Back in a Dark Corner

Well....

We have been impatiently waiting.  We are now less than 2 months from leaving Germany and we still do not have official Orders.  Unfortunately the government and I vary differently on the amount of planning deemed necessary for a big move across the ocean (with a toddler mind you). This means that although we know that we will be free to fly home early January we still have no set dates, no plane tickets, no packing appointments, no car shipping,

This drives me crazy because I am a planner....

So in an effort to divert my attention (and since you haven't heard from me in a little while) I decided to educate you a little more on German food!!  Although we are lucky enough to get to grocery shop on base where we are privileged to the American staples I enjoy stepping out into the local markets and wondering the isles for new yummy treats.  It is obvious from one step in the door that Germans and Americans take very different approaches when it comes to both eating and shopping at home.  It is safe to say that Germans generally eat a much "fresher" diet and although there are dozens of items sold by the hundreds in German markets that I have never seen before, I thought you might find it interesting to take note of some of the common American items you would be hard pressed to find in Europe!

• Canned pumpkin
• Think of all of the easy pumpkin treats they are missing out on here...making pumpkin from scratch, NO THANK YOU)
• Blocks of Cream Cheese
• lets just say we found out the hard way that European "Cheese cake" is not really a desert...at least one that I would want to eat again
• Grape Jelly
• They have dozens of different types of jellies but for some reason Grape doesn't make the list.  Interesting considering the amount of grapes that our grown all around us!
• Root beer
• Boxed Macaroni and cheese
• American Candy Bars
• After all who needs Reese's cups when you have German Chocolate
• Mexican Food Items
• Nate likes to joke about the "Germex" served here in Germany.  We have tried several different Mexican restaurants but always leave disappointed.  Think cheese quesadillas topped with brown gravy...mmmm.  One thing I have learned, when in doubt go with the tacos :) 
• Chocolate Chips
• Again who needs little processed chips when you can have German Chocolate?
• Maple Syrup
• Black Beans
• Stuffing mix
• Graham Crackers
• Bagels
• Peanut butter 
• Although you CAN find it in almost any store, but Germans do not have nearly the same fondness for it as Americans
• Marshmallows
• Once again something you can find ....back in a dark corner
• Cornbread/cornmeal
• Pancake mix

The majority of the time no one thinks twice about this list.  After all if you want something American you go to base, if you want something German you go off base.  However, we recently attended a party to which I brought Sopapilla Cheesecake (If you have not had this it is AMAZING...check out the extremely simple recipe here! ).  After trying it a German friend brought over a pen and pad of paper and asked for the recipe.  After writing down the first three ingredients I quickly realized that it was definitely an ALL AMERICAN dish...although extremely simple for me to throw together it is going to require a lot of searching and planning on her part!

I have enjoyed German food 1,000x more than I ever thought I would!  I am going definitely going to miss both the food and the European culture that surrounds it... In fact I have already packed a box of non-perishable items to ship back with our house hold items so that I can make some of our favorite dishes when we settle into our new home! 

Oh...and since I have no food pics to share I thought I would let you in on these little gems