It’s a tradition in our family to create caramel apples decorated in unique ways. And one apple every year is dedicated to me…and my beard. Since it is fuller than other years, my sister decided to go above and beyond. And I love it.
Can’t wait to eat it though…
Hashtag: #beardedmanforthewin
Do you hear those crisp leaves crunching underneath your feet as you walk to your car in the morning, holding your favorite brand of pumpkin coffee in your hand? Are apples the only fruit that you pack in your lunch for the next month, yet you know you won’t get sick of them? Then you love fall, too. But before we go too far into fall, let’s focus on the hallmark food of the season: pumpkin.
Pumpkin pie and bread are great…but it’s time to mix it up a bit. Enjoy…
Don’t tell me you didn’t think we’d have some form of booze on here. I know, some of your are cringing thinking of “ruining” a glycerin-induced regular martini with the sweet taste of pumpkin. Well then you go ahead and drink your regular martini. The rest of us will enjoy the pumpkin…and not feeling like we have to call poison control.
Recipe: Life’s Ambrosia
There is a dip that neighbors make every year for fruit. It has cream cheese, sugar, and peanut butter in it. I’m not complaining, but I think they could also mix it up and try this pumpkin dip. I’ve had this before, and in addition to fruits and graham crackers – pretzels are a great instrument in carrying the dip. Plus – sweet and salty.
Recipe: The Girl Who Ate Everything
There’s a restaurant in Philly that makes the best pumpkin pasta I’ve ever had. And I’m dead-set on returning this fall. However, for those of you that can’t enjoy it at the restaurant: this tagliatelle looks awesome. Used the right way, pumpkin adds a buttery, nutty flavor to the pasta. Yum.
Recipe: The Little Things
Pumpkin. Caramel. Mousse. I’m sold.
Recipe: Bakers Royale
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So clearly, that boring debate last night didn’t help anyone decide who to vote for. If you’re still not sure which way you’re leaning, grab a beer out of the fridge—what are you holding? Okay, now cross-reference your beer with the bubble chart above. Got it? Okay, now you can vote.
If only it were that simple. Well…apparently it kind of is. The National Journal analyzed data from a Scarborourgh report and found that those who drink Heinekens are most likely to vote Democrat and those drinking Sam Adams are most likely to vote Republican. Then, there are those in the middle—drinking, of all things, the beer of The Most Interesting Man in the World. Too bad being in the middle isn’t considered too interesting right now (which is why you middle folk should take a stand!!!)
So let’s delve a bit deeper:
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Upon skimming through the latest version of Cooking Light, we fell upon a “breads” section—correction—“quick breads” section. You’re wondering why I’d be skimming through Cooking Light? The gf has a subscription and you do know I’m watching my girlish figure… Anyway, we decided to go with the maple stout “quick bread” recipe since I had some of my homebrew stouts left.
But first: I’ve come to the conclusion that the jerks at Cooking Light have some gall to call this thing bread…er “quick bread.” I have no f’ing clue what the hell quick bread is, but this thing is cake…and I’m proud of it. I’m not doing research on what quick bread is either—I don’t want to know. Okay, now we can move on.
I got out my Vanilla Cafe Con Leche Stout and we started baking. Typically, when the two of us do some form of cooking/baking, there is an ample amount of bickering (and in my case, exaggerated *sighs*) occurring. However, this time we did well as a team; I had a good feeling about this.
The cake came out really well, with rave reviews from the fam. Probably the best of these cooking with beer recipes to date. I claim fame to this recipe for two reasons:
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I’m the last person to get upset over something small and menial. No, really… So when I saw someone at work with a bag of pitas that said “flatbread pocket thins” on it, of course I started an argument: “You know those are just pitas, right?” Discussion ensued yesterday for about 5 minutes or so about the difference between a pita and pocket bread. Then today, of course, it was brought up again and further, louder, arguments occured.
Why does this burn my bacon? Because some quacks in a marketing department decided to call PITAS flatbread so that people will believe there is a difference. What is a pita? Simple. Bread with a pocket in it. At least I thought it was. Until our friends at Arnold’s decided that they couldn’t trademark the word Pita and instead called a PITA an f’ing flatbread that happens to have a pocket in it. Oh wait—it is pita-“style” bread. Which makes it…? A DAMN pita!
Yes, yelling did occur during this second discussion. About a pita. Unfortunately, some are misled by the spin doctors at Arnold’s painting pitas as “artisan pocket breads.” Some sad consumers believe they are getting something that is not a pita because it tastes better. Maybe it does taste better—but maybe that’s because it’s just a better pita! Don’t let the man pick your bread. Do you. YOLO.
Now…what do you think? I was promised responses from the office. Don’t disappoint.
Turns out that some of my friends and I have committed ourselves to a 12K Beer Run at the end of October (right, ML?) The end of the race includes a free micro-brewed beer. So consider myself motivated for the next month or so. I’m committed to the cause and it wouldn’t hurt to loose the poundage. Running’s part of the recipe—the other part: diet.
So I’ve hit the web looking for “running diets,” “low fat diets,” “running meal plans,” etc… From there, I’d take the most common things in each “plan” or create a plan that I can follow that is healthy for me. Piece of cake. Of course there are some common themes, but I was looking for more specifics. Turns out that’s not the case.
Some plans say “eat more, weigh less,” others for running purposes say to load up on carbs, while others are just pretty damn ridiculous. Is it really that complicated? I feel like I could publish my own diet by making something crazy up and saying “eat the right fats and carbs and eat plenty of fruits and veggies.” Eat 20 small meals per day (or maybe it was six?) Maybe running after drinking tons of beer is the key? Thanks for all of the help.
I had my first real fall moment of the year this morning: drinking apple cider. The crisp, cool, thirst-quenching drink is the perfect inauguration for autumn. You can have it with any meal, for a snack, or warm it up and froth it if you want to go frou-frou. But did you know it can be enjoyed in more than just a glass?
Though a bold choice for Thanksgiving, a little sweetness may go a long way with your savory turkey. Not convinced? Have you ever put apples or cranberries in your stuffing? Or enjoy spreading some sweet cranberry sauce on your turkey sandwich? Well now your gravy can do you a personal, sweet, favor.
Recipe: Nourish Network
Summer is over. Pineapple is no longer the seasonal fruit, and apples are in. So what do you do with that huge bag of apples sitting in your garage? Make cake…apple cider upside-down cake.
Recipe: Mid-Century Menu
More cake. This time, adding some creamy icing and caramel will make this a true dessert. Think of it as an alternative to carrot cake. No chunks of orange…just smooth, sweet and creamy cake. Does it feel like fall for you yet?
Recipe: Simply Fine Living