This is how my mom makes french toast — it used to be a treat for our birthdays before school because it didn’t take as much morning prep time as pancakes do. So delicious.
que fabuloso joshwa, great story- it brings home just a little bit closer. miss you, miss everything you described, and would love to read more of your stuff if you send it this way
josh, YAY – this site is great. i love it. how about a vegetarian section with yummy recipes that don’t require a 100 different ingredients. is that too specific? -sara =)
thanks, guys! i’m having people over for dinner tomorrow night and will try the apps. they look easy and yummy – just what i wanted. and fyi, i am only a vegetarian because i don’t like the taste of meat, chicken, fish, etc. – it’s a texture issue. especially things that snap – shrimp, brats, etc. sick. but i still have leather bags and shoes, and my hubby and kids eat meat. i even cook it. =)
Two Elisabeth’s under one roof?
Also, I think they’re called sous chefs, not underlings…though a roving band of minion chefs would be kinda cool i guess. as long as they were roving.
I really like those two photos; the composition is great. And I had a lot of fun cooking with you and your mom last Sunday– sehr gut organisiertes Chaos in der Küche, as we would say. :)
I think you should take this food blog back into the previous century — public food-story-time in a hibachi-grill-type setting, maybe? I’m picturing the two of you surrounded by hungry people (both physically and mentally starved), occasionally pausing your tale to flick a scallop directly into the mouth of the pretty lady in the corner seat (who really never eats out, but she heard good things about this place).
More likely suspect: It is 1:38am, I’m hungry, and slightly delirious. Blog on, blog on.
It was a pleasure to share the meal at Mrs. Wilkes with you. Hope all your travels go well and you enjoy all the eats. I’m jealous – wish Doug and I could have followed you around. Enjoy. We’ll be checking in to the blog to see how things go.
Just a comment if one is doing the “Sweden meets America” burger with ground turkey. Add some cooked brown rice and an egg to keep the burger from getting dry. Turkey burgers can be dry so have found the rice and egg help! The burgers are delicious!!! Had them at a picnic recently and everyone loved them!
I remember everything about that festival and eating in the street! How about the place where we sat by the kitchen and all we smelled was the truffle oil? You want to bath in it!!!
Tonight, I gathered up all the recipes I had lying around the house, an old notebook, and a glue stick. Then I compiled them all into a notebook, complete with a family history of the reason there are 2 versions of cornbread (one is my mom’s, the other is my dad’s mom’s) and other such memories. It’s not quite a cookbook, more like a recipe memorybook, with little tidbits about the person who gave me that recipe or the first time I tried to cook with kale.
Then I read your blog post! I wonder if one day my niece will stumble across it and wonder, “why the hell are there so many recipes involving lentils?!” or “what is odyssey, who is durham barnes, and why does the gingerbread pancake recipe look so loved?”
I love this post. Most of the women who contributed those recipes are no longer here-you never knew them. Your article reminds me how time ticks mercilessly, dating what we love, taking those we love. And yet in that flow, the young come along, remember the old, and honor the past when they create a space for it in the present. Love you much, Mama
Ah Elisabeth, you have opened my jar of memories again – perhaps because you were fortunate enough who knew some of thse women who anxiously wrote down “their” favorite recipes that we always expected when we ate with them. No one ever consiered having a “secret” ingredient she couldn’t share. Sharing is what our family was about. Along with whispered secrets about a problem someone was having, until it was a secret to the whole clan who then worried for that person and prayed for them – each woman considering it a secret.
My great aunts and grandma and all my aunts are now dead. We – the cousins – are the old folks of the family now. So I cherish even more the hand written receipes they all gave me. I have them in safe seperate file. Our secretary and I franticlly typed each one in an attempt to get the books done by Christmas. It was a wonderful thing when we finished – as good as having a book on the market as a best seller. As children married, I would be called up to print a new book for them. My own two sons, in their 40’s have requested copies. It seems the first wives kept the books! One nephew in a battle over what belonged to whom said, “That is my family history book, amd I insist on having it!”
Thank you sweetheart for bringing these fond memories to mind when I’m at an age to be considered “the old folks” and having seen them die and even some cousins. When I get out that cook book, my mother is back in the kitchen with me deciding what I should make. Of course it’s a dessert.
With love to you for caring and carrying on.
1 – This post is hilarious. 2 – Anchovies are gross. 3 – Why were jello salads ever a thing? I’ve often wondered. 4 – What does chopping garlic do that mincing does not? I’m trying to learn how to cook. It’s going really slowly. 5 – Any idea how to make easy pizza dough? I love you. I miss you. Let’s go move to new york or something.
So great and I’m definitely trying Bagna Cauda as soon as I leave my fish-hating house mate. Also, Elhenry–I’m assuming you are Elhenry, that is–can I have the well-loved gingerbread pancake recipe?
AT LAST! JOSH’S CARROT CAKE! I will make it as soon as I get back to the States and don’t have to convert everything to metric (grr). Let it be known that this is the best carrot cake on the face of the earth. Chuck Norris cries when he eats it.
Josh, you have a gift for writing. When I’m in the French Quarter, I’m definitely trying a Po’Boy at Domilese’s, Gumbo with File, Bourbon street during Happy our and Café Du Monde for the coffee and beignet under an avalanche of powdered sugar.
I haven’t had the experience myself, but I find the idea of a restaurant serving only a few dishes intriguing and appealing. Sort of a “why would you NEED anything else?” mentality. I’m not one to say that people should like everything, but maybe our American menus — which often have literally hundreds or even thousands of possible combinations — encourage picky, narrow-minded eating.
Godspeed on your transition to New York! Keep me informed so that I can seethe with jealousy and remain thoroughly motivated to get there myself.
Honored to have been mentioned in your blog. Glad you found the recipe useful.
As for the heading, I can’t take credit for the words. That’s how I learned the recipe, “if your grocer doesn’t sell pork neck bones . .”, and this seems to be the standard method of passing it along.
Adding the dash of red curry (your version : red pepper), improved upon the original recipe, and if you have a few cloves to grind or a pinch of allspice, it doesn’t hurt the flavor.
Cheap cuts of bony and marrowy meat (beef shanks I love you!)are the truest luxuries when long-braised. Perfect for fall and comfort and Bravo/a to you; this meal sounds delicious!
I’ve been in that kitchen and walked your streets … and it is just
wonderful to see how you’re inspired by your surrounding and
what marvelous and delicious things you create!
It’s a joy to read your blog.
Yum, Yum … this delightful reading makes me crave a Linzer Torte
or Käse-Sahne Torte from the Hermannsdorfer Straße … the world’s
best Linzer and Käse-Sahne Torte!!
I have yet to find anything as relaxing as mixing biscuits and kneading bread… Also, using a wash of egg yolk and water, equal parts, to give a nice glossy finish.
But yes, buttermilk, like lard or butter or heavy cream, makes most things bread much better. (for all intents and purposes, I recommend not eating at the Eco house unless your heart is in excellent health)
It’s all true. Grandpa said to remember man does not live by bread alone – unless of course, in our family it’s covered with a layer of butter and then a liberal sprinkling of sugar.
Just imagin if the other 6 of us had been there. We would have had a bannan pudding contest between Lynda and Michelle. Hey! YOu left out the nurishing green bean and French fried onion casserole, homemade cranberries and a baked ham. You don’t want people to think we left hungry, do you?
Josh, the dessert was outstanding and I hope to be eating it again next year. Our 51st anniversary will be a special memory always! Now we are looking forward to the next family celebration in May.
Lyz! I wish I could join you for dinner ever day- but for now, your blog will have to do. I totally agree with you about reading recipes in their entirety before starting cooking- I’m just not that patient. Although I think I’m one degree worse…I tend to gloss over the ingredients as well as the recipe itself. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten halfway through a recipe and have found that I do not in fact have sun dried tomatoes stored in olive oil in my pantry, but rather roasted red peppers in chili sauce. Keep it up! Love, Kelsey
Thanks, Kelsey! Just took a gander at your blog – looks like we’re playing the same sorts of games with big appetites and little money (which of course means that the roasted red peppers will probably end up standing in for sun dried tomatoes regardless of whether you’ve checked the pantry… and it will probably be delicious). Hooray for city living and post-Davidson budgets!
Ok, first of all this is delicious. Second of all, I understand your metric system quandary. My current problem is that all the measurements on things like bags of rice or couscous are in grams. Go ahead, measure out 300 grams of couscous, add 745 ml, then go jump off a cliff. I think I’m going to buy a scale. Third of all, whipping by hand. Last summer when I was in Sweden with Simon, I decided to make chocolate mousse cake for his birthday. First, whip cream by hand. Then fold in a whole bunch of shit… delicately. I nearly lost my right arm in the endeavor. Fortunately, I came through it with all limbs intact (glad I didn’t start my glass of wine until AFTER the cooking began), and Simon loved the cake. Another endeavor with great results even if not required by Simon says. bah ha ha.
Lyz! I love your blog and I love semolina too!
We call it Rawa or Suji in hindi/gujarati and use it in multiple ways too. Here’s one recipe for a dessert called Suji Halwa. It’s pretty common all across South Asia and it is absolutely delicious: http://www.food-india.com/recipe/R001_025/R017.htm
But I HAVE missed those things! Every other time I cook, I search and grumble and say: I bet Elisabeth took that… Things haven’t been the same in my kitchen since you lived here while I was gone. I’m still discovering… I bought the seminola to make pasta with. It makes a wonderful homemade pasta. And I gave you a pasta maker for a birthday or Christmas recently. Try it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts…Our goal is for people to love eating our produce as much as we love growing it! (the dish looks wonderful) Thanks for the purchase!
[…] Buttermilk in Your Eye is Not Pleasant, to Say the Least (a post by Lyz) Josh, you have inspired me to bake. Well, Josh, it’s a toss-up between you and the barely used carton of buttermilk in the fridge. (Remember those deep-fried eggs?…) I feel like buttermilk often has this effect on people. […]
It’s a little different for us because not only are we trying to eat really cheaply but we’re also trying to feed 7 people. Honestly, I think it’s easier to be broke and feeding 7 people than to be broke and feeding 1 – we go through Costco-sized peanut butter jars in a week. Buying in bulk = lifesaver.
Oatmeal + polenta, either just-barely sweet or with a savory theme for breakfasts. I also love to eat leftovers for breakfast. Or oatmeal for dinner. Because why not?
We make a pot of beans every week, usually on Sunday or Monday. We switch up the spices and the kind of bean, and then we use them all week. One day, I will cook up a grain and make a grain bowl. The next, I might add some broth and green onions and have a soup. On day three they might show up in a skillet with some onions and an egg for a wrap.
Soup is our lifesaver – it goes a looong way. Soup with beans, soup with root vegetables, soup with whatever is in the fridge. Soup is my go-to because it’s so forgiving and you can use whatever is in the fridge. Soups were the first things I really felt comfortable cooking, and they’re a great place to learn about ingredients and spices.
We also befriended a baker who has to give away all of her baked goods at the end of the day. Yes, please.
Great practical advice here, Lyz. Simple olive oil-roasted and slightly charred vegetables in season are the kitchen mainstay for any busy, broke cook. (Oil-roasted turnips and onions in winter, for example; roasted green beans in summer are about as cheap as it gets and delicious).I’d add to the broke pantry must-haves: canned tomatoes (both plum and diced), dry and canned black beans and white beans (for white bean/garlic/olive oil puree and for chicken chili), and a jar or two of salsa. And celery with leafy stalks (how can you make any soup without it?) must live in my crisper. If I were marooned on a desert island I’d have to have vanilla extract (the secret ingredient for anything involving cooked fruit), freshly ground nutmeg,crystalized ginger, Colman’s mustard, Jane’s Crazy Salt, coarse-ground pepper, and Chimayo chili pepper or I couldn’t cook anything.
I love the sensuous idea of hand-squeezinga ripe avocado; must try it. My own recipe is to food-process one avocado (with salt, cilantro, lime, garlic) and then to simply stir another diced ripe avodado and diced green chili into it. Great texture.
you do make great guac. i like to use avocado (last time i made it i mashed with a potato masher), garlic, maybe some onion, lime juice, salt, cilantro, and chunks of tomato. and maybe some chili powder/hot sauce.
I wanted to let you know that I really really enjoy your blog– I’ve started a cooking blog of my own which I’m almost embarrassed to share with you, because creative writing is not my thing and it can’t really stand up to your prose, but I do like cooking an awful lot, so we’ve got that in common, at least.
I hope you’re doing well and I hope you keep writing. I’ll be reading!
You sound just as smart as your mom — and I have a question for you —where do you get Lyoner or leberkäse in the states? (I have used bologna for the recipe.) Take care!
Having just spent the weekend in deepest Swabia with my in-laws (my father-in-law is Bavarian even), I can identify with pretty much everything you say. This is hey and freilich that, high German spoken with a southern accent–very different from what I’m used to in Osnabrück. Majoring in German didn’t prepare me for this! :)
Dear Lyz…thank you for bringing us to the beauty of your table with loved ones in Germany. I remember, still, the lovely aroma of “shared roundness” at table with your family over the years. Miss seeing your beautiful self around here!
Stephanie
It made me want to hurry to New York to enjoy the fall and the street vendors. Ummmm. I feel as if I took the trip with you, and actually I did part of the time thanks to cell phones. You should consider a career in food writing. :)
Your youngest brother LOVES pumpkin,too. Mom made him a pumpkin roll yesterday. You might consider that. When you were small (under 4) your Mama used to just cook the pumpkin custard in a dish and you would gobble it down. Me, too.
ps. I bet I know what creepy things you are referring to :(
Have you had your cholesteral tested lately? What age do you have to start doing that? I saw a young lady – well dressed – in a toney French restaurant in Philadelphia recently eating thin slices of LARD. I sort of gagged watching the show.
Thanx for making me immortal – at least my “Fleischsalat”-recipe (although it is in fact “Wurstsalat” ;-) ). It was wonderful having you with us. Come back soon.
“Uncle” Friedel
I can’t wait to try these cookies. I agree that food doesn’t need to be gorgeous to be good and I love trying new foods from other countries. Thanks for sharing it!
it tasted very similar to chipped beef – but the venison was actually milder; i guess it just makes all the difference to dry it in small batches instead of in bulk
Grandma and Grandpa Wiese and Aunt Dorothy are surely smiling from ear to ear as this little girl makes ravaioli – unlike the kind they made back in Collinsville so long ago with cooked wild rabbit and squirrel meats.
ah, ja, and what I wanted to tell you for a long time: each time I visit this page I totally want to eat this peace of avocado on top… It’s tantalizing (it’s a looked up word – I don’t know if it makes sense… ;) )
The easiest way is to buy a few delicious slices at a Jewish deli. It will not be chewy, but more like slices of roast beef. Having grown up eating tongue, we don’t think I mothers went through all of this! And now, I’m curious, and will get a tongue sandwich the next time we go to Too-Jay’s and give you a follow up report. MAYBE, you are supposed to peel it before cooking. You make it all sound like a major part in a Hitchcock movie, and I’m sure you could write a short horry/tonque in cheek amusing story about it. Although THIS might be the story. xo G’ma ps I’m sorry Mother isn’t alive to have read this classic cooking event.
How can I ever feed you simple Grandma meals at my house again? I am boggled by the things you find to cook, or make up, or the places you find to eat in New York. I am all exited when I use different spices on chops or turn a hamburger patty into some creation with surprises in the middle – but YOU. You surpass them all, and on top of it. you write. you make me feel like a farm woman, and you take beautiful pictures to prove it all. You’re something else Baby E-a-beth.You are Mama’s girl, and in a distant way mine, too. :)
[…] ball. Add more flour if the mixture feels too wet. Detailed pie crust instructions can be found here. Press dough into a pie dish. Wash and cut rhubarb into 1 inch chunks, and quarter […]
[…] For more information about the formation of brunches, how they moved from Britain to America, and what’s changed on the brunch menu throughout the years, check out another post I wrote a few years ago at a blog I used to contribute to: Eat Me Drink Me. […]
Dear Lyz, Delightful reminiscing about lazy summers in the sun. I have so many good memories of firefly fields around your home and gauze canopies in the gentle night air, fire pits or outdoor movies… music and friends all coming together around a lovely table of confections and fruit or beer and homemade breads. Sounds like you continue the tradition. Love to you and yours!
This piece made my day. You have found a deep insight in such an ordinary scene: a cabbage truck. The scene, unremarkable in of itself, serves as a portal to a body of experiences that comprise something really profound. I strive for the same in my own writing and photography, and this piece is an inspiration to me.
I am sorry for the loss of your uncle, but I am glad you were there, with a cabbage truck, to remember him.
It’s hard to believe a granddaughter of mine – one who is even named after me – likes BEER.
Must be her grandpa’s influence – not to mention her German side.
Were you authorized to release this recipe? I hope you won’t be sued for copyright/patten infringement. I’ll bail you out, if you bake for me. hugs and sugar.
Yeah its true, Paris can make you feel being a poor person. But there are spots where you may eat for reasonable prices. In the Marais in fact you find some arabian places with Cous-Cous, mhmmm. Never go eating to the touristic “Quartier Latin”! Did you know that the Rue Mouffetard belongs to the real Quartier Latin? Hope you enjoy Xmas back home in Pennsylvania.
Uli
Hello Lyz,
hope you remember me. I’m Fabio, the son of your mom’s German friend from her student- times. We met in Berlin in a cafe some weeks ago, when you were just moving there. I know I had promised you to post some comments on here earlier and to get in touch with you, and read the blog itself, I have. Signed in to wordpress in order to post comments on here, I have not. Not until now. And I must say, I absolutely love your blog! I happened to have stumbled upon several blogs or blog- like webpages already, and none of them was remotely close to yours in quality. This blog is just so well- written and often very funny to read, while at the same time informative, honest, and also providing interesting insight into your personal life. But not the spam- kind of insight that you get on facebook, like: today I was here! Today I bought this! I think this sucks:…! etc. Instead you take one or several experiences that you have had in the last days and you successfully manage to relate to some kind of a general statement or conclusion that you’re trying to make, sometimes even philosophically.
Great work!
(I know this is a channel normallly dedicated to gaming commentary, but the subject is affecting you, and all other people in the world- wide- web! Nonetheless!)
have a great weekend, hope to hear from you soon! =D
Hi Fabio! Glad you enjoy the blog. And thanks for the link – very interesting – I’d heard rumors about that, but didn’t know it was being pushed at the moment.
Haven’t forgotten about the slam poetry – would definitely love to see some (hear some?) of your work!
I just like the helpful information you supply for your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and test again right here frequently. I am rather sure I’ll be informed many new stuff right right here! Good luck for the next!
[…] and bright red raspberries into liqueur. I have been meaning to make my own since then, yet only once managed a successful bottling when I was overcome by the abundance of mulberries hanging on the tree outside my Brooklyn […]
I will have to try your recipe as I have ventured in to the world of micro brewing which brings me great joy – not only the smell of the intoxicating mixture that I make but watching it bubble as the yeast does its magic, the aging process, the bottling, the natural carbonation in the bottle, more aging in the frig, and finally to open a bottle and sip the illicit drink (once in America and still in many parts of the world) knowing I made it.
After making some 15 different batches of beer, I have skunked about five (undrinkable by even my standards). Only three have prevailed but now I have ventured into cracking the grain and boiling the mixture for hours as my home fills with the aroma of a brewery – my future calls. I do believe the goal isn’t to manufacture many different beers or liquors but to find the two or three that bring you the greatest joy – and fewest headaches (in more ways than one).
Man oh Man…I do so agree…and the seasoning they put on french fries…and the fact that you can sit at a table for two hours with friends and not be harassed by the waiter every five minutes when your mouth is full..and the skiing…and BEER. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSZg0elcHc8
I remember all the items you mentioned and miss the pastries and rotisserie chicken seen in restaurant windows. The spiced wine was a different experience but I really enjoyed it. My children still eat pomme frites with mayonnaise and so do I occasionally.
Thanks. Once again you made me remember why I’ve always come home from Germany rounder than when I went. I want some. But not pretzel rolls. Save them for Grandpa. If you keep writing about these things I’ll have to consider Berlin for vacation – but only if I could lose 20 pounds first and then stuff myself with pastries. You must admit though….they can’t come close to the apple pies you and Mama make. Apples also taste good with Nutella (without the butter).
I don’t know that I have ever “thoughtfully” mixed meatballs, but then if you are going to “nestle” them later, it’s obvious you should be thoughtful. It sounds like raising a family (except for eating them later).
Do not doubt your talents for cooking and writing. Both are great, Along with your other artistic talents, you have so many that it’s hard to realize your greatest. Writing and cooking are the ones I think you love the most. It’s in your blood.
Continue to pursue: you haven’t even lived a quarter of a century yet. Rome wasn’t built in a day (am I not clever to make that up?) so you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself and expect to be a well known i.e.paid writer in so few years. You “yam” and will be. I have faith.
I would like to see the inside of your refrigerator where you found a fingernail size of cheese and other strange things you “find” in there. Evidently they aren’t old enough to poison you, but maybe your stomach has become immune with all the hot spicy dishes you make:) You have always been creative in one art form or another.
I believe you have never been at a loss for words to express yourself. I agree that people need to verbally communicate more so we can look at their faces or hear their voices to more completely understand what they are trying to tell us. As you said, a text that says “I can’t be there,” can mean anything from someone is dying who needs me to I don’t want to be bothered with you.” How to stop those brief text messages? I don’t know. They text while they’re in school now. Babies will probably say, “MaMa” in text. It’s all up to the parents to take them away when they are together, so at least the family can communicate. Instead, each kid is on a separate phone having an on-going life with someone else who isn’t participating at home. It’s bad enough the countries of the world can’t communicate, but now the people and children can’t communicate with each other in the same house.
Save the world, Elisabeth.
Undoubtedly, one of the best article l have come across on this precious topic. I quite agree with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward to your coming updates.
It’s like New Orleans in Burladingen. Who would have thought! I have been seriously CRAVING beignets for months, and now you post these giant pictures of them before my eyes, wicked girl. I want one. xo Grandma
[…] been a lot of yeast dough in my life lately. First there were Fasnet’s cakes, then I made donuts. Ok. So there were two instances of yeast dough in my life. But two yeast […]
I guess you will keep writing about dough until I get busy with some yeast and flour and make something wonderful. I will think of you with every bite.
With every new article you surprise me yet again.
Connecting the simplicity of kneading dough with philosophy on spending time is just brilliant. I wish I had your creative ideas when it comes to journalism.
Well, I wish I had known about that when I was raising children and two of the four were finicky eaters. Maybe I can start using it on the young great granddaughters. The others are too old to believe it. love.xo
I think this piece is an example of your finest writing. It frames food as an experience and uses then leverages this experience to gain insight into characters (esp. your grandfather) and a unique culture. Thank you for sharing.
I was just thinking about that time I visited you in Pennsylvania. It was the summer we graduated, and I was heading north for a teaching job. I remember biking with your dad over grassy streams and dense forests to Dickinson College, and floating down that river, a beer in one hand and a paddle in the other. I remember making pancakes and bacon in your kitchen, and having a heated conversation re: crispy vs. chewy bacon. I think you won the discussion because we ate our bacon chewy that morning. We sat out in your backyard over cups of coffee, chatting about Davidson and about was next, and what wasn’t. I lost track of the time and lingered too long, putting off the last stretch of my drive north. When I finally looked at my watch, it was almost noon, and I had to run, speeding up I-81 towards a turn in my life.
Let’s do it again sometime.
Howell
PS there’s no bacon here in South Africa. It makes me very sad.
PPS did you know bacon contains a chemical that has been shown to effectively mitigate the effects of hangovers?
That was a high point in a stressful summer of unknowns – but you know that – we talked about it. Unless, of course, I happened to be in one of my euphoric phases that came with about as equal regularity as the panics…
Come to Berlin. We’ll drink beer by the water and talk about life. And we will find bacon somewhere in this country, and have it for breakfast for our hangovers.
Sorry to tell you but we about a packet of bacon a week here in VA. Cook it to perfection and add a little brown sugar right before we take it off the stove – just to glaze the hot crispy slices of thick cut bacon. The grease is also good to pour over fresh spinach after you add a little vinegar it…like a sweet and sour mix.
Oh, but try making that b(elly)a(avocado)tomato sandwich! Just slice the pork belly thinly into strips, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and bake at 375 until halfway cooked, then sprinkle with brown sugar (or drizzle with agave nectar if you’re avoiding sugar the way I am) and continue to bake in the oven at 375 until crispily delicious and glazed. It’s bacon gone to heaven.
if that’s as good as it sounds, i might give up bacon for good… (and i just had my mom bring me brown sugar from america, since that also doesn’t exist here…)
Lyz, this is a wonderful post! I love the how many different aspects of bacon you mention. I am doing an independent study with Professor Gibson this semester. We have read some great books and I created a food blog as well. http://pleasuresofthetable.wordpress.com/ You were our inspiration!!
I’m so excited to hear that you’re doing a food blog as well – I checked it out – looks lovely! And I’m honored that my humble little blog was an inspiration! :)
So easy – just wrap dates (and we also wrapped prunes) in bacon and stick in a 375F oven for 15 minutes until bacon is crispy. You can make it on the same tray as the patatas braves and the antipasta :)
[…] towel roll and some tape. Usually, I’m with my family. I make everyone dye Easter eggs, I cook an Easter feast, we unwrap baskets on Easter morning, and at Easter lunch we smash eggs together like our Bulgarian […]
[…] Jamaican fish and mashed potatoes. There’s not an egg in sight. There’s no ham, no quiche, no rack of lamb. Just me and Sigourney and rap music and a roasting […]
The food is beautiful, as usual. It always looks like it comes from a gourmet restaurant, where my stomach objects. Such talent. I felt I spent Easter with the two of you. xo
This is beautiful. And so aptly describes why I love wooden cooking untensils – they carry their history around with them. And I’m much less inclined to throw it out when it gets ‘yucky’.
[…] I sat at my new kitchen table in Berlin, I was reminded of an entry I wrote long ago about sardines on toast. This blog was begun as a class project almost three years ago, and when […]
[…] think I’ve mentioned that I’m in love with Fergus Henderson – I have been, ever since I read his cookbook, The Whole Beast, a year and a half ago and […]
Whaaaaaat? All these years here and that what I eat is no bacon?
My world is slowly cracking… guess I´ll find out what bacon really is next September, when I go the USA – that is, if they have real bacon in Montana.
Bacon in Montana sounds like it would be super real. But maybe that’s just because everything in Montana sounds like it would be more real than anywhere else ;)
Hello! Do you use Myspace? I’d wish to follow you if that could be alright. I sure am absolutely taking pleasure in your web site and look forward to new posts.
i’m not sure i’ll ever get over what a beautiful writer and photographer you are. or what a beautiful human you are. miss you, lyz! keep being amazing. xo
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[…] a little salvaging on behalf of the image. Cabbage is versatile. Main ingredient in stir-frys and slaws, stew-filler, a hull for ground beef and spices. A pinch of crispness in a rice salad or the […]
[…] Cabbage gets a bad rep for being cheap and one-dimensional, but I would like to do a little salvaging on behalf of the image. Cabbage is versatile. Main ingredient in stir-frys and slaws, stew-filler, a hull for ground beef and spices. A pinch of crispness in a rice salad or the vinegary tang topping a pulled pork sandwich. And the types of cabbage – there’s red cabbage, green cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Savoy, Napa, bok choy – and here in Germany, I’ve discovered yet another lovely variety called Sptizkraut. […]
put a little pastrami on that sandwich, little hot mustard, and a few red onions and you will be smoking…maybe even a slice of some smoked cheeses
yes, cabbage can be used in so many ways. fried cabbage in bacon grease till it is lightly brown is the best. serve with a nice pot roast and drop biscuits…mmmm
Wasn’t your baby brother called spitzkraut by Hansvetter? If so, do you feel a little cannabalistic? Does this meal on a clean the fridge satisfy the big brother, who I think of as an empty pit. At any rate, we are quite fond of cabbage and that open faced sandwich looks good to me! I’ll probably have to put a couple of slices of ham on top to keep Grandpa from loosing weight. Poor thing.
I will testify to your personal shyness, having to sit on my lap at preschool for example. But she certainly did shine on stage, whether it was singing, playing music or in a play, so you hid it well. I think, now, that you might be overcompensating :) love from the other secret shy person.
[…] required time. Although I had begun to cease thinking about time as a rule. Kneading dough is like breathing with your fingers. Your body slows to the tempo of your hands, and your breaths slow your beating heart. The dough […]
[…] like homemade pizza dough – warm and fragrant, delicately yeasty and chewy. And you get to do some kneading, which is one of my favorite things to do in the […]
1. when you come back to the USA, you are coming to my house to cook me a meal or several. I will pay.
2. open a restaurant or gut truck in the DC area – hard work but you will get repeat business with the meals you make and especially if you have a theme/event (“writers block” – where writers meet to discuss/share ideas and you have clinics (give the instructor a free meal for him/her and his/her date) to help writers all while selling/buying food from you)
3. I now own a smoker and am currently smoking some mullet (childhood delight from our days at the beach with the parents – near impossible to find anymore). With my smoker, I have found an entirely new way to cook – slow and slower. With that splurge of information, you need a few stories on smoking food (not dope).
Your food looks simply delicious. Why don’t you move next door, and I’ll buy ingredients, and you can surprise me at dinner. By the way, Uncle Richard cooks like you, too, and his food always looks like a fine restaurant presentation. xo Grandma
I think it’s fun to throw things together, not knowing what will turn out – or IF, and it’s usually good. Grandpa will say this is good, you should make it more often, and groans when I tell him I don’t think I can reproduce it
[…] if you look at them, they give you the evil eye. (My family is nervous about me and feral cats. We have a history.) Even along the waterfront, the press of people doesn’t stop until the shoreline opens up on the […]
[…] where this blog began, and my ever-recurring ancestral home’s blue-walled affair. There was the first kitchen in New York, which was tiny – enough counter space only for the mice. Then there was my second kitchen in New […]
[…] kitchen in New York, which was tiny – enough counter space only for the mice. Then there was my second kitchen in New York, which stood unused for a long time while we were too busy battling bed bugs to cook. There was the […]
[…] which stood unused for a long time while we were too busy battling bed bugs to cook. There was the kitchen in Berlin, shower beside the stove. And now there is my new kitchen. Where we use […]
[…] common knowledge that before the wheel was invented, our bushy and laconic ancestors developed the spoon.* Primitive priorities. The wheel was only practical. Sure, it got you from point A to point B a […]
There are so many beautiful people in Berlin because you and your Mama are there. Re fingers vs. forks- yummy dripping gooey sticky foods MUST be eaten by your fingers. Anything else is criminal.
We have all probably eaten the “raw” eggs without realizing it when we’ve ordered that dish. I believe, or want to believe, that when you add the hot noodles and hot water, you are then cooking the yellow of eggs. Sounds just delicious.
On the note about bravery, I believe it takes courage to move away from home, whether you’ve just graduated high school, or any age. To go far enough that you can’t just be there in half an hour is “brave.” And for a person who’s been married and had a family, to pick up the pieces and go start a new life and be a new person ALONE is even braver.
You personally have done many brave things as far as isolating yourself from the soft comforting arms of home, by leading a group to Europe, by taking yourself to NY and finding your way around and now all the way to Berlin, finding jobs, apartments, new friends, and far enough away that if you need comforting, you can’t run to any of us.
You’re a leader,and in searching for your personal niche in society is about as brave as you can get.
[…] time, I had no idea that banyacotta was not just something that had been handed down in my family from generation to generation. All of the friends I told about the dish – it’s a dip of butter, garlic, and anchovies and you […]
One error, dear grandchild, that is a traditional WIESE dish handed down to my German father from his Italian stepfather. The strictly English Davis clan would not even think of tasting it! You have described it well.
[…] and the eating, I think Ellie has made more appearances in this blog than anyone else. There was Thanksgiving (we’re already getting ready to order the turkey for this year…), the plätzchen-baking […]
[…] There was Thanksgiving (we’re already getting ready to order the turkey for this year…), the plätzchen-baking extravaganza, an ancient Easter, and of course that time we decided to eat in the dark. And probably because of […]
[…] getting ready to order the turkey for this year…), the plätzchen-baking extravaganza, an ancient Easter, and of course that time we decided to eat in the dark. And probably because of all the appearances […]
[…] the plätzchen-baking extravaganza, an ancient Easter, and of course that time we decided to eat in the dark. And probably because of all the appearances she’s made here, she’s spent a lot of time […]
JUST FACE FACTS. You are an old fashioned American, through and through. Good looking pie…it looks like Mama’s, who we know is The Pie Maker since my Mother died. xo Grandma
we always cooked our jack-o-lanterns into pie, too! but we would wait until after halloween, chop up the pumpkins, roast them, peel them, puree them in the blender, and put the puree in the fridge until thanksgiving. what a neat idea to use the shaved insides of the jack-o-lantern the same night! lyz, you’re great.
What a great idea! I’m pretty sure with the output of pumpkin shards we got from our two pumpkins, we could have made pies all the way through to new years :)
I can smell you stew cooking through my computer screen. Ummmm. Even though I don’t personally care for lentils and can’t eat peppers or much cumin, it makes me want a bowl of it with cornbread on the side. When you write that kind of blog, it transports itself through the computer you write on over to the one I’m using and sends out a strong delicious smell. love, Grandma
Of course you like this, it’s a different version of our favorite family dish, minus the garlic!! It looks delicious, and it will take a whole winter of Gluhweins to clear out your arteries. However, if he told me to take photos of Christmas food, I’d make desserts. :}
Honey, you will make a wonderful southern grandma – sorry I won’t be here to watch you. No matter where you live, you can lay your claim to being southern because of your grandparents and all your visits here. I will try to drawl more when y’all come to set the stage. That chicken looks perfect!
Well being a southern grandma and your favorite aunt. Here is my tip I fry my chicken in our family cast iron skillets. Next time you are in Florida I will give you one. love ya…
You do know, don’t you , that you have to create a dictionary for those Spanish foods. Good thing you wore those wrap around pants! You need to learn the Spanish word for Zat! You would think you would have come back like the little boy in a ball….
I love egg salad and will try out your recipe, even to the Dijon Mustard, which I usually dislike. I have just eaten dinner, and I want to run into the kitchen and make an egg salad sandwich.. Instead I’m going to go make a cake for Grandpa’s office.
I have been in StB some 20 years ago… must have changed a lot since. Your trip sounds interesting.
YOU will find interesting places everywhere in the world. Weiter so!
I ate pig tails when I was about 6. What a sad day that is as vivid today as it was some 40 plus years ago…Grandpa – “boy, eat those pig tails now!!” Grandma – “Ronnie, just put ketchup on them.” Me..”whhhhaaaaa…whhhaaa..nibble nibble..”
yes, the soup of the gods but for some reason I only like thin wet noodles where as my better half can eat sheets of them in chicken broth…nope, not for me.
Poor thing…sick and had to make your own chicken noodle soup. But at least you grew up knowing what;s best for you and how good your throat feels when that first spoon goes down. ummm
Oh dear. We ate at an unlimited buffet with your little brother tonight after we picked him up from the airport. While he had 3 plates of exactly the same food (medium rare steak, mashed potatoes with gravy and macaroni and cheese [which happened to be good]), I had some real food, and a sample of each dessert, a cookie [cookies aren’t dessert – they are staples] and a small dish of ice cream. I just thought my stomach was settled enough to go to bed, but reading your blog makes me nauseated all over again. ummmm
the joy of driving in Paris – actually, like many countries I’ve been and now that I think of it – tame yet invigorating. Sadly, I found Paris to be a city that requires big spending plans if traveling with family.
One of my memories of Paris is very financial. I remember the frustration of feeling like nothing was for free. This last trip helped me to love Paris again.
Ummmm. I smell pumpkin everywhere. I simply LOVE pumpkin. Grandpa says he hopes I get enough by the end of the year because that’s all I order when we go out, and I go around touching all the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. A hint to you: Your Mama and I put our pumpkins in the oven and roast them and THEN cut them and prepare them any way we wish. It’s easier than cutting through the tough pumpkin skins. She will be here to make fresh pumpkin pies and pumpkin soup for us for Thanksgiving. Come on over. xx
I can smell it… ummmmm. Twice now I’ve had to smell it cooking without tasting it: when he wrote it and now you. I always associate being in PA for the holidays with smelling and drinking spiced apple cider that your Mama would make. For some reason, I’ve never made it myself .
The recipe is still in revision, but honored you gave it a go. A girl told me it (this version) was similar to a chai tea, and . . she was correct. Drop the cardamon and it should take care of that.
Today is the last day of our farmer’s market, and buying a box of apples for the next attempt(s).
The nice thing about apple cider is that each batch is a little different – I think I overdid it on the spices this attempt – definitely the cinnamon (I adjusted for that in the recipe above) – but I actually like the warm, chai feeling. It reminds me of the apple version of German Glühwein.
I tried your recipe last weekend when the Berliners were visiting– and it turned out great!! It was the perfec drink for a rainy and cold night in Braunschweig. xo
I can’t wait for Christmas leftovers already, but my stomach says you’ll have to leave out a few things for me. As long as everything is smothered in cranberries, it’s good.
That is the funniest ever. Grandpa and I just laughed out loud as I read it. When he was little, his Russian grandma used to eat “smaltz,” which was melted Chicken fat!!. Do you recall that your youngest brother used to ask if we were eating “cow” or “pig” – not that he had any objections, as long as it wasn’t a vegetable.
My “mommy” always made those cookies. I guess she got her recipe from her native German mother-in-law since non of the English Davis family ever made them. You HAD better have some for me!
Ok. All I have to do to make this for tonight’s fast dinner is substitute fresh spinach (I just can’t get a get liking for kale although G’pa does),leave out the bacon and substitute Eggbeaters and garlic oil, and presto – I have the same dinner, with Fat Free Feta cheese. Thank you.
I would prefer you leave out the cayenne pepper when you feed it to me. Also, I would like the tarragon instead of cloves. I’m looking forward to a slice or two. Thanks, sweetie.
You left the bacon or ham drippings out of your potato salat. I’m seriously about to hurt you. Also cornstarch, it thickens so it’s not runny. Yummmm….I make really good potato salad, been experimenting for years…that’s it, that’s what I’m eating tomorrow.
Sounds great! I’ll have to experiment with a potato salad with bacon drippings, which is a regional addition. The potato salad recipe I learned from my family is pretty simple: just potatoes, oil, vinegar, broth, salt, pepper, kräutersalz, and chopped onion. But as we all know, bacon makes everything better ;)
As usual, your food is beautiful and I can even smell it. Unfortunately, if I use your recipe, my stomach would require leaving out half the ingredients – but of course, brown sugar and coconut would be used. Could I still say it’s “Elisabeth’s recipe”?
I, too, remember those days – differently than you do. I spent your whole trip praying for your safety, no broken bones, no venomous snakes or hungry bears, and admiring you tremendously. That was not the same girl who was trendy and had lead parts in high school and sang beautiful solos as concerts. This was my namesake grandchild who was so much braver than me. I love you for who you were and who you are and who you will be.
Oh man, I love the looks of this dish! I’ve been enjoying letucte wrapped foods since it usually gives me NO problems and it’s so fresh in the summer. Hehe the other day, I cooked up some 되지 불고기 and had it with the korean fix-ins (it had been a LONG time since we had any), and it was awesome.
[…] Pepper, fennel and sausage breakfast casserole sounds like something you might like? Berlin based foodie blog Eat me. Drink me. got you covered. […]
Hi Lyz, nice recipe. But try something different: When you cook the asparagus add a piece of butter and a tbsp of sugar to the water before you put the asparagus into it. Then reduce heat, that the water nearly boils and cook about 20 minutes. Serve the asparagus only with cooked young potatoes and top it with melted butter and a little bit of grated nutmeg. Aspargus at its best :-)
Love you, Friedel
Interesting that you have to peel the white asparagus and cook it so long. The green variety would be mush by then.Does it do as well in cream of asparagus soup as the green does? We do get it sometimes in the markets here. You, as usual, make it look very delicious, needing nothing else to eat.
That made me smile, and thus “happy.” I don’t know the song you mean, but what instantly came to mind was, “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands….” So now it is stuck in my head, and I will smile all day, and clap just a little.
I love reading your comments and your journal is probably fabulous. Wish I had thought to keep a journal years ago. Some of the ingredients in this recipe are not in my pantry, especially the srirachi. The city where it is made, here in CA, is suing the company that makes it because it is burning the eyes of local residents, though the co. claims its employees suffer no ill effects. Hope you have a Happy Birthday next week.
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Looks like great food, but best of all I loved the pictures to make me feel like I was there. What a nice way to introduce the other Liz to Berlin. But sadly, no pictures of the squashed cake! You look so cute – like you’re 8 years old!
I laughed about the shops being closed. On our first trip to Germany, Grandpa and I couldn’t find anything open – everyone was on vacation or on long lunch periods. We said, “We went to Germany, but it was closed.” Sounds like you and Liz enjoyed a beautiful vacation. Nice memories for life long friends.
Everything looked so colorful and festive, especially all those succulent meats grilling on the BBQ. The cake sounded like the perfect topper to the event. Great pics!
Grandpa surprisingly joins you in enthusiasm for the game! I wonder, “Who is this person who rushes to see the game on tv and talks about it at dinner.” You caught the same bug. Meanwhile, I’ll just enjoy the drink. It looks delicious, with or without gin.
Barcelona is such a beautiful place to visit. At least a month is needed to take a visit to all places, enjoy the food. And of course, the the most beautiful blue beaches are there!!
I’m worried about you: I think the heat must have fried your brain or else you would not be making chili under the conditions you described. No a/c? No fan?Ah well, you had chocolate to keep you calm and sane. Love you our little cook.
Well… it couldn’t have been a perfect ending to a seemingly perfect trip, since you didn’t stop by our place on your way back.
Oh, the feast we could’ve had, might’ve even rivaled the one in your villa…
Dear Lyz,
I’m Conny, sister of your uncle Hardy (see August 2009, N° 31, “a typical Swabian couple” and I’m sure they separate their garbage). I’m impressed by your writing. I enjoyed it for hours this morning with Hardy, Franziska and my husband Paul. Welcome to our club “cooking with the ZIPFELMÜTZE” (March 2012 N° 08). Me and my neighbor, we always call each other when we see us through the window cooking with our caps … and laugh “Whoever could see us! We must be the only ones cooking like this!” Well, for sure we’re three.
I love how you describe the ROUNDNESS (Sep 2010 N° 20) remaining sitting on the table “after all cakes are gone” into the EINNACHTEN, as they call this atmosphere IM ALLGÄU. I love how you discover the same prefix of “Kraut” and “Bub” and I love your “breathing with the fingers” while kneading. We all agree that the passing plastic jogurt bucket at the end of your Tuscan summer is certainly “finishing with style”. Congratulation!
[…] we made these burgers the first time for the family Chopped competition in Italy, the ground, toasted almonds mixed with minced garlic and onion piled on pillowy beef reminded me […]
I like your blog!
I found it because I am looking for my farmer friend – her name is Emma too. Emma fried. Was this Emma’s name too? She was originally from New Zealand but lived in New Hampshire and California as a farmer for awhile. Do you think it was her by any chance? Rmm
It sounds good and easy. I don’t like to make breakfast, and usually save my baking of anything until evening since I have my days and nights mixed up. I think I’ll add applesauce to mine, and I like the coconut idea.mmmm
So glad you are back in Berlin, which is 2nd best to being back in the US…preferably at my house. I felt like I was on the trip with you, afraid when you were, and calm when you told me to be. Thanks for the cheap trip that I would never take. xo
That’s my girl. I didn’t get to dress up this year and was a disappointment to half of Orlando – so you did it for me:) Never too old to be a kid again…ask your Uncle Ronnie.
Love the story, and love the tree! It’s always worth it – even if it’s only for 15 days! We are so thankful that you’ll be with us for Christmas this year. If it snows, for sure, we’ll be serving home made snow ice cream. ;)
Lyz, thanks for the wonderful pictures (!) and the descriptions of the Christmas markets. I hope to one day be able to spend a Christmas in Germany (if only I could get your dad on board!).
Our thoughts and love are with you and the family in Orlando. There will be lots of hugs waiting for you when you come home to Carlisle.
I have been waiting for your Christmas market post!! :)
At the Braunschweiger Weihnachtsmarkt we discovered the Apfelglühweinstand last night.. white wine, hot apple juice(?) and cinnamon sticks. Steaming perfection.
[…] pictures on the wall, touching every little figurine and remembering its story. Of course there was bagna cauda, the one dish that ties my family together more than anything else. A love-it-or-leave-it kind of […]
You made me cry, too. I feel the same way about my grandma, I just couldn’t put it that beautifully into a post. I will be in Berlin again soon. I think we should get together to cook and bake in honor of our grandmas. Mine spoiled us rotten with delicious food, too. Thinking of you. Big hug. xo
My mother was with me on the drive to Orlando, though a girl again, eyes wide, taking in each passing landscape, a painting to be admired.
As the sun set, we passed a scene with a small pond full of gold and fire, and she beamed smiles just as brightly, without words, asking me, “Do you see that?”
My heart in throat, and breathing short, I took her young hand in mine . . and there by that pond in her masterpiece, we said what we were able for goodbyes.
I am a friend of your Mom–this is the most beautiful things I have ever read! What a tribute as hard as it was for you to write and what a beautiful way to share with others the love a family shares even with all their idosyncrices and memories that only family understands. I am so sorry for your grandmother’s passing.. She was a sweet, loving lady !
I met your Grandmo only one evening. There were a lot of people invited for dinner. It is amazing that the only face I remember is hers. A smile that embraced me and stayed there in memory like a hug. She returned where she came from but how fortunate to let her her presence stamped with everyone that had met her to recall and remember her! She is tender and warm like your piece of writing.
Good resolutions. I work on one thing at a time because I am blessed (or cursed) with a one track mind. I can’t do two things at once even if I want to.
Grandpa
YOUR SITE AND INFO HAS THE MAKINGS OF SOMETHING… I BELIEVE WOULD MAKE A GOOD NEW CLASS FOR GRAMMER/JR. HIGH SCHOOLS. MY FATHER CAME BACK FROM WWII AND WOULD SAY `IF YOU’RE HUNGREY ENOUGH YOU WILL EAT THE BARK OF A TREE’. KIDDING I THOUGHT TILL NOW! THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.
I am so jealous. Of the movies and the drinks. I’ve actually been in Berlinale jealousy mode since the festival started. Because, you know, Braunschweig. Have you by any chance seen “Pioneer Heroes”? That’s a movie I’d absolutely wanna see.. if it ever makes it to Braunschweig. Which I doubt.
Makes me hungry for some General Tso’s Chicken (American Version) !
Your General Tso’s is picture perfect.
However, BTW, all the food I ate in China was fabulous, and way, way hotter… a delight for those of us who love hot food.
I stumbled across your blog a while back looking for food things in Berlin, and though I am an inveterate lurker this post was so perfect I felt moved to comment. You capture beautifully the mood of the turn of the season — notwithstanding this grey Schöneberg day!
I loved reading about the one dish that I associate with childhood summers at the lake house! My grandparents were from East Prussia originally, and we always asked for Königsberger Klopse when we visited. I wish I had asked my grandma to pass on her recipe to me.
We should really get together to do some cooking again soon. xo
Beautiful pics! Sorry to hear that your dining experiences were subpar. Food seems to be the highlight of travels…well it is for me anyway. Nonetheless, it looks like a fun and memorable trip.
After reading this, I have to go make and eat a Greek salad so I will stop drooling. And I’ll dance a little, too, while la-la-ing the theme from Never on Sunday. But I will not pay my debt to the EU!
Since you don’t spend time watching the evening news as I do, that gives you time to sit by the window sipping a cocktail with a book. Sounds pleasant, but how do you know what’s going on in the world?
If you want real summer, come to Orlando. Everyday is sunny and hot from May through September and sometimes longer. If we’re lucky, we get rain in the afternoon to cool things off. Your steak salad sounds good no matter what kind of summer it is.
I love making special appearances on your blog. I love your Norway recap. And I love how Stavanger, the idea born at Grüne Woche, turned out to be such a lovely long weekend. We really should go to food fairs more often. Next trip: Dublin. Next baking project: Norwegian waffles from scratch. With the secret ingredient. xo
Your wonderful descriptions reminded me of the terrific trip Grandma and I had with you and your family to Norway, a great place to vacation in the summer.
Lyz, we are loving your blog. We always love it, but I’m really liking the level of introspection going on… Miss you, and looking forward to Christmas and the Caribbean!
Thank you! I’m definitely looking forward to that post-cruise post: “How I ate my weight in surf and turf at the midnight buffet and lived to tell the tale” ;)
Well, it is safe to say that both of them are two becoming Dirndln (i.e. young ladies) themselves…
It has been a great pleasure for me to show them around and, oh yeah .. that’s precisely how we roll in Munich – every single day.
Had I known you were going to go to Munich, I would have suggested you go to Löwenbräu (in the Münchner Rathaus) to eat the best Kaiserschmarrn in town.. which is possibly the best Kaiserschmarrn ever.
I made the mistake of reading this post before lunch. It gave me severe hunger pains. I had to go eat right away. It looks like a good idea to spend September preparing for your own Oktoberfest. Thank you for providing avirtual Oktoberfest.
I did! It really got me craving fried chicken, hot biscuits, and teeth-crackingly-sugared sweet tea. What I wouldn’t give for a little slice of North Carolina…
The Old South comes to Berlin. You were smart to pick the tomatoes green. If you hadn’t, they probably would have rotted and broken your heart like tomatoes usually do.
My wife, a woman who grew up in The South, I suspect may want to try this recipe. We live in New England, so when her tomatoes haven’t yet turned red and frosty nights are forecast, she picks them, puts them in a brown paper bag, and puts the bag in a dark closet in the basement. They will turn red. In fact, she made a panful of fried red tomatoes this morning. But there are still green ones in the bag, so I suspect she may try your recipe.
Mrs. Burns, if you’re out there reading this …. the cranberry relish is my favorite too … except, I leave out the walnuts (as I am allergic to them) and I love it a bit coarser … Blend for 7 sec, then for 5 sec … and then maybe for another 2. Already got the cranberries in the refrigerator!
I had forgotten about the beans. We then made turkey soup with the beans, so our thanks fed us at the next meal. There is always so much to be thankful for. I am thankful in how writing about the table and kitchen you came from, you show me how much our family love nourished you. I did put a lot of love into all those pies, breads, soups. You tasted it. You live it now. XO
I have been looking for a dessert that a elderly women brought to a pot luck, of course she would share her recipe! I don’t understand people that don’t share their recipe.. Her cake looked similar to your cake but she used a lemon filling instead.. She said the Meringue cake was called Cloud in German..would you know
I always believe in sharing recipes! I unfortunately don’t know of a version of this cake with lemon, but I’m sure you could substitute a lemon custard instead. I’ve seen meringue called “Baiser Wolken” (meringue clouds) sometimes, but not always. Sounds like a great cake in any case!
Lovely photos (as always), lovely thoughts, beautifully expressed (as always), Great-looking food (ditto). And what a menu! And a fine-looking group of young people — I counted 13, but not sure. I trust that you and they are all helping to make the world a better place — possibly one meal at a time. Your yoga teacher’s tale reminds me of Sun Tzu’s famous dictum: “Know the enemy, know yourself. One thousand battles, one thousand victories.” Yes, everything starts with knowledge of self.
Thank you for the kind words, Bernie. If you’ll believe it, we were 28 people around the table! And just one chair away from making someone sit on the big lidded trash can.
Looks fabulous …. mouthwatering.
… and yes, you’re right …. it is Sirocco. I thought it was Scirocco … because VW had one of its models named after this Mediterranean winds: “The VW Scirocco” and surely, they wouldn’t misspell Sirocco. But here is the answer:
“The Scirocco shares its name with the Mediterranean wind Sirocco. Volkswagen makes numerous references in marketing literature to this. As an example, their 1975 print advertisement states: “Scirocco. A hot new car from Volkswagen. As fast and powerful as the desert wind it’s named after.” A Volkswagen brochure for the second generation Scirocco states: “Named after a fierce desert wind, the Scirocco’s front wheel drive and transverse engine contribute to its tracking ability at all speeds.” ” (directly from Wikipedia)
BTW, I had a siroccolificly hot Louisiana Gumbo last night. It was great!
Another great post … full of insights … and even a Mai Tai recipe (although I’ll hold off on the latter until the temps here in Massachusetts warm up quite a bit). I’m guessing that Footnote #1 may be Mark Twain’s “Innocents Abroad” — although since I can’t put my hands on my copy of the book, I can’t furnish proof.
The food and wine sounds wonderful. The air quality looks terrible. The churches, monasteries, and fortresses are a wonderful link to some faraway past. Same for the bakery and wine-making. But it looks like the city itself could disappear in a small earthquake. Oh, and the blogger getting out near the edge of a cliff made my heart rate jump. Reminds me of the people who do the same at the Grand Canyon. Missteps happen.
Looking forward to the next installment.
Did you ever say why you wanted to go to Stepantsminda? I don’t recall. It seemed that it was worth taking the dangerous trip: helpful people, good food, friendly dogs, and rugged cows. But what a tough place to live. Wasn’t Stalin a Georgian? I guess if you grow up in that inhospitable area, you grow up tough.
David wanted to see the mountains. If I had known what the trip would entail, I never would have gone. If we’d been able to turn around, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But since we went up the mountain and came back down in one piece, at least I’ve got a story to tell. And yes, Stalin was a Georgian! We visited his birthplace and saw his childhood home.
my mother’s hands move
in your fingers my fingers
shaping rounds of dough
the bread of life our lives
twisted in knots then smoothed
with hands tender soothed
the knots
Lovely.
What’s so pleasing about your style is the way you talk about things … and illustrate things … in a gradual way. So the reader doesn’t know exactly where you’re going, but each step is interesting … and so the reader is content to be patient and walk along with you until the pieces of the puzzle all fall into place. Oh, and there are even extra pieces that may be introduced just because they came to mind and are interesting in their own right.
Simply amazing from beginning to end. Wish I could have been there to taste all of the wonderful food, some things I’ve never even heard of. Heck, I may even start drinking beer instead of wine.
Such an enticing window into Dublin, Lyz! When I went there a couple of summers ago, my main reaction was surprise at all the fashionably-dressed young women teetering around in high heels as if it was Manhattan on cobblestones.
I loved reading this travelogue, Lyz! You guys really made the most of your time here! It was a pleasure to meet and chat over drinks. I only wish I could have strolled the streets along with you some more. Maybe next time ;)
No way! I didn’t even know what woodruff looked like until a few months ago. While writing this post, I looked back on a few older posts about the Eichland, and found a giant picture of woodruff I’d taken without having any idea what it really was. I’d labelled the picture “wildflowers.”
I am now genuinely afraid of what would happen if we ever travelled to florally more dangerous countries than Norway and Ireland, to places where more poisonous plants than blueberries or woodruff grow.
OK, you’ve convinced me. I’m heading over to the Asian supermarket in Malden, Mass. — a melting-pot small city adjacent to our (really small) city of Melrose. But fish sauce ?? … probably not.
Fish sauce sounds scary and smells worse, but if you don’t take too close a whiff, it’s the secret star flavor in lots of great Southeast Asian dishes. One of my favourite condiments!
Thanks for giving us a glimpse into the wedding festivities & celebration of their son – your writing makes it come to life for us.
Congratulations and all the Best to Annette and Casey!
Never having been fond of beets, perhaps because my mother didn’t cook them, I don’t often buy them but I do love beet greens. So next time I shop I will buy beets and cook them the way you describe, in the oven. And I will certainly cook the greens with the onion and garlic, letting the chopped garlic rest while the greens are cooking. Thank you.
Yes, wonderful pictures. I like the way the photographer combines sunlit buildings with shaded gondolas. Without the dimly lit forefront, the well-lit architecture would be of much-less beauty.
Will we get a few recipes? I was there maybe 40 years ago and recall having a wonderful pasta dish with “fruits of the sea.” It just a little restaurant near the main canal, with just a few tables. I have no idea why it was so superior to any other iteration I’ve ever had of the same dish.
The seafood in Venice is wonderfully fresh, and I’m sure that’s what makes all the difference.
I’ll see if I can post a Venetian recipe sometime before the summer ends – but next week, Eat Me. Drink Me. will be travelling to Greece (via the written word, of course)!
This brought back a lot of fond memories Lyz. When your cousin Les and I were stationed in Wiesbaden, we drove to Venice (sounds funny I guess) and spent one night there. This was probably in 1958 and our daughter was only 5 years old so the Only thing she says she remembers is the gondola ride and when we entered our hotel room, there was a cat drinking water out of our toilet bowl. I liked walking over the arched bridges, and the grand plaza that was filled with dozens and dozens of pigeons. I have a blue Murano glass bowl that I place in my guest bedroom so that I can point it out to my guests as having been made in Venice.
Am looking forward to your next one about Greece. Never been there.
Rosemary Schwier
So sorry, Lyz, about your missing person (and, of course, about the whole shock, grief, and outrage of current politics). But, yes, may you, and may we all, do what must and can to achieve honesty, clarity, and peace. The sweet, still joys of Christmas to you.
I’m very sorry for your being stuck. In time I trust you’ll be free again and anxious to create recipes. Back in the ’60s and ’70s we all used to share the well-known advice: “Don’t push the river; it flows my itself” (or words to that effect. BTW, my wife also cleans the house when she’s upset … like a whirlwind. Not thoroughly, like you; but just like a whirlwind. The dust literally does fly. P.S. I notice that the little dog seems to feel your pain. Dogs truly are wonderful creatures.
This curry was worth getting a big stain on my new white sweater after “going to get some more coffee” from the kitchen.
+ MY FOMO IS OFF THE CHARTS.
(+ I think this is my first comment on here ever?!)
Anyway, I await a tupperware of this via carrier pigeon post haste. xx
Love the “mountain” and “Gebirge” comparison! Made me think about climbing each of them verbally–about the different journeys each language invites you to take.
I don’t know how I only just stumbled across your blog, but it’s lovely, and I love what you have to say here about the language (and food). I love the regional diffferences, too: they’re not called Stullen down my way (in Hessen) and I’ve not heard of Eierkuchen either, but these look delicious and I shall definitely be giving your recipe a go (and looking up Kitty and her cookbook). Thank you for sharing it!
Thank you! I’m glad Kitty will be making her way down south! The book is such an absolutely lovely portrait of Berlin culture told through recipes and art.
Georgia is one of the most wonderful places I have ever been. The people, the food, the wine… I could go back and back, and hope to visit again soon. In the meantime, I suppose I’ll just stare at these photos for a bit: could plunge my face into one of those dumplings!
Hello Liz, soy el Tio de David, fué un verdadero placer verte de nuevo y darme cuenta que tu español ha mejorado muchisimo. Como alcancé a comentarte soy amante de tu blog, lo único es que me cuesta un poco de trabajo y tengo que recurrir al diccionario para algunas palabras.
Sobre el presente artículo de la comida colombiana, me gustó mucho la descripción que haces, la comida es rica y nos gusta, pero tiene el inconveniente que los lugares son muy concurridos y por ello vamos rara vez. Me pareció bien la descripción que haces de esta parte de la comida nuestra. Te falta conocer comida de otras regiones de Colombia, porque cada región tiene su propia comida.
Bueno Liz, recibe un abrazo y felicitaciones por tu Blog, seguiré fiel a el. Un Abrazo: Angel
[…] renowned for its food, I was quite surprised by – well, how bad the food was. It seemed that everywhere we went in Paris, our food was overcooked, undercooked, freezer-burned and bland – a beef bourguignon lost in a […]
As a young boy, my grandfather used to take me with him to select the meats for making sausage, and set me down at the table to observe the process. I would guess, he learned this art form from his step-faither, and he would season it what I know today as Sweet Italian.
Many of your recipes I have tried at home, but this will not be one of them. Sounds delicious, but at my age, more involved than I like. I always enjoy seeing EatMeDrinkMe in my email list, so please keep them coming!
An Obatzda recipe may be the death of me! (Or at least result in clogged arteries!) I’m really looking forward to making it at home and never would have thought to add beer. :D
Thank you! We had such a good time playing around in Berlin and London together. And we’re already planning our next adventure! You were such an inspiration for our workshop – we even recreated a version of the plum prompt. And of course, Eat Me. Drink Me. itself owes its start to you!
It’s lovely getting some of the back story. And because I’ve spent some time in South Korea, I’m wondering what Josh was doing there. (I’m guessing teaching English.) And I’m wondering why he moved on.
So puffed with pride that the conversation keeps going! Merry Christmas to you both and fondest wishes for a new year filled with good talk and good food.
Didn’t someone say, eating is not about the food but the company you find yourself in?
That’s why I never mind the MickeyD breakfasts with you. (albeit I’m back to coffee and cereal in the (late) mornings myself)
So glad Gael García Bernal is still around. Whew! Vivid post! Thank you for the insightful film reviews. We will see how many of the films make it to Netflix…
16miles..! Impressive! But you present food in such a delightful way! Not just the great pictures, but the text reads like prose and is really enjoyable. Thanks. Cathie (a friend of your Granddad Cohen)
i’m on your internets. readin’ your blags.
I like it, y’all.
Great blog y’all! I really love that you are combining two immensely important things, food and the written word. Best of luck!
Brilliant
This is how my mom makes french toast — it used to be a treat for our birthdays before school because it didn’t take as much morning prep time as pancakes do. So delicious.
que fabuloso joshwa, great story- it brings home just a little bit closer. miss you, miss everything you described, and would love to read more of your stuff if you send it this way
love the last line– melting with the butter. and now my stomach is growling
josh, YAY – this site is great. i love it. how about a vegetarian section with yummy recipes that don’t require a 100 different ingredients. is that too specific? -sara =)
Love this story since it started in our kitchen!
Fun site to look through. Will keep looking for more stories.
thanks, guys! i’m having people over for dinner tomorrow night and will try the apps. they look easy and yummy – just what i wanted. and fyi, i am only a vegetarian because i don’t like the taste of meat, chicken, fish, etc. – it’s a texture issue. especially things that snap – shrimp, brats, etc. sick. but i still have leather bags and shoes, and my hubby and kids eat meat. i even cook it. =)
Something without goat cheese? Always love the stories behind the food!
Liebe
Du wirdst beste Schriftstellerin welche USA und Germany ever see-
i lovo you, that all
I call this a toad-in-the-hole. Is that weird?
Or “eggie-in-a-basket’?
Regional difference?
Family idiom?
OK, no more store bought!Does seem simple.
Sounds a bit like an addiction, but who am I to talk?!
I love this bog. I love y’all. Thanks for sharing so many memories of friends and food together. I agree, people who cook together become family.
Two Elisabeth’s under one roof?
Also, I think they’re called sous chefs, not underlings…though a roving band of minion chefs would be kinda cool i guess. as long as they were roving.
I really like those two photos; the composition is great. And I had a lot of fun cooking with you and your mom last Sunday– sehr gut organisiertes Chaos in der Küche, as we would say. :)
Your g-ma can do the fudge!
What a nice thought! Sitting in a pub with good friends and drink. Makes me feel warm all over.
I think you should take this food blog back into the previous century — public food-story-time in a hibachi-grill-type setting, maybe? I’m picturing the two of you surrounded by hungry people (both physically and mentally starved), occasionally pausing your tale to flick a scallop directly into the mouth of the pretty lady in the corner seat (who really never eats out, but she heard good things about this place).
More likely suspect: It is 1:38am, I’m hungry, and slightly delirious. Blog on, blog on.
Sounds like a great place and a great evening with friends. Again, I want to go there!
sounds delicious.. and i can only hope that my attempts to empty the freezer/fridge before i leave turn out half as good as yours.
Sounds like a meal at your g-units in Dansville.
God luck with the research and will be looking forward to reading more about it!
i’m still living off of those left-overs you described. sooooooooooooooo great. come back!
It was a pleasure to share the meal at Mrs. Wilkes with you. Hope all your travels go well and you enjoy all the eats. I’m jealous – wish Doug and I could have followed you around. Enjoy. We’ll be checking in to the blog to see how things go.
I was actually going to call you to find out this recipe the other day. Those were some damn good burgers. Now for the fried plantains…
Seems like a nice lady and a nice time! Good telling of the story
Life lessons learned from feeding kittens and babies: food, given in love and with love, allows us to grow–in all ways, always.
Are your kittehs with you in NYC?
Just a comment if one is doing the “Sweden meets America” burger with ground turkey. Add some cooked brown rice and an egg to keep the burger from getting dry. Turkey burgers can be dry so have found the rice and egg help! The burgers are delicious!!! Had them at a picnic recently and everyone loved them!
awwww! lil boo-babies! they’re growin up so healthy-like.
I think my family was just talking about this drink! They threw it away the first time they tried it because they thought it had gone bad! Like it now
Love Indian food so will try the beer.
We were just talking about this drink in Ithaca recently! Know some people that really like it but said the same thing about the vinegar at first!
Wow! I am hungry now!
Wish I was there! It all looks wonderful!
fab, i’ll be expecting my mail-order snack any day now
I remember everything about that festival and eating in the street! How about the place where we sat by the kitchen and all we smelled was the truffle oil? You want to bath in it!!!
Tonight, I gathered up all the recipes I had lying around the house, an old notebook, and a glue stick. Then I compiled them all into a notebook, complete with a family history of the reason there are 2 versions of cornbread (one is my mom’s, the other is my dad’s mom’s) and other such memories. It’s not quite a cookbook, more like a recipe memorybook, with little tidbits about the person who gave me that recipe or the first time I tried to cook with kale.
Then I read your blog post! I wonder if one day my niece will stumble across it and wonder, “why the hell are there so many recipes involving lentils?!” or “what is odyssey, who is durham barnes, and why does the gingerbread pancake recipe look so loved?”
I love this post. Most of the women who contributed those recipes are no longer here-you never knew them. Your article reminds me how time ticks mercilessly, dating what we love, taking those we love. And yet in that flow, the young come along, remember the old, and honor the past when they create a space for it in the present. Love you much, Mama
Ah Elisabeth, you have opened my jar of memories again – perhaps because you were fortunate enough who knew some of thse women who anxiously wrote down “their” favorite recipes that we always expected when we ate with them. No one ever consiered having a “secret” ingredient she couldn’t share. Sharing is what our family was about. Along with whispered secrets about a problem someone was having, until it was a secret to the whole clan who then worried for that person and prayed for them – each woman considering it a secret.
My great aunts and grandma and all my aunts are now dead. We – the cousins – are the old folks of the family now. So I cherish even more the hand written receipes they all gave me. I have them in safe seperate file. Our secretary and I franticlly typed each one in an attempt to get the books done by Christmas. It was a wonderful thing when we finished – as good as having a book on the market as a best seller. As children married, I would be called up to print a new book for them. My own two sons, in their 40’s have requested copies. It seems the first wives kept the books! One nephew in a battle over what belonged to whom said, “That is my family history book, amd I insist on having it!”
Thank you sweetheart for bringing these fond memories to mind when I’m at an age to be considered “the old folks” and having seen them die and even some cousins. When I get out that cook book, my mother is back in the kitchen with me deciding what I should make. Of course it’s a dessert.
With love to you for caring and carrying on.
Bahahaha this is fantastic. Nicely done. :)
More, more. Now I’m hungry. You should have eaten all the goat cheese I took for granted when I was growing up and we had such cute goats.
G’ma
1 – This post is hilarious. 2 – Anchovies are gross. 3 – Why were jello salads ever a thing? I’ve often wondered. 4 – What does chopping garlic do that mincing does not? I’m trying to learn how to cook. It’s going really slowly. 5 – Any idea how to make easy pizza dough? I love you. I miss you. Let’s go move to new york or something.
So great and I’m definitely trying Bagna Cauda as soon as I leave my fish-hating house mate. Also, Elhenry–I’m assuming you are Elhenry, that is–can I have the well-loved gingerbread pancake recipe?
AT LAST! JOSH’S CARROT CAKE! I will make it as soon as I get back to the States and don’t have to convert everything to metric (grr). Let it be known that this is the best carrot cake on the face of the earth. Chuck Norris cries when he eats it.
Work it out.. And you better dance it off after you eat these.. Can’t wait to see you!
What delicious pleasures you describe! I’m just waiting for NC weather cool enough for a picnic!
So delighted that the blog goes on…
gg
Kombucha imperialism. I loled.
Josh, you have a gift for writing. When I’m in the French Quarter, I’m definitely trying a Po’Boy at Domilese’s, Gumbo with File, Bourbon street during Happy our and Café Du Monde for the coffee and beignet under an avalanche of powdered sugar.
I haven’t had the experience myself, but I find the idea of a restaurant serving only a few dishes intriguing and appealing. Sort of a “why would you NEED anything else?” mentality. I’m not one to say that people should like everything, but maybe our American menus — which often have literally hundreds or even thousands of possible combinations — encourage picky, narrow-minded eating.
Godspeed on your transition to New York! Keep me informed so that I can seethe with jealousy and remain thoroughly motivated to get there myself.
hm…any good vegetarian recipes/that sounds delicious.
Your story made me hungry for mole and more of your good writing
Do they have anything that is high fiber? Like a bran croissant? No, that is an oxymoron.
It all sounds wonderful and delicious. Congratulations on your first mud puddle Big Apple meal!
Have you searched the net for cheap stores near you – like BB’s in PA? If they’d open a branch in your building, they’d make a million in a week!
Honored to have been mentioned in your blog. Glad you found the recipe useful.
As for the heading, I can’t take credit for the words. That’s how I learned the recipe, “if your grocer doesn’t sell pork neck bones . .”, and this seems to be the standard method of passing it along.
Adding the dash of red curry (your version : red pepper), improved upon the original recipe, and if you have a few cloves to grind or a pinch of allspice, it doesn’t hurt the flavor.
Cheers.
Great essay. Insightful. The start of the revolution.
Love, Mama
Cheap cuts of bony and marrowy meat (beef shanks I love you!)are the truest luxuries when long-braised. Perfect for fall and comfort and Bravo/a to you; this meal sounds delicious!
I’ve been in that kitchen and walked your streets … and it is just
wonderful to see how you’re inspired by your surrounding and
what marvelous and delicious things you create!
It’s a joy to read your blog.
Yum, Yum … this delightful reading makes me crave a Linzer Torte
or Käse-Sahne Torte from the Hermannsdorfer Straße … the world’s
best Linzer and Käse-Sahne Torte!!
Oh, and yes, … Emma does have legs
[…] to Christchurch, New Zealand the night before with two other friends who I had convinced to go WWOOFing with […]
It was a great breakfast/brunch and a great day! Love the pictures and we just finished the biscuits! Soooooo good
Loved the cookies and actually ate one in the middle of the night!
Your family is very lucky! Delicious-looking food. May your new year bring you many more such good things.
Fondest new year greetings!
Wonderful to see you up and blogging again! Happy New Year!
I have yet to find anything as relaxing as mixing biscuits and kneading bread… Also, using a wash of egg yolk and water, equal parts, to give a nice glossy finish.
But yes, buttermilk, like lard or butter or heavy cream, makes most things bread much better. (for all intents and purposes, I recommend not eating at the Eco house unless your heart is in excellent health)
It’s all true. Grandpa said to remember man does not live by bread alone – unless of course, in our family it’s covered with a layer of butter and then a liberal sprinkling of sugar.
Just imagin if the other 6 of us had been there. We would have had a bannan pudding contest between Lynda and Michelle. Hey! YOu left out the nurishing green bean and French fried onion casserole, homemade cranberries and a baked ham. You don’t want people to think we left hungry, do you?
Josh, the dessert was outstanding and I hope to be eating it again next year. Our 51st anniversary will be a special memory always! Now we are looking forward to the next family celebration in May.
Sounds delicious! Yes, Smitten Kitchen is a great site (and pears were an inspired substitution). Congratulations to you–and to your grandparents!
Love this nostalgic (and soothing) post!
Lyz! I wish I could join you for dinner ever day- but for now, your blog will have to do. I totally agree with you about reading recipes in their entirety before starting cooking- I’m just not that patient. Although I think I’m one degree worse…I tend to gloss over the ingredients as well as the recipe itself. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten halfway through a recipe and have found that I do not in fact have sun dried tomatoes stored in olive oil in my pantry, but rather roasted red peppers in chili sauce. Keep it up! Love, Kelsey
Thanks, Kelsey! Just took a gander at your blog – looks like we’re playing the same sorts of games with big appetites and little money (which of course means that the roasted red peppers will probably end up standing in for sun dried tomatoes regardless of whether you’ve checked the pantry… and it will probably be delicious). Hooray for city living and post-Davidson budgets!
Love the poem, love the picture. So glad you are finding all this comfort in food, mysterious food, in the bleak mid-winter.
Thank you! So glad that you’re still reading our humble little blog!
wish we could have been there to have some. Sounds delicious!
awww my old roommate made snow icecream!
Ok, first of all this is delicious. Second of all, I understand your metric system quandary. My current problem is that all the measurements on things like bags of rice or couscous are in grams. Go ahead, measure out 300 grams of couscous, add 745 ml, then go jump off a cliff. I think I’m going to buy a scale. Third of all, whipping by hand. Last summer when I was in Sweden with Simon, I decided to make chocolate mousse cake for his birthday. First, whip cream by hand. Then fold in a whole bunch of shit… delicately. I nearly lost my right arm in the endeavor. Fortunately, I came through it with all limbs intact (glad I didn’t start my glass of wine until AFTER the cooking began), and Simon loved the cake. Another endeavor with great results even if not required by Simon says. bah ha ha.
Love,
Kate
dear josh,
i. love. you. i laughed lots. what a lovely morning read. and i’m so jealous. i might just have to play a game of “josh says” and make this.
love,
lyz
my good ol’ boy friends at home start tailgating as early as 7 am sometimes.
Love the farmer’s market and the brussel sprouts. Remember “Just a taste”? Very jealous of the weather by the way.
When we come down, are you going to make this for us? Sounds fantastic
Lyz! I love your blog and I love semolina too!
We call it Rawa or Suji in hindi/gujarati and use it in multiple ways too. Here’s one recipe for a dessert called Suji Halwa. It’s pretty common all across South Asia and it is absolutely delicious:
http://www.food-india.com/recipe/R001_025/R017.htm
But I HAVE missed those things! Every other time I cook, I search and grumble and say: I bet Elisabeth took that… Things haven’t been the same in my kitchen since you lived here while I was gone. I’m still discovering… I bought the seminola to make pasta with. It makes a wonderful homemade pasta. And I gave you a pasta maker for a birthday or Christmas recently. Try it!
Hey guys, I just wanted to say that the blog is looking so fantastic these days. Really well put together and the articles are awesome!
Thanks, Vaidehi! That looks so delicious – I am probably going to make it… like now.
And mom, I seriously only took food from the shelf that had been sitting there for at least two years. Mostly.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts…Our goal is for people to love eating our produce as much as we love growing it! (the dish looks wonderful) Thanks for the purchase!
Patsy and Bobby Houston – Houston Produce
[…] Buttermilk in Your Eye is Not Pleasant, to Say the Least (a post by Lyz) Josh, you have inspired me to bake. Well, Josh, it’s a toss-up between you and the barely used carton of buttermilk in the fridge. (Remember those deep-fried eggs?…) I feel like buttermilk often has this effect on people. […]
10x is the number of times the sugar has been processed–which refers to powdered sugar in this case.
And way to go for creaming butter and sugar by hand!
I love you and your blog. Le sigh. And good luck with your food column!
awww… thanks colleen! i love you too! is this a good forum to mention that i really enjoyed reading through your wedding website?
Lyz.
Can we please, please potluck soon!?
absolutely! how about a picnic potluck?
Ick
Your breakfasts are decadent, exciting and delicious. If I ate them every day, I would be dead in a month.
Really like this post. Well done, Lyz!
-Anna Marie
Brilliant post, Lyz. I was unnerved in one segment then laughed in the next. Truly felt like I was there. You solid writer, you!
Way to work out those writing muscles
Breathtakingly and fearlessly written.
This is so well-written! And the photograph at the bottom fits the sentiment in your post perfectly.
It’s a little different for us because not only are we trying to eat really cheaply but we’re also trying to feed 7 people. Honestly, I think it’s easier to be broke and feeding 7 people than to be broke and feeding 1 – we go through Costco-sized peanut butter jars in a week. Buying in bulk = lifesaver.
Oatmeal + polenta, either just-barely sweet or with a savory theme for breakfasts. I also love to eat leftovers for breakfast. Or oatmeal for dinner. Because why not?
We make a pot of beans every week, usually on Sunday or Monday. We switch up the spices and the kind of bean, and then we use them all week. One day, I will cook up a grain and make a grain bowl. The next, I might add some broth and green onions and have a soup. On day three they might show up in a skillet with some onions and an egg for a wrap.
Soup is our lifesaver – it goes a looong way. Soup with beans, soup with root vegetables, soup with whatever is in the fridge. Soup is my go-to because it’s so forgiving and you can use whatever is in the fridge. Soups were the first things I really felt comfortable cooking, and they’re a great place to learn about ingredients and spices.
We also befriended a baker who has to give away all of her baked goods at the end of the day. Yes, please.
Great practical advice here, Lyz. Simple olive oil-roasted and slightly charred vegetables in season are the kitchen mainstay for any busy, broke cook. (Oil-roasted turnips and onions in winter, for example; roasted green beans in summer are about as cheap as it gets and delicious).I’d add to the broke pantry must-haves: canned tomatoes (both plum and diced), dry and canned black beans and white beans (for white bean/garlic/olive oil puree and for chicken chili), and a jar or two of salsa. And celery with leafy stalks (how can you make any soup without it?) must live in my crisper. If I were marooned on a desert island I’d have to have vanilla extract (the secret ingredient for anything involving cooked fruit), freshly ground nutmeg,crystalized ginger, Colman’s mustard, Jane’s Crazy Salt, coarse-ground pepper, and Chimayo chili pepper or I couldn’t cook anything.
I love the sensuous idea of hand-squeezinga ripe avocado; must try it. My own recipe is to food-process one avocado (with salt, cilantro, lime, garlic) and then to simply stir another diced ripe avodado and diced green chili into it. Great texture.
you do make great guac. i like to use avocado (last time i made it i mashed with a potato masher), garlic, maybe some onion, lime juice, salt, cilantro, and chunks of tomato. and maybe some chili powder/hot sauce.
This was super helpful! Thank you.
I have never looked at a spoon so poeticly before. I will now hold each spoon in my hand and mouth and think of a lovely ode to a spoon.
Lyz, this is wonderful. But, I wish that you weren’t so scared of lightning…
i’m always getting better :)
An interesting article.
Gorgeous photos, great writing. Your food blogs just keep getting better and better.
LOVE the way you described the eggplant/yourself. you are wonderful.
Lyz,
I wanted to let you know that I really really enjoy your blog– I’ve started a cooking blog of my own which I’m almost embarrassed to share with you, because creative writing is not my thing and it can’t really stand up to your prose, but I do like cooking an awful lot, so we’ve got that in common, at least.
I hope you’re doing well and I hope you keep writing. I’ll be reading!
Kathleen
Yes, you have that anyway. And more. You need to make yourself a poached egg on buttered toast. And salt it and pepper it and eat it. Right now.
Love and courage and hopes for bigger refrigerators in your life.
that is a very solid piece of life advice. :)
Your blog is better than Paxil. Love you. Mom.
Oh, knowing about cooking, about eating, about living, about thinking, about expressing all these with body, soul and words.
Beautiful.
You sound just as smart as your mom — and I have a question for you —where do you get Lyoner or leberkäse in the states? (I have used bologna for the recipe.) Take care!
Having just spent the weekend in deepest Swabia with my in-laws (my father-in-law is Bavarian even), I can identify with pretty much everything you say. This is hey and freilich that, high German spoken with a southern accent–very different from what I’m used to in Osnabrück. Majoring in German didn’t prepare me for this! :)
Thanks for the fun and poignant read.
PS: Lax–how cute!
i recognize the table with the “frühstück” on it… ;) mmmh
love your blog!
Dear Lyz…thank you for bringing us to the beauty of your table with loved ones in Germany. I remember, still, the lovely aroma of “shared roundness” at table with your family over the years. Miss seeing your beautiful self around here!
Stephanie
It made me want to hurry to New York to enjoy the fall and the street vendors. Ummmm. I feel as if I took the trip with you, and actually I did part of the time thanks to cell phones. You should consider a career in food writing. :)
Sharing your heart with your receipe made me cry. When you’re on that rooftop, I hope you always feel the love Grandpa and I send your way.
Your youngest brother LOVES pumpkin,too. Mom made him a pumpkin roll yesterday. You might consider that. When you were small (under 4) your Mama used to just cook the pumpkin custard in a dish and you would gobble it down. Me, too.
ps. I bet I know what creepy things you are referring to :(
This pasta sauce sounds sooooo good! Thanks for the suggestion.
Beautiful food, Lyz!
Your posts, especially your pictures, always make me hungry. Beautiful!
thank you, thank you! the blog owes its birth to both of you and i’m so glad you’re still checking up on it!
ummmmm
It’s my considered opinion that sunchokes increase novelistic fecundity about 73% per day.
My god how I wish there was a farmers market somewhere near where I live… I LOVE the way you think about food.
cheers
mmhhmmmhmmmm….lovely !
Ummmm, they sound like a more delicious version of meringues. Might have to make them for Christmas.
Have you had your cholesteral tested lately? What age do you have to start doing that? I saw a young lady – well dressed – in a toney French restaurant in Philadelphia recently eating thin slices of LARD. I sort of gagged watching the show.
just as “mostardo” makes the mustard classier, calling it “lardo” makes the lard healthier.
Thanx for making me immortal – at least my “Fleischsalat”-recipe (although it is in fact “Wurstsalat” ;-) ). It was wonderful having you with us. Come back soon.
“Uncle” Friedel
I’m not a confident baker either. I might give these a go. Thanks for the recipe!
these sound good, and I love your description of your baked goods as awkward, made me chuckle :)
I can’t wait to try these cookies. I agree that food doesn’t need to be gorgeous to be good and I love trying new foods from other countries. Thanks for sharing it!
Kathy
http://www.KidCulture.wordpress.com
So glad you have heat! (The pies look delicious.)
Love love.
Ah! The famed apple pie! I have such fond memories of it, and making it with you in the D.O. house. Hope it was better than ever.
So, how does that jerky differ from regular dried beef
it tasted very similar to chipped beef – but the venison was actually milder; i guess it just makes all the difference to dry it in small batches instead of in bulk
I wish I had been there! This is inspirational.
Love this midnight belly feast, love this post!
this was a fantastic post about what sounds like a fantastic meal. i love your blog, feaster.
my oh my, I can’t believe I was downstairs from this magical meal, and didn’t ring the door bell!! what a fool i am…
This looks absolutely delicious! I’m craving sweet potato ravioli now.
Grandma and Grandpa Wiese and Aunt Dorothy are surely smiling from ear to ear as this little girl makes ravaioli – unlike the kind they made back in Collinsville so long ago with cooked wild rabbit and squirrel meats.
Your writing, Elisabeth, is what feeds the souls and always has: you cooking feeds their stomachs. Both are needy, and you, too.
i’d love for you to feed me, too. with food. though your words do a good job feeding me, too, in the meantime :)
your pasta-love truly found it’s way through to me! :)
ah, ja, and what I wanted to tell you for a long time: each time I visit this page I totally want to eat this peace of avocado on top… It’s tantalizing (it’s a looked up word – I don’t know if it makes sense… ;) )
thank you guys for all YOUR love :) sending love right back.
If you liked the tongue, try it in tacos de lengua. They are delicious.
The easiest way is to buy a few delicious slices at a Jewish deli. It will not be chewy, but more like slices of roast beef. Having grown up eating tongue, we don’t think I mothers went through all of this! And now, I’m curious, and will get a tongue sandwich the next time we go to Too-Jay’s and give you a follow up report. MAYBE, you are supposed to peel it before cooking. You make it all sound like a major part in a Hitchcock movie, and I’m sure you could write a short horry/tonque in cheek amusing story about it. Although THIS might be the story. xo G’ma ps I’m sorry Mother isn’t alive to have read this classic cooking event.
How can I ever feed you simple Grandma meals at my house again? I am boggled by the things you find to cook, or make up, or the places you find to eat in New York. I am all exited when I use different spices on chops or turn a hamburger patty into some creation with surprises in the middle – but YOU. You surpass them all, and on top of it. you write. you make me feel like a farm woman, and you take beautiful pictures to prove it all. You’re something else Baby E-a-beth.You are Mama’s girl, and in a distant way mine, too. :)
But no one cooks a grandma meal like you do. And sometimes, that’s all I want :)
ah! this is lovely…I felt like i was there and wish even harder that i was :)
Love this post! Happy summer.
gg
[…] ball. Add more flour if the mixture feels too wet. Detailed pie crust instructions can be found here. Press dough into a pie dish. Wash and cut rhubarb into 1 inch chunks, and quarter […]
[…] For more information about the formation of brunches, how they moved from Britain to America, and what’s changed on the brunch menu throughout the years, check out another post I wrote a few years ago at a blog I used to contribute to: Eat Me Drink Me. […]
I like to add vanilla, a little bit of nutmeg, and some chopped crystalized ginger to strawberry-rhubarb pie; try it next time instead of lemon juice.
Dear Lyz, Delightful reminiscing about lazy summers in the sun. I have so many good memories of firefly fields around your home and gauze canopies in the gentle night air, fire pits or outdoor movies… music and friends all coming together around a lovely table of confections and fruit or beer and homemade breads. Sounds like you continue the tradition. Love to you and yours!
That pie looks delicious! I really miss rhubarb….
Love this post!
First of all, don’t eat unknown berries. The appendix can get irritated by seeds that get stuck in it… Mulberry appendicitis?
Welcome back to my computer and letting me see the inside of you. xo
I hope you love being in Germany, Lyz!
The fennel pasta sounds delicious. I hope you love the adventure and the solace of time alone in Germany.
Hey, Elisabeth, I haven’t seen any leprachaun’s lately to remember the size of their heads…..could you remind me?
Love the look of this soup, love the post.
loved the taste of the soup.. it was deliciously spicy!
Mmm…this looks good! I might make it. Reminded me of this great recipe: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/07/131728204/saffron-you-can-have-too-much-of-a-good-thing
Mhmm Pumpin soup !
Lyz , next time I am in Berlin I’ll bring some spanish red wine with me .
Would that fit to the soup?
absolutement! :)
beautiful, lyz.
A beautiful tribute to a kind man. Bless your soul, Hansvetter.
Loved your Thanksgiving post! You are the incarnate Thanksgiving hostess, no question about that. (And yes, the leftovers look delicious too.)
Thank you! It was my first time cooking a big feast for not-family. Family, you know, they’re always impressed… :)
Yeah, what do we know…
Thanksgiving with you is always a love feast…no matter where you are. You will spread Thanksgiving to the world. love you.
You show your soul when writing. This was a lovely tribute to Hansvetter, who would not have understood the English!
Lyz,
This piece made my day. You have found a deep insight in such an ordinary scene: a cabbage truck. The scene, unremarkable in of itself, serves as a portal to a body of experiences that comprise something really profound. I strive for the same in my own writing and photography, and this piece is an inspiration to me.
I am sorry for the loss of your uncle, but I am glad you were there, with a cabbage truck, to remember him.
Thank you for sharing.
Howell
Oh, Elisabeth, your writing brings tears to my eyes. I love you always.
Grandma
Your post makes me long for Paris! Loved this!
It’s hard to believe a granddaughter of mine – one who is even named after me – likes BEER.
Must be her grandpa’s influence – not to mention her German side.
Were you authorized to release this recipe? I hope you won’t be sued for copyright/patten infringement. I’ll bail you out, if you bake for me. hugs and sugar.
Baking soda is Natrium. But I shouldn’t tell you that so that I can make the perfect gingersnap myself. XO
Natrium or Natron? I’ve seen Natron in grocery stores but never knew what that’s for.
Natron! I would like everyone to know that I made gingersnaps with natron yesterday and they were perfect :)
Yeah its true, Paris can make you feel being a poor person. But there are spots where you may eat for reasonable prices. In the Marais in fact you find some arabian places with Cous-Cous, mhmmm. Never go eating to the touristic “Quartier Latin”! Did you know that the Rue Mouffetard belongs to the real Quartier Latin? Hope you enjoy Xmas back home in Pennsylvania.
Uli
the falafels were from the marais! cheapest (and best) meal we had in paris. wish we would have discovered them earlier :)
that was a crazy ride.
(love this post.)
Natriumbicarbonat. (Or Kaiser’s Natron)
Hello Lyz,
hope you remember me. I’m Fabio, the son of your mom’s German friend from her student- times. We met in Berlin in a cafe some weeks ago, when you were just moving there. I know I had promised you to post some comments on here earlier and to get in touch with you, and read the blog itself, I have. Signed in to wordpress in order to post comments on here, I have not. Not until now. And I must say, I absolutely love your blog! I happened to have stumbled upon several blogs or blog- like webpages already, and none of them was remotely close to yours in quality. This blog is just so well- written and often very funny to read, while at the same time informative, honest, and also providing interesting insight into your personal life. But not the spam- kind of insight that you get on facebook, like: today I was here! Today I bought this! I think this sucks:…! etc. Instead you take one or several experiences that you have had in the last days and you successfully manage to relate to some kind of a general statement or conclusion that you’re trying to make, sometimes even philosophically.
Great work!
Despite the compliments, I also wanted to raise your awareness of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhwuXNv8fJM&list=UUy1Ms_5qBTawC-k7PVjHXKQ&feature=plcp
(I know this is a channel normallly dedicated to gaming commentary, but the subject is affecting you, and all other people in the world- wide- web! Nonetheless!)
have a great weekend, hope to hear from you soon! =D
Hi Fabio! Glad you enjoy the blog. And thanks for the link – very interesting – I’d heard rumors about that, but didn’t know it was being pushed at the moment.
Haven’t forgotten about the slam poetry – would definitely love to see some (hear some?) of your work!
Take care!
lyz
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[…] and bright red raspberries into liqueur. I have been meaning to make my own since then, yet only once managed a successful bottling when I was overcome by the abundance of mulberries hanging on the tree outside my Brooklyn […]
Is this similar to Uncle Ronnie’s home made beer making?
I’ll take one orange liqueur, please, when you go into business.
much less work! like home brewing for lazy people :)
if you need volunteers for liqueur tasting in four weeks, let me know! ;)
you’re on!
I will have to try your recipe as I have ventured in to the world of micro brewing which brings me great joy – not only the smell of the intoxicating mixture that I make but watching it bubble as the yeast does its magic, the aging process, the bottling, the natural carbonation in the bottle, more aging in the frig, and finally to open a bottle and sip the illicit drink (once in America and still in many parts of the world) knowing I made it.
After making some 15 different batches of beer, I have skunked about five (undrinkable by even my standards). Only three have prevailed but now I have ventured into cracking the grain and boiling the mixture for hours as my home fills with the aroma of a brewery – my future calls. I do believe the goal isn’t to manufacture many different beers or liquors but to find the two or three that bring you the greatest joy – and fewest headaches (in more ways than one).
UR
When I come back to the states, you’ll have to give me a crash course in home brewing. Sounds like a good new project for me!
the goal is to master a couple beers and then open a microbrewery or better yet – micropub
how about this: you brew, i cook and we’ll open our own micropub? :)
Man oh Man…I do so agree…and the seasoning they put on french fries…and the fact that you can sit at a table for two hours with friends and not be harassed by the waiter every five minutes when your mouth is full..and the skiing…and BEER. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSZg0elcHc8
So THAT’S what happens with too much beer…
Too funny your xmas movie!
Uli
I remember all the items you mentioned and miss the pastries and rotisserie chicken seen in restaurant windows. The spiced wine was a different experience but I really enjoyed it. My children still eat pomme frites with mayonnaise and so do I occasionally.
Thanks. Once again you made me remember why I’ve always come home from Germany rounder than when I went. I want some. But not pretzel rolls. Save them for Grandpa. If you keep writing about these things I’ll have to consider Berlin for vacation – but only if I could lose 20 pounds first and then stuff myself with pastries. You must admit though….they can’t come close to the apple pies you and Mama make. Apples also taste good with Nutella (without the butter).
Sounds like a good plan to me – you can start your diet, and I’ll start collecting pastries ;)
Sounds–and looks–delicious, Lyz! Great post.
Thank you!
I don’t know that I have ever “thoughtfully” mixed meatballs, but then if you are going to “nestle” them later, it’s obvious you should be thoughtful. It sounds like raising a family (except for eating them later).
Do not doubt your talents for cooking and writing. Both are great, Along with your other artistic talents, you have so many that it’s hard to realize your greatest. Writing and cooking are the ones I think you love the most. It’s in your blood.
Continue to pursue: you haven’t even lived a quarter of a century yet. Rome wasn’t built in a day (am I not clever to make that up?) so you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself and expect to be a well known i.e.paid writer in so few years. You “yam” and will be. I have faith.
I would like to see the inside of your refrigerator where you found a fingernail size of cheese and other strange things you “find” in there. Evidently they aren’t old enough to poison you, but maybe your stomach has become immune with all the hot spicy dishes you make:) You have always been creative in one art form or another.
I only have a fingernail-sized refrigerator. As such, I only find fingernail-sized slices of things in it…
thanks for this blog.
I believe you have never been at a loss for words to express yourself. I agree that people need to verbally communicate more so we can look at their faces or hear their voices to more completely understand what they are trying to tell us. As you said, a text that says “I can’t be there,” can mean anything from someone is dying who needs me to I don’t want to be bothered with you.” How to stop those brief text messages? I don’t know. They text while they’re in school now. Babies will probably say, “MaMa” in text. It’s all up to the parents to take them away when they are together, so at least the family can communicate. Instead, each kid is on a separate phone having an on-going life with someone else who isn’t participating at home. It’s bad enough the countries of the world can’t communicate, but now the people and children can’t communicate with each other in the same house.
Save the world, Elisabeth.
Undoubtedly, one of the best article l have come across on this precious topic. I quite agree with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward to your coming updates.
What shall I eat and drink next week when I am in Tampa? do they have “good food” also there or shall I bring with me my own stuff?
It’s like New Orleans in Burladingen. Who would have thought! I have been seriously CRAVING beignets for months, and now you post these giant pictures of them before my eyes, wicked girl. I want one. xo Grandma
Yes, definitely a Mardi Gras experience! Loved this post, Lyz!
[…] been a lot of yeast dough in my life lately. First there were Fasnet’s cakes, then I made donuts. Ok. So there were two instances of yeast dough in my life. But two yeast […]
I guess you will keep writing about dough until I get busy with some yeast and flour and make something wonderful. I will think of you with every bite.
send me a cake! :)
just wanted to say “Hi, I love your writing, and I read whenever you have a post. Hope all’s well in Germany!” xo
Thanks, Nora! Hope all is well in Colorado :)
With every new article you surprise me yet again.
Connecting the simplicity of kneading dough with philosophy on spending time is just brilliant. I wish I had your creative ideas when it comes to journalism.
well…I had the dog and onions but no potato or cucumber salad…arg..
Ron was one of the finicky ones I told you about.
Well, I wish I had known about that when I was raising children and two of the four were finicky eaters. Maybe I can start using it on the young great granddaughters. The others are too old to believe it. love.xo
Its not just sausages… Its whenever you dont finish your plate ;)
Oh my gosh – I have to tell the Berliners! ;)
Agreed! It’s the threat I’ve had in the back of my mind since kindergarten..
now i know what to threaten you with when i finally find that pig’s liver! ;)
That Kartoffelsalat looks soooo yummy.
and it’s super easy to make! http://eatmeanddrinkme.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/eating-in-german-a-post-by-lyz/ (see the end) :)
Thanks!
Lyz,
I think this piece is an example of your finest writing. It frames food as an experience and uses then leverages this experience to gain insight into characters (esp. your grandfather) and a unique culture. Thank you for sharing.
Howell
Thanks, Howell :)
So bacon isn’t Speck? Oh the things I have to learn about food..
Now I want bacon.
Lyz,
I was just thinking about that time I visited you in Pennsylvania. It was the summer we graduated, and I was heading north for a teaching job. I remember biking with your dad over grassy streams and dense forests to Dickinson College, and floating down that river, a beer in one hand and a paddle in the other. I remember making pancakes and bacon in your kitchen, and having a heated conversation re: crispy vs. chewy bacon. I think you won the discussion because we ate our bacon chewy that morning. We sat out in your backyard over cups of coffee, chatting about Davidson and about was next, and what wasn’t. I lost track of the time and lingered too long, putting off the last stretch of my drive north. When I finally looked at my watch, it was almost noon, and I had to run, speeding up I-81 towards a turn in my life.
Let’s do it again sometime.
Howell
PS there’s no bacon here in South Africa. It makes me very sad.
PPS did you know bacon contains a chemical that has been shown to effectively mitigate the effects of hangovers?
Dear Howell,
That was a high point in a stressful summer of unknowns – but you know that – we talked about it. Unless, of course, I happened to be in one of my euphoric phases that came with about as equal regularity as the panics…
Come to Berlin. We’ll drink beer by the water and talk about life. And we will find bacon somewhere in this country, and have it for breakfast for our hangovers.
Love,
Lyz
Sorry to tell you but we about a packet of bacon a week here in VA. Cook it to perfection and add a little brown sugar right before we take it off the stove – just to glaze the hot crispy slices of thick cut bacon. The grease is also good to pour over fresh spinach after you add a little vinegar it…like a sweet and sour mix.
this is unfair.
Oh, but try making that b(elly)a(avocado)tomato sandwich! Just slice the pork belly thinly into strips, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and bake at 375 until halfway cooked, then sprinkle with brown sugar (or drizzle with agave nectar if you’re avoiding sugar the way I am) and continue to bake in the oven at 375 until crispily delicious and glazed. It’s bacon gone to heaven.
if that’s as good as it sounds, i might give up bacon for good… (and i just had my mom bring me brown sugar from america, since that also doesn’t exist here…)
Lyz, this is a wonderful post! I love the how many different aspects of bacon you mention. I am doing an independent study with Professor Gibson this semester. We have read some great books and I created a food blog as well. http://pleasuresofthetable.wordpress.com/ You were our inspiration!!
I’m so excited to hear that you’re doing a food blog as well – I checked it out – looks lovely! And I’m honored that my humble little blog was an inspiration! :)
this should be framed and hung up in every kitchen. bacon is the best.
What poor life without bacon….
Hope you find some until July!
Uli
how did you cook the dates wrapped in bacon? that looks wonderful
So easy – just wrap dates (and we also wrapped prunes) in bacon and stick in a 375F oven for 15 minutes until bacon is crispy. You can make it on the same tray as the patatas braves and the antipasta :)
Is there now Bacon in Germany ?
I know – right after I write a post about how there’s no bacon in Germany, I find bacon in Germany. Of course.
[…] towel roll and some tape. Usually, I’m with my family. I make everyone dye Easter eggs, I cook an Easter feast, we unwrap baskets on Easter morning, and at Easter lunch we smash eggs together like our Bulgarian […]
[…] Jamaican fish and mashed potatoes. There’s not an egg in sight. There’s no ham, no quiche, no rack of lamb. Just me and Sigourney and rap music and a roasting […]
The food is beautiful, as usual. It always looks like it comes from a gourmet restaurant, where my stomach objects. Such talent. I felt I spent Easter with the two of you. xo
Nice one! I love how you mix philosophy with food ; )
After all, two of the most im portant things in life…
This is beautiful. And so aptly describes why I love wooden cooking untensils – they carry their history around with them. And I’m much less inclined to throw it out when it gets ‘yucky’.
You have a beautiful heart.
[…] I sat at my new kitchen table in Berlin, I was reminded of an entry I wrote long ago about sardines on toast. This blog was begun as a class project almost three years ago, and when […]
[…] think I’ve mentioned that I’m in love with Fergus Henderson – I have been, ever since I read his cookbook, The Whole Beast, a year and a half ago and […]
[…] Oh, St. John’s. Oh, Fergus Henderson. The man who changed my life with a piece of pork belly. […]
[…] is my second trip to St. John’s, the first being almost a year ago exactly. And though this isn’t the Smithfield outpost, rather […]
This post is a wonder, Lyz. I love it!
My daughter, my soul.
Love it!
Whaaaaaat? All these years here and that what I eat is no bacon?
My world is slowly cracking… guess I´ll find out what bacon really is next September, when I go the USA – that is, if they have real bacon in Montana.
Bacon in Montana sounds like it would be super real. But maybe that’s just because everything in Montana sounds like it would be more real than anywhere else ;)
Hello! Do you use Myspace? I’d wish to follow you if that could be alright. I sure am absolutely taking pleasure in your web site and look forward to new posts.
[…] This is what I love about cooking. This something from nothing. […]
i’m not sure i’ll ever get over what a beautiful writer and photographer you are. or what a beautiful human you are. miss you, lyz! keep being amazing. xo
How did you guys end up living together? I always wondered what it would be to live with my brother.
We happened to be in the same city at the same time and both needing a place to live for two months. It was perfect!
This is very interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks!
[…] a little salvaging on behalf of the image. Cabbage is versatile. Main ingredient in stir-frys and slaws, stew-filler, a hull for ground beef and spices. A pinch of crispness in a rice salad or the […]
[…] Cabbage gets a bad rep for being cheap and one-dimensional, but I would like to do a little salvaging on behalf of the image. Cabbage is versatile. Main ingredient in stir-frys and slaws, stew-filler, a hull for ground beef and spices. A pinch of crispness in a rice salad or the vinegary tang topping a pulled pork sandwich. And the types of cabbage – there’s red cabbage, green cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Savoy, Napa, bok choy – and here in Germany, I’ve discovered yet another lovely variety called Sptizkraut. […]
this made me grin for a whole 10 minutes after reading! =D
great job!
thanks :)
put a little pastrami on that sandwich, little hot mustard, and a few red onions and you will be smoking…maybe even a slice of some smoked cheeses
yes, cabbage can be used in so many ways. fried cabbage in bacon grease till it is lightly brown is the best. serve with a nice pot roast and drop biscuits…mmmm
So the real question is, when are you going to come to Germany to cook that for me?
not soon enough….
Wasn’t your baby brother called spitzkraut by Hansvetter? If so, do you feel a little cannabalistic? Does this meal on a clean the fridge satisfy the big brother, who I think of as an empty pit. At any rate, we are quite fond of cabbage and that open faced sandwich looks good to me! I’ll probably have to put a couple of slices of ham on top to keep Grandpa from loosing weight. Poor thing.
His nickname for Michael was spitzbub. I wrote about it here: http://eatmeanddrinkme.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/spitzen/
The brother I’m feeding likes to complain a lot, but I think he’s being pretty well fed.
I will testify to your personal shyness, having to sit on my lap at preschool for example. But she certainly did shine on stage, whether it was singing, playing music or in a play, so you hid it well. I think, now, that you might be overcompensating :) love from the other secret shy person.
Hi Lys,
Not quite sure about how good cabage can be, but it was fun reading your last two blogs on the balcony ;)
Sunny greetings from our home-sweet-home, Doro & Ubbo
[…] required time. Although I had begun to cease thinking about time as a rule. Kneading dough is like breathing with your fingers. Your body slows to the tempo of your hands, and your breaths slow your beating heart. The dough […]
[…] made me nostalgic for my college spring breaks, where my friends and I would drive to the lake house in western Maryland, which, though it was […]
[…] like homemade pizza dough – warm and fragrant, delicately yeasty and chewy. And you get to do some kneading, which is one of my favorite things to do in the […]
It’s always good to be eating and not hungry when you read an article on fasting.
This is true!!!!
1. when you come back to the USA, you are coming to my house to cook me a meal or several. I will pay.
2. open a restaurant or gut truck in the DC area – hard work but you will get repeat business with the meals you make and especially if you have a theme/event (“writers block” – where writers meet to discuss/share ideas and you have clinics (give the instructor a free meal for him/her and his/her date) to help writers all while selling/buying food from you)
3. I now own a smoker and am currently smoking some mullet (childhood delight from our days at the beach with the parents – near impossible to find anymore). With my smoker, I have found an entirely new way to cook – slow and slower. With that splurge of information, you need a few stories on smoking food (not dope).
1. Christmas. It’s on.
2. See 3. + 1.
3. Let’s smoke some things. Food things.
Your food looks simply delicious. Why don’t you move next door, and I’ll buy ingredients, and you can surprise me at dinner. By the way, Uncle Richard cooks like you, too, and his food always looks like a fine restaurant presentation. xo Grandma
I used to say I’d travel for food, but now I guess I’ll travel to cook for other people ;)
hmmm.. cookies. i want some.
I think it’s fun to throw things together, not knowing what will turn out – or IF, and it’s usually good. Grandpa will say this is good, you should make it more often, and groans when I tell him I don’t think I can reproduce it
So you’re dumpster diving? Delicious-sounding sandwich nonetheless!
Not dumpster diving, per say…. just commandeering somebody else’s dumpster-dived bagels and saving them for the next day :)
You must have an iron stomach. It makes mine hurt just to read the peppers and hot sauces. Poor Grandma.
[…] if you look at them, they give you the evil eye. (My family is nervous about me and feral cats. We have a history.) Even along the waterfront, the press of people doesn’t stop until the shoreline opens up on the […]
:) like being for a while in Istanbul…
[…] where this blog began, and my ever-recurring ancestral home’s blue-walled affair. There was the first kitchen in New York, which was tiny – enough counter space only for the mice. Then there was my second kitchen in New […]
[…] kitchen in New York, which was tiny – enough counter space only for the mice. Then there was my second kitchen in New York, which stood unused for a long time while we were too busy battling bed bugs to cook. There was the […]
[…] which stood unused for a long time while we were too busy battling bed bugs to cook. There was the kitchen in Berlin, shower beside the stove. And now there is my new kitchen. Where we use […]
that’s a nice and cool post
[…] common knowledge that before the wheel was invented, our bushy and laconic ancestors developed the spoon.* Primitive priorities. The wheel was only practical. Sure, it got you from point A to point B a […]
There are so many beautiful people in Berlin because you and your Mama are there. Re fingers vs. forks- yummy dripping gooey sticky foods MUST be eaten by your fingers. Anything else is criminal.
…do something with you the love, if you cook ?
Reblogged this on turkischland.
We have all probably eaten the “raw” eggs without realizing it when we’ve ordered that dish. I believe, or want to believe, that when you add the hot noodles and hot water, you are then cooking the yellow of eggs. Sounds just delicious.
On the note about bravery, I believe it takes courage to move away from home, whether you’ve just graduated high school, or any age. To go far enough that you can’t just be there in half an hour is “brave.” And for a person who’s been married and had a family, to pick up the pieces and go start a new life and be a new person ALONE is even braver.
You personally have done many brave things as far as isolating yourself from the soft comforting arms of home, by leading a group to Europe, by taking yourself to NY and finding your way around and now all the way to Berlin, finding jobs, apartments, new friends, and far enough away that if you need comforting, you can’t run to any of us.
You’re a leader,and in searching for your personal niche in society is about as brave as you can get.
I think you are incredibly brave. Falling in love is the bravest thing of all. But, please, no raw eggs.
mmmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmhhhmmmm…….
and that is why humans created beer and wine…
You should put these out as a book…
Thanks :) I’d actually really love to do that!
[…] time, I had no idea that banyacotta was not just something that had been handed down in my family from generation to generation. All of the friends I told about the dish – it’s a dip of butter, garlic, and anchovies and you […]
One error, dear grandchild, that is a traditional WIESE dish handed down to my German father from his Italian stepfather. The strictly English Davis clan would not even think of tasting it! You have described it well.
I’ve not heard of this before, but it sounds absolutely luscious!
[…] and the eating, I think Ellie has made more appearances in this blog than anyone else. There was Thanksgiving (we’re already getting ready to order the turkey for this year…), the plätzchen-baking […]
[…] There was Thanksgiving (we’re already getting ready to order the turkey for this year…), the plätzchen-baking extravaganza, an ancient Easter, and of course that time we decided to eat in the dark. And probably because of […]
[…] getting ready to order the turkey for this year…), the plätzchen-baking extravaganza, an ancient Easter, and of course that time we decided to eat in the dark. And probably because of all the appearances […]
[…] the plätzchen-baking extravaganza, an ancient Easter, and of course that time we decided to eat in the dark. And probably because of all the appearances she’s made here, she’s spent a lot of time […]
keep writing, lyz! i’m still reading!
Thanks, Nora :) I will!
JUST FACE FACTS. You are an old fashioned American, through and through. Good looking pie…it looks like Mama’s, who we know is The Pie Maker since my Mother died. xo Grandma
we always cooked our jack-o-lanterns into pie, too! but we would wait until after halloween, chop up the pumpkins, roast them, peel them, puree them in the blender, and put the puree in the fridge until thanksgiving. what a neat idea to use the shaved insides of the jack-o-lantern the same night! lyz, you’re great.
What a great idea! I’m pretty sure with the output of pumpkin shards we got from our two pumpkins, we could have made pies all the way through to new years :)
I can smell you stew cooking through my computer screen. Ummmm. Even though I don’t personally care for lentils and can’t eat peppers or much cumin, it makes me want a bowl of it with cornbread on the side. When you write that kind of blog, it transports itself through the computer you write on over to the one I’m using and sends out a strong delicious smell. love, Grandma
Won’t you take the green inner part of the garlic off?
Of course you like this, it’s a different version of our favorite family dish, minus the garlic!! It looks delicious, and it will take a whole winter of Gluhweins to clear out your arteries. However, if he told me to take photos of Christmas food, I’d make desserts. :}
I just want to dive headfirst into that dish and not come up for air! :-)
Honey, you will make a wonderful southern grandma – sorry I won’t be here to watch you. No matter where you live, you can lay your claim to being southern because of your grandparents and all your visits here. I will try to drawl more when y’all come to set the stage. That chicken looks perfect!
ummmmmm
Well being a southern grandma and your favorite aunt. Here is my tip I fry my chicken in our family cast iron skillets. Next time you are in Florida I will give you one. love ya…
Sounds like a deal to me!
Oh my goodness! I have to make this…soon!
Grandios, I could take a bath in Turròn …
I’m ready to go to Colombia.This blog is exceptional! I can’t wait for part III
It all sounds so wonderful!
You do know, don’t you , that you have to create a dictionary for those Spanish foods. Good thing you wore those wrap around pants! You need to learn the Spanish word for Zat! You would think you would have come back like the little boy in a ball….
These look fantastic! You are going to make them for me!
Will do!
I love egg salad and will try out your recipe, even to the Dijon Mustard, which I usually dislike. I have just eaten dinner, and I want to run into the kitchen and make an egg salad sandwich.. Instead I’m going to go make a cake for Grandpa’s office.
you crack me up lol Happy Easter
Thanks :) Excellent!
Yummy!
Dear Lyz
I think that was the most profoundly accurate description of the concept ‘desire’ I’ve ever read. Thank you for the insight and the laugh.
Regards
LF
I will make this this weekend!
I’ll bet everything you bring is the best looking thing on the table that day.
I’d totally laugh with joy to a salad as tasty looking as this one! # womenlaughingwithsalad
Auguri and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Danke!!
Beautiful.
I have been in StB some 20 years ago… must have changed a lot since. Your trip sounds interesting.
YOU will find interesting places everywhere in the world. Weiter so!
Wonderful post!
I’ve only seen St. Petersburg from a tour bus–so this wonderful post was a revelation. Have a wonderful time, Lyz!
I don’t think I’ve ever walked as much as I did in St. Petersburg! I hobbled for days…
Lyz, your posts just keep getting better and better! And are these your photographs? Fantastic.
Thank you! Yes, these are all still my photos :) I’ve been fixing up some old posts… and the pictures, anyway, have come a long way!
sometimes, you burn the cocktails. and it’s ok: http://t.co/yuuNT4EMoK
I have to go out right now and get some grapefruit-flavored tonic. I always want some of what you’re having Lyz!
Hi Lyz, In Bonn,Leipzig, Frankfurt and Hamburg yoou find the Bagel Brothers, my favourite breakfast place, when I am travelling in Germany….
“Pig tails? Who eats pig tails?” she said. Only crazy people who like to cook weird food. Clearly. http://t.co/mnjEToWVTQ
Good tale :) Made me laugh.
I remember your first post on pig tails. Also one on Ferguson. Maybe you want to cross-reference your posts?
They are actually cross-referenced! If you look closely, you’ll see a lighter gray font that links to the previous post :)
I ate pig tails when I was about 6. What a sad day that is as vivid today as it was some 40 plus years ago…Grandpa – “boy, eat those pig tails now!!” Grandma – “Ronnie, just put ketchup on them.” Me..”whhhhaaaaa…whhhaaa..nibble nibble..”
Cough cough. Sigh. Cough. The only thing to do is make chicken noodle soup. http://t.co/0jVEKqdlRl
yes, the soup of the gods but for some reason I only like thin wet noodles where as my better half can eat sheets of them in chicken broth…nope, not for me.
Poor thing…sick and had to make your own chicken noodle soup. But at least you grew up knowing what;s best for you and how good your throat feels when that first spoon goes down. ummm
You and Uncle Richard!
This looks yummy. I’ll have to try it.
You got me thinking about stress being in the fingers. Maybe there is something to that.
citrus makes my mouth go numb. but i ate all the cake anyway. New post on Eat Me. Drink Me.: http://t.co/I4g9x65eLs
Poor brother didn’t even get named. Let’s call him Benjamin. Didn’t he make even on witty comment worth blogging? Hmm. Grapefruit cake.
from bermuda to berlin. a little dark and stormy action: http://t.co/EXe5PL1U97
Dark & Stormy Cocktail- good stuff: http://t.co/cSDVZ7eK8r @eatmedrinkme000
tradition and tourism: thank god there’s chocolate cake to make you feel better about all that: http://t.co/YB7stRiImT
So, no recipes this time?
I thought about figuring out how to make Sachertorte… but the thought of eating another one made my belly hurt :)
Oh dear. We ate at an unlimited buffet with your little brother tonight after we picked him up from the airport. While he had 3 plates of exactly the same food (medium rare steak, mashed potatoes with gravy and macaroni and cheese [which happened to be good]), I had some real food, and a sample of each dessert, a cookie [cookies aren’t dessert – they are staples] and a small dish of ice cream. I just thought my stomach was settled enough to go to bed, but reading your blog makes me nauseated all over again. ummmm
memory is thicker than water, or wine, if you’re in Paris: http://t.co/2FbvY8En6W
the joy of driving in Paris – actually, like many countries I’ve been and now that I think of it – tame yet invigorating. Sadly, I found Paris to be a city that requires big spending plans if traveling with family.
One of my memories of Paris is very financial. I remember the frustration of feeling like nothing was for free. This last trip helped me to love Paris again.
This feels like the Paris I felt.
I remember your red coat. Somehow, this made me feel sad and miss a little girl all grown up and gone away.
pumpkin is a more versatile fall vegetable than most people think. eat me. drink me.’s take on thai pumpkin curry: http://t.co/30Rro90nSI
Ummmm. I smell pumpkin everywhere. I simply LOVE pumpkin. Grandpa says he hopes I get enough by the end of the year because that’s all I order when we go out, and I go around touching all the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. A hint to you: Your Mama and I put our pumpkins in the oven and roast them and THEN cut them and prepare them any way we wish. It’s easier than cutting through the tough pumpkin skins. She will be here to make fresh pumpkin pies and pumpkin soup for us for Thanksgiving. Come on over. xx
i talk about comfort food a lot. here’s my new favorite fall comfort drink, apple cider (the grownup version): http://t.co/npIEp9U3ZA
I can smell it… ummmmm. Twice now I’ve had to smell it cooking without tasting it: when he wrote it and now you. I always associate being in PA for the holidays with smelling and drinking spiced apple cider that your Mama would make. For some reason, I’ve never made it myself .
We’ll have to make a batch at Christmas!
The recipe is still in revision, but honored you gave it a go. A girl told me it (this version) was similar to a chai tea, and . . she was correct. Drop the cardamon and it should take care of that.
Today is the last day of our farmer’s market, and buying a box of apples for the next attempt(s).
x & o
The nice thing about apple cider is that each batch is a little different – I think I overdid it on the spices this attempt – definitely the cinnamon (I adjusted for that in the recipe above) – but I actually like the warm, chai feeling. It reminds me of the apple version of German Glühwein.
I tried your recipe last weekend when the Berliners were visiting– and it turned out great!! It was the perfec drink for a rainy and cold night in Braunschweig. xo
Will you be my personal chef
Only if you’ll be mine! ;)
Explaining Holidays or How to Plan a Dinner Party without Furniture: http://t.co/x5QxolV0R5
Love the pics.
I felt like I was there with you. Wonderful to see you and Benjamin, and I even knew Kendra’s back! love you all
Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday, but leftovers are my favorite pastime: http://t.co/TblCIUv0v2
I can’t wait for Christmas leftovers already, but my stomach says you’ll have to leave out a few things for me. As long as everything is smothered in cranberries, it’s good.
lard lard lard lard lard lard lard lard lard lard lard lard lard http://t.co/SMItHwB25s
That is the funniest ever. Grandpa and I just laughed out loud as I read it. When he was little, his Russian grandma used to eat “smaltz,” which was melted Chicken fat!!. Do you recall that your youngest brother used to ask if we were eating “cow” or “pig” – not that he had any objections, as long as it wasn’t a vegetable.
Ten pounds later. Still eating Christmas cookies (Springerle!): http://t.co/c9HPO5fDQv
My “mommy” always made those cookies. I guess she got her recipe from her native German mother-in-law since non of the English Davis family ever made them. You HAD better have some for me!
How long does it take for the familiar to become unfamiliar? http://t.co/AHGfJ3TUwC
Beautifully stated.
Bad Weather Breeds Sweet Teeth. Did I mention there are carrot cake cupcakes? http://t.co/e6VqjWAh3C
What pleasure your posts always bring me, Lyz! Thinking of you—and hankering for these cupcakes.
What did you do with the rest of the whipping cream. hmmm? You can’t purchase it by the spoonful!
Oh I remember those cupcakes! They were so good. I miss baking with you. xo
Bad Weather Breeds a Sweet Tooth: Carrot Cupcakes with Cointreau:
What better time to talk about desserts tha… http://t.co/BYDxyqXZiD
Show Me the Green: Wilted Kale with Feta and Fried Egg:
Apparently I have a reputation for really liking kale… http://t.co/HpWZ6yXneH
Ok. All I have to do to make this for tonight’s fast dinner is substitute fresh spinach (I just can’t get a get liking for kale although G’pa does),leave out the bacon and substitute Eggbeaters and garlic oil, and presto – I have the same dinner, with Fat Free Feta cheese. Thank you.
I love to hear that a recipe I post inspires a new dish!
The Arrival Poems: Berliner Leek and Apple Tart:
Who knows pleasure who does not know the smell of leeks on a… http://t.co/aasna5bk2M
I would prefer you leave out the cayenne pepper when you feed it to me. Also, I would like the tarragon instead of cloves. I’m looking forward to a slice or two. Thanks, sweetie.
Apples and Guilt: Baked Apple Custard with Butter Cookie Crust:
The way I see it, there are three types of gu… http://t.co/iOA2igFB8k
There is also Catholic guilt, a very real thing.
This recipe looks great! I might have to make it this weekend. It seems Oscar-worthy, yes?
Definitely Oscar-worthy!
Hello!
Loved it! Great receipe!
Was nice to meet you last week! Enjoy cooking and writing :)
You too! Let me know how the cake turns out if you ever get around to making it! :)
How to be a German-American.
http://t.co/UtthOl5cL4
How to Be a German-American:
For lunch, make slices of toast from dark bread crunchy with seeds and grains … http://t.co/jlwgwBQ39L
Beautiful photos!
Thank you! :)
You left the bacon or ham drippings out of your potato salat. I’m seriously about to hurt you. Also cornstarch, it thickens so it’s not runny. Yummmm….I make really good potato salad, been experimenting for years…that’s it, that’s what I’m eating tomorrow.
Sounds great! I’ll have to experiment with a potato salad with bacon drippings, which is a regional addition. The potato salad recipe I learned from my family is pretty simple: just potatoes, oil, vinegar, broth, salt, pepper, kräutersalz, and chopped onion. But as we all know, bacon makes everything better ;)
A pleasant journey indeed: Balinese Gado-Gado, a raw salad topped with warm peanut sauce, fried tofu and cilantro
http://t.co/cvCYRobOds
A Little Journey: Balinese Gado-Gado:
Germany is a country of church bells. They ring the hour languorously –… http://t.co/craHHDuBQk
Mmm
Wonderful narrative = I felt like I spent the day with you, and I had wonderful memories of our vacations after you left Bremen. It was so special.
Looks delicious!
Veggies in the Fridge, the Leftovers Edition: Thai Green Curry:
What to do the day after you’ve made Balinese… http://t.co/D28uqRiCJq
Let’s talk about fresh vegetables. No. Let’s look at pictures of fresh vegetables. Then eat them all up. http://t.co/jlIj7dgm9X
As usual, your food is beautiful and I can even smell it. Unfortunately, if I use your recipe, my stomach would require leaving out half the ingredients – but of course, brown sugar and coconut would be used. Could I still say it’s “Elisabeth’s recipe”?
Springtime Deities: Green Goddess Dressing:
Today is a happy-Joni Mitchell kind of day. There’s another kind … http://t.co/CKZoDULzpp
Herb trio of parsley, chive, tarragon truly sing on a crisp, cold iceberg wedge. Hi green goddess… : http://t.co/Vf6PNuqx61
Your happy day made for a happy reading. I haven’t had Green Goddess Dressing in a long time, now I am longing for some. ummm.
Using Hawaiian sweet bread…what a good idea!
I, too, remember those days – differently than you do. I spent your whole trip praying for your safety, no broken bones, no venomous snakes or hungry bears, and admiring you tremendously. That was not the same girl who was trendy and had lead parts in high school and sang beautiful solos as concerts. This was my namesake grandchild who was so much braver than me. I love you for who you were and who you are and who you will be.
I remember those trips. Let’s go camping again sometime, and cook this again :)
Absolutely!
Oh man, I love the looks of this dish! I’ve been enjoying letucte wrapped foods since it usually gives me NO problems and it’s so fresh in the summer. Hehe the other day, I cooked up some 되지 불고기 and had it with the korean fix-ins (it had been a LONG time since we had any), and it was awesome.
[…] Pepper, fennel and sausage breakfast casserole sounds like something you might like? Berlin based foodie blog Eat me. Drink me. got you covered. […]
Hi Lyz, nice recipe. But try something different: When you cook the asparagus add a piece of butter and a tbsp of sugar to the water before you put the asparagus into it. Then reduce heat, that the water nearly boils and cook about 20 minutes. Serve the asparagus only with cooked young potatoes and top it with melted butter and a little bit of grated nutmeg. Aspargus at its best :-)
Love you, Friedel
See, everybody’s got a recipe! :) That sounds great – I’ll do that with my next batch of Spargel!
Or better wait ’til next weekend. I was wondering anyway what to cook, when you’re in Burladingen :-)
Perfect!
Interesting that you have to peel the white asparagus and cook it so long. The green variety would be mush by then.Does it do as well in cream of asparagus soup as the green does? We do get it sometimes in the markets here. You, as usual, make it look very delicious, needing nothing else to eat.
It also makes a lovely soup! That’s next on my list to cook.
Hmmmm… Spargel. Told ya it’s good.<3
We made a really good asparagus salad for a party the other day; it was delicious. You should try it some time!
http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/1363441241163121/Rucola-Spargel-Erdbeer-Salat.html
That made me smile, and thus “happy.” I don’t know the song you mean, but what instantly came to mind was, “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands….” So now it is stuck in my head, and I will smile all day, and clap just a little.
Lovely, just lovely.
Oh my. Hankering to make these now in a big way.
WIll you make some for me?
Absolutely! When you’re here in the summer, we’ll make summer rolls (and some extra non-spicy ones for you) and have a picnic by the canal!
I love reading your comments and your journal is probably fabulous. Wish I had thought to keep a journal years ago. Some of the ingredients in this recipe are not in my pantry, especially the srirachi. The city where it is made, here in CA, is suing the company that makes it because it is burning the eyes of local residents, though the co. claims its employees suffer no ill effects. Hope you have a Happy Birthday next week.
Thank you very much!
Sad news about the sriracha factory. Maybe I should stock up now!
Might try adding some shredded pork in your summer rolls for that little extra in flavor.
Looks good :) Happy Birthday!
Oooooh, that’s a good tip! Have any good recipes for shredded pork? I bet something lime-y would be nice…
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Happy Birthday! Hope the weather remains good today.
Thank you! :) Me too… prognosis is looking good though, for a perfect day of sunshine and reading in the park!
I’m immediately saving the recipe for the potato salad. That was glorious.
Happy Birthday!
Looks like great food, but best of all I loved the pictures to make me feel like I was there. What a nice way to introduce the other Liz to Berlin. But sadly, no pictures of the squashed cake! You look so cute – like you’re 8 years old!
I have the same fear every year! Glad your fear didn’t come true :)
Ohhh, I hope I’ll get something like this next month, drool drool.
I have to admit that I am not a big lover of “Johannesbeeren” but this cake looks damn yummy! The pictures look like little artworks…
such wonderful memories of eating such food on my trip to pamplona to run with the bulls…think I will have to go again
I laughed about the shops being closed. On our first trip to Germany, Grandpa and I couldn’t find anything open – everyone was on vacation or on long lunch periods. We said, “We went to Germany, but it was closed.” Sounds like you and Liz enjoyed a beautiful vacation. Nice memories for life long friends.
Everything looked so colorful and festive, especially all those succulent meats grilling on the BBQ. The cake sounded like the perfect topper to the event. Great pics!
Grandpa surprisingly joins you in enthusiasm for the game! I wonder, “Who is this person who rushes to see the game on tv and talks about it at dinner.” You caught the same bug. Meanwhile, I’ll just enjoy the drink. It looks delicious, with or without gin.
That drink looks so good! And you described beautifully what I so love about the World Cup. (Aber: Holland? Wirklich?)
Barcelona is such a beautiful place to visit. At least a month is needed to take a visit to all places, enjoy the food. And of course, the the most beautiful blue beaches are there!!
I’m worried about you: I think the heat must have fried your brain or else you would not be making chili under the conditions you described. No a/c? No fan?Ah well, you had chocolate to keep you calm and sane. Love you our little cook.
What beautiful Paprika!
Beautiful!
Well… it couldn’t have been a perfect ending to a seemingly perfect trip, since you didn’t stop by our place on your way back.
Oh, the feast we could’ve had, might’ve even rivaled the one in your villa…
Great pictures as always.
Next time! Next time…
Love this! Beautifully captured!
Dear Lyz,
I’m Conny, sister of your uncle Hardy (see August 2009, N° 31, “a typical Swabian couple” and I’m sure they separate their garbage). I’m impressed by your writing. I enjoyed it for hours this morning with Hardy, Franziska and my husband Paul. Welcome to our club “cooking with the ZIPFELMÜTZE” (March 2012 N° 08). Me and my neighbor, we always call each other when we see us through the window cooking with our caps … and laugh “Whoever could see us! We must be the only ones cooking like this!” Well, for sure we’re three.
I love how you describe the ROUNDNESS (Sep 2010 N° 20) remaining sitting on the table “after all cakes are gone” into the EINNACHTEN, as they call this atmosphere IM ALLGÄU. I love how you discover the same prefix of “Kraut” and “Bub” and I love your “breathing with the fingers” while kneading. We all agree that the passing plastic jogurt bucket at the end of your Tuscan summer is certainly “finishing with style”. Congratulation!
Dear Conny, Thanks for the kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed perusing my posts :)
[…] we made these burgers the first time for the family Chopped competition in Italy, the ground, toasted almonds mixed with minced garlic and onion piled on pillowy beef reminded me […]
Sounds good. I guess in Colombia it either makes them fall in love or kills them !!
Best to make your own. :)
I like your blog!
I found it because I am looking for my farmer friend – her name is Emma too. Emma fried. Was this Emma’s name too? She was originally from New Zealand but lived in New Hampshire and California as a farmer for awhile. Do you think it was her by any chance? Rmm
I don’t think it’s the same Emma… but I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
It sounds good and easy. I don’t like to make breakfast, and usually save my baking of anything until evening since I have my days and nights mixed up. I think I’ll add applesauce to mine, and I like the coconut idea.mmmm
So glad you are back in Berlin, which is 2nd best to being back in the US…preferably at my house. I felt like I was on the trip with you, afraid when you were, and calm when you told me to be. Thanks for the cheap trip that I would never take. xo
Same here. So beautifully written.
There is not nearly enough jungle in most lives; I’m so glad you have had yours, Lyz!
Even if I have to substitute pears for quince, I must make this! It looks so delicious, Lyz!
Ooooh, I bet pears would be a great substitute! Let me know how it is :)
Just looking at your food always makes me hungry. If a lot of your followers get fat, it will be all your fault!
Why didn’t I get some. Beautiful food, Beautiful writing from my beautiful granddaughter. XOXOXO
That’s my girl. I didn’t get to dress up this year and was a disappointment to half of Orlando – so you did it for me:) Never too old to be a kid again…ask your Uncle Ronnie.
My dear Grandma had a hot toddy ever night before going to bed, something that always made the relatives smile because she wasn’t a drinker.
I remember this one. :)
I’m so glad you finally got your tree, Lyz. All joys of Christmas to you.
Love the story, and love the tree! It’s always worth it – even if it’s only for 15 days! We are so thankful that you’ll be with us for Christmas this year. If it snows, for sure, we’ll be serving home made snow ice cream. ;)
Lyz, thanks for the wonderful pictures (!) and the descriptions of the Christmas markets. I hope to one day be able to spend a Christmas in Germany (if only I could get your dad on board!).
Our thoughts and love are with you and the family in Orlando. There will be lots of hugs waiting for you when you come home to Carlisle.
Thanks, Catrina. I look forward to those hugs in a few days!
Wonderfully evocative post, Lyz. You have me longing for German Christmas Market food.
Joyful holidays to you.
Many thanks! And best holiday wishes to you and your family, too!
I have been waiting for your Christmas market post!! :)
At the Braunschweiger Weihnachtsmarkt we discovered the Apfelglühweinstand last night.. white wine, hot apple juice(?) and cinnamon sticks. Steaming perfection.
I’ve been waiting to post these for a whole year! Oh, Apfelglühwein… I could go for a mug right now…
[…] pictures on the wall, touching every little figurine and remembering its story. Of course there was bagna cauda, the one dish that ties my family together more than anything else. A love-it-or-leave-it kind of […]
You made me cry. A beautiful tribute. When cleaning off her desk, I found every one of your blog posts printed out. She would like this one, too.
You made me cry, too. I feel the same way about my grandma, I just couldn’t put it that beautifully into a post. I will be in Berlin again soon. I think we should get together to cook and bake in honor of our grandmas. Mine spoiled us rotten with delicious food, too. Thinking of you. Big hug. xo
I would love nothing more. Big hug back.
My mother was with me on the drive to Orlando, though a girl again, eyes wide, taking in each passing landscape, a painting to be admired.
As the sun set, we passed a scene with a small pond full of gold and fire, and she beamed smiles just as brightly, without words, asking me, “Do you see that?”
My heart in throat, and breathing short, I took her young hand in mine . . and there by that pond in her masterpiece, we said what we were able for goodbyes.
I am a friend of your Mom–this is the most beautiful things I have ever read! What a tribute as hard as it was for you to write and what a beautiful way to share with others the love a family shares even with all their idosyncrices and memories that only family understands. I am so sorry for your grandmother’s passing.. She was a sweet, loving lady !
Thank you for the kind words, Sandy. She was such a special woman who touched so many people in so many different ways. I miss her dearly.
Aw Lyz. That was a beautiful post. Many hugs to you and yours.
I met your Grandmo only one evening. There were a lot of people invited for dinner. It is amazing that the only face I remember is hers. A smile that embraced me and stayed there in memory like a hug. She returned where she came from but how fortunate to let her her presence stamped with everyone that had met her to recall and remember her! She is tender and warm like your piece of writing.
Beautiful, Lyz, thank you for sharing!
I enjoyed this piece and felt high from drinking too much Gluhwein.
Good resolutions. I work on one thing at a time because I am blessed (or cursed) with a one track mind. I can’t do two things at once even if I want to.
Grandpa
YOUR SITE AND INFO HAS THE MAKINGS OF SOMETHING… I BELIEVE WOULD MAKE A GOOD NEW CLASS FOR GRAMMER/JR. HIGH SCHOOLS. MY FATHER CAME BACK FROM WWII AND WOULD SAY `IF YOU’RE HUNGREY ENOUGH YOU WILL EAT THE BARK OF A TREE’. KIDDING I THOUGHT TILL NOW! THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.
SINCERELY,
BOBBY D
Not yelling just can’t see well.
[…] recipe from Eat Me Drink Me for white asparagus with honey-dijon sauce looks […]
I am so jealous. Of the movies and the drinks. I’ve actually been in Berlinale jealousy mode since the festival started. Because, you know, Braunschweig. Have you by any chance seen “Pioneer Heroes”? That’s a movie I’d absolutely wanna see.. if it ever makes it to Braunschweig. Which I doubt.
Didn’t manage to catch that one – but I can recommend a few that will hopefully come your way! :)
Yum Yum
Makes me hungry for some General Tso’s Chicken (American Version) !
Your General Tso’s is picture perfect.
However, BTW, all the food I ate in China was fabulous, and way, way hotter… a delight for those of us who love hot food.
it looks SOOOOO yummy!!!
Very interesting stuff! I definitely couldn’t do it. :) That’s why we live vicariously, right?
Loved the Movie
Berlin … almost ‘hautnah’ erleben
through the closeups of the camera lens.
It’s almost like being there for a few minutes.
Poor rabbit and I feel like I have a sugar rush just from the pictures
Incredible! Where have bunny butt cakes been all my life?
It all looks wonderful and I can almost taste the sugar.
Your happiness with Berlin shows in these pictures of your pretty face.
Now that you mention it, sage does have an illicit aroma. It is nice to be alone some time. I could taste the food you described.
Oh, Lyz, how lovely the photographs, the food, the luxuriating in time alone!
Exquisite!
I stumbled across your blog a while back looking for food things in Berlin, and though I am an inveterate lurker this post was so perfect I felt moved to comment. You capture beautifully the mood of the turn of the season — notwithstanding this grey Schöneberg day!
Lyz, I think you’re ready for a cooking memoir/cookbook publishing deal. Do pursue that thought. This is fantastic!
Thank you! There are are some exciting things in the works :)
I loved reading about the one dish that I associate with childhood summers at the lake house! My grandparents were from East Prussia originally, and we always asked for Königsberger Klopse when we visited. I wish I had asked my grandma to pass on her recipe to me.
We should really get together to do some cooking again soon. xo
Yes, lets! I’ve really been loving that cookbook and feeling more connected to Berlin because of it.
I really enjoyed reading this. The information about dialects was fascinating and the food was mouth watering.
This posts brings back so many delicious memories of traveling in Germany during spargel season!
And Spargel season heralds the beginning of strawberry season, one of my favorite German food seasons :)
Ohhhhh. That chocolate.. And the caramel.. I remember that sweet and salty taste explosion! Totally worth the sugar coma.
I can taste that delicious frosting melting in my mouth!
You make bulgur sound delicious as I’m sure it is when you make it. The lime is a nice touch. Not only is it tasty, but it will also prevent rickets.
you are inspiring me to plan my next trip! wonderful entry!
Great word descriptions and pictures. I felt like I was really there.
Loved your writing and descriptions. Felt like I was standing there with you.
Beautiful pics! Sorry to hear that your dining experiences were subpar. Food seems to be the highlight of travels…well it is for me anyway. Nonetheless, it looks like a fun and memorable trip.
The beauty captured in your photographs is exceeded only by the music of your prose.
After reading this, I have to go make and eat a Greek salad so I will stop drooling. And I’ll dance a little, too, while la-la-ing the theme from Never on Sunday. But I will not pay my debt to the EU!
Those beans sound (and look!) amazing.
They are so good! Certainly my favorite souvenir from Chicago…
How pretty! And any cocktail involving rosemary has got to be delicious.
I loved the flavor combination! So very fresh, so very summery.
Since you don’t spend time watching the evening news as I do, that gives you time to sit by the window sipping a cocktail with a book. Sounds pleasant, but how do you know what’s going on in the world?
Good point. But after a cocktail, the only piece of news I want to know about is what the weather is like outside and how long it’ll stay nice ;)
Crisp goat belly and little crispy duck tongues? No more bleats and quack quacks from them. I would just eat the left over aoli with a spoon.
If you want real summer, come to Orlando. Everyday is sunny and hot from May through September and sometimes longer. If we’re lucky, we get rain in the afternoon to cool things off. Your steak salad sounds good no matter what kind of summer it is.
That’s what Michael keeps saying. He’s not too impressed with our Berlin summer…
Es war ein wunderbares Wochenende mit euch allen auf dem Eichland – auch wenn du die Linzertorte vor uns versteckt hast
Ja, hier kommen alle Geheimnisse raus!
Love you!
Wow. I felt like I was there. My glucose level even rose. Thank you for taking me along.
It was a nice day
War sehr schön euch mal wieder zu sehen aber wegen der Linzertorte bin ichcschon etwas sauer :D
Looks mighty yummy. Beautifully done.
Thanks for coming down, Lyz! It was spectacular to spend the weekend with you and the family. :)
OMG I must go here immediately. This trip looks amazing.
This makes me want to book my flight right now!
Wonderful Norway! I am remember the “floating islands” and eating garlicky shrimp in a rorbu.
I love making special appearances on your blog. I love your Norway recap. And I love how Stavanger, the idea born at Grüne Woche, turned out to be such a lovely long weekend. We really should go to food fairs more often. Next trip: Dublin. Next baking project: Norwegian waffles from scratch. With the secret ingredient. xo
Both of those plans are good plans!
Helfried’s mother once made a green gage plum with anise jam that has never stopped inspiring me. Ask him about it.
That sounds amazing! Maybe I’ll roll up my sleeves and make another batch of jam after all.
Your wonderful descriptions reminded me of the terrific trip Grandma and I had with you and your family to Norway, a great place to vacation in the summer.
I thought of our trip a lot while I was in Norway. It made me smile. Those amorous goats, the Rudoloph sandwiches…
Wise insights. Healthy insights to accompany a healthy body.
Lyz, we are loving your blog. We always love it, but I’m really liking the level of introspection going on… Miss you, and looking forward to Christmas and the Caribbean!
Thank you! I’m definitely looking forward to that post-cruise post: “How I ate my weight in surf and turf at the midnight buffet and lived to tell the tale” ;)
Without gratitude, nothing is enough-words that hang still on my refrigerator, posted there in a period of wanting.
Wise words, indeed.
Beautifully said Elisabeth – you honor your grandmother so well.
Now try pear butter (add a little ginger)!
That sounds fantastic! All I need now is for someone to gift me a bushel of pears!
It’s apple pie time again–but no one to make those pies for! An apple pie needs a house of people waiting to devour it when it comes out of the oven.
Just a few more weeks, and there’ll be at least one eager mouth ready to devour an apple pie fresh from the oven!
Just printed out the recipe, added to my regulars and I am trying it tonight! Cheers
Awesome! You’ll have to let me know how it turns out.
A dirndl becomes you!
Well, it is safe to say that both of them are two becoming Dirndln (i.e. young ladies) themselves…
It has been a great pleasure for me to show them around and, oh yeah .. that’s precisely how we roll in Munich – every single day.
Had I known you were going to go to Munich, I would have suggested you go to Löwenbräu (in the Münchner Rathaus) to eat the best Kaiserschmarrn in town.. which is possibly the best Kaiserschmarrn ever.
If only I’d known! I can’t believe I missed the best Kaiserschmarrn! Next time :)
Where’s my gingerbread heart?
I ate it. ;)
I can just hear the oompa-pa’s and smell the sausage! Great post, Lyz.
Beautiful pumpkins and squash and yummy recipe.
Beautiful wrinkles. Beautiful life.
I made the mistake of reading this post before lunch. It gave me severe hunger pains. I had to go eat right away. It looks like a good idea to spend September preparing for your own Oktoberfest. Thank you for providing avirtual Oktoberfest.
Precise and lively writing. And delicious photos.
What a great party! And those costumes!
Verry funny! Great costumes.
Delicious consolation for a short growing season, Lyz. I hope you thought many southern thoughts as you were eating these!
I did! It really got me craving fried chicken, hot biscuits, and teeth-crackingly-sugared sweet tea. What I wouldn’t give for a little slice of North Carolina…
The Old South comes to Berlin. You were smart to pick the tomatoes green. If you hadn’t, they probably would have rotted and broken your heart like tomatoes usually do.
@Jules Cohen: Did your tomatoes break your heart?
My wife, a woman who grew up in The South, I suspect may want to try this recipe. We live in New England, so when her tomatoes haven’t yet turned red and frosty nights are forecast, she picks them, puts them in a brown paper bag, and puts the bag in a dark closet in the basement. They will turn red. In fact, she made a panful of fried red tomatoes this morning. But there are still green ones in the bag, so I suspect she may try your recipe.
Oh, fried red tomatoes sound fantastic too!
This post is a blessing indeed, Lyz. I give thanks for it.
Bookmarked, thanks.
Mrs. Burns, if you’re out there reading this …. the cranberry relish is my favorite too … except, I leave out the walnuts (as I am allergic to them) and I love it a bit coarser … Blend for 7 sec, then for 5 sec … and then maybe for another 2. Already got the cranberries in the refrigerator!
Your post made my eyes misty and my stomach hungry.
I had forgotten about the beans. We then made turkey soup with the beans, so our thanks fed us at the next meal. There is always so much to be thankful for. I am thankful in how writing about the table and kitchen you came from, you show me how much our family love nourished you. I did put a lot of love into all those pies, breads, soups. You tasted it. You live it now. XO
I forgot about the turkey soup! Good idea :)
I have been looking for a dessert that a elderly women brought to a pot luck, of course she would share her recipe! I don’t understand people that don’t share their recipe.. Her cake looked similar to your cake but she used a lemon filling instead.. She said the Meringue cake was called Cloud in German..would you know
I always believe in sharing recipes! I unfortunately don’t know of a version of this cake with lemon, but I’m sure you could substitute a lemon custard instead. I’ve seen meringue called “Baiser Wolken” (meringue clouds) sometimes, but not always. Sounds like a great cake in any case!
Lovely photos (as always), lovely thoughts, beautifully expressed (as always), Great-looking food (ditto). And what a menu! And a fine-looking group of young people — I counted 13, but not sure. I trust that you and they are all helping to make the world a better place — possibly one meal at a time. Your yoga teacher’s tale reminds me of Sun Tzu’s famous dictum: “Know the enemy, know yourself. One thousand battles, one thousand victories.” Yes, everything starts with knowledge of self.
Thank you for the kind words, Bernie. If you’ll believe it, we were 28 people around the table! And just one chair away from making someone sit on the big lidded trash can.
Beautiful celebration and description of it.
A post of, yes, melancholy beauty, Lyz.
“That Was the Worst Christmas Ever” is probably one of my favorite songs period. This reminds me of some recipes my parents made over Thanksgiving.
Oh my.
What an inspiring post! How wonderful to be remembered so fondly. Beautiful.
Now I’m hungry for those foods, some of the warming Gluhwein … and especially some of the atmosphere.
Looks fabulous …. mouthwatering.
… and yes, you’re right …. it is Sirocco. I thought it was Scirocco … because VW had one of its models named after this Mediterranean winds: “The VW Scirocco” and surely, they wouldn’t misspell Sirocco. But here is the answer:
“The Scirocco shares its name with the Mediterranean wind Sirocco. Volkswagen makes numerous references in marketing literature to this. As an example, their 1975 print advertisement states: “Scirocco. A hot new car from Volkswagen. As fast and powerful as the desert wind it’s named after.” A Volkswagen brochure for the second generation Scirocco states: “Named after a fierce desert wind, the Scirocco’s front wheel drive and transverse engine contribute to its tracking ability at all speeds.” ” (directly from Wikipedia)
BTW, I had a siroccolificly hot Louisiana Gumbo last night. It was great!
You learn something new every day!
“Words, words, words” by Hamlet when asked by Polonius what he was reading.
“yet there is method to this madness.”
They look damn yummy! Don’t eat them all I want to try;-)
I ate one of the peppermint marshmallows. It was delicious and beautiful to look at before eating.
Another great post … full of insights … and even a Mai Tai recipe (although I’ll hold off on the latter until the temps here in Massachusetts warm up quite a bit). I’m guessing that Footnote #1 may be Mark Twain’s “Innocents Abroad” — although since I can’t put my hands on my copy of the book, I can’t furnish proof.
It does have a Twainesque feel to it, doesn’t it? This quotation, however, is David Foster Wallace – another great observer of people and places.
Mmmmmm. Love that luxury pampering on a cruise and the endless food. Your blog post took me back there.
You’ll love the coffee kiosk! You can almost taste the yummy drinks you will be making!
Reading your post, I felt like I was at the Berlinale without the hassle.
Amazing travelogue and food writing! I love this!
Thank you!
The food and wine sounds wonderful. The air quality looks terrible. The churches, monasteries, and fortresses are a wonderful link to some faraway past. Same for the bakery and wine-making. But it looks like the city itself could disappear in a small earthquake. Oh, and the blogger getting out near the edge of a cliff made my heart rate jump. Reminds me of the people who do the same at the Grand Canyon. Missteps happen.
Looking forward to the next installment.
If you think this installment is scary, just wait until part II…
Never, never, never get into cars with strangers…
Did you ever say why you wanted to go to Stepantsminda? I don’t recall. It seemed that it was worth taking the dangerous trip: helpful people, good food, friendly dogs, and rugged cows. But what a tough place to live. Wasn’t Stalin a Georgian? I guess if you grow up in that inhospitable area, you grow up tough.
David wanted to see the mountains. If I had known what the trip would entail, I never would have gone. If we’d been able to turn around, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But since we went up the mountain and came back down in one piece, at least I’ve got a story to tell. And yes, Stalin was a Georgian! We visited his birthplace and saw his childhood home.
Glad you got down those mountain roads safely, Lyz! Yes to always tucking a spare pair of socks in your travel bag on your future adventures.
my mother’s hands move
in your fingers my fingers
shaping rounds of dough
the bread of life our lives
twisted in knots then smoothed
with hands tender soothed
the knots
My poet mother!
And again I say, never, never, never get into cars with strangers.
Sounds like David had khinkali for breakfast. Sounds good to me.
Lovely.
What’s so pleasing about your style is the way you talk about things … and illustrate things … in a gradual way. So the reader doesn’t know exactly where you’re going, but each step is interesting … and so the reader is content to be patient and walk along with you until the pieces of the puzzle all fall into place. Oh, and there are even extra pieces that may be introduced just because they came to mind and are interesting in their own right.
Looking forward to trying this. If your dumplings looked like cousins to the original, mine will look like in-laws…
Ich vermisse euch!! …Und den Sommer und den Kuchen :)
Lyz, it looks magical! Congratulations on bringing this off!
Thank you!
Simply amazing from beginning to end. Wish I could have been there to taste all of the wonderful food, some things I’ve never even heard of. Heck, I may even start drinking beer instead of wine.
Hi Elisabeth
That Black Pepper Tofu looks mouthwatering delicious!
Looks wonderful but just can’t do tofu
Ron’s response equals mine, but I always learn something each time, so keep them coming. Your summer plans sound terrific. Rosemary
Give tofu a chance! I don’t really care for tofu all that much either, but this recipe really won me over. It’s all about the sauce anyway.
Such an enticing window into Dublin, Lyz! When I went there a couple of summers ago, my main reaction was surprise at all the fashionably-dressed young women teetering around in high heels as if it was Manhattan on cobblestones.
I noticed that! I was completely content in my comfy walking shoes.
I love this post. It’s such a wonderful summary of our long weekend. Where to next? ;)
Obviously, we thrive in drizzly conditions with water and rocky coastlines :)
I loved reading this travelogue, Lyz! You guys really made the most of your time here! It was a pleasure to meet and chat over drinks. I only wish I could have strolled the streets along with you some more. Maybe next time ;)
It was lovely to meet you as well, Vanessa! I hope both events went well, in spite of the rain :) Until next time!
Exactly what I want for lunch!
Oh, yes!
Fascinating post! I love the foraging of all kinds going on here…
Do you remember that I had woodruff planted in both gardens in Boiling Springs and Carlisle? It may still be at the side of the house in Carlisle.
No way! I didn’t even know what woodruff looked like until a few months ago. While writing this post, I looked back on a few older posts about the Eichland, and found a giant picture of woodruff I’d taken without having any idea what it really was. I’d labelled the picture “wildflowers.”
Your mom mailed me some back in the day from her garden to try growing it in Florida, but even in the shade, it was too hot for it.
Woodruff for medicinal purposes or flavoring (ie., May Wine) is to be used in moderation, and not long-term.
nice story…
I am now genuinely afraid of what would happen if we ever travelled to florally more dangerous countries than Norway and Ireland, to places where more poisonous plants than blueberries or woodruff grow.
So… the Amazon is out of the question?
I think Greenland would be pretty safe territory. Maybe Iceland as well.
OK, you’ve convinced me. I’m heading over to the Asian supermarket in Malden, Mass. — a melting-pot small city adjacent to our (really small) city of Melrose. But fish sauce ?? … probably not.
Fish sauce sounds scary and smells worse, but if you don’t take too close a whiff, it’s the secret star flavor in lots of great Southeast Asian dishes. One of my favourite condiments!
A magical–and transporting–post!
Beautiful. Breathtaking.
Thanks for giving us a glimpse into the wedding festivities & celebration of their son – your writing makes it come to life for us.
Congratulations and all the Best to Annette and Casey!
I am always so impressed how well you write – you bring it all to life – love it!
“I find that once you start doing nothing, it’s hard to stop.”
I love it!
Never having been fond of beets, perhaps because my mother didn’t cook them, I don’t often buy them but I do love beet greens. So next time I shop I will buy beets and cook them the way you describe, in the oven. And I will certainly cook the greens with the onion and garlic, letting the chopped garlic rest while the greens are cooking. Thank you.
Such beautiful photography!!!
Yes, wonderful pictures. I like the way the photographer combines sunlit buildings with shaded gondolas. Without the dimly lit forefront, the well-lit architecture would be of much-less beauty.
Will we get a few recipes? I was there maybe 40 years ago and recall having a wonderful pasta dish with “fruits of the sea.” It just a little restaurant near the main canal, with just a few tables. I have no idea why it was so superior to any other iteration I’ve ever had of the same dish.
The seafood in Venice is wonderfully fresh, and I’m sure that’s what makes all the difference.
I’ll see if I can post a Venetian recipe sometime before the summer ends – but next week, Eat Me. Drink Me. will be travelling to Greece (via the written word, of course)!
“Silky sewage” says all perfectly. Gorgeous writing here, Lyz.
This brought back a lot of fond memories Lyz. When your cousin Les and I were stationed in Wiesbaden, we drove to Venice (sounds funny I guess) and spent one night there. This was probably in 1958 and our daughter was only 5 years old so the Only thing she says she remembers is the gondola ride and when we entered our hotel room, there was a cat drinking water out of our toilet bowl. I liked walking over the arched bridges, and the grand plaza that was filled with dozens and dozens of pigeons. I have a blue Murano glass bowl that I place in my guest bedroom so that I can point it out to my guests as having been made in Venice.
Am looking forward to your next one about Greece. Never been there.
Rosemary Schwier
What a wonderful memory! Thank you for sharing.
This post brings back vivid memories of my own visit here, Lyz.
Let me remember this when anxiety shadows my days of healing: the truest peace doesn’t cost a thing. Amen.
<3
What a wonderful twofer: We get a nice salad recipe plus some hints on dealing with screw-ups — whether of our own making or caused by others.
Those stunning photographs! Say what you will, your artist’s eye really autumns the humble fall zucchini bread.
Thank you! I was wondering if I wasn’t really making a case for autumn, after all…
I love the way, Lyz, you just cook up your own autumn golden.
What a great idea! Thanks, as always, Lyz, for the inspiration (and for the inspirational cooking, writing and photography).
Amen!
Thank you for reading!
I’m gonna try this this weekend. It looks delicious!
Awesome! I’d love to hear how it turns out!
So sorry, Lyz, about your missing person (and, of course, about the whole shock, grief, and outrage of current politics). But, yes, may you, and may we all, do what must and can to achieve honesty, clarity, and peace. The sweet, still joys of Christmas to you.
Thank you. Wishing you and yours a beautiful and peace-filled holiday season!
I’m very sorry for your being stuck. In time I trust you’ll be free again and anxious to create recipes. Back in the ’60s and ’70s we all used to share the well-known advice: “Don’t push the river; it flows my itself” (or words to that effect. BTW, my wife also cleans the house when she’s upset … like a whirlwind. Not thoroughly, like you; but just like a whirlwind. The dust literally does fly. P.S. I notice that the little dog seems to feel your pain. Dogs truly are wonderful creatures.
Love those resolutions!
This curry was worth getting a big stain on my new white sweater after “going to get some more coffee” from the kitchen.
+ MY FOMO IS OFF THE CHARTS.
(+ I think this is my first comment on here ever?!)
Anyway, I await a tupperware of this via carrier pigeon post haste. xx
Love the “mountain” and “Gebirge” comparison! Made me think about climbing each of them verbally–about the different journeys each language invites you to take.
I always grew up separating the whites from the yolks when making pancakes. Makes such a fluffy difference.
Utterly transporting! I’m so glad you finally found your Sea of Galilee.
Such an enticing post that you have me yearning for a cancelled flight. Well, almost, and if it came with lavender room spray.
It really is all about the lavender room spray! I was so tickled by that.
Sounds like the perfect date. I had ten days of #3, 4, 5, 7 in Iceland. Solo traveling is such a treat sometimes.
:)
Love this. Unless we are enough alone with ourselves we will never be enough when we are with others.
I don’t know how I only just stumbled across your blog, but it’s lovely, and I love what you have to say here about the language (and food). I love the regional diffferences, too: they’re not called Stullen down my way (in Hessen) and I’ve not heard of Eierkuchen either, but these look delicious and I shall definitely be giving your recipe a go (and looking up Kitty and her cookbook). Thank you for sharing it!
Thank you! I’m glad Kitty will be making her way down south! The book is such an absolutely lovely portrait of Berlin culture told through recipes and art.
Georgia is one of the most wonderful places I have ever been. The people, the food, the wine… I could go back and back, and hope to visit again soon. In the meantime, I suppose I’ll just stare at these photos for a bit: could plunge my face into one of those dumplings!
The pictures are really wonderful and the recepie is so nice.
Hello Liz, soy el Tio de David, fué un verdadero placer verte de nuevo y darme cuenta que tu español ha mejorado muchisimo. Como alcancé a comentarte soy amante de tu blog, lo único es que me cuesta un poco de trabajo y tengo que recurrir al diccionario para algunas palabras.
Sobre el presente artículo de la comida colombiana, me gustó mucho la descripción que haces, la comida es rica y nos gusta, pero tiene el inconveniente que los lugares son muy concurridos y por ello vamos rara vez. Me pareció bien la descripción que haces de esta parte de la comida nuestra. Te falta conocer comida de otras regiones de Colombia, porque cada región tiene su propia comida.
Bueno Liz, recibe un abrazo y felicitaciones por tu Blog, seguiré fiel a el. Un Abrazo: Angel
Gracias, Angel! I’m looking forward to trying food from many more regions of Colombia on all my future visits. Thanks for reading!
[…] renowned for its food, I was quite surprised by – well, how bad the food was. It seemed that everywhere we went in Paris, our food was overcooked, undercooked, freezer-burned and bland – a beef bourguignon lost in a […]
Beautiful piece! And I’m not just talking about the lobsters.
Captured so perfectly. Now I want some lobster and blueberry pie!
The chowder looks and sounds delicious. Just the thing to eat to combat rain, cold and dampness.
I’m glad this turned out so well! Feel better ~ sending you love from DC!
Never have sausages seemed so enticing!
As a young boy, my grandfather used to take me with him to select the meats for making sausage, and set me down at the table to observe the process. I would guess, he learned this art form from his step-faither, and he would season it what I know today as Sweet Italian.
Good job!
They look perfect!
Many of your recipes I have tried at home, but this will not be one of them. Sounds delicious, but at my age, more involved than I like. I always enjoy seeing EatMeDrinkMe in my email list, so please keep them coming!
An Obatzda recipe may be the death of me! (Or at least result in clogged arteries!) I’m really looking forward to making it at home and never would have thought to add beer. :D
So delighted that Josh will be there soon to interrupt your hermitude, Lyz! Most golden autumn greetings to you both.
We’re so looking forward to being reunited in a joint project once more!
Loved reading this, loved the photographs, loved knowing that the two of you were hanging out together! Big hugs to you both.
Thank you! We had such a good time playing around in Berlin and London together. And we’re already planning our next adventure! You were such an inspiration for our workshop – we even recreated a version of the plum prompt. And of course, Eat Me. Drink Me. itself owes its start to you!
It’s lovely getting some of the back story. And because I’ve spent some time in South Korea, I’m wondering what Josh was doing there. (I’m guessing teaching English.) And I’m wondering why he moved on.
Thanks! And yes, Josh was teaching English in South Korea. He came back to the States in part to pursue his food-related passions in New York.
So puffed with pride that the conversation keeps going! Merry Christmas to you both and fondest wishes for a new year filled with good talk and good food.
Beautiful. Maybe I will steal your themes. I could use a Year of Balance.
Soundtrack to reading this – cobbled together soundtrack to Tinta Bruta.
Culinary accompaniment: the biggest, greenest salad (sadly arugula-less).
REBORN!
Yes, yes, yes to all of this!
Didn’t someone say, eating is not about the food but the company you find yourself in?
That’s why I never mind the MickeyD breakfasts with you. (albeit I’m back to coffee and cereal in the (late) mornings myself)
You’re right – it’s not about the McMuffins, it’s the company. That’s why it’s such a good tradition!
So glad Gael García Bernal is still around. Whew! Vivid post! Thank you for the insightful film reviews. We will see how many of the films make it to Netflix…
16miles..! Impressive! But you present food in such a delightful way! Not just the great pictures, but the text reads like prose and is really enjoyable. Thanks. Cathie (a friend of your Granddad Cohen)
Hey, I got to your blog because I was