Beer Month & Foodie Pen Pals

I have been looking forward to April for the past 2 months – you would think it was because spring is here – well kind of – it did just drop back down to 37° but the real reason is because it’s BEER MONTH! I have teamed up with 7 very talented bloggers to explore the creation of beer through reviews & recipes!! Whether this iconic drink shows up at a family BBQ, a party with your friends, or in my case a bunch of recipes I can’t wait to highlight some of its complex and exceptional flavors!

Here are the lovely ladies I am working with

NY Foodgasm– Sophia is the Queen Bee of Beer Month Bloggers and the one who organized this shindig. Check out her amazing photographs and recipes!

Alex Tries It Out– Alex is actually linked in both parts of my posts today not only is she participating in Beer Month – but we originally met through Foodie Pen Pals (see end of post). I have actually sent her local Southern beers! She is known for her Beer Tour!

The Brooklyn Ragazza

Pastry Chef Online

Croque-Camille Food Adventures in Paris

Jessiker Bakes

Much Ado About Fooding

Here is what to expect from this month-

• On April 12 and/or 26 everyone will be posting a recipe with beer (don’t worry I have been cooking up a storm in my kitchen so check back frequently for mine)
• I plan to go on a Beer Tour of some local breweries this month and will report back!
• NY Foodgasm will be hosting a Facebook Beer Party on April 20 so don’t forget to check out her page then!

Here are some of the beers I have been creating recipes with – if you have a favorite beer leave me a comment and I will tailor up a recipe with it this month!

Guinness, Harp, Magic Hat, Baby Tree, Blue Moon, Ranger, and Murphy’s…only a few to get this party started.

Beer month has just begun and another month of Foodie Pen Pals has wrapped up. This month Kelly sent me a variety of goodies:

• Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Granola Bars – OMG! I brought these to work thinking they would be my afternoon snack. Little did I know that I would eat all of them within a week. Did I like them? Well duh!
• Banana Chips – I haven’t had these in a long time but they were as good as I remembered and had 50% less fat than regular ones so I was definitely on board.
• Arthur’s Mac & Cheese – I have yet to make this but it definitely took me back to childhood with Arthur. These last few weeks I must have been missing my childhood.
• Candied Ginger – I haven’t tried these yet because I was a little afraid of them – can someone be afraid of food? Well yes I do have a slight fear of pickles (don’t ask). But I promise I will try them because that is what foodie pen pals is all about.
• PB&J Milk Chocolate Bar – yes you heard right it tastes exactly like a PB & J sandwich and an add in of chocolate – not bad.

So thank you Kelly for putting this together for me. Foodie Pen Pals has been such a great way to get to know people – like Shana from Food, Wine + Social Media in Sonoma County who I sent a package to! I can’t wait for the next round for April! I highly recommend you give it a shot.

Stay tuned for some more Beer Love this week! How about some Smothered Pork Chops with a Beer, Bacon, Onion Relish , Herbed Cheddar Stout Bread, or an Whiskey, Guinness Baileys Bundt Cake to whet your appetite?