New Brew Thursday - Rogue Double Mocha Porter

This award winning porter by Rogue doesn't disappoint.  Double Mocha Porter is exactly what I expect from a chocolate beer and the excellence I know I’m going to get from Rogue Ales.

Aesthetically, I’m a fan of Rogue’s painted bottles; and this is one of them.  Besides looking good there is a practical reason for painting the bottles . . . the less light that can penetrate the bottle to skunk the beer the better, as far as I’m concerned.

This beer pours dark as dark with a fluffy coffee-with-cream colored head.  The aroma is simply chocolate and espresso . . . drooool.  I didn’t really drool but my mouth thought about it.

The taste is all about the coffee with a wonderful dark chocolate accompaniment.  There is a bit of bitter hoppiness the co-mingles quite nicely with the less-than-sweet maltiness.

Double Mocha Porter is a very smooth and drinkable beer.  For an 8.5% ABV beer that’s a dangerous thing.  Luckily, we only had one bottle.

Overall, this is an excellent Rogue offering.  Two thumbs up.

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

Cheesy Joes

These are silly quick and easy to make.  And quite tasty, too.  Great for a party or a fast meal.  Yum!

Cheesy Joes

1 Pound Hot sausage
1 Pound hamburger
1 Pound Velveeta, Cubed
1 Package Slider Rolls

Brown together the sausage and hamburger until no longer pink. 

Drain off the fat. 

Add the cubed Velveeta and stir until melted. 

Divide mixture evenly and spread onto rolls.

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All that glitters is not gold

All that glitters is not gold . . . that's not even close to true.  

Just ask Shakespeare . . . if you could . . . it is his quote that is one of the most famous misquotes in the English language!  The citation is from The Merchant of Venice written in the late 1500's.  The passage reads as follows:


All that glisters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgement old
Your answer had not been inscroll'd
Fare you well, your suit is cold.

Read glisters not glitters. Of course, both of these words mean exactly the same thing.  

Interestingly, almost exactly one hundred years after Shakespeare wrote the Merchant of Venice another author misquoted him.  John Dryden wrote in his poem The Hind and the Panther:

If not by Scriptures, how can we be sure,

Replied the Panther, what Tradition's pure?

For you may palm upon us new for old:

All, as they say, that glitters, is not gold.

The abuse of poor Sir William has been in use so long that is is considered perfectly acceptable.  

You may have never heard the word glister but you've certainly heard the term glisten used.  

Now, here's an interesting question.  If something that glisters glistens then does something that glitters glitten?  

No.  But glitten is a word . . . it is a glove/mitten hybrid . . . it is a fingerless glove usually with an attached flap covering for the fingers.

There you have it.

Roasted Sausages & Vegetables

In my mind this is is truly comfort food.  Hot, savory and completely satisfying!  I cook the whole thing in a large cast iron skillet.  But you can use a roasting pan if you don't have one.

Roasted Sausages & Vegetables

8 (4″ long) sweet Italian sausages
4-5 medium red potatoes
4 large carrots
1 large onion
1 fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp oil
freshly cracked black pepper
2/3 c. chicken broth
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Brown the sausages.  Don't cook them all the way through, just brown the outsides.  Cut partially slice the sausages in half once they've cooled.

Quarter or half the potatoes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Peel one large onion, and cut into wedges.

Remove the base and stalks of the fennel, and cut into wedges.  Peel and slice the carrots and cut into chunks.  





Pour the broth into the skillet or roasting pan.  Add all the vegetables.  Season generously with salt and pepper . . . I used Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning.  Toss the vegetables to distribute the seasonings and coat with broth.


Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes the potatoes and vegetables should be fork tender. Place the sausages in with the vegetables and pour the balsamic vinegar all over sausages and vegetables.

Place the tray back in the oven, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes.

After 15 minutes, flip the the sausages and ladle some of the juices lurking at the bottom all over the vegetables and sausages. Put it back in the oven for the remaining time, until everything is nice and brown.

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Garbanzo and Corn Salad

Garbanzo and Corn Salad

1 Can, 14 Ounces, Garbanzo Beans, Rinsed and Drained
2 Cups Fresh or Canned Corn
1/2 Sweet Onion, Chopped
1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 Teaspoons Hot Sauce (Or More to Taste)
1 Lime, Juiced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper

This is a great recipe to use for left over corn on the cob.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for flavors to mingle, then toss and serve.

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Firewater Friday - Piña Picante Cocktail

Piña Picante Cocktail

1 oz. Jalapeno Infused Tequila
1/2 oz Triple Sec
Pineapple Juice
Lime Squeeze

Fill a glass with ice.  Pour the tequila and triple sec over the ice.  

Top pineapple juice. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

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