Harpoon Octoberfest

I am trying to get into the spirit of Octoberfest, so I decided to try this Octoberfest beer from Harpoon. I knew I was taking a big risk since I was trying actual beer (not cider) and buying a 6-pack. I can't say that I tasted any kind of pumpkin or spice flavor to the beer, but this beer is made in the traditional manner of Octoberfest beers. That means that there is a hint of chocolate and it's not quite as bitter. I can definitely taste the chocolate notes, but I am more of a fan of the pumpkin and spice notes person. I guess I am not the ideal Oktoberfest participant, but I would love to go sometime and am sure I would be a huge fan of the food. I probably won't buy this again, but there are tons of seasonal October beers right now, so get them before their gone.

Pumpkin Pie Bagel

Pumpkin is the special at any food establishment you go to these days and Panera Bread is no exception. I happened to be passing by on my morning walk and remembered that I had a coupon for a free cup of coffee. I do enjoy their hazelnut coffee and decided to pop in and grab a cup. While I was in there, I saw the pumpkin pie bagel and decided that I should give it a try. (I have been trying really hard to all the pumpkin stuff, even though it kills me at times.) This bagel, which was more like a large flat donut because there was no hole in the middle, was full of cinnamon and nutmeg flavors with cranberries mixed it. There was a cinnamon crunch topping that added a little bit of texture to the bagel and a very light dusting of powdered sugar. I got even more festive and put some of my pumpkin butter on it to add an extra dose of pumpkin. The bagel wasn't too sweet and would be perfect with some fresh coffee and the morning news. Be sure to stop in to Panera Bread to try this before it's gone!

Pappa's Seafood

I have never been to Pappa's Seafood and I can say that this one wasn't actually on my list of places to visit, but I am not going to complain when I get to go somewhere new. I was feeling a little unhealthy and decided to go for the crab roll with parmesan fries. I have eaten a lobster roll (and thoroughly enjoyed it) but haven't had a crab roll. The bun was like a small Texas toast loaf that was thoroughly coated in butter and toasted...can't really go wrong with that. The crab salad had lots of crab in it, but it seemed like it was overwhelmed with mayo...and since I am not a huge may person that was slightly sad. The parmesan fries turned out to be fries that had a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and parsley. The fries were just blah and I wasn't really impressed with them. I can't say that I will be running back to Pappa's Seafood, I can now say that I have at least been there before. Not every restaurant will impress you every time, but I think it's only fair to give it a try. 

Shrimp with Garlic and Parsley

The simplest ingredients make some of the most flavorful dishes where each ingredients shines but mesh together in a tasty way. This recipe is a great way to create a sophisticated shrimp dish without a lot of effort...the power of spices is amazing. These shrimp are definitely don't boring and have a bit of heat to them. If you are looking for a quick weeknight meal, pair these shrimp with some tomato soup or zucchini tots and a salad for a healthy dinner. I didn't thaw my shrimp so there was a ton of liquid that that I needed to drain off. When you do that you lose the juice that helps keep the shrimp moist and adds an additional flavor component. However, the shrimp were still yummy nonetheless and for those that don't like a broth than you may be okay with forgoing the broth.

Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 lb small shrimp, peeled, deveined and thawed
2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh
2 tablespoons, dry white wine (I used Uppercut)
Pepper
Fresh parsley
Lemon olive oil

Directions:

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes and the paprika. Heat until it becomes fragrant. Then add the lemon juice, white wine and shrimp and stir.

Cook over high heat for about 5 minutes until the shrimp are opaque and pink. Season with pepper and parsley then serve.

Uppercut Wine

When you cook with wine, you should always cook with something that you would drink. I needed a dry white wine for a recipe I was making, so I decided to try it beforehand to make sure that it was tasty enough to use in the recipe. Uppercut Sauvginon Blanc comes from the northern part of California's coast. Because of the location of the vineyard, the grapes develop both fruit and mineral flavors. The initial notes of the wine are peach and melon and it finishes with some acidity and mineral notes. Usually Sauvginon Blancs don't have lots of fruit so it was interesting to have those present in the wine. The lighter notes but more complex flavors make it a perfect pairing with seafood. This is a great wine to drink on it's on as it isn't too sweet. Stay tuned for the recipe that I used this wine in.

Savory Baked Brie

I am not sure what it is about baked Brie that gets me all excited, but I decided that I was going to make another one with more savory ingredients. This time I decided to use sundried tomatoes, capers and black olives. The recipe that I adapted called for phyllo dough instead of puff pastry, but I decided to use puff pastry as that's what I had on hand. It was actually good that I did because this one didn't turn out quite as well as the other one. It may have been that the Brie wasn't triple cream or that the there was too much olive oil from the sundried tomatoes, but this one was a bit more liquidy than the first one. Don't get me wrong, it was not necessarily a failure in the taste department, just a little subpar in the appearance.

Ingredients:

2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed

1 lb triple cream Brie cheese

2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes

2 tablespoons capers

2 tablespoons black olives, sliced

1 egg white

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place one sheet of the puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silipat.

Slice the wheel of Brie in half and top with sundried tomatoes, black olives and capers. Make sure that you drain all the liquid off the tomatoes and capers.

Top with the other half of the brie and place on the sheet of puff pastry. Take the other sheet and place it over the wheel of cheese. Make sure to seal the edges of the puff pastry together. You can either leave the extra dough on or cut it off.

Brush the sealed packet of deliciousness with an egg white and then bake for 20 minutes. Take out of the oven once the crust is golden brown and let sit for 5 minutes. Then you are ready to cut into this cheesy package of goodness! Serve and enjoy this magnificent appetizer that will be sure to please the crowd.