I grew up eating German food cooked by my mother and my Oma. As I got older, I learned, through trial and error… and a bit of patience… to recreate these delicious German dishes in my American Kitchen. Now over the years I’ve published quite a few Easy German Recipes to my website (the list is LONG) so it was…

German American Festival and Event Page for October Take a look at our list! October is still Oktoberfest season! But you’ll also find some German American Day celebrations, Harvest Festivals, a Swiss Festival, and maybe a concert or lecture. And don’t forget your lantern for the St Martin celebrations! See the whole year here Do you know of any Events…

Nine German states observe October 31, Reformation Day, as a public holiday – Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, , and Bremen.  But what was the Protestant Reformation, and why is it celebrated? Growing up in the Lutheran Church, we heard the how Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to a church door, setting off the Protestant…

October 6 is German American Day in the United States. But what is German American Day? Why do we celebrate it? What is the history of this celebration? And what is the significance of October 6? German American Day has been officially part of the National Calendar since 1987, when Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5719, declaring October 6 to be…

During the Fall months, with the arrival of pumpkin spice comes Oktoberfest beers. While they are exceedingly delicious beers, the question remains: What is Oktoberfest Beer? And what makes one beer an Oktoberfest beer and another a seasonal ale? Is it the flavor or is it the Season? And is there a special way to brew Oktoberfest Beer? It turns out…

Munich, Germany, is the home of the ORIGINAL Oktoberfest. The fabulous Festival seems to take over the city in late September, and just around that time, we get these images of a Lederhosen-wearing, beer-guzzling, pretzel-eating man with his lusty dirndl-wearing Fraulein. This image is only partially true, and doesn’t tell the whole story.  Oktoberfest is so much more than just…

On October 31st, bakeries in Leipzig bake up a special treat, Reformationsbrötchen or Reformation Rolls. The rolls with five petals and a blob of red jam in the center represent the Luther Rose, the symbol Martin Luther used to sign all his documents. So what are they exactly? Reformation Rolls are semi-sweet yeast rolls filled with raisins (or cranberries), chopped…

Nine German states observe October 31, Reformation Day, as a public holiday – Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, , and Bremen.  But what was the Protestant Reformation, and why is it celebrated? Growing up in the Lutheran Church, we heard the how Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to a church door, setting off the Protestant…

Warm and comforting Rotkohl or Blaukraut, flavored with cloves, is a standard side dish for so many German wintertime meals, but I crave something cold and crisp in the summertime. Something for my Salatteller (salad plate). This Red Cabbage Salad Recipe, or Rotkohlsalat,  not only tastes delicious, but the jewel-like color of the cabbage looks beautiful on a plate. This…

My mother and my Oma came from different corners of Germany, so naturally, each has a different recipe for cucumber salad. Oma passed along this Creamy German Cucumber Salad recipe. From Mom, I got the German Cucumber Salad recipe that uses an oil and vinegar base (find the recipe here). While both are quite tasty, this creamy version is the…

This German Cucumber Salad Recipe makes a refreshing side-dish, and is a fantastic addition to your German Salatteller. The tangy flavor gives your plate a nice balance from creamy gravies or fried foods. Perfect for summer! Cucumber salad is another simple German salad. Slice cucumber, toss in dressing. The only decision you have to make is about the onions. In…

Don’t you love a fresh tomato in summertime? It tastes of sunshine. Even when I can’t get any other veggies in my garden to cooperate, I always seem to have success with tomatoes. This year, we got a bonus when a few “volunteer” plants came up in the garden before we started planting! Naturally, they all seem to want to…

  Yes, you do need another Apple Cake Recipe, and this rustic and Juicy Apple Cake is perfect for apple lovers and moms who want to encourage their people to eat more fruit. Chunks of juicy apples keep the cake extra moist, and the crunchy cinnamon sugar topping adds sweetness. The cake looks a bit rustic, but the flavor will…

This German Applesauce Cake recipe falls under the heading “Pantry cake,” meaning you probably have everything you need to bake this cake already on hand (if you are a regular baker). Flour, Sugar, Butter, applesauce. You don’t even need an EGG!  Better yet… the cake is prepared, baked, and on the table in an hour. Perfect for Sunday Kaffeeklatsch, or…

Like many other foods in Germany, you won’t find just one recipe for German Apple Cake. I now keep several different recipes in my back pocket because you never know; the apple cake must fit the occasion, after all! Apfelkuchen mit Streusel vom Blech (Apple Streusel cake in a Pan) for every day and Versunkener Apfelkuchen (sunken Apple Cake) is…

One of the most baked cakes in Germany is an Apple Cake. You find them in every cafe and at any Kaffee Klatsch with more than two cakes; generally, one will be an apple cake. It’s the cake many German home-bakers learn first. In the same way that there is a Potato Salad recipe for every region (and for every…

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, primarily 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…

The German American Heritage Museum may be one of the smaller museums in Washington, DC. Still, their efforts to preserve the history of Germans in America make up for its tiny footprint. (Plus, I firmly believe that small museums are the best.) Since 2010, the museum has been located in Hockemeyer Hall on 6th Street NW, in the Penn Quarter,…