In heaven there is no beer.

That's why we drink it here.

D. and I ventured over to Deutsches Haus on Saturday night after FSU hung on to beat Miami and K-State lost to Texas Tech.

Once we entered the building, he was in his element, surrounded by other lanky, pale people who likewise enjoyed singing songs about saw horses and eating sausages.

Ah yes, D. was among his people.

We drank Paulaner, danced the chicken dance and bellowed along to "Ja, das ist eine Schnitzel Bank" repeatedly.

And we had a blast - unfortunately, that means I fell off the weight loss wagon, so I'm trying to climb back on again this week.

I made several strudels last night - here's a relatively healthy recipe:

Apple Strudel

(makes 2, serves 12-16)

5 tart apples (peeled, cored and sliced)

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

Juice of 1 lemon

3/4 cup Splenda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 cup almonds, ground (pecans work well, too)

8 ounces phyllo pastry, 1/2 box,thawed

1 cup margarine, melted

1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs, finely crushed

Mix apples with lemon, lemon rind, sugar, cinnamon, and almonds. Set aside. Heat a couple of tablespoons of the melted margarine in a skillet over medium heat - stir in the breadcrumbs until crispy. Place 1 phyllo leaf on a sheet of wax paper and brush with melted margarine. Place a second leaf on top and repeat. Repeat until 6-7 leaves have been used, using about 1/2 cup of margarine.

Sprinkle 3/4 cup crumbs on the layered dough. Mound 1/2 of the filling in a 3-inch strip along the narrow end of the fillo, leaving a 2-inch border. Lift wax paper, using it to roll leaves over apples, jelly roll style. Brush top of the strudel with margarine and sprinkle with 2 T crumbs. Repeat the entire procedure for the second strudel. Bake the strudels (make sure the pan you use has sides, or the margarine will drip over the sides) at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until browned.

SAVE THE HAUS!