Vintage Kitchen Vixen

German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpfannkuchen)

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Kartoffelpfannkuchen, or, German potato pancakes, is a simple traditional dish that makes for an easy meal. All you need are a handful of ingredients, a food processor and hot skillet!

plate of german potato pancakes Kartoffelpfannkuchen

This Easy German Potato Pancakes recipe post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

GERMAN POTATO PANCAKES RECIPE VIDEO

I don’t call myself the Vintage Kitchen Vixen for nothing. If you’re new to the Kitchen and enjoy my unique video style, I hope you’ll subscribe to my YouTube channel!

WHAT ARE GERMAN POTATO PANCAKES?

Growing up, German potato pancakes were a special treat on our table. Of course, we just called them potato pancakes, but when I asked my mom for her recipe, she looked at me blankly.

“Do you mean latkes?” she asked.

“When have you ever called them latkes, Mom? You’ve always called them potato pancakes.”

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Preparing for a Food Shortage the Vintage Way

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When preparing for a food shortage, it isn’t a bad idea to revive the vintage skills that sustained our ancestors through many a tough season. They knew what to do when times got tough and so can you. Self-sufficiency is everything!

vintage photo of a woman in her larder

This Preparing for a Food Shortage post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

PREPARING FOR A FOOD SHORTAGE VIDEO

Are you new to the Kitchen? Well, there’s a video to go with this post! To find more videos like it, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

ARE WE IN FOR HARD TIMES?

I don’t want to be an alarmist, but we may be in for some tough times. At the time of writing this, there are signs that the food supply chain is breaking down. There are fast food joints that can’t sell beef burgers because of supply issues. In Canada, there are now “flexitarian” burgers up for sale that mix ground beef with veggie ground round to stretch the supply. The price of meat is shooting up so fast that it’s leaving people dizzy. These are uncertain times, there’s no doubt about that. Instead of getting worked up, let’s prepare ourselves.

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Easy Duck Prosciutto (a nitrate-free recipe)

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There’s something satisfying about slicing up charcuterie knowing you cured it yourself. This easy duck prosciutto recipe will leave you wondering why you haven’t made this before now.

duck prosciutto slices

This Easy Duck Prosciutto recipe post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

EASY DUCK PROSCIUTTO VIDEO

For a quick and easy tutorial, check out the video. If you’re new to the Kitchen, you’ll notice that I do a little something called “silent-film mode”. Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel if you like what you see!

THE PERFECT CURING PROJECT FOR BEGINNERS

Before making this easy duck prosciutto recipe for the first time, I thought curing meat was a complicated process best left to the pros. Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, the authors of Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing, showed me I was wrong. Their recipe, which is the one I’ll be sharing with you today, calls for three simple ingredients: kosher salt, a duck breast, and white pepper. Other than that, you’ll need a non-reactive container (like glass), cheesecloth and kitchen string. Oh, and a bit of time and a cool spot for curing. You might not want to hear this, but you’ll need a minimum of eight days from start to finish.

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Foraging for Garlic Mustard and How to Use It

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Garlic mustard is an invasive species that was brought over to North America by European settlers at the turn of the 19th century. Foraging for garlic mustard not only helps the native plant species in affected areas, but it’s fun to play with culinary-wise, too! 

foraging for garlic mustard

This Foraging for Garlic Mustard recipe post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

FORAGING FOR GARLIC MUSTARD VIDEO

Watch me forage in my backyard for early spring garlic mustard. Next, I painstakingly clean my hard-earned prizes and turn them into garlic mustard pesto and horseradish. If you’re new to the Kitchen and like what you see, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

WHAT’S GARLIC MUSTARD?

If you’re new to foraging, garlic mustard is an invasive plant species that was introduced to North America at the turn of the 19th century. The European settlers valued it for its medicinal and culinary properties. Today, it’s seen as a weed and for conservationists, one that’s threatening native species. In forests, garlic mustard is starving native plant species by robbing them of the soil fungi they need to thrive. This is why conservationists are starting to encourage people to pick this plant. Some other names that it goes by include Penny Hedge, Poor Man’s Mustard, and Garlic Root.

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Seared Duck Breast & Arugula Salad

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Learning how to sear a duck breast is a kitchen skill every meat eater should master. Today we’re diving into how to cook a juicy medium-rare duck breast to top an arugula salad with a zesty French vinaigrette.  Delicious!

seared duck breast arugula salad

This Seared Duck Breast recipe post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

SEARED DUCK BREAST & ARUGULA SALAD VIDEO TUTORIAL

Thank goodness my recipe videos are done in the style of a silent film! My smoke alarm went off twice in the making of this video tutorial. Oops! If you’re new to the Kitchen and want to see more videos like this, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

WHY SHOULD I EAT DUCK?

seasoned raw duck breast

If you’re a meat-eater, learning how to serve up a juicy medium-rare duck breast is a kitchen skill you will want to have in your arsenal. Although duck is lumped under the poultry category, it is red meat and it is absolutely delicious. Did you know that duck is healthy, too? While duck skin is fatty, duck fat is rich in vitamin K, which is something we should all be striving for in our diets. Overall, duck is a flavourful nutrient-dense protein that should be way more popular than it is.

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Making the Most of Staying at Home

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Making the most of staying at home is the only thing we can really do during a lock-down. Here are some coping mechanisms to help keep you afloat!

making the most of staying at home country airbnb

This Making the Most of Staying at Home post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

MAKING THE MOST OF STAYING AT HOME VIDEO

If you want me to hear me rant, rave, and waffle about what I’ve been doing to keep sane, here’s the video. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want to see more videos like this!

IT’S NOT EASY

Last November I decided to quit my job to stay at home with my little boy. It was an easy decision for me to make because it’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I’m a homebody and I love taking care of my family. Still, this CV crisis hits hard. My husband’s been working from home for over a month, I can’t take my little one to the park, and my social outlets are missing. Then there’s the fear which is the hardest part for me. I hate bearing witness to the panic, fear and anxiety that’s gripping so many people. As someone who usually stays at home, here’s what I do to thrive.

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