>>outsourced the red kraut and the dumplings to the wifes ...
My late wife, whose first language was German, also said "red kraut" or "red cabbage" when speaking English, but "blau kraut" when speaking German.
I always thought that "purple kraut" would have been most accurate, but that blue was closer to the real color.
How do you say it in German?
Were they potato dumplings?