My mother loves sweet bread made with yeast dough, especially during Easter. This year (after watching far too many episodes of the British Baking Challenge), I decided to step outside my comfort zone with a Hefezopf. Don’t be intimidated by the yeast or kneading. The dough comes together beautifully in the mixer. As for the kneading, I usually have around…
Author: karenanne
Threaten To Undo Us by Rose Seiler Scott – My book Review
Threaten to Undo Us Those of you who have followed my website for a while may have heard me talk about how my mother’s family was relocated from their home in Silesia. In all, 12 million German Nationals were forced out of Eastern European Countries after World War 2 as part of a pact made by the Allied Powers. The…
Playmobil for Easter- Fill the Easter Basket with Bunnies & Eggs that Last!
Playmobil 4450 Bunny Spring Workshop When filling Easter Baskets for kids, it’s nice to include something that they can enjoy playing with for a long time. Why not add a set from Playmobil for Easter? I’ve written before about my love for the high quality Playmobil toys that encourage children to use their imagination–>Playmobil Toys. Not only are they well made, and…
Steinbach Company in Germany- Still Making Erzgebirge Magic for the World
“We want to bring the Erzgebirge magic into peoples homes all over the world.” While scrolling through Facebook recently, I came across an interesting comment on the Steinbach Nutcracker fan page… it said that the Steinbach Company in Germany had been purchased, and the factory was up and running again. WHAT! I did some digging, and couldn’t find much……
A Winter Walk in Germany by Michael Graber
Michael sent me a set of lovely photos that he took on a winter walk in Germany near his home in Planegg, Germany. (Planegg is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the river Würm, 13 km west of Munich.) Germany may be cold… but it certainly is beautiful… (Please note- all photos…
What is a Zuckerhase? Learn More about these Nostalgic Easter Treats!
Every Easter, someone asks me if I remember the Rote Zuckerhase (Red Sugar Rabbit). The truth is, a Zuckerhase is new to me. I’m a child of chocolate bunnies. And I first saw one of these nostalgic treats in Berlin when I visited Germany at Easter. I did some digging since so many people have fond memories of them. There’s…
Lessons I Learned from My Oma… Now I’m Sharing them with You
What other Oma lessons did you learn?? We are coming up on my Oma’s birthday, and although she’s no longer with us, I will never forget all the life lessons she taught me. Now, don’t go thinking she sat me down in front of a chalk board and hammered this stuff into my brain. Oma was way more subtle…
Getting Around Berlin – 5 Reasons Why I love Berlin’s Transportation System
Getting around Berlin might seem a little daunting, but for my Exchange Student Daughter, Katy, navigating the U Bahn and Bus System is a breeze compared to what she grew up with in the Bay Area of Northern Calfornia. Katy is a veteran city bus rider, and used the BART to get around the Bay Area from an early age,…
Chicken Döner Recipe – Ersatz Döner You Can Make at Home
Let me start by saying that this Chicken Döner Recipe is not the same as visiting your favorite Döner stand in Germany at 1 am, when you are looking for delicious nourishment to get you through an evening of celebrating with friends. BUT! It’s a pretty darn good recipe, and it might just satisfy your cravings for those fabulous flavors.…