Founders Pale Ale Battered Fried Macaroni and Cheese

Homemade macaroni and cheese is already a serious favorite of mine, but then deep fried (which naturally makes anything better), and in easy-to-handle bite-sized form?  I think I might just faint.   I don't know about you, but for Seth and me, the best part of macaroni and cheese is the crunchy breaded topping, which is always scarce (and the first bit to go at the dinner table).  But by cutting frozen macaroni and cheese into cubes, dipping it in a combination of beer, flour, egg, and bread crumbs, and dropping it into a fryer, you multiply the surface area of the bread crumbs by six.  That's right, you get six times more...

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Founders Porter Macaroni and Cheese

I’m sorry.  I know, this is totally cruel.  We’re just weeks from bathing suit season and this recipe here is no friend to Lycra.  But just when you thought macaroni and cheese couldn't get any better, I went and added beer to it. And it's incredible.  This recipe combines five -- yes, five -- kinds of cheese in a rich base enhanced with a cup of Founders Porter, which is then baked under a crust of panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese to rich, crisp, golden perfection. For this recipe, you will need: 1 cup (2 sticks) butter1/2 cup flour1 cup Founders Porter1 1/2 cups half and half1/2 pound (8 ounces) Brie16 ounces (2...

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The Good Samaritan Bread Pudding

Here is the other bread pudding I made to compete with the Boffo Brown Bread Pudding recipe I posted last week.  Yes, I made two batches of bread pudding in one day, and no, 2011 hasn't been off to a healthy start here in the Porter house.  What can I say?  I'm no good.  I’m terrible news, a bad influence, and possibly everything that your nutritionists, cardiologists, and mothers warn you about. But I just couldn't resist.  I mean, who doesn’t love bread pudding? It is warm, comforting, inexpensive, and incredibly easy to prepare. It also makes for a great last-minute or make-ahead brunch or dessert dish, as you can...

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Brewery Vivant

Located in the historic East Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Brewery Vivant brings a new and different vision of the craft beer market to West Michigan. The huge facility moved into the building left behind by an old funeral home, allowing for a full pub, on-site brewery, and (gasp!) a parking lot. The pub -- parking lot to the left! Brewery portion with beer garden in front (coming soon!) A shot *from* the second floor Inside, Brewery Vivant evokes feelings of ancient European meadhalls, with a cavernous pub buttressed by thick, yawning, old beams that lend to the feeling of a chapel – which, of course, was what it used to be in...

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