German

Growing up in an Italian household, I never had much exposure to German culture. That changed when I met Andy. Being more than fifty percent German, he possesses a passion for the culture of his heritage, particularly when it comes to food and drink.

Although neither of us have actually been to Germany, visiting Disney World’s Epcot theme park last summer inspired us to participate in Germany’s most famous festival: Oktoberfest.

While our ultimate goal is to one day attend Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, we thought, for the time being, it would be fun to have our own little take on the festivities within our own home.

What does this translate to? Well, basically a copious amount of home-cooked German foods and Oktoberfest brews. Last year, we went all out in cooking German cuisine and while most recipes remained on the menu, we decided to try a few new things as well.

OUR 2016 OKTOBERFEST MENU:

Appetizers:

Homemade Oktoberfest-style Pretzels
Horseradish Cheese Dip

Main Course:

Homemade Applesauce
Beer Bread
Potato Salad
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Apples
Bratwurst and Sauerkraut

Dessert:

Layered Black Forest Cake

Drinks:

Goose Island’s Oktoberfest
Sierra Nevada’s Oktoberfest
Apple Frost Wine from Fly Creek Cider Mill

The new additions included the Horseradish Cheese Dip (purchased at Fly Creek Cider Mill), Beer Bread, Layered Black Forest Cake, Goose Island’s Oktoberfest and Fly Creek Cider Mill’s Apple Frost Wine.

While we purchased the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest last year as well, this company has a unique practice of partnering with a different German brewery every fall to create a memorable brew year after year.

The 2016 Oktoberfest rendition, a result of a partnership with Mahrs Brau (established 1670) is especially satisfying and perhaps one of the best Oktoberfest beers that Andy and I have ever tasted.

That being said, the Goose Island version is pretty tasty as well…

So although neither of us have ever been to Germany, our German spirits are certainly high. Having our own Oktoberfest celebration is our way of saluting the culture and the fabulous cuisine it has to offer.

Stay tuned for recipes!

So often when life gets busy the first thing that gets cut from the schedule is fun. When there is a lot to be done I know I sometimes feel guilty “wasting time” or “goofing off”. But having busy lives does not mean you should stop having fun. It simply means you make room for it in your schedule.

Andy and I both lead extremely busy lives. This year especially, as I am balancing a part-time job and commuting an hour to grad school and he is balancing his career and major home renovations.

Therefore, this past weekend we decided to create our own fun holiday experience by having our own personal Oktoberfest, inspired by the incredible parties that go on every October in Munich.

So what does this mean exactly? Well, keeping up with Oktoberfest tradition, it meant lots of food and lots of beer! Here’s a recap.

FOOD:

For our food we decided to prepare traditional German dishes (obviously) and landed on a pretty diverse and delicious menu. For snacking and appetizer purposes we purchased some horseradish cheese dip and pretzels. However, we then got much more creative by actually making our own pretzels. I would recommend homemade pretzels to anyone as they are easy and fun to make as well as delicious.I also prepared homemade applesauce from the apples we had picked fresh.

For dinner we prepared beer brats with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard, sweet and sour cabbage and homemade potato salad. Although the brats were just the typical packaged variety we improved the flavor by sauteing them in beer and crisping them on the grill.

And if that wasn’t enough we also made an apple streusel cake for dessert!

BEER

Beer is an essential element of Oktoberfest, so therefore it was only right that we treated ourselves to several different variations of this brew. One of our favorites and a must have is Sam Adam’s take on the beverage.

However, we recently discovered Saranac’s version and were both pleasantly surprised with the Oktoberfest brew…

as well as their creative “Darktoberfest.” The Darktoberfest obviously possesses a darker flavor and is extremely satisfying when paired with some of these hearty dishes.

And finally, after doing some research we discovered that Sierra Nevada actually partners with a brewery in Germany to create their Oktoberfest beer. We then deemed this beverage essential and I’m especially glad we did! (This beverage may now be one of my favorites).

So as the old expression goes, work hard play hard. When life gets tough make time for yourself and come up with new ways to celebrate. Fun doesn’t always have to be large groups of people and extravagant parties. Sometimes fun is as simple and spending the day cooking with the person (and dogs) you care about most.