How to make vanilla extract

    How to make vanilla extract

    One thing I use a lot of in this house is vanilla. Since I bake zucchini bread every week, that’s already a tablespoon per week…plus most of the cookies and other goodies I bake also use vanilla. Throw in French toast from time to time and other breakfast goodies and...
    Bourbon Smoked Ribs

    Bourbon Smoked Ribs

    We made these smoked ribs last year in our barrel smoker and they turned out SO good. We were so busy trying out other new recipes in our new smoker haze that I never got around to writing about them. So when we made them last weekend again, we knew it was love all...

    Happy Cinco de Mayo!

    It might seem odd that an American in Germany would be talking about a Mexican holiday…but we love Mexican food around here and I’m a Texas girl, so Tex-Mex will always be near and dear to my heart. But did you know that Cinco de Mayo is probably...
    Wild garlic pesto

    Wild garlic pesto

    Wild garlic (Allium ursinum AKA bear’s garlic, ramsons or Bärlauch in German) is a wonderful chive cousin that we’re lucky to have growing in our courtyard and a bit in our garden too. At Mackenzie’s christening dinner, we were served a wild garlic soup that was just...
    The best recipe for beef burgers

    The best recipe for beef burgers

    For many, many years (probably since we moved to Germany), we have been on a quest for a really good burger recipe. We’ve tried several that have been tasty, but they were never just right. Some of them were best suited for spreading on the bun and eating it...

    Smoked Salmon Pasta

    Over Easter I bought all the goodies needed to have smoked salmon with potato pancakes for breakfast. But I ended up with way too much salmon (as usual) and not enough potato pancakes…so what to do? I’ve been to a few Italian restaurants where they served a smoked...