For the Love of Food

Hi, yes, I am still here. Happy New Year everyone!

I have been quite a busy bee lately, and have neglected posting on the blog….I have had a few technical difficulties, but I am slowly ironing everything out!

Here are some great things that have happened in the end of November:
-I held a the most successful Thanksgiving party to date
-my year-long attempts at starting my own American bakery here in Germany are slowly coming to fruition (once things are up and running I will share more information with you guys)
-my baby (now toddler!) has learned to walk
-I am back doing organized sports – and loving it
-I got a new kitchen cabinet to store my daily-use dishes and glasses
-I got a lovely book case from France that’s about 100 years old
-I finally decided what colors to paint in the hallway and did it
-we had family over for the holidays – as well as a surprise visit from a friend we hadn’t seen in 8 years!
-my older son grew 2 shoe sizes in a week!!
-I was offered a part-time job – out of the blue!
-I learned how to knit!
-I got a sewing machine!
-I got an AWESOME new EIZO monitor for my computer
-we finally hooked up my computer for the first time in a year since we moved from our old home! Yes, I have been working on a borrowed laptop for that long! And I LOOOOVE my computer so much more now.
-and I was able to finalize plans to be on a relaxing vacation visiting family back home in the US for 6 1/2 weeks

And, here are the not so great things that have happened since last November:
-I injured myself climbing in the kitchen and have been walking around in crutches for a few weeks now..with no pain, but swelling…which has to go away before I sit in an airplane with 2 children for 12 hours! This really annoying injury has also caused me to stop doing my weekly routine of sports (about 5 to 7 hours a week) and has caused those pounds that I worked so hard to shed to come back.

Not too bad if you think of it…only 1 thing going wrong in 3 months and it’s wasn’t anything catastrophic! Heck, my new – and lovely – computer has been causing me more trouble! I haven’t been able to upload any new photos onto my Flickr account to blog for you guys – something screwy on my end. I will have to get my tech guy on it right away!

So, I hope you all bare with me for the time being. Blogging will resume as soon as my technical issues have been ironed out!

Oh, and you can find my biscuit recipe here!

I always feel a bit down when Summer comes to an end. No more strawberries, blueberries, watermelons….you know what I mean.

But, just because the delicious fruits of summer have been put to rest for the year, doesn’t mean that Fall has nothing to offer. Not only does the Fall season offer a variety of delicious fruits; many of them, when fresh picked, will last for months on end in a dark, cool, dry places – like your basement.

By the time New Years rolls around, many of us are quite frustrated with ourselves and our winter-obsession with sweets. Today I want to share with you a “method” I like to use to convince my family to eat healthy.

We are all drawn to food by it’s visual appeal – or repelled by it’s lack of it. I like to arrange fruit on a platter and set it out on the dinner table where everyone can just grab some at their will. Everyone gets excited about how nice the platter looks – then they start sneaking pieces when I’m not looking. By the time the end of the day has come, I have a half empty platter that I refill and rearrange much to everyone’s delight.

So, how do you go about arranging a beautiful platter to fruit that will have everyone’s mouth watering? Continue Reading »

I’ve been around the food blogosphere for over 5 years now, and what made me a food blogger 5 years ago is quite different from what makes me a food blogger today.  To be honest, I was quite skeptical of blogging back in 2005, and my photography skills were, to be nice,  boring!  I have come a long way, and I have not done it on my own.

Could you imagine being the only food blogger out their?  …with no inspiring recipes and posts from your fellow foodies?!  Just think back to how many of us almost had a panic attack when we found out that Tastespotting had shut down – to our relief only temporarily.

And, because there are so many of us out there with so much to share for so many different reason, I thought I would share with you today who I am and what makes me a great food blogger.

Instead of filling this post with my favorite food images that define me as a food photographer blogger (we’ll save those for another day), I decided to pick the 3 that say it all:

Maraschino Cherries, Baker’s Coconut, and Cheeseburger Pizza.

Now, when it comes to food blogging, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not all in the recipe or the pictures.  Yes, those are very very important aspects of food, but more importantly, it’s the ideas behind them that make the recipes and pictures what they are.

Anyone can buy a jar of hot pink “Maraschino” cherries at their local grocery store – well, almost anyone.  Some of us are not so privileged to have access to such food or be in top health to not be allergic to certain ingredients  such as corn syrup, preservative, and red 40.  That’s where I like to come in.  I enjoy being creative with the seasonal fruits and vegetables that I have around me to make all those delicious things we take for granted – like Maraschino cherries and even Ketchup!  Did you know that the sour cherry that is used for making the traditional Maraschino cherry is only in season for 3 weeks of the year!!

As I mentioned earlier, not all of us are lucky enough to be in top health.  A few years ago I was unable to eat sugar (table sugar, molasses, dextrose, brown sugar), and if it wasn’t for that 2-year “health issue”, I would not be the food blogger that I am today.  Yes, there are plenty of recipes out their for homemade ketchup or agave sweetened ice cream, but what about homemade baker’s coconut?  There’s just not much out there.  Because of my love and perseverance in cooking, I don’t let something like that stop me.  I never see anything as being impossible to accomplish – somethings just take longer to figure out than others.

So, what does cheeseburger pizza have to do with Maraschino cherries and baker’s coconut??  Quite a lot.  Good cooking (and good blogging) require a lot of ingenuity – as well as some trial and error.  Sometimes you spend hours (or days) searching for the right recipe – you know what you’re looking for, but you don’t really know how to make it, but when you see it you’ll know it’s the one.  Well, sometimes you never come across that perfect recipe and you have to get your creative juices flowing.  That is where cheeseburger pizza comes into play.  I spent days looking for a recipe that promised the flavor of a cheeseburger in pizza form more than the flavor of a pizza with cheeseburger toppings.  And, since I never found the recipe I was looking for, I made my own – and to everyone’s delight it was absolutely divine.

What really sets For the Love of Food apart from much of what’s out there is the homemade recipes that we’re often looking for, but just aren’t out there.  I try to avoid ingredients that include “can of Cream of Mushroom Soup” since that’s not available to me. Food needs to be made from scratch here.  I “cater” to a lot of American ex-patriots in the same situation.  Nothing makes someone feel less homesick than some good home-cooking – like a truly homemade Green Bean Casserole!

And, while all of this makes me a great cook and food blogger, does it make me food blog star?  YES!  My readership is increasing, a true sign that star-dom is the next step, and I hope to be moving into the ranks of some of my favorite food bloggers (Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen, La Tartine Gourmande, MattBites) that have inspired and taught me the most.

While I was putting together my post for the first Foodbuzz hosted Project Food Blog Challenge, I came across some really old posts that I wanted to share with you.

Around the end of 2006 – when I was in the late stage of pregnancy with my older son – I had A LOT of time on my hands and spent most of it in front of my computer doing research. I had been blogging for almost 2 years at that point, had practically 0 followers, and was generally unhappy with the way the food looked. Don’t get me wrong – my food tasted great, but presentation is key when you want people to read about what you cook.

One gloomy winter evening I stumbled upon La Tartine Gourmande and my blogging life has never been the same. She was just learning about food styling back then, and reading her posts and seeing how she styled her food opened a whole new world for me. I had never heard of food styling until then!

Thanks to Google and great food bloggers (like you guys) out there who are happy to post a tutorial or two on their blogs, it is easy to get access to the right information and learn how to style food and take good pictures.

So, today I’d like to share with you what a little inspiration and research can do if you set your mind to it: Continue Reading »

As I was making my breakfast this morning, I was thinking how simple, healthy, delicious, and CHEAP this breakfast is. Why don’t more people eat this for breakfast??

I must admit that I grew-up hating oatmeal. I mean, who likes a bowl full of bugers?? Yes, that’s what I actually thought…and still think of cooked oatmeal. But, after moving to Germany I learned to eat breakfast as most other Germans: muesli. Muesli is basically some form of oatmeal, sometimes even in granola form (with lots of sugar), and other ingredients added to it such as dried fruits and nuts..and sometimes even pieces of chocolate.

For many years I bought pre-made muesli made of granola with tropical dried fruits until one day I could no longer eat sugar. A box of muesli can have a lot of added sugar in it! So, I started making my own. Throughout the winter I enjoy adding frozen blueberries and raspberries which I put together (without milk) the night before so that the berries slowly defrost and have the same consistency of the fresh berries they once were by morning. In the spring time I enjoy my oatmeal with bananas or strawberries, and in the summer I like adding peaches, apricots, or fresh blue berries. For some reason, every Fall I enjoy eating rye bread with different homemade jellies that I canned throughout the summer and generally don’t eat much oatmeal.

Not only is this a very very healthy and fulfilling meal, it is very inexpensive. For 27 cents a serving you really can’t go wrong (see my price list bellow). Continue Reading »

So, still no move date in sight to our newly renovated home from Pravexx (we should have moved in on February 5th,   then March 5th, then April 12th, then May 5th, then May 10th, then May 15th..today’s the 15th and still no move in sight). And, while I have told you in the past that I couldn’t post as much until I move to the new home, I have decided to stop waiting for the big move day.

In someways I have become a “broken food blogger” – I only have 4 plastic yellow pickinick plates to photograph on, one salad bowl, and 3 forks. But, in no way have I become a broken foodie – there is a big difference! Although my current kitchen/foyer is smaller than the bathroom of my last apartment (2 meter x 2 meter), I still cook for my family every day and I still send my son to preschool with delicious homemade meals.

There are somethings that you should never let go of. The most important being your dignity in the kitchen. Last week I cooked a 5 course meal with one electric burner and a toaster oven for 15 people and no body would have guessed. Granted it took me 3 days to prepare, but I accomplished it and it made me feel good.

So, today I want to share with you a recipe that I found way back in the winter when I lived in my old home, but still use today in my tiny hole-in-the wall kitchen. The recipe says it’s an Italian salad dressing, but I find that it can go either way Greek or Italian. Continue Reading »

Well, it’s another beautiful day outside today. And, what is nicer than taking a stroll outside on a cool sunny morning? Taking the same walk with a homemade soft pretzel hand.

My husband and son made these one afternoon. And, what recipe did they use?? Can’t remember…. bummer huh?? They were really yummy too. Continue Reading »

A year and a half ago I found myself in one of the greenest countries I’ve ever visited. And, this week is all about the Irish and their patron Saint: St. Patrick.

Being someone who pays quite a lot of attention to food, while in Ireland I noticed that food in Ireland is predominantly NOT green. Rich browns, oranges, and yellows adorn most plates nation-wide. And, especially in pubs, the leafy green salads that many of us are used to are few and far between – and sometimes non-existent.

So, what does a typical Irish meal consist of? Potatoes, meat, cooked vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, and cauliflower, and more potatoes…they sure do like their potatoes. I remember once when we stopped for lunch at a cantina and my husband was served two types of potatoes with his spaghetti!

Bread is also an integral part of daily life on the Emerald Isle. They have everything from scones to brown bread to soda bread. While we were staying at Stanley House in Schull, we fell in love with Mrs. Brosnan’s fabulous homemade brown bread. So much so that I asked for the recipe and have been waiting for a while now to try it out. But, since all my baking supplies are backed away in boxes, it may just have to wait for next St. Patrick’s day. Continue Reading »

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!

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 »