Thanksgiving Recipes and Delicious Desserts!

The night before Thanksgiving in Germany so I'm sad to say that I won't be with my family at my Aunt Judi's house in NJ...first time not home for Thanksgiving which means I'm trying out some recipes for everyone to try tomorrow! We're having a small get together at mine and Corey's apartment...all of the Americans and a few others are coming to celebrate! I decided to make a homemade cheesecake (was going to make a homemade pumpkin pie then I found out that there is no pumpkin puree in Germany...I didn't feel like literally cutting up a pumpkin so that's why I decided on this cheesecake recipe) I also made a low sugar Cranberry Pear Sauce! 

Low fat Cheesecake

Adapted from food.com 

Ingredients

• Pie crust 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Cooking spray
• 2 8-ounce packages Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
• 2 8-ounce packages fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups Stevia or Splenda
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 large eggs and 3 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Berry topping (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mold pie crust to pan. Beat both cream cheeses and the sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 5 minutes, then beat in the sour cream on low. Lightly whisk the 3 egg whites in a bowl, then add to the cheese mixture along with the 2 whole eggs, flour, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Pour over the crust.

Place the cheesecake in pan and bake until the cake is set but the center still jiggles, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Turn off the oven; keep the cheesecake inside with the door closed for 20 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge, then cool completely. Chill until firm, at least 8 hours. Top as desired.

(the sauce being cooked!)

Cranberry Pear Sauce
Adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Ingredients: 
12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
2 ripe pears, peeled and cored, cubed small
1/4 cup Stevia (agave, splenda or sugar can be substituted)
1 cup water

Directions:
Bring all the ingredients to a boil on high heat in a medium saucepan.
When boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool before refrigerating.Serve chilled or room temperature. Makes 3 1/4 cups.






This is "Lebkuchen" which is very similar to gingerbread in the US but it's more like a cake and comes with chocolate on top (of course the one I chose was the chocolate one), sugar or just plain. 

And this delicious piece of cake is from a chocolate shop in downtown Augsburg. Corey and I stopped to pick up a piece of cake after walking around the Christmas Market today..thought it would be a nice treat for our 3 year anniversary. I decided on the most chocolatey type of cake they had. It was even more delicious then it looks! 

Loving Winter in Germany

I just got back from the opening night of the Augsburg Christmas Market. It was so beautiful..I know i'll be going back there a lot more. I sampled Gluhwein which is "popular in German-speaking countries.  It is the traditional beverage offered and drunk during the Christmas holidays. It is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus and sugar. Glühwein is drunk pure or "mit Schuss" (with a shot), which means there is rum or liqueur added." My first tasting of Gluhwein was definitely strong but I hear that Gluhwein is different at all of the different places that serve it so I'm excited to try all of the different kinds. I am going to Rothenberg Ob Der Trauber this Sunday for Corey and I's 3 year Anniversary so I'm excited to see that Christmas town. Rothenberg is know for being Christmas-like all year round and for having one of the most romantic Christmas markets in all of Germany. 


                                      

Gluhwein..delicious!

This Thursday is Thanksgiving so it's a bit sad that it's my first Thanksgiving not in the U.S. with my family but I'm excited to celebrate it in Germany with everyone. It should be interesting trying to cook everything in my little oven but I am going to make as much as I can. (All of the instant mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and spinach dip my mom mailed me will definitely help so thanks mom) 


And I have training for teaching English tomorrow. It's actually been really tough for me. I found this job where I could teach English to adults and to business professionals who were looking to learn English but it's been really difficult for me. I've never taught before..I actually went for Business so this is all brand new for me. Not to mention that I don't remember learning most of the stuff I'm being asked about since third grade. When my trainer asked me for an example of a past perfect continuous verb...I pretty much had no idea. It's funny how one can speak a language so well but when it comes down to knowing the rules as to why you say "a cup" and not "an cup"..it's interesting that you or shall I say that I don't know the rule as to why you use that word or why a tense changes then and not now. So I've training tomorrow and hopefully I can start substitute teaching by next week. It looks like for this year, I'll only be able to substitute English teach but I'm looking forward to working and teaching - any experience is helpful! Hopefully i'll be babysitting more this winter too. Anyways, almost 3 weeks until I'm back home in NY...I go home to the US December 15th-January 3rd and I can't wait to see all my friends, family and adorable dogs! I miss all of them so much... but for now Ciao and Frohe Feiertage!

amazing chocolates at the Christmas Market..had to take a picture to show how good they looked!

Corn Flake Peanut Butter Cookies

Once again I felt like baking something good to try but I wanted to make something that I've never done before...so I tried this recipe that I found on allrecipes.com. We have a huge box of cornflakes that we got & quickly realized why they were so cheap..they're plain boring cornflakes so I'm so glad I found a good way to use them up. I changed a few things from the original recipe so make any changes you'd like but this is how I created my cookies! 

Wow...as I am typing this, after I've tried one, I look over at the cookies and there are FIVE eaten already by my boyfriend in literally a matter of minutes! haha so funny...so clearly someone loves them, hopefully you do too! 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup splenda or stevia 
• 1/2 cup sugar free syrup or light corn syrup 
• 2 tablespoons light butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 cups cornflakes cereal
• 
  
• Directions:
• Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Bring the sugar and syrup to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in butter and peanut butter until thoroughly mixed, and remove from heat. Place the corn flakes into a large bowl, and pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal. Mix until the corn flakes are coated with the mixture. Drop by tablespoon onto the waxed paper; flatten slightly if desired. Allow to cool before serving.

Nutritional Info 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 85 | Total Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 2mg

Lightened Strawberry Crepes Recipe

I found this recipe on food.com and made a few variations to it. I didn't have any brown sugar or cool whip so I made my crepes without those two ingredients and they were still delicious! But I decided to make something different for breakfast this morning..something nice for Corey to celebrate his teams first win last night! This recipe is great but after making 2 crepes, I realized it wasn't enough to feed my boyfriend...so I tripled the recipe and there wasn't a crepe left after he finished eating so if you have some hungry people, I'd recommend doubling or tripling this recipe. 

Ingredients:

8 ounces strawberries, sliced (optional) 

1 tablespoon brown sugar, Splenda (optional)

1 cup Cool Whip Fat Free (optional)

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

1/2 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup skim milk

1. For the filling: toss the strawberries and brown sugar in a bowl and set aside.

2. For the crepes:In a medium bowl whisk flour, egg, oil, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and skim milk.

3. Heat frying pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 a cup of the batter in the pan and make sure it evenly covers the bottom.

4. Cook each side for 30-45 seconds on each side (should not be completely browned) And remove to a plate.

5. When all crepes are fully cooked, spread one or two spoonfuls of cool whip into the middle, cover with a spoonful of the berry mixture. Then wrap one side of the crepe over the mix and the other side over the first. Cover with cool whip and more berry mix. Repeat and enjoy!

Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I found this recipe on Skinnytaste.com and decided to try it because they looked so good. I just made them tonight and they are amazing! I doubt there will be any left considering my boyfriend just went back for his 6th cookie I think? I love love love dark chocolate and my boyfriend doesn't so I just made half with dark chocolate chips and half plain oatmeal cookies without any chocolate. I made a few minor tweaks to the recipe but they came out perfect! I highly recommend them and they're definitely one of the healthiest cookies I've ever had! 

Servings: 15 • Serving Size: 2 cookies • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 190 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 2.6 g • Carb: 34.2 g • Fiber: 2.0 g • Sugar: 19.3 g

Ingredients: 
1 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup Sugar (Stevia or Splenda for lower sugar)
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar (splenda brown sugar for lower sugar)
1 large egg (egg white for less fat)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars on medium speed.  


Add the egg, followed by the applesauce and vanilla extract.

Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls (approx 1 tbsp each) of the dough onto prepared baking sheets, flattening each cookie slightly (skinnytaste mentioned they forgot to do this and I also did..oops). Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies become light brown at the edges.

Homemade Light Applesauce

Homemade applesauce is something that I instantly associate with the Fall so when I felt like baking something that I've never tried before..I decided to go for applesauce since I had plenty of apples in my kitchen and all else you need is sweetener and cinnamon. It's very easy, delicious and a lightened, healthier  version made with stevia instead of sugar. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients:
4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Stevia (can substitute any type of sugar, splenda, etc)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cover and cook on medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes or until apples are soft. Allow apples to cool, the mash with a potato masher. Serve warm or refrigerate to enjoy later!