This is a weird one. When you see the name “Toast Hawaii,” you probably wouldn’t think that this is an actual German staple. But, somehow, it is. Gaining massive popularity in the 1950s, it remained a lazy-meal favorite up until the ’80s. While Americans were raving about their jello salads, Germans genuinely thought they had reinvented gourmet dining with Toast Hawaii. Jokes aside, this quick little meal is the perfect solution for evenings when you just don’t have the time or the mood to cook a full-size goulash. Plus, it is highly customizable to everyone’s taste!

The History of Germany’s Favorite “Lazy Meal”

Somehow, we Germans just love to add ham and pineapple to anything and call it “Hawaii”—Pizza Hawaii being another famous example. Then, of course, there is the bread. For Americans, toast is simply any sliced bread that has been—you guessed it—toasted. But Europeans decided that “toast” specifically has to be square white sandwich bread.

The name was introduced by Clemens Wilmenrod, a 1950s German TV chef. Considering the timing makes it potentially less a lazy-meal, and more a budget-meal. It made you experience luxury for little money.

The Four Essential Ingredients (And How to Customize It)

So now we have pineapple, ham, and toast. What’s missing? Cheese, of course. With those four ingredients, you have the classic base. You simply place some ham on a slice of bread, top it with a pineapple ring, and cap it off with a slice of your favorite cheese. There are plenty of variations out there—some people substitute mushrooms for the pineapple, and I personally like to add a bit of mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and sometimes a dash of paprika powder.

Little fun fact: The original German recipe from the ’50s actually used a processed cheese slice that is incredibly close to classic American cheese!

Let’s jump right into the recipe!

To my wife Ali it was very much like a sweeter ham and cheese sandwich. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Feel like not so weird German food? Check out my Schnitzel with Mushroom Gravy! 🥨🦉

What are Schupfnudeln? A Swabian Staple

Schupfnudeln are a typical Swabian staple. You can find them at the Cannstatter Volksfest (Stuttgart’s Oktoberfest), at Christmas markets, and in many Swabian restaurants. They are similar to gnocchi-like dishes in taste but definitely not in shape. While gnocchi can come with a variety of sauces and have no single typical sauce to be served with, Schupfnudeln are typically served with sauerkraut and some form of diced ham.

From the Roman Empire to the Thirty Years’ War: A Brief History

I would have liked to make the statement that Schupfnudeln outdate gnocchi, but my research showed that gnocchi-like dishes were already around during the times of the Roman Empire, and the Swabian version became a thing later in the 1600s during the Thirty Years’ War. Both dishes had nothing to do with their current form since potatoes only later became a thing in Europe. Analogous to my Spätzle post, Schupfnudeln are the Swabian answer to Italian gnocchi!

A Childhood Craving: Why I Once Ordered Schupfnudeln Without the Steak

A little anecdote from my childhood is me being in a restaurant with my family, and when it was my turn to order, I asked if I could have the Rostbraten (a beef sirloin steak with sautéed onions) with Schupfnudeln and sauerkraut but without the Rostbraten. When I was starting my sentence, I could see my parents’ faces changing since Rostbraten is the most expensive dish on the menu; once I said I did not want the beef, their faces changed and everyone laughed. Except for me; I was confused. It was a valid order! Today, I would not cut out the Rostbraten anymore. (Stay tuned for my recipe!)

Why Homemade German Potato Noodles are Worth the Effort

In Germany, it never crossed my mind to make Schupfnudeln myself. The easier route was always just buying them in the store. This recipe was provided to me by my sister; it definitely is the real deal! Rolling the noodles will take a little time, but it will be worth it.

Did you try my recipe? Let me know in the comments how it turned out! 🥨🦉

What is a Hefezopf? A German Breakfast Staple

A Hefezopf is a traditional German sweet brioche-like bread shaped into braids. It gets special attention during Easter time and is a typical bread to dunk in your fresh coffee or hot chocolate for breakfast or “Kaffee und Kuchen”, the German coffee hour. It is characterized by a soft, fluffy texture, often topped with pearl sugar or sliced almonds, and sometimes contains raisins. The Hefezopf only takes a couple of hours to make, and even I succeeded at it!

Fresh vs. Dry Yeast: Tips for Baking German Bread in the USA

The Secret Ingredient: Why Lemon Zest is Non-Negotiable

You can modify the recipe with all kinds of fillings, like raisins, chocolate chips, or other dried fruits, and also with the toppings you can be creative. The only non-negotiable ingredient is the lemon zest. It gives the Hefezopf its distinct taste and without it, it’s just some brioche dough!

Utilize the wait!

The dough needs roughly 2 hours to rise. This gives you enough time to read my article about the differences I observed between American and German Easter or to go to your local hotspot for a birding quickie.

Check out Ali’s Oreo Truffles to create your own German American coffee hour snacks!

I hope you could enjoy this recipe. If you tried, leave a rating and a comment below! 🥨🦉

Swabian cuisine has plenty of nice appetizers up its sleeve. One of them is the Bätscher.

A Bätscher is made with a very hearty yeast dough, topped with sour cream, chives, bacon, caraway (!), or whatever else your heart desires. While the original is made in a wood stove, this recipe works just fine with a normal oven at home. Some say they are called Dätscher; others say Dätscher are something completely different.

The Secret of making Swabian Bätscher

A little background on this specific recipe: My sister and her friends do a 24-day Christmas calendar each year. One year, they gifted each other recipes along with the ingredients, and Bätscher was one of them. My sister provided it to me, but it was just the ingredient list and a quick paragraph saying “make the dough” before it was cut off. So, I had to get creative here!

I hope you enjoy the recipe. And you know what is better than one Swabian appetizer with weird names? Several of them! Find my full list of German appetizers here!

Bätscher are a perfect appetizer for your German dinner. For your main course you could try Goulash or maybe Schnitzel? 🥨🦉

This is a brief collection of German appetizers you may have never heard of. All of them are either available in my recipe index already or will be coming soon! I will update this collection as I add more, so make sure to subscribe to my mailing list so you don’t miss any!

Four-Ingredient Pastry Snack Snails

These were the very first recipe I posted on this page! They only require four ingredients: puff pastry dough, cream cheese, shredded cheese, and bacon. They are incredibly easy to make and even easier to overeat—so make sure you have someone to share them with!

Käsefüße (Savory Cheese Cookies)

In German, Käsefüße is what we call “smelly feet,” but Käse also means cheese. This is a bit of a play on words since these cookies traditionally come in the shape of a foot. They can best be described as a savory cheese biscuit; my friends actually compared them to the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits! The dough is easy to prepare, and they are delicious both warm and cold. Try them at your next social gathering!

Bätscher

Bätscher will likely be unknown even to most Germans, as they are a super-local snack from my Swabian home region. They are made with a yeast dough and topped with sour cream, chives, caraway seeds, bacon, or whatever else you like. When serving them as a starter, you can make them tiny for finger food, but they can also be made larger for a main meal. My sister thankfully provided me with a recipe that a friend of ours uses, and they are always a hit at buffets!

Birder’s Note: Many of these appetizers are sturdy enough to be packed in a container and brought along on a birding trip. There’s nothing better than a homemade Bätscher while waiting for a rare migrant to show up! 🥨🦉

These savory crackers (Käsefüße) are a staple at German parties. They are buttery, cheesy, and perfectly salty—the ultimate companion for a glass of wine or a cold beer while watching birds from the porch.

The Legend of the “Käsefüße” Scroll

Back in the day, when I was a little kid in Germany, there was a massive trend of gifting a specific cookie cutter in the shape of a foot. Attached to the cutter was always a little paper scroll tied with a ribbon. When you unrolled the scroll, you found the original recipe for “Käsefüße” (Cheese Feet).

For quite some time, these were at every social gathering—everywhere! Us kids loved them, especially fresh out of the oven, when the cheese and other fatty components were still melted and gooey inside the crisp shell.

I served the Käsefüße for my birthday celebration and people were comparing them with the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I never had those, but they said they were great!

If you liked these, you should also try my pastry dough snack snails!

How did you like my recipe? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list! 🥨🦉

Goulash, or Gulasch in German, is a paprika-heavy beef stew (sometimes with venison or pork). It is my go-to meal when I have plenty of time to cook, it was the first “real” German meal I ever prepared for my fiancée, Ali, and it is my top choice whenever I need to provide food for a large group of people.

A Childhood Love-Hate Relationship

Goulash and I have a long history. When I was a young child, my mother or father would cook it using very fatty stew meat. It was always served with either spiral pasta, Spätzle, or rice—and never without apple sauce.

I had a love hate-relationship with it. I didn’t particularly like the texture of the fatty beef, but on the occasions when my parents bought nice, lean meat, the meal was like a dream.

The College Evolution my Goulash

When I first started college and began cooking for myself, I tried to make Goulash on my own. It was okay, but it was never as good as I remembered it. Over the years, I tried again and again. Through that process, I learned better cooking techniques: I discovered that red wine is non-negotiable for my palate, and I learned that you can simply never have enough paprika in a good Goulash.

Global Variations and Culture Shock

Over time, I also learned that not all Goulash is created equal. For instance, I discovered that in Hungary, Goulash is actually a quite thin soup, often containing potato cubes and served only with bread. The meal I refer to as “Goulash” is actually called Pörkölt over there.

However, my biggest culture shock came when I learned what “American Goulash” is. Macaroni with ground beef? That was quite a surprise! I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet it’s still delicious.

Writing Down my Goulash “Non-Recipe”

I never actually used a recipe to cook Goulash, so writing down “my” version for the first time and comparing it to the information available online was quite rewarding. It was interesting to see that my version has some unique characteristics, yet it doesn’t reinvent an already great meal.

I hope you enjoy my recipe. For the summer, I am planning to make a version of Hungarian Goulash while camping, so stay tuned!

If you liked my Goulash Recipe, you should also try my Sauerbraten!

My Side recommendations are Spätzle, Knödel, Pasta, Mashed Potatoes.

My fiancée, Ali, takes a lot of pride in this recipe. It is a very simple variant of strawberry Oreo truffles, and it has its own little story of “successful failure.”

The “Crazy Aunt” Inspiration

Ali originally got a recipe for strawberry Oreo truffles from her “crazy aunt,”. The first attempt to recreate them failed miserably—it was a total mess with the fresh strawberries and the whipped cream. Her next attempt was only slightly better after she decided to leave out the whipped cream.

Finally, on the third attempt, she said, “f* it, I’m just replacing the wet strawberries with chocolate chips,” and the result was amazing!

From Failure to Favorite

Only later did she find out that many recipes call for freeze-dried strawberries instead of fresh or frozen ones. But without that little failure, the Oreo truffles as they are today would not exist.

Today, these truffles are her go-to dish to bring to social gatherings and a consistent favorite on our Friendsgiving nights. Best of all, they only require four simple ingredients:

• Vanilla Oreos (or any other Oreos, but Vanilla are just the best for us!)
• A brick of cream cheese!
• Chocolate Chips
• Vanilla Coating

We hope you enjoy this easy recipe!

If you are interested in more Ali’s American Family Classics, you should try her recipe for Spinach Artichoke Dip.

When you are interested in what else a German guy is doing in Michigan, you can check out my birding guides and reports like the summer trip to the Pointe Mouillee SGA.

Let me know what you think in the comments below! 🥨🦉

It surprises a lot of people that German cuisine has a lot of weird-sounding sour meals other than the obvious Sauerkraut. Everybody knows of Schnitzel and Potato Salad, but what about Saure Nieren (Sour Kidneys), Saure Kutteln (Sour Tripe), or the more common Sauerbraten (Sour Roast)? The latter is the star of today’s post.

The Great Sauerbraten Divide

First, if a German talks about Sauerbraten, they could mean two different things: the “Rheinische Sauerbraten” (Rhineland style) and the “Schwäbische Sauerbraten” (Swabian style)—and all the other local variations. Since I am very much focused on my home area, Swabia, this is the Sauerbraten we will talk about here. It is more actually sour than the Rhine version, which is commonly served with a sweeter gravy.

An Adult’s Appreciation for the Sour

I wish I could say that Sauerbraten was a childhood favorite. When my mother was making it, my brother and I were not really amazed. Sour meals were tough to sell to us. Just like I developed a taste for bitterness as an adult, I also developed a taste for sour things, which goes beyond sweet-and-sour Haribo gummies.

The Challenge of the American Kitchen

The Swabian Sauerbraten gets its taste through brining the beef roast for at least three days in red wine vinegar, red wine, and a mixture of vegetables and spices. The challenge in the US is finding all those spices. In this recipe, I will use some replacement products. The following items from the original recipe got replaced:

• Juniper Berries: Instead of juniper berries, you can use a mix of caraway seeds and rosemary. If even caraway seeds are hard to obtain, try coriander seeds!
• Mirepoix: Obviously, you can get all the mirepoix vegetables in the US, but unlike in Germany, you cannot buy a nice pack of carrots, celery root, leeks, and parsley. You have to buy those separately. My replacement here is that I replaced the leeks with nothing and used the celery stalks instead of the roots.
• Mustard Seeds: You can replace the tablespoon of seeds with a teaspoon full of ground mustard.

My recipe considers the first two ingredient replacements already. You can of course use celery root, juniper berries, and leeks, if those are available to you! 🥨🦉

Serve with your choice of sides. I recommend red cabbage, bread dumplings or spaetzle.

Did you try my recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments below!

If you are looking to eat a Sauerbraten in a local Detroit restaurant, check out the Dakota Inn! I have written a little article about them and some other German restaurants in the Detroit metro. 🥨🦉

A Semmelknoedel (bread dumpling) is a simple side commonly served with all kinds of roasts, Goulash, or as the star of the show just served with mushroom gravy. They are easily done, and can be sustainable when old bread is used instead of being thrown away.

Now, all you need to do is try it yourself! No worries if your dumplings are not perfect at first. They will still be great!

Did you try my recipe? Let me know in the comments below!

On the search for some appetizers you can serve your dinner party before serving your Knödel with Goulash? I got the right collection here for you!