karenanne

I’m fairly certain that the first Kaiserschmarrn happened when an Austrian or German mother was making Eierkuchen (German Pancakes) in a hurry, flipped it wrong, tried to fix it, and ended up just making scrambled pancake. (Can’t you hear the conversation, “Mama, what’s this?” “It’s good, EAT IT!!”) Things improved from those early mistakes. The […]

A small scale disaster (well, more of a mess) hit our house last week in the form of a flood (ok, it was just an unnoticed spill). The only thing really wrecked? A box of my old childhood Albums. As I pulled them out one by one, it broke my heart a little bit. Mold […]

Last summer while on a tour in Munich, we had a “get acquainted” lunch at the Augustiner Brewery (across from the Hofbrauhaus). On the Menu… Weißwurst, Pretzels and Obatzda, a German beer cheese spread. It was orange. As someone who has attended plenty of gatherings with a fluorescent cheese ball, I was skeptical. But that […]

For someone not from Munich (like me), the Münchener Kindl is a little bit confusing. When I first heard it, I presumed it referred to a native… someone BORN in Munich. And although, I’ve heard people referring to themselves that way, it’s much more. It’s the symbol of Munich, and you see it all over […]

Oktoberfest Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from the World s Greatest Beer Festival Because of our upcoming Webtoberfest celebrations, I thought it would be best to brush up on a few more German Oktoberfest Recipes. Naturally, I want to be able to cook the staples like Brathändl (Roast Chicken) and Kartofelsalat (potato salad …. my northern German […]

A few years ago I moved half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Because there aren’t “German Stores” in the area (and the one “Euro Deli” nearby closed down), I’ve started to buy German Sausage online. Fortunately for me, Cured and Cultivated, an online Deli specializing in meats and cheeses with a HUGE selection […]

Every month GermanShop24 sends me a box full of German Foods and Products to review and share with you. This month, they included the ingredients and a Mandarin Orange Cream Cake Recipe called a Schüttelkuchen. Schüttelkuchen actually translates as “Shake Cake” … and I needed a little help figuring out the method, because it is […]

Germans are seasonal eaters, and when a thing is in season, you will see it everywhere! From Restaurant Menus to Cafes to my Tante Anne’s Kaffeklatsch. It works perfectly… you spend a whole year craving something, then when it comes, you eat and eat, preserve, and enjoy. (Think white Asparagus) Then you get to wait […]

Last year I was lucky… I was not only able to get to the Christmas Markets in Germany, I was also able to get to the workshops and stores in Seiffen to buy authentic Wooden German Christmas decorations. You see, I love the real deal, not the cheap knockoffs from wherever.  I want to be […]

Recently, I was sent the Journey Travel System. A backpack carefully designed to carry everything you need for travel using an intelligent system that makes packing easy, and FINDING things in your bag even easier.  As a life long suitcase user, I was skeptical, I’ve tried new systems before, and they don’t always work out. […]