Country and Corgis: Oktoberfest....Or Halloween?

September and October were two very busy months! I missed a third of October while I was traveling. This week I felt like I had to make up for lost time by indulging in all things Oktoberfest.

We had dinner at this wonderful little family restaurant called Hoover's. They specialize in traditional German food and every October they host an Oktoberfest buffet. They have red cabbage and regular sauerkraut, sauerbraten (a vinegary beef dish), hot German potato salad, knockwurst, traditional bratwurst, kartoffelpfannkuchen (potato pancakes), spatzle, and a whole mess of other delicious things. Of course I had one of everything, and topped my meal off with a slice of homemade German chocolate cake. This is one of the hubs and my yearly traditions. Usually we manage to go more than once!

Halloween was Thursday. I spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen making treats for my family! On the menu was beer bread, Oktoberfest stew, and gooey eyeball cookies. My parents only live two roads down from our house, and it's where I grew up. But we never get any trick or treaters! Our road doesn't have any street lights, and the houses are more spread out. So my parents were just as excited as we were to pass out candy! Unfortunately, it was really windy and it started raining an hour before trick or treat started, so we didn't get that many kids. Oh well, because dinner was delicious!

Oktoberfest Stew

1 Tbsp olive oil

14oz package of Kielbasa (beef or turkey), cut into slices

2 medium yellow onions, cut into slices

1/2 head of small cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp whole caraway seeds

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 cup Oktoberfest beer (lager)

2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 1/2 cups hot chicken stock

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or more for taste)

I used this artisinal kielbasa (pronounced keel-boss-ee), mostly because it looked delicious, and also because my husband begged for it like a kid in the candy store.

In a frying pan I added the kielbasa and cooked it til both sides had a nice brown going on. I removed the sausage, and added the olive oil to that same pan and caramelized my onions.

I transferred my onions to my stock pot and added my sliced cabbage. I let the cabbage cook down until it was soft and had no bite left to it. Think halushki or sauerkraut consistency. I then added the spices, including the caraway seeds. A little bit goes a long way with those, btw. Then add your beer. I used Yuengling, but any lager will do. I let the beer come to a simmer, then added in my diced potatoes. I then poured my hot stock on top. You want to heat your stock before you add it so it doesn't drastically drop the heat of your pan.

Let your mixture come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover your soup at this point and allow it to simmer for 45 minutes. You want your potatoes to be nice and soft. At this point you can add in your apple cider vinegar. Now I know that my dad doesn't care much for vinegar. So I skipped this step, but let everyone add about a teaspoon to their bowl before we ate. I think it adds to the soup and shouldn't be left out!