With the Night King and his army destroyed, it's time to turn our attentions back to King's Landing and focus on our girl Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die," said Cersei back in season 1 and here we are almost at the end of our story, and she is sitting her beautifully couture-d self on the Iron Throne. Cersei's revenge list too long to recount, but let's just remember Cersei watching from her tower as the Great Sept of Baelor explodes with wildfire, taking out most of her enemies. She smiles. She takes a sip of that wine. Delicious. Hold my wine, Night King, now that is cold.

This week we honor the Queen with something sweeter and more delicious than you'd expect - a Red Wine Sorbet sweetened with raspberries. Because for Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, revenge is very sweet, ice cold, and tastes like wine.

Winter is coming. The Night King has brought down the Wall with his new undead pet, Viserion (V-ICE-rion? I know, so sorry), and his army of White Walkers, wights, giants, and pale spiders big as hounds are making their way toward Winterfell, where our heroes and anti-heroes gather and make ready for war. Declare your love, knight the knights, sing one last song and say your goodbyes, the Battle for Winterfell is about to begin.

This week we make an icy offering to the Night King with Mini Baked Alaskas - a sweet treat of ice cream and cookie encased in snowy meringue browned to a sugary crunch and served flambéed by yes, setting the DESSERT ON FIRE. A snack of ice and fire, if you will, a perfect treat to mark the long anticipated arrival of Winter at the castle gates.

Weirwood trees with their stoic white trunks and blood red leaves, have borne witness to many of the dramatic events in Game of Thrones since the very beginning. Bearing mysterious faces carved in their trunks by the Children of the Forest, they watched with us as Ned Stark sat by the heart tree in Winterfell and received news of the death of Jon Arryn and the imminent arrival of Robert Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms. This, of course begins the chain of events that is Game of Thrones. And now as we begin the final chapter in this story, Winter is coming and Bran Stark the Three Eyed Raven waits by the same weirwood for the arrival of the Night King.

This week, as we also wait in anticipation and dread for the Great War to come, we make our own offering to the great weirwood tree, witness to history, forever watching and silently weeping its bloody tears. In other words, raise your glasses and drink up friends, we think this next chapter is going to be a doozy.

Warning: Spoilers everywhere!
Season 1 episode 10: Fire and Blood
   Baby Dragons (doo doo doo doo doo!)
Season 3, episode 4: And Now His Watch Is Ended
   Dracarys!!
​
From the moment Daenerys Targaryen steps out of the flames with three adorable baby dragons and claims her title as Mother of Dragons, we know that something BIG has happened in Westeros. Magic has returned to this world in the form of Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion and we've watched them grow up before our eyes. From their tiny, puppy years learning their 'dracarys' command on little skewers of meat and terrible warlocks (how cute are they?) to their tumultuous adolescence roaming the countryside past curfew until grounded and chained in the basement like any normal teenager to their full fire-breathing Lannister army decimating glory. We know these crazy kids and we fear for them as any other character we've come to know and love, and mourn their loss when something terrible happens, as it inevitably does on this show. So this week we honor each of our three beloved fire-breathing, wight-killing, high-flying dragons with a pile of fire-roasted wings in three tasty flavors. (And we're just going to ignore that thing that happened to our golden boy Viserion in season 7.)

Season 1 episode 3: Lord Snow
     Storytime with Old Nan
Season 6, episode 4: Book of the Stranger
      Better days and Old Nan's pies...

When Old Nan wasn't telling little lords tales of the Long Night or keeping young Hodor out of trouble, she was busy making excellent pies for the lords and ladies of Winterfell. For House Stark, whose words are 'Winter is Coming' Old Nan was an important part of the Stark household, a keeper of two most powerful weapons, for there is nothing like a good story and a good pie to keep the bitterness of winter at bay. And as the Night King marches toward Winterfell at the end of season 7, don't we all wish the Starks had paid more attention to some of Old Nan's scary stories about the Long Night and those pale spiders big as hounds?

But the Brothers of the Night's Watch also know a thing or two about bitter winters. Manning a 700 foot ice wall is no easy task, but a good soup and good ale can keep one going through many a cold night. Sadly, the Night's Watch ale is apparently pretty terrible (priorities, brothers, I mean really!) but luckily, a bad ale can easily be turned into a decent soup. Turn that soup into a family sized pie (AS BIG AS HOUNDS!) and it can get downright cozy - even at Castle Black, right there at the foot of a literal wall of ice. This week we celebrate the sweet reunion of Sansa and Jon at Castle Black with a hearty, family-sized Beef and Ale Pie with Peas and Onions, a taste of happier times at Winterfell and a pie worthy of Old Nan herself. 

Warning: Spoilers everywhere!
Season 2 episode 7: A Man Without Honor
   Jon and Ygritte's meet-cute.
   You know nothing, Jon Snow.
Season 3, episode 6: The Climb
   Because I'll cut your pretty cock right off and wear it round me neck.
Season 4, episode 9: The Watchers On The Wall
   We never should have left that cave.

Before Jon Snow danced with dragon fire, there was Ygritte - a red haired, fiery tempered warrior woman, a killer shot with a bow and arrow, an outdoorsy girl with a love of ice wall climbing and natural hot springs, a true Wildling of the North, our favorite Game of Thrones spice girl. The moment Jon and Ygritte meet, sparks begin to fly - apparently on and off screen (congratulations to recently married Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie.) She's a perfect first love for our Jon Snow - she's independent, she's smart, and while we wouldn't say she has a heart of gold, at least she didn't kill him, which is good enough. Her words "You know nothing, Jon Snow" are pretty spot on even, especially, at the end of season 7. We miss you, Ygritte - you were a great first girlfriend, and deserved way better than death by Olly (but so did Jon Snow. Spoiler, sorry.) 

So this week, we shoot a flaming arrow into the air for Ygritte, a woman of the Free Folk, North of the Wall and Jon Snow's first love with our sweet and spicy recipe for Extra Extra Gingery Muffins.

The pear, the pear and the maiden gruyere...
​Season 3 Episode 3: The Bear and The Maiden Fair
The Bear and The Maiden Fair by Hold Steady 

That's right - this week, we are talking about the sheer awesomeness of Brienne of Fucking Tarth. It's a complicated dance, this episode, with hairy bears (Jamie, that beard looks good on you), damsels in distress and a catchy, ironic little tune. If there is one damn thing Brienne of Tarth is not though, it's a damsel in distress. Nothing feels more wrong in Westeros than Brienne of Tarth forced into a pink dress because we all know that she really belongs in a suit of armor with a valyrian steel blade in her hand, about to save the day.

We follow our Brienne as she pledges herself first to Renly Baratheon, avenges his death and then takes an oath to serve Catelyn and then Sansa Stark. She hands the Hound his own ass, and (unwillingly) steals the bear-loving heart of Tormund the Wildling, honestly, who can blame him? But however complex the circumstances, we can count on Brienne to act out of honor - she has the heart and spirit (and skills) of a true knight. Her respect and loyalty are not easily won, and it's a mark of the depth of her understanding of the real story behind the 'Kingslayer' when she finally addresses him as Ser Jaime, as a true knight. Jaime rises to this new and unexpected show of real respect, by doing her a solid in return, by saving her life.

So here we are with this week's recipe for our most brave and honorable knight: A Brienne of Tart, if you will - a special tart more savory than sweet (naturally), filled with pears, onions and Grrruyère cheese in a shell of golden puff pastry and as the song says, finished with just a drizzle of sweet honey.

Warning: Spoilers everywhere!
The Red Wedding
Season 3, episode 9: The Rains of Castamere

Where there's smoke there's fire - usually - but in the world of Game of Thrones where there's smoke, you will likely find Melisandre of Ashai, the Red Woman. We previously honored Melisandre in 'The Night is Dark and Full of Cherries' with a recipe for Cherry and Vanilla Bitters - a concoction of fresh cherries, spices, rye whiskey and a spell or two - and then set this potion to brew in a cool and dark place to work its magic. Now, it's time to revisit our potion for the next part of our dark and delicious plan: The Smoke and Mirrors cocktail. This blood red cocktail, rich with exotic spices, a smoky edge and a sweet cherry kiss is a powerful and dangerous combination - and like the Red Woman, will soon have you on your back and swooning under its spell. ​

Warning: Spoilers everywhere!
"Drinking and lust, no man can match me at these things."
​Season 3, Episode 8: Second Sons
Tyrion on wine, coq and death:
Season 1, Episode 8: The Pointy End