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies 
(from Cooks Illustrated)
 
Bringing the butter, peanut butter, and eggs to room temperature makes it easier to blend the ingredients. Be sure to grind the peanuts, since whole, and even chopped peanuts tend to slip out of the dough. If using unsalted butter, increase salt to 1 teaspoon. Keep finished cookies refrigerated in airtight container. To restore just-baked chewiness, wrap a cookie in a sheet of paper towel and microwave for approximately 25 seconds. Cool before serving.


Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies 
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), salted 
1 cup packed dark brown sugar 
1 cup granulated sugar 
1 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter , preferably Jif 
2 large eggs 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1 cup roasted salted peanuts , ground in food processor to resemble bread crumbs, about 14 pulses (about 1 cup, packed) 


1. Adjust oven rack to low center position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. 

2. In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with electric mixer, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts; stir gently until just incorporated. 

3. Working with 2 tablespoons dough at a time (see illustration 1 below), roll into large balls, placing them 2 inches apart on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Following illustration 2, press each dough ball with back of dinner fork dipped in cold water to make crisscross design. Bake until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along edges, but not top, 10 to 12 minutes (they will not look fully baked). Cool cookies on cookie sheet until set, about 4 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 7 days.

black bean salad.

I have a serious crush on black beans. They might be the perfect food. We have been eating a lot of crunchy black bean tacos lately and since it as been so hot I was looking for some cold bean recipes. I found this on smitten kitchen and made it today. It is fantastic.

Black Bean Confetti Salad


2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and well-rinsed
4 bell peppers, a mix of colors, chopped into a small dice
1/2 super-large or 1 medium white onion, chopped into a small dice
Juice of one lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Optional: If you’re the kind of person who loves cilantro, it’s a great match for this salad. (Since I am that kind of a person I used A LOT of cilantro)
Mix beans, bell peppers and white onion in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a vinaigrette. Ideally, you’ll have a 1/2 cup of dressing. Pour it over the bean mixture, toss it well and adjust seasonings to taste.

Early Saturday morning I had a flower market appointment with my neighbor Hanni (who, by the way - is the greatest, kindest, friendliest and most inspiring neighbor one could ever wish for). Everyone but Lovis was still asleep and she and I picked up these beauties. They make me too happy for words. One of the great things about living in Europe is how affordable fresh flowers are. Here you can see 6 Euros well spent on days and days of happiness. Guess where I am going next Saturday?

shrimp & sweet pepper dumplings.