I think some of my strongest memories relate to food. Especially the German foods I grew up with. The steam in Oma’s kitchen while she prepared our mid-day meal, while I sat on the counter watching her. The good smells of Eintopf, roasting chicken or Königsberger Klopse in my mother’s kitchen when I came home from school late in the afternoon. The happy light feeling that comes with laughing and talking to other women around a Kaffeeklatsch table set with an Apfelkuchen and a Mocha Torte. And that feeling of accomplishment the first time I made Rouladen all by myself (and they were good!!).
When I started the German Girl in America blog a few years ago, I wanted to share memories (and some of these recipes.) Putting myself out there felt a little risky, but it paid off in an unexpected way. I was soon contacted by Nadia at Spoonfuls of Germany. Her cookbook and recipe blog are outstanding and reflect the kind of German food I grew up eating, made with fresh seasonal produce, delicious sauces and rich flavors from simple ingredients. We’ve gotten to know each other long distance over the years, and I am happy to count her as a friend. And I’m incredibly proud that she was chosen to be one of the featured bloggers for Deutschlandjahr USA”/The Year of German-American Friendship under the motto “Wunderbar Together”.
Unfortunately, like so many of the online friends I’ve collected over the years, she and I have never met… never shared a meal. But now, we are going to try to fix that, at least as much as is possible over Social Media.
Nadia recently asked me to participate in a Potluck, and you are all invited too!!
It works like this:
America Cooks German
Between January 31 and February 17, 2019, we are inviting you to share your photos of German food on Instagram. It’s like a virtual potluck all across the United States, as part of The Year of German-American Friendship.
#AmericaCooksGerman #WunderbarTogether
A few basic rules:
- It needs to be a photo of prepared food, not products straight from a supermarket shelf. (In other words, don’t just open a bag of Haribo… use those gummis to decorate a cupcake!)
- It can be breakfast, lunch, dinner… or even a mid-night snack. (And yes, I know beer is considered a food in Germany, but maybe show a bit of creativity, and show us what you are eating WITH your beer…unless of course, you MADE the beer)
- In your post, indicate what’s in the photo and your location (city and state, or state only).
- And, very important, don’t forget to add the hashtags #AmericaCooksGerman and #WunderbarTogether (which is the hashtag of The Year of German-American Friendship). This is the only way we can locate your photos.
Not on Instagram? If you are not on Instagram, and you cannot ask anyone else to post a photo on Instagram for you, you can email me your photo at GermanGirlinAmerica@gmail. com, or, if you are on Facebook, send me a photo via Facebook message, and I will post the photo on Instagram for you. Please include the name you would like to appear with the photo, what the photo shows, and your location.
And don’t forget… if you ARE on Instagram, give @germangirlinamerica a like!!
Towards the end of February, Nadia and I will do a recap of all the photos and highlight some of the more unusual ones.
NOW!!! grab your smartphone or camera and snap away to show us how #AmericaCooksGerman!