German Side Dishes (Red cabbage recipe and German potato salad recipe)

When I was little, my family moved to Germany for two years. We lived in a little village in Bavaria. I went to first and second grade in a German school. I spoke German with a Bavarian accent. In fact, when we returned to the U.S., the American school concerned I wouldn't be able to get along in an all English classroom so they assigned me a German classroom aide to make sure I transitioned well. To this day I am wistful for all things German; food, countryside, language, architecture, traditions. My big plans for my upcoming 40th birthday are a trip back to Germany. I haven't been there in over 20 years. Far too long for some place that still feels like home.

Occasionally I have an urge to cook a full-out German dinner. There are a lot of the ingredients we can't even get here. (If anyone knows how to get my hands on some quark, let me know. I have longed for quarktorte for years.) But, I've gotten pretty good at rotkohl, kartofflesalat, spaetzle, knodel. As I write this it dawns on me these are all side dishes. Maybe I need to try my hand at some main dishes.

So, when a friend requested some ideas for German dishes, how could I resist but to actually make a German dinner. In the end, it was quasi-German. Along with the rotkohl and kartoffelsalat, I made pork chops and braised kale. I'm not sure how German kale is, but it went well. I threw in some caraway seeds to try to tie it in a bit.

ROTKOHL (German Braised Red Cabbage)
INGREDIENTS

1 small head of red cabbage
1 large granny smith apple
4 cloves
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1) Slice/shred the head of red cabbage as you would for coleslaw. Dice the apple.
2) Put all of the ingredients together in a large pot. 
3) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 1-2 hours. Stir occasionally. The red cabbage should not be too liquidy, but if it seems dry, you may wish to add a couple of tablespoons of water.

That's it! All done. 









KARTOFFELSALAT (Warm German Potato Salad)
INGREDIENTS
3 cups diced potatoes, I used Yukon Gold so I did not peel them

2-3 slices of bacon 
1 onion, diced
1/4 vinegar
2 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parsley

1) Place diced potatoes in cold water. Add a good bit of salt. (I  don't measure, but maybe 1/2 - 1 tablespoon). Boil over medium heat until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside.




2) Meanwhile, dice and cook the bacon until it is crispy. Scoop the cooked bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel. 
3) Cook the onion in the same pan the bacon was cooked in with the bacon fat. (If you want a little less fat, you can drain off some of the bacon grease, but this is a big part of the flavoring.)



4) When the onions are soft, carefully add vinegar and sugar to the pan. Stir and scrape all of the bacon bits from the bottom of the pan.
5) While everything is still hot, place potatoes in a serving bowl. Pour the onion dressing over the top. Sprinkle on parsley. Stir together.

Simple and tasty. 

Quickie breakfasts for a work week (Freezer Breakfast Burritos recipe)

It's hard to believe winter break is over. As an administrator I have to work some of winter break, bills still need to be paid, people still want their paychecks, paperwork still needs to get done. But it is so different. For me, because my district is so small, I'm pretty much the only employee over the breaks. I can go in later, put in fewer hours, and it is so quiet. I can get much more done. I can focus on bigger projects without interruption. 

But tomorrow, everyone comes back again, staff, children, parents, full throttle.

So to make my transition back to the daily grind, I am putting up some quick and easy meals in the freezer. Yesterday I made a big pot of chili that I portioned into single serving containers and froze. Today I made ten breakfast burritos that should get me through at least two weeks of early mornings with a hot protein filled breakfast to start the day.

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

INGREDIENTS

10 low calorie flour tortillas 

5 eggs (I used liquid eggs, like Egg Beaters)

10 egg whites

1 cup frozen hash browns

1 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

1/2 cup fat free salsa

1/4 cup scallions, diced

1 cup spinach, chopped

1/2 pound turkey breakfast sausage, cooked drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper to taste

1) Brown hash browns in a skillet. Add the sausage and salsa. Cook until most of the liquid is cooked off of the salsa.

2) Scramble eggs and egg whites together. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly over medium heat, pour eggs into skillet and gently stir.

3) When the eggs are mostly cooked, add spinach, cheese, and scallions. Fold in. Remove from heat and allow to cool. The eggs will finish cooking as they sit.

4) Lay out the tortillas. Place about 1/2 cup of filling into the middle of each one.

5) Roll each one into a burrito with sides tucked in.

6) Wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap. 

7) Put the burritos in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to three months.

Take one out each morning, as desired, and heat it in the microwave. Hot, delicious breakfast ready to go in only a minute or two.

(I'm not certain how long to microwave each one for, but I am guessing 1-2 minutes.)

Favorite 251 Movie List

I'm sure all y'all out there are dying to know about my tastes in movies. Who wouldn't be? It probably will tell you more about me than I could tell you.

The list started as an idea from a friend on Facebook. She posted her top 350 movies a few at a time over  a series of a week or two. It got me thinking, "Huh? I wonder what my list might look like." I thought maybe I could compile my favorite 100. I wasn't completely sure I could think of 100 movies I like, but I figured I'd try.

I searched through my Netflix ratings list, my friend's Facebook list, several online "Top Movies" lists. Some movies spurred the ideas of other movies. When I looked at the list I had over 250. I weeded it out a little bit and came up with my top 250. Now I know I said 251 in the title. That's because I forgot one very important movie franchise I had to add back in in its rightful place later on. George Lucas would have been so hurt.

All of the titles are not necessarily great works of cinematic art. Some are. Some are ones I think were groundbreaking... brave... insightful... moving. Some I will never watch again for those exact same reasons. However some of the movies are ones I have watched over and over. Ones if they were on TV I would stop and watch. Ones I care to own the DVD of. Still others are childhood favorites. Ones I watched a dozen times as a kid and still bring up fond memories. The list would be a much longer if I wrote out all of "series" by every title. In an effort to keep it more reasonable, most franchises are listed as one item.

So here it is, my favorite 251 movies:

251	Chocolat
250	Explorers
249	Freaky Friday (the original)
248	Stanley and Iris
247	Mr. Holand's Opus
246	How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
245	10 Things I hate about You
244	Doc Hollywood
243	American President
242	Face/Off
241	Murder By Numbers
240	The Bone Collector
239	The Last Starfighter
238	Liar Liar
237	About A Boy
236	Mr. Mom
235	Mrs. Doubtfire
234	Tootsie
233	League Of Their Own
232	Almost Famous
231	12 Monkeys
230	Flatliners
229	Point Break
228	Double Jeopardy
227	Along Came a Spider
226	True Lies
225	Parent Trap (the original)
224	Dances with Wolves
223	Hook
222	Departed
221	Abyss
220	The Good Son
219	Romancing the Stone
218	Gremlins
217	The Neverending Story
216	Grown-ups
215	But I'm a Cheerleader
214	Under the Tuscan Sun
213	Never Been Kissed
212	The Village
211	The Devil Wears Prada
210	Awakenings
209	In The Line Of Fire
208	As Good as it Gets
207	Hangover
206	Jewel of the Nile
205	Ghost
204	Twister
203	The Joy Luck Club
202	Fracture
201	Dirty Dancing
200	Tarzan, the Legend of Graystoke
199	Basic Instinct
198	Secondhand Lions
197	The King and I
196	Backdraft
195	Groundhog Day
194	Thomas Crown Affair
193	Robinhood (Disney cartoon)
192	Remember the Titans
191	Annie
190	Popeye
189	Big Business
188	Goonies
187	Meet the Parents
186	Galaxy Quest
185	Primal Fear
184	Ghostbusters
183	Last of the Mohicans
182	Dead Poets Society
181	China Syndrome
180	Places in the Heart
179	Oliver
178	Footloose (the original)
177	Erin Brockovich
176	Top Gun
175	Sound of Music
174	Space Cowboys
173	My Left Foot
172	Songcatcher
171	The Last Emperor
170	Rebel Without a Cause
169	Mississippi Burning
168	ET
167	Fried Green Tomatoes
166	Clue
165	Secret Window
164	To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything
163	Down Periscope
162	The Truman Show
161	National Treasure
160	Patriot Games
159	Finding Nemo
158	Alice in Wonderland(Disney cartoon)
157	Crocodile Dundee
156	Monsters Inc
155	Chicago
154	Moulin Rouge
153	Gypsy
152	Mary Poppins
151	Jurassic Park
150	Karate Kid
149	Fugitive
148	Night at the Museum
147	Pelican Brief
146	Sean Connery as James Bond
145	Nightmare Before Christmas
144	National Lampoon's Vacation
143	Cityslickers
142	Girl Interrupted
141	Funny Girl
140	Good Will Hunting
139	Fatal Attraction
138	Glory
137	Big
136	Carrie
135	The Right Stuff
134	Philadelphia
133	Green Mile
132	Ghosts of Mississippi
131	Empire of the Sun
130	Cast Away
129	Close Encounters of the Third Kind
128	Apollo 13
127	Julie and Julia
126	Aladdin
125	Sweet Home Alabama
124	Love Actually
123	My Big Fat Greek Wedding
122	Music and Lyrics
121	Incredibles
120	Legally Blond
119	The Talented Mr. Ripley
118	Gorillas in the Mist
117	Supersize Me
116	Angels and Demons
115	Anger Management
114	Of Mice and Men
113	Paranormal Activity
112	The Odd Couple
111	Independence Day
110	Greece
109	Ice Age
108	Spiderman, the series
107	Steel Magnolias
106	Batman, the series
105	Hunt for Red October
104	Great Gatsby
103	Princess Bride
102	Purple Rose of Cairo
101	Rabbit-Proof Fence
100	Toy Story
99	Some Like it Hot
98	Witness
97	Wait Until Dark
96	Howard's End
95	The Sting
94	Indiana Jones, the series
93	North by Northwest
92	Harry Potter series
91	The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
90	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
89	True Grit (the orignial and new)
88	Transamierica
87	The Shining
86	Bridget Jones Diary
85	In and Out
84	Iron Man
83	LA Confidential
82	Lilies of the Field
81	Room with a View
80	Walk the Line
79	The African Queen
78	Rain Man
77	Shipping News
76	Office Space
75	Exorcist
74	Miss Congeniality
73	What About Bob
72	Men in Black
71	Insomnia
70	Shrek
69	Analyze This
68	The Others
67	Tea with Mussolini
66	The Maltese Falcon
65	Memoirs of a Geisha
64	2 Weeks Notice
63	50 First Dates
62	Father of the Bride
61	Dogma
60	Election
59	Chuck and Larry
58	Oceans Eleven
57	Midnight in the Garden of Good&Evil
56	Calendar Girls
55	Breakfast Club
54	Misery
53	The Gods Must be Crazy
52	DaVinci Code
51	Religulous
50	Gone with the Wind
49	Being John Malcovich
48	Inherit the Wind
47	Blowdry
46	Best in Show
45	Pirates of the Caribbean
44	One Hour Photo
43	Final Cut
42	Seven
41	Bourne movies with Matt Damon
40	About Schmidt
39	Gods and Monsters
38	Capote
37	Shawshank Redemption
36	Shutter Island
35	Lord of the Rings trilogy
34	Star Wars, the series
33	The Sixth Sense
32	It's a Wonderful Life
31	Rear Window
30	To Kill a Mocking Bird
29	Wizard of Oz
28	The Matrix
27	Four Weddings and a Funeral
26	Notting Hill
25	The Great Dictator
24	Young Frankenstien
23	Chaplin
22	Midnight in Paris
21	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
20	The Birdcage
19	Back to the Future, the series
18	Poirot, all of them with David Suchet
17	Birds
16	Flawless
15	Frida
14	Driving Miss Daisy
13	84 Charringcross Road
12	The King's Speech
11	Memento
10	Lost in Translation
9	12 Angry Men
8	American Beauty
7	Casablanca
6	Brokeback Mountain
5	The Usual Suspects
4	Psycho
3	Silence of the Lambs
2	Schindler's List
1	Enchanted April