This Week's Menu:

- Beer Cheese Spread
- Boston Baked Beans
- Steak and Mushroom Sandwich
- Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

You may want to break out the champagne for this week's menu because we're celebrating. Each dish celebrates an event, day, or month... well, except for the Beer Cheese Spread. But it has beer in it, so we'll say we're celebrating cooking with beer just to keep the theme alive.

The others are legitimate celebrations.

First we celebrate the Boston Red Sox’s World Championship with a Beantown original – Boston Baked Beans. I know, we should have celebrated this with last week’s menu (as a few folks e-mailed to scold me) but at least I’m catching up.

Next is a great sandwich to celebrate National Sandwich Day, which was November 3 if you’re scoring at home. (In case you're wondering who the guy in the photo is, that's John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich and the guy for whom the food is named. You didn't expect to learn any history this week, huh?)

You have all month to celebrate National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month and we’ll kick it off with some great brownies to end your meal on a sweet note.

Beer Cheese Spread
3 ounces cream cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon red pepper
¼ cup beer

In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and red pepper, beating well to combine completely. Gradually add the beer and beat until well blended.

Chill for one hour before serving. Serve with crackers, pita chips, or other similar food.

Yield: 1 cup

Boston Baked Beans
1 pound navy beans
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine the beans with plenty of cold water and soak overnight for 6 to 8 hours. Drain the beans and combine them in a large pot with enough water to cover them plus 1 inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer, and cook for 45 minutes or until they are just tender. Drain the beans, setting aside the cooking liquid.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a bean pot or deep casserole with a lid, combine the beans with the onion, mustard, dark and light brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Add enough of the cooking liquid to just cover the beans. Stir to blend them. Bring the bean pot to a boil and transfer it to the oven; bake for 2 hours, checking every 30 to 40 minutes to make sure the beans aren’t dry. Add more cooking liquid if necessary. Once the beans are tender, uncover the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more until the top has crusted slightly.

Serves 6

Steak and Mushroom Sandwich
1 pound beef round tip steak or sirloin tip steak, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
½ plus ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound sliced white mushrooms
¼ cup dry red wine
½ cup prepared beef gravy
½ loaf French bread, split and toasted

Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper to taste and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Sauté the meat (using half the oil) until browned and medium rare, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Cook the meat in batches and do not overcrowd the pan—this will ensure that the meat fries rather than steams.

In a large nonstick skillet heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Add the prepared gravy and stir until the mixture is heated.

Arrange the meat on top of the toasted French bread and top it with the mushroom sauce.

Serves 4 - 6

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Cooking spray
3 ounces chopped, unsweetened chocolate
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup peanut butter at room temperature

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line an 8-inch baking dish with foil, making sure to leave some foil hanging over the edges of the dish. Coat the foil with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir the mixture occasionally to combine. Once melted, let the mixture cool for several minutes.

Whisk the sugar, baking soda, salt, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour until no streaks of flour remain. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Drop the peanut butter in small dollops over the batter. Without touching the foil lining, run a paring knife through the batter to create swirls.

Bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and the center of the pan comes out clean, 22 to 27 minutes.

Cool the brownies on a wire rack until they are at room temperature, about 2 hours. Using the foil, lift the brownies from the pan to a cutting board. Slide the foil out from under the brownies, and cut the brownies into 2-inch squares.

Yield: 16 brownies