Planning an Octoberfest party? Cookbook staff suggestions!

Thanks. Now my keyboard is covered in drool. :-)

I really don't drink, except for an occasional wine, but when I have, it's the true German beers that I like. I always have a bottle of dark Bock during Lent, then I give up beer for Lent, that and skydiving...LOLOL

Thank You Germany, for your government's total support of The United States Of America's, War on Terrorism!

After a feast of kraut, brats and beer we'll be all set to fight terrorism. We'll all be considered weapons of mass destruction!!

We'll all be considered weapons of mass destruction!!

Indeed, and this is the ammo!!

Bohnensuppe
(German Bean Soup)

Hugely chunky, thick, colorful, and peppery, this great peasant soup is filled with chewy ham, tender beans and potatoes, with carrots and green beans along for the ride for texture, color, and taste. Its an excellent hearty meal, most especially with a frosted stein of good beer and chewy bread. Serve hot to 4-6 people.

1/2 pound white beans, soaked overnight in water to cover.
8 cups water
1/2 cup cubed bacon or country ham
1/4 pound green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 celery root, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes (if you can't find celeriac, use 2 stalks of celery, cut into cubes)
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
1/2 leek, sliced into thin rings
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 parsley root, cubed (or 1/2 cup chopped parsley)
1/2 pound red new potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
1 Tablespoon marjoram, crumbled between your palms
1 teaspoon thyme, crumbled between your palms
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon flour
salt and pepper

Drain the soaked beans, then put in a kettle with 8 cups of water and the bacon. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for an hour.

Add the green beans, celery root cubes, carrots, leeks, onion, parsley root (or parsley), potatoes, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for another hour.

After you've got the veggies starting to cook, get out another saucepan and melt the butter in it over low heat. Stir in the flour and let it brown very very slowly, stirring occasionally this could take the whole hour, if you keep the heat low enough. When ready, stir in a little of the soup stock, whisk for a minute, then stir into the soup kettle. Season with salt and pepper (as much as a Tablespoon of salt), and cook uncovered, stirring from time to time, for 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, stir in the parsley, remove the bay leaves, adjust the seasoning, then ladle into soup bowls and serve immediately.

It's outstanding, and I think it's a really garlicky Russian sausage. I haven't had it dry, and like a real Pepperoni, I can imagine it would be excellent!

You're right. It is a Russian sausage and VERY garlicky. Dry is absolutely the best way to eat it. I only thought it was Hungarian because I used to order by mail from a Hungarian meat place in Indiana. You can find Kabanosi at many of your finer European sausage stores. Be sure to order it dried.

You know the old German saying ...If ya can't stand the heat, get the Kraut out of the Kitchen!!

Herr Koller’s Sauerbraten

That sounds very close to my mother's - as far as it goes. I don't recall the tomatoes but I do recall her putting the spices in a cheesecloth bag.

Equally important (to me) were the potato dumplings that she made. She used both raw and cooked potatoes and the dumplings were about 2 1/2 in. in diameter. We always prayed for leftovers. She would slice leftover dumplings about 3/8 in. thick, and fry them.

"Bitte eine Bitt".. Bittbuger from the area area north of the Mosselle is available in the US and is my favorite, but honestly a cheap and common Cincinnati brew called 'Burger Beer " ain't a bad substitute.

Here's a recipe for Red Cabbage from 1940's Berlin, given to my friend by her mother and jazzed up just a little with a hint of "California cuisine" ingredients.

A little background info: My friend grew up in Nazi Germany, marrried an American service man about 8 yars after the war and moved to California. She just flew Lufthansa from San Francisco to Berlin this week for one of her many visits...and had to arrive FOUR hours early to clear security checks.

Verbatim (but not Verboten) Red Cabbage Recipe

1. Soak a cut-up red cabbage in balsamic vinegar, a bit of red wine, brown sugar and salt for 1-2 days to retain the color,

2. then melt some bacon, sautee 3-4 onions in the fat, (absolutely necessary- can't be done without it. Goose-drippings are best.)

3. -dump the soaked cabbage into the pan , add a boullion cube (Mexican if you can find them ), more vinegar

4. Add three chopped and peeled tart apples,

5. Season to taste with bay leaf, ground cloves, cinnamon, a bit of garlic, marjoram, salt & pepper, maybe a bit more brown sugar and/or vinegar,

6. cook for 1 hour, then add red wine (by all means taste it first right then and there!) for the last l5 Minutes. It must be soft, it's not pasta!

Bon appetit."

I am shocked! LOLOLOLOL!

Verbatim (but not Verboten) Red Cabbage Recipe

What a wonderful recipe, and history, it is the fabric of our world community ......thank you dear girl for sharing it.

Cannibals also have a great recipe for Stewed Osama. I've never made it myself, and I don't actually have a recipe for it, but I do know that you have to have a big fire, and a huge cauldron filled with boiling water, and then-----------------

Don't forget pretzels! (The soft, fresh, hot kind)

There are several recipes on the web and they're fun to make at home, especially with your kids.

You are absolutely correct, what Octoberfest would be complete without Soft Pretzels, so here you are, Thanks..Soft Pretzels

1/8 cup hot water
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups flour
Coarse salt (like Margarita salt)
Baking soda

In a large mixing bowl, mix warm water and yeast until dissolved.
Stir in warm water and brown sugar. Slowly add 5 cups of flour to mixture.
You can knead the dough with a dough hook and a mixer or your hands, I prefer to start with a mixer and finish up by hand.
Use extra flour to keep it from sticking to you or the board. Work it until it's stretchy and smooth. Should not be sticky. Grease two large cookie sheets. Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.
Fill a 2-3 qt. saucepan half-full of water. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda for every cup of water. Bring to a boil.

Now pinch off a golf-ball size piece of dough, roll into rope as thick as thumb. Bend into U-shape. Cross ends, twist cross ends, making full turn, then fold ends back toward middle of 'U'.
Press ends into dough firmly. You should now have the familiar pretzel shape. (Don't worry it takes some practice, besides the shape doesn't affect the taste. I make all sorts of shapes, and candy canes for Christmas.)

Now lower pretzel gently into boiling water for 30 seconds, then place on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
When all dough has been boiled, bake for 8 minutes, or until golden.
Serve warm, with mustard or cheese spread.

History of the Pretzel

The history of the pretzel dates back to 600 AD when a monk in the area between France and Italy was playing with dough left over from the daily baking. While he was playing he came up with a unique twist that looked like arms crossed in prayer. This baked "pretiola" was given to children as a reward for their reverence.
This treat gained in popularity, and as was the culture of the time, spread to other monasteries over the Alps into Austria and Germany where it came to be known as the "pretzel". It became more popular with time becoming a symbol in marriage (broken like a wishbone at the ceremony), saving a city (pretzel bakers heard the Turks burrowing under the walls of Vienna in 1510 A.D. and called out the alarm and saved the city), and becoming a religious symbol (a page in the prayer book used by Catharine of Cleves depicts St. Bartholomew surrounded by pretzels which were thought to bring good luck, prosperity and spiritual wholeness.)
The pretzel first appears in America in the record of, what else, a court case. It seems a baker named Carl Carmer and his wife in 1652 were charged with selling Pretzels to the Indians. The problem wasn't that the Indians were eating pretzels (which they loved), but that the pretzels were made from the good flour from milling while the bread sold to the good people of Beverwyck, New York was made from the left-overs. As recorded in the town's history "The heathen were eating flour while the Christians were eating bran."
The Pennsylvania Dutch Hard Pretzel was made and sold as a side-line by bakers in the Lancaster area since the early 1800's. The first American pretzel bakery supposedly start with a tale of altruism. It seems that a baker in Lititz gave a drifter a free meal in the 1850's - in return for his kindness the tramp gave the baker a recipe for pretzels that eventually became the recipe of the baker's apprentice - Julius Sturgis. This style of Pretzel became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch Hard Pretzel.

Sure, you thought I did this from memory??? I have trouble remembering to put sugar in my coffee!!.....hehehehhe

Any Questions....??????

Brings back days in Munich at the Marinplatz, Hoffbrau etc etc........Man I loved that assignment. Thanks for the recipies.....

The Brat and Pommefrits with mustard sauce and a liter (OK 4 ltrs) of the Hoffbrau's best was indeed a good day to be alive......

Stay Safe and Vielen Dank sehr viel. Bier ist auf mir, wenn wir begegnen :o)

Stay Safe and Vielen Dank sehr viel. Bier ist auf mir, wenn wir begegnen ......

Ich nehme Sie oben auf diesem Angebot in der Tat! Until then, keep it dry...Carlo

Yes, there will be a test on Monday....

May I be excused from the test? I have...ah...ummm...an appointment with my mechanic that day.

According to our local paper, it's also apple harvest time. A feature story about our local orchard discussed the different varieties and their uses. According to The US Apple Association, the most popular varieties are:

Top U.S. Apple Varieties
Updated September 2000

VARIETY	APPEARANCE	TASTE	AVAILABILITY
BRAEBURN	Yellow with red stripes or blush	Sweet-tart	November through June
CORTLAND	Red and green	Slightly tart	September to spring
CAMEO	Red stripe over cream skin	Sweet-tart	November to January
EMPIRE	Red and green	Sweet-tart	September to spring
FUJI	Red blush with green and yellow stripes	Sweet	October through June
GALA	Red-orange, with yellow stripes	Sweet	September through May
GINGER GOLD	Green-yellow, sometimes with blush	Sweet	August through October
GOLDEN DELICIOUS	Yellow-green, sometimes with pink blush	Sweet	Year 'round
GRANNY SMITH	Green, sometimes with pink blush	Tart	Year 'round
IDARED	Mostly red with green, blushed	Moderately tart	September through June
JONAGOLD	Bright red and gold	Sweet or slightly tart	Late September to October
JONATHAN	Light red stripes over yellow or deep red	Moderately tart	September to spring
McINTOSH	Red and green	Sweet-tart	September to early summer
NEWTOWN PIPPIN	Green	Slightly tart	September to spring
NORTHERN SPY	Red striped or blushed	Slightly tart	Late fall to early winter
PAULARED	Red and green	Slightly tar	tEarly fall
PINK LADY	Red with green blush	Sweet-tart	late September
RED DELICIOUS	Striped to solid red	Sweet	Year 'round
ROME	Deep solid red	Slightly swee	tOctober to July
STAYMAN/ WINESAP	Deep purplish red	Slightly tart	September to spring
YORK	Deep red with green stripes	Moderately tart	October to spring

Hints I think are from TwoStep, ducking.....hehheheh Home Helpful Household Hints

Vacuum your hardwood, tile or linoleum floors and scrub them less often. The new "Swifters" clean floors quickly and effortlessly too.
Love to have a fire in your fireplace but hate to clean out the ashes? Spread a wide sheet of aluminum foil underneath the grates in the fireplace. The foil will catch all the ashes. When the fire has burned out and cooled, fold the foil up around the ashes and remove them to your garden for recycling.
Clean a vase: to remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets
Unclog steam iron. Pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into the iron's water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright position. Then unplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.
Ants, ants, ants everywhere...Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march.
Remove decals. Brush with a couple coats of vinegar. Allow to soak in. Wash off.
Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.
Polish jewelry: drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.
Did you know that the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is always painted, always? Everyday painters paint that bridge and when they finally finish they turn around and start all over again. It is a never ending process. The same can be said for housework. Think about it as a work in process, much like the bridge. Do a little bit each day and stop punishing yourself because it is not totally and thoroughly cleaned all at once. Remember, in the overall scheme of life, a clean house really isn't all that important.
The next time you run out of hair gel or mousse, use a small amount of shaving cream (NOT shaving gel) as an emergency alternative.
To revive a dried out stamp pad until you can buy a new one, put enough food coloring on the pad until it is fully saturated.
To remove old self stick shelf paper quickly and easily, simply run a warm iron over the paper and it will peel right off.
To make an accurate grocery list, keep it on the refrigerator door and jot down what you need as you run out.
Tired of lugging multiple laundry hampers down the stairs on laundry day? Not only is this fatiguing, it's an accident waiting to happen. Try this instead:
Use some type of liner in your hamper such as a large plastic or cloth bag, or a mesh laundry bag with a drawstring at the top. When it's time to haul dirty laundry, close the bag and toss it down the steps. Empty it in your laundry room then return the liners to their (stationary) hampers.
Once your kids witness you as do this, they might even offer to take over the job!
When running errands, make a list of all the stops you need to make, then start with the one farthest away. This way, if you don't complete your list, you can always squeeze in the "close to home" stops on another day
Use clothespins to re-close plastic food packages such as cereal bags, snack bags, cracker packages, etc. Children can manage clothespins more easily than zip-top bags, twist ties, or rubber bands. If you have wire shelving in your pantry, clip clothespins to the shelves so they're always handy. You can buy wooden clothes pins at hardware and discount stores; 50 sell for about $2..
Keep sponges fresh and germ resistent.. Put them in the microwave for one minute or run them through the dishwasher on the top rack.
If you have a hard time visualizing what those small paint chips at the store will look like on your wall, here's an idea!
Buy a small amount of the paint (such as a pint or quart) and paint a posterboard!
The painted board is large enough to tape up on a wall to give you a good idea of how it will look. You can move the board from wall to wall to see how various lighting conditions will affect the color of paint you have chosen. This is a much better alternative than painting the entire room only to find you can't live with the color. Excerpted from Emazing.com (http://www.emazing.com)
U.S. residents: Do you want to reduce the amount of junk mail and phone calls you receive? Then just ask the Direct Marketing Association (DMA)! The DMA offers a Mail Preference Service and a Telephone Preference Service for consumers who want their name removed from national advertising lists. Send your request in writing via U.S. mail --the DMA must have your signature to perform this service. Address your request to: