I keep telling myself that photography doesn’t have to be my only hobby.
::Sometimes it’s nice to do other thingsJen::
So yesterday Jessica and I went to a German cooking class. We have been signed up for it all month and it seemed like the weeks kind of flew by! Yesterday finally arrived and I had to be up bright and early to meet it. If I was ever bad at waking up early before I moved here, I am about a thousand times worse now. Not having a job, car, or many friends for that matter, kind of defeats the point of waking up before noon most days so I have just become accustomed to sleeping my mornings away. I do make exceptions though, and for yesterday’s class, I didn’t even mind.
Poor Jess had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to get her girls ready and over to her sitter’s house before coming to get me but we managed to make it to class right on time! We had her honkin’ camera for the day, so I have a couple of pictures of me for a change!
Rafaela, myself, Catherine, and Karin.
A sweet, American woman named Catherine hosted the class but 2 German women actually did the cooking and cleaning. Well I guess technically Karin did the cooking, and Rafaela did the cleaning. Assisting, if you will. I am not positive on this, but I think they said they have been teaching these classes as well as German focused classes for more than 8 years and they have used over 700 recipes. Catherine also informed us that they don’t repeat recipes for 2 years so if I wanted to take the class twice a month for the next 2 years I would never make the same thing twice!
The menu for yesterday’s class consisted of:
Meat Skewers or Mettspieße
They looked like logged meatballs on skewers and had bacon wrapped around them. They tasted great but Karin tasted the meat while it was still raw and kind of freaked everyone out. Catherine explained that the meat in Germany is completely different than the meat in America and that even though we were taught to never ever eat raw meat, it is alright to taste it here. She then passed around a plate of raw bacon to which Jess snatched up no problem! I was a little more hesitant.
It really wasn’t that terrible..or was it?
Karin showing us the skewers.
The finished product!
Grilled Marinated Pork Steaks or Grillen Eingelegter Schwenkbraten
That’s a mouth full, eh? These are really popular in German cuisine so I was glad we went over them. They were by far the best “pork chop” I have ever tasted! They reminded me a little of the BBQ place that James and I like to eat at in Baumholder but they were a little more spiced up. Their’s are traditionally made over a swinging grill though with beechwood coals and obviously we didn’t have one of those in our little chapel kitchen where the class was held. It’s ok, I didn’t mind the electric frying pan. They were delicious anyways!
Canary Islands Sauce and Farmer’s Potatoes or Kanarische Sauce zu Bauernkartoffeln
I love avocado and I love fresh herbs so this was the perfect sauce I could ever try to describe to you. It was the perfect color green with lots of fresh Parsley and Basil with a little Garlic and White Wine Vinegar. It had a couple of other spices too but that was the basic flavor of the sauce and it complimented the potatoes stupendously. Oh and I also learned that you should always cook potatoes with the skin ON because otherwise they get too starchy and stick to everything. I’m all about a good texture!
It’s all about presentation.
Fiery Chili Dip or Feuriger Chili-Dip
I didn’t really think this stuff was that “fiery” but I guess to each his own. This was the first thing that Karin made and she made the whole room smell amazing with all of the sauteing onions, garlic, and chili. I learned that Bay leaves are poisonous if you actually consume them and that you can buy Tomato paste in a tube. A tube much like toothpaste. So weird. so so weird. The dip was great though and it tasted wonderful with bread and I saved a little and dipped my meat skewer in it and that was awesome too.
here I am modeling the paste!
Overall a great menu and I really enjoyed the class even though Jess and I talked majority of the time. haha. After class we went by the commissary on Vogelweh and I found Corn Tortillas for the first time since I have been here! I was so excited and got to make my mom’s enchiladas for dinner.
::ahhh comfort food::
Jess displaying the jams that she purchased from Karin.
and of course, the sign of true friendship, matching something or anothers.
Jessica’s girls were being kept by her friend Laura. We went over there for coffee after class because I have been wanting to meet her. She is a fellow photographer and used to shoot as a contractor for the Air Force! I loved getting to chat with her and hopefully we will get to hang out more in the future!
So I think it was a good move to wait to read your blog post till after I finished mine :o) I would have been intimidated to try to come up with something "new" to say… using the same pictures… not an easy task lol. (Yours is more informative and better written btw) And I totally laughed when I followed my name link to my blog (thanks!) and saw none other than my cooking class post… with the same pictures. It's like we shared a camera for the day or something! XOXO
Hi! Thanks for you (not at all creepy) comment on my blog. It made me smile actually. :] Also – I'm prettttyyyy sure we worked at Mardel together for just a little bit… about 8 years ago. haha. Small world!
Amazing that you are in Germany with your husband. I'm sure that is so tough somedays, but I bet you will look back on that time in your life often later and smile. This cooking class looked amazing!! I would love to do something like that. I hope you keep finding fun things like this to do while you are there! Amazing. :]
ahh! I kneeeeewwww that I knew you from somewhere..but I figured I had probably just seen you around town. It all makes sense now. Except I feel like a fool for not remembering Mardel…but who does? It makes sense that I don't remember because I tried so hard to forget that place.
I’m a Texas native, Georgia obsessed, and currently Wisconsin residing, natural light photographer. I focus mostly on making couples look magical on the day they say “I do” but I’m available for all of your photography needs!
So I think it was a good move to wait to read your blog post till after I finished mine :o) I would have been intimidated to try to come up with something "new" to say… using the same pictures… not an easy task lol. (Yours is more informative and better written btw) And I totally laughed when I followed my name link to my blog (thanks!) and saw none other than my cooking class post… with the same pictures. It's like we shared a camera for the day or something! XOXO
Hi! Thanks for you (not at all creepy) comment on my blog. It made me smile actually. :] Also – I'm prettttyyyy sure we worked at Mardel together for just a little bit… about 8 years ago. haha.
Small world!
Amazing that you are in Germany with your husband. I'm sure that is so tough somedays, but I bet you will look back on that time in your life often later and smile. This cooking class looked amazing!! I would love to do something like that. I hope you keep finding fun things like this to do while you are there! Amazing.
:]
ahh! I kneeeeewwww that I knew you from somewhere..but I figured I had probably just seen you around town. It all makes sense now. Except I feel like a fool for not remembering Mardel…but who does? It makes sense that I don't remember because I tried so hard to forget that place.
this looks like such a blast!! i want to go to a cooking class/need to go to one! i bet you learned so much :)
<3 steffy
http://steffysprosandcons.blogspot.com