Oktoberfest Inspired Dinner Party

Up to 3 Weeks Before

• Bake Cottage Dill Loaf; slice, wrap and freeze.

The Day Before

• Make Almond Streusel-Cherry Cheesecake Bars (if served).
• Make cracker crumb mixture for Oven-Fried Pork Cutlets with Apple Slaw.

The Morning Of

• Thaw Cottage Dill Loaf.
• Make Cheesy Pretzels. Make an extra batch if you expect hearty appetites.
• Flatten pork chops for Oven-Fried Pork Cutlets with Apple Slaw; cover and refrigerate. Layer slaw ingredients, except apple, starting with dressing, in serving bowl; refrigerate.

About 1 Hour Before Guests Arrive

• Bake Pear-Ginger Upside-Down Cake (if served).
• Make Jarlsberg, Onion and Apple Canapés up to the point of baking; refrigerate.
• Make "Healthified" Hot German Potato Salad; reheat if needed.

When Guests First Arrive

• Bake Jarlsberg, Onion and Apple Canapés.

About 30 Minutes Before Serving Dinner

• Assemble and bake Oven-Fried Pork Cutlets with Apple Slaw. Add apple to slaw; toss.
• Warm Cottage Dill Loaf, wrapped in foil, in same oven with pork for about 10 minutes.

Oktoberfest Food & Lore

• Oktoberfest is a centuries-old German celebration. Originally lasting 16 days, it celebrated a royal marriage in Munich in the year 1810. Although times have changed, the celebration continues with great food, music and boisterous activity. So don those lederhosen, lift a stein and let the good times roll! German specialties fill our dinner party menu. Looking for a more casual get-together? Give some of these recipes a look:

• Country Brats

• Seven-Layer Slaw

• Soft Molasses Cookies

• Many microbreweries and regional brewers offer Oktoberfest beers each fall. If beer is part of what you enjoy drinking, look for some to share. Or look for specialty mixed drinks containing cider, apple schnapps, liqueur or brandy.

• Make it easy on yourself with this Hot German Potato Salad, which has Slow Cooker Directions.

• See all our German-inspired recipes.

Games

• Word fun: Prepare a list of German words with the aid of a German dictionary. Guests then guess what the words mean. Assign points for having the correct answer or being able to bluff others that an answer is correct.

• If your group knows the language, make it a "no English" event, and punish slipups with a silly penalty.

• Or just enjoy the German-inspired food and an evening of your group’s favorite card, board or trivia game.

Decorations

• Place German flags in vases; place miniature flags on appetizer trays.

• Decorate walls with German posters picked up at travel agencies.

• Pull out a German beer stein collection or other collectibles to use as table decor.