Happy November folks
Seems like our lovely Fall weather has ushered in fast
and Winter is approaching .

It calls for some of those good old recipes that
take the chill off and make you feel good and
bring back memories of your German heritage.

I am thinking today about Potato Pancakes and
how I got to love using both raw and cooked potatoes.

There are many recipes and styles and even names for
potato pancakes in Germany.

Isn't Kartoffelpuffer fun though?

but also Kartoffel pfankuchen and Reibkuchen

My grandpa was a riverboat captain on the Willamette River
in Portland Oregon, also a tugboat operator on the mighty Columbia
River in Portland, Oregon.

He would take boatloads of folks on the "Lucine of Portland" and
take them to one of the many islands and they could have a picnic
then come back for them in a few hours.

He would also haul logs on the tugboat called the Lucine,
sometimes all the way up from California and then have to
make over the trecherous "Peacock Spit" at the mouth of the
Columbia River. Many boats ended up highcentered but
my grandpa was known for his ability to navigate those dangerous waters
and come home to his and my grandma's houseboat on the Columbia river.

And I bet he got HUNGRY for some of grandma's good dumplings or
Potato Pancakes. In going through grandma Emma's recipes this is all we
found

So I had to go and research to find out who P Sharkey and son was. It turns out after
my dad was born grandma didn't want to tend to a new baby living in a house floating on
the water. So they built a new house in Portland and and Grandpa went to work in a
leather shop that made saddles, P. Sharkey and Son.

So I went to make the potato pancakes and found them a bit difficult to cook fully
raw potatoes into pancakes. my dad said that grandma always cooked them first.
So for years I made them with cooked potatoes and even at the restaurant but I
wasn't totally happy with them.

So Barb Rokitka sends me a recipe that uses both cooked and raw potatoes that
I thought was strange but when I tried it I fell in love with this recipe and have used
it ever since.

I thought how strange it is to be complicated like this, to have to cook potatoes first
then cool them then add the raw potatoes to them. Didn't seem like German efficency.
However if you think in terms of leftovers it does. Potatoes were on the table almost every night
at the FB Block household in Portland. So many were made and left overs were never thrown out. So it would make sense if you only had a little left to add some raw potatoes to them and make a left over dish.

So I tried now it makes sense,

Barb Rokitka's Potato Pancakes

Go Here to Make Barb's Potato Pancakes.

There are many many different styles and recipes for Potato Pancakes in
Germany. They could be called Kartoffelpuffer, or Riebkuchen depending on
where you are from.

My friend Rolf who grew up in Eastern Germany under the DDR
makes them with all raw potatoes and they are excellent. However he blends the raw
potatoes in a blender and the flavor is incredible.

Go Here to make Rolf's Potato Pancakes

I make an version with less carbs I call

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

They were a HUGE hit at a Pancake and Panties party
(Yes it is a popular thing to do and not risque) we threw
at a Bachlorette party for my wife's nephew and bride when he got married.
I made 6 different styles of pancakes and this was the most popular.

Go Here for a List of other Potato Pancake Recipes

Pear Honey
Birnenhonig

We talked about pears last week and
CD sent me a recipe that his mom use to use
to make something called "Pear Honey" or
Birnenhonig.

What ?????

Pear Honey or Birnenhonig

So I made some this week and

Then I thought the Pear Honey would be great on Potato Pancakes so I made
them this morning and tried it.

Guten Apetit!

Go Here to make Pear Honey

Filderkraut
Heirloom Pointed Cabbage Seeds
100 seeds per pack

Last Week I talked about Filderkraut or it is also called Spitzkraut

It is a cone shaped cabbage that looks really fun to grow.
I also learned from Sam that it is a very mild and tender leaf cabbage
and perfect for kraut.

My Friend Same Brungardt sent me some recipes for this special
cabbage that German's are partial to.
While I don't have any of this cabbage to work with I will
make some of these recipes this week to share.
He also told me that the link is out of stock I sent

So here is a new one for
Filderkraut

and if this is out just contact me and I will give you some other links Sam sent.

German Music

Elivis Presley fans are sent to jail in Germany after marching through the streets of Leipzig
shouting "Long live Elvis Presley" and making unkind remarks about German music.

Elvis Presley Singing
"Muss I Denn"
Wooden Heart

If your looking for a trip be sure to check out the best fares and where to stay possible
with tons of reviews. We belong to the free app Booking.com and use whenever we
travel

Booking.com

A recipe book and short biography of my Grandmother Emma Block. Her recipes, culture and cooking styles that were brought over from Germany. How they evolved when she came to America in the early 1900s and settled in Portland, Oregon on the west coast of the United States. Over 100 recipes

Bonus Recipe CD with the Ebook and recipes with step by step pictures

To order the Cookbook with the CD

Order the Kindle Version

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Biography of my grandma
Emma Block
From Germany with Love tells the story of my grandma, Emma Block, growing up in a little town in Baden/ Würtemberg, Germany near Heidelberg named Steinsfurt. Then at the age of 15 immigrating to the United States, taking a train with one of her sisters and brothers to Hamburg and sailing the Atlantic with other hope filled Germans wanting to make a life in the "New World". It was not easy but with good values learned in her German upbringing made a full life, had a wonderful family with lots of fun and celebration including the great German meals.

Order Here
15.97