I like beer, and I like cool-looking cans

so it makes sense that I like this beer in a cool-looking can!  It is well-known in certain circles that beer and wine stores in the 5-mile radius around my home sell their beer at very high prices.  Last week I discovered exactly how much one of the stores I used to frequent has been ripping me off.

Now, this beer store has been on my naughty list for some time.  When I discovered the quality of the Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA and bought a case a winter ago, the owner raised the price of that particular Sam Adams 6-pack from a respectable $8.49 to an expensive $9.99.  This fall, when I began buying beers from Widmer Bros. brewery, the price per 6-pack across all products from the brewery went from $8.99 to $10.99 within a week of my purchase.  Another favorite of mine, Raging Bitch, went from $8.99 to $10.99 after I bought a case.  I was willing to put up with this, however because the owners are super- friendly and would occasionally give me promotional materials like pilsner glasses and snifters, and a complimentary bottle of a new beer to try every so often.  He even gave me a 6-pack of Clipper City Hop3 (marked at an above-average-market $10.49) when I won his challenge to pick National Bohemian from MGD and Schlitz in a blind taste test.  While I'm complaining, Natty Boh sells for an outrageous $4.49 per six-pack in his store.

At any rate, I bought Brew Free or Die from this store at $15.99 per 6-pack for a July 4th party.  I figured that it cost so much because it was hard to get in MoCo. I really liked the beer, but never bought it again because I like other beers much better at that price point.  Imagine my surprise last week when I saw the beer at $8.99 a six-pack at Corridor!  I bought a case and have enjoyed a can or two this week.  I have sworn never to visit Mr. Price-gouger again, and now that the ICC is open, I may have to make the trip to corridor once a month.  With beer prices the way that are in my hood, the toll will be more than worth it.

As for the beer, it is a very good IPA.  Hoppy, but well-balanced with strong maltiness.  7% ABV.  And there's something about a can.  Perhaps it takes me back to my college days, or fishing trips, or maybe I'm just a lazy-ass and it's lighter, but I really like drinking beer out of a can.  And what a can!  Abe Lincoln punching out of Mount Rushmore?  It just makes me happy every time I look at it...

That is all.

Maybe not all... The other beers I have tried from this brewery, 21st Amendment,  were called Back in Black, a "Black IPA", and Hell of High Watermelon.  Both are not good, ether at the $8.99 or $15.99 price point.

Woks and other thoughts...

For my birthday last year, my wife gave me a cast iron wok.  I love it - it is among my favorite pieces of cookware.  I cook everything in it - stir-frys, curries, stews, deep-frying, even risotto!  I'm sure that the gift was given because of my obsession with the recently-uncovered family cast-iron pans that I've had in a box since before any interest in cooking.  I have found these skillets (and now wok!) to be extremely versatile, and while I can understand that French cuisine emphasizes delicate sauces, and that we all need to boil pots of this and that, I feel that cast iron is too-often overlooked in favor of stainless steel and calphalon.  Plus, there is the history.  I have placed two of my cast iron pieces as pieces from the 1940's or earlier.  That means they were used by my grandparents, if not my great-grandparents!  I can only hope that the wok makes it that long.

At any rate, this is an eggplant curry made in the wok.  It was pretty good, made using the red curry paste I got at the asian grocery.

That is all.

Thanksgiving

Meghan outdid herself today! Roasted butternut squash, apple-pecan stuffing, green beans, a nicely-juicy turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, a killer challah, and vegan pumpkin pie for dessert.  Vita and I added a subpar apple pie.  Meg's mom brought a wonderfully airy pumpkin-chiffon pie. A couple of bottles of "IL" moscato and some excellent seasonal "Brr" winter ale from one of my new favorite breweries, Widmer Brothers, and it was a fantastic meal.

Like a jerk, I took no pictures.  Oh well.

I am thankful for all my family and friends, and that I am able to live my life enjoying the finer things like food and drink.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This summer's blockbuster

This was a popular choice among jerks post-diet.

Flying Dog purchased the Blue Ridge brewery several years ago.  At first I was upset, because Blue Ridge made my go-to "daily beer", Blue Ridge Golden Ale - it was $5.99 a six pack and just wonderful at that price point.  When Flying Dog bought the brewery, prices went way up, and as a complete jerk I was very upset about the quality of the beer.  Well, today I say the brewmaster deserves a freaking brewing badge of honor.  In a few short years, the brewery has gone from mediocrity to having several great brews!  While none of them are my absolute favorite in style, the brews are very tasty and great contenders at their price point.

While my current tastes are running a little less sweet than this beer, I still buy it regularly.  Raging Bitch is a good one.  With 8.3% abv and a price of $7.49 per six at Corridor Wine and Spirits, this one is really nice. Plus, it is singularly responsible for the Kentucky Derby Embarrassment Event (KDEE) at Sarah Sears's Kentucky Derby Party last year (please forgive me -I cleaned up). My kids LOVE the bottle (though I have to watch it now that my oldest is learning to read). They are fascinated by the teats and genitalia.  My boy loves to point out the scrotum (ummmm, wrong...).  That is all.

Atkins Stuff

Last spring, I found The Atkins Diet quite easy to follow.  Those complaining about lack of vegetables must be vegetarians or reading the directions wrong.  I could eat a VERY large (meal-sized, actually) salad each day - not just lettuce - also peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, etc.  In fact, I found myself eating MORE vegetables on the diet because i would measure out the recommended servings which ended up to be more than what I would usually eat.  Along those same lines, the fat and sodium in the  ubiquitous 5 slices of bacon I would eat each morning were lower than either the pre-packaged or homemade breakfast sandwiches I would eat when not on the diet.  Lunch was usually leftover grilled chicken breasts, or salad, or hot dogs, or ham and cheese "sandwiches" with lettuce "bread."  Unfortunately I have no photos of those meals.  However, I do have photos of a glorious sausage-fest we had one night.  It is harder to find sugar-free meat than one might imagine, but the local Bloom and European Mart (more so than Trader Joe's) had the goods.  On this plate, basil and something-or-other sausage from Bloom, "organic" Poilsh Kielbasa, and a delightful Weisswurst from the Euromart (I stupidly burned the casings DO:).  I ate almost the whole plate.  My wife and kids were disgusted.  That is all.

Looks like Chinese Food

One of the things that I discovered this summer is that a healthy dose of corn starch not only thickens things up, but gives that "glaze" endemic to chinese take-out.  Check out the potatoes and broccoli with fish sauce. So if you like shiny food, use corn starch.  That is all.

Maybe I Will Try Again

Due to concerns about some pain I was having in my back and side, in late April 2011 I went on the Atkins diet and began an exercise regimen to lose some weight.  The diet and exercise was amazingly effective.  Between the final week in April and the third week in June I lost over thirty pounds - a teeny bit less than five pounds a week.  I went on vacation immediately after (oh my god that beer and real food tasted good!), and came back to a heat wave.  Unfortunately, upon my return I didn't exercise (my excuse was the heat) and did not continue with the diet.  Several months of poor choices later, I am back to merely 6 pounds less than my April weight.

I took some photos of food I prepared over the summer (post-diet), but due to some embarrassment (guilt, remorse?) over the failure of my maintenance-of-weight, I sadly abandoned this blog.

This past weekend I met up with some friends (and former students) for dinner and beer.  It was a fantastic evening, and as a result I must report three important things:
1. After several disappointing visits, the Growlers
http://www.growlersofgaithersburg.com
(Summit Station, Olde Town Tavern) location provided a good time (siblings - remember my "old man" birthday where I cried as we were leaving because of the smoke/noise?)!  More importantly, the beer was VERY good and VERY cheap.  The Seneca Pale Ale and the seasonal porter (can't remember the name, OOPS!) were particularly good.  Though one of the party said her ESB tasted like "cigarette butts," I will be back.
2. My friend Anna has a food/running blog you should check out:
http://runandyum.wordpress.com
She loves flavors, and her smoothie recipes look great!  If I wasn't such a fat jerk i would make a smoothie from her site.
3. I am going to reboot the blog soon, beginning with commentary on summer recipes, thoughts on my weight loss and subsequent weight gain, and MORE FOOD.  and beer.  there is a lot to report.

That is all.

International supermarket rocks!!!

Got some Thai green curry paste from Lotte in Germantown.  The english is really bad, and every measurement is metric, but I followed the recipe on the box, substituting leftover red and yellow peppers and peas for Thai eggplant. It was awesome, but HOT!  And green curry is supposed to be the "sweet" curry.  I finished mine (and a second helping), but we had to dilute the rest with another half-can of coconut milk and water to render it safe for Meghan.  Even with the dilution it had a nice kick.

You hear that Ruan Thai?  I'm coming for you.  MoCo ain't big enough for both of us jerks. I know your secrets.  I know where you shop.  Just wait until I figure out how tablespoons of curry paste relate to grams.  THEN we'll see who is on Jason's list.  WE WILL SEE!!!!!!!!!  That is all.

Purists won't call it chili...

...but I love my sausage chili anyway.  Whatever peppers you have around (I used red because they were leftover and yellow because they were on sale), kidney beans, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, what ever kind of sausage you have around (I used smoked chicken sausage because Meg says it's less-bad for you) (I like smoked pork sausage better), a bottle of beer, and my secret blend of herbs and spices.  Served over my friend Lenny's cornbread recipe.  The picture is before I put on loads of cheddar cheese and sour cream (fat free).  That is all.

egg-stacy

Eggsplosion injury

I have been on something of an egg kick lately. I am missing my mother-in-law's fresh eggs from her chickens and ducks.  I hadn't made poached eggs since last year's infamous microwave poacher "egg-splosion." But my hankering became to much to resist for my favorite breakfast, poached eggs on toast.

Since I threw the microwave poacher away in a fit of pain-rage, I decided to try to poach the correct way - in a pot of boiling water. My attempts years ago to do this resulted in a milky, microscopic-egg-bit-filled pot of hot water.  However, after thinking through the process a bit, I decided to give it another go.  The result? The most perfectly succulent eggs that I could imagine. The runny yolks pushed at the thin whites containing them as if they were about to burst.  The whites themselves were soft and creamy.  If I could eat this every day, I would.  Cracked pepper on top of the egg, buttered wheat toast underneath... sigh....

  

That is all.

Chinese take-out?

I really need to learn how to photograph food.  It's an art, really.  That's why they use fake food on advertisements.  I am amazed at the quality of photography on other food blogs out there.

According to "Eat this, Not that" book, beef and broccoli is the best thing for you on the chinese take-out menu.  I tried to make a recipe I found online, but I didn't have oyster sauce.  I used soy sauce instead.  While I liked this dish when we ate it, I have since bought oyster sauce, and I can tell you that soy sauce is not even close in flavor.  I'll have to try it again the right way.  I have learned the hard way yet again, to make ethic food you must have ethnic ingredients.  That is all.

Italian Food?

Chicken marsala is supposed to be pounded flat.  I skipped that time-consuming step and just loaded up on garlic and wine.  The breading on the chicken breasts really helped the texture of this recipe.  The taste definitely improved with a couple of days in the fridge.  Yeah leftovers!!!  That is all.

A perfect start to a sunday morning

Eggs over easy and RAPA scrapple. Hot cup of coffee. Yo Gabba Gabba in the background, singing "Don't...don't...don't bite your friends!  Bite, bite, bite?  NO NO NO!  Chomp, chomp, chomp?  YES YES YES!"

Perfect.

That is all.

Best thing I've had in some time!

My brother Butch is the undisputed champion of deep frying in our family.  He works in hot oil the way other artists might work in watercolors or clay. It is his true medium, a master.  The best thing I've had in weeks were these fried shrimp.  They were excellent.  The batter was perfect - golden brown, crispy, but not unyielding, well-seasoned, and not oily.  The shrimp themselves were impeccable.  Firm, moist, and flavorful.  Thank you, brother, for this bit of heaven on earth.  That is all.

This jerk isn't a good (w)rapper. Yet.....

I tried my hand at making these things -
D to the U to the M-PL-INGS.

Pork, cabbage, ginger, soy,
garlic, scallions, sesame, oh boy!

In the wrapper the meatballs went,
I tried to wrap 'em like 50 Cent.

But the little folds were hard to make,
Real asian hands are what it takes?

A quick steam on cabbage and they're done,
That's how I made these dumplings, son!

Word, jerks!

I am working on my mussels...

I was inspired by my siblings' recent trials and tribulations in having a meal at Bethesda's new mussel place, Mussel Bar.  Now, I think they were there mostly for the belgian ale (admit it, guys), but it got me thinking, this place's specialty is a peasant dish, and it's the new hotspot? As in can't get a table on THURSDAY NIGHT hotspot?  Geez!

So I threw down the proverbial gauntlet and whipped up some moules-frites of my own.  The first is a classic preparation: white wine, onions, garlic, thyme, parsley, and sambuca.  I made this one for Meghan.

  The second is an improvised treatment: bacon, beer, cheese, onions, garlic, and thyme. Obviously, this one was for the fat jerk.

Meg made some awesome fries.  The only regret is that we didn't have any crusty bread to mop up all of the delicious soup left at the end.

This meal is super easy and super cheap. I plan to make some new moules-frites soon (tequila-lime? stinky cheese-butter?). Anyone who can't get a table at Mussel Bar is welcome to come over whenever.  That is all.

My Brother Likes Stuff I Make!

I made Butch a cocktail Christmas Eve, and this is what he said!

BTW, it was Wild Turkey 110 and Coke Zero! (actually, Jason made the cocktail - I just thought the picture was awesome)!  That is all.

Here's a curry, jerk!

This is a tofu-mushroom curry made in the awesome cast-iron wok Meg gave me for Christmas.  This turned out awesome for having no fresh peppers.  Madras curry powder and cayenne pepper stepped up to do the job.

MEAT LOAF

This is a kick-ass meatloaf.  The texture is like an angel food cake, courtesy of the panko bread crumbs.  Two things make this loaf awesome: the prepared horseradish, and the super-glaze (grape jelly, ketchup, and SECRET INGREDIENT). That is all.

This is the start

I will cook stuff, or eat stuff, or drink stuff, and post the pictures here.  That is all.