Aquaponics Project in our Backyard – Fish & Veggies!

Posted by on Sep 7, 2012 in Blog, Food, Green Stuff | 1 comment It was my husband’s idea to start with aquaponics in our backyard. What a great idea!! I had no idea what it was and when he explained to me, I was hooked. We have raised vegetable beds, but with the heat, most of my plants stop growing after June, so my harvesting time is usually over by then. But with this concept, we could have fish AND veggies all year round in our backyard. This is...
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My Recent Activities & What I’ve been Up To

Posted by on Jun 25, 2012 in Blog, Food, Upcycling & DIY | 0 comments After I came back from Germany, there were so many things I needed to work on and I am still behind with it all. I had some great shows, especially the Third Monday Trade Days this month in McKinney. My booth neighbors told me that a lot of people asked where I have been -finally establishing myself and Flavor Designs! Extra special for me are my awesome neighbors. The two sisters Amy and Jami...
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What to Make with a Million Peaches

Posted by on Jun 21, 2012 in Blog, Food | 1 comment Ever since I am pruning our peach tree in the backyard regularly, we get more and more peaches every year. There are so many that the branches are already breaking. I hear the tree sighing “thank you” every time I pick some and when I relief its arms from the weight. Yesterday, I picked a large banana box full of peaches and I could pick another ten cases, that’s how many there...
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Discovering a New Fruit: Loquat

Posted by on Apr 24, 2012 in Food | 0 comments My father-in-law planted this beautiful tree in our backyard a couple of years before I moved in with my husband. We both knew it’s a loquat tree but we didn’t know much about it. Last winter, I decided to give it a good trim and this year it grew fruits as big as apricots. The years before, they weren’t bigger than hazelnuts. My father-in-law told me about the healing...
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How to Preserve Parsley

Posted by on Apr 22, 2012 in Blog, Food, Green Stuff | 8 comments My herb garden is exploding! Help! Three years ago, my hubby and I built 3 vegetable beds -in fact he was, I was just watching. I decided to use one just for herbs. I got oregano, thyme, chives, parsley, mint, lavender, cilantro, chamomile, sage, rosemary, dill and onions & garlic (to keep mice and vampires away). It really has established itself very well but it’s getting a little...
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Can I Call A Blog Post “Miscellaneous”?

Posted by on Feb 27, 2012 in Blog | 1 comment It’s my blog, I can call it whatever I like! This is a little visual review of random things I did, that kept me busy in the last couple of weeks, days… Here’s a sneak-peak into the life of Franziska! Enjoy Can you change the color of your leather boots? Hell yes you can! Will they last? I don’t know but I painted my boots from purple to brown to glossy black: I made...
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Mardi Gras, King Cake & Things That Can Go Wrong

Posted by on Feb 24, 2012 in Blog, Food | 0 comments I was lucky to be teaching a cooking class on Mardi Gras! Of course, I made some classics like Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Crawfish Etouffée, Jambalaya and Bananas Foster. I think everything turned out really good and my hubby was happy I brought some leftovers home for him to try. I am always prepared that something might go wrong during (or before) a class but luckily I am a pretty...
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Date Night Out: Recipes!

Posted by on Feb 9, 2012 in Blog, Food | 2 comments As some of you know, I have been a trained Executive Chef for more than ten years in Germany, England, New Orleans, Switzerland and worldwide at sea. Now, my life is dedicated to a renewable lifestyle concept that combines all my preferences like art, decor & design, living, gardening and food. My focus has always been on sustainability, balance and creating a connection between ourselves...
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How to Make Home-Made Chai Tea

Posted by on Feb 8, 2012 in Blog, Food | 1 comment A friend of mine just recently asked me if I know where to get decaf chai tea and I thought, honestly, I don’t know. As a former chef, I typically know where to get what at what price. I am a walking encyclopedia when it comes to anything food related. It’s probably because as an Executive Chef I had to deal with so many different deliverers, products and food prices on a daily...
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Days Like These…

Posted by on Jan 19, 2012 in Blog, Food, Living & Design | 1 comment Today’s one of those days when nothing exciting seemed to happen. But when I look back, a ton of stuff happened, why not share? Thursdays and Fridays are my hubby’s days off and so am I -thank goodness I am self-employed! In the morning the best news in a long time came in: my parents are coming to visit in March, woohoooo!! First time since I moved here from Germany 4 years ago....
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A Fast Clears Body AND Mind

Posted by on Jan 10, 2012 in Blog, Food | 4 comments Again a week has passed and you haven’t seen me much around! There is always a reason why I am not around for a couple of days, so let me explain… I have been sooooo B U S Y !!! Ok, I admit, I have been busy with myself, my thoughts, with work on my upcycling projects, tax, cleaning, removing the tree and then finally, I started a fast. And no, it’s not because a new year...
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What Is A Healthy Breakfast?

Posted by on Mar 14, 2011 in Blog, Food | 14 comments Inspired by a conversation with Fiona Stolze at Blogging To Learn, I decided to write a post about breakfast. I have been an Executive and Pastry Chef for most of my adult life (from 1996) at places...
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How To Make Quark

Posted by on Feb 24, 2011 in Blog, Food | 2 comments This is for all my German friends and all those who miss Quark; let me explain what it is: Quark is a type of fresh cheese …. It is made by warming soured milk until the desired degree of denaturation of milk proteins and then strained. Dictionaries usually translate it as curd cheese or cottage cheese, although most commercial varieties of cottage cheese are made with rennet, whereas...
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Making Cake Balls: Edible Inspiration

Posted by on Jan 11, 2011 in Blog, Food | 1 comment I had no idea what cake balls were until my sister-in-law asked me to make some for her daughter and her friends. It’s pretty easy; I came up with a vanilla sponge cake, baked it, cooled and crumbled it. Added some cream cheese, formed balls, refrigerated, put on sticks, dipped in white chocolate and decorated them. This is how they turned...
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Thoughtful, Last-Minute Festive Christmas Gifts

Posted by on Dec 16, 2010 in Blog, Food | 0 comments While everyone is busy running around getting gifts for their family members and friends, most forget to really enjoy the season. Forget about all those enormous gifts and make something yourself that everyone likes, is not in the way and can be used up or re-gifted. Make your own christmas cookies. While in some countries, like Germany, it is a seasonal habit to make “Plätzchen” or...
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How To Recycle Turkey Leftovers

Posted by on Nov 25, 2010 in Blog, Food | 0 comments All you have to do is: take the leftover meat from the bones and keep them in your fridge or freezer to eat them later with a salad or on a sandwich. Now don’t throw the bones away! After you’ve removed all the meat, cut the bones into smaller pieces and transfer them to a large pot, cover with water and season with salt. If you still have onions, garlic, carrots and/or garlic in...
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How To Make A Healthy Starter

Posted by on Nov 14, 2010 in Blog, Food | 0 comments This is a very nice recipe that you can use to impress friends or just make your family happy with fresh and healthy ingredients. No rocket science, very easy to make and it tastes just soo good! Enjoy Make sure you´re using fresh and organic! Baked Apple with Goat Cheese, Mixed Greens & Bacon Vinaigrette serves 4 2 tbsp cranberries, chopped 2 tbsp Armagnac 4 baby apples (apricot size) 4 oz...
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How To Make Friends With A Pumpkin Mousse

Posted by on Nov 8, 2010 in Blog, Food | 0 comments This is a recipe to die for! I made it at one of my cooking classes at Market Street in McKinney, Texas. Nice and fresh, not very sweet and a little spicy from the white pepper. You could make it for Thanksgiving for your family or friends and they´ll love you. I suggest to make it ahead of time, cover it and keep it in your fridge before serving. Do not use canned stuff, that´s dead food, make...
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How To Preserve Herbs

Posted by on Nov 7, 2010 in Blog, Food | 0 comments Do you have an herb garden? If you would like to know what you can do with a variety of herbs, how to store and preserve them, you´re at the right place. This post will show how you can keep herbs longer before they wilt in your fridge and how you can keep them preserved for up to six months. Mint – don´t remove leaves from stems, wash the mint, tie a string around and hang it upside-down...
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