German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich)

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Dang.

Germany lost to Spain in the semifinals of the World Cup.

I refused to listen to Paul the Octopus.

I'm bummed.

I made a cake to celebrate after what I was sure to be a German win. The cake is called Bienenstich, which translates as bee sting cake. It was one of my absolute favorites to buy in the German pastry shops when I lived there. The cake is sort of a sweet bread with a vanilla custard filling topped with honeyed almonds. This recipe tastes just like what I remember.

But...

There was no celebrating, and I'm here by myself eating an enormous piece.

It helps.

Just like I told the Argentine fans, "There's always next time." But, four years is so far away.

I think I'll have seconds.

 In honor of the German side...

I probably shouldn't admit this, but I like to pick off the 

candied almonds first, lick out the custard center, and then

eat the cake.

Argentine Empanadas

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On July 3, we were a house divided. Germany was playing against Argentina in the World Cup.

The World Cup may not be that big of a deal in the rest of the US, but it most certainly is in our home. Katie, Chloe and Tomas wanted Argentina to win while Liam and I were cheering for Germany.

To mark the occasion, Katie made Argentine empanadas. These amazing filled pastries are so addicting, I had to share the recipe. I'm sure I downed a half dozen easily. Katie got the recipe from her parents, who lived in Argentina. Katie has then continued to fine tune and perfect it. Katie's empanadas would do Diego Maradona and the Argentine soccer team proud.

Too bad it didn't help them win. In fact, Germany trounced all over Argentina, 4-0.

Oh well. There's always next time, right? If you're bummed about Argentina, try one of these empanadas. Not a bad consolation, and they'll cheer you up in a jiffy.

By the way, you may be wondering if I did anything special for the game. Well, to bring the German team good luck, I ate a German chocolate bar. I'm always more than happy to do my part. However, stay tuned. I think I will make some sort of German culinary creation for when Germany plays Spain in the semis.

Lookin' mighty "caliente".

Look at Katie's fine crimping work. You can use a fork if 
you'd like.

I wonder how "nom, nom, nom" translates into Spanish.