ROOTS & WINGS (Book) https://www.Writing.Com/main/books.php/item_id/2334343 This is the last dish I made for this collection, around New Year's Eve. It's also once more a case of cookbook-bought-because-I-randomly-opened-it-on-this-one-and-wanted-to-make-it-immediately. The rumor that you don't do hasty, hunger-based decisions when you just had lunch is officially overturned. Anyway, I got this recipe out of Poppy O'Toole's Poppy Cooks â The Actually Delicious One Pot cookbook (or, in this case, one Pan.), from which I'll use others for the yet-to-determine new recipe collection, too. It's the veg version of a classic British Cottage Pie, and I really liked how lentils and sweet potato went together.*^*H...[Read Full Post] Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:24:32 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1106255 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1106255 On Nov 28, 2025 was my dad's 9th death day, and the ensuing Christmas my 10th without him â not exactly an anniversary to look forward to. BUT: on that literally last Christmas ten years ago, Dad cooked a gulasch. As Dad was recovering from radiation that Christmas Eve, and slow to wake up, all beef for his intended gulasch was already sold out when we arrived at our nearby Cactus-supermarket (kind of a Luxembourgish Walmart, only with real food). Only "Wildsau" â wild boar â meat was left... and only a rough kilogram = 2 lb. Better than nothing, eh? So Dad cooked his gulasch, and when it finally was done, it was the FâING BEST I'd EVER had (sorry, Mom!). The meat tender, the sauce reeking with red wine, tomato, onion and paprika... and something else I couldn't place. Even my mom who was a dainty eater all her life took a second serving â rather hell would freeze!*...[Read Full Post] Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:24:10 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1104579 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1104579 You might have guessed that after the [Link to Book Entry #1104115]-"Frenzy" I didn't have much energy left for fancy stuff. (Should have paid heed to that earlier.) So I browsed the remaining (see [Link to Book Entry #1104115]) Christmas cooking / bakery books for yummy yet SIMPLE recipes, and got lucky at a VERY special Christmas baking book I also used for three of the previous Yums. Why special? Well, being a Muslima didn't keep Turkish cook / baker Fatmanur Kilic from writing 50 fabelhafte Weihnachtswunder (50 marvelous Christmas (bakery) miracles). And she's right by saying that even if Muslims don't actually celebrate Christmas they aren't unemotional klutzes, and can enjoy...[Read Full Post] Mon, 22 Dec 2025 18:00:40 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1104160 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1104160 As I mentioned already in [Link to Book Entry #1104033], I was especially grinchy this year, for reasons I don't wanna let ruin this recipe by repeating them, as it's what got me out of the foul mood... kinda. It's still a fickle bâ. On December 5, it had become so pressing â PLUS it was a dark fog hole day where I could barely make out the park across the street, and that's a 100 meters away â that SOMETHING had to be done! As I was sorting through â and eventually out a part of â my Christmas-themed cooking-/baking books, I browsed a little for inspiration... To cut the long story short, I baked through the evening and most of December 6, St. Nick's Day, listening to Christmas albums. And suddenly the day(s), and the mood, wasn't so poopy anymore. Let's start with the two cookies on the lower s...[Read Full Post] Mon, 22 Dec 2025 17:44:34 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1104115 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1104115 Do you know these days when out of the blue loneliness, sadness and longing strike, and you wanna go back to a time and day when they weren't a thing yet? Like when you sit in front of an open box with Christmassy stuff and think , and wanna kick it outta the house? When the day is grey and cold and dark, and you have to switch on the lights at 2 PM already? When you know that your friends are with their families at Adventskaffee right now â and no one will come for you? This happened to me on First Advent (Nov 30), shortly after my dad's ninth death day on the 28th (and before the tenth Christmas without him). I dunno about you, BUT: a lot of us either order our fave soul food OR retreat to the kitchen to make it ourselves in such a situation. => =&#6...[Read Full Post] Sun, 21 Dec 2025 15:18:50 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1104033 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1104033 Outward crunchy, inward soft potatoes and a (more or less) hot tomato sauce... aren't the simplest things the best? (And did you know that the dish's name stems from Spanish bravo for angry, which fits well for a hot sauce?) Anyway, these are a staple on EVERY Tapas Bar menu, be it in the tapas' "homeland" Spain, in Germany, or Tokio. I must admit that, true to some clichÃs, I'm a true Deutsche Kartoffel, and this my fave tapa. And so it's only logical that I found it in a potato cookbook, by Norwegian cook Ina-Janine Johnsen, called KartoffelglÃck (Potato Heaven).*^*Starstr...[Read Full Post] Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:41:36 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1103974 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1103974 Granted, I already did a pumpkin pasta recipe => [Link to Book Entry #1045977]. BUT: the difference here is that the former was filled with pumpkin while THIS one is (at least partly) made of pumpkin. Yeah, I'm still a pumpkin nut, and LOVE to use it for as long as it's available as it's one of my FAVE vegs. This recipe was once more the reason a cookbook made it home with me. C'mon! Placing a book called KÃRBISLIEBE (Pumpkin Love) in eye height before me... what am I to do!? As hinted at, the book's by Saskia van Deelen, called , and â of course â only available in German. (But if you love a good challenge... C'mon, there are worse - and less yummy â ways to learn a foreign language) Actually, ingredient-wise these are done pretty ...[Read Full Post] Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:12:41 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1103947 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1103947 Porridge AGAIN!? I hear you yell, but... bear with me! There's a striking difference between all recipes I found for this dish as of yet... it's savory All others I have (at least in MY collection) are sweet / fruity. Also where I got it from is... unusual... as it's out of French cook Ãmelie Franzo: Mushrooms â The Cookbook (OR: Champignons â Recettes gourmandes et Conseils de PrÃparations... just for the heck of it, and because French reads yummier). It starts out as porridge but ends at a completely different dish, as the Recipe Title hints at. If â for some crazy reason â you HATE rice, but don't want to do ...[Read Full Post] Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:57:41 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1103633 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1103633 + At least once every month (depending on schedules) my neighbors/friends and I have a game night where we play good ol' board (and other) games. Of course, no one wants to starve while at it, so everyone cooks/bakes something, and brings it for the others to taste. When it was my turn â back in October â I couldn't decide (typically girl, eh?), which of two Yums to make... and so did them both. One's savory, the other brownies with a special (at least for me) twist. What can I say? They were both very popular. And they're pretty easy to make, too, so off to the kitchen! ...[Read Full Post] Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:19:35 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1103155 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1103155 No, we're not talking about a French-speaking cheese from the region here. "Rumfort" is rather a German frankenword for the kitchen idiom, "Liegt RUM, muss FORT", which roughly translates to: "Left over, must be prepared before it runs outta the fridge." I had some of these Rumforts, and wondered what I can make of them as everything's better than throwing them away. And the answer was... COOKIES! The Original recipe I based these on is derived from Marc Kromer's Cookiemania (only in German), and it was really simple => ban...[Read Full Post] Sun, 07 Dec 2025 15:38:58 EST https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1099702 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1099702 This one came to be from the thought, Holy Cow, what only to do with the remaining lentils from [Link to Book Entry #1098212]? Next to that one I already had had soup and vegetarian bolo... so what else can be done with lentils? I found the answer in Sabrina Ghayour's Persiana Easy, in the Snack Section. Why a Turkish recipe in a Persian (= Iranian) cookbook? Well, for the geographically challenged, they're neighboring countries. Also the recipe suited me as I'm slowly returning to my novel series (during [Link To Item #1474311] ) partly set in Munich, Germany and New York City (talk about [Link To Item #2289763] and [Link To...[Read Full Post] Mon, 20 Oct 2025 07:14:00 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1099221 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1099221 Yes, this dish looks quite plain, but once it shows what it's really made of...! Hm, remember Susan Boyle? When that plain Scot took the stage in front of the "Britain's Got Talent" jury / audience, everyone prepared themselves for a good laugh... until Boyle opened her mouth. Okay, you probably won't be in tight, teary-eyed embrace with yourself or your table neighbor upon tasting this, but you will be embarrassed that you thought it was the culinary Susan Boyle just because of its looks. Also... it's the perfect dish for the season! Dunno about where you live, but here...[Read Full Post] Tue, 30 Sep 2025 08:51:19 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1098212 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1098212 These came about by pure chance... but, dang, what a yummy slam-dunk! As it happens I'm thinning out my cookbook selection right now, and swayed about the two Mexican Cookbooks. Actually, I have no real connection to Cocina Mexicana, but the covers were very... enticing. Hey, you eat with your eyes first! And then... I got a memory flash. It was a real grey shâday, like that rainy day I remembered when browsing through them. The one in that little Mexican restaurant in Staten Island where, at first, only I sought refuge... and got a burrito served from which at least 6 Europeans would've gotten a full and sated stomach. Hot like poop, of course, but hey, who am I to complain about a great, handmade Yum on a cold day, huh? More people joined, mostly locals, and as soon as they realized a foreigner was among them... Several hours, and conversations later, the rain subsided, and we all left th...[Read Full Post] Sun, 28 Sep 2025 07:45:32 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1098138 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1098138 Maybe a little Disclaimer for someone who's just stumbled over this collection and already found some (savory) things to try out and maybe make her nutrition a bit yummier: [Link To User intuey] . After what I've shared with you, you'll probably think now I'm a Bloody Liar, BUT: I'm also only just a Human Being with a BIIIIG sweet tooth. Peace? Anyway! As small as it is â about 3x the size of NYC â Luxembourg has LOTS of reasons and traditions to celebrate... as you come to realize when you're living there since 20 years. One is all about one of my fave sweets around here. Luxembourgish Bretzels are NO vile German lye / leaven pretzel... they are darn leaven pretzels on speed. The story of the Luxembourgish Bretzel, as accounted by Luxembourgish Cook, Anne Faber, from whose book Baking with Anne I derived this recipe (which is the cover recipe, BTW), goes like this: On Bretzelsonndeg (Pretzel Sunday), the Third Sunday of Lent, a man shall offer their beloved a sweet pretzel. When she accepts it, ...[Read Full Post] Sat, 27 Sep 2025 11:00:40 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1098078 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1098078 This was indeed a yummy and nutritious breakfast / snack dish. It's healthy because of pumpkin, oats and nuts. Spicy because of the various spices. Sweet enough due to a bit of two sugars. Like [Link to Book Entry #1080421], or [Link to Book Entry #1084189], it's again out of Tiffany & James Fraioli's Baking for Beginners. And as the authors promise, it's made in a jiffy: throw the ingredients together, mix, and bake. FÃddisch! However... Please don't laugh at me now, but... WHAT exactly IS this!? It defies the German categorization of baked goods.*^*Sho...[Read Full Post] Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:40:43 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1097735 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1097735 Recipe definitely NOT from IKEA. Why I say that? Well, I dunno about you, but if you're not Swedish and know how to do them, you usually only get to eat them at IKEA â and dude, after running a perceived half-marathon through the store in search ofâ and finally get through check-out â after another half-marathon â you're usually hangry like shâ, especially when your shoulder's almost dislocating from all the extra shâ you schlepped out with you, too... after all that IKEA-marathon shall be worthwhile. Hey, stop whining, guys â it's Mann-year in Germany. And Thomas was a FAN of the multi-clause run-on sentence â just read Der Zauberberg. Okay, back to these. At IKEA, at least when you're German, you us...[Read Full Post] Fri, 19 Sep 2025 15:53:27 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1097381 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1097381 Well, when you can make [Link to Book Entry #1096001] from these, you can also make cake from 'em, eh? And not that bad a cake, if I may say so. Although... One downer. It wasn't as good as it could've been. For MY taste it was the wrong nuts. Zucchs and hazel didn't go well for ME â but that doesn't mean it has for YOU, when you try this one out. I've made a cake with zucchs before, [Link to Book Entry #1015735], and that was just fine â and no, not solely because of the chocolate. I suppose for ME this one might've worked better with almond...[Read Full Post] Sun, 07 Sep 2025 07:07:48 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1096597 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1096597 After the shock of [Link to Book Entry #1095557], these followed pretty swiftly. Since because of the pre-diabetic fat liver, too sweet is out of the question right now, I need to "get by" with the more savory things right now... which oddly is not that hard. Like the [Link to Book Entry #1095557], these are yummy, honest soul food that'll leave you sated and comforted. At the same time, they're quite nutritious because rich in protein and good fat because of the cheese (if you use good, that is, see below), an...[Read Full Post] Fri, 29 Aug 2025 17:47:19 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1096001 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1096001 I don't know about you, but when in crisis, I fire up my waffle iron. And in crisis I am... still. It only took me eight PRECIOUS years to realize it. But first to 7/30 this year... when I learned that I not only gained 9 kg / 20 lb excess luggage but also that my body fat shot up to 39% (in Europe that's obese.) A few days later I learned from my doctor that I have a pre-diabetic fat liver, beginning Level 2 (of 3). On 3/5, when I had my body checked the last time, everything was well â so all of that I gained in roughly five months. This already happened exactly the same eight years ago, from May to October...[Read Full Post] Wed, 27 Aug 2025 10:55:00 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1095557 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1095557 You know, one of my BIGGEST problems in letting go especially cookbooks, is that I always leaf through them once more before I make a decision... which usually my stomach makes for me then. This happened to me with Barbara Bryant & Georgeanne Brennan's Pistachio, and not only because this is the cover dish. Hey! *indignant pout* Be glad that my stomach does the thinking for me, otherwise you woulda missed this fresh, juicy cake which is just perfect for a summer birthday / picnic / party! Granted, it takes forever to make it â sorry, NO shortcuts, except you want M...[Read Full Post] Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:47:07 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1095400 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1095400 Hey, c'mon! There's loads of fake NEWS around, and many couldn't care less â this "sushi" is at least nutritious, sating (if you use quality food), and â most of all â manageable. Not to mention that it'll impress everyone â from party guests to co-workers It even features in one of my stories which is blurring nonfiction (= autobiographical) with what I wish I had (already): [Link To Item #2271846] . I have the recipe originally from (the German translation of) a collection of recipes called Lunchbox ...[Read Full Post] Fri, 15 Aug 2025 18:01:43 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1095226 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1095226 A simple, though very tasty, sating dish. And one of my late Dad's faves. If you'd met him, you wouldn't have believed that this weighty hedonist (200 lb. at 5'7") was a stickler for veggies, but when you hit his taste he forgot for some time that his fave veg was meat, preferably titled French (like entrecÃte). Anyway, his absolute veg faves were zucchs + kohlrabi. (He woulda looooved [Link to Book Entry #1089674].) As his cancer, among it liver cancer, advanced, he automatically cut short meat-eating and vino, and turned to vegs and non-alcoholic drinks. (My Old Man was also smart.) Like me, he could spend a whole day in the kitchen, leaving it a battlefield but something absolutely amazing coming out of it.*...[Read Full Post] Sun, 13 Jul 2025 15:19:26 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1093310 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1093310 + This triple recipe had its origin in a week that became one of the ghastliest summer weeks I've ever experienced â it was 40ÂC / 104ÂF on June30/July 1, 30ÂC / 86ÂF of them alone IN my fecking apartment (with no A/C). It was even topping the summer of 2003 when Europe was hit by its first "desert summer", and optimistic meteorologists still expected that to be an "once-in-a-century event". Well, nowadays â and after SIX such summers in a row! â they've learned their lesson. Anyway, while finishing clearing out my cupboards (before the heat almost floored me into a coma), I found food that was a...[Read Full Post] Sat, 12 Jul 2025 17:57:09 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1093118 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1093118 Actually, these weren't the next Yum. Mind you, I didn't know what the next Yum would be at the time. BUT: when I realized that the weather's going to be more severe than announced around mid-week, I changed plans, and made THESE. So what could a plan-changing situation be, you wonder? Well, temperature nearing normal body temperature for example. On the weekend weather frogs threaten with up to 37ÂC / 98ÂF in some areas (namely one where I live). UV-/ozone warning. No idea how, but a felt gazillion percent humidity. As I'm writing this, afternoon 6/20, it's 26, 5ÂC/80ÂF in my living room*^...[Read Full Post] Sat, 21 Jun 2025 13:52:59 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1091874 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1091874 Ironic, eh, a cake with a sour-ish veg? Also, you could call this food that I did avoid where I could for years, on either side of my mother's death in 2017... as it would trigger me. I'm not badmouthing here, as my mother said herself that she was the kind of person that shall not be let loose on unsuspecting children. Accordingly, she did very effectively eff me up in the head (and sabotaged my treatment!), "passing on" her bipolar disorder (and some other mental special effects) to me. And I can tell you, rogue bipolar aimed at an unsuspecting and guardless kid is... scheiÃe. *^*...[Read Full Post] Sat, 21 Jun 2025 13:47:53 EDT https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1091628 https://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/1091628