Around The Kitchen

Mamma Mia! It's pizza beer

Pizza. Beer. Pizza 'n' beer. Pizza beer!

It wasn't quite that simple, but home brewers Tom and Athena Seefurth of St. Charles, Ill., say their Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer is "the world's first culinary beer" designed for use in cooking and as a pairing with food. The couple developed their first batch in 2006, using fresh tomatoes, garlic, oregano and basil in the mash and hops processes.

Pry off the cap of a 16-ounce bottle (sold for $1.99 to $2.49) and the aroma of pizza topping, especially the herbs, comes through. The light-golden brew has a slightly herbal taste, too.

The Seefurths have recipes for pizza beer bread and pizza beer prawns on their Web site, www.pizzabeer.net.

Pepper power

Joining the frenzy of flavored sea salts are some new flavored peppers. McCormick has modernized black pepper, "king of spices," with the introduction of two bold flavors: Smokehouse Ground Black Pepper, infused with an applewood smoke flavor resulting in a wood-smoked taste, would be a great addition to burgers, ribs, pork, chicken, barbecue sauces -- and even barbecue-style salads when you want to add appealing, outdoor-style flavor.

Worcestershire Ground Black Pepper Blend has Worcestershire overtones, and would jazz up steaks, spice rubs, pasta sauces, marinades and more. Experiment and have fun with them. Packed in 2-ounce cans, each has a suggested retail price of $1.99.

Look for them in the spice aisles of grocery stores. For more information, go to www.mccormick.com.

Cocoa nuts

It's hard not to love chocolate-covered almonds that have lots of flavor but little guilt. And until now, it's been even harder to find such a treat. But Diamond Foods' recently launched Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds delivers. These treats are a success because the almonds are coated with a blend of cocoa powder and sucralose, the sweetener in Splenda. The result is a suprisingly rich, sweet and chocolately almond with no added fat or sugar. Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds are available online and at major retailers in 2½-, 11- and 38-ounce packages. Prices range from $1.89 to $9.88.