Italian Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup

Another of my soup endeavors…

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I decided to go with a bottle of the White River Saison from Ferment Brewing.

Mémère’s Tomato & Corn Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Since we had our festivities the night before – and the power had been out all day – we made this family favorite.

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I went with a can of Caves Saison from Block 15.

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My wife took over the kitchen this year. She made short ribs with gravy, roasted potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. I made spinach casserole and stuffed mushrooms (not pictured).

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I’d picked up as bottle of last bottle of Rye Whiskey barrel aged Cursed Heirloom from  Primitive Beer a while back that I decided to bust out for the occasion.

Shrimp and Merguez Couscous

When I was looking for recipes for the acorn squash a few weeks back, I was hoping to incorporate merge sausage – which I have in the freezer. I didn’t find one recipe that used both, but I did find this one and decided to give it a shot. As usual, I didn’t follow the recipe and cooked the sausage and shrimp on the grill.

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I went with my last bottle of Apricity from Terramar.

Grilled Chicken with Mushroom Bourbon Cream Sauce and Grilled Asparagus

A few weeks back, we went to the Acorn & the Oak. I had the chicken dish – which had a bourbon cream sauce. I decided to try to replicate it, using the sauce from this recipe. It was close. Too many mushrooms, not enough sauce (or bourbon).

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I went with a bottle of Scrap Iron from Upright.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

When I initially did my shopping for Thanksgiving, I couldn’t find the kabocha squash needed for the Mole dish. The recipe said to use acorn squash as a substitute. But I later went out an found the kabocha, so I needed got find a recipe for the acorn squash – and I found this one.

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I went with a bottle of Beneath, Between & Behind from Atwood.

Leftovers

I had planned to have fun with the leftovers from Thanksgiving. I got to experiment in the kitchen – and the results were mighty tasty.

Al Pastor Pizza: Al Pastor pork, Oaxaca cheese, jalapeños, Yucatán-style pickled red onions and garnished with cilantro.

Birria Ramen: Birria beef and consommé over fresh whole grain ramen and topped with grilled jalapeños, white onion, cilantro and chili crisp.

Al Pastor Quesadilla: Al Pastor pork, Oaxaca cheese, jalapeños, Yucatán-style pickled red onions, Taiwanese green onion pancakes (instead of tortillas) and garnished with cilantro and sriracha.

Birria French Dip / Torta: Birria beef and Oaxaca cheese on garlic naan (instead of regular bread) with consommé.