Firewater Friday - Aye Carumba Cafe

Patron XO Cafe is a blend of tequila and coffee. This rich coffee liqueur is wonderful all on its own but in a cup of coffee?  Aye Carumba!!!  

Mmm, sounds like a little piece of caffeinated heaven to me!

Aye Carumba Cafe

1 1/2 oz Patron XO Cafe
Brewed Coffee
Half-and-Half
Sugar (if desired)

In a heated coffee mug add Patrón XO Café. Add half-n-half and sugar (if desired).  Fill mug with coffee.

New Brew Thursday - Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout

The other day we thoroughly enjoyed Rogue's 2011 XS Russian Imperial Stout.  My hubby picked this one out of our horde . . . er . . . stash of craft beers.  And it was a great choice!

First of all, I'd like to comment on the bottle.  It is quite impressive and a fitting vessel for this outstanding brew.   The bottle is a  ceramic bottle painted charcoal black with a swing top stopper.  There is no way light is penetrating this bottle to skunk this brew!  Awesome!

To add a touch my own personal style, I served this beer in a mason jar . . . I'm nothing if not classy. :/

This extra special stout pours dark as pitch with a creamy mocha head.  The aroma is an abundance of coffee and a hint of booziness; at 11% ABV this isn't unexpected.    

Not for the faint of heart nor for the meek beer drinker. This is a BIG . . . nay . . . ginormous beer.  

The first taste . . . I wasn't sure if I was drinking a beer or a coffee.  The big coffee taste is complemented by dark chocolate notes.  It has a clean finish complemented by a bitter hoppiness.  It had a bubbly mouthfeel  and not as creamy as I expect in an imperial stout.  That's not a bad thing, just different from what I anticipated.  

The flavors intensify as it warms . . . as does the burn that accompanies such a high alcohol beer.  It's all good and just gets better.

I am truly impressed.  Gotta love Rogue!

This beer is perfect for anyone who is a fan of coffee and/or stouts.    Outstanding in it's awesomeness.  I give it two thumbs up plus any extras I can find laying around!

Cheers!!

Visit Rogue's website or check them out on Facebook. 

I've got a problem . . . but I'm not the only one

I have come to the realization that I am, in fact, an addict.  My drug of choice?  Caffeine.

Of course, I've known that I have a problem for some time now.  Several months ago I got a brainiac idea that I was going to quit cold turkey . . .  stop drinking coffee, tea, soda . . . the works.  Within 2 days I had a brutal headache . . . by the third day I thought my head was going to explode.  On day four . . . as the zombies were munching on my bleeding brain . . . I succumbed and had a cup of coffee.  Aaaah . . . sweet relief.  So, yeah . . . I’ve got a problem.

And then recently a friend (who's name has been changed to protect the guilty) of mine posted on Facebook that he was out of coffee and the world might possibly be coming to an end.  You see . . . he’s got a way bigger caffeine monkey on his back than I do.  WAY!

It was then that I realized how deeply my addiction . . . and my hubby’s . . . ran.

How does one run out of coffee?  I don’t know how it’s even possible.  You’d have to make a real, concerted effort to go through all of the coffee/caffeine options in my house.  Especially, coffee.

We've got tea and soda and even a few Red Bulls floating around.  But coffee?  That we have in spades!  Let me start from the bottom and work my way up  . . . we have instant tubie things and coffee singles; both of which I really don’t like much at all but certainly will do the trick in a pinch.  I’m pretty sure I have some of that international coffee powdered stuff stashed in the pantry.  I have Keurig cups . . . I would never have bought one of those things for myself but it was a good gift and an excellent backup.  I have a can of ground coffee stashed in the camping gear.  And I always . . . ALWAYS . . . have at least 4 pounds of roasted whole bean coffee in the house at all times . . . usually more like 10 pounds.   I also have a couple pounds of green coffee beans and I even know how to roast them. I have an electric grinder and a hand crank grinder for the whole beans.  I have a regular 12-cup drip coffee maker, a single cup drip coffee maker, a percolator, a drip coffee maker that works on a stove top or over a fire, and  for the direst of emergencies a French press. 

Yeah, you could say I have my bases covered.  Oh, yeah.

Spicy Cucumber-Avocado Soup


Cool, light, refreshing . . . a perfect summer side

1/2 Firm-Ripe California Avocado

2 Or 3 Kirby Cucumbers

1 (8-Ounce) Container Plain Greek Yogurt 

3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Chives

1/2 Lime, Juiced

1 Teaspoon Salt, or To Taste

1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Jalapeño Chile with Seeds

1 Cup Small Ice Cubes

Peel and pit avocado. Cut cucumbers into 1/2-inch pieces.  Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until very smooth, about 1 minute.


Serve in a chilled bowl. Garnish with additional avocado and chopped chives, if desired.


Print Recipe

Firewater Friday - Sing a song of sixpence while all in a tizzy

Have you ever gotten yourself so worked up that you were in a veritable tizzy? Hmm . . . I'm not even sure I know what in the heck a tizzy is?  But writing it out twice in two sentences is making me dizzy.


A tizzy is outdated English jargon for a sixpence coin; the equivalent of about $2.75 nowadays.  Mmmm . . . not much there to get roused about.  I'm not sure I can even get a small . . . er short . .  coffee at Starbucks for that.


I feel like I'm going round and round and really not getting much of anywhere.  Perhaps this word . . . this tizziness . . . doesn't have any literal roots in language, per se.  It happens . . . people make up their own words all the time.  It has been said that 'tizzy' is simply a corruption of 'dizzy'.  But, nope, it ain't so.


The most likely source of the word is based on a 1930's radio variety show character named "Tizzy Lish".  She was a hyper, scatterbrained character on the The Happy Go Lucky Hour.  The character, played by Bill Comstock, was a cooking "expert". 


Miss Tizzy would start her skit, "Well hello, folksies!" She would begin with a few one-liners, mostly self deprecating jokes.  And then she would go on to give a recipe and encourage her listeners to write them down.  For example:

Frog Stew

First put a pan on the stove.  Now take it off.  Are you  taking your pans off? Shame on you!

Now, take two chicken legs.  Now put one leg in the sink.  Now put the other leg in the oven. My, what long legs you have!

Now, take a chuck roast and cut a hole in it.  Now, look in and see if Chuck is in there.  Yes he is!   Hello Chuck!!

When guests arrive serve and when they ask, "why do you call this  frog stew".  You say. "After one mouthful you'll hop around a while and then croak!" 

Then she would end her monologue "Well, goodbye, folksies!" 



So, now you know.







Coffee, Cream and Cake Cocktail


1 1/2 Ounce Baileys Irish Cream
1 1/2 Ounce Pinnacle Cake Vodka
8 Ounces Strong Coffee, Chilled
1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Half and Half


Make coffee in advance and chill in refrigerator until ready to use.  I used espresso.


Mix all the ingredients and pour into a blender with a cup or so of crushed ice.  


Blend until frothy.

If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning.

So there I was flexing my coffee muscles with a co-worker discussing whose coffee is better . . . he had some bitter dark brewed winter blend and I had nicely balanced fresh ground apple dumpling.  Clearly, I had the superior cup o’ joe.

Obviously.

Until he said, “that’s girlie coffee.”

Wait  . . . what?? 

I never really thought about it, but I would assume that coffee was gender neutral.  I mean, okay, you can have some hipster barista whip up a floofy concoction that could lean maybe kinda towards the feminine.  Maybe.

So, I asked him, “What would you define as ‘girlie’ coffee?”

He said, “you know, those flavored ones; hazelnut, vanilla.  I want to taste coffee when I drink my coffee.”

Of course now I’m offended.  Yes, I’m a girl . . . but, dammit, I like my golden French toast brew!  And, now I have to worry weather or not someone will think I’m a frilly pretty-in-pink sorority chick just because of my coffee.

Thinking I might be able to snag him with the condiments he added to his java . . .  you know, like, sugar, syrups . . . whipped cream.  So, I asked him, “What’s your favorite way to drink coffee.”

Him, “I love a good Latte`”

Him . . . snagged!

“Oh, yeah and that’s not girlie”, says I.

“I’m French.  Of course I like latte.”

French . . .

. . . man . . .  

. . . latte.

I WIN!

If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning.

Mae West

After all, a girl is... well, a girl. It's nice to be told you're successful at it.

Hubby and I went to a social gathering this weekend for bloggers in my region.  Most of them are men, most them blog about guns, politics and the like.





I'm not opposed to any of those things . . . I just choose not to blog about them.  During the course of dinner, beer and conversation, our "social director" commented that I have a "chick" blog.  Wha . . . what?? Me?  A girlie blog?



Sure, I'm a girl  . . . but still . . . 

I hadn't ever considered it.  But now that he mentioned it, it's kind of bothering me.  I ain't no girlie-girl.  I didn't think I was writing about womanly thingie-doodles or even feminine what-cha-ma-call-its.


What's my blog about?  Stuff . . . by me . . . a chick.  Sure, I almost always include a recipe or some sort of crafty thing or something, but I just write about stuff.  I don't consider it girl stuff . . . I kind of think it's gender neutral.  If I wanted to write about girl stuff I'd be writing about stuff like this or even this (proceed to links if you're man enough).


Why is it bothering me?  I don't know.  I just . . . don't . . .  know.


Chocolate will make me feel better!


That is all.

Chocolate Mousse

4 1/2 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Diced

2 Tablespoons Espresso or Very Strong Coffee 

1 Cup Cold Heavy Cream

3 Large Eggs, Separated

1 Tablespoon Sugar

Whip the cream to soft peaks, then refrigerate.

Combine the chocolate, butter, and espresso in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not simmering, water, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool until the chocolate is just slightly warmer than body temperature. To test, dab some chocolate on your bottom lip. It should feel warm. If it is too cool, the mixture will seize when the other ingredients are added.

Once the melted chocolate has cooled slightly, whip the egg whites in a medium bowl until they are foamy and beginning to hold a shape. Sprinkle in the sugar and beat until soft peaks form.

When the chocolate has reached the proper temperature, stir in the yolks. Gently stir in about one-third of the whipped cream. Fold in half the whites just until incorporated, then fold in the remaining whites, and finally the remaining whipped cream.

Spoon or pipe the mousse into a serving bowl or individual dishes. If you wish, layer in fresh raspberries and whipped cream. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. (The mousse can be refrigerated for up to a day.)

Serves 5-8, depending on the size of the servings.

After all, a girl is... well, a girl. It's nice to be told you're successful at it.


Rita Hayworth