The Tradition of German Beer

Throughout Germany, beer is very popular with the culture.  Germany contains well over 1,000 breweries, which is more than any other location in the world.  All beer that is manufactured in Germany must follow the purity law, which lets manufacturers know what ingredients can and can't be used.  Basically, the only ingredients allowed to make beer in Germany are water, hops, and barley malt.

Due to the strict purity requirements, you can easily notice German beers by their overall level of quality.  They have a distinct taste, with little to no aftertaste.  Some styles of German ale include Koelsch, Weizen, and Altbier.  Some types of German lagers include Bock, Pilsener, Dunkel, Helles, and Maerzen.  Keep in mind that the taste, aroma, and color can vary, although all can be identified as being true German beers.

The German beer Altbier is a very common dark ale, that is top fermented in the lower regions of Germany.  The beer proposes a yellow color, with a taste that is rich in hops.  Another ale, Rauchbier, is known to have a smoky flavor with a smoked color.  These beers taste great, and happen to be very popular throughout the regions of Germany.

German lagers are also very popular, and happen to be popular in other areas of the world as well.  Pilsener is one of the most popular and most familiar of all German beers, providing you with more hops and less malt. Pilsener can be found for sale all over the world, and happens to be very popular throughout North America as well.  Several bars serve it as well, as it happens to be one of the most popular dark lagers out there.

Throughout Germany, there are several different companies, produce over 4,000 different brands of beers.  Some of the more well known and larger companies of north Germany are Beck, St. Pauli, Warsteiner, and Krombach.  In the southern region of Germany, there are more breweries, although most of them are smaller, as they are locally owned and operated.  Southern Germany also contains the Benedictine Abbey, which is one of the oldest breweries in the world.  This brewery started producing beer in 1040 - very impressive indeed!

Germany is also home to Oktoberfest, which is held every year in Munich.  Oktoberfest starts in late September and carries on for two weeks, ending in early October.  During Oktoberfest, beer drinkers from all over the world will travel to Germany and celebrate German beers.  Each and every year, over 5 million people attend the event, making it one of the biggest beer celebrations in the world.

During Oktoberfest, local breweries in Munich are the only breweries allowed to serve beer in the bigger tents.  There are six breweries in total, producing a variety of different beers.  By attending this yearly event, you can learn more about German beer, sample the different varieties, and enjoy the rich bold flavors that make German beer so very popular.

Due to the success Oktoberfest gets each and every year, other cities around the world try and mimic this event.  Even though they have success, their level of success isn't near as much as the original Oktoberfest - Germany.  German beers are very popular around the world, with Oktoberfest helping to prove that very claim. If you drink beer but have never experienced what beers from Germany have to offer, you really should give them a try.  Once you do, you'll quickly realize why German beers are so very popular - and why the taste simply can't be duplicated with any other beer.

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Learn How to Find Your Favorite Cupcake Recipe

Finding the best recipes for making cupcakes is not that hard but you need to be aware that there are so many recipes available that you may get overwhelmed when searching. Whether you are looking for an angel food cupcake or maybe a peanut butter truffle is your favorite, you can be assured that pleasing your guest should be high on your list.

First it is important to choose what type of cupcakes you would like to make. If you are entertaining company then you may way to make a nice assortment. The hard part about baking is to make sure that you use the exact amount of ingredients so that the cupcakes come out just right.

How to: Find World Foods

Secondly there are many online resources for you to find your favorite recipe. Many of the cupcake recipes are similar to cake recipes so you may want to be thinking along those lines. So if you like German Chocolate Cake then a cupcake that is German Chocolate would be great.

Finally one of the best things to do before you have any guest over is to make some sample cupcakes and try them on a few friends to see what they think. There is nothing worse then spending all day baking cupcakes then you later find out they are tasteless. It is important to try any new recipe before you make it for friends or family so that you do not feel bad if the recipe is not good. You will be proud of yourself when you find and make a great cupcake recipe.

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Old Fashion Recipes for Never Fail Cake and German Apple Cake

These cake recipes will take you back to the days when mom and/or grandma baked delicious desserts just for you.  Perhaps the 'never-fail cake' will remind you of a birthday cake she made for one of your early birthdays.  Or a delicious piece of white cake topped with fresh fruits or berries from your backyard garden or orchard could be a favorite memory.  

Perhaps the apple cake will remind you of picking apples in the fall and coming in from the cold to the scents of apple desserts coming from grandma's kitchen.  One of the best things about vintage recipes is the memories they bring to mind.  Of course the tastes are special, too!  Get the kids in the kitchen and let them bake up some memories of their own with you.  While working together, you can share some of your poignant memories with them.  It's a great thing to pass family stories down to your children or grandchildren.


OLD FASHION NEVER FAIL CAKE


1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or lard
1 egg
3 tbsp cocoa
3/4 cup sweet milk*
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp soda
1 rounding cup flour
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream sugar and butter, add unbeaten egg and beat. Add cocoa to egg mixture, blend well. Add flour and milk alternately. Last add hot water with soda dissolved in it. (Batter will be thin.) Pour into a 9x13-inch prepared baking pan. Bake 35 to 40minutes at 350 degrees. Frost with your favorite frosting.

*This is regular milk; not sweetened condensed milk. The old-timers referred to regular milk as sweet milk vs buttermilk.


GERMAN APPLE CAKE


This recipe is said to be from an old church cookbook. I have no way to trace its origins.

2 large or 3 small eggs
1 cup salad oil (butter flavored)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups thinly sliced apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs well, then add oil. Continue to beat while adding 2 cups sugar. Add vanilla and the sifted dry ingredients, mix well. Add the thinly sliced apples and walnuts. Pour into a 9x13-inch baking pan that has been greased and lightly floured. Bake 40 to 60 minutes until done.

ICING:

2 small packages of cream cheese
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Mix all ingredients well with an electric mixer. If too thin, add powdered sugar until of the right consistency to spread. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if desired.
Enjoy!

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German Chocolate Cake

Most people don't go crazy when they hear this recipe uses German chocolates as the base. But that quickly subsides when they sink their teeth into this amazing concoction. I got this recipe from my mom. Everyone who's tried it LOVES it. (Not liked it, but loved it.) Not a single person dislikes it. It's THAT good. Most of this German chocolate cake is super easy to make (except for grating the German chocolate).  And it has a billion calories - but it's so worth it. You've been warned.

Your friends and family are going to love you for making this:

Ingredients:

1 cup of water
1/2 cup of oil
4 eggs
1 package yellow cake mix
1 package vanilla instant pudding (small)
4 ounces of Baker's German chocolate
12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chocolate chips
dusting of wheat flour
dusting of powdered sugar

Grate Baker's German chocolate. This is the hard part. I use a food processor to turn the german chocolate into tiny pieces. You can use a hand grater, but it takes a L O N G time this way. Combine the water, oil, eggs, cake mix, pudding and grated German chocolate until smooth with your standard mixer (any speed will do). Finally, fold in the milk chocolate chips with a spatula. (Tip: don't over stir or the chocolate chips are going to sink to the bottom.)

Grease pan with vegetable shortening and dust with whole wheat flour -- this gives the cake a crunchy exterior. If you don't have whole wheat flour, don't fret -- just stick with the vegetable shortening. Bake in 5"-high pan (Angel food pan) at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a fork and pull it out... if it comes out clean, awesomeness is ready for your taste buds. Finally, add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar to the top of the cake (a flour sifter works great) and dust the top after it cools (about 15 minutes).

Note: This German chocolate cake rocks as cupcakes... just spoon a tablespoon of batter into 24 Reynolds Baking Cups and cook for 25 minutes. Yum!

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Take Advantage of the Abundance of Apples This Fall With These Delicious Apple Recipes

Even though apples are a year-round favorite, they seem to be especially popular in the late Summer, early Fall.  In many parts of the country, we are coming in to apple harvest.  Here are some great recipes to help you enjoy this popular and healthy fruit.  Baked Apple Pudding is a wonderful combination of apples, cinnamon and walnuts that is absolutely wonderful made into a pudding and served warm with whipped cream or ice cream.  What a wonderful treat!  A wonderful friend taught me to make this many years ago.  The Cream Apples is an old recipe from my German heritage.

STELLA'S BAKED APPLE PUDDING

1/3 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups grated apples
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the butter, egg, and sugar beating until fluffy. Blend in the baking soda, cinnamon, flour, salt, and vanilla. Stir in the apples and walnuts. Pour mixture into an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve topped with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

CREAM APPLES
My maiden name is Sowders, so you can see I have German roots. This is an old German recipe.

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
6 large apples, pared and cored
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup finely ground almonds

In a large covered skillet, combine the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the water. Arrange the apples in the liquid and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes or until apples are just tender. Remove the apples from the liquid and refrigerate them. Just before serving: Heat the heavy cream to lukewarm. Beat the egg until thick then gradually beat in the 1/3 cup of sugar and the lukewarm cream. Add the ground almonds. Pour over the apples.

Yields six servings.

Enjoy!

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Baked Spinach With Cheese - Uberbackener Spinat Mit Kase

1 Servings

1 lb fresh spinach,washed and

1    dried

1/4 lb butter

1 lg onion,diced

2    cloves garlic,minced

1/2 t  salt

1/2 lb emmenthaler cheese,grated

1 t  paprika

1/8 t  nutmeg

1/4 t  pepper

Cut spinach into strips. In a large Dutch oven heat butter until bubbly. Add onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach. Sprinkle with salt. Cover and steam for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Grease an ovenproof casserole. Sprinkle half the cheese over the bottom of the casserole. Add the spinach. Sprinkle with paprika, nutmeg and pepper. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degF about 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Makes 4 servings.

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Three Traditional German Recipes

German cuisine has become very popular not only in Europe, but all over the world. Most of their food is comprised of beef, poultry, fish, or pork—pork being the most popular choice of meat. Most German foods are not spicy, although mustard is an extremely popular condiment for sausages (the form in which most of their meat is prepared). Roasted meat and stews are also very popular ways to prepare meat. In this article, I have included three of my favorite traditional German recipes. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

Ingredients:
6 apples (peeled, cored, and chopped)
2 lbs kielbasa sausage (sliced)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 (32 oz) package sauerkraut

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the apples and sauerkraut over a medium heat. Let this mixture simmer for about 10 minutes or until the apples have turned soft. Add in the brown sugar and sliced kielbasa and mix well. Cook for an additional five minutes, or until the sausage meat is heated all the way through.

Rye Bread

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups rye flour
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup molasses

Directions:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. In a large bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, and milk. Beat in the molasses, butter, 1 cup of rye flour, and the yeast/water mixture. A blender works best for this part. Mix in the remaining flour using a wooden spoon or plastic baking spatula. Fold in the white flour until the dough begins to stiffen. Knead on a floured surface until the dough is smooth. If the dough is sticky, add flour to it. Cover the dough with a wet towel and let it rise for an hour and a half (or until it has doubled in size). Punch the dough a few times, then divide it in half. Shape each section into a loaf, then place them on a greased cookie sheet to rise again for another hour and a half. Bake at 375 degrees F for about half an hour.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:
4 cups of apples (peeled, cored, and diced)
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the eggs and oil until the mixture is creamy. Add in the sugar and the vanilla extract and beat thoroughly. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly add the egg mixture into this, mixing until well combined. Fold the apples into the mixture. Spread the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before serving.

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German recipes have a very different flavor to it

Have you traveled to Germany. No.  People think it is far away, so they dont travel. But have you at least tried some of it's delicious german recipes? German people are really good at so many different things, from elaborating any single kind of material to cuisine everything elaborate and perfect. The german recipe food is healthy but most of all exquisite, which makes each bite worth it. You may find a huge variety of german recipes, but if you want to start from zero, you'd better start with the rice.

In order to get the ultimate German flavor in your rice, you'll need first of all rice. You'll also need vegetables, whatever your selection is. In this case we'll use carrots, peas, and cabbage. You might want to add some pork and some eggs. Of course you might want to add as well the traditional Chinese sweet and sour sauce. All these ingredients will make your recipe extremely delicious.

First of all get a pot, fill it with water, and set it to boil. Later you add the rice until it's fully cooked. Meanwhile you can begin with chopping all the different vegetables. Chop the carrots in really small pieces, and cut the cabbage into small pieces as well. In a small pan, crack the egg and make some scrambled eggs. When you have this all ready proceed with the pork. Cut it into really small bites and place in a pan.

After you have all the ingredients ready, check if the rice is ready and if it is, place it in a pan. Add all of the ingredients to it and take a spoon and mix them all with the rice. As it all starts cooking, add little by little the sweet and sour sauce that will give the rice some color. The temperature should be only moderate.

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Cabbage Borscht Mennonite Soup Recipe

It is a delicious Russian soup that is easy to make. At the time when many German Mennonites traveled to Russia during the reign of Catherine the Great, they learned to prepare this authentic Russian beet borscht from their Russian neighbors. However, they used cabbage instead of beet, making a unique soup with a German style. Here is the simple recipe.

Ingredients
Beef soup bones – 2 pounds
Water 2 quarts or as required
12 chopped carrots
6 cubed potatoes
1 finely chopped head cabbage
3 minced onions
Chopped fresh parsley – 1 1/2 tablespoons
Ten allspice berries (whole)
One bay leaf
Half star anise
One teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper – 1 pinch
Chopped tomato – 1 1/2 cups
Heavy cream – 1/2 cup

Directions

Over medium-high heat, boil the beef soup bones in a large bowl with water. Decrease heat and simmer it for 1 and 1/2 hours. To maintain the 2-quart level, add water as required. Remove it from heat, and dispose of the soup bones, then take a fresh pot and strain the broth into it and return to the stove.

Stir all the remaining ingredients – cabbage, carrots, potatoes, parsley, onions, star anise, allspice berries, bay leaf, pepper and salt. Cook the vegetables for about 20 minutes until the potatoes become soft and tender. Put in some tomatoes and boil the soup again. Serve the hot soup in separate bowls of soup and use heavy cream as a topping.

You can serve this hot and delicious soup with freshly baked home bread. It is a complete meal that it contains all four groups of food. You can lend it a spicy and tangy flavor with pickling spice. This will be perfect as a family dinner at a cold winter night.

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