Here we are again – once a year I make myself go through this rigorous cooking procedure in order to keep this old Franconian dish called Krautspudel alive. It is not difficult to make, but it requires good time management and as I easily get distracted (just ask my kids how many Schnitzels I have burnt…), cooking is not one of my strengths.

This time I will not only take photos to add to this blog, but I will also add the recipe as well. Every year I end up looking for this recipe and trying to find it almost takes as long as getting the yeast dough to rise. This blog will be my recipe archive for my own future inquiries.

To make sure this cooking endeavor on Dec 24th – the day my brother comes – will come to a rise, my husband suggested to prepare a trial dinner on Dec 22nd. Can cooking get more serious than that…?

More tomorrow with photos and recipe!

Si Dieu avait voulu que l’on prit la vie sérieusement, il ne nous aurait pas donne le sens de l’humour.

–Anonyme —

Experience and enjoy the culinary culture of Italy!

This one-time evening class is for passionate cooks and gourmets who would like to learn more about the secrets of Italian regional cuisine. While dishes are being prepared, you’ll also learn more about the dishes’ origins, history and legends. Subsequently, you’ll enjoy this wonderful menu and learn which wines best accompany your meal.

This special class takes place on Wed., 28 Jan. and/or Sat., 31 Jan. 2009 at 18:00.
Two more culinary events will take place on 20 Mar. and 21 Mar. 2009.

Location: Haus der Volksarbeit, Eschenheimer Anlage 21, 60318 Frankfurt

Course fee: € 65,– per person, per evening

To register for this class or to get more information, please contact:
Das Italienische Kulturinstitut Frankfurt, Tel. 069- 75 306 605
or  IICFrancoforte

Attention: This class is being held in German. This is a good opportunity to practice your German skills while taking a culinary trip through Italian cuisine.

The other day I made a startling revelation – my 11-year-old daughter does not know how to play a tape in the cassette recorder, a product of the sixties.

While I was cooking dinner in the kitchen, I asked her – a child of the nineties – to play a Christmas music tape. When I did not hear any music playing, I asked her once more. This was when she told me: “Mom, I don’t know how to play a tape.” Of course, she grows up with an MP3 player, CDs and youtube. She knows a lot of other things about the computer, which I might not know. Nowadays, students grow up with the computer – a lot like a virtual sibling – while at the same time, they learn all about information technology and graphic design in school as well. My knowledge is limited to e-mailing, sending digital photos, word documents and, blogging, of course.

In one way her statement made me feel old and in another way I had to snicker to myself. I remembered  times both teenage kids would laugh about my freshness to new technology and they labeled my being product-shy with the latest technology as cute.

Well, some things become obsolete, but its knowledge doesn’t. Just in case, any readers who are too young to know and/or are interested in learning how a cassette recorder works, here are the guidelines:

* Push eject to open. Insert tape. Pay attention to side A and side B (depending on what side you want to play). Yes, there are two sides. Read the song index to know what side you want to play.

* Push “Play” to listen to music.

* Push “Rewind” to start tape side A from the beginning or turn tape around to listen to side B.

and… I bet you don’t know what an 8-track is, do you? Are they in antique shops yet…?

Spekulatius is a type of spiced biscuit that is eaten at Christmas in Germany.  As well as the normal form of the biscuit, there are variations made with almonds or with extra butter.  The form of the biscuits tells the story of St. Nicholas.

Because of the price of the spices involved, these biscuits were expensive to make until the 1950s, so they are considered to be somewhat exotic.  These days, however, they are readily available in most supermarkets.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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