Food for Thought

Well, after a wonderful Christmas holiday with G's family, we are back in Munich. G's Mutter und Vater were sweet and thoughtful, as always. And considering hosting Christmas with a full house (2 children/adults, 2 significant others, 1 Puggle and 1 Jack Russell) G's Mutter was in a cheerful mood every day and seemed genuinely happy just to have her family together under one roof. And in order to appreciate her cheerful mood, even with the typical Christmas chaos, you have to appreciate her food! First let me explain....G's Mutter is the Martha Stewart of Germany. Seriously. She can cook or make or bake anything. Not only will it taste amazing but everything looks like it has been prepared for a photo shoot in a cooking magazine. She makes her own Marmelade. Yes, with the cute jars and appropriate labels. Every traditional German dish I have tasted for the first time, has been from her kitchen. And this Christmas was no exception. I tried Kartoffelpuffer with Rübenkraut or potato pancakes with a thick golden syrup. I also tried Seezunge, a white fish in a creamy mushroom sauce with shrimp. Dessert was an all day snack for us. G and I ate Weihnachtsgebäck or Christmas cookies non-stop. And G's Mutter surprised him with his favorite dessert, Tiramisu. Every afternoon, we were like children, waiting for her next surprise. But the best meal was, of course, my favorite, Kaiserschmarrn! Kaiserschmarrn with Apfelmus or applesauce and vanilla Waffeln or waffles. It was a meal and dessert all rolled up in one! So, on New Year's Day, she bakes bretzen or fresh soft pretzels. It's a tradition, like my Oma preparing black eyed peas or some Japanese people having Mochi, in order to bring good luck and prosperity for the new year. Because one of her Christmas presents for me was my first waffle iron (she also taught me how to make them from scratch) I've decided to start our own little family tradition of making Waffeln on New Year's Day. I think no matter where we are in the world, or how much we celebrate the night before, or when we eventually have white chocolate babies, I will always be coherent enough to make waffles, right? Well, just in case I don't do so well for the first round on Sunday, I still have a box of my Favorite Aunt's pancake/waffle mix stashed away! Shhhhh!