Thanksgiving week will be a sweet time for the Sanguignis — our son and his wife are coming in from Indianapolis, and it will be my mom’s 101st birthday. Celebrating life’s blessings! On this too-rare occasion when all the kids are in the house, my heart is full.
So, what yummy things should I cook so that everyone will have the best time ever and want to come home again and again? (Yep, that’s how I really feel!) And, since I’m the Beer Towne owner now, how can I incorporate some beer flavors in our food and drinks? I am busy experimenting with that idea and wanted to let you in on what I’ve learned so far.
Beer & Turkey
First off, beer isn’t that complicated…really! 🙂
I always make the stuffing like my dad once did, but for the turkey, old ways aren’t necessarily better! My dad, though, would be happy with any beer and turkey combo! If I ever did make a deep-fried bird – not sure I am that much of a risk-taker – I would definitely choose an IPA, probably one of Beer Towne’s great Pittsburgh locals. Yinz know where I’m coming from on that point! My sister-in-law who lives in Charlotte would appreciate a good local. This year, though, my daughter-in-law is brining and roasting the turkey, and we’ll pair it with a hefe weissbier (yeast wheat) that will connect us to my mom’s German roots.
Sours & Appetizers
Since we are eating later in the day this year, we will have plenty of time for pre-game noshing! We will try gose (goes-uh with the accent on the first syllable) beer, which is a salty sour. There are so many varieties of gose, most with fruit ingredients. We like that in our family!
If you know our daughter Maura, you might know that sours are her specialty. Gose beers are perfect for appetizers because their salty flavors match perfectly with our chips and dips traditions and are a lovely complement to Kevin’s usual charcuterie board.
Stouts & Desserts
To finish things off after dinner, we are going to try Great Divide Yeti stout beers with sugar cookies and pumpkin pies. My cutouts are the best! (Ask me for my recipe, I will have copies at BT.) We will only need a few large cans of stout to accompany our desserts— we are having Macaroon, Horchata (cinnamon & vanilla), and Pumpkin Spice Yeti.
Yum…It will be a perfect end to our perfect 🤪 Thanksgiving!
Have a wonderful holiday with YOUR family! Karen