OktoberFeast!

I know what you're thinking. And, nope, I did not get eaten alive by the creature living in my dining room table. But thanks for your concern. ;)

The end of the year (!) is proving to be a very busy one around these parts. To say we've had a lot going on would be a major understatement. And I have SO MUCH I want to share with you about the Fall cooking and baking that's been happening in my kitchen.

But first... Halloween. How was yours? Ours looked something like this:

We decided to go the cost effective route and make our own Halloween costumes for the second year in a row. This is what we came up with {Thank you, Costco, for the free boxes. And Goodwill for the ill-fitting Dockers and long sleeved shirt for a grand total of $6.}. I chose to be a food item, of course. Does this surprise you at all? {Or were you more surprised by hubby's shockingly white thighs?? Love you, dear!}

Other than our debut as Scout & S'more, our Halloween was pretty uneventful. We didn't buy candy. {GASP!} We didn't turn on our porch light.  We didn't get one knock at the door. I learned my lesson about Halloween and apartment living long ago when I bought bags of candy and was left with... bags of candy {And very tight fitting jeans as a natural consequence}. So, as grinchy as it may seem, we only partook in adult Halloween events this year and rationalized it by saying that I'm sure we'll pay our dues when we have little Trick-or-Treaters of our own one day.

While we didn't have our own Halloween party, we did decide to invite our friends over on Saturday for a housewarming party. But not just ANY housewarming party... an Oktoberfest themed housewarming party. Complete with steins, liederhosen, alpine horns {you know, like the Ricola commercials}, and copious amounts of German-ish fare.

Four pounds of kielbasa. Two pounds of chicken-apple sausage. Four pounds of sauerkraut. Two and a half pounds of German Potato Salad. Mustard Marinated Pork Tenderloin. Homemade Pretzel Rolls. Three different Fall fruit desserts. Hundreds of ounces of beer. {And a partridge in a pear tree. Oops. Wrong holiday.} Not an ounce left over. No joke.

I'm sure I'll be sharing most of the recipes for these tasty treats throughout the next few weeks... but for now, I'll leave you with an easy, flavorful German Potato Salad recipe that makes a great side dish.

Hope your October was fantastic, and that your November will be even better!

German Potato Salad with Bacon Vinegar Dressing & Dill
Slightly Adapted from Epicurious

• 2 1/4 pounds medium-size red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill {or 1 tsp dried dill weed}

1. In a large pot, boil potato slices until fork tender, about 10 - 15 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Cover with foil.

2. Sauté bacon in large skillet over medium heat until brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Discard all but 2 1/2 tablespoons drippings. Heat drippings in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Whisk in next 6 ingredients. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Add onion mixture to potatoes and toss to gently to coat with dressing. Let stand 3 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped bacon and fresh dill; toss. Transfer potato salad to serving platter. Serve warm.