This Christmas we got to spend three lovely weeks in Germany with my immediate family. It was such a wonderful time for us as we wined, dined and even touristed our way through seven Christkindlmarkts (Christmas Markets), various Altstadts (historical city centers) and several warm gatherings with family friends. Keeping this blog in mind, I paid special attention…
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Glühwein (Mulled Wine)
Oh, Glühwein. The perfect sipping drink for a cold and dark winter evenings. It’s quite popular in Germany around the holidays and is always found at the open air Christmas Markets. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the reason it’s called “glow wine” in German is because you have a tendency to make cheeks take on a rosy glow. Actually,…
Toast Hawaii All Dressed Up
The idea for a Toast Hawaii post struck me one day when I was thinking about my favourite Thanksgiving foods and how to use leftovers. I know turkey is the star for most folks but I always anxiously awaited the ham and pineapple casserole (very Southern!) which was part of my Thanksgiving dinners growing…
Weckmänner (Stutenkerle) – Sweet Yeast Buns
At this time of year it’s common for little, sweet yeast dough men to pop up in bakeries and home kitchens in different parts of Germany. It’s a tradition that’s been around for centuries during the Advent season, particularly around Martinstag (St. Martin’s Day) on November 11th and Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day) on…
Homemade Spezi (Cola + Orange)
If you’ve ever spent any time in Southern Germany and are a soda drinker, you’ve likely had the pleasure of trying a Bavarian soda specialty called Spezi. I say pleasure because I’ve never really run into anyone that didn’t like it once they’ve tried it. Generally, folks become pretty enthusiastic about it. Unfortunately, it’s not…
Bavarian Style Sauerkraut
There are few things that invoke the thoughts about German food like mentioning sauerkraut. It literally translates to “sour cabbage”, which I’m sure is already causing some folks to make a face. I feel like sometimes it gets a bad wrap. Trust me when I say that German sauerkraut is not supposed to…
Rumtopf: Part Two (Blackberry Blueberry)
This post isn’t going out quite as early as planned. I hope you’ll forgive me! So, let’s get right down to berry business… more information about Rumtopfs and my Blackberry Blueberry Rumtopf recipe. Jump down to the Recipe. Go to the Rumtopf: Part One (Apricot) post. Other than wanting to enjoy just one or two fruits at a…
Rumtopf: Part One (Apricot)
Boozy Fruit. I just like that idea of delicious fruit drunk on rum and it’s basically what this recipe is all about. Okay, maybe it’s more about preserving the summer’s sweet bounty with sugar and strong alcohol for the upcoming winter months. Close enough, though, right? Jump ahead to the making of the Rumtopf The word “Rumtopf” translates…
Creamy German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
Gurkensalat! Cucumber salad! There’s not much I can say about this delicious, creamy, dilly, crunchy salad other than it’s one of my absolute favourites. It’s one of those tastes that will always take me straight back to childhood because it was something my Mother made often. It can be enjoyed any time of…
Let’s make Vanilla Sugar (Vanillezucker)
Ahh, vanilla. The smell of reminds me of warmth, simplicity and comfort. It’s a commonplace but highly valued ingredient in baking and any baker worth their salt is going to a good quality extract in their spice cabinet. However, in most of Europe they don’t use vanilla extract. In fact, it’s pretty much non-existent at…