"This beer is brewed from select ingredients using the most up-to-date technology. It uniquely combines a strong beverage with lightness of taste."
Taste be the Journey
So many tasty foods...so little time...
Saturday 20 December 2014
Baltika Brewery: No 9 Extra Lager - Russia
"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
"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
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.
Saturday 13 December 2014
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Wednesday 3 December 2014
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
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.
Tuesday 2 December 2014
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
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.
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