For the Love of Food

It is hard to believe that I have been blogging for five years now.  I have also been living overseas for just as long.  And, to be honest, if I hadn’t moved overseas, this blog may have never happened.

Originally I started For the Love of Food to share vegetarian recipes with friends who kept calling up to ask me for my recipes for their daughter or sister or loved one who just turned vegetarian.  I got tired of emailing out (and in some cases – hand writing) tons of recipes.  So, when my husband suggested a blog, I thought it would be a fantastic idea because my family could just go straight to the blog for the recipes instead of constantly having to ask and wait for me to reply…sometimes weeks later.

Later on, For the Love of Food developed into a place where my family, an ocean removed, could read-up on what I was cooking on a weekly or daily basis.  And, now I use it to share with the world the many dishes that I make from scratch…mostly American food made with German ingredients.  Which takes me back to my previous statement of this blog possibly never happening had I not moved overseas.  Moving overseas and far away from home creates a void in the heart that can often only be filled with a slice of homemade goodness reminiscent of happy childhood days.  The search to fill this void and bring home a few kilometers miles closer is what currently fuels my beloved blog.  Everything from ketchup to ice cream to salsa can be found here and has been part of my many hours of searching Google (and your lovely blogs) and my many trials (and just as many errors) in cooking.  Basically, since I couldn’t find the foods I loved at my local supermarket, I was “forced” to learn how to create them from scratch with the raw ingredients at my disposal.  And, in 2007 I was able to take this a step further when I got a small garden plot in my local Inter-cultural garden by planting many produce that are unavailable to me here (tomatillos, jalapeños, really sweet corn).

In 2007 I was also able make great leaps and bounds in my food photography attempts with the purchase of my first digital SLR camera, and later on improve even further with the purchase of an even better lens.

I know the last year the blog has been flaky – which my very tiring pregnancy and birth of our second son and now the move…that I am going to have to repeat in another 7 weeks  (I will tell you that long story when it finally has an end).  Luckily, unlike originally thought, I now have fantastic internet access thanks to a kind neighbor.

On to happier thoughts…and those mini cupcakes on lollipop sticks that I promised earlier…

I don’t have any possibility to bake anything that doesn’t fit in a toaster oven until I am finally in my new home with my new kitchen, but I can share these really cute cupcakes that I made for my son’s 3rd birthday for him and his preschool friends.  It was his request…I just made it happen.  It was a lot of fun, easier than I thought it would be, and delicious beyond my wildest dreams.  So delicious, my husband suggested that I should open an American bakery here in town staring lots of cupcakes.  One day….

Until then, I will share the recipes with you (especially the frosting!!) so that you can recreate these at home.  I already have big plans for these babies….think 4th of July party in our garden with other Americans we have met in my son’s kindergarten recently…it is such a small world!

For the cupcakes I used this recipes that was such a big hit last year and a Pillsbury recipe that my mom shared with me.  And, for the frosting I used this DELICIOUS and EASY Wilton Buttercream Icing and a whole tube of red food coloring.  For the frosting I suggest a good quality reusable piping bag with different tips. Continue Reading »

While searching for a vanilla ice cream recipe for Christmas dinner, I came across the most fabulous and beautiful-looking recipe with the promise of being creamy and not freezing into a solid rock.

This is the first ice cream I have had all around success with – flavor and creaminess. Wow..it is fantastic. I can recommend it whole heartedly…and I don’t like vanilla ice cream. Now, I am really itching to get my hands on a copy of The Perfect Scoop (where the recipe is originally from).

Oh, and it went really well with the homemade apple pie I made. The apple pie was ok…you can find my recipe here.

I also got to try out my new macro rings that my husband got me for Christmas. I have been dreaming of my own pair of macro rings since I was in 7th grade when I first tried them out on my camera – borrowed from my best friend.

So, on to other news…

Remember that apartment we were buying?? Well, we bought it and renovations are taking longer…and we have to move into another apartment. So, starting Wednesday, I will be offline for about 6 weeks until we are in our new home. So, while I may have some time to blog, I will most likely not get the opportunity to go online until sometime after Easter. Big bummer…

Ironically, I haven’t been very stressed the last few days and I am home with two sick kids, a whole bunch of moving boxes, and am coming down with a cold myself…and I just feel relaxed.  Crazy, huh?

In the mean time, enjoy this delicious recipe!

The large amounts of snow have made it more bearable. We get to do fun things like ride the sled to preschool, make snow angels, and sled down hills. The other day I took him for a 4 kilometer sled ride and pulled him home on the sled the extra long way. Now, while I would rather be running after him down a sandy beach, the snow will have to suffice for now.

So, everybody, I wanted to share this very happy morning with you today. And, the even better news now (2 hours after taking this picture with my cell phone) is that the sun is now fully out from behind the clouds. I could just run through the streets shouting for joy.

All of you who live in the north and have very short days like we do – just know it will soon be coming to an end…only 1,5 months left!

I am so embarrassed…I am late with my Taste&Create post. Lately my days have just been melting together. It’s the end of January – where did November and December go???

I have been so exhausted lately: a baby, a toddler, a house hold, planning and organizing our move, cooking daily, etc…etc…etc… And, to keep me sane, I am taking a 45 minute jog with a friend once a week where we manage to run 6k. I was so surprised the first time we went running that I made it that far…I could never manage more than 3,5k in my life and always felt like falling flat on my face afterwards. Now, I just feel like a million dollars to do nothing but run and talk with my friend about life. So, our goal by April is to be able to run 10k. Currently it’s unimaginable, but I’m looking forward to the feeling of being able to reach my goal.

So, back to cookies. In all the stress of life, it’s important to stop and make time to bake. Because, although it is extra work, just being able to grab a cookie and close out the world for a few bites will keep you going throughout the day.

And, my partner’s peanut butter cookies are so very delicious that I ate most of them…I love peanut butter cookies. Please, check out her delicious recipe here on Dil Se..

About a year ago our friends from Hempe Kommunikations Deisgns invited us over for a delicious traditional Franconian meal of pork roast and potato dumplings.  I’m not sure whose idea it originally was, but our friends ended up taking step-by-step photos of the process and giving me the recipe.  It was not only a fantastically delicious meal, but it seemed simple enough for me to reproduce.

So, after some practice, I thought it would be great to use my opportunity to through another Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 event and show my friends how well I have learned their recipe myself.  And, since it’s the right time of year, I decided it was time to break out the wooden Spekulatius boards and make some spiced cookies.

I was so excited when I pulled the pork roast out of the oven and saw the look on my friend’s face..and hear the words that came out of her mouth: look at the crust, I don’t think we’ve ever had a crust like that on any of our roasts!

And, as many cooks, what do I like more than cooking and eating my own creations?? : when people love my food.

The roast was a huge hit – crunchy, juicy, perfectly flavored – same with all the side dishes.  The cookies..well, they were ok, nothing to talk over…a shame.  But, we will keep trying until we get the perfect recipe.  After the fact I was doing some things and came to the realization that I used all local products to produce this delicious meal – wines and beers as well.

Ok, bellow I will leave you with 3 great recipes (pork roast, potato dumplings, and spekulatius cookies) all with step-by-step pictures which makes this a long post.

Between all the delicious Franconian wine, beers, delicious food, and conversation I never ended up taking any pictures of my guests enjoying the meal!  Continue Reading »

About two months ago I saw a small sign on my way to kindergarten with my sons that said “Markt der Ideen“. No other information. So, I googled them and found not much more to help me. So, I went and ended up with a free ticket from a friendly lady leaving the convention, and I made my way inside.

Wow.

It was handmade/homemade heaven! Cookies, cakes, jams, jellies, sauces, postcards, paintings, dolls, tapestries, etc, etc…

I dream of selling fantastic homemade goodies here one day!

Just see all the awesome things I found bellow: Continue Reading »

So, a few months back I was meandering through my local grocery store when I came across a package of “wild tomatoes”- also known as heirloom tomatoes. Having heard so many wonderful things about heirloom tomatoes and never having seen them in any of my local stores before, I got excited and bought them.

Never buy tomatoes out of season…it’s always so very disappointing…I wish they’d just take the temptation away.

Anyways, getting past the disappointment, I was sitting at the table watching my son cut tomatoes into funny shapes and eat them when something caught my eye. Continue Reading »

The other day I was perusing one of my favorite blogs (Steamy Kitchen) and I found Jaden’s post on the Pioneer Woman’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken. I have a weakness for fried chicken.

If you can make a good fried chicken, you can win over my foodie heart.
And, if you can make perfectly crispy homemade fries…well…I will just been sitting next to you with a big smile and greasy fingers.

But, since I’m the cook around here, I am the one in charge of satisfying my cravings. So, I got to it.

You will find that the secret to a crispy crust is not a soggy wet batter, but rather a crumbly dry one. I recommend checking out the Jaden’s post with step-by-step images.

And the fries, well, it’s easier than you think to produce perfectly crisp fries at home. It’s a trick a friend of mine taught me. It’s all about the double frying. Which, is basically what you do when you buy the pre-cut frozen fries from the grocery store. Continue Reading »

I am always on the look-out for a good stir fry. I’m also always making new attempts to find the perfect recipe that will satisfy my Asian-food cravings – often with little success, but this time I really hit the spot!

It’s very fresh and delicious and pretty simple. I surprise myself sometimes. Continue Reading »

Sometimes the simplest meals are the most flavorful. I’m always surprised when I can find something “new” at my local butcher that has been staring me in the face for the last 5 years. How could I have missed out on this perfectly thin-cut fennel salami for so long???

I layered it on a mixture of spicy tomato paste and cream cheese.