New Brew Thursday - Pork'n out on beer

Hubby and I have a standing date night every week.  Most times we go to our favorite bar . . . Porky’s Café in Shelton, CT . . .  because they have the best hot wings around, awesome pizza, and the staff is cute & friendly.

For all the years I’ve been going there  . . .  at least 10 years . . . they’ve had pretty much the same beer on tap.  Mostly your run of the mill big commercial brewers:  Guinness, Bass Ale, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Blue Moon, Miller, Sam Adams.   But recently I’ve noticed a new trend towards seasonal beers and a rotating guest tap.

I’m really happy about this development because the guest tap is most often a little guy craft brew . . . my kind of beer!

Some of recent beers were new to me and I absolutely LOVE trying new beer! 

A recent tap featured Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.  Dogfish Head is a favority brewery of mine so there was no way I was going to let this one slip by untasted.  I liked it a lot.  There was the hoppiness of an IPA that I love so much along with subtle caramel notes that add delicious complexity.  The bitterness of the hops is balanced nicely with a light sweetness.   I would definitely recommend this beer!  Delish!  (7.2% ABV)

A couple weeks ago they had a Founders Rye PA . . . mmmm.  Hophead alert!! This one is for you!  Very hoppy and grapefruity . . . my fav!  The malts contribute a light sweetness that makes for an amazing beer. A lot of hops and a touch of caramel . . . oh my sweet heaven . . . YUM!  (6.6% ABV)

And just this past week Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Wild Ale.  A fairly strong beer (8.7% ABV) with big flavor.  There’s plenty of hoppiness . . . so, I’m not complaining . . . with an interesting array flavors: spice, fruit and candy.  No, I’m not insane.  I’m not sure of everything I was tasting in this complex flavorful beer but I know I detected some banana and, dare I say, bubblegum.  That’s right!  I said it!  Bubblegum.  Just the barest hint and it wasn’t at all bad.  As my favorite Vulcan would say . . . fascinating.  Really quite good . . . scrumptious, in fact.  Give it a whirl . . . you won’t be disappointed.   

Caramelized Three Onion Bisque

Caramelized Three Onion Bisque

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 Large Heads Garlic Cloves, Peeled

4 Medium Vidalia Onions, Thinly Sliced

3 Large Shallots, Sliced

6 Green Onions, Chopped

1 Russet Potato, Peeled And Sliced

3 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Rosemary

6 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Fresh Ground Pepper

Melt oil and butter in a soup pot over moderately low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Cook slow to allow garlic to caramelize.

Add onions and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, about 10 minutes. 

Stir in potato, vinegar, and rosemary. 

Increase heat to high and sauté, stirring, for 2 minutes. 




Add broth and bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are very soft, 20 to 25 minutes.

Allow soup to cool enough that you can stick a finger in it an not get burned. 

Purée soup in 2 or 3 batches in blender until very smooth. 

Pour back into pan and heat to a high simmer over medium heat.

Stir in cream season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

I served with crusty bread and grilled jalapeno-mango chicken sausage.

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Stuffed Hot Peppers with Tomato Cream Sauce

Stuffed Hot Peppers with Tomato Cream Sauce

1 Lb Cup Ground Italian Sausage
1 (8 ounce) Package Cream Cheese, Softened
3/4 Tablespoon Garlic Salt
3 Tablespoons Grated Romano Cheese
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1/3 Cup Italian-style Dry Bread Crumbs
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
6 Hungarian Hot Peppers
1 8-Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 Cup Half and Half or Light Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 

Cook sausage over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the sausage, cream cheese, garlic salt, Romano cheese, oregano, basil, bread crumbs and olive oil.

Cut a slit in the side each pepper and carefully remove seeds.

Stuff the peppers with the sausage mixture. 




Pour tomato sauce into bottom of baking pan and put peppers on top of sauce.  Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes, until the stuffing is lightly brown and bubbly.


Remove peppers from pan.  Stir flour into tomato sauce, scrape up any crispy bits and mix in.  Pour in cream and stir until thickened, put pan on stove top if more heat is needed.  (I used a Pyrex pan and no additional heat was required.)

Server peppers with sauce.

Note: If you want to skip the sauce, then cook without the tomato sauce and disregard flour and cream instructions.

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You can't have your pudding if you don't eat your meat

I am reading JK Rowlings’ new book “Casual Vacancy”.  It’s really quite good but a giant leap away from Harry Potter . . . this is not a children’s book.  It is also not Americanized in any way and is chock full of Britishisms.

I have an acquaintance (I’ll call her ‘M’) from merry ol’ England - one who just so happens to live in the epicenter of all things British . . . London.  So, I decided to ask her about a couple of words that mean different things to me than what they seem to mean in the book.  

‘Pudding’. . . to me that means nothing more than a creamy, smooth confection preferably of the chocolate variety.  To Brits pudding is a lot more than just mere pudding . . . it’s everything dessert.

So, I tried to explain to my friend . . . pudding is a dessert but not all desserts are pudding . . . at least here in good ol' America.

She seemed a bit confused, “pudding/dessert = same?”

Me, “No.” 

I went on to explain, “Cake not pudding, ice cream is not pudding . . . they are dessert but not pudding.”

More confusion. 

M, “So pudding = pie based?”

Me, “No pudding is PUDDING based . . . every other dessert is just dessert.
M, “Confuuuuuuuuused!! As far as I know both (pudding/dessert) are the same here!”

There, yes.  Here, no.

I tried a graphical approach.

M, “??”

So, I tried the descriptive, “Pudding is a dessert with a creamy consistency; like mousse.”

And then to further complicate the situation I brought up that Brits put meat in pudding (Yorkshire Pudding) and that some sausages are puddings, too (Blood Pudding). And what about Steak and kidney pudding!  

M, “Heh heh - I am soooooo confused!!!!”



Me, “That's ok . . . we all agree on what tea is, right?”

Wrong.

To me tea is a simply a cup of tea.  Of course, I know of the British traditional tea time where tea is served with sweet and/or savory treats (puddings?).

Me, “If you're going to tea . . . is it merely tea (like a cup-a) or can it be more than tea.  Like a meal of some sort; dinner or lunch.”

M, “To be honest there isn't a hard and fast rule. Some people over here refer to tea as in having their evening meal/light supper.

“It isn't lunch though, lunch is lunch! 

“But if it is just say a cake and a drink then the phrase would be more likely ‘come over for a cup of tea’.”

Uh, huh.  Crazy Brits.

Pssst  . . . I bet tea would go great with pudding.

Baked Garlic Chicken

Baked Garlic Chicken

4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Dry Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Halves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Over low heat warm the olive oil until fragrant.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes until slightly translucent.

In a small dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. 

Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil and garlic mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture. 

Place in a baking pan or cooking sheet.  

 Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

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Campy Camping - Episode 7

(See Episode 1 of Campy Camping)

(See Episode 2 of Campy Camping)

(See Episode 3 of Campy Camping)

(See Episode 4 of Campy Camping)

(See Episode 5 of Campy Camping)

(See Episode 6 of Campy Camping)