In The Kitchen With Oma: A lesson on making German cabbage rolls

When people ask me what or who inspired me to start cooking, I always give the same answer 1) my mom, who would always let me stand on a stool in the kitchen with her, and let me get messy by helping her out in any way I could, and 2) my Oma, who always gave her grandkids a job to help her in the kitchen while making one of her delicious German dishes. I always loved those one-on-one moments in the kitchen with both my mom and my Oma, and only wish that I had time for more of that now. 

This month I was given the opportunity to go back in the kitchen with my Oma for a day of German cooking, thanks to my Food Theory class at George Brown Chef School requiring us to do a group presentation on a region of the world of our choice. With many of our group members having friends, family, and neighbors who are German, it was easy for us to pick the beer drinking, sausage eating country for our assignment. I always struggle with finding a unique and interesting way to grab the audiences attention when doing a school presentation, not wanting to give just another lame and tired Power Point that puts the class to sleep. I knew that with my Oma's vibrant personality, I had to find a way of incorporating her into my presentation. It didn't take long for me to decide to feature my lovely Oma in a short video about making one traditional German dish.

Although there are so many delicious German dishes that my Oma makes, she had her heart set on making her out-of-this-world cabbage rolls, something that I simply couldn't refuse because seriously, they are so damn good!  Although cabbage rolls were not first created in Germany, they are a dish that much of Europe has adopted, made their own, and consume on a regular basis, and Germany has become one of those places that has truly made the dish part of their diet. I hope you enjoy my video In The Kitchen With Oma: A lesson on making German cabbage rolls. It was an absolute pleasure to shoot and spend the day with her. Thank you so much, Oma! I love you! You are the best! 

Listening To:

German Beer Song

Kitchen Crashers: Janelle H

Open publication - Free publishing - More danielle rose

Here it is! The very first issue of Kitchen Crashers! I'm so excited and relieved to finally get the first issue up. This is only the beginning! I'm planning on crashing a lot more kitchens this year, so get ready to see lots of new faces up on Ginger Rose! Let me know what you think! xo

Ginger Rose Presents: Kitchen Crashers

I started Ginger Rose almost three years ago with a clear goal in mind, to inspire my friends and family to conquer their kitchen fears and find the joy in cooking a delicious home cooked meal. At the time I felt like a bit of an anomaly, with pretty much all of my friends claiming to not know how to cook, or claiming to be the best cook and never moving past Kraft Dinner and muffin and pancake mixes. Food was one of my biggest passions and it felt so wrong to not have anyone to share that passion with. I wanted to share ideas, swap tips and tricks, learn about new techniques and restaurants, create something spectacular using multiple palettes, but other than my immediate family there was no one. As my blog grew, so did the response. I found myself completely overwhelmed by the positive response I was receiving from friends, family, acquaintances, friends of friends, and even strangers! Those that shared my same passion started to come forward and make their presence known, as well as those that had never really given cooking a shot but were now encouraged to try. I watched as former fearful cooks broke through their limits to create dishes that they could be proud to serve and call their own. Those that had barely even touched a stove were now sharing recipes that they had found success in, making 5-course dinners to impress their loved ones, and in some cases even starting their own customized cake business'. Now, nearing Ginger Rose's three year anniversary, I can confidently and proudly say that I have achieved my goal! So where do we go from here?

Although I have achieved my goal of getting my own friends and family excited about food and cooking, there is a whole other generation of young men and women who are in that same place that my friends and family were three years ago. I'm talking about those young adults who are leaving the nest for the first time, unfamiliar with the kitchen, or perhaps just unfamiliar with the pressures and time constraints of becoming an adult. I want to help ease that pressure and inspire people to take control of their lives and their diet, but this time I can't do it alone. After talking with so many fearful cooks about their apprehensions and fears in the kitchen, I have learned that one of the most encouraging things to say to them is "I'm just like you". I have never had any formal training, I have certainly had my share of kitchen disasters, I have learned from those disasters to divert them in the future, and I still have my own kitchen fears yet to conquer. With my food blog as much apart of my identity as my flaming red hair, it's trickier to get people to buy the "I'm just like you" line, and this is where my network of friends, family, and acquaintances come into play. With the help of my incredible network of friends, I would like to introduce Ginger Rose's new series, Kitchen Crashers.

What is Kitchen Crashers you ask? Well, it's exactly as it sounds. I want to crash my friends kitchens! I want to be that fly on the wall, learning how others approach cooking, how they select ingredients and plate dishes to create a final product that they can be proud to call their own. In each post Kitchen Crashers will feature one inspiring individual, revealing their history in the kitchen through a Q&A, and featuring that persons "signature dish", along with a recipe for it. Through the Q&A you will be able to see the incredible diversity in terms of how people approach cooking, as well as the diversity of the different people represented in each post. Of course ones cultural background has a great deal of influence on their outlook on food and cooking, but what someone does for a living and their hobbies also greatly affects their approach to food. As the series grows, I want to represent people from all different cultural, economic, social, and creative backgrounds, representing the fantastic mosaic that is Toronto. I'm hoping that through Kitchen Crashers my readers will be able to identify with someone who truly is "just like them", and be able to walk away feeling inspired to take a chance in the kitchen themselves! The first post is in the works, featuring a young jewelry designer who has just recently discovered her passion for cooking. I can't wait to share it with you and see what you think! Cheers to the next step!

Listening To:

Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home To Me

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