cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

facebook instagram pinterest RSS Feed email bloglovin' goodreads

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

These chocolate chip pumpkin cookies have been one of my fall and holiday favorites for a long time – my aunt, Joie, often makes them for various family get-togethers, and I can never get enough of them.  Here’s my version, just a tad healthier, so you can enjoy them any time of day! 🙂

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies | cookingalamel.com

I posted these cookies once on the blog before, making them slightly healthier by way of applesauce instead of butter (which I no longer do), but the pictures were atrocious.  It was back when we still lived in the dorm at school, and I took pictures extremely quickly back then, not usually caring much if lighting was good or not.  Look back to that post and cringe along with me – I’ve come such a long way with food photos! [Read more…]

Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles

I love pickles.  I eat pickles all. the. time.  When I was younger, I thought sweet pickles were really gross, and I’d only ever go for classic dill pickles.  Most of the time, I still don’t like sweet pickles, as they’re usually way too sweet for me.  My sister and I stopped at a farm stand on the way home from my grandma’s back in August, and we tried some pickles that I found to be the perfect sweetness, and I decided that I must make my own pickles to suit my own tastes.  Enter in these homemade bread and butter pickles!  Sweet and tangy, my perfect pickle combination.

Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles | cookingalamel.com

These bread and butter pickles are extremely easy in that you don’t have to can them!  These are refrigerator pickles, so you just make the pickling liquid, pour it over the cucumber spears, let it sit for an hour or so, and then pop it in the fridge for a few days to develop that delicious pickle flavor.  They stay good for about 2 weeks – good luck keeping them for that long! [Read more…]

DuClaw Pumpkin Ale Pumpkin Roll

This past week, the weather here in Maryland has felt especially like fall; we’ve been able to keep the windows open, and the leaves are starting to change color!  To celebrate the beginning of fall and all things pumpkin, I’ve got a great pumpkin recipe for you featuring DuClaw Brewing Company’s 62 Imperial Pumpkin Ale!  Whether you’re a beer lover or not, you’re going to love this pumpkin roll.

DuClaw Pumpkin Ale Pumpkin Roll | cookingalamel.com

DuClaw Brewing Company is very local to us at our new place – their original brewpub was located in Bel Air, MD, but they quickly outgrew their original facilities and relocated to a larger brewing facility in Rosedale, MD.  From selling craft beer through his dorm room window to a 60,000 square foot facility, founder Dave Benfield has a come a long way, having released more than 65 craft brews alongside brewmaster, Jim Wagner.  They still have several locations of brewpubs throughout the area in Arundel Mills, Bel Air, Bowie, and the BWI Airport.

Their company motto is “craft be cherished, rules be damned,” and that motto is so evident in their unique brews!  My friend, Randy, and I stopped by their brewpub in Bel Air for lunch to sample all of the brews they have on tap currently – 21 in total – and I was amazed at all the amazing flavors they were able to incorporate into their beers.  The names alone are going to make you want to try them all – from Sweet Baby Jesus, a chocolate peanut butter porter, Dirty Little Freak, a coconut caramel chocolate brown ale, to Bare Ass Blonde, a classic blonde ale.  Those three are a few of their most popular brews, and they also happen to be my very favorites of what I’ve tried.  Check out my Instagram account for some highlights from our beer sampling adventure! [Read more…]