Author: jmerhar

Empress Earl Grey Chocolate Tea Cake

Empress Earl Grey Chocolate Tea Cake

 ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature  1 cup spelt flour (*see note)  ½ cup unbleached white flour  1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea⁣ (*see note)  1 teaspoon baking powder⁣  ¼ teaspoon salt⁣  1 cup granulated sugar⁣  2 teaspoons grated orange zest   ¼ teaspoon vanilla  2 

Schlosshotel Kronberg: Where Luxury and Love Coexist

Schlosshotel Kronberg: Where Luxury and Love Coexist

Sleeping under the slate roof of Schlosshotel Kronberg will leave those who appreciate history, design and luxury happy. It’s a castle, but staying within the art lined halls feels like overnighting at the wealthy aunt’s home you dreamt you’d had. The estate was completed in 

Verona: Where Streets are Paved Pink

Verona: Where Streets are Paved Pink

In Verona leave your rose colored glasses at home. This Italian city is steeped in romance and passion, even the pedestrian alleyways are paved in pink limestone. Scribbled hearts with names and poems are written on walls, telephone poles and public letter boxes. You can’t 

Gruene Hall: A Snake. A Beer. A Memory

Gruene Hall: A Snake. A Beer. A Memory

(This post is a memory from 2014.) Walking into Gruene Hall, boots are greeted not only by worn wooden floorboards, but with a clacking sound as heels scoot over weathered metal license plates that are nailed to the floor. I wasn’t sure if their purpose was to add 

Not a Typical Love Story

Not a Typical Love Story

(Written in 2014) Falling in love with someone nearly half my age wasn’t the plan. After all, I’ve been happily married for seventeen years. We even have four daughters. I most certainly didn’t expect my ten-year-old and a pop icon to introduce me to this 

From Proust to Prost: Trink Magazine

From Proust to Prost: Trink Magazine

Proud to have a piece I wrote about a special Wiesbadener included in Trink Magazine. Prost, to Holger ~

Todd Bruney’s (Grandmother’s) Fig Cake

Todd Bruney’s (Grandmother’s) Fig Cake

Todd is a true Southern gentleman for sharing his Grandmother’s delicious family treasure. Your house will smell like the comforts of fall when this cake is baking. The final outcome is dense, moist and packed with flavors of autumn. *Note: you can replace equal amounts 

Where Souls Blossom: The Dominican Hotel

Where Souls Blossom: The Dominican Hotel

An “urban oasis” in Brussels is a five minute walk from Central Station and steps from the Grand’Place. The gentle hum of Gregorian chants drift through the rooms and elevators ushering cares and concerns toward the place they belong, the exit. The ambience of the 

Spelt Pumpkin Bread (Hildegard Inspired)

Spelt Pumpkin Bread (Hildegard Inspired)

1 ½ cups spelt flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 4 eggs 1 cup white sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ cup canned 

Pumpkin Cannelloni (Frankfurt for Cooks)

Pumpkin Cannelloni (Frankfurt for Cooks)

This below recipe was sent courtesy of Frankfurt for Cooks and was also printed in SHAPE Community Life Magazine, September 2021 issue. Pumpkin Cannelloni Ingredients: 250g pumpkin flesh, 50g water for cooking pumpkin and more for cooking pasta sheets,1 stalk of lemon grass,1.5 Tbsp olive