Favorite Fall Recipes & Seasonal Craft Beers

As I make my way back into the kitchen, I have been delightfully borrowing recipes from around the blogosphere. Here is a look at my foray into fall cuisine and the seasonal craft beers that have accompanied the dishes.

Click on the links for the step by step recipes!

Cake Batter and Bowl's BBQ Chicken & Cheddar Baked Potatoes with corn and roasted red peppers.

I made these awhile back when the weather was still warm, saying good bye to late summer corn before diving into the world of root vegetables. While the potato bakes, the chicken is poached, shredded and mixed in your favorite BBQ sauce. The extracted baked potato flesh is combined with butter, corn and roasted red pepper and scooped back into the potato skins before getting loaded with the BBQ chicken and some fresh grated sharp cheddar cheese.

These are hearty and filling, proving a fantastic way to spice up your regular old twice baked potato. Alongside I drank Sixpoint Sweet Action, a beer I had been enjoying throughout the summer. This dynamic golden amber colored ale is brewed in Brooklyn, NY. The sweetness from the barely malts nicely pairs with the juicy pops of corn kernels. The action is lent from the hops, a bitter spice that brushes your palate clean after every sip.

Delicious Dishing's Butternut Squash Soup with brown butter, sage, cayenne and blue cheese. The soup is made with roasted and sauteed squash, as well as leeks, carrots, onions, shallots and garlic. Filling, hearty, sweet, savory and spicy, I can't think of anything more you could want from a cold weather soup. Actually, the weather is not what I would describe as cold quite yet, the days are seeing beautifully crisp fall temperatures, but perfect for soups none the less.I did make one small change to Megan's recipe; I substituted the 2 tablespoons of honey for maple syrup. I also used a bit more cayenne pepper for an extra kick. The soft pungent sage and the sharp creamy blue cheese crumbles are ideal garnishes for lending even more contrast to the deeply flavorful soup.

From Cambridge Brewing Company, The Great Pumpkin Ale is now being sold in the bottle for the first time in 22 years of brewing! It's an unfiltered ale brewed with locally grown organic sugar pumpkins.

The pumpkin flavor is subtle but fresh, enhanced by autumnal spices. And much like the blue cheese and cayenne garnishes, the beer also served to balanced out the bold sweetness of the butternut squash. While I generally crave powerful flavors of sweet pumpkin in my pumpkin beer, (hello Shipyard Pumpkin/see below!) this brew was a nice contrast in general and a pretty perfect pairing with the soup.

Beantown Baker's Balsamic Roasted Vegetables I used Jen's recipe (which she actually borrowed as part of a recipe swap from another blog) as inspiration for the vegetables I had on hand. I adjusted the original recipe by adding olive oil, opening one of my California Olive Ranch bottles provided at the tasting dinner I attended a couple weeks ago. It's pretty amazing what a high quality extra virgin olive oil can do for your food; I'm a big fan of their product.

Here is what's in the mix:

- 1 potato

- 1 sweet potato

- 1/2 butternut squash

- 3 beets

- 6 garlic cloves

- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- salt and pepper

I tossed the evenly chopped vegetables and whole garlic cloves in a large bowl with the balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted on a tin foil lined baking sheet at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. This made enough for a hearty side dish for two, with a small amount of leftovers that Adam heated up in a saute pan the next morning and served for breakfast, homefry style with egg sandwiches. I decided to pair the vegetables with Shipyard Brewery Smashed Pumpkin Ale. Not to be confused with Pumpkinhead, but make no mistake, I've been drinking that like it's going out of style (oh wait, it is...) Smashed Pumpkin is an energetic, full bodied pumpkin ale, with a light coppery orange color and nutmeg aromatics. The natural pumpkin tannins are vigorous, playing off the vegetables sweet roasted flavors, one doesn't tend to overpower the other. The spiciness of the hops also lends balanced flavor to the ale.

What's all these savory fall foods and brews without a pumpkin dessert?!

Eat Live Run's Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are a breeze to make, even for a non baker like myself! You don't even need an electric mixer or anything fancy - even the buttercream frosting can be mixed by hand.
I would like to call mine Artisian Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, due to the fact that I have no patience for piping batter or frosting. I take comfort in the fact that I can haphazardly spoon batter on a pan, yielding varied shapes and size pies, that will all taste the same. These morsels are moist and fluffy, with bright pumpkin flavor and rich spices sandwiching sweet, creamy frosting. They impressed Adam, delighted my co workers and gave me a good excuse to use my recently obtained Silpat non-stick baking sheet liners. I purchased my Silpats with a $40 Amazon gift card from The Fairy Hobmother, a generous woman on a mission to bring joy and happiness to the world’s bloggers by providing treats for our hard work. She visited my blog after I left a comment on this post and she just might continue the cycle and grant you a gift if she notices your comment below!!

If you have a recipe for fall that I absolutely must make, please don't hesitate to share! And then go bake these whoopie pies!!!

NOLA Eats | Port of Call & Napoleon House

Dinners in The Big Easy were memorable, but make no mistake the brunches and lunches were just as noteworthy. The laid back, casual food and drink establishments in New Orleans are top notch.From the burgers at Port of Call to the Jambalaya and Muffuletta at Napoleon House to the Beignets at Cafe Du Monde and the not-to-be missed upscale three course brunch at Brennan's, we ate like there was no tomorrow. (Warning: this is no time to start a diet.) It's doubtful I can pack all the aforementioned spots into one post; but if my first two recaps have you off planning a trip, there is a lot you need to know about lunch down here and I'm not about to skimp on the details.Port of Call sits on the outskirts of French Quarter bordering a neighborhood called Marginy. It is definitely walkable, providing a nice leisurely stroll down Bourbon only slightly off the beaten path at 838 Esplanade Ave. We entered through a battered forest green door with an awning to match over head and a tiny brick stoop underfoot. We hesitantly maneuvered past the crowds inside, searching high and low for a hostess after no one seemed eager to greet us. It was super busy and felt like a locals haven. Dimly lit with weathered dark wood walls, it's a convivial dive with decor representing its namesake. A thick maritime rope net drapes overhead and nautical maps and rafts line the walls. Hostess, are you in here?! Eventually we flagged her down on the opposite side of the bar.Thankfully, it was only about a 10 minute wait after we put our names in. We were seated in a crowded back room at a table squished in the corner. With a window front view overlooking a side street, daylight streamed into this section of the joint. Heavy drapes convened in the corner and a framed vintage Hawaiian themed poster hung on the opposite wall. Port of Call was recommended to us with a note that they had amazing burgers. We were a bit surprised to learn that burgers are the only thing on the menu. I barely exaggerate. There were a few entree options along the lines of a $30 Filet Mignon and rib-eye steaks, and sides come only in the form of a baked potato. (No french fries here!) They do offer your typical rowdy NOLA cocktail menu but we started off easy on the livers with bottles of Abita Amber. With the limited menu selections dictating our order, the decision was an easy one, burgers and baked potatoes for all!! Eventually we had to laugh at the fact that someone would recommend you "get a burger here" when it is legit all you can get! Word to the wise. That being said, I wasn't at all unhappy about this. In fact, I was absolutely thrilled with my burger. A large juicy monster of a patty came loaded to the nines with long strands of shredded yellow cheddar cheese, a boatload of crisp onion, a thick slice of tomato and tangy dill pickles. I have never experienced this much cheese, never mind the fact that it is shredded, on a burger until now. Incredible! Barely contained by a soft sesame seed bun, this is one of those dive in face first and make a mess of yourself in the process burgers. And a serious hangover cure to boot, thank you very much! The enormous piping hot baked potato comes loaded with your choice of sides; cold sour cream and thick coils of freshly chopped chives were the natural compliment.Our waiter was a nice guy - very attentive, making sure to offer us more beers and promptly delivering extra napkins before we had to ask. Best burger in the city of New Orleans? The locals will tell you so. Must visit while here? I'm tempted to say yes! Sure you can get a burger anywhere, but this is truly a damn good one. I am ultimately really glad we ventured here for lunch on our first day. If you wanted to do the same I wouldn't steer you elsewhere, unless you had limited time and in that case I would definitely recommend you to visit this next spot.....

On our second day we went to lunch at Napoleon House, an iconic cafe and bar with historic French Quarter atmosphere situated at 500 Chartres St. Locals and tourists alike flock here whether for lunch, dinner, late night, or a drink at the bar.

White paint chips from the brown walls where antique framed photos hang in a haphazard collage. It is immediately charming and wants to transport you to another place and time, a characteristic I've come to realize is typical of many bars in NOLA. We entered to find yet another line at the hostess stand, and no hostess in site. Today we were in a time crunch with reservations to board the Steamboat Natchez in the near future, so when four seats opened up at the bar and a good 5 minute wait later saw us no closer to speaking with the hostess, we jumped right up. We were greeted immediately by a hardworking bartender with character. Ha! Not Napoleon, the gentlemen below. Already a Bloody Mary deep (to-go from the hotel bar makes for a fabulous morning pick me up) the Pimm's Cup ($5.50) was eager to please. The British Gin based liquor is combined with lemonade, a splash of lemon-lime soda and garnished with a cucumber for the epitome of a refreshing cocktail. Wouldn't you know, this is actually the beverage that Napoleon House is known for. Order one for sure. They are also known for their Muffulettas, the Italian sandwich infamously associated with New Orleans. Definitely a must order while in NOLA, a whole sandwich here only costs $14 (trust me that's a deal, it's HUGE.) We decided to split one four ways. You could also order a half ($7.50) or a quarter ($4.25) on its own. The whole sandwich is served on a round sesame seed loaf and cut into quarters. The amazingly fluffy yet dense bread is layered with classic Italian sandwich meats including ham, genoa salami and pastrami. Dueling cheeses in the form of swiss and provolone melt generously over a house-made olive salad. The "salad" seals the deal with crispy bites of celery, salty capers, red peppers and of course, small chunks of smooth olives. Accompanying the main plate are crispy pickle spears, whole olives and pearl onions. I believe a typical Muffuletta is served cold and therefore Napoleon House's version is significant for being the only hot one in town. (Or so Frommer's tells me.) The menu offers a side of portion of Jambalaya for $3.25 with any sandwich. I was excited to try this classic creole rice based dish combining peppers, onions, tomatoes and celery with chicken and sausage and whole lot of spices. Theirs did not disappoint and while I totally could have eaten more, this small scoop ended up being the perfect accompaniment to the sandwich. The fact that easily shareable and smaller portions were offered on the menu, combined with the swift service of the bartender allowed us to finish quickly and be on our way in time to board Steamboat Natchez for a cruise on the Mighty Mississippi.