Here's a really easy recipe for those of us who don't know how to boil eggs. Just because you "don't know how to cook", is no excuse to not to have German food. Technically sausages would be "German". You can start with the Bratwurst. Now don't say "I don't know how to cook." because if you can eat hot dogs, you can definitely cook Bratwurst. It's the easiest way to enjoy Oktoberfest. It's made out of pork, beef and sometimes a bit of veal.

The first thing to do is to get enough Bratwurst for everyone. If you're having guests, make sure you have at least one for each person. Keep in mind they might want seconds. Have a side dish of salad. The accompaniment can be rye bread or German bread roll. You'll also need a skillet and water for cooking.

Once you're ready to cook, make small holes in the Bratwurst by pricking it with a fork. This is so that the pressure won't build up inside the sausage and burst during cooking.
Pour water about half inch into the skillet along with the Bratwurst and cook it in medium heat. Keep the skillet covered. Cook until the water is evaporated. You don't have to boil it, just let it simmer and evaporate -- some oil should come out of the Bratwurst and it'll cook itself, so don't put more oil in. It should be a bit golden brown. It'll give off a nice delicious smell.

If you like onions, you can slice them and put them in the skillet and make them brown. When the onions are translucent and a bit brownish, they'll be ready. If you want you can add a cup of white wine or beer (I recommend Pilsener or any other pale lager) and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Some people don't like the taste/smell of cooked beer smell so ask your guests first if they like that or if they're adventurous enough to try.

Have your Bratwurst with Rye bread or German roll and salad with beer of course! Now wasn't that easy? So don't tell me you can't cook German food. Have great fun this Oktoberfest.

Talk about fun, here's a little game. Enjoy!


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Labels: Oktoberfest Celebration, Oktoberfest Food and Drinks

You don't have to go to Germany or know German to drink beer but it sure helps! In the spirit of Oktoberfest, I went over the BBC site to Learn German and browsed around. One of the things I really want to do is to visit Germany and Austria during Oktoberfest and of course Christmas. I really want to experience it all. Maybe it was the 'Sound of Music' influence. Plus Yodeling seems to be fun.

Anyway, I was browsing around the BBC site and found this quiz on Oktoberfest. I did pretty well. At least now I know I can order beer in German! Why don't you try it out and see how you do. When you're done let me know how you did. Stay tuned for Oktoberfest Recipes!

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Labels: Oktoberfest Celebration, Oktoberfest Food and Drinks

If you're having a Labor Day BBQ or Labor Day Party don't forget to invite your friends and neighbors too! One way to send them a quick invite to use an eCard invite. Here's one that you can use right away to send them. Do it quick before they book their schedule!

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You can check out my Labor Day posts if you're not sure what you want to feed your guests. Or you can also check the Labor Day Weekend site for party planning recipes as well as All Recipes' Labor Day Recipe Section. I love the fruit salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips recipe -- it's a great starter and you don't have to cook!

Labels: Labor Day

When I think of labor the pictures that come in mind are the Rosie the Riveter and Lewis Wickes Hine's photos of workers building the Empire State. I saw the photos on the New York Public Library site and I got the permission to post them on my blog. That's why I chose this picture of Icarus. It was a real feat to get those building up.

Empire State is the tallest building in New York and it's a great part of the sky line. I really like the lights at night. It's somewhat comforting that it's still standing there, especially after September 11th.

So here's to the workers that labored so that the New York sky line is one of the best skylines in America.


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World War II changed the face of labor by having women work in factories. But that's not just a phenomenon in the US. A lot of our allies in Australia and in Great Britain had the same campaigns like Rosie the Riveter. The picture on the left is from the Australian campaign to get women into the labor force. The one of the right is from the British campaign. And apparently the Canadians have their "Labour Day" on the 3rd too! There's still a lot of issues to cover like equal pay for equal work but women have come a long way since those early days around the globe.

So this labor day don't forget to honor your grandmothers and mothers who have raised you and held a job at the same time.


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