Simple German dinner

Yes, we're still here. I know it has been a while. After our long hiatus from cooking and posting, we're enjoying a week of great food.

This past Sunday, we made our first Around the World dinner since summer. It was a simple meal: open-faced sandwiches, German potato salad, and homemade Christmas cookies.

M is school, enjoying pajama day on the last day before Winter Break starts. He told me to let you know that he really liked the meal, especially the sandwiches and the potato salad.

German Potato Salad (from epicurious.com)

2 lbs potatoes
2/3 cup vinegar
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon powdered dry mustard
1 scallion, finely chopped

Dice potatoes and cook in boiling water until tender. Set aside. In a large pan, cook vinegar, water, sugar cornstarch and mustard on high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce to simmer and stir until thickened. Add potatoes, salt, pepper and scallions. Mix carefully to prevent mashing the potatoes.

German Christmas cookies (from cooks.com, we made a 1/4 recipe which gave us 30 cookies)

8 eggs
4 cups sugar
4 oz. chopped citron
4 oz. blanched almonds
grated rind of 2 lemons
9 cups flour
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Beat 8 eggs. Add 4 cups sugar, beat until smooth, about 15 minutes. Add 4 ounces chopped citron, 4 ounces blanched almonds, (which have been coarsely chopped) and the grated rind of 2 lemons.

Sift together 9 cups flour, add 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper to flour and sift again. Add to the first mixture.

Roll out dough 3/4 inch thick. Cut into small rounds 1-inch in diameter.

Before baking, turn each cookie upside down, put a drop of water on each and bake at 350°F. for 15 minutes.