Drinks I like part 1

I write this late at night, _____ days / hours before the birth of our second child who at this point is still yet to be named.  So in theory I should update this post, but I bet I won't.

I am going to diverge a bit from my normal writings and talk a bit about some of things I like.  Drinks.  Beer & Tea.

First up beer.  I like beer.  I think I should write about the beers I like and why.

The other day for a staff meeting I bought a 6 pack of Bridgeport Café Negro Porter.  A smooth porter that has been infused with a dark coffee flavor.  My tongue couldn't pick up the coffee flavor, but man o man was that a wonderful beer.  Dark, rich, smooth.  Not overly sweet like some porters can be, and it wasn't PWN Hoppy!  It made me very happy indeed.  You should try some.  NOW!

You can find out more about it at their website - -bridgeportbrew.com

Now on the other side of the coin, I also really enjoy tea.  Black or herbal, I like both.  Since working down in Pike Place Market I have also started mostly using loose leaf brewing methods.  I like it better.  It's cheaper, fresher, tastier, and well funnier too.

My mother-inlaw got me this wonderful tea pot with a built in screen.

I will chat more about teas as we progress.

Guest dinner! Veggie Links and Greens

My good friends came over for a visit.  Being those type of cool friends, while I offered to cook them grub, they brought some extra grub for me to use.  It was like a mystery bag of food!

Havarti cheese, Vegan links (think sausage links, but not trying to pretend to be meat, pack with protein and tasty).  I dug into the produce bin to see what I could use.

I came up with Pan Grilled Vegan Links with quick braised Red Chard and rice.

What I used:

• Left over rice, reheated with a little bit of veggie stock and S&P
• The veggies
• Red Chard - large viens removed and chopped, the greens slicked width wise
• leeks - diced
• carrots - diced
• turnips - diced
• stock
• spices - cumin, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano
• Links

How I put it together:

Into my pan goes the "tough stuff"; leeks, carrots, chard ribs, turnips.  Cook a little oil for about 8 or so minutes until slightly soft.  Now add some more stock, and heat that up to steamy, add the spices and the greens and bring medium heat and cover.  Cook for about 10 ish minutes until the greens are soft.

This is not a proper braising, but its quick!

The links, never seeing these types before, I just pan grilled, then added a little water to steam them up a bit.

I plated them and for the non-vegans I added the cheese to the links and the veggies.

The Aftermath:

I thought it was tasty.  Simply, rustic.  My friends found it better if they mixed the rice and veggies together.  I know my friends read this, it would be fun to see their comments below!

BotRG Toddy!

I made drinks for me friend and I (both our wives are both pregnant)  We have some brandy on hand, for it is that time of the year (my word, I could live off brandy eggnog if given the chance)

1oz Brandy, splash of lemon juice, a couple cloves and a cinnamon stick and grated nutmeg.  Into large snifter glass, add hot water.

It tasted much better half way through the glass, the spices came out more by that point.

Peppermint Hot coco with last years candy canes!

Are you like me and have a tendency to put stuff in cabintes and basically forget about them.  Candy Canes.  I love them, and I want them to last, so I try not to eat them.  Which of course means that I sometimes have candy canes left over from last Holiday season.  They are still in plastic, and still good, but I need to use them up so I don't have a overload of candy canes!
I made Coffee House style Peppermint Hot Coco.




What I used:
1 mini candy cane still in its pack.
1 section of Hersey's brand Milk Chocolate bar (not the whole bar, just one "tab")
Hot Coco mix
1/2 Water - 1/2 Milk
How I put it together:
I put the water in a pan and started heating it up.
Using a rolling pin, I crushed the candy cane and poured the bits into the hot water.
Stir until basically dissolved.
Add Milk, coco mix, and milk chocolate "tab"
Stir until heated and the chocolate tab is melted and at a temp you like.
The Aftermath:
Perfect on a cold winter's evening snuggling with your sweety on the couch watching NCIS.  We love that show.  The mint came through every so nicely, I could have had a bit more I think.  Also, wishing there was whipped cream.  It was tasty!