New Brew Thursday - Double Tap . . . Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar and Lagunita Wilco Tango Foxtrot

Various and strange the long-winded tale;

And halls, and knights, and feats of arms, display'd;

Or merry swains, who quaff the nut-brown ale,

And sing, enamour'd of the nut-brown maid;

                                       James Beattie, The Minstrel (1771)

 . . . and so I sing the praises of Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar.  My first sip of this beer was reminiscent of the first home-brew my husband endeavored to make.  The likeness was remarkable . . . and that's a good thing.  

This Rogue brew is, as the name would suggest, a brown ale.  It poured with a light, fluffy head that quickly dissipated.  I was immediately stuck by wonderful nutty aroma and its inviting warm brown color.  The taste was rich and flavorful; hazelnut dominates this malty ale that finishes with a hint of sweetness.

Unlike lighter tasting beers that beg to be guzzled, this is a nice beer to sit back and relax with.  Wonderful after a meal to be sipped, savored and simply enjoyed.   Quite delicious.  6.2% alcohol by volume.

Rogue, located in Oregon, is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries; with its amazing variety of craft beers.  

Visit Rogue at their website  or on Facebook 

Lagunita Wilco Tango Foxtrot  . . . a malty, robust, jobless recovery ale . . . WTF indeed.  

What’s in a name?  If you know your military letter call signs, then you’ll know.  If not, well, I’m not going to spell it out for you.

And the subtitle?  A beer the jests about the current economy and the policies that have put us where we are . . . you know, $4 for a gallon of gasoline? 

A beer with a sense of humor; well, that only adds to the appeal.

It pours a rich reddish brown color with small head.  It has a malty aroma with mild hoppy undertones.   It’s slightly bitter upfront but not over powering and then finishes with almost chocolaty.  WTF is medium bodied, full flavored brown ale. It goes down smooth and easy . . . and that’s pretty dangerous for a beer that is nearly 8% alcohol by volume. 

The Lagunitas Brewing Company is a brewery located near Lagunitas, California.  They are known as much for their unorthodox approach to traditional beer styles as for their unique packaging.

Visit Rogue at their website  or on Facebook  

Which is better: to have fun with fungi or to have idiocy with ideology

My hubby isn’t particularly fussy about the foods he consumes.  He’ll eat just about anything put in front of him . . . or try it, at the very least.

There are three things he will not eat . . . seafood, black olives and fungi.  Seafood because sea creatures eat and poop in the same water they live in.  Black olives . . . he’ll eat other olives . . . because of they are  

processed in lye and lye is a poison.  I love black olives and, to the best of my knowledge, I haven’t died yet.  And fungi . . . because . . . well, because they are fungi and therefore are gross.  His reasoning is flawed at best. 

It’s generally pretty easy to avoid seafood and black olives; fungus . . . not so much.

Mushrooms are usually pretty easy to spot . . . I love them but I don’t normally cook with them because he doesn’t like them and when we’re eating out he can pick them out of his food if he spots them.  But mushrooms aren’t the only fungus in the food chain. 

Yeast is a fungus . . . what is made with yeast?  Beer and bread are the very first things that come to mind and he might very well die if he couldn’t have them.  

And pickles . . . oh my goodness . . . my hubby loves pickles.  Many pickles are fermented . . . fermentation requires yeast.   Give him a garlicky pickle and a shot of vodka and he has veritably died and gone to heaven.  Vodka is also is made using yeast . . .

And what of cheese?  Mold is a fungus and without it many cheeses would not exist . . . again, he loves cheese!  LOVES it!

Back to the olives that he will eat . . . much like pickles, in order to cure olives, yeast in one form or another is required; either through natural fermentation or by using vinegar. 

I could go on and on . . .

Like I said . . . flawed logic.  He’s cute but not too bright.  But, then again, I didn’t marry him for his brains . . . or for his good looks for that matter.  Just sayin’.

Sour Cream Cucumbers Salad

This recipe is a favorite of mine.  It's cool and wonderful.  Just try NOT to drink the dressing after all the cucumbers are gone.  :)

2 Large Cucumbers, Peeled and Sliced

1 Large Onion, Sliced Into Rings

3/4 Cup Sour Cream

3 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Sugar

Salt And Pepper To Taste

In a bowl, combine the cucumbers and onion. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over cucumbers. Mix well. Chill. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Which is better: to have fun with fungi or to have idiocy with ideology, to have wars because of words, to have tomorrow's misdeeds out of yesterday's miscreeds?   
Aldous Huxley

Just because I like country music, muddin, guns, and big trucks doesn't mean I'm a hick.

When I was a kid we lived on top of a mountain in a fairly rural part of Pennsylvania.  Our home was surrounded mostly by forests and farms.   However, it wasn’t uncommon to see run down houses with livestock running amok on the property.  The yards of many of the homes were littered with broken down cars, machinery, furniture and all manner of stuff. 

All lot of folks around could easily be classified as what supposedly cultured individuals would call hicks . . . but they were mostly good, hard-working people. 

What exactly is a hick anyway?  Yeah, I know it’s a redneck . . . that’s not what I mean. 

What is the origin of the word?  Well, I was surprised to discover that "hick" is nothing more than a 16th century familiar form of the proper name "Richard."

Way back then, the name “Richard” was considered a commoner’s name . . . not a name bestowed upon the boys of the upper classes.

That’s pretty interesting considering that the name “Richard” is derived from the Old English word “ric” meaning “ruler”. 

Richard is often diminutived to Rich, Richie, Rick, and Ricket; from Rich you got Hitch and from Ricket you got Hicket. . . and then there’s Hick and Dick from Rick.

“Dick”, of course, is not only linked with the name “Richard” these days.  But before “dick” became associated with the manliest of man parts, it was commonly used as a shortened version of the words declaration & dictionary and then came to be a nickname for policemen.  

The origin of “dick”, as in the one-eyed-wonder-worm, is dubious but it wasn’t because some obscure “Richard” was being a wiener.  The word wasn’t used in a derogatory fashion until the 1960’s . . . it’s probably some hipster bastardization of the word.

Anyway . . . “hick” as used as a nickname is no longer in use . . . unless of course you’re describing a country bumpkin.

Cocoa Banana Frozen Dessert

4 Ripe Bananas (Very Ripe Preferably)

2 Tablespoons Pure Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

Peel the bananas and place them in a blender or food processor together with the cocoa powder.

Add the vanilla extract and the maple syrup.

Blend until very smooth. Pour into individual custard cups or small bowls and freeze till just frozen.

The world as seen by a fish

Did you ever fancy you could swim like the fishes?   I said like the fishes . . . not with the fishes . . . this is no mafia wish list.

According to some theories, at one time eons ago we not only swam like fishes but we were fishes.  Now, don’t get all excited . . . this isn’t a theological discussion . . .

Just for chuckles . . . let’s just say for a moment that at some point in the very very ­very distant past that our ancestors looked something like Nemo.  

Like fishes we . . . humans . . . have a third eyelid.  Well, the remnant of one anyway . . . a piece that evolution has yet to erradicat from our biology. 

Look in the mirror.  See that little pink bit in the corner of your eye near your nose??  Women . . . you’ll recognize it as the spot where your eye make-up tends to collect. 

It’s called a nictitating membrane; a clear eyelid that can be drawn across the eyeball for protection.  Fish use them to flush out whatever annoying particles float into their eyeballs.

Unlike our fishy cousins’, our nictitating membrane is pretty much defunct . . . but, as the ladies know . . . it’s really good for keeping the gunk out of our eyes. 

Now you see?  If you had that you could swim more like the fishes and . . . well . . . see more like the fishes.  Wouldn't that be swell?

Carrot Cake with Canned Carrots

2 Cups Flour

2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Cups Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Oil

3 Cups Canned Carrots, Drained

4 Eggs

1/2 Cup Pecans

Icing

1 Box 10x Sugar

1 (8 Oz) Package Cream Cheese

1/2 Stick Margarine

 

Mix ingredients in the order listed.

Stir in eggs one at a time.

Then stir in nuts

The carrots will fall apart when you mix, so no need for chopping.

Pour in a 9 X 11 greased and floured pan

Bake at 350 until cake tests done (approx. 25-35 minutes)

Mix icing ingredients together and spread over cooled cake.

The web of our life is of a mingled yarn

A simple crocheted washcloth is a basic project this is gratifying because it is quick, inexpensive and something you can use everyday.

This is a great project for beginners.  If you know the fundamentals of crocheting then you can make a pile of these in no time.  

It’s also an easy distraction for more experienced crocheters . . . like myself.  I work on these uncomplicated washcloths while I’m watching television or riding along in the car.

As you become more adept at making these you can easily develop your own patterns with more complex stitches while using this pattern as a template.

Basic Single Crochet Dishcloth

Materials

2 ounces worsted weight cotton yarn, any color

Size G crochet hook

Finished size 10 1/2 inches x 9 1/2 inches

It doesn’t matter if yours ends up smaller or larger.  It’s just a dishcloth. Any size is fine.

To start:

Leave about a six inch length of yarn before the first loop of your starting chain. Leave this length hanging while you are crocheting the dishcloth. You will weave this length in when the dishcloth is finished. (This is a good way to secure the end so it won't unravel.)

This link will take you to step-by-step photos for how to make a starting chain.

Starting chain: chain 36.

Note: At the end of each row, you will chain 1, then turn the work around to start the next row.

Row 1: Single crochet in the second chain from the hook, single crochet in each chain across. (35 single crochet)

Row 2: Single crochet in each single crochet across. (35 single crochet)

Rows 3 - 38: Repeat row 2.

End off, leaving a length of about 6 inches to weave in. Weave in the ends, using a large-eye yarn needle.

Firewater Friday - Allow me to ladle you a piping hot bowl of . . .

If a meal is served to me 'piping hot' I know if I gobble it down with utter disregard for its extreme hotness I should do so with full knowledge that it's going to burn the taste-buds from my tongue and scald the flesh from the roof of my mouth.  

Piping hot . . . what does that mean anyway?  A reference to plumbing?  If you’re in the vicinity of a burst steam pipe, it will get your attention  . . . and, I promise, it will hurt.

Nope, that’s not it.  

Does it come from the Scottish tradition of ceremoniously serving food on special occasions accompanied by the playing of the bagpipes?  Certainly that food could be considered 'piped in'.

No, not even close.

What ‘piping hot’ refers to is the sound sizzling hot food makes as steam escapes from it . . . the sound is reminiscent of whistling teakettles and high-pitched musical pipes.

One of the first literary references was from the second of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales - The Miller’s Tale (1390)

Absalom in his attempt to woo Alison . . .

He sang as tremulously as nightingale;

He sent her sweetened wine and well-spiced ale

And waffles piping hot out of the fire . . . 

Now a pipe dream . . . that's a whole other thing. It, too, has nothing whatsoever to do with plumbing or musical Scots.  It has everything to do with pipes . . . opium pipes.

You puff on one of those suckers you'll have dreams like no other . . . pipe dreams, as it were.

Absolut® Orient Apple Breeze

2 Parts Absolut Orient Apple

2 Parts Cranberry Juice

1/2 Part Fresh Pink Grape Juice

Combine all ingredients and pour over rocks in a highball glass.