Kummerspeck Inspired Dinner

Bratwurst, “German” Style Mac ‘n Cheese & Homemade Pretzels

Kummerspeck: German word | “Excess weight gained from emotional overeating.” Being socially distant and with everything on in the world, a full hearty dinner and a movie seemed like the solution (even if temporary) to all our problems. The movie's decision was easy - Jo Jo Rabbitt… once that was decided, A German-inspired dinner seemed like the right way to go.

Handmade Pretzels

• prep time: 15 minutes
• cook time: 10-15 minutes
• total time: ~30 minutes

Servings: 5-8 pretzels depending on size

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. salt
• Coarse sea salt for sprinking

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Mix the yeast into the water until well mixed
3. Add salt and sugar and stir until mixed
4. Add flour (one cup at a time) and mix until dough is thick
5. The dough is ready when it is no longer sticky and bounces back when poked (you may need to add more or less flour
6. Flour a clean surface and knead the dough for 3-5 minutes and then shape into a ball
7. Cut and divide the ball into 6-8 pieces
8. Roll the dough pieces into a long rope
9. Make an upside-down horseshoe shape, then cross the bottoms, and curl up upon itself to create the pretzel shape. Click here for a great video example.
10. In a bowl beat the eff to create an eggwash
11. Brush both sides of pretzels with eggwash
12. Place pretzels on a parchment-lined baking sheet
13. Season with coarse salt
14. Bake for about 10 minutes and then put the oven on broil and bake for 3-5 minutes until golden brown (keep a close eye so that they don't burn)

Bratwurst Dogs

• prep time: 1 minutes
• cook time: 10-15 minutes
• total time: ~15 minutes

Servings: depending on how many you make

Ingredients:

• Hot dog buns
• Bratwurst sausages
• Mustard
• Saurkraut

Instructions:

Toast hot dog buns under the broiler to get them nice and toasty I used the Freybe Bratwurst which is fully cooked so they just need to be heated up on the stove or the grill Add sauerkraut to the bottom of each bun, place bratwurst on top and add mustard

German "Inspired" Mac & Cheese

• prep time: 10 minutes
• cook time: 20 Minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 for dinner

Ingredients:

• German spelt egg noodles
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 2 Tbsp. Flour
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 cups motzarella cheese, shredded
• Italian seasoning
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta to package directions
2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat add butter and garlic and cook until butter has melted and garlic is fragrant
3. Add flour and whisk to combine
4. Cook for 1 minute until mixture begins to brown
5. Add milk and whisk until no lumps appear
6. Add yogurt and mix until well combined
7. Once the mixture has thickened reduce heat and add cheese, whisking until cheese is melted
8. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
9. Add pasta to the pan and stir until sauce has coated the pasta
10. if the sauce is too thick, you can add a little bit of boiling water to the mixture to thin it out.