Ultimate Beer Lover’s Oktoberfest Celebration Giveaway

Are you a beer lover like me? Then you’ll love The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour by John Schlimm. This new cookbook features the best in bar food along with recipes for “Beer cocktails”. John’s great-great-grandfather was Peter Straub of Straub Brewery, so you could say that a love of beer runs in the family! To get you in the “Spirits”, we have some tasty recipe excerpts from the book to share, along with a super fun Beer Lover’s Oktoberfest Prize Pack giveaway. Check it out below and make sure you pick up a copy of the book, available now on Amazon, B&N, BAM, IndieBound and !ndigo.

Recipe Excerpts

Flying Buffalo at the Tap Pizza

From The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour by John Schlimm

The sizzle of Frank’s RedHot-infused toppings balanced by the cool arugula, carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes on top of this baked crust will get your pizza night soaring. The perfect counterpoint to this hot and cool blend of ingredients is an American or English Pale Ale with its malty overtones and slightly bitter edge, a hoppy IPA, or a sweeter, medium-hops Oktoberfest.

Pair with:
American or English Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Oktoberfest

Ingredients:

½ cup ketchup
¼ cup Frank’s RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped yellow onion
8 ounces seitan, cut into ½-inch cubes, or tofu, pressed drained, and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 cups quartered cremini mushrooms
1 (12-inch) prebaked pizza crust
1 ½ cups arugula or spinach, julienned
2 carrots, shredded
½ cucumber, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 450°F. Combine the ketchup, hot sauce, and liquid smoke in a small bowl, stirring well. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the seitan and mushrooms, and cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. Remove from the heat. Combine the seitan mixture and ketchup mixture in a medium-size bowl, mixing gently to coat well.
Spread the seitan mixture over the crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp. Top with the arugula, carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes before serving.
Yields 1 pizza or 8 to 10 slices

Pressing and Draining Tofu

Before using tofu, it’s best to press and drain it to remove excess water. This will firm up the tofu even more.
Cut the tofu block into pieces, usually bite-size pieces or ¾-inch slices. Cover a dish or slanted cutting board (with a catch pan at the bottom) with an absorbent dish towel or paper towels. Place a single layer of tofu pieces on the surface. Cover the tofu layer with another dish towel or paper towls. Top that layer with a heavy object, such as another plate with canned vegetables on top of it, another cutting board, or a weighty skillet. Allow the tofu to drain for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
For any unused tofu, do not press and drain it. Place it in a sealed container, cover with water, and refrigerate. Replace the water every day. Tofu keeps fresh for at least 3 to 4 days.

Hippie Cayenne Sourdough Pretzels

From The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour by John Schlimm

Worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powders, molasses, and Frank’s RedHot leave nothing to the imagination when it comes to these seasoned sourdough pretzels. Perfect for any occasion, from happy hour to a campfire, these fiery pretzels pair nicely with a lighter Pale Lager or Pilsner, or even a heavier Oktoberfest.

Pair with:
Oktoberfest, Pale Lager, Pilsner

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine (use recipe below or store-bought margarine)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (use recipe below or store-bought Worcestershire sauce)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard, such as Colman’s, or to taste
2 teaspoon mace
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
1 (1-ounce) packet dry vegetable soup mix
2 dashes Frank’s RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce or Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
1 teaspoon molasses
8 droplets liquid smoke, or to taste (search Colgin.com for plant-based liquid smoke flavors)
20 ounces sourdough pretzels

Directions:

Preheat 250°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt the margarine in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, mace, lime juice, vegetable soup mix, hot sauce, molasses, and liquid smoke. Heat until just bubbly.
Using tongs, dip the pretzels in the mixture, one at a time, coating them completely, and place them on the baking sheet. Let the pretzels rest for 15 minutes, then bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Turn off the oven, and let the pretzels cool there thoroughly, for 90 minutes or so. Serve the pretzels or store them in an airtight container lined with paper towels for up to a week.
Yields about 4 cups

DIY Margarine

16 ounces coconut oil
1 ½ cups canola or sunflower oil
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Attach a candy thermometer to the side of a sturdy, medium-size saucepan. Prepare an ice water bath in a vessel large enough to hold the saucepan.
Add the coconut oil, canola oil, coconut milk, mustard, turmeric, and salt to the saucepan, stirring well. Bring the mixture to 125°F over medium heat, then transfer the pan to the ice water bath, and continue to stir until the mixture firms up. Transfer the mixture to a container with a screw-on lid. Cover and refrigerate the mixture. The margarine will keep for about 2 weeks.
Yields about 4 cups

DIY Worcestershire Sauce

Traditional Worcestershire sauce is made using anchovies, and therefore not used by those following a plant-based lifestyle. One go-to source for plant-based Worcestershire sauce is the Annie’s Naturals brand of organic Worcestershire sauce (Annies.com).
Also, here is an easy homemade version:

2 cups cider vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook and reduce the mixture by half, about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, and let cool completely before using. The sauce will keep in a tightly covered container, refrigerated, for 2 to 3 months.
Yields about 1 cup

Sauerkraut & Portobello Burgers

From The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour by John Schlimm

Pair with:
Oktoberfest

Ingredients:

¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
2 cups of Sauerkraut
Caraway seeds, to taste
8portobello mushrooms, black gills under the caps scraped away
4 potato bread rolls/buns or regular hamburger buns

Directions:

Rub 4 large Portobello mushroom caps with canola oil. Grill the mushroom caps over medium-high heat, turning once, until tender and browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Heat 2 or more cups sauerkraut (sprinkled with caraway seeds, if you wish) in a small saucepan or in the microwave oven until fairly hot. Spoon the sauerkraut onto the inside surface of the mushrooms. Tuck one mushroom into each of four toasted buns, and serve at once.
Yields 4 burgers

Enter to Win:

One winner will receive “Ultimate Beer Lover’s Oktoberfest Prize Pack” including the following items:

1 signed copy of The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour by John Schlimm

Set of 4 wooden coasters

Please note that this is a group giveaway being run by Sourcebooks, not MomStart. We are merely sharing the fun chance to win with you! Get your entries in and check out the official rules in the Rafflecopter below: