NPR reported on an amazing look at the “Fritos” snack.
During the Depression in the 1930s, Doolin had a confectionery in San Antonio. Always an innovator, he got a bug to put some kind of corn snack on his counters. Tortillas staled, so Doolin went on a mission. At a gas station, Doolin found a Mexican man making an extruded corn chip out of masa, frying it and selling little bags of the fried corn chips. They were fritos, “little fried things” — the beach food of Mexico.
Doolin bought the patent and 14 customers from the man and began to make the chips in his own kitchen at home, with his mother perfecting his recipe.
I knew original Fritos were vegan-friendly, but I had no idea the inventor was a vegetarian. The story surrounding the Frito is a great read!
Dead Guy Ale was the first beer that got me into big beers after drinking things like Miller Lite and Keystone all my life. I haven’t gone back to anything other than craft beers since Dead Guy inspired my love for good beer.
Cracking the bottle, Dead Guy smells of sweet malt and honey with a bit of alcohol vapors. It pours a dark amber. There is a light amber head with a finger of thick bubbles that take their time to dissipate. The first taste is of sweet malts. It is a full-bodied beer that highlights different flavors the longer it is held on the tongue. There are balanced aromatic and bitter hops and the sweet finish lingers. This is a beer to sip on and savor.
The alcohol content (6.5%) will warm your stomach. It is great beer well worth the money. I paid $9.49 for a 6-pack.
You may have seen my previous post about aquaponics, or growing plants with fish here. This time, Patty “Garden Girl” Moreno made a video about her indoor aquaponics garden suitable for an apartment. Check it out:
There is considerable debate over whether wick hydroponics is indeed hydroponics, but is definitely a passive way at effective gardening.
Here is an example. The top tupperware holds plain potting soil. It has a drainage hole in the bottom of the top container and the bottom container lid.
Through the drainage and lid hole is inserted about 10 feet of nylon rope (cotton would rot). It is looped around the bottom of the potting soil and into the bottom reservoir to wick up moisture. As far as fertilizing, half-strength hydroponic nutrient solution is used or 1/2 tsp of Miracle Gro per gallon of water in the bottom reservoir.
These corn, pea, and cucumber seedlings look pretty good for only being 2 weeks old from planting and only having to water them once.
Most people are familiar with Coors Light, but how many people have considered its full-flavored parent, Coors Banquet?
Into a pilsner glass, Coors Banquet pours a rich golden straw color. There are some thick carbonation bubbles rising inside this brew. The head is a thin bright white, and disappears almost immediately. It smells of light grain and a hint of esters from the yeast. With my first sip, I taste grainy malts and some light hoppiness. The mouthfeel is light bodied and smooth. The finish is crisp and clean. My only complaint was the heavy carbonation that makes me belch like a glutton. For a full-flavored American macro beer, it is easily drinkable. It is definitely lawnmower beer. I enjoy Coors Original more than its “light” counterparts.
I love barley wines, so I was eager to pick up the 25th Anniversary Expedition Edition of the 2008 Bigfoot Barley Wine by Sierra Nevada. It was served in a pint glass at cellar temperature and is a very interesting big brew.
It pours an amber hue with the head quickly dissipating to a thick film. The smell is intoxicating and has hints of pine, citrus and dark malt. I can tell this is going to have some fruity esters. Taking a sip is intense. My first impression is that the beer is very hops forward and the esters give it a fruity note like apricots. It is a heavier brew, but the light carbonation, no heavy alcohol fumes, and lack of hops “brassiness” common in barley wines makes it very drinkable. The bitters in the finish linger making this an excellent one to sip on all night.
I paid $9 for a 6-pack. I highly recommend the 2008 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine.
I have been really interested in Chia seeds (yes, the ones grown on the clay heads). They are a superfood traditionally cultivated by the Aztecs for their Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
They can be eaten raw, as sprouts, in drinks, or ground to flour in baked goods. When moistened, they add a gelatinous texture to gruels or porridges.
They are easy to grow and really nutritious. For more information, check out the Chia Cheat Sheet.
I had lots of ingredients in this one. I threw in spinach, onions, peppers, jalapeño, garlic, piggy bacon, red pepper, and oregano. It was covered in pepper jack cheese.
It fed 2 people to breakfast capacity and was quite delicious!
My SO and I were feeling kind of poor last night, but we wanted to spend some time together. Meat is a rare occurrence in the house, but we had some frozen pork chops from this year’s piggies. We have plenty of lettuce from the Waterfarm. The bread was a dollar from Wal-Mart. Definitely Red-Icculus fixins.
The pork chops were just broiled with salt pepper and olive oil. The bread and salad was served with red wine vinegar, parmesean, and black pepper. Delicious!
