Mennonite on Bruce loves to cook

German platz

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A neighbour used to make this fruity coffee cake weekly. They had a huge boxy house with two kitchens, where the second kitchen was for making desserts and canning. I always thought having a kitchen for large batch cooking was a fantastic idea.

Gurkensalat (German cucumber salad)

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

My Mom (Joanne Rempel) made this salad a lot in my youth and it holds nostalgic memories! I had not had it in years and in my early 40s had a strong craving for it. I found a recipe online and made it for something different. It took me back to my childhood and I still enjoy it as much as I did as a kid!

Oma’s kipfels

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A Kipfel is traditionally a crescent-shaped yeast bread, one of the oldest styles of pastries.

Ann and the kids visited Oma to make these for a school project that Jayda was doing on family heritage, measuring everything from memory. This is an approximation of her method.

Paska buns

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a family recipe, a classic European bun.

When Ann was growing up, her Great Oma Hamm (Oma Rille’s mom) would make Paska bread for Easter. When Great Oma passed away, her recipes disappeared with her as she never wrote anything down. She had her recipes memorized and the measurements were done with her hands. I miss the family traditions of holiday baking and am hoping this recipe brings back some nostalgia.