Yummy Bavarian Hefekloss, Dampfnudel or Germknödel

The Dampfnudel (Dumpling or Hefekloß in Germany, Germknödel in Austria) is a traditional dish in the south and east of Germany and Austria. It can be enjoyed sweet as a dessert filled with fruits, or savory stuffed with meet and served with Sauerkraut.

 The Dampfnudel is considered a 'arme Leute Essen' (poor people's dish) because it uses only a few and basic ingredients: flour, milk, salt, butter and yeast. It originates in Bavaria and you will be able to find it on most menus in local restaurants.

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients:

Yeastball

• 1 lb flour
• 3 packs of dry yeast
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 of a stick of butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar (if served sweet)

Savory stuffing

• 1 lb ground meat
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• salt, pepper, oregano
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 8 oz cheese

Procedure:

Mix flour, (sugar), salt and egg yolk. Dissolve the yeast in luke warm milk and add to mixture. Add soft butter and knead well. Let the dough rise on a warm location for about 30 minutes. Form balls, stuff if desired and let rest for another 30 minutes underneath a towel. Cook over steam or in hot salt water (not cooking) for 12-14 minutes.

Savory stuffing

Roast ground meat with oil, add remaining ingredients and cook until done. Stuff with filling and steam. Serving suggestion: serve with Sauerkraut, potatoes and slow cooked beef.

Sweet

Use jam of your choice to stuff the Dampfnudel or leave it as is and serve it on a bed of hot fruits and top with a mix of Cinnamon and Sugar.

Italian Layer Bake

Italian Layer Bake is a Mediterranean delight. This recipe features layers of Italian meats, peppers, and bubbly cheese under a golden crust. Mmm!

Serves: 6

Cooking Time: 40 min

What You'll Need:

• 1 (8-ounce) container refrigerated crescent rolls
• 8 slices deli turkey (about 1/2 pound)
• 8 slices deli ham (about 1/2 pound)
• 12 slices deli hard salami (about 1/2 pound)
• 8 slices Swiss cheese (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted peppers, drained
• 4 eggs, beaten

Meat can be substitute with mushroom, zucchini or spinach

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll crescent roll dough without separating triangles. Separate dough into 2 squares along center cut line.
    
2. Place 1 square of dough into an 8-inch square baking dish; using your fingertips, press dough to fit bottom of dish.
    
3. Layer with half the turkey, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, and roasted peppers. Pour half of beaten eggs over peppers and repeat with remaining meats, cheese, and peppers.
    
4. Place remaining square of dough over peppers. Pour remaining beaten eggs over dough and cover lightly with foil.
    
5. Bake 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake an additional 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden and heated through. Let cool 15 to 20 minutes then cut and serve.

Mini Frittata Breakfast

For a fun and easy morning meal, try these small-scale egg dishes. Baked in individual muffin cups, they ensure that everyone gets the mix-ins they like.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Assorted mix-ins (such as shredded cheese, diced vegetables, and cooked and chopped bacon, ham, or sausage)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 350º F and coat a 6-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, and salt in a medium bowl, then evenly distribute the egg mixture among the muffin cups.
3. Add about 2 tablespoons of mix-ins to each cup, then sprinkle on a bit of Parmesan cheese, if you like.
4. Bake the frittatas until they are puffy and the edges are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. (If necessary, run a butter knife around the edge of each one to loosen them before removing them from the pan.) Makes 6 mini frittatas.

German Mini Pancakes Cups

So yummy. You could also do this for a holiday breakfast and have a bunch of toppings to choose from.  Very fun!

Mini German Pancakes
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Blend yoursix ingredients in a blender.  Be careful to see that any flour clumps get well-blended.
2. Blend in butter a little at a time in order to temper the eggs.
3. Grease muffin tins well and distribute batter evenly between 18-24 tins. Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.
4. Served with your favorite toppings.  (Mine was a dusting of powdered sugar and  berry sauce)