Ask the German kid to make a stereotypical meal. Let’s have some beer brats.
Boil a typical lager beer with a handful of onions, black pepper, and brats or hotdogs if you are feeling poor.
Serve with the boiled onions and a hard mustard on a bun. And perhaps some nutmeg and clove pickles, a good slaw with a spatlese Reisling wine.
We were in the mood for some “football food”, so we whipped up an improvised appetizer that definitely did not disappoint us, “Sausage Parmesean Stuffed Shrooms”.
De-stem 8 oz. of medium sized portabellas. Finely chop the stems. Brown 1/4 lb spicy sausage with a couple cloves of smushed garlic, stems, and a few slices of finely chopped green pepper and onion. Mix together 1/4 cup Bisquick and 1/4 cup Andy’s “Hot” breading. Regular breadcrumbs and red pepper to taste will substitute in a pinch. Add breading mixture to sausage, veggies, and drippings until it sticks together. Stuff mushroom caps until out of stuffing. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese.
Put on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until the caps start to soften. Delicious!
I was intrigued when I saw a “beer” that claimed to be 32% alcohol. The previous record is Sam Adams “Utopias“, which uses distiller’s yeast and is only 23%, so I was extremely skeptical. Their advertisement is amusing and tells how they did it.
Essentially, after freeze distillation, this becomes a malt-based liquer, rather than a beer. Nice try guys.
We finally took the time to make a nice homemade dinner. I made some “No-Knead Bread“.
We fried up some Macedonian sausage with leeks and collard greens. Topped with some La Preferida, it was the perfect amount of spice.
And although somebody never gets people food, she whined all night from the delicious smell.
Sorry folks, I just got a new sales route. I am sorry I haven’t been around, but my time has been extremely tight. I have missed you all.
I have found a new love. For those of you that know me, I love spicy things. I love the long hurt of Bhut Jolokias, but sometimes I crave a well balanced hot sauce with only a little kick.
La preferida is a hot sauce low on the scoville scale. They have balanced the earthiness, spice, and vinegar base to something that everyone can enjoy. When I want something to kick up my food without burning my mouth, I eat La Preferida Louisiana hot sauce.
I am going to be reviewing a few of my favorite websites regarding seeds. I have had the pleasure of corresponding with Alex from the English Chili Pepper Company. They have a great blog and review site catering towards “Chili heads”.
They review Chili seeds, books, various growing methods, and offer some really unique products through their store. I definitely recommend checking them out.
My rSWC system seems to be a winter thing. I need to catch up on sunlight anyways. Here is a Bhut Jolokia bathing in FloraMato, Cannazym, blackstrap molasses, humic/fulvic acid, and epsom salts.
So why are there netcups hanging from this plant? I train them like pepper bonsai trees to make the most of the light. I will be filling my rSWC full of chili pepper plants for the winter for the second year in a row.
I was perusing Flickr and found a great guide on growing and curing tobacco. With an out of control government taxing everything in sight, this seems like it would be a great project for anyone that loves ornamentals or enjoys the occasional smoke.
(Thanks HillyDilly!)
Blue Moon has released their limited edition Grand Cru wheat beer. It was a bit expensive, but I had to try it out because it is only brewed once every 20 years.
I poured the slightly chilled Grand Cru into a snifter producing a dirty squash colored brew with huge chunks left from bottle conditioning swirling around. It produced one finger of head that dissipated quickly. It smells of orange, a bit of grain, and a whiff of spice. The taste starts with a heavy citrus flavor, a nice wheat-y and yeasty middle, and a heavy spice and alcohol finish. I think Coors went a little heavy on the orange to try to mask the alcohol sting in the end. I would have preferred to drink this a little colder to lessen the impact of the zing at the end. Overall, it’s like Blue Moon’s eccentric big brother.
Grand Cru is a great session beer and worth trying for the scarcity, although there are better craft beers out there. I paid $8.99 for a 750 ml bottle.
Some people call me a “Bacon Enthusiast”. Tonight, I wanted to get the most bacon per square inch in our omelettes. We wove the bacon into a bacon mat. It was delicious.
