Spargel (white asparagus) with Hollandaise and potatoes

It’s Spargelzeit ‘asparagus time’ in Germany! Spargel is very popular here. Full menus are dedicated to this white gold of vegetables, and Germans have no problem paying the high price when first available in the season. White asparagus is grown under mounds of dirt to allow them to thicken and not produce chlorophyl before picking….

Flower Sprouts (Kalettes) in the Air Fryer

If you like kale and Brussels sprouts, you’re gonna LOVE flower sprouts! We discovered Flower Sprouts only this year at our local farmer’s market. They’re almost too pretty to eat. After some research, I came across this link all about Kalettes and their origin – they were developed in the UK 20+ years ago by…

Seafood Lasagna with Ricotta

This recipe is Ralph’s sea treasure version to our Meaty Cheesy Lasagna. He made the lasagna noodles and fresh ricotta from scratch, but to save time you can replace both with store-bought alternatives. Ralph likes to use fresh tomatoes for added moisture, even though in winter they don’t have much flavour. He also prefers ricotta…

Meaty Cheesy Lasagna

Nothing says comfort food like a lasagna. This is a great dish to make a lot of, so you can freeze smaller portions for a quick reheated meal during the week. You can make lasagna anytime of the year, but I find winter is best to warm up your kitchen and fill your house with…

Air Fryer Shrimp & Turkey Spring Rolls

Buying an air fryer was not my idea; it was my son’s. I didn’t agree with it, as I didn’t know anything about them and thought it was just one more appliance to clutter up our kitchen. I told him that if he wanted it, he would need to buy it. So he ordered it….

Willi con Carne (Wiener Stew)

Willi con Carne (Wiener Stew) I came across a children’s cookbook with this recipe during a Friday ritual visit to the library with my son Tuscan when he was younger (a ritual he was happy to stop when older). The cookbook was called Willi kocht (by Willi Weitzel), and what’s cool is that he divided…

Risotto with Duck Breasts and Roasted Red Peppers

After a summer of non-stop outdoor grilling and dining al fresco, this is the perfect dish to greet fall weather. The days are cooler and the sun sets earlier in the evening, but you can light candles and with the indoor smells of something good coming from the kitchen, it’s nothing but Gemütlichkeit. Especially if…

Charred Baby Bok Choy

We are fortunate to have a store in a nearby village that sells Asian goods. They always have packages of fresh baby bok choy in the fridge. We buy all of our sushi ingredients except the fresh fish and seafood here too. This recipe is dead simple and can be made on a charcoal grill…

Peri Peri Chicken on a Charcoal Grill

Ralph discovered this dish from watching a cooking video on a flight to Portugal. In the video he saw, 16 chickens being grilled at once over fire between two big screens which the cooks kept flipping over – drenched in sweat but with big smiles. He made a mental note to try it at home,…