Thanksgiving Suggestions and Other Links.

Just a quick post today; I’m dealing with household chaos. But I wanted to recommend icing your turkey breast down if you’re going to roast a whole turkey this year.

If you haven’t already made pumpkin pie for the holiday, consider this deep dish deliciousness with a hint of rum! I used to make it or a variant on it every year.

You got my dream holiday beers, but did you go over to Kitchenista Diaries to see the things I recommend? There’s a lot move variety there, and more things that are easy to get.

Do you want to go to a castle to write your NaNoWriMo novel next year? Well, maybe you should go enter to win! My friend Deb told me about this, and I am charmed as hell.… Continue reading →

Thanksgiving, Day of Gratitude, Day of Mourning

As an American food blogger, it’s in my personal best interests to do as much tie-in with the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday as possible. It’s a time to show off my skills at cooking, photography, and writing. It’s a time to help people make the biggest feast of the year better and/or more interesting. And, indeed, I’ve already posted something on the subject this year and I have definitely posted about it several times over the years.

On a personal level, Thanksgiving has always showcased the best parts of life: camaraderie, food, and gratitude, shared and personal.

But last year, I couldn’t do it. If you look at that second link above, you’ll notice there’s not a single post in 2014 tagged “Thanksgiving.” Because, though I participated in the celebrations, I was finally aware from the year before of the terrible roots of the day and the name.… Continue reading →

If I Ruled the Thanksgiving Beer Fridge

I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, or any year for the foreseeable future. It’s a mighty change for me, and I must admit not an easy one. I love hosting very much, partially because I love parties but also partially because I love cooking. And this year it’s also a bit hard because I finally feel like I got my legs under me for not only planning the meal but exactly how I’d do the beer. And, well, that basically requires knowing the food.

I thought.

Then I reconsidered.

Really, Thanksgiving might be just about the most easy to predict meal on the American menu. So I decided I might as well just pretend I was hosting and tell you guys what beers I’d have on hand (and why!)… Continue reading →

Beer and My Better Half

Hello, everyone. I hope those of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving today are having a great one. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, largely because the point is to be joyous and grateful. To remember what we have in life. Thus, when I got this guest post today from Jeremy over at Subbeerbia about meeting his wife, I realized it was the perfect story for today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Considering the circumstances of the household where I grew up, the fact that beer, homebrewing, and the industry surrounding them have become such an important part of my life is quite astounding. I won’t get into the details here since I plan to discuss this topic at length elsewhere, but I was raised by a father who abhorred alcohol in any form.… Continue reading →

Happy Halloween! New Adventures Start Tomorrow.

I love seeing Halloween costumes. I’d love to give out candy, but in the entire time I’ve lived in Chicago, I never have. Not one knock on any of my doors. Alas. I realized, this year, that I had no Halloween plans. So we made some.

Tonight, we’re moving a couch. In the rain. Good times. I’m going to try to make soup for dinner, though I don’t know if I have all of the ingredients.

Tomorrow? Tomorrow I embark upon a whole new adventure, mostly just to see if I can. Tomorrow is 1 November 2013, and I’m going to try NaNoWriMo for the first time in my life. While also traveling to the big, important birthday parties for my father-in-law (beginning of the month) and mother-in-law (end of the month).… Continue reading →