Pork and Potatoes – A Classic Combination

On June 28, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, RecipesLeave a comment

Throughout our time in Europe, we had many different variations of pork and potatoes together. Whether sausages or pork roast, potatoes pair perfectly with any type of pork dish.

We decided to take some leftover ham and combine it with scalloped potatoes and cheese for a quick and easy dinner. It isn’t a fancy dish by any means, but it is delicious and hearty. Perhaps pork and potatoes are combined because they are both inexpensive and easy to cook. We hope you enjoy our version of a ham and potato casserole.

INGREDIENTS

3 to 4 Medium Russet Potatoes
1 cup Diced Cooked Ham
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Shredded Cheese – We used a Monterey Jack Cheddar Blend
Dash of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Granulated Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel and wash the potatoes. Slice the potatoes using a mandolin or by uniformly slicing them into 1/8 inch scallops. Place the potatoes into a pot with cold salted water and then turn the heat onto medium-high. Once the water comes to a boil, continue boiling for 5 minutes until they are slightly blanched, but not fully cook as they will finish cooking in the casserole. Drain the potatoes. Whisk the milk and flour together with 3/4 of the cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and garlic. Layer the potatoes and ham in a casserole dish adding some of the cheese and milk mixture as you add each layer. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top of the casserole and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

Friendships from Frankfurt

On June 6, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany1 Comment

One of the last things that we did before leaving Frankfurt was to go around to our favorite places and take photos of some of the friends that we had made. We feel fortunate to have met such wonderful people who were a tremendous help to us as we struggled to live in a foreign country where we knew very little of the language. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Friend, so here are just a few photos of the friends that we made during our time in Germany.

Brothers Grimm Museum in Kassel, Germany

On June 5, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany2 Comments

Kassel is part of the German Fairy Tale Route and is best known for being where the Brother’s Grimm went to university and lived. The museum itself is dedicated more to the work that the brothers did on documenting the German language and creating the definitive German dictionary than on the fairy tales that made them legendary. The tales themselves were collected by the brothers by visiting the owners of inns on the heavily traveled roads in the area. The owners of the inns would recount stories told by travelers as they passed through the region, which provided the brothers with a rich collection of folklore to work with.

Over time, the brothers wrote down and printed over 200 stories, which are still popular to this day. Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, and Rapunzel are just a few of the folklore stories that the brothers published during their illustrious careers.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany, which is now the starting point of the fairy tale route. They moved to Kassel to attend the University of Marburg, which only had about 200 students. Jacob became the court librarian to the King of Westphalia and later became librarian in Kassel. Although the museum isn’t solely focused on the fairy tales, it is still very interesting and worth visiting. Children will definitely have fun seeing the various exhibits, but the museum is perfect for people of all ages. If you travel the German Fairy Tale Route or plan a trip to Kassel, you should definitely take a few hours to visit this fascinating museum.