Baltika Brewery: No 9 Extra Lager - Russia

"Baltika No 9 Extra Lager" was a random choice off the shelf that ended up being surprisingly tasty.  It had a nice light, lager flavor and was easy to drink.  I enjoyed it however the flavor is forgettable.

"This beer is brewed from select ingredients using the most up-to-date technology.  It uniquely combines a strong beverage with lightness of taste."

Breckenridge Brewery: Vanilla Porter - Denver, CO

I had first tried Breckenridge Brewery's "Vanilla Porter" at a beer festival in Albuquerque, NM a few months back, and was excited to finally find it again at a "Total Wine & More" store! 

"Deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and Madagascar grows the perfect ingredient for an extraordinary Porter brewed in Colorado.  Breckenridge Brewery's Vanilla Porter.  An ale that has all the chocolate and roasted nut flavor of a classic Porter, with an enigmatic surprise thrown in for good measure."

If you're in the mood for a slightly lighter flavored porter with a hint of vanilla, this beer is for you! I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, and will be happy to drink it again and again.

Belching Beaver Brewery: Horchata Imperial Stout - San Diego, CA

I have tried Belching Beaver's "Peanut Butter Stout" in the past and enjoyed it, so when I came across this "Horchata Imperial Stout" I was eager to try it!  I am a huge horchata fan, and get it almost everywhere I go that has it, so of course I HAD to give this one a taste...

However... I was disappointed...
Not only did it not have any hint of horchata flavor, but it had a very harsh stout flavor that I did not enjoy.  I was able to drink it, however I will not be buying this again...sorry Belching Beaver, you did not win me over with this one! I'll stick to the Peanut Butter Milk Stout.

Stuffed Flank Steak with Roasted Green Beans

I found this recipe for "Stuffed Flank Steak" from Recipe.com, along with a "Roasted Green Beans and Balsamic-Browned Butter" recipe from the website "Two Healthy Kitchens".

STEAK

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
45 minutes

Servings:
6

Ingredients:
1 Flank steak (1.5-2 pounds) (They did not have flank steak at the store, therefore I used Flap Meat.  They can be used interchangeably)
1 Package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 Cup crumbled blue cheese
1 Jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
2 Tbs seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 Egg yolk
3/4 tsp garlic salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbs olive oil

GREEN BEANS

Prep Time:
5 minutes

Cook Time:
15 minutes

Servings:
5

Ingredients:
1-1 1/4 Pounds fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed, and dried (I used frozen green beans thawed in the microwave)
Canola or olive oil cooking spray
1/8 tsp salt
a pinch of black pepper
2 Tbs sliced almonds
1 1/2 Tbs butter
1 1/2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used regular)
3/4 tsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Squeeze liquid from spinach; discard liquid.
In medium sized bowl combine spinach, cheese, peppers,
bread crumbs, egg yolk, 1/4 tsp each of garlic salt and pepper.

Lay steak on work surface (I just laid it right on the baking sheet).
Flap meat is thinner than flank steak so there was no need to
butterfly it.  If using flank steak and it is a little thicker, butterfly the meat.
Season the steak with an additional 1/4 tsp each of the garlic salt and pepper.

Press filling onto steak, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides

Roll up steak to enclose filling, beginning on the short side;
the grain of the meat will be running from left to right.
Tuck any loose filling back into ends.

Tie steak with cotton twine at 2-inch intervals to secure
Rub outside with oil, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 tsp
each of garlic salt and pepper.

Place the meat in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.

Now prepare the green beans.

Arrange green beans on a baking sheet, do not overcrowd.
Spray beans lightly but evenly with cooking spray and then
sprinkle with salt and pepper

After the steak has been cooking for about 25 minutes, place the green beans in the oven
and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, as the beans and steak are roasting, begin making browned butter sauce. 

Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Continue cooking, gently swirling the pan or stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted, foamed and turned a rich golden-brown with little specks of milk solids in the bottom of the pan.

This will take anywhere from about 5-10 minutes, varying greatly depending on how powerful your burners are.

Remove butter from heat and add the soy sauce and vinegar.

After the steak has been cooking for about 35 minutes, turn the oven to broil for 10 minutes, turning once. 

By this time the steak should have a slight char, and the green beans should be sizzling.  Remove both the steak and beans from the oven.

Let the steak rest on the pan for about 10-15 minutes.

Place the almonds on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 475 degrees for about 2 minutes.

Place the beans on a serving dish,
drizzle the brown butter sauce over top
and toss the beans lightly to coat,
then sprinkle with almonds

Slice steak into thin, round pieces and serve.
I served the steak and green beans with seasoned red
potatoes as well.

This recipe was delectable! The filling of the steak was delicious and tasted phenomenal mixed with the charred steak flavor. Yummmmm! The green beans were also a success and tasted like candy! One of the best meals I have made!

Honey Spiced Glazed Chicken with Parmesan Crusted Broccoli

I found this "Honey Spiced Glazed Chicken" recipe from the website Nutmeg Nanny. I served the chicken with my own parmesan crusted broccoli and pre-packaged rice pilaf.

CHICKEN

Prep Time: 
10 Minutes

Cook Time:
15 minutes-30 minutes

Yield:
8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 8 thighs (I used 4 chicken breasts cut in half and butterflied)
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt (I used regular salt)
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes (This made it pretty spicy, so use less if you can't take the heat!)
1 tsp of chili powder
1/2 Cup of honey
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

BROCCOLI

Prep Time:
5 minutes

Cook Time:
10 minutes

Yield:
4 Servings

Ingredients:
16 oz of broccoli
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to tast

Mix spices together and set aside

Mix honey and vinegar together and set aside

Lay breasts/thighs out on a baking sheet 

Cover both sides in seasoning, gently rubbing it in. 

Lay broccoli on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil, garlic powder, cheese.
Season with salt and pepper

Place the chicken and broccoli in the oven at 400 degrees.
I chose to bake my chicken rather than broil it like the original recipe states.
Check the broccoli after 7-10 minutes, however leave the chicken in for 15-20. 

Remove chicken from the oven after sauce slightly thickens,
around 15-20 minutes

Served with broccoli and rice pilaf.  Spoon some of the honey sauce
from the baking sheet and drizzle over chicken.

This recipe is absolutely delicious! The sweet mixed with the spicy flavors compliment each other very nicely and come together to make an amazing taste!  This chicken is one of the tastiest recipes I've made and will be making this again and again!

Garlic Vegetable Keilbasa

Since I had some leftover keilbasa from my trial run of "Crock Pot Bourbon Glazed Keilbasa", I decided to throw some ingredients together to make my own first ever, original recipe!

6-7 oz Keilbasa Polska, sliced
1/2 of a red bell pepper, sliced
1/4-1/2 of a red onion, sliced
Generous handful of spinach, raw
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion poder
1 tsp minced garlic, dry or fresh
salt and pepper to taste

Put keilbasa, pepper and onion  along with the minced garlic, garlic powder
and onion powder, in a skillet, stirring occasionally until veggies are
tender and keilbasa is slightly browned, about 5 minutes. 

Then add the spinach

Cook ingredients in skillet until all the spinach has cooked down, 
3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I served this with the "Balsamic Brown Sugar Brussels Sprouts" and some corn.  I was pleasantly surprised by the great flavor and simplicity of this dish! Definitely something to make again with leftover veggies and sausage or meat.

Bacon Corn Dip

Another appetizer I decided to test for the aforementioned party, was this "Bacon Corn Dip", from the website "Damn Delicious".

Prep Time: 
10 minutes

Cook Time:
15 minutes

Yield:
4 servings

Ingredients:

4 Slices of bacon (I doubled it)
3 Cups of corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
1/2 Cup diced onion (I used red onion)
1/4 Cup diced red bell pepper
1 Jalapeño, seeded and diced
4 Ounces of cream cheese
2 Tbsp of milk (or more if needed)
2 Green onions, thinly sliced
1 Tsp sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chop up onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño and green onions.  Combine everything but the green onions with the corn; set green onions aside seperately 

Meanwhile fry or bake the bacon until crispy

During the trial run I fried the bacon, however when we made it for the party I baked it in the oven and it came out perfectly crunchy! 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Break up bacon into small pieces/bits

Pour corn mixture into skillet, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-5 minutes

Stir in cream cheese and milk until well combined, about 2-3 minutes (If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed).  Stir in green onions and sugar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Then sprinkle with bacon! Again, I doubled the amount of bacon; don't think you can really go wrong with that! :)

Serve hot and with tortilla chips

This dip turned out very tasty and was a huge hit at the party!  I had multiple requests for the recipe, and again there were no leftovers!  I will definitely be making this again for gatherings seeing as it is easily prepared for large crowds and quite the people pleaser as well. 

*For the party of around 120 people with multiple appetizers, I quadrupled the recipe.  It was gone quick! So if you want it to last I would make more, however if served with many other appetizers and dishes, it should be fine.

Crock Pot Bourbon Glazed Kielbasa

We are hosting a party soon with over 100 people, so I decided to try out some new appetizer recipes to serve.  I came across this recipe of "Crock Pot Bourbon Glazed Keilbasa" from Tammilee Tips.

1 pound Kielbasa
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbs bourbon or apple juice (I used both)

Directions:
- Combine everything in a crock pot
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours

These turned out very tasty and I couldn't get enough of them!

* I multiplied the recipe by 6 for the party of around 120 people and they were a big hit with no leftovers!