German food, the Fiesta Bowl and apparently I'm going to have to make some New Years resolutions...

I got called out to make some New Years resolutions and post them on my blog, thanks mom, so now I actually need to come up with some...so here goes:
1. I will make it to the gym twice a day at least two times a week (that's going to be rough!)
2. I will take the programming classes I've wanted to take for a while (personal and professional betterment here)
3. I will visit my parents more...with them living in Mexico I don't get to see them in their home environment all that much!
4. I will do my best to avoid wasting resources (money, food, etc.).

I think most of these are do-able....let's find out.

Now that that is out of the way, big big stuff in my world - UT WINS THE FIESTA BOWL! No, it wasn't the game we should've played in but it's won so life is good! The evening the Fiesta Bowl was played I had some help in the kitchen (the guy I'm dating is a pretty good cook himself), and decided to do some German food...one of my favorites, spatzle was included in that list. We got all the stuff together and grilled some steaks, made spatzle and some braised red cabbage (recipe courtesy of Wolfgang Puck), all of which was delish! Here are the recipes for the Spatzle and the Red Cabbage...both come very highly recommended:

Spatzle
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg
4 eggs
1 cup milk

1. Combine flour, salt and nutmeg. Add eggs and mix.
2. Pour milk into the dough little by little, until a smooth batter forms, slightly thinner than brownie batter. Let rest at least 5 minutes.
3. Bring 2 quarts of water with 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy, 4 - 5 quart saucepan. Plan on boiling at least 2 batches from this recipe.
4. Set a large colander (one with large holes) over the saucepan and press the dough, a few spoonfuls at a time, through the holes directly into the water. OR if you're lucky enough to have a Spatzle Hobel (funny looking tool in the photo), use it instead. Boil for 5-8 minutes until the noodles are tender to the bite. Remove noodles with a slotted spoon and drain further in a sieve.

I serve my spatzle the way my mom does, with brown butter, some sauteed mushrooms and fresh green onions sprinkled over the top. No matter what, this is one great comfort food!

Braised Red Cabbage
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 cup brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples, sliced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups red wine
2 cups orange juice
1 cinnamon stick
3 teaspoons ginger powder
Salt and pepper
4 pounds red cabbage, cut into julienne

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat a heavy casserole. Add olive oil. Saute red onion until translucent. Sprinkle in brown sugar and cook for a few minutes until it starts to caramelize.
3. Add sliced apples and deglaze with the red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil. Add red wine and orange juice, cinnamon stick, ginger powder and salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add red cabbage and continue to cook for about 10 minutes on top of the stove.
5. Cover cabbage with foil and cook in 350 degrees F. oven for about 45 minutes. Remove. Taste, and adjust seasoning, if necessary.