German Biers.. Music.. Food.. and more.. Pickle On A Stick
This week has been a truly TooMuchGirl "extravaganza".... Chef Steph and I have gotten a chance to get away, and
visit beautiful Big Bear Lake, California... and take in the opening weekend at this years Oktoberfest. A German tradition.. a gathering of people, families, enjoying, music, dance, traditonal German costume, foods and laughter.


Oktoberfest 101 - learning the lingo..

Herzich Wilkommen - A Hearty Welcome
Knockwurst - A knockwurst is a german sausage made mostly from beef. It is the equivalent to our hot dog, only
much larger. Unlike in America, Germans do not eat their sausages with ketchup, but rather with a spicy mustard and on a roll that is much smaller than the standard hot dog bun, more like a dinner size roll.

Gaudi Truppe - Gaudi in Germany is hard to translate into English. It means to have a very very awesome good time. Truppe means group. The host/hostesses at Oktoberfest are known as the Gaudi Truppe.
Bratwurst - A bratwurst is a white sausage made from veal, pork and a variety of german spices. It is generally served
grilled or fried (braten is the German word meaning fried) and in Germany is smothered in grilled onions and spicy mustard.
Ein, Zwei, Drei G'Suffa - One, Two, Three Drink! This is the wind up to taking a swig of beer. Prost! Cheers!

Zike - Zake, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi - A soccer cheer that originally somewhere in Northern Germany, zike -zake doesn't mean much of anything other than it is fun to shout after taking a swig of an ice cold beer.
Gemutlichkeit - Gemutlichkeit is the feeling of well being. It is the feeling you get when enjoying a cold beer with good food and great company.

The Chicken Dance - In Germany this dance is actually called Die Ente Tanz which literally translates to the Duck Dance. How a duck became a chicken isn't quiet clear. The most common explanation is that an American saw the dance being done in a beer tent in Germany and not able to speak German thought the crowd was imitating a chicken. When the Germans celebrate they love to dance and sing. Every few years a new dance craze comes along. The Chicken Dance was one of these dances. They have been doing the chicken dance in Germany for more than 22 years.
Lederhosen - Lederhosen are leather shorts traditionally worn in the mountainous regions of Germany. Their origin dates back to the early Middle Ages.They became increasingly popular in the early 1900's with the boys of the Wandervogel (Boy Scouts), who wore them much like we wear jeans today. They are worn with a variety of socks including knee socks or the split socks - loferl. The socks were a means of keeping the legs warm. The split socks or loferl were a poor man's sock to keep the ankles and veins in the leg warm, but not use as much wool.

Dirndl - The dirndle is the traditional folk-style dress of the working class in Germany. The Tracht is also also a traditional dress but was usually worn on Sunday or by the upper class. While the dirndl was made to accentuate the women's body. The Tracht plays down the women's body.The Tracht is designed per the region or clanship, the dirndl has no real design limits and is generally decorate by the whimsy of the designer.
Auf Wiedersehen - Good Bye

Let's Make Pickles
- as taught by Chef Stephen Block, host of KitchenProject.com and author of his newest book Get In A Pickle
available at www.kitchenproject.com

These pickles are so easy to make, you can watch them transform on your counter.

Ingredients -

1/4-cup kosher salt or pickling salt. *( Stay away from salt that has iodine in it if you can.)
1 cup boiling water
2 pounds cucumbers, washed, and cut into halves or quarters or slices.
5 cloves or more garlic, peeled and smashed
1 large bunch dill, fresh and with flowers OR 2 tablespoons dried dill and 1 teaspoon dill seeds,
and/ OR a tablespoon of coriander seeds

Directions -

In a large bowl, combine the salt and boiling water; stir to dissolve the salt. Add a handful of ice cubes to cool down
the mixture.

Cut the Pickling cucumbers into halves or wedges.

Snip the dill flowers off the stems with a scissors.

With the side of the knife swat the garlic clove slightly.This releases the flavor and loosens the skin so you can peel it easy.

Add the cuke wedges, dill , corriander, or the spices of your choice.

Add 1/2 cup distilled vinegar and enough water to cover, and place a plate slightly less diameter in the bowl to weight the pickles down.

Place some kind of a weight on the plate. I have used a glass measuring cup with water in it. Now you can test the pickles in a few hours for flavor, and daily until they become "pickly" enough for you. Place in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. They will keep at least 6 months.

Servings - Makes 1 serving
Per serving = 1pickle = POINTS® value 0*
5calories/0gfat/0gfiber