10/02/2026
Good morning Water Valley!! The temps are going to be more Fallish and it looks like rain is one the way!! Praise be on the rain; the ground is DRY and hard to the core, lawd!! Y`all know I am trying to get my house decorated for Halloween and the ground has been so hard that I have been unable to get anything in the ground. But it`s coming and SOON. It has been a minute since we have shouted out a "Mama", but today is the day and boy is it a good one! We would like to talk about my dear friend Annette Trefzer!! It`s October and that means that Oktoberfest in Germany is in FULL Swing and our friend Annette is from the Black Forest in Germany. Annette is not only Jaime`s colleague, but her very dear friend and over the years I have been so lucky to really get to know her. Annette has one of the biggest hearts; she is filled with kindness that she freely gives of herself, when something is asked of her or Bozarts the answer is almost always , yes!! From the moment I arrived in Water Valley, she always welcomed me, encouraged me and lets me rattle on about all things related to German Food. Annette loves literature, especially Eudora Welty; small black dogs rescued from the mean streets of Water Valley (shout-out Slick); driving fast; because you know, German; art and all its beauty; Bozarts, thank you for this gift and she loves Mississippi; so much so that she has built a career and a life here. During Christmastime, Annette and her German friends gather in her kitchen and they make German Christmas cookies, if you know you know. It is a whole production; everyone uses their family recipes, and they celebrate their homeland and the people who are no longer with them. Their memories are alive as they laugh and tell stories and keep the traditions alive. Sounds very Southern, doesn't it?! After cookie fest, Annette usually travels to Germany to spend time with her family but before she goes, every year, she brings me a small tin of the German cookies. It is hands-down, one of my very favorite things about the holidays; each year a small tin of these unique and delicious cookies is given to me. Merry Christmas indeed!! I have always felt honored that she thought enough of me to share something so close to her heart. Annette, thank-you for always being a good friend, for giving Water Valley Bozarts, for making and sharing the Christmas cookies, for always being willing to answer my German food questions, and for giving back more than you take. Today, we celebrate YOU and all things German!!
The plate lunch today is something special ya`ll; today we are celebrating my dear friends' culture and food, with a little Dixie thrown in for good measure. Our plate lunch will be Jagerschnitzel, my personal favorite in the Schnitzel game. Hand-Cut and pounded thin pork, dredged in a eggy dip with seasoned breadcrumbs, crispy fried in butter and topped with a Mushroom gravy, again, sounds Southern, doesn't it?! Simple, regional ingredients, elevated and transformed and made with love and so familiar and comforting in that your mama loves you kinda way. The sides will be German Cucumber Salad, Braised Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon, Warm German Potato salad. If you are not feeling adventurous with your sides, no worries. We will also have our Southern Sides available, black-eyed peas, Fresh Collard Greens, Butterbeans and Sothern-Green Beans. Today`s plate will be served with Crusty bread and our house-whipped honey butter. Here we go!!
Our tribute to our friend would not be complete without the Holy Grail of German desserts, y`all, we have BLACK FOREST CAKE!! Whew, this cake is SOMETHING!! Layers of moist chocolate cake, Black Cherry Jam and frosted with Kirsh Kissed Whipped Cream Frosting.
We invite you to come and sit at our table. Come HUNGRY and leave FULL, FED and HAPPY!! Sweet Mamas appreciates your business.
