Cooking with My Oma

People often ask me where I learned how to cook or what brought on my love of cooking and baking.  I have never been to culinary school or taken more than one cooking class in my life.  My love of food, cooking, and baking has come out of years of helping my mom and grandmother (my Oma) in the kitchen.  Both my mom and Oma are incredible cooks, and growing up, I was always encouraged to help them out in the kitchen.  Whether it was stirring a dough, cutting cookies, or filling flinzen (a rolled pancake or thick crepe filled with blueberries or sweet cheese), I was always on board to help!   I'm convinced that it was through cooking with my mom and Oma as a child that I have become so enthusiastic about cooking today.  

Although I can cook some delicious dishes, you really can't compare my food to that of my mom or Oma's, the Queen and Princess of comfort food.  There is just something about their cooking that I haven't been able to achieve as of yet.  So I decided to take action! I asked my Oma if she would spend the afternoon with me, cooking and sharing some of her recipes, so I could learn them for myself and be able to carry them on for future generations.  Our afternoon of cooking and baking turned out incredible! I had so much fun spending the day with my Oma, and am now confident that I can recreate her signature dishes on my own.   In the next upcoming entries I will share with you my Oma's recipes for Potato Kugel (or Kugelis as we call it), Apricot and Mandarin Orange Kuchen (or cake in Englsih), and Ginger Ale Glazed Ham.