I’m sure true Oktoberfest enthusiasts everywhere cringed just reading that title, but hey, it’s still Quarantine, and since no one is heading off to Prost in Munchen, why not bring a little Bavarian cheer to your home and pretend like you took a trip?

So technically, although the name implies otherwise, real Oktoberfest ends on October 1st….who knew. Thankfully, in a year where there are no timelines, and only restrictions, you can have yourself a nice fall themed party (do I dare use the word party?) where your close friends/family can enjoy traditional German dishes, while wearing lederhosen and hats and generally just screaming PROST every so often while hoisting a stein of your favorite beer. So it’s the best of both worlds, your own home, only your friends, and a whole lot of yummy food and beer…a drinking staycation, if you will!

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Let’s talk about the traditional sausages you’d expect to get at an Oktoberfest celebration, these Wursts are the Best! And if you’re looking for them on Long Island, I’m lucky enough to be close to one specialty store with great wurst! The Forest Pork Store in Huntington has probably all the sausages you’d be wanting, and maybe even some you’d never heard of before. They also carry a ton of German and other European specialty items that you’d be hard pressed to find without taking a trip to the fatherland. We got Bratwurst (pork), Weisswurst (silky veal sausauge), Krainerwurst (pork and beef combo), and Kielbasa. YUMM!! The 3 sausages got parboiled in beer, then finished off on the grill, and the Kielbasa went straight to the grill. Now whether you serve them up over a bed of Sauerkraut, on buns, over Spaetzle (traditional German egg noodles), you have to have some REALLY good mustards! Loewensenf is a great one, Inglehoffer stone ground is my favorite, Emeril’s Kicked Up Horseradish is also a fun variety with a little something extra!

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My best friend (aka NOSHYOURAVERAGEBFF) hosted this wonderful event and made her own soft pretzels, potato pancakes, spaetzle and sauerkraut and they were all awesome! Typically, the men made sure to park themselves in front of the grill to ensure the meat was well cooked. My offerings you ask (AKA how can I contribute to an Oktoberfest gathering without having to dig deep into my European cookbook?), well you know I like to keep it simple and easy….so in addition to typical cocktail franks (made just a little bit EXTRA with the addition of Trader Joe’s Everything but The Bagel seasoning as seen above), I created a Hot Reuben Dip and Black Forest Cupcakes; recipes below.

Easy Reuben Dip

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup bottled Thousand Island dressing
• 4 oz chive and onion cream cheese softened
• 1 cup sauerkraut rinsed and drained well (like really really drained, otherwise your dip will be soupy)
• 6 oz Deli corned beef chopped
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp chopped fresh chives
• pretzels (or even better, pretzel crisps!), Triscuit crackers, rye or pumpernickel toasts…the dip deliverer is up to you!

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. In a medium-size mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together mayonnaise, Thousand Island, and cream cheese until fully combined.
4. Squeeze all excess moisture from sauerkraut (very important or you’ll have runny dip!). Add to the bowl with corned beef and 1 ½ cups cheese. Mix by hand until combined.
5. Spread evenly in dish. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately. **NOTE** This dip can be assembled the night before, so all you’d have to do when ready to serve is heat up the oven and cook!

This dip was a HUUUUUGE success as evidenced by some people’s willingness to eat it with a spoon. The other popular choice was to dip the homemade soft pretzel’s into the dip, and then top with the beer cheese dip…apparently an abundance of alcohol makes you willing to try new things!

Black Forest Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 box Betty Crocker devils food cake mix ( vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box)
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder
• 2 containers Betty Crocker Whipped vanilla frosting
• 1 container of Cool Whip
• 1 can of cherry pie filling (I used Duncan Hines brand)
• semi-sweet chocolate, grated (for garnish)
• shredded coconut (for garnish)
• Maraschino cherries (1 for each cupcake)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. Make batter as directed on cake mix box, except we will be substituting milk for the water to make the cupcakes a bit denser.
3. Stir in 1 tablespoon espresso powder to the rest of the cake mix until blended.
4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake and cool as directed on box for cupcakes. **NOTE** I baked these and allowed them to cool overnight to ensure that they were completely cold by them time I wanted to scoop out the middles…I would highly suggest it.
5. Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a sharp but non-serrated knife to cut out a hole in the center of each cupcake. *Be careful you don’t cut through to the bottom.* Save the top part of the “hole” you have removed, as you will be placing it back on the cupcake.
6. Scoop about 1-1.5 tablespoons of the cherry filling into each cupcake, and recover with the top you cut out.
7. Combine your frosting with the container of Cool Whip, and scoop mixture into a frosting bag (or a ziplock baggie if you don’t have a designated frosting bag). Then pipe the frosting on top. Garnish with chocolate shavings, coconut and a cherry on top! *NOTE* this icing is a bit runny due to the cool whip, you may want to refrigerate the icing mix prior to piping into the cupcakes if you want precise frosting.
8. Using a citrus zester (or the super fine side of a cheese grater) rub your chocolate bar over the frosted cupcakes until you are satisfied with the amount of chocolate dusted on each. Sprinkle with desired amount of coconut flakes, and finally top each cupcake with a cherry!

Amazon really helped us out a lot for decor, they have a HUGE variety of Oktoberfest flags, banner, pennants and more. They also have the bavarian hats, suspenders, sassy t-shirts, hair ribbons, costumes, you name it! Most of it shipped within 2-3 days since we are Prime members. So now that you have some quick and easy go-to recipes, and know where you can find the best “Don’t Give a Schnitzel” shirts, there’s still a handful of days to enjoy October, beers, and brats!