Monday, 1 December 2014

Balsamic Brown Sugar Brussels Sprouts

A while back I had bought  a bag of frozen cooked brussels sprouts from Trader Joe's Market.  When I first prepared them I decided to throw them in the microwave, throw some salt and pepper on them and voila! However...I could barely stomach them that way... So I decided to consult the internet for some simple recipes on how to prepare brussels sprouts in a tastier manner.  After some searching, I came across this recipe for "Balsamic Brown Sugar Brussels Sprouts" The only modification I made was that I omitted the bacon...I know, it sounds like a mistake on my part, however I was trying to keep it somewhat healthy, and they came out AMAZING!

- Half pound fresh brussels sprouts, cut into quarters (I used already cooked, frozen brussels sprouts from Trader Joe's and thawed them out in the microwave before cutting them)
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- 2 Tbs brown sugar
- 1 Tbs aged balsamic vinegar

Brussels sprouts cut in half or quarters after thawing in the microwave
Drizzle the sprouts with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper before placing them in the oven


Place them in the oven for 12-15 minutes, turning a couple of times until they are brown and crispy.

During the last 3-5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the brown sugar along with the balsamic vinegar over the sprouts and toss to coat.




Soooooooo delicious, they're like candy! Definitely turned out better than my first experience preparing brussels sprouts :)



Friday, 21 November 2014

Bulldog Taqueria - Chico, CA

During my visit to Chico this time I decided to try a new local taqueria called "Bulldog Taqueria". The location and venue was nice, spacious with many tables and TV's. We ordered a chicken, cabeza, and carnitas taco, along with a carne asada super burrito.
  • Tacos (in order from closest to farthest: Cabeza, chicken, carnitas)
Carne Asada super burrito
The food was average, however forgettable.  The cabeza (cow's head) taco was a little gamey with a more tender, fatty consistency; I was not a fan.  The chicken and carnitas were good, but like I said, nothing special.  The burrito was tasty, but more because of all the other things inside of it like the sour cream and beans.  The meat was just of average quality and flavor.



Thursday, 20 November 2014

Ryan's Fiery Roasted Salsa

If you like delicious, spicy salsa, this one's for you!

This recipe is courtesy of Ryan Marchand.

10 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half longitudinally
6 Jalapeno peppers, sliced in half longitudinally with seeds
2-3 Habanero peppers, sliced in half longitudinally with seeds
1 large or 2 medium white onions, sliced
Salt and pepper

1 bunch/bushel of cilantro leaves
4-5 cloves of garlic
Juice from 2 limes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice tomatoes in half longitudinally, and cut the middle hard triangle section out of the center of each tomato.


Place all the tomato halves on a baking sheet, middle side up.


Slice the jalapeno and habanero peppers longitudinally, leaving the seeds in, and slice the onion(s).  Place those on a baking sheet as well. 


Put salt and pepper on all of the vegetables on each baking sheet.


*If you don't want the salsa to be as spicy, remove the seeds from half of the peppers.

Place each baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees, for 15-20 minutes or until tender.  

While the vegetables are roasting, pull the leaves off of the cilantro, and peel the garlic.



When you take the vegetables out of the oven, they should be soft enough where the outside peel of the tomato can slide off, however do not peel them off.  Place the roasted vegetables, along with the cilantro and garlic into a blender.


Squeeze the juice out of the two limes and add more salt and pepper into the contents in the blender.

Blend until desired consistency, and chill overnight.

Finished salsa!


Wednesday, 19 November 2014

Woodstock's Pizza - Chico, CA

"Woodstock's Pizza" is a local pizza joint in downtown Chico, CA that I've tried once before and enjoyed, so I decided to try it again.  We decided to go simple and order a pepperoni pizza on a whole wheat crust and an order of buffalo wings.


The buffalo wings were tasty and had a hearty amount of meat on the bone.

Bone-In Buffalo "Man Cave Wings" with Ranch (12) - $9.95
The pizza had a very nice flavor.  The sauce was nice and tangy and  it had adequate amounts of cheese and pepperoni.  I like how they put the sauce all the way to the edge of the crust and fold the crust over at the ends.

X-Large Pepperoni Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust - $20.05

2 criticisms I have about this place:

1. Although they do a great job of delivering your pizza to your table piping hot and fresh, the pizza dough is too flimsy and thin to hold up to the weight of the cheese and toppings, so often times  they slide right off, especially when hot.

2. I'm the biggest pizza fan there is, however this is a bit on the greasy side.

Despite the criticisms, I really enjoyed this pizza and it was definitely worth trying!



Saturday, 15 November 2014

Sierra Nevada Brewery: Seasonal/Specialty Beers - Chico, CA

Today I tried 4 different seasonal/specialty beers at Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, CA.  Keep in mind that I am not an IPA lover, so these ratings may be a little lower than average if you're a fan of IPA.


Audition Pumpkin Ale:
$4.00/Pint

   There is no description or pictures on their website, so I will just give my rating.  I am not a huge fan of pumpkin flavored foods or drinks, however I really enjoyed this beer.  You could really taste the spices mixed in as well rather than just an overpowering flavor of pumpkin.




RATING:



Estate Home Grown Ale:
$4.00/Pint

  "From the sun-drenched fields of California's North Valley comes our Estate Ale.  It's rich with the flavors of the valley-hops with earth, grapefruit-like flavors and layered spicy aromas, and barley with mild sweetness and smooth, toasted flavors.  Enjoy this remarkable homegrown ale, made with organic wet hops and barley grown at our brewery in Chico, and one of the few estate-made ales produced anywhere in the world.  Together, these crops grow alongside the brewery to make a truly unique brew."
  
RATING


Harvest Wild Hop IPA - Neomexicanus:
$4.00/Pint
  "A Few years Back, we caught wind of rogue hop heads in the Southwest who began collecting some of the wild hops they found while scrambling down hillsides near their home in New Mexico.  These bizarre, multi-headed, native U.S. cones, have a flavor like nothing we've tasted, and for the first time, we're showcasing their unusual melon, apricot and citrus aromas and flavors in our beer.  Neomexicanus is the literal wild card in our five-bottle harvest series which features single hop, fresh hop, wet hop, and wild hop beers"


RATING

Celebration Ale - Fresh Hop IPA:


$4.00/Pint
 "The start of celebration season is a festive event.  We can't start brewing until the first fresh hops have arrived, but once they have the season is officially underway! First brewed in 1981, Celebration Ale is on of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA and one of the few hop-forward holiday beers.  Famous for its intense citrus and pine aromas, Celebration is bold and intense, featuring Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops-honoring everything we have at Sierra Nevada."

RATING


Sierra Nevada Brewery: Kellerweis - Chico, CA

Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico CA offers a variety of awesome beers that are definitely worth trying.  One of which is the "Kellerweis" which is one of my favorite beers of all time!

KELLERWEIS:

"Inspired by traditional Bavarian techniques, Kellerweis is a true artisan experience.  With Kellerweis, we brew in open fermentation tanks- a process rarely seen today-to let the ingredients truly shine.  The result is a hazy wheat ale-untamed, raw and alive.  With a full, fruity aroma and notes of spicy close and banana bread, Kellerweis is a truly unique brew."

Kellerweis in a half-hefe glass (Equivalent to a half-pint) - $2.75
Growler - $11.25
Can you guess what I filled my growler up with?

RATING:

Monday, 10 November 2014

Brody's Hawaiin BBQ - West Covina, CA

Ryan and I decided to try a new restaurant in West Covina called "Brody's Hawaiin BBQ". It was DELICIOUS!!

I got the Aloha Chicken Plate:
Aloha Chicken Plate - $6.99
All of their plates come with rice, coleslaw and macaroni-potato salad mixture which were both really tasty.

Ryan got Spam Musubi and the Chicken Katsu plate:
Spam Musubi - $2.50
Mama Myrna's Chicken Katsu - $7.49


PRICE RANGE:

RATING: