My daughter came home from school for winter break craving Graupensuppe, German Pearl Barley Soup. I get it. When you are away from home, you crave the foods you only get at home. Soups or stews that make you feel loved inside. After visiting a few stores to find Pearl Barley (is there a shortage?), we made a big pot…

Going over the dinner/grocery list the other day, I suddenly craved German Lentil Soup (Linsensuppe), the kind my mom made…with Würstchen (Frankfurters). When I was a child, we’d each get our own sausage with the soup, and the ends would hang over the bowl. To my 8 year old brain, THAT was the height of luxury! (Honestly, I was a…

In Northern Germany, Grünkohl or Kale often comes to the table in winter. (I was eating Kale WAY before Kale was cool). People will even make a Grünkohlfahrt (giggle), a strenuous hike followed by a traditional meal of Kale. My mother’s kitchen was German, which meant WE ate a lot of Kale, too. But I grew up in Southern California,…

I love a good Eintopf.. one pot meal.. and my favorite would have to be German Green Bean Soup or Gruene Bohneneintopf. This easy and delicious meal satisfies even the heartiest of appetites. It’s loaded with Green Beans, potatoes and even beef (and a little bacon). Along with a few slices of bread, it’s the perfect meal for cool nights.…

After enjoying the delicious Eierlikör Torte at Richart: Cafe am Markt in Munich, I decided to tackle this tasty German Torte Recipe for Easter. The cake base is a chocolate cake fortified with ground almonds, and the frosting is whipped Cream. What makes this Torte special (and the part that gave me the most trouble) is the Eierlikör. That’s just…

In the Münsterland, a Good Friday without Struwen is unimaginable. Thanks to my Tante Anne, I have Oma’s recipe for Münsterländer Struwen. These yeast dough pancakes satisfy hunger in a time of Fasting without appearing, as my aunt said, “üppig” (extravagant). Struwen are sweet, but not too sweet, topped with a sprinkle of sugar or cinnamon sugar, filled with raisins,…

German weekend breakfasts have a reputation for being delightful, drawn-out meals with loads of delicious things on the table… Aufschnitt, Brötchen, soft-boiled eggs and fruit. But German EASTER Breakfast takes it up a notch. I’m not much of a morning person, but I was always happy to hop out of bed to enjoy this special meal with my family. Even…

My mother loves sweet bread made with yeast dough, especially during Easter. This year (after watching far too many episodes of the British Baking Challenge), I decided to step outside my comfort zone with a Hefezopf.  Don’t be intimidated by the yeast or kneading. The dough comes together beautifully in the mixer. As for the kneading, I usually have around…

Over the years, many of our local German Delis and Bakeries have shut down. But, all is not lost! You can order German Food online to enjoy at home! Almost everything you normally buy in German Grocery Store stores can be sold in these shops. I’m in the habit of cooking with certain German seasonings and sauces that I can’t…

For many German-Americans, tracing their history is not so easy. Records were lost or destroyed, and the old script can be difficult to read. While I am by no means an expert, I have found some German Genealogy Databases online that can help you find a little more about your German Ancestry. If you know of any websites or pages that…

 Looking for German Festivals in America? Events and Celebrations? Take a look at our list! There’s  something for everyone! Maifests, Sommerfests, Oktoberfests, Christkindlmarkt, Concerts, and More!! We also have a special page set aside for Christmas Markets in the United States and Canada–> German Christmas Markets  Do you know of any Events or GermaFestival that’s not on the list? Send…

  Ever wonder “Are there any German Restaurants near Me?” Readers have kindly sent me the names of their favorite German Restaurants in America, as well as German Bakeries, Delis and Online Sources. It looks like we will all be able to eat Rouladen, Bratwurst, Brötchen and Torte as we make our way across America. And now we’ve even added German…

My mother cooked German soups and Eintopfe (One-pot meals) all winter. Soups transform simple ingredients into flavorful and filling meals. German Potato Soup with Smoked Sausage is the perfect example of this.  The humble potato, the Erd-Apfel, was a side dish at almost every meal. (Boiled, fried, mashed, Klöße…) We were the only ones in our neighborhood with a special…

My daughter came home from school for winter break craving Graupensuppe, German Pearl Barley Soup. I get it. When you are away from home, you crave the foods you only get at home. Soups or stews that make you feel loved inside. After visiting a few stores to find Pearl Barley (is there a shortage?), we made a big pot…

When my parents moved this summer, my mother uncovered a treasure trove of handwritten recipes from friends and family members tucked away in a drawer. She and I resolved to decipher the old handwriting, make sense of the sometimes cryptic directions, and reproduce those old flavors. (Dad offered to help by tasting the bakes.) We are starting with a recipe…

A few years ago I ran into a roadblock when starting my Christmas baking. For years my regular grocery store sold candied citrus peel all packed up and ready for me to use in Stollen, Lebkuchen, and Magenbrot. No more. The grocer told me that demand dropped over the years (and then he mumbled something about Fruitcake being yucky… I…

When you think of Massachusetts, the first thing that might come to mind is the rich tapestry of American history that’s woven into its cities and towns. But did you know that there’s also a strong German influence that’s left an indelible mark on its historical sites? From architecture to cuisine, German immigrants have greatly influenced the Bay State. They’ve left…

Most people don’t think about German-American history when they think about Southern California. Pennsylvania, of course, Wisconsin, naturally, but California? YES! Anaheim’s German History is a great story. The city of Anaheim began as a colony of Germans! (Yes, Anaheim, home to the House of Mouse). In 1857, 50 Germans formed an association called the Los Angeles Vineyard Company and…

A few years ago, I visited the Bremerhaven Auswandererhaus (Emigration Museum), and more recently, I visited Ellis Island, where many immigrants landed on the other side of the Atlantic. The museum houses the other half of the immigration story. I went, unsure of how much German history I would see; after all, Ellis Island acted as an immigration station for…

  1021 people, mostly women and children perished in the General Slocum Disaster of 1904. And yet, the tragedy is mostly forgotten. Kleindeutschland (Little Deutschland) in New York City thrived through the 1800s into the turn of the century. German-Americans lived, worked, shopped, and worshipped in this thriving neighborhood. Then on June 15, 1904, 1358 people climbed aboard the General…