GERMAN :)

I'm happy to report that dinner was a SUCCESS!! I was attempting to recreate one of my fav. meals I ate while I was studying abroad in Germany. Introducing....... 

KaseSpaetzle!!!!!

This is made using spaetzle noodles, a variety of cheeses and caramelized onions!L to R: Gouda, Parmigiana and Brie 
My simple recipe was adapted from several different I found online. I had previously tried it using only emmentaler cheese and the taste was completely off! I remember reading somewhere that combining different cheeses gave a similar taste to the actual dish. (We don't have the actual kind of cheese in America that Germans use to make the dish)

17.6 oz. bag of spaetzle noodles (I used a little less than 3/4 of the bag)

1 lrg. onion

1 c. gouda grated (you can also use emmentaler or gruyere)

1/2 c. parmigiana grated

1/4 c. brie diced (since it is kind of gooey I just ended up ripping it apart!)

Cook spaetzle noodles in boiling, salted water for about 13 mins.

While noodles are cooking carmelize onions.

Mix noodles 3/4 of gouda and parm, all of brie and 1/2 of onions together in a 9x9 casserole dish. Stir.

Top with remaining ingredients. Cook for 25 mins. in 350 degree oven.

ENJOY!!

This was VERY good and much closer to the original dish!

I also had a side salad with light ranch and some roasted asparagus!Along with my Kasespaetzle I wanted to make Gluhwein. This is also a German treat and is really just red mulled wine! Here it is cooking:To make Gluhwein I used:

1 bottle red wine

mulling spices (I filled 1 spice ball about 1/2 way)

1 1/2 tbsp. honey (or other sweetener of your choice)

1/2 orange sliced

Combine all in a pot and heat over medium low heat for 30 mins. to 1 hr. 

This recipe can be altered however you want! Normally it is made with a ton of sugar so I decided to sub honey and it worked well! You can obviously adjust the amount of mulling spices and sweetener to your taste. The sweetness level can also be altered by the wine you choose. Dryer red wines might need more sweetener.

I made mine with a cheap bottle of merlot and used these williams-sonoma mulling spices. 

After work I came home and had a quick snack of TJ's greek yogurt, some pumpkin spice granola and 2 blackberries. 

After my snack, fiance and I headed to the gym, where I biked. 

Now I am just relaxing! I am planning to read and head to bed early...today just wore me out! NIGHT!