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IPA

Beer Cheese Wontons

 

This recipe has nothing to do with Thanksgiving.

I love Thanksgiving, really. It’s my favorite holiday, due in no small part to the fact that it is a day devoted to a gluttonous love of food. And no presents are exchanged. I’m not sure what it is about those present exchanging holidays that makes me nervous. I’ve never been a girl who is comfortable with receiving gifts. I love to give them, completely love it. But having someone watch me open a gift, I can’t help but feel completely self conscious about my reaction which I assume to be sub-par.

I know. If you haven’t noticed, I tend to over think things.

Which makes my love for Thanksgiving FAR exceed any feelings I have for Christmas. I get to make significantly more food than will ever be consumed, and no one will be attempting to decipher my reaction as I peel away the wrapping of a hand selected present.

Starting sometime in the next 36 hours, I will start preparations for the following dishes: This turkey, These rolls, this Mac n Cheese, something similar to this pie, and this pie too. As well as about 6 other dishes that will create a disgusting surplus of food.

 

And then, we will all be back to making football food, like portable beer cheese dip.

 

 

Beer Cheese Wontons

Ingredients
  

  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbs corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup beer
  • 1/2 tsp sriracha
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 24 wonton wrappers
  • 2 tbs green onions chopped
  • 1/4 cup canola oil

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor combine the first 9 ingredients (everything except the wonton wrappers, green onions and the oil), process until well combined.
  • One at a time, place the wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, wet the edges or the wrappers with water.
  • Place about 1 tbs of filling in the center of the wrapper. Sprinkle green onions on top (about 1/4 tsp).
  • Fold wrapper over to create a triangle, press the edges together until very well sealed. Brush the bottom of the triangle with water and fold the corners into the center and press into shape.
  • Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Adjust heat to make sure it does not get to the smoking point, or the wontons will burn.
  • Carefully add wontons to the hot oil, cooking until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
  • Serve immediately, wontons will get soggy if they sit.

 

Beer Battered Mini Corn Dogs with Chipotle Ketchup

 

This my friends, is how you do Football Food.

It meets all of the requirements to earn a spot on the Football Food Table.

These vague and unenforceable requirements include qualities like: fun, as high calorie as possible, no utensils or plates needed, ability to sit at room temperature for hours, AND there are always bonus points for including beer.

 I also want to tell you a little bit about Chipotle Ketchup. Corn dogs need to be dipped, and if we are all willing to adhere to the good 'ole American tradition of dunking fried stuff in ketchup, I want to doctor it up a bit. Although you can make ketchup from scratch, and don’t think I haven’t filed that idea away in my mental recipe stockpile, I just used store bought. Chipotle is a lovely flavor, one of my favorites.

The smokiness is beautiful. If you just want smoke and no heat, just add 1 tsp of smoked paprika to 1 cup of ketchup and stir to make yourself a little smokey ketchup to go along with your fancied up deep-fried treats.

Beer Battered Mini Corn Dogs with Chipotle Ketchup

Servings 24 mini corndogs

Ingredients
  

  • canola or peanut oil for frying
  • 1 cup flour plus 1/4 cup, divided
  • 2/3 cup corn meal
  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tbs beer I used an IPA
  • 24 mini hot dogs
  • 24, 4 inch wooden skewers or toothpicks

For the Ketchup

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1 chipotle peper in adobo sauce
  • 1 tsp adobo sauce

Instructions
 

  • Pour oil into a pot, about 3-4 inches deep. Clip a cooking thermometer onto the side. Heat over medium high heat until the oil reaches between 350 and 375, adjust heat to stay in this temperature range.
  • In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, stir to combine. Add the egg and the beer, stir until combined.
  • Pour the batter into a tall coffee mug, this will make dipping the corn dogs easier.
  • Skewer all of the mini corn dogs with wooden skewers. Put remaining 1/4 cup flour in a bowl. Roll the hot dogs in the flour, then brush off any excess flour.
  • Holding the skewer, dip the hot dog into the batter until submerged and coated. Slowly place the battered hot dog into the oil. Allow to fry in the oil until a dark brown, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a stack of paper towels to drain.
  • To make the ketchup, place all ketchup ingredients in a small food processor or blender and process until smooth.

I used these bamboo skewers.

IPA Cherry Tart

 

 

 To be honest, I haven’t always loved IPA’s. It took me a while, although not as long as resolving my mint aversion, and now I can pretty firmly place myself in that Hop Heads category I used to shy away from. I discover that a dry hopped IPA gives me the delicate flavors of the hops that love, that are lost without the dry hopping process. I also found myself lurking on the Home Brew Talk website in a creepy way that usually lands someone in a face to face interview with Chris Hansen.

If I was going to homebrew, jump feet first into the mash tun world, I’m not sure if an IPA would be first on my list. My love of stouts would probably pull me in that direction first. But once I made it around to an IPA, it would most definitely involve dry hopping. And possibly Sriracha.

It’s probably a good thing I don’t homebrew, sounds like I’d waste a lot of money on crazy ideas.

 

 

IPA Cherry Tart

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
  • 3 cups sweet dark cherries pitted (I used Bing Cherries)
  • 2 tbs corn starch
  • 1/2 cup IPA
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg lightly beaten

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a tart pan with a removable bottom, press into shape, remove excess. If you don't have a tart pan, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, place puff pastry in the middle, fold about 1 inch of the sides inward to form edges. Place puff pastry in the fridge until ready.
  • In a pot over medium high heat, add the cherries, cornstarch, IPA and sugar. Allow to boil until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
  • Remove pastry from the fridge, prick all over with a fork, make sure the holes are small. Brush with lightly beaten egg.
  • Pour the cherries into the tart.
  • Bake until the pastry has turned golden brown, about 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Beer Braised Chicken Tacos with Beer Corn Tortillas

 

When it seems like your entire life revolves around a food blog, small things make you really excited.

Like making homemade tortillas with beer and realizing how much better they are than any other tortilla you’ve ever had.

Or getting a shout out from The Cooking Channel as if they knew just how to fuel your obsession with them.

Or realizing that because Foster Farms is willing to fly you into Napa a few days early for the National Cook-Off Finals, you get to visit the following breweries: Laguanitas, Russian River, and Bear Republic.

And then your Aunt tells you that your Grandma and Guy Fieri’s Grandma where roommates in college, which sounds like a Mad Lib, but turns out to be true.

Small wins that make me so excited, you’d think I won a Beer Cooking Oscar. This is what keeps us playing the Man Behind the Curtain on these little blogs we are so dedicated to. Bloggers are easily excitable, which maybe why we spend so much time on the other side of these computer. Sometimes our excitement isn’t fit for public consumption.

Back to these tortillas. Homemade tortillas are a completely different animal from those cardboard disks they sell in supermarkets. Soft, slightly sweet, and they only take 5 minutes to make. To use a beer analogy fit for an SAT exam:

Coors Light is to Pliny as Store Bought Tortillas are to Homemade Tortillas

I’m not kidding, that much different. If you don’t believe me, and really, why should you, I’m just the overly excited girl behind the screen, try it and report back. I really think you’ll be amazed.

For this recipe, I used Lagunaitas IPA. And like I’ve mentioned before, IPA’s give you a huge punch of beer flavor. If you want a milder beer flavor, grab a traditional Pale Ale, a Blonde or a Wheat Beer.

 

 

Beer Braised Chicken Tacos with Beer Corn Tortillas

Ingredients
  

For the Tortillas

  • 2 cup Masa
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cup room temperature beer
  • 2 Tbs melted butter or olive oil

For the Chicken

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 cup beer

Recommended Garnishes

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 avocado chopped

Instructions
 

  • Chop Chicken thighs into small, bite sized pieces. In a bowl, place all spices and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
  • Heat olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the pieces and sear quickly. Reduce heat, add beer, cover and cook until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, add the Masa and the salt, stir to combine.
  • Add the beer and butter, stir to combine. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional beer or water. If it is too wet, add more Masa.
  • Form into balls a bit larger than golf balls.
  • Prepare a tortillas press by wrapping in plastic wrap or covering with parchment paper (you can place tortilla ball between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin). Place one ball in the center.
  • Press, rotate and press again until thin.
  • Heat a griddle (or cast iron skillet) to a medium high heat (about 350 for electric griddles).
  • Cook until slightly brown on the bottom (about 30 seconds to a minute) flip and cook on the other side. Don’t overcook.
  • Fill tortillas with chicken, garnish and serve.

 

 

IPA Ceviche

 

As summer nears it’s inevitable end, it’s not the weather that I’ll miss the most. In fact the leather boots and chunky sweaters of colder days are starting to beckon. The produce, back yard grills, the smell of life and food floating on a late afternoon breeze will be lost in the dawning of fall.

This isn’t a recipe about avoiding the oven, or  grumbles of triple digit heat, it’s about enjoying August produce, paired with those Summer release beers and spending as much time as you can in the open air before we’re all forced to head inside, cook with squash, and drink stouts. Which I am already looking forward to.

IPA Ceviche

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 1/2 lb raw shrimp shell & tail removed, chopped
  • 1/2 cup IPA Beer
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 3 cups tomatoes diced
  • 1 large jalapeno diced, stem and seeds removed
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp red pepper sauce such as Sriracha

Instructions
 

  • Add the lemon/lime juice and raw shrimp to a small bowl. (Shrimp will "cook" in the juice as it marinates.)
  • Mix beer, onion, tomato, and jalapeño in a large bowl, allow to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour.
  • Drain the vegetables and return to large bowl.
  • Once the shrimp have "cooked," drain and add them to the large bowl along with the salt and pepper sauce, toss to combine.
  • Serve cold with corn chips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brewed Mary: Beer Bloody Mary

 

No offense to vodka, but a Bloody Mary just tastes better with beer. And an IPA is the inarguable choice for a Brewed Mary. I am, for the most part, a live and let live person.

Happy to let your differing opinions thrive right alongside mine. There are recipe choices that I would love to debate with you. I’ll take your suggestions of a pilsner over a Saison for a beer cheese dip. And I would love to debate with you Brown Ale versus a Hefeweizen for a chicken pot pie.

But with this, we have no choice, an IPA is just the best way to go. The hops blend so well with the heat and the tomato juice.

If you disagree with me, I just hope you keep it to yourself. After all, I still want to like you, and we can always spar over porter versus stouts for brownies.

For this recipe, I used Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA. At the moment, it is one of my favorite beers, and quite possibly my favorite IPA.

Note: Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. For vegetarian, use a vegan Worcestershire sauce like Annie’s Organic Worcestershire Sauce. 

Brewed Mary: Beer Bloody Mary

Servings 2 cocktails

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup tomato juice
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt plus additional for glass rims
  • 1/2 tsp Chipotle Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp brine for a jar of spanish olive
  • 1/4 tsp cream style horseradish
  • 1 tbs lime juice about 1 medium lime
  • 1 tsp lemon juice about 1/2 medium lemon
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Ice
  • 1 cup IPA beer
  • Optional garnish:
  • celery stalk olives

Instructions
 

  • Rim glasses with celery salt.
  • Add all ingredients (except the beer) to a shaker half full of ice, shake to combine.
  • Strain into prepared glasses, stir in the beer, garnish if desired.

 

 

Jalapeno IPA Hummus

 

This recipe has been in my brain for a while.

For weeks it’s been taunting me, begging to be flushed out, poured into my food processor and immortalized in internet print.

And this weekend three failed attempts to make IPA lemon bars that never really gave me the results I was hoping for coupled with this tweet:

gave this hummus it’s shot.

And I’m so glad that the stars didn’t align and the beer cooking God’s didn’t smile upon the IPA lemon bars (which have become my culinary nemesis, mocking me with vague imperfections) because this hummus was exactly what I wanted on a hot day. It didn’t last long.

For this recipe, I used one of my favorite IPA’s, Ballast Point’s Sculpin IPA. A beautiful example of an IPA, even if this one was sans Habaneros.

 

Jalapeno IPA Hummus

Ingredients
  

  • 2 fresh jalapenos stemmed, seeded and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
  • 3 tbs tahini
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans drained
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 lime juiced (about 1 tbs)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup IPA Beer plus additional if needed

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Add additional IPA for a thinner dip. Serve with pita or chips.
  • *Note: most of the heat from Jalapenos are in the seeds. If you want a hotter hummus, you can leave the seeds in. If the finished dip is too mild, add 1/4 tsp chili powder for a spicier dip

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Strawberry Beer Sorbet

Everything I love about summer is in this dish.

Or, more accurately, everything I love about summer that can fit into a small metal bowl are in that dish.

Fresh produce.

Homemade sorbet.

Beer. Of course, beer.

And when I was buying said beer, Alesmith Anvil, I had an interesting conversation with Beer Store Beer Guy.

For the most part, I really like my chats with Beer Store Beer Guy so much that I forgive him when he makes the assumption that I have no idea how I ended up in the Beer aisle and he must point the poor lost girl back to the Chardonnay section where she has most likely wander off from.  I’m ok with this, the trapping of being tall and blonde and with the egregious mistake of having a brain in my head, I find it amusing. Like when I end up at the mechanics and they have no idea my step dad was ASE certified, or those adorable guys at Home Depot who try to point me back to the paint isle when I really want to buy a new blade for the tub saw so I can finish re-tiling the kitchen floor. The greatest advantage anyone has is to let others underestimate them. I’ve come to find it endearing when Beer Store Beer Guy, Hardware Store Guy and Mechanic Guy try to take care of the lost girl and help her find her way. Because what I really want to be is Marisa Tomei in the last court room scene in My Cousin Vinny saying things like,

"'Cause Chevy didn’t make a 327 in ’55, the 327 didn’t come out till ’62. And it wasn’t offered in the Bel Air with a four-barrel carb till ’64. However, in 1964, the correct ignition timing would be four degrees before top-dead-center."

And you can really only have that once someone decided to underestimate you.

Something else you shouldn’t underestimate is the flavors in the Anvil. It may seem like a strange choice for this sorbet, giving the matlier, toastier flavors but I love the balance it gave.

Choose a beer that has notes of citrus, fruit and spice. A citrusy IPA would be a great choice as well.

And don’t be offended when others underestimate you, use it to your advantage.

StrawBerry Beer Sorbet

Strawberry Beer Sorbet

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups fresh strawberries hulled and chopped
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups beer pale ale with notes of citrus

Instructions
 

  • In a sauce pan over medium high heat, add the strawberries and the sugar. With a potato masher, or mallet, smash and stir the strawberries until well macerated and combined with the sugar.
  • Allow the mixture to come to a boil, stirring and mashing until all the strawberries have broken down, about 10 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, stir in the beer and allow to cool. (If you want to strain the pulp and seeds, do so now. I didn't strain.)
  • Place the strawberry mixture in the refrigerator until completely cool, about 2 hours.
  • Churn in your ice cream make according to manufactures specifications. Place in a freezer safe container and chill until ready to serve.

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Beer Soaked Chocolate Covered Cherries

Last week I was able to sit down with a guy, who in just two years went from a home brewer who was opening the doors to his first bar, to owning three bars and the fastest growing craft brewery in California.

If you live in Los Angeles, and you’re a craft beer fan, I’m certain you have heard of Tony Yanow of Golden Road. If you haven’t you are going to want to acquaint yourself with him and what he’s building. Here is my article for your craft beer research indulgence.

He is also the man who helped create one of my favorite IPA’s. Golden Roads, Point The Way IPA.

As I’ve hammered into you several times before, IPA’s make terrible cooking subject, which is why I rarely use them. This is a recipe that doesn’t require cooking, and the tart hoppiness of the IPA is a great compliment to the cherries.

And, as a salute to my fellow beer lovers who happen to be vegan (more vegan beer fans exist than one would expect) this is an easy recipe to veganize.

IPA Soaked Chocolate Covered Cherries (vegan option)

2 cups fresh Bing cherries, pitted

1 cup IPA

8 oz Dark Chocolate (60%) (For vegan, use vegan chocolate. Most higher end brands are vegan at 60%, but make sure to check if you want to make sure)

Pit the cherries and add them to a loaf pan in one tight layer. Pour the IPA over the cherries and allow to soak at room temperature for 2 hours and up to 6. Drain and allow to dry for about 20 minutes (they need to be dry before chocolate gets involved).

To temper the chocolate: (*Note. Tempering chocolate makes it shiny and gives it a nice snap. If you don’t care so much about that, you can just add the chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted)

In a double boiler melt the chocolate over medium heat. If you don’t have a double boiler, add a metal bowl over a pot of water, making sure the bottom of the metal bowl does not come in contact with the water in the pot.

Chop the chocolate into chunks and add about half to the top of the double boiler. Heat the chocolate to 115 degrees (use a clip-on candy thermometer to do this). Add the rest of the chocolate and stir until all of the chocolate has melted and is now down to about 90 degrees.

A few at a time, add the cherries to the chocolate with a fork, roll around until coated, remove with the fork and allow to drain a bit, then place on a piece of parchment paper to harden. Repeat for all cherries. Chill until ready to serve.

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IPA Marinated Citrus Pork Chops With Peach Poblano Salsa

A really well crafted IPA is a beautiful thing,but this is the style that is most often poorly done. The art of balancing a  hop forward beer delicately with its subtle back notes is an art that only a few persistent pros seem to be able to manage. The well crafted, well balanced IPA is an incredible art, that takes the dedication of a thoughtful and persistent brewer to really ace.

 I present to you Stone Ruination. It is a Masters level education on how to do the IPA right. Seek it out if you adore the Indian Pale Ale, or even if you tend to avoid it. That’s how you make an IPA.

IPA Marinated Citrus Pork Chops With Peach Poblano Salsa

For the Pork Chops:

1 cup IPA (Stone Ruination Preferred)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp agave

1/2 tsp Sriracha

4 bone-in pork chops (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick)

3 tbs olive oil (plus additional if needed)

For the Salsa:

1 cup chopped fresh yellow peaches (about 1 large peach)

1 cup chopped red bell peppers, stem and seeds removed (about 1 medium sided pepper)

2/3 cup chopped poblano pepper, stem and seeds removed (about 1 large pepper)

2/3 cup chopped red onion (about 1/2 of 1 large onion)

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs IPA

1/4 tsp chili powder (add more for a spicier salsa)

 

In a large bowl or baking dish, combine the IPA, lemon juice, salt, agave, garlic and srirach, stir to combine. Add the pork chops, turning to coat. Place the bowl (or baking dish) in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Add all of the salsa ingredients to a bowl and toss to combine.

In a pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and allow to get hot but not smoking. Add the pork chops, cooking one or two at a time, don’t crowd the pan. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. You want them to still have a slight hint of pink still in the center, pork chops go from undercooked to overcooked really quickly, so keep a close eye on them.

Plate, and top with salsa. You will have more than enough salsa for the chops, serve the excess in a bowl with chips.

Beer Popsicles: Lemon Pale Ale

As summer heats up, so does my longing to add beer to everything I consume. I linger on the idea of changing classic recipes into beer recipes far longer than my busy day should allow. How would I add beer to a Tarte Tatin? What about an Blueberry pie? Or Eggs benedict? What beer would I use? Although I get lost in recipe development several times a day, it tends to make a long commute on a Los Angeles freeway that much more bareable.

Due to recent move, I’ve been a bit handicapped by my lack of access to a familiar kitchen and all of my culinary tools. I’m slowly working my way back to feeling normal, that slight feeling of alien unfamiliarity when I get home  has begun to subside and my subconcious is starting to accept that the new place that I sleep, is now my home.

Beer popsicles are a fun addition in any adult party. You can play with flavor combinations (strawberry basil, orange jalapeno, blueberry lime) or just use plain 'ole untouched beer. If you have little ones around, make sure to keep these labeled well and separated from the kiddie ones.  If you are worried about a tiny human being handed the wrong flavor, use colored popsicle sticks for the kids and plain boring wood ones for the grown ups. You can buy popsicle sticks, colored and plain at most craft stores or on Amazon. This is the popsicle mold I used, but just about any hollow vessel will work.

I used Pike Brewing Naughty Nellie for these. With flavors of hops, grapefruit and citrus, it gave a sour punch that I really loved. This is a recipe that can take a hoppier beer because there is no cooking involved. Experiment with your favorite pale ale, you have a summer full of back yard barbecues to get it just right.

Beer Popsicles: Lemon Pale Ale

Servings 6 popsicles

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice about 4 large lemons
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup pale ale or IPA

Instructions
 

  • Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout, stir until sugar has dissolved.
  • Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 6 hours.
  • Run molds under hot water until the popsicles release.

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Strawberry Beer Lemonade

Summer is almost here. Barbecues, lazy afternoons on the porch swing, long days at the beach, music and card games on the patio until dawn. I realize that a fridge full of craft beer doesn’t always please the masses, but I do want to impart those flavors that are so beautiful anyone can enjoy them, into nearly everything that comes out of my kitchen.

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IPA Sweet Potato Mash

IPA’s make difficult cooking subjects. The bitterness is high maintenance. But then a beer comes along that is just so worth the effort of figutring out how to work those flavors into my food.

Like Le Freak, by Green Flash Brewing out of San Diego.

It’s a non traditional American IPA meets Belgium style IPA. Not your run of the mill hoppy beer. I love this. LOVED it so much, I drank it mid-morning as I was cooking up this little dish for you all. And, it turns out, sweet potatoes are an amazing vessel for hops. Or maybe the other way around.

IPA Sweet Potato Mash

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4 cups)

2 tbs butter, chopped into cubes

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup pecans

1/2 cup Green Flash by Le Freak

Preheat oven to 400.

Place your chopped yams in a large loaf pan, sprinkle the top with cubes of butter. Drizzle with the maple syrup, then the beer and then top with the brown sugar.

Bake, uncovered at 400 for about 40 minutes or until the yams are fork tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Drain off most of the liquid (leaving about 2 tbs in the bottom of the pan). Sprinkle with nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt then mash with a potato masher until creamy, add the pecans and stir.

Serve warm.