Oh Boy! How I do love this time of the year! Everything is so fresh and green. The air smells amazing. This is due, among other things, to the fine scent of the delicate elderflower. As soon as these flowers bloom my heart leaps for joy. I love to use them to refine cakes, tarts and also hearty dishes. This year I made elderflower vinegar again. To do this, I simply put elderflowers in good red wine vinegar for 4 weeks. Then I filter the flowers from the vinegar. It gives salad a very special touch. Today I would like to finally share one of my absolute sweet favorite recipes with elderflower with you. The basis for this is a quickly made and eggless lemon curd. If the elderflower season is already over, you can omit the flowers if necessary. If you don’t get blackberries, this fluffy Swiss roll also tastes fantastic with raspberries.

The recipe for this incredibly decadent loaf cake is an "isolation creation" that actually waited in the drawer for a year to be released. It was in April 2020 for the first lockdown, where restaurants and cafés were only allowed to offer food and drinks to go. On a sunny Sunday we were with Leo on our way to a playground where sweet smelling sloes were in bloom. To make the most of the whole lockdown situation, we stopped by a café on the way there. We took good cappuccino and a very juicy macadamia cake with espresso and chocolate. We enjoyed both sitting under a sloe bush while Leo played with his excavator in the sand. Then I tried to recreate this cake. I was very happy with the result, but I didn't have the time to post the recipe. After all, I didn't want to post a spring-like cake in the fall. That's why the recipe waited so long and this time I even shot a VIDEO about it. I really hope you like and enjoy this cake too!

In February and March the winter can be very long. Especially when it's still very cold and grey outside and we're in a seemingly never-ending lockdown. That's why I was very happy that florists were allowed to reopen. There I chose the most beautiful poppies and tulips.

Here in Hanover it is a rarity that we have snow in winter. Most of the time there is only a little sleet. Last week we were really happy when we actually had a white “winter wonderland” on our doorstep. Our son had never seen snow before and so we went out a lot with the sledges. And of course we also built a magical little snowman.

Advertising / Since I was a child, I have associated September and October with the large apple harvest in our garden at home. Because I grew up in a very large garden full of old apple trees. When the apples were ripe, we chose a sunny autumn day. Together with family and friends, we celebrated the apple harvest and always made it a little gathering of it. Afterwards there was a typical dish of our Lower Saxony region as a reward for all helpers outside in the sunshine: potato fritters. They are one of the typical favorite dishes of my childhood. Of course there was always apple compote. We liked to mix it with lingonberry compote. Because lingonberries, which can be found in the adjacent Lüneburger Heath region, give the whole thing a very special bitter taste.

Werbung / September und Oktober verbinde ich seit meiner Kindheit mit der großen Apfelernte in unserem heimischen Garten. Denn ich bin in einem sehr großen Garten voller alter Apfelbäume aufgewachsen. Wenn die Äpfel reif waren, haben wir uns einen sonnigen Herbsttag ausgesucht. Zusammen mit der Familie und Freunden haben wir die Apfelernte zelebriert und immer ein kleines Fest daraus gemacht. Hinterher gab es als Belohnung für alle Helfer draußen im Sonnenschein ein typisches Gericht unserer niedersächsischen Region: Kartoffelpuffer. Sie zählen zu den typischen Lieblingsgerichten meiner Kindheit. Natürlich gab es dazu immer Apfelkompott. Den haben wir gerne mit Preiselbeerkompott verrührt. Denn Preiselbeeren, die sich in der angrenzenden Lüneburger Heide finden, geben dem Ganzen eine ganz besondere herbe Geschmacksnote.

Advertising / In this challenging time of Coronavirus, a topic became even more important to me than usual. Finding even more happiness in everyday life, enjoying the little moments and going through life with positive thoughts. This also includes relaxing evenings with delicious and home-cooked meals with my loved ones on the balcony.

Werbung / Während dieser herausfordernden Zeit der Coronakrise ist für mich ein Thema noch wichtiger geworden als sonst. Im Alltag noch mehr Glück zu finden, die kleinen Momente zu genießen und mit positiven Gedanken durchs Leben zu gehen. Dazu gehören auch entspannte Abendstunden mit köstlichen und selbstgekochten Essen mit meinen Lieben auf dem Balkon.

Werbung / Frühstück ist für mich die wichtigste Mahlzeit des Tages, worauf ich mich oft schon am Vorabend freue. Vor allem, wenn ich bereits weiß, was es am nächsten Morgen leckeres zum Frühstück geben wird. Und das ist bei Overnight Oats absolut der Fall. Denn dieses Frühstück   wird am Vorabend schnell mit wenigen Zutaten zusammengerührt und lässt sich unendlich variieren. Meine Lieblingsvariante ist mit Mandelmilch und Mandeln.

Advertising / For me, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which I often look forward to the evening before. Especially when I already know which delicious breakfast we will enjoy the next morning. And that's absolutely the case with Overnight Oats. This breakfast is quickly made on the evening before. You only need just a handful of ingredients and can be varied infinitely. My favourite version is with almond milk and almonds.

Even if this winter was really more than mild, I'm tired of the gray weather. I yearn for spring and I’m happy about the many small signs of spring that I rediscover every day. The magnolias are in the starting blocks and on my way through the forest I brought home a few fragrant sprigs of early blooming cherry branches.

Little by little spring is here and there in sight. Outside the snowdrops are already sprouting and stretching their heads towards the sun. A cold wind is still blowing. That's why I love to make myself comfortable with coffee and freshly baked buns in February after a walk. I like to take an example from the Swedes and Finns, who are famous for their long coffee breaks with pastries.

Werbung / An Weihnachten sind mir vor allem zwei Dinge wichtig: meine Lieben um mich herum zu versammeln und köstliches Essen gemeinsam zu genießen. Die Adventszeit ist mir meistens viel zu hektisch und stressig. Deswegen freue ich mich einfach nur auf die Feiertage, weil dann endlich wieder Ruhe einkehrt. Dann geht es vor allen Dingen darum, durchzuatmen, neue Kraft zu sammeln und vor allem zu genießen. Die Geschenke an Weihnachten spielen ebenfalls keine wichtige Rolle. Für mich brauchen es keine großen materiellen Geschenke sein. Ein besonderes Essen und ein liebevoll gedeckter Tisch, der die richtige Weihnachtsstimmung aufkommen lässt, sind für mich Geschenk genug.

Advertisement / At Christmas, two things are especially important to me: gathering my loved ones around me and enjoying delicious food. The Advent season is usually too hectic and stressful for me. That's why I'm just looking forward to the holidays, because then finally peace returns. Then, it's about breathing through, gathering new strength and, above all, enjoying it. The gifts at Christmas also play no important role. It doesn’t need to be a big material gift for me. A special meal and a lovingly set table, which spreads the right Christmas spirit is gift enough for me.