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Rock Oktoberfest with Delicious Traditional Recipes and Tips from Sara Lee Executive Chef Brian Averna

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill.-(Business Wire)-October 2, 2008 - Oktoberfest, which originated in Munich in 1910, is celebrated worldwide from the end of September until the first Sunday in October. The sixteen day-long celebration is a popular holiday enjoyed by many Americans with great food, good friends and lots of fun. Sara Lee Executive Chef Brian Averna offers his top tips and favorite recipes for making Oktoberfest festivities something to yodel home about.

1. Quality first: Oktoberfest wouldn't be complete without sausage and the key to making a great tasting dish starts with a superior sausage. Hillshire Farm^® Polska Kielbasa is made with quality cuts of meat, such as beef, pork, and turkey, and slow cooked with authentic, natural spices. To lighten up on calories, try Hillshire Farm Lite Smoked Sausage which has 1/2 the fat and 1/3 fewer calories than traditional beef smoked sausage.

2. Simmer to perfection: Smoked sausage can be enjoyed grilled, pan fried or even cooked on the stovetop. When cooking on the stovetop, start by searing the meat for one minute on medium heat in vegetable oil in a casserole pan. Next, add water or apple juice to simmer and slowly cook the sausage to perfection.

3. Don’t lose the juice: Cooking smoked sausage slowly over medium heat will ensure a nice warm center and a golden brown exterior. While cooking, never cut the sausage and handle it as little as possible to keep the delicious juices from being released.

4. Don’t forget the kraut: No Oktoberfest smoked sausage recipe is truly authentic without sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is packed with good-for-you fiber, iron and Vitamin C and is a fat-free, low-calorie food. There's no need to make sauerkraut from scratch with plenty of terrific canned options available at grocery stores nationwide.

5. Add some zest to pass the taste test: Adding a few extra ingredients can pack every great Oktoberfest smoked sausage dish with an extra punch. Chef Brian recommends the following additions:

1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 cup tomato paste
1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 teaspoons chopped shallots
1/2 cup raisins

Smoked Sausage Oktoberfest

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb.) pkg. Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage (any variety), cut into 4-inch pieces
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 (16 oz.) cans sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
2 medium apples, peeled, cut into slices
10 oz. (half package) diced or sliced refrigerated potatoes
1 cup apple juice
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Brown sausage in vegetable oil in a 1 1/2 quart Dutch oven. Arrange onion, sauerkraut, apples and potatoes around sausage. Top with apple juice; salt and pepper to taste. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat, stirring once, for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes test done with a fork.

Serving size:

4-6 servings

German Kabobs

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage (any variety)
1 onion
1 green pepper
2 apples
14 cherry tomatoes
3 potatoes, parboiled
Apricot preserves
2 (16-oz.) cans sauerkraut, drained

Directions:

Cut first 6 ingredients into 1-inch pieces and assemble on skewers. Grill over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. During the last two minutes of grilling, glaze with apricot preserves to taste. Serve over heated sauerkraut.

Serving size:

4-6 servings

Polska & Sauerkraut Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa, sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
4 tsp. mayonnaise
1/2 lb. shredded Swiss cheese
1 can buttermilk biscuits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 8" x 8" casserole dish with nonstick spray. Mix together sauerkraut and mayonnaise, spread in bottom of dish. Layer kielbasa on top of mixture. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over kielbasa. Bake for 15 minutes. Layer uncooked biscuits on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Serving size:

4-6 servings

For more recipes like these, visit gomeat.com. Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage is available in the meat section of grocery stores nationwide.

About Hillshire Farm

Hillshire Farm has been providing quality meat products since 1934. Our products are versatile and easy to use. The Hillshire Farm portfolio of quality meats includes: smoked sausage, Lit’l Smokies^® cocktail links, lunchmeat, summer sausage and hams. Visit www.gomeat.com for additional information.

About Sara Lee Corporation

Each and every day, Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) delights millions of consumers and customers around the world. The company has one of the world's best-loved and leading portfolios with its innovative and trusted food, beverage, household and body care brands, including Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Sara Lee, and Senseo. Collectively, these brands generate more than $13 billion in annual net sales covering approximately 200 countries. The Sara Lee community consists of 44,000 employees worldwide. Please visit www.saralee.com for the latest news and in-depth information about Sara Lee and its brands.