A few weeks ago, when I was about to churn my chocolate orange ice cream for last week's Ice Cream Tuesday post, my ice cream maker died. I had just poured my mixture into the pre-frozen base and turned it on, and it made The Most Horrible Machine Dying Sound.
And then it stopped.
And I was left with a mixture that had already started to freeze to the ice cream base and no real good way to get it OUT before having to start over.
It was panic at the disco over here.
Of course, Zooey tried to help, so that was fun. Dogs and chocolate go together so well, you know.
Thankfully, I only managed to lose about half a pint as I madly poured and scraped the mixture back out of the ice cream maker and into the quart jars from whence they came.
And then, once I cleaned that remaining half pint of mixture off the counter top, the cabinets, the floor, and me, I sat down and thought, "Crap. What do I do NOW?"
Certainly I could have made this without an ice cream maker, but after posting about this little adventure on my personal Facebook page, some close friends texted me and said I could borrow theirs for a while. They even pre-chilled the base so I could get back to where I was before Disaster struck.
So naturally, I've gone mad with power and am making All the Ice Creams.
This ice cream is a nod to a local summer favorite: San Tan Brewing Company's Mr. Pineapple wheat beer. This seasonal brew is immensely popular round these parts, and people celebrate its tapping each year like it's a national holiday (it should probably be a state holiday, at the very least). The subtle sweetness that the pineapple adds to the beer is a perfect partner to the brown sugar, and when you add in pineapples caramelized in that same beer, you have a winning combination that just might make you forget that it's 110° already.
It's worth a shot, at least.
Mr. Pineapple Brown Sugar Ice Cream With Beer Caramelized Pineapples
Ratios inspired by Jenni Fields's Pastry Chef Online Maple Buttermilk Pecan Ice Cream
2 cups San Tan Brewing Company's Mr. Pineapple Wheat Beer (or other wheat beer with pineapple or other tropical fruit to it)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
1/2 tsp salt (I use Real Salt)
14 ounces brown sugar (you could probably reduce this to about 10-12 ounces)
4 egg yolks
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups whole milk, chilled
1 Tbsp vanilla
Beer caramelized pineapples*
Combine the beer, cream, half and half, salt, brown sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
Boil for ten seconds, and then immediately strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.
Add the whole milk, which you can just bring right out of the fridge when you need it. Whisk to combine completely.
Cool over an ice bath (I use a larger bowl filled with ice water), and then cover and transfer to the refrigerator to cool overnight. To save valuable horizontal space, I recommend using two quart jars.
Once completely cooled, add to your ice cream maker and churn according to directions. In the last few minutes of churning, mix in the caramelized pineapples.
Once the ice cream has reached soft serve consistency, pour mixture into freezer safe container. Press plastic wrap onto top of mixture (don't worry; it won't freeze to it), and fasten lid before moving to the freezer. Freeze for at least four hours before enjoying.
Just a note: this makes two full quarts, so you may need to pour some out for your homies before churning; otherwise, when you add the pineapple, the ice cream will spill out of the dasher. Or, I suppose you could do this in multiple batches. It's up to you.
*To make the beer caramelized pineapples, follow this recipe from The Beeroness; I used more Mr. Pineapple instead of the saison she recommended, and it.was.amazing. Just make sure that you chill the pineapples before mixing in to the ice cream, or else they will warm the mixture up too much, and you'll be churning for a bit longer than you plan.
Common sense warning: Even though the beer is cooked and the alcohol levels thus reduced, this ice cream still contains some levels of alcohol, so it's probably not the best choice to give your kids. Which is perfectly fine; you work hard to raise those kids, and you deserve to have an ice cream all to yourself for once. Get the kids a non-boozy flavor and enjoy responsibly.
Cookies, I have decided, are NOT my forte. While I love me a good chocolate chip with milk, my cookie baking karma isn't quite up to snuff. I'm not sure if my oven isn't properly calibrated (it's possible) or it's just too warm/dry here in Arizona (also possible), but my cookie-making prowess isn't even a tenth of what I'd like it to be.
Even in the face of my cookineptitude (I also love me a goodportmanteau), I boldly signed up for this year's Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap (this is its third year). Why did I do it? Because I'm crazy each year, the cookie swap raises and donates money to Cookies for Kids Cancer, an amazing organization that raises money for research and new treatments for pediatric cancer. You may know that different cancers require different treatments, but what you may not know is that many oncology treatments are not considered appropriate or safe for children. Testing is "iffy" (I think that's the technical term), since medical testing on children is, well, horrifying to some and considered unethical by just about everyone. As such, developing appropriate treatments is difficult and often more expensive. And while I rage against the colon cancer that took my dad, I'm often brought to my knees at how pediatric cancer has affected my life, even if not as dramatically. My dear friend Kirsten lost her sister to cancer; Lily, my friend Alicia's daughter, lost her battle last December, and my husband's baby brother fought (and has won, so far) two rounds of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Losing a parent to cancer is awful, heinous, and vile. Losing a child to cancer, well, I haven't found any words that could bring justice to it.
And being armed as such, with no words to comfort those who have lost their children and siblings and friends to pediatric cancers, I happily tied my apron and failed gloriously at my first attempt at the cookies I was to send out for this year's cookie swap.
So I went to the store, bought more butter, and failed again at a completely. different. recipe.
Good cause or not, at that point, I was ready to break things. And yes, I cried. I was actually this close: | | to running back to the store for some pre-made, preservative-filled slice and bake... things.
But instead, I took a deep breath, double checked the recipe, made some modifications, and managed a cookie that was tasty and (sort of) pretty.
And then I shipped them off, swearing I'd never make cookies ever again.
So here's the deal. The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap is kind of a round robin, pay it forward, secret Santa situation. Each participant is given the names and addresses of three other participants, but everyone is sworn to secrecy as to who sends to whom (while this wasn't a big deal for me, since I have never known the people to whom I send my cookies, it's possible in food blogging circles that the participants know each other). But the three people to whom I sent my cookies were not the same people from whom I received cookies.
Am I making sense?
I didn't think so.
Really, the only thing you need to know is that you reap what you sow - send three packages of cookies out (a dozen each), and you shall receive three packages in return.
We won't discuss the first recipe I attempted. But that's OK. The cookie I finally ended up with was, I think, a much better idea at the end of the day anyway.
Now that I've made mustard, ice cream, and pie with beer, it was time to move on to the cookie. Beer is great with cookies. In fact, the brewery whose beer I used for this recipe serves its seasonal Winter Warmer with gingersnaps. So what better ingredient to add to a cookie recipe? Using a winter seasonal offers a taste of the holiday season without being smacked in the face with it (I'm looking at you, craft stores selling cinnamon-scented pine cones). For the flavor to really come through, don't worry about adding any additional spices. You'll still be able to taste them all. Trust me.
But just in case, you'd better pour yourself a beer.
Winter Spiced Ale and Brown Sugar Cookies
Adapted from The Beeroness
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened (but not too soft)
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar (you can use light, but I prefer the darker, mostly for color)
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 c winter seasonal spiced ale (I used San Tan Brewing Company's Rail Slide Imperial Spiced Ale; if you can't get Rail Slide near you, I'm really sorry, but I'm sure your local craft beer place has a great winter seasonal as well)
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 c bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp corn starch
**The original recipe calls for baking powder as well. I tried with and without the baking powder, and it made a huge difference in my cookies not spreading and turning into one super-cookie during the baking process, so if you have an unpredictable oven or, like me, bad baking karma, I recommend that you also omit it.
In a large, non-reactive bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on low speed until just combined. Add the egg yolk and vanilla. Add the beer and beat until just combined.
Add the flour mixture to the beer mixture and combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Do not over-mix.
Using a cookie scoop, a melon baller, or a spoon, scoop out balls of dough (smaller than a golf ball but larger than a marble) and place onto parchment paper-covered cookies sheets (or, if you're all fancy, use Sil-Pat; I am not fancy).
Chill at least a half hour.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Take cookies from the refrigerator directly to the oven and back for 7-8 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown.
Place the cookies on a cooling rack immediately to cool.
And off they, went, to their new homes!
Just kidding - I did actually pack them in pretty tins.
Guten Appetit, ladies - I hope you enjoyed them, with or without a pint! Check out their blogs, too, to see where their goodies ended up going!
Of course, while I do subscribe to the "it's better to give than to receive" policy, it was exciting to check the mailbox this month, knowing that I'd be having a snack shortly thereafter (HRH was pretty excited about that, too, and she was crushed when I told her that it would happen a mere three times).
Thanks to Melissa at Treats with a Twist for her white chocolate-dipped cranberry walnut macaroons, Zainab at Blahnik Baker for her soft and chewy butterscotch gingersnaps (or as Husband says, buttah-scotch), and Monique at Ambitious Kitchen for her white chocolate, cherry, and macadamia nut oatmeal cookies. All three Philistines devoured them, and HRH even found a new love for coconut (in cookie form, at least), while Husband was thrilled to have a chewy gingersnap ("I just don't like crunchy cookies"). And even though HRH is sad that the cookies in the mail have come to an end, it's probably a good thing for my waistline that they did, for who can resist freshly baked cookies, delivered to your door (not me, that's certain)???
A big shout out goes to all of the participants (and even some who couldn't participate but who donated anyway) in this year's Great Food Blogger Cookies Swap; together, we have raised $13,778.40 for Cookies for Kids Cancer. My heart is full that so many people wanted to not only share their delicious cookies but also make a difference for those who are engaged in a battle that they, unlike me, do not have the luxury of failing. If you have ever doubted that people are truly kind in nature, just take this into consideration.
Thank you, too, to this year's sponsors, OXO, Dixie Crystals, Gold Medal Flour, and Grandma's Molasses, and to Lyndsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen for once again planning this incredible event.
If you'd like the chance to sign up for the next cookie swap, you can add you name to the list here.
A link that gives a list of all the participants and their recipes will be added soon.
Full disclosure: I did receive some awesome OXO spatulas as a gift for my participation in the cookie swap, but as this little blog is a mere hobby of mine, I wasn't asked to give my opinion on any of the aforementioned brands or of the spatulas. I didn't specifically use the brands (I've actually NEVER used molasses), and aside from OXO, I can't personally vouch for their quality (I have several OXO products, and so I was pretty stoked to receive the spatulas; also, I love the word spatula and wanted to see how many times I could use it in a blog post). However, I thank them all of my own accord for not shirking their corporate and civic responsibilities and for using their brands to make a positive difference in the lives of children.
One more thing - if you also love the word spatula, this is for you:
#Reverb13 is a prompt-a-day series for the month of December that is meant to give participants the chance to reflect on the past year and take the opportunity to write down some hopes for the coming year. Prompt 8: Did you go on an adventure in 2013? What sort? ADVENTURE (according to Merriam Webster) ad-ven-ture noun \əd-'ven-chur\ 1. a. an undertaking usually involving danger or unknown risks b. the encountering of risks <the spirit of adventure> 2. an exciting or remarkable experience <an adventure in exotic dining> 3. an enterprise involving financial risk
Reverb is turning out to be an exercise in redefining those words that I'd thought were already defined. Challenge. Victory. Adventure. To be able to make those words applicable to my workaday, everyday life is...refreshing in its own right. We tend to think - not incorrectly - that adventure takes place in faraway places and require runaway boulders or ancient treasures. But in all reality, anything that is, as the second bullet above notes, exciting or remarkable, can be an adventure. And I hope that all my friends and readers have experienced something exciting, remarkable, and new this year. If they didn't, I hope that 2014 holds many of them.
An argument could be made that my running has been an adventure this year. But I think I've already talked about that plenty, and I'm sure that the opportunity will arise for me to talk about it again (and again...).
Because Going on An Adventure also means Board the Hound and maybe even Find a Weekend Sitter for the Kid, adventures aren't commonplace in the Philistines household. But in the past few years, Husband and I have started to make our anniversary weekend as an opportunity for some sort of adventuring, even if it's just a restaurant in town that we haven't tried yet.
This year, I insisted that we once again take up what we had enjoyed while we were in Michigan, and go away for our anniversary. While we lived in the Mitten, we drove up to Traverse City (if only for the day) and spent a long weekend in Chicago. We also spent one anniversary in Washington, DC, while Husband was working in an externship for the district. Less footloose and fancy free now, this year, we drove up to Jerome.
Like many rural towns in Arizona, Jerome came into being as a mining town. There were copper in them thar hills! But, like many other mining towns, Jerome's renaissance has really come and gone, and today, it's hard to imagine that it once was the fourth largest city in the entire Arizona territory. It's now known more for its "ghost town" tourism, for, like other mining towns, many sites, including the Jerome Grand Hotel (which used to be the hospital), are considered to be haunted, which attracts paranormal hunters as well as artists of all kinds.
I admit: I love ghost hunting shows. I watch... most of them. Husband, on the other hand, scoffs at the mere idea of the paranormal, so I knew if we were going to spend a weekend in Jerome, I needed to make sure that we were NOT there to be amateur ghostbusters. This proved hard for me to plan, since the Jerome Grand Hotel offers a ghost hunting PACKAGE. Be still my beating heart. To make sure I didn't cave to temptation, I opted to stay at a bed and breakfast "downtown" instead of the hotel. And thankfully, the Verde Valley in Arizona has one more thing that we both enjoy to offer - vineyards.
As such, we dropped off the hound at the doggie hotel, dropped HRH off at my mother-in-law's, and headed north.
Just as a note - the weekend we were in Jerome, a lightning-sparked fire started outside the town of Yarnell, a fire which ended up taking the lives of 19 of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of 20 firefighters who had special training in fighting wildfires. As we drove to Jerome, we saw dozens of lightning strikes, which at the time, were as beautiful as they were frightening. Arizona, as a desert state, suffers many wildfires each year, and I am grateful to those who risk - and sacrifice - their lives to fight these fires.
Our first stop was Page Springs Cellars, which is in Cornville. Not totally on the way to Jerome from the Phoenix Metro Area, but not that far out of the way, either. The tasting room offered nibbles on the patio, and once we were finished, we took our glasses and meandered through the vineyard.
Easy way to drive your spouse crazy:
say "It's a party with Havarti."
Every time you eat Havarti cheese.
This was my first time as an adult spending time in a vineyard. The last time I'd been to one, as a pup at the Ste. Michelle winery north of Seattle, I was scratched by a squirrel. (my dad has suggested I try to feed the damn things). Walking, with no timeline, through quiet rows of grapevines, glass in hand, no rodents in sight, was therapeutic.
But since you can't spend the night in a vineyard (I mean, I suppose you can, but I have a feeling that it's frowned upon), so we eventually made our way back to the car, the proud owners of a few new bottles of wine.
Now, Jerome itself is tiny. One can see everything (I am not exaggerating - EVERYTHING) in town over the course of a long weekend. And we did. We went to the different tasting rooms (I was saddened that the Jerome Winery tasting room, where my mom and I had gone last year, was closed), walked to the state park - housed at the Douglas Mansion - and back (apparently, not too many people walk to the museum, less than a mile from our B&B, as we got plenty of odd stares from passing cars), lunched with different Arizona beers, and had our anniversary dinner at the Jerome Grand Hotel (sadly, I didn't see any ghosts while we were there - maybe next time).
Grand Hotel to the left - the rest of Jerome to the right
The town of Jerome was named after the uncle of Winston Churchill
Beer in a mason jar - even more refreshing
(the beer was from Nimbus Brewing in Tucson)
Flight from Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards,
owned by Tool's Maynard James
The view from the Jerome Grand Hotel's steps
The view at dinner.
The rusted out car at the bottom was, at one time, a gorgeous model.
Our last morning offered time only for breakfast before we headed back down the hill to Phoenix. Jerome itself is on a hill, and that combined with the less than stellar Arizona soil, not much variety grows in Jerome. However, apricot trees were in full fruit, and our last stop, the Flat Iron - one of the smallest restaurants into which I have ever set foot - offered these amazing waffles with freshly made apricot compote.
Husband was, truthfully, reluctant at first to head out of town for the weekend, especially to a place where he feared I might geek out over the possibility of ghost spectating. But as we drove home, exultant and appreciative of being able to spend a weekend together as a reminder of why we got married in the first place, we started talking about where we can go and what we can do next June for anniversary 12, and he was just as engaged in the idea sharing as I was.
Certainly, then, 2014 will host at least one more adventure for the books.
While I'd love to be able to tell you that I sit around all day and think of hilariously pithy things to post in Twitter, the fact is that I have two full-time jobs. I teach, and I am a mom of one very busy four-year-old. Since I actually work from home, those two jobs generally overlap, and sometimes I just want to run screaming from the house because of everything on my to do list that I know will never be place on the done pile.
The rest of our One Kitchen, Many Hearts "gang of seven" are in similar situations. Among us, we're juggling parenthood, school, and careers. Our blogs allow us to have an outlet where we can be creative and even selfish when we need to be.
As such, we felt that it was appropriate to theme this month's round of gift giving as "Office Essentials."
And while I love new office organizational tools and get a little giddy each time I buy a new calendar (which I use as my running log), we naturally allowed a creative license to be taken, as sometimes essentials for work aren't just needed 9-5.
Kat, who is my soul sister in so many ways, shipped me exactly what I needed to keep on keepin' on in my home office, where sometimes my main essential is to try to see my desk under all the princesses, My Little Ponies, and fairies.
Nail polish and beer. Specifically, a sampling of one of Kat's favorite breweries, New Glarus Brewing Company. Pictured above was their Two Women lager, a collaborative effort with a sister brewery (almost literally - both breweries are run by women), and Moon Man No Coast pale ale. I am not normally a fan of pale ales and really don't care of IPAs, but holy pine! This was fantastic! I'm sold.
Now, you may be worried that since the beer came in a package intended for the office, I'm drinking on the job. Fear not. My office is blue. But it's nice to know that after a long, hard day, there is something delicious waiting for me in the fridge.
As for the nail polish, well, duh. The necessity of colorful mitts and paws in any situation, office or otherwise, goes without saying.
Case in point - my first taste was the Berliner Weiss, which was crisp and citrusy and refreshing to the point of ridiculous. In the best way.
And then.
This.
And yes, it came out of the package just like this, emitting an almost holy glow that spoke of the wonders inside.
Kat has talked about Dragon's Milk for... ever. She told someone the other day that it is "the best of all beers" and recommended to me that I savor it with a cookie, which I plan to do this weekend after my long run (it just so happens that Jeanne sent HRH and me a batch of oatmeal cookies that, if I can keep my grubby mitts off them, I can enjoy with the Dragon's Milk). I will keep you posted, but if the other three bottles were any indication, this one is going to be heavenly.
There were also some chocolate candies that Kat picked up while she was on the European adventure of a lifetime, but sadly, they did not survive to have their photos taken. I can assure you that their deaths were delicious.
Now, HRH has gotten to an age at which she assumes any package that comes to our door is actually for her. She's cute like that. I guess Kat knew she was expected to provide, and provide she did.
HRH directed this photo shoot to prominently feature her ponies.
At nearly five, HRH is actually able to comprehend books that are more in depth than this, but this is actually perfect for her right now. The princesses are a given. She loves them. But right now, we've taken a few steps back with her books in order to practice her new-found reading skills. She gets a little overwhelmed when there are too many words on a page, and if there are unfamiliar words, she'll start to shut down. This book only has a handful of words per page, and HRH can read this one with comfort, and even though it's really, really, REALLY repetitive for us, that repetition is giving her confidence as a reader.
So much, in fact, that she took the book to school for Show and Tell today. Her plans are to read the book for her classmates.
***INSERT MOM SLASH ENGLISH MAJOR HEART EXPLODING WITH PRIDE***
Kat also sent what is probably the most essential office item - a new coloring and activity book for HRH to use while I'm working. HRH is at that age at which she can play by herself a lot of the time, but she also wants to do things with me, and I'm increasingly feeling guilty about the fact that I just can't.
This was a fantastic and fun spin on what I might need to fight the daily office drudgeries, and I"m immensely grateful to Kat for putting so much thought into it.
Also, we are currently negotiating a marshmallows-for-beer swap situation that I think will benefit both parties immensely.
But check out all the other office goodies that were sent; you may discover something you didn't know you needed for YOUR office.
Over the last few months, I've realized that I've kind of plateaued in my attempt to get rid of some of that "stubborn belly fat" that all those commercials for wonder supplements and crazy workout DVDs love to talk about. It's not stubborn. It's an unwelcome guest, and I'm kind of tired of it having way overstayed its welcome.
So I've been looking at how I can step it up. Not just so I can more easily slip into a pair of pants, but also so that I know I'm healthier.
For a long while, I've really reduced my meat consumption. I really really really don't care for chicken. When I was pregnant with HRH, it was a huge aversion to me, so much that when I tried to buy some of those pre-cooked strips for the Husband at the store one day, my knees buckled and I thought I was going to pass out. Ever since, I can only handle it if it's REALLY well made, and I have to REALLY want it. I also have tried to cut down on red meat, especially because of the many links between red meat consumption and a greater risk of colon cancer (among others).
And I like most vegetarian protein sources. I love beans. I really like tofu. Quinoa is great. Tempeh - meh (see what I did there?); that's really the one thing that I've had that I didn't really care for.
But nothing seemed to be working.
I decided, then, to take a week and try a modified paleo plan. I say modified because I did use a "paleo for runners" approved foods list, which includes more starchy veggies like sweet potatoes and squash. Apparently a non-runners paleo diet doesn't allow for them.
Basically, the paleo diet is, from what I understand, supposed to mimic the ingredients that our very ancient, probably much hairier forefathers would have eaten. Of course, this means no processed foods, but it also nixes all grains, dairy, and sugars (although some sites allowed maple syrup and honey because those were natural sugars, and I can totally imagine an early Homo sapiens risking life and limb for a handful of honey like he were some Ice Age Winnie the Pooh). Probably the most restrictive aspect for me, though was that it didn't allow for legumes or beans. Even though I love me some rice and white breads, rarely a week goes by that I don't have beans with at least two meals. But I was determined to try this to rev up my body's vacationing fat burning abilities.
I created a meal plan for the week and headed to the grocery store.
First of all, holy sticker shock, Batman! I haven't actually bought meat that wasn't turkey necks for Zooey or bacon in a really long time, apparently, because when I picked up a small package of ground beef, I thought I was going to have to take a second mortgage out on the house. Yikes.
I admit that on top of my mandate that I would still be enjoying my morning coffee with half-and-half and cinnamon sugar, I did "cheat" during one meal. One of my friends and I had lunch, and I had a beer. Beer, as you know, is made from grains - gluten-y grains - so it's waaaaaaaay up on the Verboten Items List. But I also don't want to be that person who puts the kibosh on every restaurant suggestion because it doesn't work for my super restrictive diet plan. "Oh, no, that place doesn't work for me. I can't eat anything that casts a shadow past 1:00 in the afternoon on Tuesdays."
Interestingly enough, that evening, I felt TERRIBLE. Like you might right before you get sick. Achy, tired, tempting fate by trying to NOT get a headache. Just...blah. And then I got cranky because I didn't feel well, so it wasn't the most pleasant evening.
I can't say with absolute certainty that this was all caused by the grains. But it was interesting nonetheless.
At the end of the week, I knew that this plan isn't for me. That isn't to say it's a terrible idea. I really like certain aspects of it. But I think that it's more of a diet than a lifestyle for me at this point in my life, and restrictive diets never work.
What I DO think I can take out of this experience is that I don't necessarily need to embrace the red meat again, but I can bid a fond farewell to grains more easily than I thought. And that's where I think I can improve my eating habits. While I'll be welcoming beans back to my diet very soon (hello, Cuban dinner plans), I'm not sure that I'll be so quick to nab a loaf of bread to go along with them. I'd love to experiment with gluten-free grains and work to reduce the amount of corn-based products I consume. While I didn't weigh myself at all this week, I do feel less full around the middle, even though I've felt like I've eaten a lot more than I usually did.
One big success is that I was able to stick to my meal plan. I made it a lot more simple and relied a great deal more on leftovers for lunch and dinner repeats, and I think that's where I've gone off the rails before. I'm hoping to be more consistent with that as well.
Where have you been successful in modifying your food lifestyle to make healthy changes? What are you willing to "give up"? What are non-negotiables for you?
I'm not sure I would want to have that face looking back at me while on a picnic, but they are SOOOOOO FLUFFFAYYYYYY that I couldn't help sharing it.
It's time for another OKMH gift exchange round-up. The theme for this month is all about picnics. I love picnics. HRH does, too, and she's been begging me to take her down to the park at the end of the street to have a picnic again. I would love to, but I'm not super keen on having my picnics when it's over 100°, so we likely won't be heading out again until....November.
Fortunately, when you have a fun group of friends, a picnic is basically ready made, and I don't have to schlep a basket to the park in the sweltering heat.
This month my girl Megan knew just what I needed: beer, jam, chocolate, and Pretty Things. All of which are, naturally, PERFECT for a picnic. Even if I take myself on a solo picnic and don't share the chocolate with anyone. Just don't tell HRH that I didn't leave her any chocolate, OK?
The beer - Washington brews, including a Pacific Northwest Kilt Lifter in return for the Four Peaks Kilt Lifter I sent her last year. I haven't cracked it open yet; I'm hoping to nab a bottle of the local label and do a taste test.
The chocolate - Megan's own homemade Magic Shell. My plan is to obtain a pint (or quart...whatever) of ice cream and indulge some evening after HRH has gone to bed. No, Mommy doesn't always share. She's just too young and hasn't developed a palate that would truly appreciate this deliciousness.
Various and Sundry - two homemade photo frames (she cooks, the crafts - she's the whole damn package!!!!), some decorative toothpicks (with which HRH absconded, determined that she use them on her strawberries), baby jams, a ceramic strawberry basket (which I adore - I have plastic ones, but this one is so sturdy - it's totally becoming a centerpiece for the summer!), and a some gorgeous picnic linens, all in bright colors and vibrant patterns.
I'm imagining myself sitting in the cool grass with some berries and still-chilled ice cream, onto which I might pile those berries, the jam, and the magic shell. And then I'll wash it down with a beer. Or two. I'll let you know how that goes.
In the meantime, make sure that you check out the other picnic goods that were sent across the globe this month.
And while it's too hot for a picnic here in Phoenix right now, I hope that you've been inspired to take yourself (and maybe your loved ones, if you're so inclined) on a picnic. Pack yourself up some goodies and nibbles, and head out on the lawn!
"Das Leben is bezaubernd; man muß es nur durch die richtige Brille sehen."
~German toast
While most Americans think beer, beer, and more beer when they hear the word Oktoberfest, the tradition actually began with a wedding.
A big wedding.
On October 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (he would one day become King Ludwig I, grandfather of "Mad" King Ludwig II, who built Schloß Neuschwanstein) married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. A fan of the Olympic games, Ludwig invited basically everyone (it helps to be the crown prince; budgeting isn't as much of an issue) to partake in the weeklong festivities in front of the city gates, including horse racing. In honor of Princess Therese, the fields that held the festivities were renamed the Theresienwiese (eventually shortened to Wiesn).
The Fest was so popular that it became a yearly event, which evolved into what we know as Oktoberfest.
Of course, Bavaria is home to great beers, thanks in great part of the Reinheinsgebot of 1516 (you can read me wax poetic about the Gebot and other Bavarian Bier wonders here), so it's not a surprise that beer stands soon popped up on the Wiesn.
Today, Oktoberfest begins at the end of September and goes into October, and millions of people flock to Bavaria to join in the celebrations.
But if you can't afford a plane ticket to München, you can always celebrate at home. Just remember to raise a glass to Ludwig and Therese.
Hopefully you've been celebrating our Beer Week festivities, which, yes, was totally scheduled to coincide with the first week of Oktoberfest. You'll have to figure out your own festivities next week. I'd recommend checking out the ponies. Ludwig would like that.
In my homage to Ludwig and Therese, I opted to start at a favorite location that has its own long history in the Tempe area: Four Peaks Brewery. The building that now houses the brewery was once a creamery, and the red brick stands out against the stucco that surrounds it today (check out the website for old and current photos - you'll love them).
If you live in the Valley, you are likely familiar with the two beers that Four Peaks bottles and has made available in stores: 8th Street Ale, an English brown ale, and Kilt Lifter, their best-selling Scottish style ale that is intended to be similar to those ales brewed in Edinburgh. In fact, Kilt Lifter is so popular that the October issue of Phoenix Magazine allows readers a tour of the brewing process.
But while I adore Kilt Lifter - so much so that I managed to ship Megan an entire six-pack a few months ago - when I go to Four Peaks, there is only one beer for me: the Arizona Peach Ale.
I first experienced it when The Husband and I went to Teakwoods for lunch a few months ago. Teakwoods is one of the local restaurants that serves Arizona Peach Ale on tap, and I was surprised that The Husband ordered it, as he doesn't tend to enjoy "fruity" beers.
"It's not really fruity," he said. "Here. Take a sip."
Fateful words.
I know, sexy pic.
Try not to be jealous.
Before you take a big, fat gulp like you see me doing here, you need to take a moment and bring the beer up to your nose to take in the aroma. Immediately, you'll be transported from wherever you are to a peach orchard. It's ridiculous, really. Fresh Arizona peaches. In your beer. It's almost mesmerizing. You get the flowery sweetness that is identical to the perfume of a freshly plucked peach. But the beer is anything but sweet. While you can taste the peach on the back end, the beer is a light, clean, and refreshing ale that is perfect for the Arizona heat. The peach just finishes each sip off so smoothly, and perhaps the only aspect of "sweet" that there might be is that there is no bitterness from beginning to end. There is no syrupy aftertaste or heaviness in the fruitiness of this Arizona Peach Ale. It's just as perfectly accessorized as Coco Chanel.
So in the last few weeks, I have found almost every excuse possible to trek over to Tempe in order to have a dinner date or a "late lunch" at Four Peaks.
Because the beer is good, and so is the food. Get the salmon BLT. You're welcome.
While the brewery is in the heart of Tempe, right by ASU, you'd think that it would be a crowded, college hangout. But in all actuality, there are only a handful of students that you might see; the regular crowd will include families and professionals, all competing for a parking spot close to the front door. There is room for young kids, as long as they don't sit at the bar, so the atmosphere is welcoming for anyone who walks in.
I love the industrial-red brick combo on the inside.
Sorry, though, that all my patio snaps were too dark to use;
it's quite lovely out there.
Unfortunately, until The Husband catches on to my hints about the growler of Arizona Peach that I think should live in our fridge and/or the brewery decides that I need to have six-packs available to me at my local grocery store, I have to get my fix at Four Peaks (I know - first world problem right here). In the meantime, I'll be buying that six-pack of Kilt Lifter. And using it in All The Things.
Like a German-style spicy mustard.
And ale-soaked sweet potato oven fries. Served with said spicy mustard and bratwurst. Because Ludwig and Therese would have wanted it that way.
And, because no course of a meal should ever be without beer, a maple-ale frozen custard for dessert.
Let's look a little more closely, shall we?
Basically, when we planned Beer Week, I had originally only intended to rave about Four Peaks and their Arizona Peach ale, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to take the opportunity to play around with the beer, even if it wasn't the beer I go to Four Peaks to drink.
Having had great luck (and tons of positive feedback) with the Guinness mustard I made for St. Patrick's Day (a.k.a. The Great Brisket Freakout of 2012), I figured that using Kilt Lifter in a mustard would be a cinch, although I wanted something a little more spicy and closer to the mustards that I loved when I lived in Regensburg as a student. Good thing I found this recipe from Serious Eats to play around with and tweak thus:
Spicy German-Style Kilt Lifter Ale Mustard
(adapted from Serious Eats)
1/3 cup each yellow and brown mustard seeds (I've found that I prefer the 50-50 combo of the two different seeds over having a greater percent of the yellow seeds)
1/2 cup organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (it should have "the mother" in it, although try not to use it in the mustard)
1 cup Kilt Lifter, divided into 1/2-cup measurements
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric (this is what gives mustard its beautiful yellow color)
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Drink any remaining Kilt Lifter once you've measured out the cup needed in the recipe.
Combine the mustard seeds, the vinegar, and 1/2 cup of the ale; refrigerate at least overnight (or, until you have a free second).
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of the ale and all other ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until just boiling. Remove from heat and cool slightly (I would recommend doing this about 30 minutes before you plan to mix everything together).
In a blender, combine the mustard seeds and their liquid with the liquid from the saucepan. Puree until smooth, although the brown seeds will remain solid. Transfer to a pretty jar and refrigerate until you are ready to slather it over a properly made bratwurst (read: not national chain) or dunk some pommes frites into it.
And speaking of pommes frites...
All you have to do here is cut up some sweet potatoes (or any potatoes, I guess), soak them in Kilt Lifter for 15-20 minutes (you may have to toss it a few times), drain them, toss them in olive oil and seasoning, and then cook on a VERY well-oiled cookie sheet, into a 425° oven for 30-40 minutes, tossing at least once. If you are using sweet potatoes, make sure that, unlike me, you are careful not to let them burn. Or stick to the cookie sheet (my definition of "very" well oiled sheet was insufficient).
As a note, since I was using sweet potatoes, I thought we'd need a salty, savory combo, so my seasoning of choice was Bacon Salt, and I'd recommend that you do the same.
The above, of course, are best served with bratwurst, freshly grilled and topped with the mustard, caramelized onions, sauerkraut, and leek relish, and eaten while worshipping at the shrine of college football.
Go, Devils!
But as much as I love College GameDay and cheering on my beloved Devils while horking down ridiculous amounts of pub grub and washing it down with a favorite local beer (I mean, HONESTLY, what compares to that), this week, the star was the dessert.
As you might have figured out, I love maple syrup. If you hadn't, now you know. So of course I needed to find an ice cream recipe that combined maple and beer.
It turns out that I am not the first person to think that this is The Best Idea For Ice Cream Ever. Not like I was surprised. At first, I found a gingerbread ice cream recipe that I figured I could use, swapping the maple syrup for the molasses and omitting ALL the spices, but then I stumbled across this fabulous recipe for Peak Organic Maple Oat Ale Walnut ice cream over at Drink Craft Beer (bookmarked) that I knew was Perfect.
Of course, I used Kilt Lifter instead of the Peak Organic, so at first, I was a little nervous. A Scottish style ale is totally different than an ale made with oats and maple syrup, and who knew if it would work in the same way?
Well, it did.
The reduction of the Kilt Lifter made me even more nervous, as the beer has a smoky aspect to it, which really came out when it was reduced from 22 ounces to 1/2 cup. I mean, wow. But what also came out was an almost coffee-like bitterness that was fantastic, I mean FREAKING FANTASTIC when combined with the sweet creaminess of this recipe.
Which, I should point out, is actually a frozen custard recipe, due to the addition of the egg yolks and the higher percentage of fat (thanks to the cream and half-and-half called for in the recipe instead of cream and milk).
OK, so basically, what you need to know is this: the Kilt Lifter really made this recipe. I'm sure it would have been really good without the beer. But it was really, really, REALLY good WITH the beer. Since it was a creamier custard, and the maple syrup so sweet, the coffee-like bitterness of the ale reduction made a wonderful finish to each bite. I think that without the beer, it honestly would have been too cloying. With the beer, it was incredible.
Since we had plans to go to a dinner party at the house of some friends, I opted to take the custard as part of the dessert offering.
Now, aside from the fact that I had to share with several other people, this was a fabulous idea, as the other half of the dessert was a homemade tiramisu. And since tiramisu is made with espresso, it was a slam-bam knockout combination.
I'm just glad that there was leftover custard that I was able to bring home and continue to sneak by the spoonful straight from the freezer.
All right, Four Peaks. You already serve your delicious stoutamisu, made with your Oatmeal Stout. Now I have the perfect accompaniment for it. You're welcome.
(Now, could you please sell Arizona Peach Ale in bottles or cans? Pretty please?)
So now... in case you missed any of the wonderful Beer Week posts, please make sure you check them out. Do it for Ludwig and Therese.
Kirsten (Comfortably Domestic) kicked off the week with an amazing biography of a friend of hers who just happens to be a home brewer taking that passion and turning it into a livelihood. I'm making The Husband read this one carefully.
Jeanne (Inside NanaBread's Head) offered an incredible dark chocolate espresso stout cake topped with a caramel and Kahlua whipped cream (I KNOW, RIGHT?????)
Madeline (Munching in the Mitten), my former student, made a pumpkin beer bread, perfect for those crisp autumn days that we don't get here in Arizona.
Lauren (Climbing Grier Mountain) made a pale ale shrimp po' boy that may actually convince my husband to move to Denver in order to get closer to it.
Beka (Kvetchin' Kitchen), who is the newest addition to our reindeer games, jumped right in with a review of the Outlander brewery, which I MUST check out when I'm in Seattle next.
Megan (Wanne Be a Country Cleaver), who knows the sweet, sweet taste of Kilt Lifter already, made my German heart go pitter pat with her schnitzel and dumplings.
Carrie (Bakeaholic Mama) is helping finish off Beer Week tomorrow by opting to focus on a cider (an early American staple) recipe with her Woodchuck sweet potato bisque.
And Kirsten is back tomorrow too, wrapping up the week with a black and tan brownie that my own black and tan girl would kill to get her grubby paws on if chocolate weren't so deadly to dogs.
And lastly, because we can't celebrate a wedding without music, fill your glass one last time and get down to my favorite German beer song (you can find the lyrics here if you want to sing along, which I know you do). Prost!
And one more thing - please don't forget the Life For Lily Virtual Run next Friday through Sunday. Your steps (you don't have to run - don't worry!) can make the biggest difference for a little girl fighting something harder than any of us can ever imagine. So find your favorite kicks, sign up, and make a donation. Your heart will never regret any of it.
I fully admit that I never really cared for beer until I studied in Germany. That summer of 1999 was when my world was rocked to its core.
To my credit, you can't really call the carbonated yellow water that is generally offered at college parties as real beer. Sorry, Keystone Light, but you certainly didn't make a connoisseur out of me.
So imagine the overwhelming joy at my first sip of a Pils vom faß (the pilsner on tap) at a local Regensburg restaurant my first full day as a student abroad.
Oh, my stars.
It was like hundred of tiny fairies were dancing on my tongue.
Truth.
Full disclosure: Radeberger is from Saxony - not Bavaria.
Regensburg is in Bavaria, home to the 1516 Reinheitsgebot (purity law), which mandated that beer could only be made of barley, hops, and water (the law was lifted in 1988). Thanks to many a Samuel Adams commercial, you probably already know that Bavaria grows the world's best hops. You can infer from that, then, that Bavarian beer is some of the best in the world, specializing in Helles (light), Weißbier (like hefeweizen), and Pilsner, as well as the smoky Rauchbier. You can also get a slew of other styles of beer, so if you have a hankering for a Dunkel, don't fret - you'll find it.
Another Bavarian contribution to the annals of beer history is the Radler. Shortly after the end of World War I, cycling became extremely popular across Germany. One innkeeper, Herr Frank Xaver Kugler, came up with the idea to have a bike path leading from Munich through the forest to his inn - the Kugler-Alm. Thus, cyclists would stop off at his inn for something refreshing to drink on those hot, humid summer days.
Herr Kugler was not prepared for the thousands of cyclists who took the opportunity for a little weekend cycling. Frantic, he mixed some of his remaining beer with a lemon soda and served it up, calling it a Radlermass (Radler - cyclist, Mass - liter of beer, the amount that was served) and claiming he had done so to ensure that his dear customers would remain safe and on their bikes on their way home (translation: don't drink and bike).
The cyclists loved it, and it became an instant hit.
Originally made with a Dunkel, as Bavarian taste evolved to the lighter beers, the Radler evolved as well.
You can get a Radler anywhere in Germany now; many breweries even bottle it and sell it on shelves. But unless you're at a German restaurant here in the states, you'd be hard pressed to find one. Most English pubs will offer the British version, the shandy (half beer - usually an ale - and half ginger beer or ginger ale). I like the shandy and will often order one when I'm out at a pub, but I prefer just to make my own Radler at home.
There is, of course, the story of The Incident at the "German" Restaurant in Which No One Knew What a Radler Was Nor Would Anyone Make Me One Once Defined. It was ugly, folks. Then the poor waiter tried to convince me that the specialty of the house was a traditional German dish; for the record, anything with cranberries is NOT German; cranberries are indigenous to America.
Also, German chocolate cake is not German.
But I digress.
The Radler is the perfect drink when you want something a bit sweet but not "girly" sweet, something bubbly but are out of Prosecco after your indulgence in Peach Pie Prosecco Palmers, or something light but not a light beer.
And it's easy, too.
Radlermass
German "blond" (preferably Bavarian, if you can find a good one) beer - pilsner, helles, etc. (I like Pilsners, but others will tell you that a light lager is the way to go - use what you like - I've even used Hoegaarden)
Lemon soda - this is hard to find in the States, so I recommend 7Up or even Fresca (in my opinion, Sprite and Sierra Mist are too sweet); don't use Mountain Dew or other fake-y "citrus" sodas. That will just make it gross.
Combine equal parts in a tall pilsner glass (or, really, any glass that you want). Enjoy, preferably with some bratwurst and sauerkraut slathered with thick, spicy German (or homemade) mustard.
Seriously, it's that easy.
Since American sodas tend to be a bit sweeter than the lemon soda you will find in Germany, I generally use a little less of the soda than the beer. We also are in the "pour the soda in first" camp, but it really doesn't seem to matter. The Husband would also like me to let you know that if you add the soda to the beer, that foamy head will be created, which, in his estimation, is a complete waste of time and beer.
The important thing is that you find the combination that tastes best and is most refreshing for you. Especially after that long, grueling bike ride.
Or that feat of mowing the yard in the sun.
Or just because.
Prost!
Hopefully, you're enjoying this virtual pub crawl we're calling Cocktail Week. So far this week we've sampled:
the Raging Aztec (and a KITCHENAID BLENDER GIVEAWAY) at Wanna Be a Country Cleaver
...and we've only just begun! Still on tap this week are at least six more lovely drinks to wet your whistle and keep you cool, so make sure that you come back for another round tomorrow!
