RTW Travelers Dinner Party.

By Posted in - Food & Travel Bites & Travel Blog on February 29th, 2012 Blooming Onion Bread on the table.

It’s a Dinner Party! Let’s Meet and Mingle:

We are a freewheelin’, 30-something couple with a 7lb hound named Chachy. Beth is a professional photographer and the author of the infamous photo ebook: Getting Out Of Auto. If you want to learn how to take killer photos be sure to check it out! If you’d like more information about our travels, be sure to check out our Beers & Beans Starter Kit!

Our Dinner Specialty:

A few weeks back Beth and her sister, Bridgette of Earmark Invitations, made one of the tastiest breads I’ve ever eaten from a recipe on Pinterest. It’s a take on Outback Steakhouses’ Bloomin’ Onion and its called the Bloomin’ Onion Bread. The beauty of this budget friendly dish is that it’s just as easy to cook in a hostel as it is at home. Better yet, it pairs well with wine or beer. The recipe is at the bottom of this post!

Bread on a table.Green onions being poured over a sourdough bread.Blooming Onion Bread on the table.

Recipe for Bloomin’ Onion Bread

This is extremely easy to make and is a real crowd pleaser – would be perfect for your stay in a hostel or an apartment while you’re traveling.

  • 1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread
  • 12-16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup finely diced green onion
  • 2 teaspoons poppy seeds 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Baking Notes: Next time I think I would dial back the butter amount – it’s too much in my opinion. I would use 2 different types of cheeses – maybe add a pepper jack for a little more spice. You could also use olive oil instead of butter if you want. View the original recipe.

 

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Table Talk:

During our recent trip in Europe for the Hazy Shade of Autumn Tour, we had quiet the misadventure on an overnight train from Vienna to Switzerland.

After giving our Eurail passes to the attendant, I immediately had a bad feeling about it. In fact, that night I had a dream our passes were lost and we weren’t able to get them back or replaced. Sure enough, in the morning when the attendant returned to hand back the tickets ours had magically disappeared. At that point we had barely used them, and I know they were stolen by the attendant because NO ONE ever checks the names on the tickets with the names on your passport, so technically anyone could use them.

The senior attendants tried their best to get us off the train and on our way by saying they would contact us at our next location, but we refused to leave because we knew we would be screwed if we left. Finally, we did leave with the manager and two attendants and went straight to the Eurail office. After a few hours, the Austrian conductor had to buy us new tickets because it was their mistake and we refused to leave without them.

It’s not really a location specific problem (and we really loved Switzerland and Austria regardless) and we would still ride on trains in Europe even though this happened. However, we definitely tried to avoid overnight train rides after that so we wouldn’t have to hand over the tickets again.

Cheers!

Beth and Randy

Editor’s note: This is our post for the RTW Travelers’ (Digital) Dinner Party hosted by Bethany and Ted of the Two Oregonians. When we got the invitation a few weeks back, Beth and I thought this was a really creative idea, especially because we are big fans of dinner parties ourselves, and we were excited to take part in this digital dinner party. For more information about the dinner party and guest list, you can check out this link: RTW Dinner Party.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!

(9) awesome folk have had something to say...

  • Bethany ~ twoOregonians -

    February 29, 2012 at 4:42 am

    That bread looks delicious! I might have to go hunt down the details. Butter and cheese and maybe basil? (“…from a recipe on Pinterest” – the world’s new visual cookbook! 🙂 I love it.)

    Wow. What a frustration with the train attendant. And to think you had a dream about it, too. We’ve not been on overnight trains in Europe; I didn’t know you had to hand your tickets over. Definitely risky, like you say.

    When we were at the Peru/Bolivia border crossing last month, the nasty bus driver literally ripped our passports out of Ted’s hand and ran off with them. Turns out, he was all in a tizzy about getting through immigration quickly, but Ted was fried by his lack of communication. Parting with passports and tickets, etc. – never a good feeling. Glad to hear they ended up providing replacements!

    Really fun to have you two (well, three including Chachy — Ted loves dogs!) at the dinner party. And thanks for the appetizer inspiration. We just might have to make that in our little apartment kitchen…

    Happy travels to you guys. We always enjoy your stories from the road! xx

  • Andrea -

    February 29, 2012 at 5:24 am

    That bread looks AMAZING!! I always loved those onion blossoms in restuarants – so unhealthy but soooo good. Isn’t it crazy when you have a dream and it come true the next day ? This happened to me after I took a nap early this afternoon. I dreamed about some drama happening with a bank issue we’re dealing with at the moment and when I woke up we actually had some major drama with it. Sometimes dreams and life are just eerie! Glad they bought you new passes!! That could have been a disaster.

  • Julia -

    February 29, 2012 at 5:41 am

    Woof! Eurail passes are worth their weight in gold, good on you to be persistent about getting them replaced!

  • Miruna -

    February 29, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Mmmm It looks delicious!

  • Shirlene & Jeremy from Idelish -

    February 29, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    Hi – Nice to “meet” you at our {digital} dinner party tonight! You sold me at Bloomin’ 🙂
    The bread looks absolutely yummy. if only i can find time to cook and bake!

    Looks like you did the right thing by insisting on staying till you got your eurail passes back. Sometimes travelers are taken advantage of because we’re vulnerable in a foreign land. It’s great to see travelers sharing their experiences so others don’t repeat the same mistakes. Thanks for sharing!

  • Tran -

    February 29, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    I have to say that I have been digitally munching on your Bloomin’ Onion Bread all day long. Great choice!

  • John -

    March 1, 2012 at 7:04 am

    What a unique idea. And it looks delicious to boot.

  • Bridgette -

    March 1, 2012 at 5:42 pm

    Think about the amazing bread and cheese options you could do this with around the world! Caprese in Italy, Gouda and onion in the Netherlands, Brie and Berry in France! What fun!

  • Leslie (Downtown Traveler) -

    June 4, 2012 at 6:40 pm

    This looks really tasty! I could relate to your train story– we bought tickets for an overnight bus in Chile and when we showed up at the desolate bus station they claimed we didn’t have reservations. I stayed until they resolved the issue and I wouldn’t budge– and it worked! It’s all about persistence 🙂