There’s a good reason all Germans carry an Allwetterjacke (all-weather jacket): German weather can fool you. One moment, you bask under a warm sun in the local Biergarten, and the next, you need to pull on your sweater. Especially in May, when after a long Winter of cold, dreary weather, everyone seeks the sun. But, just because the sun is…
Author: karenanne
German Celery Root Salad Recipe- Selleriesalat
The first time I went through the supermarket checkout with a Celeriac knob, a celery root, the cashier looked at it in horror. WHAT IS THAT? To be fair, you won’t find Celery Root gracing the cover of “Beautiful Vegetable Monthly”. Frankly, the thing looks like a Turnip’s ugly cousin. Still, when prepared properly, like in this German Celery Root…
German Beer Day- Celebrating the Reinheitsgebot of 1516
April 23 is German Beer Day! (Isn’t every day German Beer Day?) This auspicious date celebrates the signing of the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot (Beer Purity Law) of 1516. Bavarian Duke William IV decreed that beer could only contain Barley, Hops, and Water (the importance of yeast still hadn’t been worked out). Now over 500 years old, it’s one of the oldest…
German Green Bean Salad Recipe – Grüner Bohnensalat
My mother must have prepared this German Green Bean Salad Recipe (Grüner Bohnensalat) at least a few times a month and maybe even weekly during the summer. Come to think of it, these green beans arrived on the table at Oma’s house quite often, too. Why? It’s a simple recipe that tastes good. Better yet, you can easily adjust depending…
German Beet Salad – Rote Beete Salat for your Salatteller
As a child, I considered beets to be incredibly deceptive. The color of my mother’s Rote Beete Salat looked like garnets, and edible jewels should taste of magic. But instead, German Beet Salad tasted like, well… beets. Still, like I always told my kids, when you grow up, your tongue changes, and things you once ran from now taste delicious.…
Oma’s Simple Salad with Creamy German Salad Dressing
My Oma often served a side salad of Feld Salat with her Creamy German Salad Dressing as a side dish to the warm midday meal. The dressing may seem unusual since it contains heavy cream and sugar, but adding oil, vinegar, and diced onion somehow works. When I was a rotten child, I picked out the onions and tried to…
Ostara and Easter- A Legend that May be Younger than You Think
While digging into stories about Easter in Germany, I frequently encountered references to the Germanic pagan goddess Ostara. Ostara and Easter appear to be so entwined that even the word Ostern (Easter) comes from this goddess of Spring. Sources attribute many non-religious Easter symbols, like eggs and rabbits, directly to her. So, I thought, HA! The perfect thing to write…
Schinken Käse Eier Salat Recipe- German Ham Cheese Egg Salad
I got this recipe for Schinken Käse Eier Salat (Ham Cheese Egg salad) from a friend of my cousin who served it at an Easter Brunch. It’s a variation on a Wurst Salat, a combination of cheese, sausage, herbs, oil, and vinegar. (Don’t confuse it with Fleischsalat, Meat Salad, which is made with a mayo base instead of oil and…
Schutzengel- Guardian Angels in Germany
A few years ago when I learned to drive, my cousin gave me a sticker that said, “Fahr nicht schneller als dein Schutzengel fliegen kann!” (Don’t drive faster than your guardian angel can fly). She firmly believes in Schutzengel, and as someone who tends to be a little clumsy, I really like the idea of a celestial being keeping an…
German Easter Candy and Sweets to Fill Your Easter Basket
When I was young, we looked forward to receiving packages from my Opa a few times a year. Brown paper wrapped packages, tied up with string (actually twine… but Julie Andrews never mentions twine in her song). They came at Christmas (in the odd year he didn’t visit), our Birthdays, and Easter. After Mama carefully untied the knots and saved…