Hi Cooking Moms, Dads & Friends,

I hope you had a good week! We’ve had a wonderful week in Italy. There are 45 of us here for one of my culinary vacations. What a fun group! This week we’ve been in Tuscany. The weather has been perfect. We’ve spent the week touring some of the most beautiful Tuscany vineyards and tasting the delicious Italian wines.

The food on this trip is terrific! We’ve eaten Tuscan steak and risotto, loads of Italian cheese, salami and piles of prosciutto. One of the highlights of the trip so far is the cooking classes. They have been authentically wonderful! We’ve learned how to make so many authentic Italian dishes like homemade pasta, gnocchi, the best ever bruschetta, and the most wonderful Italian desserts too like an amazing almond cake and my favorite tiramisu!

Speaking of dessert we also went on search of the ULTIMATE gelato and we found it. We got to meet the most famous gelato maker in all of Italy! His gelato was heavenly!

Today we get to take another cooking class with a real Italian mamma. Tomorrow we are going truffle hunting. Then, we’ll get to enjoy an entire meal of dishes made with truffles. This is gonna to be fun! After Tuscany, my group is headed to spend a few days on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. I’m so excited to explore this part of Italy. Bring on the seafood and the sunsets! We’ll even go by boat to the Island of Capri. I promise to post loads more pictures of my trip on Facebook and Instagram. Follow me!

Who wants to go with me to Italy next September? It’s the best time of year to visit! Click Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom to find out more about what makes my group trips special and different from the rest! Email me at [email protected] and let me know if you are interested in going with me to Italy next year. I’ll be announcing next year's details and pricing VERY SOON! Stay tuned!

Wow, summer and September sure flew by, but I do love fall in Wisconsin. When I get home I cannot wait to celebrate Oktoberfest! My way of doing it is just making my favorite German recipes. Back when I was in college at Marquette University, I used to work at a legendary German restaurant in Milwaukee called Mader’s. Have you been there? I haven’t been there in decades but the food used to be delicious and the place to go for German food!

When I’m craving German food, I make my German Dinner in the Slow Cooker. It reminds me of my days at Mader’s. Sauerkraut, potatoes, apples, smoked sausage and a beer. What's not to love? It's so easy! Not to mention the house smells so good when this is cooking. YUMMY! What a great dinner to come home to. Click Dinners and Slow Cooker for more main dish ideas.

On the side, I love my Spinach Salad with Sweet and Sour Dressing and my homemade 4-ingredient Beer Bread. It's so much cheaper to make than those box beer bread mixes. It costs just pennies and it's so good. Click Sides and Salads for more ideas.

It’s still grilling season. For game day we love doing brats my way in my Brat Tub. The BEST WAY EVER to do brats!

If you like brats, you’ll LOVE my Brat Bundles. Perfect for game day! Click Appetizers for more munchie and dip recipes.

Here’s my new super Easy German Potato Salad recipe! It’s so delicious with whatever you’re grilling this fall and it’s a 30 minute recipe, maybe even less. LOVE that! Delicious warm or cold.

For breakfast, why not really WOW the family with my German Apple Pancake? I love this recipe because it makes you look like a total rockstar! Nobody needs to know how easy it was to make. And here again, you probably have all the ingredients to make it right now. So, what are you waiting for? Makes the house smell so good. And no flipping pancakes all morning!

We love it with Brown Sugar Bacon. Brew up some coffee and maybe make a mimosa too, and that’s a great Sunday brunch. Bring it on! Click Breakfast & Brunch for lots more recipes.

For dessert, it’s gotta be German Chocolate Cake! The coconut pecan frosting is SO GOOD. Click Desserts for more tasty dessert recipes.

Order Amy's Cookbooks!

If you like my recipes, I think you will love my cookbooks. Both of my cookbooks are full color, and each is filled with nearly 200 unique recipes. Lots of secrets, tips and fun stories, too! Click Amy's Books on Amazon to order.

The Cooking Mom Vacations! Time is Running Out to Join Me in Mexico This Winter!

Escape Winter and Join me in Puerto Vallarta in January 2022! Fall is here and you know what happens after that. Let’s beat the winter blues and spend a week in one of my favorite cities, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! This is gonna be a relaxing trip filled with AMAZING Mexican food and margaritas! We’ve got a SUPER FUN group going. Join me! We’ll stay in a small (just 70 rooms), 4-diamond luxury beach front resort. All of your gourmet food and wine and top shelf cocktails at the resort are included!

We’ll also join local foodies in search of Puerto Vallarta’s freshly made warm tortillas, the ultimate street tacos, tamales, tantalizingly fresh seafood, and fabulous cocktails too. It will be whale watching season during this trip. So many whales! Baby whales too! TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Click The Cooking Mom’s Culinary Trip to Puerto Vallarta to see pictures and get lots more details. Call Bon Voyage Boutique Travel at 920-725-2880 TODAY for pricing and more!

Join Amy Summer 2023 on Mackinac Island for Lilac Fest! JUST A FEW ROOMS LEFT!

I’m so excited to be hosting group culinary vacations! We’re going back to Mackinac Island, Michigan in the summer of 2023. It’s one of my favorite places! There are no cars on the island, just bikes and horses and carriages. It’s so charming. It’s like you’ve stepped back in time. We’re staying at my favorite resort, Mission Point Resort, voted one of the BEST on the island and in the Midwest. It’s AMAZING! We’ll be there for 4 magical nights June 12-16, 2023 during Lilac Festival. The whole Island is covered in lilacs. It’s so gorgeous! It smells beautiful too! Click Join The Cooking Mom on Mackinac Island to get pricing and see lots of pictures. Read all about the fun we’re going to have and the delicious food we are going to eat.

Hotel rates on the island have sky rocketed but my trips are group trips and because of that we can negotiate the best deals. We worked hard to get the absolute BEST rates possible for lots of included things, like your ferry ride to the island, gourmet cooked-to-order breakfasts every morning at the resort, a wine tasting and lunch on our drive to get to the island, a big wine and cheese party, a delicious welcome dinner and more! It’s going to be a blast! You can get pricing and book directly by clicking on this link Book Your Spot!.

Or call Sara from Rose Travel at 720-884-7913 or email her at [email protected] if you’re interested! We ONLY have a handful of rooms and they are filling up so call TODAY. I hope you’ll join me!

Join Amy on a River Cruise in France in April 2023! SALE EXTENDED!

Bring on lots of wine tasting, gourmet meals, fresh croissants and pastries and so much more! Join me on a river cruise through Southern France from Burgundy to Provence. In April of 2023, we’ll cruise the Rhone river on a gorgeous new boutique ship with only 150 passengers! It’s first class all the way and it’s a true ALL-INCLUSIVE river cruise, meaning all your food, drinks, and excursions are included. Gratuity too!

Plus, you’ll have the option to stay a couple days after the cruise to experience Paris. It will be spring and the blossoms will be in full bloom. It’s going to be stunning!

Great news! You can still save BIG on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. The pay-in-full sale has just been extended through September! Click Join The Cooking Mom on a French River Cruise to get all the dates and details. This trip is going to be so wonderful. Join me!

My trips are so special and different from the rest! To find out more about my trips and what makes them so unique click Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom. I’m planning AMAZING trips for 2023 and 2024 right now! Email me at info@thecookingmom and let me know if you want to get on my list for exclusive early trip announcements! I want to know where you want to go, too! Let me know!

Gotta run! It’s going to be another super fun day in Tuscany. Today is our next cooking class. We’re making real Italian lasagna and lots more! I can’t wait! Then, it's truffle hunting and the Amalfi coast. This is gonna be fun! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram. I’ll be posting lots more tempting pictures from my trip. Hey, check out my food videos on YouTube, too.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Cook up some memories!

Take care,
Amy, The Cooking Mom