roommate dinners

So we’ve finished our roommate dinners. About a week ago my roommate from Germany had her turn first. She made Bulette with Kartoffelsalat and Käsekuchen mit rote Grütze for dessert.

 the Bulette with the Kartoffelsalat

 You gotta have some German Bier to go with the meal!

 and the delicious Käsekuchen mit rote Grütze

Bulette is sort of like a mini meatloaf or meatball but more in the shape of a hamburger. Germans apparently eat them on a roll or just by themselves with some mustard or another desired condiment. We had ours with mustard and the Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) on the side. The kind of Kartoffelsalat she made she said was specific to Berlin because of the lack of mayonnaise. There was mustard, some veggies (including pickles!) and oil/vinegar dressing. It was actually really good! The pickles threw me off, but I like pickles, so it turns out I also like them in potato salad.

Desert was definitely the highlight, however. Käsekuchen is basically cheese cake, but instead of being thick and so dense that you can barely eat it as it is in the states, it’s lighter and fluffier. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s still full of sugar and fat, but it doesn’t feel quite as much like you just ate a brick when you’re done. :) The rote Grütze was basically a cherry topping but it was made with sweet cherries as well as these very small red cherries that are very tart so it complemented the mild cheese cake wonderfully.

Then a few days later it was my Italian roommate’s turn. He stuck to a tried and true classic, spaghetti with Caprese salad. The sauce on the spaghetti was amazing! We were all wondering what his secret was – olive oil, lots and lots of olive oil! Oh it was delicious! The Caprese Salad was also dressed lightly in olive oil and had green olives in the center as well. According to him, that is traditional. I’m always a fan of carbs and tomato sauce so this was definitely a meal right up my alley! 

 Caprese Salad

 Spaghetti

Both meals were probably more importantly accompanied by more fantastic conversation. I’ve had such a wonderful time getting to know the two of them and learning more about both of their cultures. I’m so lucky that the Lord provided me with a truly great place to spend my 6 weeks!