Projekt: Von A bis Z (B)

Continuing in the series "Projekt:  von A bis Z" --- today's letter is B
If you missed it, you can read A's post. <<< click link

5-10 minutes of unedited writing miscellaneous B things in German.

ACHTUNG!  FERTIG!  LOS!  (the German equivalent to Ready, Set, Go!)

der Bär = the bear

Foods:  die Banane (banana), das Brot (bread), der Braten (roast), die Bratwurst (self-explanatory!), der Blumenkohl (cauliflower, literally "flower cabbage"), der Bretzel (pretzel)

Animals:  die *Biene (bee), der Biber (beaver), der Bär (bear)

Die *Biene Maja was/is a popular German children's cartoon series:

Common Names:  Bernd, Bernard, Berta, Beate, Brigitte, Brunhilde

Cities:   Berlin, Bonn, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Bremen, Bremerhaven

Bonn:  Birthplace of BEETHOVEN in 1770

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Words you might recognize:  Baby, Ball, Ballon, Bank, Bus, Butter

verbs:  backen (to bake), baden (to bathe)

famous brands/companies:  BASF (chemicals), BMW (Bavarian Motor Works), Bayer (pharmaceuticals), Birkenstock (shoes)

and a tongue-twister (Zungen/brecher = tongue breaker, literally!)

Bis Später!

(until later!)

Projekt: Von A bis Z (A)

So, I got this crazy idea for improving my German skills and having some fun on the blog ... It is based on a blogging concept where you write with almost no editing (daily is the goal) on a topic through the alphabet - from A to Z.  I want to just kind of quickly brainstorm my way through a letter of the alphabet IN GERMAN.  And thus I came up with Projekt von A bis Z.

I will take about 5 to 10 minutes to create a blog post based on the letter of the day.  And then PUBLISH and that's it!  It may turn out to be a bomb - or it may take off.  I'm not sure?!  But join in if you come up with your own words, concepts, foods, cities or WAS AUCH IMMER (whatever!) if you think of something to add.

I am envisioning it going something like this:  Today's letter is "A" ....

Foods:  Aprikose (apricot), Apfel (apple), Ananas (pineapple)

Animals:  der Affe (monkey), der Adler (eagle), die Ameise (ant)

Common Names:  Anja, Anke, Anneliese, Anna, Adam, Alois, Angelika, Andrea, Andreas, Alexander

Cities - Aachen, Ansbach, Augsburg, Aschaffenburg

Aschaffenburg castle

Words you might recognize:  Autobahn, Automobil, Automat, August, April, Achtung! (Caution!  Beware!), Agent, Alarm, Arm, Aroma

verbs:  arbeiten (to work), ankommen (to arrive)

famous brands/companies:  Audi (auto maker), Adidas (sports), Allianz (insurance/banking), Airbus (aerospace)

and a tongue-twister (Zungen/brecher = tongue breaker, literally)

Acht alte Ameisen assen am Abend Ananas.

Eight old ants ate pineapples in the evening.  

[ah-cht ahl-te ah-my-sen ah-sen ahm ah-bend ah-nah-nas]

Auf wiedersehen!

Summer Time Favorites

Today was a perfect summer day, in my opinion, here in NW Arkansas where I currently live.  It was sunny, around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with just enough breezes to keep one comfortable.  As a child in Germany, these kind of days were celebrated by going outside - riding bicycles by the Nidda River, a tributary of the Main River of Frankfurt, the city where I stayed with my German grandparents for several months each year or taking a long walk or just sitting in my Opa's garden.  On weekends, there were often outdoor Fests, travel to nearby sights, sitting in Eiscafes sipping coffee, cake, or Italian ice cream.

These are a few of my favorite German summer things:

Spaghettieis

Vanilla ice cream pressed through a special machine to make it look like pasta, put down over a dollop of whipped cream for a fun treat underneath, and topped with strawberry sauce and sprinkles of white chocolate

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Dining Al Fresco

Whether one is eating Italian Gelatto, drinking coffee, or enjoying an entire meal, everything seems to taste better when eaten outside!  Germans are fans of fresh air and sunshine!

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Yellow Fields of Rapeseed (called Raps in German)

Rapeseed is in the mustard family; however, what is typically derived from the rapeseed is canola oil.

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Vineyards

While I am no wine connoisseur, I do love the vineyards that can be found all over Germany - the grape-growing areas I am most familiar with are alone the rivers of the Main, Rhein, Mosel, and Neckar rivers.

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Burgfest (Burg = castle)

Germans loves a good summer fest, and since there are many towns that have their own castle or castle ruins, Burgfests are scheduled often.  It is where the Middle Ages meets modern times. 

There one can encounter folks in traditional dress, visit vendors, play games, hear live music, and of course, there is lots and lots of great food!

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Flowers (Blumen)

In Germany, flower arrangements are often less expensive to buy than here in the States.  German flower vendors are usually in every shopping district and farmers market, in train stations and other travel venues, by cemeteries, and sometimes inside a larger store.

It is customary to bring flowers when visiting someone, when going to the cemetery, for birthdays, and of course, "just because".

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 Grill Party

While Americans tend to grill hamburgers and steaks, Germans stereo-typically grill their thousands of varieties of sausages - the Bratwurst being the most popular, I am sure!!  It is definitely one of my favorite.

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And now I am properly homesick for this land of my childhood!  There are a thousand more things I could share what I enjoyed about summer time in Germany, but these are just a few that I sure would have loved to taste, see, smell, hear, and experience on a day like today.  

Oma's Kitchen: Summer Sides - Gurkensalat

As a child, I was privileged to spend every summer in Frankfurt, Germany, being spoiled and fattened up for the winter (ha!) by my Oma.  

There were so many dishes - mostly just simple, flavorful, fresh food - that I looked forward to all year.  One of my favorite side dishes that my Oma prepared was a basic oil-and-vinegar cucumber salad garnished with dill from my Oma's little garden patch.  

photo source:  

My Oma never had to measure ingredients so I never got her actual recipe - she just mixed the ingredients, let them sit for a few minutes - and then had me taste test to see if anything needed to be added.  I have found similar-tasting recipes on line, and here is one that is fairly close:

Oma's Gurkensalat 

(Cucumber Salad)

1-2 cucumbers (peeled - or not-peeled if using an English cucumber), sliced thin

3 Tbsp vinegar (red wine vinegar, if no salad vinegar available)

5 Tbsp oil (I use olive oil; however, there is such a thing as salad oil in Germany)

eine Prise (a dash, a pinch!) salt

eine Prise sugar 

fresh dill, finely  chopped

fresh parsley (optional)

Let ingredients rest for a while for the best flavor - if you can wait that long.  

Mix thoroughly again and serve.

It tastes like summer!

~*~

Some of my favorite ingredients:

SALAD OIL

KRäUTER ESSIG

(herb-infused vinegar)

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Oma's Kitchen & a Spaghetti Sauce Secret

My Oma was an amazing cook.  She learned her skills as a young adult shortly before World War II when she was trained to help farmers manage their large families and workers. Her own family consisted of her constable father, her step-mother (who was actually her aunt, whom her father married after his first wife died), and their 10 other children, the oldest being at least 8 or 9 years younger than my grandmother.  They lived on the woodsy, rural farm lands of East Prussia.  She married my Opa, a soldier, in 1942, and after fleeing from the Russian army at the end of the War, they settled in the big city of Frankfurt, where my Opa grew up.  

Typical meals for us during my summer stays with my grandparents in Frankfurt were somewhat like this: 

BREAKFAST (Frühstück) -  a Brötchen or hearty rye bread with Nutella (my favorite to this day!) or fruity marmalade and REAL butter or creamy butter cheese and Schinken (a tender ham) or salami  ... maybe a soft boiled egg (always served in an egg cup) ... and tea or coffee.  

source:  http://www.lexibites.com/brotchen/

LUNCH (Mittagsessen) -  egg noodle soup (Eiermuschelsuppe) as a starter, then a "warm" meal like Schnitzel and salad, Frikadellen and friend potatoes and red cabbage.  My Oma's salads of lettuce or cucumbers with homemade oil-and-vinegar dressings and fresh dill were THE BEST!  There were many other delicious things my Oma prepared, and at the end of this post, I will let you in on her secret for spaghetti sauce.  

Dinner (Abendessen OR Abendbrot, literally Evening Bread) - slices of hearty bread again with a variety of cold cuts and cheeses.  My favorite cheeses were the creamy Edamer,  Butterkäse (butter cheese) or a French Camembert.  Sometimes we'd have a warm Bratwurst or Bockwurst with grainy German mustard (Senf).  There were also often little gherkins and other delightful nibblers.    

source:  http://www.murrayscheese.com/site/images/items/12095.0.jpg?resizeid=3&resizeh=600&resizew=600

Germans do traditionally believe in the old saying that one should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.  

Among my favorite lunches, I loved my Oma's spaghetti sauce.  It was made from a boxed sauce mix from the German brand Maggi.  

This is so easy - but so yummy.  One prepared the sauce according to the package directions and then add the "secret" ingredient:  about 1/2 cup heavy cream.  It made a rich, almost pink sauce to pour over the noodles.  One can also add a teaspoon of sugar, some roasted garlic, some caramelized onion, or even meat - but we liked the sauce just plain and creamy.