Preparations – Beanie mania

December 1, 2017 by nadel&gabel

During the last months the clacking of my knitting needles has become the background music of our autumn evenings. Some finished knitting project always lay out for blocking, and the pile of small handmade presents grew. Now, at the beginning of December the last piece has been bound off. A wooly handmade Christmas lays ahead when it comes to my gifts. Already all gifts prepared? For some, this may sound perhaps a bit overambitious. But this year is a special […]

Categories: craft & DIY, knitting • Tags: beanie, broken seed stitch, christmas, colorwork, fingering, gift, hat, knitting, present, ravelry, scallop pattern, sport, yarn

Into the Krauts – Golden and red Sauerkraut

November 19, 2017 by nadel&gabel

5 1/2 years of food blogging and quite some more of cooking … it took such a long time for me to attempt one of the most iconic German dishes, Sauerkraut. The ‘Krauts‘ – the view from outside doesn’t leave any doubts. Although Germans weren’t the first that developed the idea of lacto-fermented cabbage. I, for my share, have made already a few experiences with wild fermentation – homemade yoghurt, Kimchi ,water kefir -, learned about the health benefits, especially for digestion and […]

Categories: around the world, autumn, dairy-free, diets, German/Swabian, gluten-free, In the kitchen, pantry, salad, seasons, spread, sauce & spice, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian, winter • Tags: bacteria, beetroot, cabbage, carrot, cumin, fermentation, fermented, flavour, german, ginger, healthy, Kraut, lactic acid, pantry, probiotic, recipe, Sauerkraut, turmeric, vitamin, winter

Autumn mode – Beloved Berlin cowl

October 22, 2017 by nadel&gabel

From year to year it has become clearer: this is my favourite season. I’m not the person for the extremes, more a temperate one. Autumn turns down the speed, not only nature is slowing down. This is the time for cocooning mode, for sipping tea, knitting all sunday long. And as Christmas is in sight there are a lot of knitting projects to be cast on. One already finished project is this Beloved Berlin cowl, designed by Isabell Kraemer. A subtle pattern […]

Categories: craft & DIY, knitting, Uncategorized • Tags: autumn, colour, cowl, indieknitter, Isabell Kraemer, knit design, knitting, lace, layer, mustard, pattern, stripes, wool, yarn

An ode to dear friends – Crêpes with chard and a twist

October 15, 2017 by nadel&gabel

To you chard, my loyal friend. Once – through out my childhood and youth – I neglected you. I apologize, I deeply regret this! Today I know that I just didn’t know you that well, didn’t know you at all. I only met you in two ways: as a green-brown pulp that was said to ressemble creamed spinach (but did only vaguely, of course) and in form of thick thready stalks of indifferent taste that were hidden away in a […]

Categories: around the world, categories & ingredients, diets, grains & legumes, In the kitchen, Uncategorized, vegetable, vegetarian • Tags: chard, crêpes, dinner, easy, feta cheese, fruity, healthy, orange, pancake, recipe, savoury, simple, tomato, vegetable, weeknight

Culinary heritage – Vegetarian Soljanka

September 23, 2017 by nadel&gabel

Soljanka – a hearty dish that was omnipresent on our trip through Saxony, Brandenburg and Thuringia. It probably is the best known Russian soup besides Borschtsch. It’s popular all around Eastern Europe and exists in uncountable variations. In Germany the popularity basically is limited to the eastern part of the country. 40 years of separation into two different states left its traces – by far not only, but as well in terms of culinary traditions. Due to ‘socialist brotherhood’ a […]

Categories: around the world, autumn, diets, German/Swabian, gluten-free, In the kitchen, seasons, soup & stew, vegetable, vegetarian, winter • Tags: cooking, cuisine, DDR, Eastern Europe, easy, Germany, gherkin, hearty, paprika, recipe, russian, smoked, soljanka, sour, stew, tart, tofu, weeknight

Eastward II – Spreewald and Weimar

September 16, 2017 by nadel&gabel

There it is: an isolated wooden house painted red, in the garden chard, tomatoes and thyme are growing besides flowers, happy sheep are jumping around in their enclosure while the chicken doesn’t let disturb herself in her picking routine. The evening sun brings the adjoining field to glow  .. and bsssh … a mosquito’s bite again. And in the sun room of the little, cozy furnished cabin lightened by a chain of lights  we sit in this Bullerbü-like scene, sip […]

Categories: Behind the camera, Germany, nature, objects & places, On the road, travel • Tags: architecture, Bauhaus, boat, Brandenburg, cafe, canoe, classic, culture, design, dragonfly, Germany, gherkins, Goethe, hideaway, history, literature, nature, park, remote, reserve, river, rural, sorbs, Spreewald, travel, weimar

Eastward I – Leipzig and Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland

September 3, 2017 by nadel&gabel

After our last holiday trip took us to a foreign far away island, we decided that we would like to discover in our summer holiday … other foreign far away places – but this time in Germany! Truth is that even in this small country for us there are still so many ‘blind spots’ that we only have vage ideas of or not even that. „Willst du immer weiter schweifen? Sieh, das Gute liegt so nah.” (J.W. Goethe, Erinnerung) Time […]

Categories: Behind the camera, Germany, nature, objects & places, On the road, travel • Tags: Bastei, Bohemia, bridge, city, Czech Republic, ecotourism, Elbe, Elbsandsteingebirge, forest, gauge, Germany, hideaway, hiking, industrial, Leipzig, monument, mountains, national park, organic, photography, retreat, river, sandstone, Saxon Swizerland, Saxony, Sächsische Schweiz, Schmilka, Spinnerei, travel, Tyssa

Lost in knitting – Lace shawl Whiteout

August 28, 2017 by nadel&gabel

The shawl designs of Melanie Berg aka Mairlynd caught my eye sometime at the beginning of the year. I hadn’t knitted for a while. Sewing just seemed to be more my needle craft: quicker, easier to adjust, more experience. Knitted socks were my entry into knitting again and I started to appreciate the advantages of this craft again, the flexibility, the relaxing pleasure to knit a few rows each evening. The patterns and yarns I discovered in this knitting community were thrilling. […]

Categories: craft & DIY, knitting, Uncategorized • Tags: garter stich, knitting, lace, mairlynd, melanie berg, merino, mustard, pattern, portland lace, purple, shawl, wool, yarn, yarncollective, yellow, yoga

At its peak – Summer chicken salad

August 13, 2017 by nadel&gabel

This summer somehow is an up and down. Grey, rainy and rather cold were the last days. It seemed like autumn already was entering the field. But like so often this summer the warming sun broke through the clouds, fought her way back. And her light pushed aside all the grey. I always feel that this time of summer is a double-edged sword. It’s on its peak, the plenty of ripe fruits and vegetables is overwhelming. Now they’re best, juicy […]

Categories: gluten-free, In the kitchen, meat, salad, seasons, snacks & small dishes, summer • Tags: celery, chicken, cold, fresh, fruit, harvest, party food, peaches, picnic, salad, spring onions, summer, walnut