You see him down the way, and your heart skips a beat with excitement… the man in black. He turns and gives you a smile, touching his top hat with a little salute, his gold buttons shining bright in the sunshine. You feel lucky; do you dare push it? Why not? You approach him, this German Chimney Sweep, and ask…
Author: karenanne
Top 10 Visited Pages on the German Girl in America Site for 2022
Every year I take a deeper look at under the hood of the German Girl in America website to get an idea of what interested all of you the most. I’ve been at this since 2014, and now with over 600 pages on the website (you read that right… 600 PAGES), it’s easy to lose track of things. Was it…
Christmas Eve Dinner in Germany – Würstchen mit Kartoffelsalat?
In the Netflix series Over Christmas (Über Weihnachten), the Christmas Eve Dinner is Würstchen und Kartoffelsalat (Sausages and Potato Salad). The Oma complains, saying that it’s also just the regular Thursday meal at her Old Age Home. But as her daughter points out, it’s Tradition; that’s what they’ve ALWAYS had; in fact, OMA used to serve it. The truth is,…
Spekulatius Truffles- An easy and delicious Christmas Treat
A few years ago, I started making simple Truffles around the Holidays as little gifts and to help corners of my Bunter Teller. Making these rich (and I mean REALLY RICH) Spekulatius Truffles doesn’t take that long, and it’s easy to find helpers since everyone loves playing with the chocolate. You can even get the little ones in your world…
Germanology Unlocked- Old German Handwriting & Genealogy
A running joke lately says we can frustrate and confuse the next generation by using handwriting instead of printing. Anyone hoping to research their German Genealogy from original documents or even read letters from their Oma understands that frustration all too well. I’ve written about German Handwriting and how it’s changed a few times (twice in the 20th century). Before…
Black Friday Deals and Cyber Monday Sales on German Products
Why fight the crowds when you can take care of you Holiday Shopping Online! Check out these great Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals on German foods, Coffee, Bedding, Travel, Wine, and clothing. You’ll also find e-bikes! There are great Gift Boxes, Holiday Decor and Cuckoo clocks, Knives and cookpots, Language lessons and Genealogy helps. For the Kids, there are Schleich toys…
Buy German Bread Online from The Brot Box
Ask most people what they miss the most about Germany, and they will say…”The Bread”. Flavorful loaves made from rye for Abendbrot, Brötchen (rolls) with crisp crust at the breakfast table, seeded loaves to accompany soups. And while the artisanal breads are starting to gain traction here in the United States, NOTHING compares to a good loaf of German Bread.…
German Red Wine Cake- Tante Edith’s Rotwein Kuchen Recipe
When my cousin Linda sent me a photo of Tante Edith’s German red wine cake recipe, I felt like I was doing a Technical challenge in the British Baking Show tent. The ingredients (naturally) were all in German, and the amounts were in grams. Okay, I can handle that. The instructions, though, were a bit more cryptic. 1. Beat the…
Johannes Kepler, Life & Work, His Mother Katharina & Witchcraft
Johannes Kepler, a German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer, wrote the laws of planetary motion, was appointed mathematician to the Holy Roman Emperor, and is considered the father of modern optics. But also the son of a WITCH? It’s hard to believe, but Johannes Kepler put his career on hold and spent 6 years defending his widowed mother against charges of…