“Buffalo” Bites and Blue Cheese Pizza: home baked thin crust pizza dough bottom with a base coat of blue cheese and ranch sauce made from Castello Cheese ‘s Castello Blue Cheese, whole milk ricotta cheese, whole milk mozzarella cheese, and ranch seasoning; topped with home battered and fried chicken breast cubes smothered in a spicy homemade “buffalo” sauce made from sweet onions, garlic, black pepper, oil, chipotle peppers, paprika, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and egg yolks; garnished with a light shaving of parmigiano reggiano and thinly sliced fresh celery pieces; then drizzled with a homemade blue cheese and heavy cream sauce. Devils Backbone Brewing Company ‘s 16 Point Imperial IPA.

CauliflowerSoup: Home Canned pressure cooked chicken broth base made with homegrown herbs, potatoes, butter, sweet onions, cream, and Pennsylvania Amish grown cauliflower, garnished with cauliflower florets, clarified butter, and crisp home baked rye and caraway seed crackers topped with egg wash and sprinkled with flax seeds. Served with Allagash Brewing ‘s Midnight Brett Ale this ale was brewed with midnight wheat and fermented with Brettanomyces. The natural sweetness of the vegetable soup matched the beer’s roasted character while the tart fruitiness of the Brett kept it in check.

Beer-Maple Custard Filled Beignet: to celebrate the end of Mardi Gras, there is nothing sweeter than this Beer And Dessert pairing. Hand Made dough fried into fluffy beignets filled with a homemade custard of egg yolks, Leffe Brun ale, sugar, flour, butter, USDA organic grade A dark-amber maple syrup; garnished with powdered sugar and washed down with EvilTwin Brewing ‘s Imperial Doughnut Break, a beer that was “dry-doughnutted” with glazed doughnuts.

Shrimp Boil: What better meal to have on Fat Tuesday than a southern-style Shrimp Boil consisting of locally made sausage, homemade pressure cooked crustacean stock made from shrimp and lobster shells, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, shrimp, and lots of spices (of course) paired up with Abita Beer ‘s Purple Haze, a #beer brewed about 30 miles north of New Orleans.

Grapefruit Cured Salmon: salmon home cured in salt, vodka, black peppercorns, juniper berries, sugar, pink grapefruit zest, and pine essential oil served with a side of sweet homemade candied grapefruit peel (boiled and rinsed three times to help remove some bitter flavors); paired up with Abita Beer ‘s Grapefruit Harvest IPA. This beer was made with Louisiana ruby-red grapefruits, so the grapefruit flavor was carried throughout the course.

While hiking through the snow, I noticed rodent tracks around some logs, and judging from the fox prints nearby, it looks like the fox did too!

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CherryTurnover: homemade filling of dark sweet cherries and Montmorency sour cherries sweetened with Wholesome Sweet ‘s Fair Trade Certified organic sugar encased in handmade Puff Pastry dough (made with just a little bit of whole wheat flour) and topped with turbinado cane sugar. Served with Brewery Ommegang ‘s Three Philosophers. This Belgian style quadrupel is made with 2% Liefmans kriek to give it that cherry kick that went so well with this beer and dessert pairing beer pairing.

BlueCheese and Celery Soup: homemade pressure cooked chicken stock base with potato, onion, and celery blended in; combined with Castello Cheese ‘s Castello Blue Cheese and some heavy cream; garnished with a splash of butter and fresh celery greens. Served with Sixpoint Brewery ‘s Hi Res so that rich, creamy blue flavor could mingle with the big hop blast from this Double IPA.

Homemade Thin-Crust Pizza Cruda: handmade pizza dough topped with sauce, whole milk mozzarella, garden grown basil, parmigiano reggiano, whole milk ricotta cheese, and oregano before being baked on the pizza stone; then topped with fresh homegrown micro greens, fresh diced tomato, and #prosciutto; served with a Flying Dog Brewery ‘s The Truth IPA.

Japanese-Style Yakitori: pineapple and chicken skewers grilled over a hardwood charcoal fire and then smothered in a #homemade yakitori sauce made from pineapple (cubes and rind), soaked in a mixture of locally produced honey (a gift from a nearby backyard beekeeper), mirin, soy sauce, sake, bonito flakes, and ginger; with a side of homemade salmon sushi and some home canned atchara. Served with a Hitachino Nest Nipponia , a beer brewed with the revived Japanese breed of Kanego Golden barley and hopped with Japanese-bred Sorachi Ace.