The Nutcracker

Christmas Nutcrackers, originally a German tradition, where the dolls are symbols of good luck, serving as protectors of a house.

Nutcrackers originate from late-17th century Germany.

They were often given as gifts, and at some point they became associated with the Christmas season.

They grew in popularity around the 19th century and spread to nearby European countries.

Then came  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, a ballet adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann's story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which featured a toy soldier nutcracker.

The ballet, became a favorite holiday tradition and helped make the nutcracker a traditional Christmas decoration.

Germany’s Going Back to Nature Forest Kindergartens

A forest kindergarten is an education for children between the ages of three and six that is held almost exclusively outdoors. 

Whatever the weather, children are encouraged to play, explore and learn in a forest or natural environment. 

The adult supervision is meant to assist rather than lead. 

Schnitzel Is One Of Our Favorite Things

We’ve posted this several times, but’s worth repeating.

Schnitzel isn’t usually served with noodles, even though it’s mentioned in a song.

Okay, in the movie, The Sound of Music song (My Favorite Things) they needed a word that would rhyme with strudels, so it turned out to be noodles.

It's just a song, a good one, but just a song nevertheless.

We have never had Schnitzel with noodles, we like it with potato salad.

But who knows, maybe we’ll try it with noodles.

The point is, we love Schnitzel, we are talking about the German Schnitzel, its the quintessential German dish.  

Schnitzel is traditionally served with Spätzle and gravy, fries, German vinegar-based potato salad and a green salad.

It isn't veal were using, it's a pounded out, very thin, no more than 1/4 inch thick boneless pork chop.

You want the chop thin because you’ll need to fry it at high heat quickly to get that delightful crispy crust and it will be cooked all the way through.

The easiest way to pound the pork chops is to lay them between two pieces of plastic wrap.  

Be sure to pound them using the flat side of a meat mallet.

Now, sprinkle some salt and pepper on the chops.

You'll need three bowls, filled with flour/salt, lightly beaten eggs, and plain breadcrumbs.

Dip the pork into the flour, coating all sides.

Next dip the pork into the egg mixture, coating all sides.

Then coat the pork with the breadcrumbs.   

Immediately fry the Schnitzels.  

If the chops sit in coating too long they won't be as crispy.  

You need just enough oil so that the Schnitzels can float a little.

The oil should be between  340º – 350° test it with a food thermometer.  

When the oil is hot enough it will  actually penetrate the coating less and you’ll end up with a nice crispy coating.

The chops will be tender and juicy and delicious.

Move them to your serving plates add slices of lemon and fresh parsley sprigs.  Serve immediately with Spaetzle, French fries, or German potato salad, green salad. 

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops

salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour combined with 1 teaspoon salt (we use Kosher salt)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup plain breadcrumbs

Instructions

Place the pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them out until just ¼ inch thick with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. 

Season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the flour mixture, egg, and breadcrumbs in 3 bowls. 

Dip the chops in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumbs, coating both sides and all edges at each stage.

Fry immediately.

Make sure the cooking oil is at least 330 degrees F.

Fry the Schnitzel chops for about 3 minutes on both sides until a deep golden brown. 

Anyway, that's how we make Schnitzel.

We want to do it the right way, we hope we do anyway, we want to honor this German classic with respect.

Externsteine: Germany's Sacred Stone Formation

It's a widely held belief that Externsteine was once a center for pagan rituals, and if wasn't, it is now.

The monoliths are indeed inspiring, a natural place for rituals to worship.

Just as modern pagans and Druids gather at Stonehenge, modern German pagans gather at Externsteine to celebrate the Pagan Wheel of the Seasons.

Regardless of how Externsteine was used in the past, it's a great place of energy and of natures beauty for the German Pagans.

What a great reminder to stand tall and be strong.

Externsteine is strong, it stands tall, a magical place to honor nature.

School in the Wild

A growing number of Germans are sending their children to Waldkindergärten: forest nurseries where they spend their days outside, learning in Nature's classroom. 

Parents and the school believe it's important for children to experience nature.

You can see they are much more balanced as a result. 

American Visits Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest September 21

Oktoberfest began as a wedding celebration more than 200 years ago when Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on Oct. 12, 1810. The wedding was celebrated with multiple days of drinking, (even though some claim the festival started without beer) feasting and horse races. The celebration then became an annual event.

Oktoberfest in Munich 2019 will begin at 10:45 AM on Saturday, 

September 21 

and ends on Sunday, October 6.

All times are in Central European Time.

The Wolfshäger Hexenbrut Dance

Every year, women and men get together to celebrate the seasons, host gatherings, dance and have a good time.The women of Wolfshäger Hexenbrut (in English: The Wolf Hunter's Coven), located in Wolfshagen im Harz, Germany, gather together to celebrate Walpurgis.

BlessU-2-The Priest

 

Yes, there really is a robot 'priest' that beams lights from its hands and gives automated blessings to believers.

This comes from the town that gave fame to Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

The robot priest, called "BlessU-2" was developed by the Evangelical Church.

BlessU-2 is a metal box with a touch screen, two arms on the side, a head with eyes and a digital mouth at the top.

After the robot wishes users a "warm welcome", it asks them if they want to be blessed by a male or female voice.

It then asks the believer "what blessing do you want", which results in the robot making a mechanical sound as it raises its arms to the heavens and starts to smile.

Then the lights start flashing in the robot's arms and he/she says, "God bless and protect you" and recites a biblical verse.
You can watch the video below to learn more:

 priest, called "BlessU-2" and was developed by the Evangelical Church.

Oktoberfest

 

 

Oktoberfest is the world's largest beer folk festival. It’s held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. This 16 to 18 day festival starts in mid or late September and lasts until the first weekend in October. Along with the beer flowing, great music, , and amusement rides, Oktoberfest is also known for its array of wonderful foods. Visitors can enjoy Brezen (giant pretzels), Schweinebraten (roast pork), Steckerlfisch (fish on a stick), Kasespatzle (cheese noodles), Sauerkraut, Weisswurst (white sausage) and many other delicious  German fair offerings. More than 6 million people from around the world attend the folk festival every year. The Oktoberfest celebration, dating back to 1810, is an important part of Bavarian culture. Cities all across the world hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event. 

Below is a photo from 1928 compared to now.

 

German Schnitzel - "One of Our Favorite Things"

Okay, let's get this straight, the Sound of Music song needed a word that rhymed with strudel, so it was decided to be noodles.

It's just a song, a good one, but just a song nevertheless.

We have never seen Schnitzel served with noodles, even though we may give it try.

We simply love Schnitzel, but it's the German Schnitzel we love most, its the quintessential German dish.  

Schnitzel is traditionally served with Spätzle and gravy, fries, German vinegar-based potato salad and a green salad.

It isn't veal were using, it's a pounded out, very thin, no more than 1/4 inch thick boneless pork chop.

You want the chop thin because you’ll need to fry it at high heat quickly to get that delightful crispy crust and it will be cooked all the way through.

The easiest way to pound the pork chops is to lay them between two pieces of plastic wrap.  

Be sure to pound them using the flat side of a meat mallet.

Now, sprinkle some salt and pepper on the chops.

You'll need three bowls, filled with flour/salt, lightly beaten eggs, and plain breadcrumbs.

Dip the pork into the flour, coating all sides.

Next dip the pork into the egg mixture, coating all sides.

Then coat the pork with the breadcrumbs.   

Immediately fry the Schnitzels.  

If the chops sit in coating too long they won't be as crispy.  

You need just enough oil so that the Schnitzels can float a little.

The oil should be around 340ºF – test it with a candy thermometer.  

When the oil is hot enough it will  actually penetrate the coating less and you’ll end up with a nice crispy coating.

The chops will be tender and juicy and delicious.

Move them to your serving plates add slices of lemon and fresh parsley sprigs.  Serve immediately with Spaetzle, French fries, or German potato salad, green salad and noodles. (Just kidding)

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops

salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour combined with 1 teaspoon salt (we use Kosher salt)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup plain breadcrumbs

Instructions

Place the pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them out until just ¼ inch thick with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. 

Season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the flour mixture, egg, and breadcrumbs in 3 bowls. 

Dip the chops in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumbs, coating both sides and all edges at each stage.

Fry immediately.

Make sure the cooking oil is at least 330 degrees F.

Fry the Schnitzel chops for about 3 minutes on both sides until a deep golden brown. 

Anyway, that's how we make Schnitzel.

We want to do it the right way, we hope we do anyway, we want to honor this German classic with respect.

The Newest Party Drug is, umm, Chocolate

Taking place in Berlin, Alchemy Eros have introduced us to the new drug of choice, chocolate.

Raw chocolate or cocoa is taken in drink, pill or powdered form.

Clubbers claim amazing effects of cocoa to be, well, amazing.

Raw cocoa offers up endorphins as it enters the blood stream, and then magnesium which is a muscle relaxant. 

A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that cocoa also contains flavanols which improve blood circulation and cognitive function.

A device for snorting cocoa (you read correctly) selling for $50 has been made by chocolatier Dominique Persoone. (we even have the photo)

While there are no known effects (as of yet) from snorting cocoa, it apparently amplifies your experience of the music and the people around you which are things usually numbed by alcohol. 

We'll take a pass and eat chocolate the old fashion way.

Externsteine-Place of Pagan Worship

It's a widely held belief that Externsteine was once a center for pagan rituals, and if wasn't, it is now.

The monoliths are indeed inspiring, a natural place for rituals to worship.

Just as modern pagans and Druids gather at Stonehenge, modern German pagans gather at Externsteine to celebrate the Pagan Wheel of the Seasons.

Regardless of how Externsteine was used in the past, it's a great place of energy and of natures beauty for the German Pagans.

What a great reminder to stand tall and be strong.

Externsteine is strong, it stands tall, a magical place to honor nature.

For more information: Watch