I’m off to Vienna, then back to Berlin. See you on the 20th of October–auf Wiedersehen!

Below is a third outstanding entry to our recipe contest (now closed–thanks to everyone who participated!), a beautiful and bittersweet tale in which magic occurs in the heart of the beholder.

Mike wrote:

I HATED the smell and taste of my father’s creation, Paul’s Maryland Stuffed Ham. The combination of cabbage, kale and onions, and the 4 hours cooking time saturated our house every Christmas with an odor that I found so very unappealing. But like the yin and yang in life, the Maryland Stuffed Ham represents childhood memories of magical holiday seasons.

My parents went their separate ways when I was six. Mom and I moved to Grandma’s dilapidated three story house in a railroad town in central Pennsylvania and Dad remained in our year round summer cottage in southern Maryland. He worked as a butcher and always cooked for anyone who would let him. Continue reading …