A taste of Texas, en Suisse

Purple is the only color allowed on game days

First things first, let me say, GO FROGS! It's a Saturday night in Switzerland, and they have an 11am game, meaning we get to watch the entire game!!

Sometimes when you live outside of Texas, you have to bring a little taste of home to wherever you are. This was the case for us twice in the past few weeks, when we had a little Tex-Mex fiesta for BK's team, and then again tonight when we needed a little bit of home while watching college football. I also wanted to share the recipes I used in case you're a Texan (or American who likes Tex-Mex) in Switzerland or somewhere similar. 

BK's team enjoying the terrace

We hosted BK's team for dinner at our house a couple of weeks ago. Baby K entertained everyone for a little while before she headed off to bed, and then we enjoyed a Tex-Mex Fiesta for dinner. When we do something like this, BK always asks for menu ideas, and I always lean toward this one. I think it's because typically we're having Europeans over, so this will be something very "us" and not something they have on a regular basis.

I was pleased with how everything turned out, and hopefully people enjoyed it. Here are the recipes I used for our fiesta:

• Fajita seasoning: I used this for both chicken and beef; we grilled 2lbs of each and I doubled the recipe. I would probably quadruple next time and let it marinate a little longer.
• Salsa: I've used this recipe a couple of times, but we don't have Rotel in Switzerland, so you have to adjust by taste accordingly or it turns out extremely tomato-y.
• Guacamole: This is something I think you really have to make based on taste. We use avocados, tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro (called coriander here), and chicken bouillon.
• Mexican Rice: I had never made this recipe, and it turned out great!
• Refried beans: I used canned ones that we can get here, but typically add salt, pepper, and garlic, then top with cheese.

Tonight for the TCU vs Texas game I really wanted some tailgating food to enjoy while we watched our game. BK loves Buffalo Bros in Fort Worth, so I thought I would give some wings a try. We also made guacamole again, and grilled some corn. The combo may seem a little random, but it was really good.

Wings, guac, and grilled corn

I was surprised to find wings at Coop (grocery store) that were only drums. I bought two packs and made one with buffalo flavor and one with Asian flavor. Surprisingly, the buffalo ones were way better than the Asian ones, as they had a much stronger flavor, and had quite a bit of heat to them. I chose two recipes that required baking the wings as opposed to frying, as the last thing I need is one more mess to clean up.

Here are the wing recipes I used:

• Easy Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings: I used Cholula hot sauce, which I found in our local grocery store. I wouldn't do anything different on this recipe.
• Honey Soy Chicken Wings: these didn't have as much flavor as I would have liked, so we added some teriyaki sauce afterwards. I'll probably play around with this recipe next time to improve it.

I did have one fail...I attempted to make ranch dressing as a dipping sauce for the buffalo wings. It was pretty much a complete fail. I used a Pioneer Woman recipe, but it just was not right. I'm not sure if the mayonnaise has a stronger taste here or what, but it was not good. I'm sure I'll try again at some point.

To end this post on a very positive note, TCU just trounced UT, beating them 50-7. Can't say it enough...GO FROGS!

I would say auf wiedersehen, but...

BK and I dressed in traditional attire

If I said that, it means until we see one another again, and I don't plan to see Oktoberfest again. Once was plenty for me.

Let me start out by saying, Oktoberfest was fun, and absolutely something I am glad I got to experience while living in Europe. Having said that though, here are a few things you can keep in mind while reading about my take on our time in Munich and at Oktoberfest:

• I don't like beer. I know, I know, why go then? Like I said, for the experience.
• I'm past the point in my life when I'm interested in being around people who are so drunk they are vomiting at 2:00 in the afternoon, walking around like zombies, and barely able to hold themselves upright.
• Oktoberfest is best enjoyed without your children...as in, they should go to the grandparents' house and plan for a Monday pick up, after the weekend.

Giant pretzels for all to enjoy

Now, you may be thinking, you went to Oktoberfest in September? Yes, Oktoberfest always starts sometime around the third week of September and goes until the first week of October. In Munich people call it The Wiesn. The only reason it is called Oktoberfest (supposedly, according to our tour guide) is because American troops stationed in Munich after WWII couldn't pronounce wiesn, so they just decided to call it Oktoberfest, and the name stuck.

Our liter and half-liter (for lemonade) mugs

We traveled to Munich on a Thursday, went to Oktoberfest Friday and Saturday, then traveled back home on Sunday. I thought I would tell you about Oktoberfest specifically in this post, then come back to tell you more about Munich, where we stayed, how we got along with Baby K, and other stuff. And in case you're wondering, yes she came to Munich with us; no she did not go to Oktoberfest.

Inside Traditions-Festzelt tent

When planning this trip, we heard that the only way to go at Oktoberfest was to get tent reservations. This is because there are literally millions of people there, all who want to get inside a tent to drink some beer. Without a reservation, you're likely to be out of luck in getting into a tent, and definitely won't have a place to sit or be able to get anything to eat. We had reservations at Traditions-Festzelt on Friday and Stiftl Tent on Saturday. They were very different from one another, which was a great thing to experience.

Oktoberfest grounds- it feels like the state fair

Friday morning we headed off into Munich, suited up in our traditional lederhosen and drindls, to experience the more traditional of the two tents, Traditions-Festzelt. I was surprised when we arrived, to find that Oktoberfest is a bit like the state fair; lots of rides, carnival food, random crafty trinkets, games, and the other usual stuff. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't really that for some reason.

Outside of the "tent"

Traditions-Festzelt tent is located in the Oide Wiesn section of Oktoberfest, which is a more traditional area. It is a huge tent, that I'm sure can seat hundreds of people. Our reservation was from 11:30 until 4, and during that time there were many bands playing, people processing in and dressed in traditional attire, and groups dancing on various stages. There was also this group who used whips to play along to the music...interesting. It lived up to our expectation of the traditional tent for sure.

Beer station

With a table reservation, you receive tickets for food and beer. The beer at Oktoberfest is only served in liter mugs, and contrary to popular belief, is chilled and nice and cold when it comes out. I really I think I only made it 3/4 of the way through one liter the whole time. Oktoberfest is also known for the roasted chicken, which is really good, along with many other traditional dishes such as potato salad, dumplings, and spetzle. You can pretty much drink and eat yourself silly there...and many people do just that.

Inside Stiftl Tent- the band is up top

The other direction inside of the tent- much smaller

On Saturday we had reservations at Stiftl Tent. Even though we liked getting to experience the more traditional tent the day before, the Stiftl Tent was much more our speed. It is considered one of the smaller tents, and has very cozy feel. There is a live band, that mostly consists of a guy singing German and English rock songs. Apparently the most commonly played song at Oktoberfest is Country Road by John Denver. Who knew? There's also a German drinking song played in all the tents for everyone to sing along with. Fun!

Before the dancing/stomping started

Anyway, back to the tent, it was a lot of fun. It was crowded and loud and most of the people around us were really nice and enjoyed talking and having fun with everyone around them. At one point everyone was standing on the benches of the tables singing and stomping, generally just having a great time. Again, the beer is served in liter mugs along with the traditional food. I knew I would like this tent when they offered us prosecco to start in a tiny mug. Yes, please!

And they're up!

So that's about it for the actual Oktoberfest. I'll fill you in a little bit more about where we stayed (you know, bringing three toddlers along and all), stuff we saw in Munich and other recommendations we have in case you decide to make the trip.

Until then, Prost (Cheers)!

Who doesn't love a weekend at home??

Ah, weekends at home...they're so nice. We made a little trip to Ikea and bought Baby K a couple of new things for her room and play area. She and BK started Friday off with breakfast together at her new table.

We enjoyed a rainy Wear Purple Friday, always supporting the Frogs.

Baby K has also recently discovered she enjoys sitting by herself on the bus and train when we go places. She loves to talk to everyone around us.

Friday night we went out with some friends to a great little restaurant in Montreux, Le Museum. It primarily has typical Swiss food. We had the charbonnade, which was a dish in which they bring out a charcoal grill to the table and everyone grills their own meat. I know you're thinking a charcoal grill inside? Us too, but it was really good!

Monday is a holiday in our canton, so we spent the day Saturday making sure we had everything needed to have one of BK's colleagues over for dinner that night, then also for hosting dinner for BK's team on Monday evening. The grocery store is much more fun for Baby K when BK is around.

Dinner was good Saturday night, then Sunday Baby K treated us by sleeping in until almost 8am! Even though it's only 45 minutes or an hour more than normal, it seriously feels like about three more hours of sleep!

Since we got so much more sleep we decided to take a hike up the 1000 steps to Glion, just above Montreux. It was a great workout and way to get the day started. Tobs loved being off the leash in the mountains too.

The bottom of the 1000 stairs

Up we go

Tobs led the way

Some walking time at the top for Baby K

Enjoying her ride

View from the top

Headed down

We're hosting a Tex-Mex dinner tomorrow night for BK's team, so the rest of my day will be spent getting ready for that, doing some chopping, prepping and baking.

Hope you enjoy your Sunday as much as we have!