Friday Cheer! Brooklyn and Belgium Beer Tasting

We went to another Burgers and Beers tasting event last night, and the theme was Brooklyn Brewery and Belgian Beers.  An interesting mix, right?  I'm not sure how they decided to combine these two styles, but the result was delicious.

The brews we sampled.
Brews 1,3, and 6 are from Brooklyn Brewery.
Brews 2, 4, and 5 are Belgian (not from Brooklyn Brewery).

Tasting Notes:
1) Brooklyn Lager - light, crisp, from a can!
2) Flo - extremely floral and moderately sweet, it reminded me of Jeni's Ylang-Ylang and Honeycomb ice cream from last summer. Not my favorite, because I don't like sweet beers.
3) Brooklyn Brown - well-balanced, though very mildly flavored. Not strongly malty or hoppy. I think I'd choose other brown ales before this, but I'd drink it without complaint.
4) Leffe Bruin - another brown ale, but with the characteristic Belgian spiciness (clove, banana) from the yeast strain. I like Belgian style beers, so this was tasty.
5) Tripel - direct from Bruges, Belgium, where it is made with 500 year old equipment (though I'm betting they have some new equipment too). A cloudy gold color with both spiciness and a definite floral note, as well as the higher alcohol content you'd expect of a tripel. Tasty.
6) Sorachi Ace - made with rare Sorachi Ace hops, this beer was surprisingly light after the heaviness of browns and a tripel. A distinct citrus note played on a wheat and hops background. Nicely balanced. Very tasty, probably one of my Brooklyn Brewery favorites.

We also tasted the elusive Black Ops, a Russian Imperial Stout from Brooklyn Brewery produced in very limited quantities every year.  It was extremely dark and thick, but without a heavy feel.  My roommate claimed it smelled exactly like the chocolate and bourbon cake she makes...and it did. Since the stout is aged temporarily in bourbon barrels, it definitely had the chocolate + bourbon combination going on.

Our burger of the night was The Seven Napkins, consisting of a burger, barbecue sauce, creamy coleslaw, onion rings, and the perfect bun.  I know the combination of barbecue + coleslaw is revered in parts of the South, but honestly, I wasn't sure I'd like it. After all, I've never liked coleslaw, whether it's creamy or a vinegarette dressing.  But this was insanely delicious. All the ingredients worked together perfectly.

Because the Brooklyn Brewery rep was there, we also made off with some swag.  A coaster (to match the one we already have) and a miniature button for everyone, plus two t-shirts we won in the raffle.  If the metal sign of the Brooklyn Brewery logo had still been available when I went to claim my prize, I would've grabbed that for Eric's new bar...but a t-shirt for my New York roomie is an awfully good second.

Happy Friday!

I hope there are some frosty drinks in your weekend forecast to help you survive this crazy heat wave! It's 100+ degrees here in Ohio! Yikes!

Friday Cheer! Stone Ruination IPA to drink and eat

Guess what? I read a lot of blogs. A lot of food-centric blogs.  While they inspire me to be a better blogger (still working on that...), they also make me want to cook so many of their incredible recipes. Today's Friday Cheer was instigated by a post from a favorite blog, The Beeroness.  This brilliant lady develops delicious recipes, sweet and savory, that feature different types of beer.  I've tested several of her recipes and every single one has been awesome...from Chocolate Stout Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust to Chocolate Pretzel Beer Toffee (a huge hit with my coworkers and family) to the  IPA Marinated Citrus Pork with Peach Poblano Salsa that prompted today's post.

Not only does The Beeroness offer recipes featuring beer, she gives some useful advice on how to choose a beer to use in a specific dish.  So if I can't find the exact beer she recommends, I know what features I need in the beer I ultimately choose.

Can you tell I'm a fan?

Thankfully I was able to find Stone's Ruination IPA, because her description of it as one of the few perfectly balanced IPA's made me mad to try it.  Because they are tremendously hoppy, IPA's are not a style of beer I drink too often. I really have to be craving an IPA to enjoy it, and summer is the time I love IPA most -- with a burger and on the patio. It's bliss.  But if I'm not in the mood for an IPA, it just sits there, collecting dust and wondering why all his beer neighbors are disappearing.

Stone Ruination IPA
Perfectly balanced and beautiful
Very drinkable

Apparently it is a serious issue that many IPA's on the market aren't balanced. They focus on cramming in as much hop flavor as they possibly can. And a population of people goes bananas over it...which I also dislike (be educated about what you love, people!), but that's a whole other thing.  Trust me, though, as The Beeroness claimed, Stone's Ruination IPA is balanced - it's full of hops with citrus and pine flavors which are balanced against a honey-like sweetness.  Don't think this beer is a sweet one, though. It's hops, through and through, but used in the way they ought to be.

I followed The Beeroness' recipe for IPA marinated pork chops with peach poblano salsa. The IPA came into play twice:  in the pork chop's marinade and in the salsa.  The salsa, by the way, is fantastic on it's own. Her recipe makes extra salsa, so I enjoyed that on my beloved Milagros tortilla chips for days.

Incredibly delicious

Up close, it's just as delicious

Thanks for the inspiration, Beeroness!  I know I'll be back for more recipes and more beer recommendations.

Happy Friday!!!

Playing With Fire And Corn

At my tiny apartment, we don't have a grill.  And after some potatoes rotted on my cast iron grill pan, we no longer have a grill pan (or any cast iron, for that matter, though I hope to remedy that soon).  But it's summer.  A girl's got to have some grilled food! Especially when that girl sees an endless stream of delicious recipes that involve grilling.

Thanks to Joy the Baker's post on BLT Corn Salad Wraps, I realized I did have a grill...of sorts.  I have a gas stove, complete with a metal grate over each burner. It's basically a miniature grill! Hooray!!!

I know it's not a real grill, so I can't char some burgers or kebabs...but I can use it to char some veggies.

Game on, stove/grill. I will not be afraid of you!
(even though I am have a healthy respect for you)

There will be loud popping noises and explosions of
individual kernels. Persevere. Charred corn is totally
worth it.

My all-time favorite potato salad involves golden potatoes, roasted corn, roasted red peppers, and a red wine vinegarette, heavy on the vinegar.  Since I'm temporarily potato salad-ed out, I decided to make a super simple variation: roasted corn, cherry tomatoes, and red wine vinegarette. 

Roasted Corn & Cherry Tomato Salad
Makes 2-3 servings


2 ears corn
Half a pint of cherry tomatoes
Lime juice
Red wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Smoked paprika (optional)

--If you're fortunate enough to have a grill, put the corn on the grill over a medium flame. Rotate frequently, until all sides are charred.  If you don't have a grill and have a gas stove like me, use tongs to hold an ear of corn over a burner set at low-to-medium.  You'll have to hold the corn in one spot for about 30-60 seconds. Lift it up to check for charring. Once you see char, rotate to the next section. It's a bit more effort and time, but trust me, the char is worth it.
--Once the corn has cooled enough to touch, cut the corn off the cob.
--Put the corn kernels and cherry tomatoes in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to taste and stir.

Notes:
--I was going to add some chopped green onion, but freaked out about the green onion getting wilted and slimey during storage in the fridge.  But I'm certain it would taste delicious.
--I personally love smoked paprika, but you can add what you'd like. Thyme, red pepper flakes, curry powder...go crazy.
--This recipe can easily be scaled up as well as adjusted to add in anything you might have around the house. Bacon comes to mind, thanks to Joy the Baker's recipe.
--I've also thrown this salad in a bowl with some cooked wheat berries, and, what do you know, that's darn delicious and nutritious.

Friday Cheer! Chambord French Martini

Awhile back, I purchased a bottle of Chambord for a recipe.  It's a black raspberry liquor produced by the French, and I love the deeply rich berry flavor in both drinks and desserts.  I adore the unique bottle - squat, round, dark, and with an opulent gold and "gem" encrusted top.  I want to make it a showpiece on my bar. Except I don't really have a bar.  (My liquor cabinet is the bottom of my closet, just like it was in college, thanks to the teensy size of my apartment.)  I even say the name in my horrendous French accent - "shhhhaaam-bouuurrrrdddduhhh".  As you can see, I'm attached to my Chambord.

www.chambordonline.com

I have neglected my lovely Chambord bottle for too long.  I dug it out of the depths of my closet classy liquor cabinet and debated what to make.  Something refreshing, since it's quite warm in our apartment despite our multi-faceted efforts at keeping it cool which involve no less than 5 fans.  Something for which I had all the ingredients in house, since I wanted my drink immediately. Something to let the Chambord shine.

Pineapple juice
Buckeye vodka (Ohio pride!)
Chambord black raspberry liquor

Chambord French Martini

Makes 1 drink

1.5 oz vodka

0.5 oz Chambord liquor

2 oz pineapple juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and serve.

Or, if you're employing plastic ice cubes, stir to mix in a glass, add plastic ice cubes, and serve.

Sorry, no martini glasses!
Just pints.
I'll work on that, I promise...

Happy Friday!

I hope your weekend involves sunshine and relaxation!

Good Things - Friends and Fun

Some recent good things...

A tubby kitty with thumbs, balanced on her back, all four paws curled up.  I've never seen another cat relax like this, but she's often seen lying this way.  I love it. And I love it even more when she tips her head back, the top of her head flat on the floor, so she can see what's going on behind her.  

But I don't think she appreciated my photo taking...

The Fonz
Is it a sit-up? Or a look of loathing for disrupting her relaxation?
I vote loathing. She's not the exercising type.

Sweet new cornhole boards, complete with the University of Dayton colors and logo.  We made them ourselves!  Well, my uncle actually made them, since he is a woodworker for a living. He builds incredible wine racks and displays and gift boxes...so a cornhole set was cake for him.  We did all the painting ourselves, though!

These boards have been the perfect way to spend a summer evening with some friends.

My good friend Jac and I, before an evening of fun at the UD reunion. I miss seeing her more often and it's always a blast when we get to hang out. 

And there's just something exciting about getting all dressed up for a night out, whether it's with the boy or with some friends.

Jac and me
Le rowr!

Smoothies

There's nothing like a smoothie to taste delicious while filling up on fruits and other goodness.  Following some recent discoveries, like my Cuisinart immersion blender and some delicious powders to add to my smoothies, I've been on what you could call a smoothie kick. Okay, an obsession. And it doesn't hurt that the immersion blender is equally good at making milkshakes...but that's another story. (Pumpkin pie milkshake? Heck yes! It's healthy and at the bottom of this post.)

My typical smoothie follows a fairly easy recipe:

• Put a banana in the bottom. 
• Add whatever frozen fruit I have in the refrigerator, or, even better, in the freezer. Frozen fruit means I don't have to add ice, which is great, because I don't have any ice in my apartment (remember my red plastic shoes?). 
• Pour on milk or coconut water (fewer calories and tons of potassium). 
• Maybe add some powder (whey protein powder or nutritional supplement powder), maybe add some chia seeds or raw oats, maybe add some yogurt or kefir for extra protein...but not always.  
• And blend until smooth.  Easy, right?

Smoothies are also my favorite way to sneak in fruits I may have let ripen a bit too much.  Smushy kiwis, slightly bruised peaches, leftover papaya...  I just chop it up and store it in a plastic bag in the freezer.

So give smoothies a whirl (har de har har). They're cheap and easy and delicious. And they have that awesome feature of making you feel like you're doing something good for yourself.

Behold! A typical smoothie -- banana, berries, kiwi, coconut water,
and Amazing Grass Green SuperFood

Tropical Flat Belly Smoothie

Papaya contains an enzyme--papain--that helps digestion

1 banana

Frozen papaya

Frozen cherries, strawberries, or raspberries

Milk or coconut water

Texture bonus: shredded coconut

This, my friends, is a smoothie-making machine!
I make smoothies way more often using this bad boy
than I ever did with my blender. Why? Because it's easy, it makes the smoothie in a cup,
and it is super easy to clean...which my blender is decidedly not.
Plus it's orange. What's not to love?

Chocolate-Berry Smoothie

1 banana

Frozen raspberries and strawberries

Cocoa powder

Yogurt or kefir

Milk or coconut water

For crunch: almonds, walnuts, or cocoa nibs

Trial packets of Amazing Grass' Green SuperFood drink powder.
Packed full of good-for-you things.
Awesomely tasty, especially in a smoothie.

Hold You Over Until Lunch Smoothie
A double dose of protein and some belly-filling fiber helps keep hunger at bay for longer than the average smoothie
1 banana
2 tbsp. peanut butter
Yogurt
Frozen berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, anything goes!)
Milk or coconut water
Oats (uncooked rolled ones, that is)
For crunch: add some nuts

Go big or go home.
The berry flavor (with goji and acai) as well as the
not-pictured chocolate flavor are my favorites.
Chocolate is hanging out in the refrigerator,
where he's supposed to be after opening.
We visit 2-3 times a week. Don't worry, he's not lonely.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie Shake

1/4 to 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not the pre-mixed pie filling)

Vanilla or pumpkin or cinnamon ice cream or frozen yogurt

Milk

A few shakes each of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg

Graham crackers (either whole crackers loosely crumbled or crumbs)

Whipped cream

Blend everything except the graham crackers and whipped cream until smooth.  Add the graham crackers and whipped cream, blend very, very briefly (about 3-4 quick pulses).  Enjoy!

Friday Cheer! German Beer Tasting

A local party supply store, which has the largest selection of wines, spirits, and beers I've ever seen, began their annual Thursday night series called Burgers and Beers. You sample several beers and enjoy a gourmet burger centered around a theme.  Last night's theme was German Invasion, so we sampled 7 different German-style beers and devoured burgers with saurkraut, a potato pancake, thousand island dressing, and Swiss cheese.  It was sheer genius to put a crispy potato pancake on a burger - crunchy, starchy, meaty - perfect with some beers!

I went with my roommate and we relaxed in the sunshine on the patio, listening to live music and sipping our brews.  A tray of raw milk cheddar continued to stop by our table, so I had to have a cube. Or three. Don't judge!

Here are the brews we tasted, along with our opinions:

1. Steigel Raddler -  light, detectable but not overpowering grapefruit flavor, refreshing.  Best beer of the night! 

2. Warsteiner Lager - Kayleigh put it best; it's a classy Keystone Light. Very light lager and an odd malty aftertaste. 

3. Weihenstephaner Heffe - hefewizen from the oldest brewery in Germany. Deliciously balanced, but I am partial to heffe's.

4. Great Lakes Doppelrock - malty, caramely, balanced, but not heavy. I've loved this before and loved it again.

5. Rivertown Bock - mildly malty and not heavy. Not my favorite bock, but not too shabby. I'd choose other brews from 

Rivertown over this one, though.

6. Avery Schwarzbier -  dark, rich, very malty and noteably hoppy. 

Tasty enough that I'd go back for seconds.

7. Ayinger Celebrator -   also dark and rich, full of malt and chocolate

flavors, but less noticeable hop. Balanced. Loved the goat charm on 

the bottle. We named him Steve. 

There was also a raffle with the chance to win free beer. Obviously we entered it, a ticket for each of us. Before Kayleigh even finished saying "I never win anything", her ticket number was called. She chose a 64oz growler of the Steigl Raddler, our favorite beer of the night. Awesome!  

So the growler of Stiegl Raddler had a friend in the fridge, I also purchased a growler of Bloody Show, a pilsner with blood orange produced by Against the Grain and Mikkeller.  I bought it because the words "blood orange" lured me in. My first taste of the brew proved to be good but not as great as I'd hoped.  It had an indistinct citrus flavor and a very bitter note, which was surprising considering it is a pilsner and not a pale ale.  Maybe my expectations were high because of how awesome the Stiegl Raddler was.  I'll still drink it, no worries!

Against the Grain/Mikkeller's
Bloody Show
A pilsner with blood orange
5.5% ABV

Stiegel's
Grapefruit Raddler
A light beer with grapefruit
2.5% ABV
That's Steve the Goat from the Celebrator bottle
He wanted to come with us

We'll get to work on those growlers.  I hope you have some refreshing Friday cheer in your near future!

Happy Friday!!!

Good Things: A Mini Garden and A Cake

We've finally planted our "garden" at our apartment.  For three years, we've attempted to grow a variety of herbs and veggies.  While my mint comes back like crazy (it took over the pot it currently calls home, surviving the winter and crowding out cilantro and thyme), I always seem to kill any poor basil plant I bring home.  So no basil (yet).  

Last year, my tomato plant only produced 5 tomatoes, all of which were partially rotted before picking.  We're optimistic that this year's tomato plant, started from seed by my roommate's boss, will fare better.  

We switched to bell peppers this year because last year's jalapenos were insanely hot.  Since I'm a spicy food fanatic, that's saying something.  The bacon-apple jalapeno poppers were just too hot to eat...so sad.

Our tiny garden at our tiny apartment.
We're growing thyme, oregano, bell peppers, mint, and tomatoes.

I discovered an amazing powder to add to my smoothies a few months ago, thanks to a few other blogs who were on a smoothie kick.  The company Amazing Grass uses a special process to harvest nutrients from grasses, veggies, and fruits that retains a high amount of nutrients and good-for-you things.  I'll admit I've never ordered a smoothie with grasses or veggies, but I wanted to up the nutritional ante of my smoothies.  So I tried packets of Amazing Grass's Green SuperFood line.  They blended easily, they tasted wonderful, and I actually felt like my smoothie made me feel better -- more energized, more healthy.  Who knew a smoothie could do that?  Now I'm addicted, and, thanks to the incredible local health food store, I was able to purchase two containers for the price of one! 

So far, I've enjoyed a smoothie with a scoop of the Green SuperFood in it 2-3 times a week for the past two weeks and I've noticed an improvement in how I feel and even look.  I'm getting my fruits and veggies and then some from this powder.  I'm definitely addicted.

My absolute favorite smoothie addition.
The chocolate flavor is incredible too!

This week, I tried a recipe from Sassy Radish's blog from Rhubarb Buttermilk Pudding Cake.  With a name like that, how could I not?  I used frozen sliced rhubarb, cooked for a few minutes in lemon juice and sugar and cornstarch.  Layered around a tender buttermilk cake, the rhubarb was the star.  

Best of all?  This cake was so simple to put together.  It took only a few minutes and produced the most delicious snacking cake. I've had it for breakfast, for a pre-dinner snack, and for dessert...and there's still half a cake left. 

I may not have been able to wait long enough to
take a picture before tasting...

Rhubarb and a tender buttermilk cake, all mixed up.

Hot damn, where's the Greek yogurt or ice cream?

Friday Cheer! ~ Limoncello Fizz

For the last 2 weeks, every morning begins with gorgeous golden sunlight streaming through my window and into my room.  Well, it's not so much streaming as stampeding in and through my closed eyelids...but I'll forgive sunshine.  After all, I long for it the rest of the year. So I'm grateful and thrilled it has finally arrived for good.  Hello, Summer!

In honor of summer days, I wanted to make a simple cocktail that felt like summer.  That was a breeze to make, so you could just throw it together and relax on the patio.  Or, in my case, the couch...with at least 2 fans turned toward me at all times.  In case you hadn't picked up on it, my tiny apartment gets quite roasty in the summer.  I like to think of it as acclimating me to heat and humidity.

Though the seltzer dilutes the gorgeous electric yellow
color of limoncello, I promise the lemon taste will still shine through.

Anyway, back to this drink.  I call it the Limoncello Fizz and there are only 2 ingredients! Three, if you count ice.  So get on it!

Limoncello Fizz

3 oz. limoncello liquor
Seltzer water to taste (I added about 6 oz. because I wanted the sweet lemon flavor of the liquor to remain)

Combine ingredients with ice in a glass. Stir and enjoy!

Limoncello is an intense and slightly sweet lemon liquor
from Italy, where it is often served in a small glass
after meals as a digestif.

Notes:
If you don't taste the limoncello, either add more (I'd suggest 1 oz. increments) or add some lemon juice.  Or just drink the limoncello straight, which is quite tasty as well.

Happy Friday!