Foodbuzz and New Belgium Brewing Company invited me to create a recipe using 'Fat Tire' Amber Ale. Okay. Okay. They paid me me to do it (yes I am that easy). But my vice could be your virtue. So read on.

I immediately knew I was going to braise something. Because I have braised meats before in New Belgium products and knew it would be perfect with short ribs.

But I have to give further credit for this recipe to Tom Colicchio and his sandwich shop and cook book, both known as 'wichcraft. Tom and his crew have made me very aware of sandwiches lately. Suddenly where ever I go I see sandwiches. Sandwiches on blogs, in restaurants and right in front of me on my own plate.

Of course sandwiches have always been all around me, but it's funny how once you are attuned to something (anything really) you start to become hyper-sensitive to its presence. It's not that there are any more of them than ever before, but suddenly you are more aware of them.

Which is no surprise when it comes to sandwiches. If you stop and think about how many sandwiches have you had in your life, you might be shocked to see what a dominant presence the humble grinder, dagwood, club, submarine, hero, hoagie really is. You probably had at least one a day from age 6 to 18. Because sandwiches reign supreme in grade school lunch pails.

Crispy Halibut with Lemony Basil Sauce. That sounds good, huh? I bet you wonder where you can get that, or better yet, make that!

Well one of the things I love about the web is the community you find here. Honestly it can be just like a neighborhood– a really great neighborhood.

And just like a neighborhood there are some neighbors that are just so kind and generous you just gotta cross the street to say ‘hello’ when you see them picking up the newspaper, pruning the roses, or even just standing in the driveway looking befuddled.

Well Debi Shawcross is one of those neighbors (...no, I don't mean the befuddled kind).

She is  a bright and positive influence on the food blogging community. Always dropping by just when you need it most with a kind word or helpful comment; because blogging is just like real life. Sometimes the simplest things can brighten your day. From a cup of sugar or a reassuring "looks delish"– she is a pleasure to have in our neighborhood. Because neighbors like that possess a generosity that shines through in everything they do. Including parties, especially dinner parties– my favorite kind of party.

Of course it’s no surprise that Debi would be the kind of neighbor I’d be pleased to know. She’s a chef, cooking instructor, and a cookbook author. In other words, she’s my kind of people! So when she asked if I’d like a copy of her new cookbook, Friends at the Table: The Ultimate Supper Club Cookbook, I was more than happy to have a look at it and let her know what I thought.

Food is all around us. It is a part of our culture and our daily lives. Food sustains us. But have you noticed that we as humans have not been so great at sustaining our food, or even the planet that supplies that food.

Perhaps because man is a survivor by instinct, and because food is necessary to our biological survival, could it be that we have taken on a conquer and control attitude about its production and collection?

The irony is that if we continue to consume our planet's resources (including food) without allowing for its sustainability we will be doomed. The very survival instinct that drives us to conquer and destroy could be our downfall.

Yikes, those are pretty dark thoughts coming from Sippity Sup. Isn’t Sippity Sup a fun food blog? Well yes, but Sippity Sup is also a serious food blog. Serious Fun Food. Remember?

So today I bring you a few thoughts about a new cookbook called The Earthbound Cook, written by Myra Goodman, the author of Food To Live By. It’s a cookbook dedicated to delicious food and a healthy planet.

It’s a big, ambitious book with 250 recipes divided into 11 chapters: Soup, Leafy Green Salads, Meat and Poultry, Fish and Shellfish, Vegetarian Entrees, Side Dishes, Vegetable and Grain Salads, Baking Bread, Desserts, Breakfast and Brunch and Pantry Basics. Each chapter also contains important information concerning eco-minded living and primers dedicated to helping you become more conscientious about how you cook and how your choices affect the planet that provides the food you cook.

The time has come. We have a winner and I know who it is!

That's right somebody out there just won two Cookbooks from McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants. It was an easy contest to enter. All you needed to do was leave a comment or like it at Facebook and I put you in the drawing.

So on to the results. Now I could just blurt it out right here couldn't I? But how much fun would that be? Instead, I videotaped the drawing, live and all-in-one-take. Now I am going to make you watch the video to find out who won...HA! Imagine what this ingenius plot will do for my page view numbers...

Besides being fun, a video helps keep me honest. Not that you really needed to worry about that; but still it's best to have all possible security measures in place.

So CLICK here to watch the Contest Results Video. Oh, and sometimes poor, sad Windows users have trouble accessing video on Sippity Sup, if that's you click on this link or go to the Video Archive tab at the very bottom this page. The top video should be McSchmick!. If you still have trouble go to my YouTube page via this link or straight to the YouTube file via this link.

If you STILL can't view it, well leave me a message or a comment and I'll email you the results!

And if that lucky winner is, or is not you, please do not let on in the comments section. Let's keep the tension alive as long as possible. The last winner of one of these video drawing said she let out a scream when she heard her name called. Let's let this winner experience that joy as well!