Today is Thanksgiving in Canada, and I bet many family celebrations will include a bowl of Brussels sprouts. They are one of my fav fall/winter veg, in addition to flower sprouts which should be out soon at the farmer’s market. But I suspect most kids at the dinner table will *pass* on the bowl of…
Category: Winter
Blooming Onion
This is a complementary side dish when making deep fried chicken thighs using a deep fryer, as the oil is already hot and you can use up any leftover buttermilk marinade and flour mixture from the chicken. Brine ingredients: Instructions:
Grilled ‘Edelstück’ lamb ribs
Many people shy away from lamb, but done right, it can be a wonderful culinary experience. We were introduced to lamb by our friends Jim and Tracy, who also sparked our passion for food and wine. They taught us how cheese transforms into goodness when left out at room temperature for hours before serving, and…
Oma Marion’s Oven-baked Pork Roast with Hefeklöße
Ralph has fond memories of his mom making this meal. Hefeklöße are a German version of a steamed dumpling and are ideal for mopping up gravy. Or you can pour a sweet fruit sauce over top and have them for dessert. Whenever Ralph makes them, I devour at least three or four. If you make…
Low and Slow Oven-Baked Pork Spareribs with Homemade BBQ Sauce
In winter or unfavourable grilling weather, baking ribs low and slow in the oven is equally delicious and results in tender, fall-off-the-bone meat. Making a homemade BBQ sauce is easy, doesn’t have added preservatives, and allows you to tweak the sweet and savoury flavours to your liking. Pork spareribs are incredibly inexpensive in Germany and…
Schnitzel and Sauerkraut
Have to thank the Austrians for introducing schnitzel: meat cutlets (traditionally veal) that are breaded and fried into deliciousness. This recipe uses veal, but Ralph prefers using pork or chicken known as Schnitzel Wiener Art. We paired our schnitzel with sauerkraut and French fries (not homemade 😱). The first small town we moved to in…
Layered Ground Beef Cheesy Pie with Rice Paper
Updated: November 19, 2025 The recipe below was inspired by this one I came across on my friend’s Pinterest: Lasagne mit Wirsing, Hackfleisch und Kartoffeln (Lasagna with Savoy Cabbage, Ground Beef, and Potatoes). Since I had made Hearty Cold-Weather Cabbage Rolls just the week before, I wanted to make something different with the leftover cabbage. I liked the ingredient…
Hearty Cold-Weather Cabbage Rolls
We woke up one morning to an instant winter wonderland, although technically it’s still fall. With a chill in the air, it was the perfect weather to heat up the kitchen with a hearty meal. Years ago when we still lived in Aachen I bought a meal of cabbage rolls from a local deli and…
Duck Two Ways (Confit and Breasts)
There’s nothing better than the smell of duck roasting in the oven—especially when it’s all day long. Our dog Mogly agrees and has been caught in front of the oven door with his nose madly sniffing the savoury air. We enjoy duck in the fall and winter seasons, often making duck breasts with risotto and…
Bobotie (sweet and curried ground beef casserole)
A few years ago we had a summer holiday in southern Germany, including a stay in Heidelberg. We spent an afternoon visiting wineries on the German Wine Route (Deutsche Weinstraße) and made a stop at Hammel & Cie. Their wines are delicious and very reasonably priced—we had a box of 12 wines shipped home to…
We are cookin' with gas! 