As a child, Marmorkuchen , made from this German Marble Cake Recipe, was a staple in our home. Chocolate and Vanilla swirled into a Bundt (or Gugelhopf) pan. Delicious, but not gooey like many cakes. It was the perfect treat for after school, or with a cup of coffee. And if you were a kid like me, you would always…
Author: karenanne
Once there was a Wall- A Visit to the Berlin Wall in 1988 & Today
My first visit to the Berlin Wall was in 1988. The imposing Wall surrounded Berlin’s western sectors. It was a rainy July, and the whole city seemed to be colored various shades of grey. Who knew that a year later, there would be color? The next time I saw Berlin was in 2018. The Wall had been down for nearly…
How to play the Stadt Land Fluss Game
When I was a child, we would often play the Stadt Land Fluss Game (City Country River). Saturday Morning German School meant a half-hour drive in each direction. Luckily, we would carpool with other kids, so we kept busy playing the “Stadt Land Fluss” game. All we needed was a few sheets of paper from our composition books and a…
Kinder Chocolate Made for Kids! Where to Buy Kinder Chocolate
Kinder Schokolade came into the world the same year I did… 1967. You could say we grew up together, which must explain why I love it so much. This wonderful chocolate confection is almost too sweet… but… it’s delightful for a child with a sweet tooth. (And even now when I want a bomb of sweetness). My Opa used…
Where to buy German Maggi Seasoning Liquid
Most every household in Germany has a bottle of Maggi Seasoning liquid in their kitchen cabinet or on the counter. I have two… For the few of you who aren’t familiar with Maggi… official named Maggi-Würze, think of it as German Soy Sauce (although it’s NOT soy sauce). In fact, it’s official description is “a dark, soy sauce-type hydrolysed vegetable…
Advent – Celebrate German Holiday Traditions in America
Advent – Celebrating German Holiday Traditions in America: Celebrating German Holiday Traditions in America I grew up in a German household in Southern California celebrating German traditions like Advent. We spoke German in the home, my parents had German friends that were like family (we addressed them as Tante and Onkel), and they had kids who lived in…
St Martin’s Day Germany – What is St Martin’s Tag and how is it Celebrated?
I visited Germany in November a few years ago and was delighted to experience my first St Martin’s Tag (St.Martin’s Day Germany). Kids were out in the neighborhood after dark (which comes VERY EARLY in Nord-Rhine Westfalen in November) on November 11, carrying lanterns on poles and singing as they walked down the street. Lantern Statue in Bad Homburg What…
Christmas Tree Lametta- German Tinsel for the Christmas Tree
We always had Lametta, or Tinsel, for the Christmas Tree, a German Tradition. (Even for their first Christmas in America, my parents had it!) These long strands of silver hang from the tree, looking like shiny icicles. Mom insisted on it. I loved it, even though none of my American friends had a Christmas tree that looked anything like ours.…
Memories of my Oma’s Keller – The Wonders of the German Basement
You could blindfold me, spin me in a circle three times, and drop me through time and space into Oma’s Keller, and I would still instantly know where I was, just by the smell and feel of the air; cold, with a hint of damp, the smell of earth and laundry soap, and maybe a little oil? The door…