More Magazine Excitement

I know I promised that I would come back with my Champagne Ice Cream recipe -- and I will -- but I wanted to formally announce what I've been working on for the last month and a half. First, some back story:

Last October I did (yet another) food photoshoot for Wiregrass Living Magazine. The theme was easy Halloween party foods and the spread should come out in this September's magazine. I typically only do full-on spreads once a year... Actually, more like every year and a half... So, while we had bounced around some ideas for a future feature, I wasn't expecting anything any time soon.

Then in January the editor emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in going forward with a similar idea to the one we'd talked about. You see, I'd wanted to do an article with my husband about the recent legalization of homebrewing in Alabama. It would, of course, be complete with both beer and food recipes. The editor put it before the board, but I guess they're still a bit wary. Instead, we're going to ease into it by doing a spread which uses recipes made with commercially available beer.

She wanted to do it in February, but I was booked solid. Small mercies, as I normally have 3-4 months to prepare, not 1-2! This Friday is the shoot and everything looks like it'll go off without a hitch. There are 5 veggies/sides, 4 meats, 3 desserts, 2 breads, and 1 cocktail. If all that weren't enough to entice you to buy a copy when it hits shelves this summer, here's the recipe list:

Marinated Vegetable Kabobs
Steamed, Stuffed Artichokes
Red Potatoes au Gratin
Boston Baked Beans
Roasted Root Salad

Pulled BBQ Pork
Pecan Glazed Steak and Onions
Currywurst
Beer Battered Chicken Wings

Butterscotch Beer Pie
Mexican Chocolate Toffee Bark
Dark Chocolate Stout Cake

Cheddar Cornmeal Popovers
Orange Blossom & Cranberry Muffins

Summer Moon Cocktail

If you can successfully guess five of the beers used in these recipes (and there are multiple right answers for almost all of them because I like flexibility) I will give you a free copy of the magazine when it comes out. Good luck, and I'll see you next week when it's all over!!