Spaghetti Sauce: The jars of pasta sauce here are half the size of the ones we’re used to (at about the same price) and do not taste at all the same. I make a big batch in the crock pot and then freeze half of it for another meal.
Vanilla extract: This common American baking ingredient is nowhere to be found in Germany. They have something called “vanilla aroma” that is a white oily liquid. I found out how easy it is to make it online: Get some vodka, add vanilla beans, shake twice a week, ready in 6 weeks. Mine will be ready by Halloween, just in time for the holiday baking season! Plus, when you use a third of the bottle, add more vodka. I will soon have a bottomless supply of vanilla extract! Yay!
Brown sugar: Another American baking staple that is hard to find here. While they do have small bags of dark brown sugar at the Asian market in Leipzig, we don’t go there very often so often times I make my own using molasses and white sugar. Mix together and store in an airtight container!
Granola bars: Even the healthy ones at the store have preservatives. Plus, it is cheaper to make them. I sometimes wrap them individually and put them in the freezer. Jason grabs them for breakfast with a banana on days he has to work early.
Beans: No, I don’t grow them. I buy dried beans instead of canned beans, make a big batch, and freeze them in “can-sized” portions for recipes. If I forget to take one out of the freezer, just put the frozen brick of beans in a colander in the sink and run some water over them. You can buy canned kidney beans, garbanzo beans (sometimes), and white beans here, but not black beans or pintos.
Bread: We often use the bread maker for this, but I also discovered a new secret! I came across an article online describing a method where you take some flour, yeast, salt, and water and mix it in a big bucket and sit it on the counter for a couple hours, then refrigerate, and then you can use chunks of the dough for making all kinds of artisan bready things for up to 2 weeks! No kneading and super fast. I would HIGHLY recommend the method for making your own bakery-quality artisan bread for SUPER cheap! It is SO easy and I have been making that super crusty bread that is soft and chewy in the middle for about 50 cents a loaf. The article is here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx. All of the information you need to get started is in the article and you don’t even need the book (although I did order it and am picking it up when we visit for Thanksgiving!). I don’t even have a pizza stone, I use a cookie sheet turned upside-down for now, and it still works. I recently used a hunk of dough to make apple cinnamon rolls... SO yummy (same as the recipe in the article, except I added chopped apples before rolling)!
Pizza: Now that I have my artisan bread dough recipe down I can make pizza at a moment’s notice! It is much cheaper than getting take-out and even cheaper (and tastier, and healthier) than the frozen kind at the grocery store. I made pizza for London and I for lunch today and by the time the oven was done preheating (about 15 minutes), I had grabbed a chunk of dough, rolled it out, added toppings, put it in the oven, and wiped the flour off the counter.
Pizza sauce: Too expensive, not what we are used to, and SO easy to make your own and store in the refrigerator.
Popscicles: I know, not a necessity, but way cheaper and healthier than buying them at the store! Our favorite is yogurt mixed with mushed bananas and also “fudge pops” from a recipe I found online. We also like 100% juice.
Italian sausage: The stuff we’re used to buying in America is nowhere to be found here. Too many other sausages to choose from, I guess. We get a big package of ground pork, mix in some spices, and freeze it in smaller portions for meals down the road.
Breakfast sausage: Same as above. They do have these really nice mini-bratwursts that we get for breakfast sometimes, but also make our own breakfast sausage to freeze.
Popcorn: Did you know that you can make a batch in a regular pot on the stove? Lol! And it is better than the microwave stuff. Crazy!
Tortillas: They sell one brand of white tortillas here (sadly, no corn) and they are so thick and stiff even after heating that they tear really easily (and they are kinda yucky). If we are really craving burritos we make our own flour tortillas, just roll them out and bake them in a skillet.
Salad dressing: Pretty much nothing here is like what we are used to. They do have one really good Bertoli Balsamic salad dressing that costs 3 Euros for a tiny bottle, at least half the size of the gigantic American salad dressing bottles. I tried once before in the States making my own salad dressing and it was gross. After looking at many recipes online, I can now make my own balsamic vinaigrette that is not half bad! Plus it is SO cheap to make.
