The differences

The question will sooner or later arise, what is the difference between the US and Germany after coming back of almost 8 years in the US of A?

There are of course many differences and things I have noticed. I will start with nutrition and follow up with more cultural differences from there.

We have eaten out dinner a total of 3 or 4 times in 33 days. It was certainly possible that we ate out that many times in one week in the US. Germans don't eat out as many times, the question is does it make there lifestyle healthier? I cannot broadly answer that question yet, I will at least give it a try in a later blog. What I can answer is that grocery prices are a lot lower that includes, bread, meat but especially vegetables and fruit. A triple pack of bell peppers is for instance only 99 cents, I think one is lucky if you get one green bell pepper for that little in the US. Oranges and other citrus fruits are cheaper too, who would have guessed that, oranges don't grow in Germany, but they do in the US. Oh I almost forgot dairy products are cheaper too, yes you can by a nice piece of cheese, even specialty cheese without going bankrupt. I have been enjoying "Der große Bauer", a yogurt that has been around forever. 

http://www.wall.de/de/spezialseiten/medialayer?bro%5B%5D=asset_id:1015 

They continuously add new flavors. My new favorites are the kinds with cereal and fruit combined.  I have to admit I do miss my favorite greek yogurt at times, well we could get it here, but everything Greek is very expensive in Germany. Not sure if that has to do with the bailout. And then there is of course candy, but I am not an expert ;). I see there are a lot more kinds of gummy bears at our house. Since I mostly stick to the high gravity dark chocolate, the price difference isn't actually that big, since Lindt is sort of expensive here compared to everything else. There are just not that many companies that offer 85% + Cacao dark chocolate. I have enjoyed some of the cookies, including one of my favorites the " Prinzen Rolle".

Beverages will deserve their own blog :).

Merry Christmas - Froehliche Weihnachten

Merry Christmas to everyone, eat well, drink lots of water and enjoy some Christmas cookies!

Boone Camp Burrito Especial

Here comes the recipe for the Boone Camp Burrito Especial:
Prep Time 20-30 mins


Ingredients (4-5 portions):
2 chicken breasts
1 can of black beans
1 cup of brown rice
1 can of pineapple
3-4 table spoons of BBQ Sauce (Sticky Fingers - Memphis Original is my favorite!)
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
1-2 table spoons of Olive Oil
4-6 Whole Wheat/Multi-Grain Tortillas
1 table spoon of Salsa Verde


Optional Toppings:
Cheese (your choice, fancy shredded works best)
Lettuce
Sour Cream
Salsa Verde


Spices:
Sea Salt
Fresh ground Black Pepper
Chili Powder 
optional: Frontera Kitchens - New Mexico Taco Skillet Sauce


Directions:
1. Prepare the brown rice
2.Cut the chicken into small strips
3. Clean and cut the pepper and onion into small squares
4. Cook the chicken with the onions and bell peppers in the olive oil, once the chicken is somewhat cooked, add the BBQ Sauce, the pineapple juice from the can and the other spices.
5. Drain the black beans and add them along with pineapple pieces to the mix
6. Let boil for a few minutes
7. Depending on your liking, you can either add the brown rice to the mix or add it to the burritos separately.


If you are preparing the meal for a bigger, diverse group, it works well to have everybody build their own burrito. Otherwise, you can pre-heat the oven, build the burritos and add cheese and Salsa Verde on top and put them on a flat pan and finish the meal in the oven @ 375 degrees for 5-7 mins.