Oktoberfest Potato Salad

Central Texas has a strong German heritage - with towns with names like Fredericksburg - it's not hard to see why. Every year, we enjoy heading down to New Braunfels for Wurstfest to drink delicious beer, see the costumes and enjoy the music. This year, I held an impromptu Oktoberfest feast to watch the Texas-OU game (let's not talk about that one...) and the potato salad really stood out. It's super simple and very flavorful. Great year-round, but especially for Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest Potato Salad

3 pounds red potatoes
2 pieces bacon
1/4 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup grainy mustard (I used Fredericksburg Farms brand)
1/3 cup mayo (I like canola-based)
2 scallions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a large pot with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and let cook about 30 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain and let cool, then half.

Meanwhile, heat a cast iron skillet and cook bacon. Remove bacon, then add onion  and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes. Add in halved potatoes and cook another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together mustard and mayo. Add potato mixture and toss to combine. Add scallions and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with brats, spaetzle, beer and pretzels!

Note the Shiner Oktoberfest in the background :)

Chard, Squash & Farro Salad

I won't lie, my garden is looking really happy right now and I'm thrilled! After buying our house this spring, I got this uncontrollable ITCH to start gardening, and once the crazy hot weather passed, Luke and I went about building our first few boxes and filling them with kale, collards, chard, spinach, beets, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and carrots (ambitious much?). Things are sprouting nicely and I can't wait to start plucking the leafy green goodness. In the meantime, however, I've been satisfying myself with store-bought goods and experimenting with recipes I hope to make once I can start harvesting my crop. 

This is an adaptation of a mustard greens and squash recipe in this month's Bon Appetit. Honestly, I think mustard greens would've been better than chard here, but work with what you've got!

Chard, Squash & Farro Salad
Adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe for Mustard Greens, Roasted Squash and Hazelnut Salad

1 2-lb. butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup hazelnuts, skins removed
1 cup farro
1 large bunch swiss chard, stems removed and leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup walnut oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
 1 tablespoon grainy mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Half, peel and seed butternut squash, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Spread out on a baking sheet and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast about 35 minutes, until soft and browning. 

Meanwhile, spread hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and roast about 10 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes, then cut into large pieces. 

Bring 3 cups water to boil, then add farro and let cook about 18 minutes. Drain whatever water remains and add to a large bowl.

In a large skillet, head remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add chard and saute until somewhat softened - 2-3 minutes. Add to bowl with farro then also add butternut squash, hazel nuts and goat cheese.

In a small bowl, whisk together walnut oil, vinegar, maple syrup and mustard. Pour over salad and toss to combine.

Sausage and Poblano Chili

I can't help it - any time there's a "cold snap" in Austin, my mind instantly turns to chili. Luke and I don't eat a ton of red meat, but I'd say the majority of what red meat we DO eat at home is in chili.A longstanding favorite in our house is The Pioneer Woman's version in her cookbook - so tasty! I've tried doing "healthy" chili before that's broth and vegetable based with some ground turkey, but Luke turns his nose up at it. When I saw this recipe in Cooking Light's October issue, it caught my eye, but I knew a couple small tweaks would make it Luke-friendly. I was right!

Sausage and Poblano Chili
Adapted from Cooking Light's Poblano-Turkey Sausage Chili

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 links sweet italian sausage, casings removed
1  tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 bayleaf
2 poblano peppers, halved, seeded and chopped 
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 14-oz can diced tomato, undrained
1 14-oz can pinto beans, drained
1 14-oz can black beans, drained
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons chicken broth OR water
1/4 cup cilantro
Optional toppings: sour cream, cilantro & shredded cheddar

Heat oil in a medium to large pot (I use a 5 qt dutch oven). Add onion and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes. Add sausage and break it into crumbles, then add spices and poblanos and saute another 4-5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomato and beans and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and broth to make a slurry, then add to chili. Cook another 2 minutes, stir in 1/4 cup cilantro, then serve.

Pumpkin Granola

You may remember my pumpkin month from four years ago. To me, when October hits, all I can think about is all things orange - pumpkin, sweet potatoes and butternut squash! You can bet those lovely orange colors have made it into our breakfast, lunches and dinners. And now, granola!

My sister was always the pumpkin lover in our family - I was more drawn to apple pie rather than pumpkin on Thanksgiving. While I've come around, I actually made this granola to bring to her as part of the weekend celebrating a BIG birthday for her. But, I think it will be joining in our regular rotation - at least if Luke has anything to say about it!

Pumpkin Granola
Adapted from this recipe from Skinny Taste

2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and blotted dry
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons coconut oil (olive oil will work or butter too)
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet and spread out oats and quinoa. Roast 10 minutes, stirring once.Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Place oat mixture in a bowl. Add nuts, flax and raisins.

In another bowl, stir together pumpkin, maple syrup, honey, spice, vanilla, oil and salt. Pour over oat mixture and stir. Spread over the parchment and bake 20 minutes, stirring once. Remove and let cool, then enjoy!

Happy birthday Lauren!

Austin Restaurant Week Review: Salty Sow

I had seen the name pop up a few times when it opened this summer but hadn't done much research. After seeing them on the list of Austin Restaurant Week participants, I had to check out what they were offering. Salty Sow's menu stood out to me far and away and I knew I wanted to make a visit! 

Located in East Austin on Manor street near Vivo and El Chile, Salty Sow is in a hip area and has a cool vibe inside and a large patio outside. I'll definitely be coming back for a cool fall evening happy hour soon to experience the patio.


One of my favorite things is that they had not only a $27 ARW menu, but also a $37. Both were three courses and looked delicious, so I figured I might as well try to the $27 menu since I have several more ARW visits in the next two weeks.

I started my meal with a ZenJen cocktail, starring gin and ginger liqueur - holy yum, this was so good I had to have two! I know the girls all really enjoyed their cocktails too, so I can't wait to come back and try more.

For starters, two of us had the beef hash with fried egg and veal jus (perfectly salty, a nice sized portion and a great start to the meal) and two of us had the goat cheese fritters (these were huge! Two nice slices of bread with fruit topping helped to cut the cheese). A very strong start on the appetizer front.

For dinner, three of us ordered the duck confit with sauteed greens and mushrooms. I always hesitate before ordering duck, because it can be TOO rich for my blood sometimes - this time it wasn't. Perfectly succulent and falling off the bone - I ate every last bite! My friend got the pork cheeks with grits which was to.die.for - wish I could've eaten both!

Dessert was nice and light - fresh berries glazed in Gran Marnier with freshly whipped cream.

Also as a bonus, some friendly diners sitting next to us had ordered the truffled parmesan fries that were part of the $37 menu and were kind enough to share after seeing how much we coveted them - AMAZING.

Will I come back? YES. Would I recommend their ARW menu to others? YES.

So, where will you be going for Austin Restaurant Week?

Austin Restaurant Week is coming!

One of my favorite activities in Austin is 5 years old! The semi-annual Austin Restaurant Week is here again, starting this Sunday, 9/24. As always, it will run Sun-Thursday, for 2 consecutive weeks. What's to love? Let me count the ways:

• It's a great way to try out a lot of dishes at restaurants you haven't tried yet (ARW offers 3 course menus for $27 or $37)
• It's a good reminder to revisit your favorite restaurants
•  Each ARW meal will donate $2 to Meals on Wheels

So here's what I want to know - where will you be dining for Austin Restaurant Week? What's on your wishlist? Here's mine!

1. Andiamo Italiano - a reportedly awesome Italian spot that's just a mile from my house!
2. Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden -  just sounds like fun :)
3. Olive and June - I lived just a few streets away from them when they first opened and have missed it terribly since we moved!
4. Salty Sow - holy yum - truffle fries AND chocolate truffle cake on one menu? Yes please!
5. Swift's Attic - I've been dying to try this place, and after sampling a few of their offerings at this week's ARW kick-off party, I can't wait to try more!

Delicious drinks at the bar. I had the paloma then switched to Hahn pinot noir - it paired well with all the passed apps!

Loved the ambiance. So different from what the space used to be - Kyoto.

Going bananas over pancakes

Luke and I love weekend breakfasts (as I explained in my sweet potato hash post), but they typically don't involve pancakes. Luke and I tend to enjoy more savory foods, but now that fall has hit, all bets are off when the high doesn't get past 84 degrees in Austin (woohoo!).

I don't know about you, but I have a sad pile of bananas in my freezer waiting for the day they will become banana bread. With just 2 people in the house, I don't often make banana bread since we can never seem to get through more than half a loaf. That's when inspiration struck and these pancakes were born. All together, this breakfast took at 15 minutes to make and cook!

Apologies for the lack of photo, we were in a rush and had to scarf these down!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
Tweaked from this recipe by My Baking Addiction
Makes 6 pancakes (2 servings)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (can use all-purpose flour here as well)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ripe banana, mashed (I thawed one that I had frozen overnight in the fridge)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil, banana and vanilla.

Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.

Heat a griddle over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

Note, we topped ours with scoops of Justin's maple almond butter - my current obsession - and drizzles of maple syrup and honey. Do this if you want the most delicious breakfast ever :)