This summer, my husband, our little boy, and I spent five wonderful weeks in Austria visiting my family and friends.
We went on day trips to the mountains, breathing in that fresh Alpine air and enjoying views that make you stop and just take it all in. One highlight was spending a night at Hotel Pierer (almurlaub-pierer.at)—a beautiful wellness hotel I can highly recommend. The wellness area is spacious, clean, and beautifully designed, and the staff made us feel so welcome. We enjoyed it so much that we’ve already booked another night for December when we’ll be back for Christmas.
When we weren’t in the mountains, we spent plenty of time in the garden, soaking up the mild weather (such a nice break from the Texas heat!), splashing in the pool, and watching our little one run around.
Of course, no trip to Austria is complete for me without baking. I joined a pastry class—something I always do when I’m here—to get new inspiration and learn new techniques. At home, I baked lots of strudel like Apple Strudel and Curd Cheese Strudel with Peaches.
I also made fruit cakes with apricots and cherries from our garden, plus a Poppy Seed Gluten-Free Apricot Cake (you can find the recipe on my freebies page!).
Food was, as always, a big part of our trip. We enjoyed Wiener Schnitzel, Gulasch, Kaiserschmarrn, Palatschinken, and so many other Austrian dishes that I can’t wait to recreate in my Austin kitchen.
It was a beautiful, meaningful summer—full of family moments, good food, and inspiration for the months ahead. My mom had so much precious time with her grandson, and we all enjoyed being together.
I’m already looking forward to sharing more Austrian flavors with you in my classes and recipes this fall.
