Firewater Friday - It's Sexy Thyme

It's Sexy Thyme

2 1/2 Ounces Gin
1 Ounces Thyme Simple Syrup
2 Ounces Tonic Water
1/2 Lime, Juiced
Candied Thyme Sprigs (Garnish)

Thyme Simple Syrup
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Water
8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme

Candied Thyme Sprigs
Fresh Thyme Sprigs
1/4 Cup Thyme Simple Syrup
1/2 Cup Sugar


Start by making the thyme infused simple syrup.  Combine ingredients in a small pan and bring to a light simmer. Simmer for two minutes, then remove from heat and let cool slowly to room temperature.

Strain out thyme sprigs from syrup and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Then make the candied thyme sprigs by dipping whole sprigs in simple syrup and then toss with sugar. Let dry for at least thirty minutes before using as a garnish.

To make the cocktail: add gin and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

Pour cocktail into a tall glass and top with tonic water. Garnish with candied thyme sprigs.

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New Brew Thursday - Asahi Super Dry

Hubby and I went out to dinner with family to a Japanese steak house to celebrate a birthday.    This type of restaurant isn't hubby's favorite so, it was an opportunity to eat a  hibachi dinner, drink hot saké and . . . of course . . . try out a new beer.

I love saké and I don't often get an opportunity to drink it.  Saké is usually misclassified as rice wine.  The process of making saké is more akin to how beer is made.  Saké is brewed but the process isn't exactly the same as how beer is made, though.  When saké is brewed the starch to sugar/sugar to alcohol conversion occurs in a single step; as opposed to two like in beer making.  Saké typically has a 15% ABV . . . what's not to like?

Okay . . . enough about my beloved rice beer.

Hubby ordered a bomber sized bottle of Asahi Super Dry.  Asahi Breweries is based in Tokyo, Japan.  I was kind of surprised that Asahi wasn't brewed by an American based macro-brewery.  Why?  Because it tasted an awful lot like a middle-of-the-road mass produced American style beer . . . Bud, Coors, Miller, etc.




Ah . . . mystery solved.  I wasn't too far off.  It turns out that the Asahi beer distributed to North American is brewed in Molson's Vancouver brewery.  There you have it!

I'm not saying I didn't like it.  I'm no beer snob.  I believe every beer doesn't have to be a $15 bottle craft brew to be good.  I love and appreciate those wonderful brews . . . but mass produced beer has it's place and I like it for what it is. 

Asahi is good . . . for what it is.

Asahi tastes pretty much a typical lager.  There's nothing complex about the flavor . . . it's light tasting and slambackable.  Which is to say that it's a good beer to kickback and enjoy after a hot afternoon of mowing the back acre.

Like I said . . . a time and place for every beer.


Oh . . . about that lager thing.  It's interesting to point out that German POWs worked in the Asahi brewery during the war to end all wars (WWI).  It's possible those prisoners had some influence over the brewing process.



Wow . . . a pretty long blog post for a mediocre beer . . . go figure.

Braciole

Braciole

1/2 Cup Dried Italian-Style Bread Crumbs

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

1 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano

2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley Leaves

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 (1 1/2-Pound) Flank Steak

1 Cup Dry White Wine

3 1/4 Cups Marinara Sauce

Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Pound the meat to flatten it out a bit. 

Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. 

Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

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Simple Marinara Sauce

Simple Marinara Sauce


1/2 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Stalk Celery, Chopped
1 Carrot, Chopped
2 (32-Ounce) Cans Crushed Tomatoes
1 16-Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
4 To 6 Basil Leaves
2 Dried Bay Leaves
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Unsalted Butter, If Needed

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent.

Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. I use Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning . . . I use it just about everything . . . I love that stuff!


Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. 

Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to balance out the flavor.

Allow sauce to cool enough so that you can stick a finger in it without burning yourself.

Pour half the tomato sauce into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

You can serve the sauce as it is or if you want to continue cooking with meat then return to pot with meatballs, sausage or whatever and cook until meat is done.

Serve hot with your favorite pasta.  Yum!

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Eat, bite, gobble, nibble, chew

Hubby and I recently returned from a long weekend vacation.  One evening we were lounging in bed . . . me reading and he browsing the Intertubes.  He was also happily munching a snack . . . and it was driving me nucking futz!  Despite being engrossed in my book and all the ambient noise in the room, all I could focus on was his chomping, lip-smacking and slurping.  It was all I could do to contain myself and not roll him onto the floor and throttle the ever loving snot out of him.  I just covered my head with a pillow and did my very best to ignore his infuriating mastication.

Its obvious that it bothered me since I can clearly recall the incident.  Thankfully, no one was injured in the innocent eating of the snack.

It's not just hubby's eating that bothers me; as long as I can remember hearing other people eat his elicited an immediate response . . . rage.  Most times I can control violent urges . . . mostly.

Anyhoo . . . as it turns out, this response to annoying auditory stimuli is an actual disorder called misophonia. 

Hubby already thinks I'm a bit touched . . . perhaps he's right . . . I am mental!  But I conceal it fairly well, I’ll bet he never knew that it makes me crazy to listen to him (or anyone else) eat. 

Misophonia is little known disorder that affects a person's sensitivity to noise. For most people, it is only specific noises that trigger a powerful response.

For me its hearing people eat . . . **shudder** . . . but other people have different noises that set them off.

I work in IT.  One of my many responsibilities is providing for co-workers computer hardware needs.  There was a woman I worked with that was constantly complaining about other people’s keyboards.  She couldn’t stand the sound of other people typing.   Hello?  Working in an office?  People typing?  Yeah, that’s bound to happen.  I ended up having to get everyone in her vicinity silent touch keyboards so I wouldn’t have to listen to her bitch about it anymore.  Little did I know the poor sad woman had a brain disorder.  

My method of self-treatment is simply to serve dinner in the living room and eat while watching television.  But, if we’re eating at the kitchen table I have to have background noise like music playing or the television on to cover up any chewing noises.    Luckily, I have the added benefit of being deaf in one ear.  I can literally “turn a deaf ear” to that which irks me thus sparing hubby and others a sound thrashing.

Quesadilla

Quesadillas are a hearty meal that are quick and simple to make.  You can have a delicious dinner plated in five minutes so long as you have the ingredients prepped and ready to go in advance.  

They are one of those things that I generally will not order when going out to eat because I can make them just as well.


Quesadilla 

Large Flour Tortillas
Shredded Cheese 
Olive Oil Or Grapeseed Oil

Fillings: 
Sliced Mushrooms
Green Onions
Black Olives, Sliced
Fresh Tomatoes, Diced
Chicken Pieces
Avocado
Chopped Chilis
Lettuce
Salsa



Heat a large cast iron frying pan to medium high heat. Add a small amount of oil (about 1/2 teaspoon) and spread it around the bottom of the pan with a spatula . Take one large flour tortilla and place it in the pan. Flip the tortilla over a few times, 10 seconds between flips. Air pockets should begin to form within the tortilla.

When pockets of air begin to form, take a handful of shredded cheese, sprinkle over the top of the tortilla. Add whatever additional ingredients you like just don't layer on the ingredients to thickly . . . just a dab will do ya.

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. The cast iron pan will retain enough heat to melt the cheese and brown the tortilla. 

After a minute or so, when the cheese is melted, use a spatula to lift up one side of the quesadilla and flip over the other side. The tortilla should by now be browned slightly.  Remove from pan and cut into wedges.

Serve with the lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

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