Food and other fun things

Happy 30th post everybody!!
If you've been reading from the beginning, thanks for sticking with us even though sometimes we go for a while without a post.

Anyway! I'll update you on Langenargen quickly....
First, there is snow!!!! Welllll not here, but we can see it covering the Austrian alps! How bout that? Walk out your front door and see snow covered jagged peaks in another country! They are beautiful lit up by the sun behind the lake. Really stunning.
Second, bike riding through endless apple fields (the smell is amazing) then coming home to fresh, hot, local apple cider is a great experience. It is apple season here on the Bodensee and we are enjoying every bit of it. A 5 lb bag of local apples from a roadside stand is only €2. They are some of the best apples I've eaten. Period.

All this talk about apples remindsme that I've been meaning to write about the food we've eaten on this trip. Not only the food we've eaten at restaurants, or in other peoples houses, but the food we have made ourselves. If you know me at all, you know I love to cook and that Russell and I both enjoy good food. With such a limited budget, sometimes it is hard, but I would rather miss museum or two in order to eat a little better. Many many times on this trip we have come up with a grocery budget to stick to for 3 days or a week...whatever...But always the budget is as small as I can make it. As a cook, it is a fun challenge. As a young couple, it is always an important lesson in using every penny as well as we can and stretching every dollar (excuse me, euro) as far as we can. And stretch we have!! I have been super proud to have made 2 or 3 meals a day for 3 or 4 days for £10! And this is without a pantry full of staple ingredients like flour, oil, etc. We have been lucky with some hostels offering a 'free' box of things left from others. The box is always fun to look through and has even given us a complete meal or two!! It contains things from soy sauce to carrots (in the fridge) to garlic butter, olive oil (yay!!!), flour, pasta, coffee, carrot cake to things like half eaten chocolate bars and nearly empty, open boxes of cornflakes.
Mostly though, we have eaten from supermarkets. This is the first thing (after a place to stay) that we look for in a town. And we aren't eating ham sandwiches every meal, either! On this trip we have eaten all sorts of wonderful( and.some mediocre) kitchen creations! For example:
Pumpkin risotto (all sorts of risotto, actually... It is great)
Quiches of all flavors
La crique (French bubble and squeak)
Beef stew (oh yeah...I've eaten quite a bit of meat on this trip)
All sorts of pastas
Zucchini parmesan
Eggplant Parmesan
Chicken salad
Salad with lemon and potatoes (yummmm!!!)
Caprese salad
Stuffed mushrooms
Pumpkin soup
Endive soup
Potato soup
Pancakes
Omelets
Bacon, biscuts and gravy
Roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans
Coronation chicken salad
Oatmeal
Sweet oakcakes
Savory oatcakes
Rarebit with roasted broccoli
Cheese fondue
Tarte tartin
Stuffed shells
Dutch butter bar cookies
Beer braised brats with german fried potatoes and sweet and sour red cabbage and apples
French toast

And that is only the beginning! So no, it isn't gourmet or fancy, but it is good and like all of our trip, handmade! This has been such a super saver on the trip. Having a kitchen. In places that you stay is key. Eating out is nice, but can put a strain on the budget. Thanks to generous people and family and every now and then a night out, we've been able to eat many things we wouldn't have otherwise!
The key to cooking in another country for cheap is buying what you know will be good in that area!
For instance, in England and Scotland and Ireland, oats were really really cheap, good and versatile!(hence all the oatcakes above,..)
Other things were good and cheap there too! Potatoes, fruit, and hummus!!! Really good, cheap hummus! And eating out? Amazing Indian food.
In France, Brie and camembert were fabulous and nearly a quarter the price you would find them in the states!
So we ate a lot of cheese! :) and fruits and veggies that were so fresh and wonderful
In Italy? Pastas of beautiful shapes and sizes, Mozzarella, parmesan, and tomatoes!!
In Germany, apples (of course!), brats, potatoes,and other german yummies
Of course, fruits and veggies and bread from the local stores are always cheap and amazing.
While groceries tend to be on the cheaper side here in general, there are a few exceptions. In St. Tropez, for instance, we decided to have a taco night (remember taco night when you were little?) so we found a store that had taco kits! $2 tops in the states. This one (remember, shells, sauce, and an envelope of seasoning) was €6 or around $8 (and you wonder where our money goes?!)
We got it anyway and had really good tacos!
And don't try to get peanut butter anywhere! A tiny container will cost you an arm
And a leg!

So as I finish this blog, I encourage you to stay in instead of going out! Make your meal tonight. With what you have! Take a look in your own 'free food' box or at the vendor down the road and put together your own travel inspired menus and meals! Take a look above for some easy suggestions! Write for recipes or to tell us about the yummy things you've made!

We can't wait to hear from you! We always love to read your comments! :)

Maria and Russell