Welcome to my blog about German Recipes and thank you for taking the time to read โabout meโ.
My name is Barbara, I am a mother of three and happily married to the most supportive husband in the world.
In 2010 we moved from Germany to Texas. We thought it would be only for three years but here we are: staying permanently.
Why do I spend so much time on cooking?
My husband works from home most of the time and our kids are enrolled in an online school, so I am cooking fresh mealsย for the family every day. We love burgers and pizza (preferred homemade) but if I ask my kids what they want me to cook, they almost always come up with German food.
I also love cooking for friends. Manyย of our friendsย (Germans and Americans) kept asking me for my recipes and I am totally willing to share. Sometimes it does need more than the ingredients and written instructions: pictures and videos would explain things a lot better. So, since I am cooking, taking pictures and translating recipes anyway, why not share this with anyone?
I will try my best to explain everything as accurate as possible but there are two things you will really need if you want to cook my recipes: a scale with metric units and a measuring cup with metric units (in ml).
Metric measurements are the best way to make dishes taste original and work out as supposed. So please donโt mind me for not convert my recipes to the customary system, else I would be worried that converting mistakes happen and the recipes would fail. Nobody wants that, right?
Don’t let me fool you!
You might have noticed that I created the style of this blog kind of “Bavarian” with deer and red-white checked patterns … but don’t let me fool you: I am from Hamburg. Yes, I am a Hamburger, literally! Hamburg is in the North of Germany, while Bavaria (Munich included) is in the very South.
I am born in Hamburg and I spent most of my life there but my father was from Bavaria and his grandparents from Austria. Between my 2nd and 5th birthday we lived close to Munich. This means that I am familiar with the kitchen of both regions and I love both! I hope I will find time to tell you a little more about the different regions of Germany, later.
What else do I do?
I am successfully running two online magazines in Germany. They are about parenting and kids birthday parties. I love my work and I am in this business since 2001. This blog is my first project in English and also my first project in the US. I hope it will be as successful as my other websites, though I might not always be able to spend as much time on it as I want.
However, I just love sharing what I know and learning new stuff to pass it on to others.
Have fun and enjoy your German meals!
Barbara
Interesting your story. My mother’s last name is Patow, I don’t know much about my grandfather and his distant relatives. I was told by an aunt years ago that our last name Patow came fom Hamburg, Germany. Is that right? My grandad passed away in 1983, he grew up in Peru. When he passed away I was already here in the USA. All I remember of him is that he was passive, not very affectioned, and seemed sad. I wish I can find out more about my past, especially about my grandfather’s upbringing. I am 59 now, and many of my relatives that knew my grandfather are no longer around. My mother passed away in 2015. All she told me once is that he had a difficult upbringing.
Greetings from Arlington, TX! Thank you so much for your amazing recipes! My Grandmothers on both sides of my parents come from families in Germany/Austria and unfortunately passed away without passing down their recipes. I was also too young to remember the names of most of them.
Seeing you make the very same things I ate as a child from them is bringing back so many sweet memories of them. I’m so glad I can now recreate some of the dishes they would make around the holidays for my own child and wife! Thank you so much!
Ha! Ein Blick und es war klar: ein Nordlicht (…der Krabbensalat als Teil des Osterbrunch war ein eindeutiger Hinweis). Vielen herzlichen Dank fuer die Hilfe, unsere Rezepte auf “amerikanisch” zu uebersetzen. Gar nicht so leicht, ohne Frischhefe, Quark etc. Und danke fuer die Brise Heimatgefuehl, sagt die gebuertige Kielerin
โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ Moin Moin! Ja, man lernt mit der Zeit sich zu helfen und letztendlich haben frรผhere Generationen das ja auch irgendwie hinbekommen ohne dass alles im Supermarkt zu kaufen war. Ich habe tatsรคchlich fรผr fast alles schon einen Weg gefunden es “from Scratch” zu machen.
P.S. Ich liebe Kiel, war oft da und habe gern in der “Pumpe” gefeiert … ob es die wohl noch gibt?
You are a gem. So authentic and real which is so refreshing. Thank you for the extra attention in your videos and print recipes. You teach as if you are talking directly to me right here in my kitchen, with real โhands-onโ instruction.
I have learned more from you then most others combined, baking amazing sourdough ? rye breads. And Iโm not even German or a baker. . In fact I just started baking sourdough bread this September 2021. Even invested in a Mockmill and been milling my own grains. Thank you ? bravo
Wow, that is amazing! Keep up the good baking :-)
I enjoy watching your videos, Barbara! Iโm from Munich (Groรhadern), and we immigrated many years ago. I now live in Florida. The only difference cooking Bavarian is the ingredients here are different. Itโs always been a challengeโฆ
Thank you again for showing us the great German foods we can make at home.
Here in the US we sell candied citron which is Zitronat itโs not candied lemon.we do sell candied lemon,(candied is pronounced with eine deutschesโIโ)
Itโs nice see videos from someone von Hamburg. Hamburg is still โzu Hauseโ After living in the US for 65 years. Iโm from Neumรผnster.
Bรคrbel
Funny, I lived in Neumรผnster for a while, too. But Hamburg is home, the only thing I really liked about Neumรผnster was the Einfelder See.
Bob’s Red Mill hazelnut meal/flour is sold on the website vitacost.com–14oz for $11.69–cheaper than the Red Mill website & much cheaper than Amazon. Through the year, Vitacost offers discounts of 12%, 15%, or 20%, which makes the price 9f hazelnut flour pretty reasonable.
Hi I wanted to post this as part of your Grunkohl story but the site thinks I’m a bot. So here it is, maybe it will work this time:
So here’s my Grunkohl story, and it’s reverse of yours. I’ve traced my family roots back to the early 1600s, with the most recent being when my Urgrossvater went Celle to Boston about1862. Somehow he survived the Civil War and made it to Texas, where I was later born. After the reunification my employer bought a chemical factory in Leipzig. I went there to set up business and was able to visit Celle around Christmas. There I ate my first plate of Grunkohl at the Celle Weihnachtsmarkt. I was immediately hooked, as I have been with all things German especially food; seems to be part of my German heritage. I had many more plates of this but didn’t know what it could possibly be and then as winter ebbed it wasn’t available anymore! In time I ventured into the small towns of the Altmark, where the family’s name first became recorded history in the local Lutheran church in a very small Ort, indeed. A kind lady in one of the Altmark museums sat me down and talked a lot about Grunkohl, that “Die Grunkohl muss frei zuerst und dann kann man ihn essen”. But not what this mysterious plant actually is. She gave me a packet of seeds from her own garden, but I couldn’t grow them. Then on one of my many subsequent business trips I finally realized Grunkohl is kale (!) when I saw the actual plant growing. Now I can cook it anytime I want, but it never tastes quite as good as it does “back home”. By the way, I really enjoy working and traveling in the east. I have a distant cousin still living in Saxony-Anhalt, and greatly value my understanding of where I came from. Feeling very fortunate to have found my roots in what my dad called “the old country”. Now let’s discuss another obsession: Vollkornbrot, and then maybe Kohlrabi?
Hallo Barbara! Mein Freund und ich haben deine Kรคsespรคtzle gemacht und sie waren sehr lecker! Ich komme aus Baden Wรผrttemberg und mein Freund studiert Deutsch jetzt schon 3 Jahre, und wir werden in der Zukunft deine andere Rezepte ausprobieren! (Ich glaube als nรคchstes gibt es Brezeln)
Denkst du es macht Sinn deutsches Mehl zu bestellen? Oder macht das kein Unterschied?
Liebe Grรผรe,
Laura u. Shaun
Hallo Laura,
ich glaube es lohnt sich nicht, deutsches Mehl zu bestellen. Das All Purpose Flour hier entspricht weitgehend unserem Mehl, ich wรผrde allerdings auf organic achten und lieber in eine gute lokale Marke statt in Versandkosten von Deutschland.
Hier ist รผbrigens ein Vergleich der deutschen Mehlsorten mit den amerikanischen: https://www.kitchenstories.com/de/stories/mehl-type-405-550-und-1050-alle-mehlsorten-auf-einen-blick
Viele Grรผรe und viel Spaร beim Kochen und Backen!
Servus Barbara, thank you very much for your recipes. I miss Germany so badly. I spent 5 years in Garmisch- Partenkirchen and now I’m living in CA.
Hi Barbara
Thank you for this wonderful blog and You tube channel I LOVE it and it is seriously the best !
My parents immigrated to Canada from Germany in 1956 so I grew up with many of these recipies. I live in a remote part of northern Canada so I am grateful to see the different options and tips you provide , especially if the ingredients are not readily available . I also forward your videos to my mother who is now 89 and loves to watch German cooking videos ! She has requested Eberswalde Spritzkuchen and Pflaumenkuchen with yeast dough
Thank you so much!
Jill
Hi Jill and Inge,
thank you for your kind words, they just made my day!
As of the Pflaumenkuchen with yeast dough: It’s already on the blog. I go nuts when I can get sugar plums in fall and bake a lot of it since I love that cake so much.
The Spritzkuchen just got onto my list for 2021. It might take a while though, until I make them because I have just made so many sweet recipe during the holidays.
All the best to the two of you!
Barbara
Es ist fast unmรถglich die “Italienischen” Pflaumen zu bekommen hier in Arizona. Haben aufgegeben und haben uns zwei Bรคumchen gekauft und gepflanzt. Wird wahrscheinlich ein paar Jahre dauern (haha)..
I am already on your Mailing List..
Michael…aus Bayern
How funny, I just bought a plum tree a few weeks ago, too, because I couldn’t take it anymore. I always miss the time they are in the store. I hope that little twig will grow into a beautiful plum tree. Let me know how long it took yours to have fruits, I’m curious. I hope these trees do well in our hot climates.
Gruss Got! Love your Youtube channel. Can you make a video on Maltoshcen Suppe? This was my favorite dish when i lived in the Ulm area.
I think what you are looking for is Maultaschen Suppe. I have a recipe for Maultaschen on the blog and video channel. When it comes to the soup, it is covered there, too but I am not sure if you had this soup (it’s more a broth) or something different.
Hallo Barbara! I just found your site today. I LOVE it! I love that you have a video to accompany each recipe. I am a first generation American of German immigrant parents. My father was from the north (born in Dresden but grew up in Bremerhaven after WWII). My mother was from the south in Bamberg. I was born and raised in New Orleans, La. but currently live with my husband and children in Texas! I just started my own home bakery and I am learning a lot. I am trying to incorporate German items into my menu and have found your website so inspiring and exciting!! I can’t wait to try some of my favorites that you have here. Thank you for all your hard work to share your talents with the rest of us. May you continue to have great success!
โคโคโค Thank you!
Hallo Barbara,
Das ist ja lustig – ich bin auch eine Barbara aus Hamburg!
I’ve been living in Scotland for 17 years now and am really missing German bread. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to finally finding your great recipes (and with metric measures!)
Und du hast auch ein Rezept fรผr Labskaus – brilliant!
I’m so looking forward to trying them all :-)
Barbara
Greetings to Scotland! โคโคโค
Barbara,
We are all very lucky to have you here. My mother and sister in from Munich Germany and growing up, my sister and I enjoyed so many great German meals. Traveling to Germany to visit family we were spoiled by meine Omaโs home cooked meals. Unfortunately, my grandparents are no longer with us, however we still visit all family and friends in Germany on a regular basis (not now unfortunately). My wife has learned so mush from my mother to carry on the traditions of German cooking for the seasonโs. As time marches on, my mother is in no shape to cook anymore. Luckily, we found your YouTube videos and now we can fill the gaps of German cooking (Especially the sourdough breads). With your help, we can continue cooking for our German friends and locals. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Bis Bald!!!
Tim Duckworth
McKinney, TX.
Hi Tim,
I am glad my videos can help you to continue cooking good German meals for the family! Greetings and best wishes from Houston!
Barbara
i recently found your videos on youtube. i enjoy them very much.
Hi Barbara,
I found your blog by following a link from https://thesurvivalmom.com/august-skill-of-the-month-make-your-own-yeast/ to your homemade yeast recipe, and what a lucky discovery! I’m Canadian-born to German immigrants (Schleswig-Holtsein) and grew up on this wonderful food. My mom baked and cooked from memory, so none of her recipes were recorded in any way. When I wanted a recipe from her, I would cook with her and write it down as we went. I got many of them, but many not. She passed away 8 years ago, and I thought that all went with her because I couldn’t find authentic recipes in English. Browsing your site brought back so many happy memories of family and food. I recognize many of the recipes I managed to get and now do from memory myself, so many I thought I’d never know again, and some I had even forgotten about. It’s like being a kid in a candy store … I can’t decide which to do first! Thank you so much for sharing!
โคโคโค
Hello Barbara,
I have been viewing your You Tube videos and find them informative and encouraging, particularly your making complex recipes accessible. I look forward to tackling the sour dough starter and making the rye bread.
Also thank you for the German gingerbread spice recipe. Hoping to try that in a gingerbread recipe for the holidays.
Best regards,
Christina Botsch
San Francisco, CA
My guess is your husband came to Fort Bliss and was lucky enough to bring you with him.
In another life I did the same thing, but already had a wife and kids.
Thanks for all your recipes and information
Nice guess but no, we are not a military family and also not in gas and oil :-) My husband is an IT specialist and had worked for a US company for years until they asked him to come here. The four of us originally came with his sponsored work visa. But we had to leave our oldest daughter behind since she had just turned 21. We are still separated from her and believe me, it’s a tough thing to see your child only every year or two.
Hallo Barbara,
ich bin aus Essen, but moved to the US many years ago.
There are so many foods I have missed that you have on your website. I was just trying to find out if Elderberries are Holunderbeeren, when I found your site. I am so happy to have found it.
Thank you. Vielen, vielen Dank!
Susanne
Das freut mich sehr! Viel Spaร beim Kochen und Backen!
Hi Barbara, I ran across your site from YouTube and love how you explain everything in such a detailed and patient manner. Thank you for sharing your wonderful cooking tips and recipes with us!
Thank you, Nancy! I really appreciate you taking the time to write this. It’s a pleasure to share what I know with others. All the best,
Barbara
I’m so happy to have found your blog. My father’s family is from Germany, and I’ve grown up with some special stories and German food.
I’m going to Texas later in June to visit family. When I saw you live in Texas, I immediately signed up to follow your blog.
Nice job!
Thank you, Jackie! Enjoy Texas! :-)
Hi Barbara,
So happy to find your site and also to read that you are from Hamburg. My husband is from a small village close to Hamburg and has also lived in Heidelberg. My problem is that he is hankering for a tart cherry cake that his grandmother used to make. I have tried all kinds of recipes and he is not happy with any of the results. Do you know what kind of tart cherry cake that she might have made for him when he was a child?
Also, what kind of apples did you use for the apfelkuchen?
Thanks,
Aruni
Hello Aruni,
It is hard to tell what cake he is missing. There are a lot of different cakes with cherries in Germany. Maybe he can describe it a little or search for the picture / recipe in German and I take a look if I can make it into a video?
The apples I use in apple cakes are mostly random. Chose the apples you like. Most people like tart apples like Granny Smith for their apple cake and I think they work great. If you’d rather have it less tart, use Pink Lady … I think that is my favorite.
Best, Barbara
So happy I found your site…..I was born in Germany; but have lived in Canada most of my life…..I love your videos and your calm nature….looking forward to making many of the things I love. Thank you so much for taking the time to do all of this.
I am glad you like my content! All the best from Texas!
Guten Tag!!
I am a first generation from Austria. My mother immigrated in 1947 to a small town in Minnesota. She cooked amazing German food for all of my family. My father was from Greece, so we had a very broad food base. We lived in Heidleberg for 3 years, and I love all my memories of Germany. I have been trying to make mischbrot forever and I believe I am getting close. Your video was so informative and I believe I will try it your way. Thank you so much for doing this!
German and Greek kitchen … can it get any better? I hope the bread will be what you are looking for, enjoy the baking!
I have posted before on how I love your sour-dough bread and have made a few . I was born in Bremen (North German like you) and immigrated with my parents in 1954 to Canada , but still love and cook German food . I have one request ,here in Canada we donโt have sticks of butter ,could you please add the grams to your measurement? Thank you .
Going to make your Perfect Chocolate Cake ??
Hello Elke,
You are absolutely right and I am so sorry I havenโt thought about that. A stick of butter has 112g. I will make sure to do better with that!
Enjoy that delicious cake!
Best,
Barbara
im looking for an authentic german recipe for bratwurst sauerkraut and potaotes
Check out the “Creamed Sourkraut” on my blog!
Hi Barbara,
migrated 1982 from Munich Untermenzing to Queensland Australia,
love your website….
Here is an old drink from the 70-80
Isar wasser
1/2 apfelsaft 1/2 weissbier in a masskruag……add 2 doppel glass of Blue Curacao…..
Carefull……drinks like lemonade …..but hits strongly……
Another drink is the Goassn mass…….
Cheers
Rob
Hello Barbara,
I would really like to post comments on your blog posts but for some reason the website wont let me, it comes up with an error saying it was trying to post a duplicate comment even though ive not posted anything. I remember that my previous attempts have had the same result.
This is the comment I wanted to add to your latest shortbread style biscuits. >>>
These sound really nice, as shortbread is one of my favourite biscuits normally, I will be very interested to taste this variation :D
Cheers from Australia.
Gareth
Hi Gareth,
thank you for letting me know. I was already wondering about that and just tested it myself. I didn’t have an error though. Not sure what is causing this but I will look into it!
Barbara
Hallo Barbara, mir gefallen Deine Rezepte die sind alla prima. Jetzt habe ich eine Bitte ich suche ein Rezept fรผr Rumkugeln kannst Du mir helfen? Liebe Grรผรe aus Manitoba Canada
Inge
Ich liebe Rumkugeln und habe das schon auf meiner Wunschliste fรผr nรคchstes Jahr (vor Weihnachten schaffe ich das vermutlich nicht mehr). Wenn es so lange nicht warten kann, wรผrde ich mal auf http://www.chefkoch.de nach einem Rezept schauen.
Viele Grรผรe!
Barbara
Hello Inge,
Du kannst ja nach Inglis, MB kommen und ich zeigs Dir wie das geht.
Mache jedes Jahr auf Weihnachten einen ganzen Haufen aber Du brauchst “Stroh” Rum von รsterreich. :-)
The site won’t let me subscribe. Told me to go to the web Master. Sign me up for the newsletter please.
Hi Michale,
sorry for that, there seems to be a problem with the plugin. I’m working on fixing it but am currently waiting for the response of the provider. I will put you into the mailing list manually. Thank you for reaching out and enjoy the German food!
Barbara
My parents met in Hamburg!
My father is from Kuwait and my mum from Salzgitter.
Every summer we went to Cuxhaven and we visited Hamburg frequently. Now I live in Arizona! do miss German bread and I would love to learn how to make Brลtchen
Well, I guess you are on the right page! There are several Brรถtchen recipes here :-)
So with Cuxhafen you for sure know “Watt-Wandern”, right? I love Cuxhafen, we used to go there for our anniversary or on my husband’s birthday. The Watt is also great for making portrait pictures :-)
I love your YouTube videos. Please keep making them! I love authentic German recipes and it’s so hard to know the technique and know what to use in the USA when certain ingredients aren’t available or are too expensive (i.e. sour cream instead of creme fraiche). Do you have a video on Bratkartoffeln or Kohlrouladen? I enjoyed your videos on German potato salad and Rinderrouladen but didn’t see these other two recipes.
Hi Sara, I am glad you like my videos. Your requests for Bratkartoffeln and Kohlrouladen are on my video list and I will make it in a bit. Both are great recipes for Fall and Winter. There are quite a few recipe requests upfront of these two though, so it might take a couple of weeks to get to these. I hope you subscribed, so you won’t miss it. :-)
Best, Barbara
I was wondering if we can used only rye flour for the authentic german sourdough rye bread?
I don’t know if this recipe would work with only rye bread. Since you are not the first to ask this question, I will put a bread recipe for a 100% rye bread on my video list. Just subscribe to the video channel or to this blog to keep posted about new recipes.
Great, I am looking forward to it, your explanation are perfect and my sourdough is ready to go!
I have just stumbled upon your amazing recipe website while looking for a recipe for Rouladen. My mother (Ingeborg) is 100% German (born in Coburg, but grew up in Nurnberg) and although she still makes my favorites, I should learn to make them myself. Your website is very informative and a lot of the recipes are just like my mother makes. I’m looking forward to trying some of your recipes.
Welcome to my blog and I hope you will find all your mom’s recipes here to learn. Thank you for your nice comment!
Barbara
I am a high school teacher in New York. This year, I have a German exchange student from Berlin. Recently, I asked her what she misses from Germany and she replied, “Bauernbrot”.I have searched the internet for recipes to make this “farmer bread” and all the recipes have left me confused. I found one that seems authentic (3 parts wheat to 1 part rye, a 24 hour starter) but I have one question: would the bread that my student might find in her local German bakery include anything in the Bauernbrot like spices or walnuts? I found your site due to the bread spice recipe and would like to try it if the mixture is a normal addition to Bauernbrot. Any information that you can provide would be helpful.
Wow, that is a great idea and you are a great teacher, doing this for the German exchange student! Answering your question: A Bauernbrot (or farmer bread) doesn’t have walnuts. It is usually a very simple bread but depending on the bakery it may or may not have spices in it. In some regions, they use it more, in others less. However, the spice mix in mygerman.recipe would give it a more authentic taste. How a bread tastes, often depends on the age of the sourdough starter the bakery is using. Often they have it for generations and it gets more taste over the years. Since you probably don’t have an aged sourdough starter, the spices will add some of that taste. But be careful with the caraway seed: It can easily get very intense and most young Germans are not too fond of it. I hope the bread will turn out as you wish and I am sure your student will appreciate your effort and love the bread.
Glad I found your site!
Yes, me too! :-)
Happy 7 years of living in Texas! I stumble across your blog while expanding my recipe database. I look forward to reading your posts.
Thank you :-)
I haven’t had much time to add more recipes here in the last couple of months but hope to be able to change that soon. I have quite a lot of recipes to share!
Of German heritage on my mothers’ side of the family. Have always enjoyed cooking/baking but really began appreciating the finer arts of cooking while employed as a cook at the French restaurant/hotel L’Hotel Sofitel during my college years in Minnesota. Naturally after that stint I grew a particular affinity to the fine art of the French cuisine, but I wanted to expand my knowledge more. Years ago my mother had compiled a cookbook especially for me consisting of many of the German recipes she had both prepared & cherished through her life, & I was able to gather a multitude of other recipes from her old cookbooks upon her death last year. Looking forward to expanding that repertoire.
Welcome, and I am looking forward to enjoying your blog.