The German Kitchen

This is a great accompaniment for many things. It is fancier than mashed potatoes and french fries, but satisfies the need for a potato side. Try serving with cod in a wine and mustard sauce!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 kg / 1.6 lbs potatoes (mealy or mashing type like Russet)
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 small egg
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• pinch of pepper, preferably white ground
• oil for frying, canola

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Tags: potatoes, recipe, side dish, Vegetarian

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We had an interesting week in the Stolze household. Last Saturday, we had a freak October snow storm which resulted in 6 inches of snow, fallen trees everywhere, and loss of electricity – for DAYS. Our town is still recuperating. Schools were closed for three days, whole sections of town were essentially boarded up due to no communications, nor electricity. We stuck it out in our home with no heat, and no way to cook other than stove top. No refrigerated food items survived. It was torture.

As you can well imagine, it took a lot of ‘field trips’ to keep our 7 year old warm, fed, and happy. One of these trips, we took a drive to Bed Bath & Beyond to try and find astove-top percolator, as we were coffee-less, and grumpier for it. Imagine my surprise when we walked in and saw their newest addition – World Market. My son and I spent much too much time wandering through, slack-jawed and taste-testing everything they had available. There is more coffee and tea than I have ever seen in any one place before. The Brit in me drooled over the PGTips teas, Cadbury candy, and canned treacle pudding, while the German in us was equally enchanted by the Adventskalendar selection, spaetzle, Milka, Kinderpunsch, and jarred wurst. The Asian palates will find equally exciting items, not easily found elsewhere in the States. The selection of gourmet and international foods is simply wonderful. If I had to make one negative observation, it would be that there are too many choices. One could easily spend an hour wandering through there. And the best part? Given the specialized nature of the items, the prices are very reasonable, and somehow manage to undercut small, niche food markets.

I am unsure as to how many Bed Bath & Beyond stores are adding the World Market section, but I can tell you that there is one in East Hanover, New Jersey. Very new, and very wonderful. If you are in North Jersey, I highly recommend it. They are apparently not putting money into marketing the opening yet, as they want to ensure that there is a real interest. So please, stop by and show them how much we love the idea!

As an aside, we never did find a percolator. However, we did find stollen, lebkuchen, jarred bockwurst, and Milka bars had somehow found their way into our basket. Today we returned with my husband, who was equally flummoxed by the selection of German and Indian foods. All in all, a very good find!

Tags: Baked Goods, Christmas, German, german food, Germany, NJ, Weihnachtsfest

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Title: OKTOBERFEST 2011 – Everyone is Invited!
Location: Forest Lodge, 11 Reinman Road, Warren, NJ 07059
Link out: Click here
Description: Spread the Word!! Everyone’s invited to OKTOBERFEST. The celebration begins on Saturday, October 8th from 11am to 6pm. Rain Date; Saturday, October 15th. Join us at FOREST LODGE, 11 Reinman Road, Warren NJ and help us kick-off this year’s OKTOBERFEST. The Food & Beverage Pavilion opens at 12noon. Bring your appetite and feast on authentic German food!

The Festhalle will keep everyone entertained! We have Bernie’s Orchestra, a five piece ensemble which will keep your toes tapping! Sway, Dance & Sing-a-long to all your favorite songs!

OKTOBERFEST attendees will be treated to a special performance by The Saengerchor. Attendees will hear the glorious sounds of German-American songs from the chorus’ repertoire. Come, join us and celebrate!

OKTOBERFEST has something for everyone! Bring your friends and family and don’t forget the kids! They will keep busy with Amusement Rides, Inflatables and more.

Get out your wallet and shop, shop, shop! The VENDOR FAIR has vendors selling a wide variety of products. Get in the holiday spirit and start your shopping early!

Non-Food VENDORS WANTED!! Email Oktoberfest2011@aol.com for details.

OKTOBERFEST IS WUNDERBAR!!

See You at OKTOBERFEST!
Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2011-10-08
End Time: 18:00

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This is a wonderful, easy to make crumb cake, in which you can prepare your own fruit for a filling, or use canned pie filling. Filling the cake with apple or cherry are my two favorite options, but I have also used peaches. This is as close to pie as Germans get, and honestly, this is much better with a strong cup of coffee than American pie. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 70 minutes.
Portions: 10 slices.

Ingredients:

Tags: Baked Goods, cake, Dessert, German, Oetker, recipe

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New Year’s Eve in Germany wouldn’t be the same without a large bowl of this, for even a meager gathering of 4 people. Very easy to make, and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 750 ml bottle of dry white wine
• 750 ml bottle of dry red wine
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup dark Jamaican rum

Preparation:

1. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a large pot, while stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Add the wines and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the rum and lemon juice.
3. Ladle the punch into cups and serve warm.

Tags: Beverages, Christmas, New Years, Silvester, Weihnachtsfest, wine

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These are traditional German Christmas cookies, but are wonderful anytime. The nice thing about these is that they are so well-known, you can find them sold through many brands right in your local grocery store. Of course, homemade is always nice – especially when giving the gift of cookies to family and friends.

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 c. blanched almonds or hazelnuts (about 1/2 pound)
• 4 c. unbleached flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. finely ground black or white pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. dry powdered mustard
• 1/4 tsp. ground mace
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 2 1/2 sticks butter (10 ounces), softened
• 1 1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 c. honey
• 1/3 c. warm water
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

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Tags: Baked Goods, Christmas, Dessert, German, New Years, recipe, Weihnachtsfest

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One thing you will always find at any German bakery are butter cookies. Kids love them, and Omas always have a stash for the kiddies. They are a great staple for sweet trays around the holidays too, and can be cut into any shape you like. They are definitely one of my guilty pleasures this time of year!

Ingredients:

• 6 c. flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 pound butter, softened
• 2 1/4 c. sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 c. fruity wine, such as Riesling

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Tags: Baked Goods, Christmas, Dessert, German, Silvester, Weihnachtsfest

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I am a huge fan of red cabbage. This is a great way to make it really special. This is best if prepared a day in advance.

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Portions: 6.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 to 3-pound red cabbage
• 2 tbsp. butter, or minced bacon
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 2 tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 small yellow onions, diced
• 1/2 c. red wine vinegar (in a pinch, apple cider vinegar will also work)
• 2 c. broth (beef, vegetable, or chicken stock)
• 2 c. red wine
• 6 whole cloves (make a small cheesecloth bag containing the cloves, to be removed after cooking)
• 6 whole peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• Thickener: 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. flour

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Tags: cabbage, dinner, German, recipe, Salad, salat, Vegetarian

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I just received my newsletter from German Deli advertising their Christmas in a Box Gift Boxes! It reminded me of all the wonderful items my inlaws send us around the holidays. Unfortunately, shipping things of this nature from Germany can be quite pricey for the general public.

There are many things we love in our house. Some of the Stolze family favorites? We must have Marzipan and Butter Stollen, Pfeffernüsse, Lebkuchen (gingerbread, especially chocolate covered for the boys), and of course liqueur-filled chocolates – every year.

What to do if you don’t have someone to send them to you? There are a few options. For one thing, if you have an Aldi’s near by, they always do some German Christmas specialties this time of year. I have found Stollen, Lebkuchen, Pfeffernüsse and frozen specialty German cakes there. Some even carry Glühwein. Aldi’s is a German owned company, so they are great for finding reasonably priced German goods. Another option is Big Lots. They occasionally carry some of the German cakes and Stollen there. Not as fresh, in my opinion, but good in a pinch. Also, some Shoprites carry a good mix of German sweet items, such as Balsen brand cookies and Stollen. And if you simply can not find these near you? Try German Deli, an online German specialty retailer based in Texas.

German Deli has made it very easy and affordable to try a variety of holiday specialties. They offer the Christmas in a Box, which is essentially various sizes of gift boxes containing German holiday specialties.  You can also find items to purchase individually.

I wish you luck in you German holiday food endeavors. It can be difficult, but rewarding in the end. Trust me.

Enjoy, and happy holidays!

Tags: Baked Goods, Christmas, Dessert, German, german food, Germany, kuchen, New Years, Silvester, Weihnachtsfest

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Christmas is upon us! For anyone closely linked to German culture, that means many things, but one of the top of that list is Glühwein. When we visit Germany around the holidays, everyone knows that Lisa MUST go to at least one Weihnachtsmarkt, and have at least one hot, beautiful, soulful cup of Glühwein. If I don’t get it, I get cranky – real cranky. Here in the states it is very hard to find premade. If you are lucky enough to have an Aldi’s that sells liquor near by, you can usually find it there. However, some of us are not that lucky. For us, there is this recipe. I hope it warms your holidays, the way it always warms mine. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 45 minutes.
Portions: 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle red wine
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 orange
• 10 whole cloves
• Optional – 1/2 cup rum

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Tags: Beverages, Christmas, German, Germany, gluehwein, New Years, recipe, spiced wine, Weihnachtsfest

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