Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Taking Part In My First Cooking Challenge!

Taking Part In My First Cooking Challenge!
Taking Part In My First Cooking Challenge!

Hello everyone! 

Today I have something very exciting to talk about: I took part in my very first cooking challenge!!

Jassy from the lovely german blog ‘Was Du Nicht Kennst‘ – meaning ‘What you don’t know’  requested that the participants of the challenge cook dishes or whole meals from a basket full of special ingredients that she chose in advance. While it does not matter if the results are dishes, snacks or even whole meals you were only allowed to choose from a short list of ingredients to pair the ones from the bucket with.

Don’t worry if this was a bit diffcult to understand at once, I’ve written them all down for you below.

 

So this was the list of the ingredients we all had to use:

* Pumpkin (Hokkaido)

*Leeks

*Parsnips

*Carrots

*Lemon

*Mascarpone

*Pasta (doesn’t matter which)

 

An those were the ones we could add, if we needed them:

*Spices, herbs, sugar

*Fats of any kind

*Broth and vinegar

*Starch

*Flour

*Milk

*Eggs

*Hard Cheese (just one kind)

*Nuts (any kind)

 

What would you have come up with to create from these ingredients?

 

Parsnip and Lemon Soup, Pumpkin and Leek Lasagna,  Carrot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting by www.gingerlemonandspice.com

 

I have to say, I’m quite proud of myself of what I came up with. Although I have never had parsnip in my life before and I have never made anything with mascarpone because it has quite a lot of fat I chose to try my best! I remembered that my friend Luca from Oh la vache!  had sent me a link to a recipe of his of a soup of parsnip with lemon. So I had checked of two ingredients of the list already, AND because I hade the recipe I knew it would turn out well!

For the other two dishes I had an idea of how I wanted them to be and searched the internet for some basics.

 

Parsnip and Lemon Soup, Pumpkin and Leek Lasagna,  Carrot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting by www.gingerlemonandspice.com

 

So what did I choose to make? 

Starter: Parsnip Soup with Lemon

Main Course: Pumpkin & Leek Lasagna

Dessert: Fluffy Carrot Muffins with a Creamy Mascarpone Frosting

I will post the recipes seperatly so you just have to click on the name in the list above and you’ll find them there!

 

I hope you enjoyed this challenge like I did!! 

 

Parsnip and Lemon Soup, Pumpkin and Leek Lasagna,  Carrot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting by www.gingerlemonandspice.com

Lot’s of love!  Talk to you soon!

~ Kathrin

What I was up to in November

What I was up to in November
What I was up to in November

Hello everyone!

It has been a busy month for me, getting a part time job at a store that sells home decorations, gifts and household items, singing solo on both a wedding and my gospel choir’s winter concert and most of all preparing and creating my first wedding cake ever!!

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

 

Baking a wedding cake has been on my bucket list for quite some time now, but I never thought I would do it so soon. I was sure I needed lots of practice before then, baking my way through all family birthdays and other occations and ‘forcing’ everyone to try what I created. I thought for sure there were many failures along the way, learning how to create the perfect fillings and shape the smoothest fondant finish and decorations.

But then there was this day when I heard that the most lovely couple of friends of mine that I know from our gospel choir and that had invited me to their wedding in early november had to struggle so hard with private problems and finishing their exams before the wedding date that they couldn’t go on like this anymore and decided to call of all wedding festivities.

 

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

 

Me and my friends from the choir were shocked that this lovely couple had to struggle so hard with problems they could do nothing about and under the direction of our choir leader it was decided that they should have their wedding party and we all help to make it happen.

Quickly there was a place found, where the festivities could take place, plans were made, a caterer found and cakes were baked. There were lots of helpers found that cleaned all the dishes, made sure that everyone had to drink and nobody had to go home hungry.

It was an enormous amount of work that especially our choir leader had to deal with ahead of the wedding day but it was all so worth it!!

 

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

 

Since I knew bride and groom already for more than 6 years, singing besides them and having great times after rehearsals in a pub nearby I knew I had to do something special and I offered to make their wedding cake. But it was all kept a secret until the moment I revealed it to them! And they were so surprised and happy, I really loved the look on their faces 🙂

 

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

 

 

The cake on the top was a Pear & Vanilla Cheesecake and the one below was a Chocolate & Orange Buttercream Cake.

The decorations are made of black & white fondant and the flowers are dried pineapple.

 

 

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

 

Of course being the perfectionist that I am I wasn’t totally happy with the final result but as we all helped to make this day possible and everybody helped the way they could I can say I was quite happy how it turned out! 🙂

 

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

 

I didn’t have time to set up a proper backround and think about the perfect angles to shoot the cake, so I’m sorry that the pictures aren’t as professional as the once I do usually. Also I was quite nerve wrecked on that day, singing the solo in the church and worrying the cake would make it safe and sound to the party and onto the table later that I just gave somebody else my camera and asked them to shoot a few pictures during the reveal. 😉

 

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

 

Thank you for reading!!

 

Love,

~ Kathrin

 

My First Wedding Cake by gingerlemonandspice.com

MY SUMMER

MY SUMMER

Hey guys!!

Sorry I’ve been a.w.o.l. for such a long time!! It’s been summer, I’ve been away from school most of the time and I didn’t really find the mood to get into writing again. I’ve missed the food blogging community! There were days when I sat down and tried to catch up a bit but I just couldn’t get into writing again myself.

I sincerely hope that you guys are still out there and want to keep on reading what I write, cooking what I cook and just be a part of my life!! 🙂

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

What have I been up to this summer??

Well, I finally went to Ireland again – it felt like eternity that I haven’t been there! I went with my 16 year old godchild and it simply was fantastic. I think I never wanted to stay there that badly after a trip yet!!

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

The first 5 days we went solo and stayed in hostels in Dublin and Galway. We have met really nice people, did not so much sightseeing but a lot of shopping, a little bit of pub-ing and just enjoyed being in Ireland! We have both been there before (read about my love for Ireland here) and loved the country and the people before, but it was very special for me to show her those two cities and all the other great places which were new to her!! We have even made some new friends, especially one from O.C. comes to mind (wink wink 😉 ) who even came with us to Galway for a day even if he had planned to go somewhere totally different!

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

Also we went to a new place, where I haven’t been before: A little town right out of Dublin called Howth. It really was sooo beautiful there! I just wanted to stay and live there forever! It was a peninsula just 20 minutes with the train outside of Dublin, surrounded by water with a beautiful harbour area and spectacular cliff walks around the town! I can really recommend spending time there if you get the chance!!

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After our two days in Galway which included a day tour to the Burren (a very rocky area in Ireland) and the Cliffs of Moher we finally went down south to the twincity of our hometown: Clonakilty. Arriving there were another 70 people of our hometown wanting to celebrate 400 years of the town of Clonakilty with a German Week! Rosie and me even brought our clarinets so that we could play with the small orchestra that was part of the group and bring some traditional bavarian music to our twincities festivities 🙂 We had a great time during that week making music in pubs, strees and even in a retirement home, meeting friends, making new friends, having great talks and just enjoy or time!

I don’t want to say to much but let the pictures speak for themselves 🙂

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The rest of the summer I was enjoying some time at home with my family, taking part in a big festival of the town celebrating the beginning of autumn which I haven’t been doing for years (GREAT fun!!!!) and having some alone time to start writing on my masters thesis in the city I am studying and living in. It wasn’t so much excitement all at once but I had a good time and relaxed and now I’m fresh for everything that might be coming next ! 🙂

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

Sorry there will be no recipe for today, I think all the pictures make this post long enough, but there will be something for you waiting in the pipeline! 🙂

I am dying to know: What have you been up to this summer??

 http://gingerlemonandspice.com

Lot’s of love,

~ Kathrin

 

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

Introduction To The New Series: Around The World, Week By Week

Introduction To The New Series: Around The World, Week By Week

Hello everybody!

Today I am going to introduce you to my first series on this blog!! I was dreaming about this for quite some time now, but it took some preparation and time to make it happen 🙂

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

As you might or might not know I really love to travel. Especially Ireland and Turkey feel like my second homes! This is mostly because of the very warm welcome I have been given and the openness and hospitality of the people there!

I love to discover new cultures!! I love to do sightseeing and experience the way of life the people are having there! This applies of course especially for the food culture too! I am always excited to try new things and ways of cooking and also embed what I’ve learned in my cooking at home. Just last night I whipped up a quick dinner turkish style for me and my flatmate and we were both very pleased with the result 🙂

 

Now what I want to do is not only have those experiences on my own but rather share them with you!!

From tomorrow on you can find a new series on this blog. It is called: Around The World, Week By Week!!

For a whole week I will feature the culture especially in food of one country!! I will tell you about eating habbits and their way of life and some stories about what I have been experiencing there! You will get a new recipe of a different category each day and by the end of the week there will be a little special extra too 🙂 I plan to do a new country every month!

 

The first country I feature will be TURKEY

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

I have been spending two months last summer in Izmir at the west coast working at the University of Izmir. It was my first time in this beautiful country and I really had such a great time!!

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

 

Here are the categories of the recipes I will share:

Monday: Appetizer (Sigara Böreği)

Tuesday: Main Course (Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı)

Wednesday: Dessert (Künefe)

Thursday: Drink (Ayran)

Friday: Salad (Kısır)

Saturday: Pastry (Kurabiye)

Sunday: Fast Food or Snack (Lahmacun)

Guest PostAcılı Ezme by Zerrin Günaydin of Give Recipe

 

I hope you will enjoy this as much as I do! 🙂

Maybe you have been to Turkey yourself or have tasted turkish food too? Tell me about your experiences! 🙂

I am looking forward to a great week!!

 

With love,

Kathrin

1000 Facebook Fans and a GIVEAWAY!!!

1000 Facebook Fans and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Hey there people!

I am soooo excited to tell you that I now have more than 1000, I mean ONE THOUSAND Facebook Fans!!! I am thrilled!! That is soooooo amazing!!!!

Each and every one of you makes me soooo happy and I am very grateful! I feel so honored that you read my page and blog and that you even ‘like’ it!!

It means the world to me!! 🙂

To give a little something back I decided to take this occasion to host a little giveaway for you!!

Apple Pouch Giveaway by gingerlemonandspice

By leaving a comment on this post you can enter to win this cute and roomy Apple Zipped Pouch! It is handsewn with a lot of love 🙂 You can use it to organize smaller things you might loose in your handbag otherwise, or you can use it as a small handbag or as a make-up bag,… I guess you can think of a lot of other things you can use it for! 🙂

Sorry for the crinkles on the upper pic… You can hardly see any on the actual pouch – I don’t know why they are on the pic.

Apple Pouch Giveaway by gingerlemonandspice

What to do to get into the fortune pot: Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would use this cute pouch for from now until next monday (29th April 2013) 12.p.m. MEZ!

That’s all 🙂 Everybody is allowed to enter and has one entry! That means it doesn’t matter if you’re from the U.S., Germany, Europe or Asia.

If the winner is not claiming his prize until 48h after the announcment another winner will be chosen.

So let’s have some fun!!

Apple Pouch Giveaway by gingerlemonandspice

Take care

~Kathrin

Last Minute Easter Ideas

Last Minute Easter Ideas
Last Minute Easter Ideas

Happy Good Friday to all of you!!

I hope you have a great easter-weekend with lots of love from your families! 🙂

 

Is your easter menue set already? Did you have the right idea for the decoration yet? Maybe you need some more inspiration on what you could do and make?

Then you should read on!!

I am going to share some easter food ideas and easter decorations with you, that I found on the internet while I was having a look for myself. I thought I have to show them to you too, because they are worth to be seen!

Have a look at all the pretty pictures 🙂

 

1) Breakfast Ideas

Easter Brunch & Breakfast Ideas

1. Orange Bunny Rolls

2. Daisy Sugars

3. Pastiera Napoletana

4. Yeasted Cheese-and-Sour-Cherry Coffee Cake

5. Smoked Salmon Asparagus Quinoa Cake Eggs Benedict

6. Blue Cheese Spread

7. Green Bean Ham and Cheese Frittata

8. Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs

9. Raspberry Swirl Rolls

10. Hot Cross Whole Wheat Buns

11. Baked Egg in an Avocado

12. Egg in a Basket

13. Deviled Eggs Chicks

14. Bacon & Avocado Deviled Eggs

15. Cheese Walnut Scones

16. Easter Bunny Shaped Bread

2) Desserts and Sweets

Desserts & Sweets Easter Recipes

1. Cadbury Egg Inspired Triffle

2. Bird’s Nests

3. Tripple Berry Parfait

4. Chocolate Covered Strawberry ‘Carrots’

5. Easter Peeps Cookie Butter Cups

6. Salted Caramel Chocolates

7. Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

8. Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

9. Easter Egg Macarons

10. Lemon Almond Crinkle Cookies

11. Jello Easter Eggs with Vanilla Cream

12. Cocoa Krispies Egg Nests

13. Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

14. Egg Shaped Whoopie Pies

15. Banana Pudding Tiramisu

16. Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Easter Eggs

3) Cakes and Cupcakes

Cakes & Cupcakes Easter Recipes

1. The Best Caramel Cake

2. Adorable Easter Cupcakes

3. Chocolate Brownies with Spinach and Carrots

4. Rainbow Cake

5. Easter Basket Cupcakes

6. Easy Lemon Bars

7. Buttermilk Banana Bread

8. Lemon Meringue Delight Cake

9. Vanilla Cream Pie

10. Ferrero Rocher Deluxe Cake

11. Lemon-Ginger Bundt Cake

12. Coconut Lemon Bread

13. Banana Split Brownie Pie

14. Easter Chocolate Cake

15. Carrot Cake Poke Cake

16. Cornmeal-Almond Cake with Strawberries and Mascarpone

4) Decoration

Decoration

1. Spring Centerpieces with Blue Eggs & Daffodils

2. Cute Easter Wreath

3. Easter Brunch Entertaining Ideas

4. Spring Tulip and Cabbage

5. Pink Roses and Eggs

6. Easy Easter Table Setting

7. Spring Easter Table Setting with Daffodil and Moss Centerpiece

8. Colorful Easter Table

9. Easy Easter Wreath

 

I hope you like my little collection!!

 

Happy Easter to all of you!!

~ Kathrin

The Liebster Blog Award

The Liebster Blog Award

Hello everybody!

Yesterday I received my very first blog award from Greek Bites. The Liebster Blog Award! What is a blog award you ask? It is a little honoration you can get from other food bloggers, if they like your blog. As most of you know, I am quite new to blogging, and so I am especially thrilled to receive this award!!! 🙂

The liebster blog award is given to new bloggers that only have about 200 followers yet. ‘Liebster blog’ is german and means dearest, loveliest or favourite blog.

liebster blog award

There are some rules to accepting this award:

1. Each awarded blogger will post 11 random facts about themselves

2. 11 questions provided by the sender have to be answered

3. 11 new bloggers have to be chosen to which the award will be passed on

Go to their pages, tell them about the award and pass on the link to your post!

So it is kind of a blogger chain mail. But there is nothing bad happening to you, if you don’t pass it along! 😉 It just makes fun and is a nice way to push new blogs a little and get to know the owners.

So here it goes: 11 random facts about me:

1. My birthday is in two days, I will be 26!

2. I have one brother and no sisters

3. I am crazy about flying – planes, airports and all 😉

4. I am studying nutrition science

5. I sing in a gospel choir

6. I am very proud of my 16 year old godchild and I love her very much!

7. I am definitly not the tidiest (tidyest?) person in the world

8. I haven’t painted a lot yet, but I once  did a painting of a crest as an order and even got money for it 😉

 9. I am a junkie of american series

10. I play the clarinette and saxophone

11. I like snow

11 questions asked by greek bites :

1. Do you remember the first dish you actually prepared on your own?

I guess that was Miracoli Pasta – a spaghetti and tomato sauce all-in-one package 😉

2. Who’s your favorite cartoon hero? Definitly superman!

3. PC or Mac – I have a PC, never had a chance to test a Mac before

4. Name one thing you hate the most – exams

5. If you had to live with just one food for a long period of time what would that be? – I can’t really decide, I love food too much! 😉

6. Rain or sun? – sun of course. More difficult would have been: Snow or sun?

7. A meteor falls on you and you have a super power. What’s that? – Flying!!

8. Say what comes first on your mind when you see/hear the words salt – pepper, egg – breakfast, sky – flying, kiss – love, black – white

9. According to you what’s your biggest advantage and disadvantage? Do others agree?

Wow – difficult. I am very creative, i’d like to think that’s positive. I am bad with keeping contact with friends – time just flies by to quickly and sometimes it’s already a few weeks until i write/call back. If others agree I can’t say. Have never asked!

10. What’s the most important thing in your life? (besides family) – This blog and music

11. If you were a food, what would that be? – Maybe a big colorful decorated exotic cake 😉

So now is the time to pass this award along!

I was orienting on facebook likes, as I could not find out how else I would now how many people follow a blog. Also I was a bit liberal with the 200 limitation and the required 11 blogs  🙂

I give it to:

shortcaked

all about food

juggling real food and real life

modest munchies

memories by the mile

cafe vita

simple awsome cooking

melisa colin

lovefoodies

And here come your questions!

1. What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

2. Summer or winter?

3. What did you dream of becoming when you were growing up?

4. What is your profession?

5. Beer or wine?

6. What are your hobbies besides blogging?

7. What is your favourite band?

8. Is there a food you hate?

9. Sweet or salty snacks?

10. Coffee or tea?

11. What was the first blog you read?

Enough said – now I want to hear your stories!!

I hope you have as much fun as I did 🙂

~ Kathrin

Something to celebrate – 150 Facebook Fans!!!

Something to celebrate – 150 Facebook Fans!!!

Hey there – it’s me again!!

 

Celebrating 150 fans on facebook I thought about something special: A jigsaw puzzle!!

I thought you should have a chance to play too 😉

It is very fun and addicting! Just click on the picture to play. 🙂

150 Milestone Collage ginger, lemon & spice

~Kathrin