My oldest traveled to Berlin on Monday to begin her study abroad semester…yes, Audrey will be spending the next four months studying and immersing herself in the German culture. “Why Germany?” you might ask. Well, she is a German major. She’s still deciding on a second major, but for now she will be learning all she can about the German language and culture.
I couldn’t let her leave without a special family dinner on her last night home. I planned a German themed dinner…Grace thought I should have made it an American themed dinner since Audrey will be in Germany for the next several months. Isn’t she funny!
ABSCHIED
(farewell in German)
Funny story…after I created and hung this banner in our dining room, Audrey asked me what that meant. At that point, I questioned her on what she had learned in three semesters of German…I mean really, is that tuition money doing any good? She replied that “farewell” is not a commonly used word. But I just didn’t want to say “goodbye.” Farewell is more fitting for this occasion!
Decorating the table was simple! I used the colors of the German flag…red, yellow, and black. My black tablecloth was perfect, along with red and yellow plates. The napkins were black and white pinstriped fabric, with utensils tied together with red striped ribbon.
For the “runner” down the center of the table, I found THIS PRINTABLE from a seller on Etsy. I simply downloaded it and had several large copies printed. I love the modern black and white look of this map!
I borrowed some authentic German beer steins from some friends and filled them with fresh flowers (trying to keep with the same color scheme). The finishing touch was placing small handheld German flags in either side of the beer steins. I placed them on top of the Berlin maps. It all made for a festive and colorful centerpiece!
Now for the food…
I wanted to serve food that I knew my family would eat…let’s face it, not all German food is tasty! So I may have taken a few liberties with what is typically considered German food!
We started with pretzels and BEER CHEESE DIP.
And of course, you can’t have German food without some brats and sauerkraut!
I also served BAKED GERMAN POTATO SALAD and SWEET AND SOUR RED CABBAGE (okay, I know that doesn’t sound very good…but it really was).
Now for the best part of this German dinner…well any dinner, really. DESSERT! And this dessert was divine! A GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE with two different types of frosting! I may have had a bite or two (or more)…I know, it was Day 21 of Whole 30 for me but it was sooo worth it!
I always love our family dinners together, but this one was even more special!
And now she’s off to see the world…well, at least Germany!
This turned out so cute, Beth! Love it! Hope she’s having the best time!!
Thank you, Katie! I had a lot of fun planning it! And yes, so far…she is loving it!
Amazing! Your daughter will have the time of her life. Your menu looks and sound delicious. I would love your recipe for the pretzel and beer cheese! Also your cake looks delicious! What a COOL Mother you are. You girls are very Blessed!
Thank you! I’m the one who is blessed! And thanks for the COOl mother comment…although I’m sure my girls would disagree with you most days. The recipe can be found by clicking on the words in all capitals. It will then link you to the recipe I used. Thanks again for reading!