Dish up an Authentic German Oktoberfest Recipe for your friends #OktoberOnTheFarm

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Germany just said farewell to the biggest celebration of the year, visited by million. You know what I’m talking about, yes… Oktoberfest. One of the biggest party in the world is a whopping 16 day celebration. Most of you know Oktoberfest to be famous for the beer, the food and the fancy dress code, but did you know the real meaning of Oktoberfest?

My BFF Tanya and her husband

Did you know that what we know as Oktoberfest, actually started out as a wedding celebration between Prince Ludwig I and his Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810. They invited the citizens of Munich to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy Royal event. No one would have ever thought it would turn into the biggest fair in the world.

When I was littler, I used to visit every year with my family and it was always fun. Wish I had some pictures I could share, but a dear friend of mine went like every year and she e-mailed me some awesome picture and I just had to share them with you. I could smell the food and the beer while looking at her pictures. Totally made me homesick! You can take the girl out of Germany, but you sure can’t take Germany out of the girl!

That got me thinking, why do we have to celebrate Oktoberfest only in Munich? I’m German, I can cook German and heck I can have my very own Oktoberfest meal in my very own backyard, right? So I headed off to Walmart to pick up all my ingredients, which were so easy to find. This my friends is how you are now one of the lucky ones to know me, cause now you can create your very own Oktoberfest Meal for your family and you can cook just like we do in Germany. I even went all out and made my favorite Spätzle, from scratch, homemade!

Everyone knows that Sauerkraut and Sausage is a big thing in the German Culture. The best part Sauerkraut is always at Walmart so be sure to pick up a jar or can along with my favorite Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa. Can it be any simpler? The rest are items you already have at home, flour, eggs, milk and no worries about the Spätzle, you can use a colander or pick up this nifty Spätzle maker (affiliate link), that makes it a lot easier!

Trust me, it sounds hard but is so easy to make. Let’s put on an apron and create a real authentic German Oktoberfest Meal for your family. Now how you pronounce the meal is another story that is a little harder I’m sure…. let’s practice the word “Spätzle” Spaeee-tsss-leeee. I know you can do it!

The Spätzle are my favorite, they are so easy to make and are like little puff pillows, small dumplings, similar to pasta but so easy. I always have the ingredients at home and if it’s easier, you could prepare them the night before, make the batter put in the fridge and boil the dumplings right before dinner. They only take minutes to boil. You can however make them ahead of time as well, the hold up very well. You can serve them with gravy, with cheese, with bacon, whatever you like.

As for the Sauerkraut I like to add mine to the crockpot, add some water or vegetable/chicken stock and let it simmer on low for 3-4 hrs. My mom always said the longer the sauerkraut simmers the better it gets, she swore that it was even better heated up the next day. So don’t be afraid, let the crockpot help you cook your very own Sauerkraut and Sausage.

About 1 hr. before dinner I like to add my Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa, you don’t even have to cut it up, just place it in the crockpot with your sauerkraut and let it simmer till dinner time. That is it!! German cooking can be so easy and the flavors are amazing! Dish it up at your next party and be proud that you mastered an Authentic Oktoberfest dish that is only found in Munich. (shhh… don’t share that I spilled the secret recipe…lol).

At the Oktoberfest in Munich they always serve this with a Mass (big giant glass) of Oktoberfest beer and pretzels. The original Oktoberfest colors are blue and white, which represent the colors of Bavaria. Which just happens to be the part of the country where I grew up in, too.  Now you know how to decorate for your dinner party, too. Guten Appetit und O’Zapft is!!! (Enjoy dinner and beer is taped ~ Famous Oktoberfest words every year!!)

Have you ever been to Oktoberfest in Munich? Would love to hear all about it. Leave me a comment below and also how you liked our Spätzle Sauerkraut Sausage dinner idea.