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Entree

Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders

 Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders, made in a slow cooker

 I finally made friends with my slow cooker again. It took awhile, we haven’t been on speaking terms since that guy ruined several attempts at vegetarian chili earlier in the year. But he likes meat, that slow cooker, and so do I. I think this is the common ground that we’ll share. Slow and low is the best way to cook pork shoulder, making it a perfect slow cooker job. Although I loved the way this turned out, I do still vastly prefer my Le Creuset Dutch Oven, although that guy is much higher maintenance, he can’t be left alone like Slow Cooker can.

Speaking of IPA’s, I’ve been on the hunt for Schlafly’s American IPA, out of Missouri. I’m incredibly fortunate to live on the West Coat of these United States, a hot bed of fantastic IPA’s. I really don’t ever need to wander far to find incredible beer, but sometimes I just want to see what the rest of the USA has to offer. I’ve heard great things about this special release IPA and I want to get one in my pint glasses. If you can sneak me one, let me know, I’ll be forever grateful.

Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders, made in a slow cooker

Hawaiian IPA Pulled Pork Sliders

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cloves of garlic rough chopped
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 tsp sriracha
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 2 cup chopped pineapple
  • 3.5 lb pork shoulder
  • salt and pepper
  • 12 ounces IPA
  • 24 Hawaiian rolls split

Yield: 24 sliders

    Instructions
     

    • In a food processor or blender add the garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, sriracha, brown sugar and pineapple. Process until well combined.
    • Place the pork shoulder inside a slow cooker, salt and pepper all sides liberally.
    • Pour the pineapple mixture and the IPA beer over the pork.
    • Cook on low for 8 hours.
    • Using two forks, shred while still in the slow cooker, discarding any large pieces of fat.
    • Allow to marinate in the juices for about ten minutes, drain well. Serve inside split Hawaiian rolls.

    Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders, made in a slow cooker

    Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

    Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp5

     Avocado season in California is pretty fantastic, avocados are so easy to come by. Of course, they’re great for you. Lots of minerals, antioxidants, healthy fat, but to be honest this is a food I’d eat even if it was bad for me. It’s flavor, texture and even gorgeous color has me hooked. It’s also my go-to when I want to add creaminess to a vegan meal.

    I’ve told you before that Risotto is one of my favorite meals and adding one of my favorite members of the produce family just makes it better. Top it with some beer butter shrimp and you have yourself a dinnertime winner.

    For this I used Allagash White, one of my staples of my beer cellar (I wish I had an actual beer cellar, until I figure out how to make that happen my beer selection takes up residence in the bottom shelf of my fridge). Allagash White is clean, bright, and has great spice and citrus flavor. It does not have the typical strong banana notes that most Witbiers have, which puts it over the top in my book, I hate bananas. It has an accessible complexity that makes it great beer to use when introducing people to craft beer.  It’s a great example of the genera, and of craft beer in general.

    Allagash White

    Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

    Ingredients
      

    For The Risotto:

    • 4 cups chicken broth
    • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 3 tbs heavy cream
    • 1 large avocado chopped (skin and seed discarded)
    • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
    • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
    • 2 tbs chopped shallots
    • 3 cloves of garlic minced
    • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
    • 1 cup Wheat Beer plus 2 tbs, divided
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 2 tbs chopped chives

    For The Shrimp:

    • 1 cup wheat beer
    • 3 tbs butter
    • ½ tsp chili powder
    • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined

    Instructions
     

    • Place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a mild simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
    • In a food processor or blender add the cream, parmesan and avocado, process until smooth, set aside.
    • In a separate pot, add the butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and oil, cook until transparent, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 20 seconds
    • Stir in the rice, cooking until the rice is completely coated with butter and it smells slightly nutty, don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
    • Add 1 cup of the beer and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 6 minutes.
    • Add about ½ cup of broth into the rice. Stir frequently until the rice is almost dry, and then add another ½ cup and repeat. This process should take about 20 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the rice on the bottom of the pan burns easily. (if you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth)
    • Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the rice is cooked and not crunchy), turn heat to low and add the avocado mixture, 2 tbs beer and salt and pepper to taste. Risotto should be soft and wet, not dry like typical rice. It should be firm enough to be served as a side on a plate, but soft enough to jiggle when the plate is shaken.
    • To make the shrimp, add 1 cup beer to a sauce pan over medium high heat, reduce by about half, add the butter and stir until melted. Whisk in the chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and cook until shrimp have turned opaque in the center, about 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove shrimp from the cooking liquid.
    • Plate risotto, top with shrimp and sprinkle with chopped chives.

    Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

    Cheap Eats: Roasted Chicken, Green Beans and Potatoes Feeds 4 for $10

     

     

    Cheap Eats: Roast Chicken, Potatoes, Green Beans feed 4 for $10 (with leftovers!)

     

    I’ve made a decision. I am going to redefine the word "rich".

    When I was a kid, we didn’t have a lot of money, on our best months we lived pay check to pay check. I vividly remember standing in line at a Stater Brothers Market as my mother rapidly added the groceries in her head, factoring in coupons, putting back items and trying to feed ten mouths for the month with a thin envelope of cash. I remember thinking I would be rich if I could go to the grocery store and buy anything I wanted.

    As I got older I though this was funny, how small my definition of rich was. But why not? Why is rich defined by excess, yachts and handbags that cost 10 grand? I’m going back to my 10 year old definition. We are rich. We have a refidgerator full of groceries, warm beds, we can turn on the heat and air on a whim, and our kids have several pairs of shoes. In many, many, parts of the world, that is rich. Who cares about billon dollar Hampton Hideaways, Rolls Royce and Hermes bags, we have well fed families!

    So, in honor of our new found wealth, I have decided to start a Cheap Eats category as a way to expand the limited resource that is our grocery dollars. I’m in the process of making the switch from Director at my previous company, to freelance stay at home mom and I’ve had to adjust the budget, but I still want to eat great food. I don’t want to add two jars and some meat to a crock pot, I want to eat well, but I want it well priced.

    Cheap Eats will be food that’ll be fancy enough for company, cheap enough for a budget, and include real-life ingredients with minimally processed foods. I hope you love these Rich People Dishes as much as I do, and never forget to be grateful for all that we have. Check us out, we 're rich!

    Cheap Eats: Roast Chicken, Potatoes, Green Beans feed 4 for $10 (with leftovers!)

     

    Roasted Chicken, Green Beans and Potatoes Feeds 4 for $10

    Ingredients

    For The Chicken:

    • 1 4.5 lb whole chicken
    • 3 tbs softened butter
    • 1 lemon, juiced
    • 1 tsp pepper
    • 1 tsp salt

    For The Potatoes:

    • 1 lbs red potatoes (cut into quarters)
    • 2 tbs olive oil
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp pepper

    For The Green Beans:

    • 1 lb Green Beans, trimmed and cut in half
    • 1 tbs oil
    • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
    • ½ tsp pepper

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 425.
    2. In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper.
    3. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry.
    4. Rub the chicken all over with the butter (under the skin as well as over).
    5. Place chicken in a roasting rack inside a roasting pan.
    6. Roast in a 425 oven for about 1 ½ or until the internal temperature reaches 165.
    7. About 10 minutes before the chicken is finished, start the potatoes.
    8. Add 2 tbs olive oil to cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
    9. Add the potatoes, one of the cut sides down.
    10. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
    11. Push each piece of potato over, toggling it onto its un-browned cut side.
    12. Cook for about one minute, remove from heat.
    13. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from oven and allow to rest.
    14. Transfer the potatoes to the oven, reduce heat to 375, allow to cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.
    15. For the Green beans, heat a skillet over high heat with 1 tbs olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the green beans, toss until starting to blister. Add the balsamic and cook until the balsamic has reduced and the green beans have softened, add the pepper.
    16. Once the chicken has rested (about 10 minutes) transfer to a cutting board and carve.

    Note about the chicken: If you have never roasted a chicken, you should start. It’s fairly easy to buy a whole roasting chicken for about $1 to $2 a pound. They are cheap, healthy and easy. For a step by step on how to roast a chicken, check out my How To Roast A Chicken post.

    Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados

     

    Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados. And the best and easiest tart crust. With a vegan option.

     

    I met a lady at the grocery store yesterday who was 92. She was fabulously healthy and spry, you would never have known she was born in the 1920’s.

    We started to chat about my daughter. After a few minutes she said, "You’re a good woman. I can tell. And you’re a good mom." I wanted to stop and tell her about the Cheerios on the floor of car, and how some days she stays in pajamas until noon and how since I work from home, there are so many times I have to say, "Mommy’s busy," when she wants me to sit on the couch and watch Mickey’s Clubhouse but I haven’t photographed the tart yet and it’s withering.

    Why is it so hard for us to accept a mom-compliments? Why is it so hard to see that we are doing well, see that not being perfect doesn’t mean that you still aren’t doing great?

    When someone tells me that they love my recipes, I’m thrilled. If someone tells me I’m a great mom, I want to protest.

    Maybe we all need to hear it more often. Maybe you need to hear it as much as I do. You and I aren’t that different, but I hope you find a way to believe this, even if I haven’t:

    You’re doing great. Cheerios on the floor means you thought that your kid might want a snack on the way to the park, and cared more about that, than the floor of your SVU.

    Taking a moment to yourself means you give so much all day, you need to recharge so that you can give some more.

    Your kid in pajamas at noon just means you saw that they were having a good time, and didn’t want to interrupt with something as silly as a wardrobe change.

    Putting your kids in front of the TV so you can sit down to talk to your spouse is a great way to show your kids how much you care about that relationship, showing them that their parents love each other.

    When you go to bed at night, reliving the days events and focusing on the failures, remember that your kids aren’t. They remember the park, the macaroni and the bed time story. They think you’re doing great, and so do I.

    Mexican Galette

    Ingredients

    For The Crust:

    • 2 cups flour
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) of butter (for vegan use shortening)
    • 1/3 cup ice cold water
    • 1 tbs melted butter (for vegan substitute with water or Earth Balance)

    For the Filling:

    • 1/4 cup tomato paste
    • 2 tsp minced chipotle pepper
    • 2 tbs oil
    • 2 tbs warm water
    • 1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
    • 2 jalapeno, sliced, stem and seeds removed
    • 1 roasted red pepper, sliced
    • ½ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
    • ¼ cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)
    • 1 large avocado, diced
    • ¼ cup Mexican Crema (can substitute sour cream) (for vegan use cashew cream)
    • ½ cup cilantro

    Instructions

    1. In a food processor add 1 1/3 cup flour, salt, sugar and butter, process until well combined. Add the remaining flour and process again until combined.
    2. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the water until just combined (don’t add the water while the dough is in the food processor or your dough will be brittle and cracker-like).
    3. The dough should be soft. Form dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Can be made three days ahead of time.
    4. Preheat oven to 375
    5. In a small bowl, add the tomato paste, chipotle, water and oil, stir until combined.
    6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16 inch rustic circle. Transfer dough to a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
    7. Spread the center with the tomato chipotle mixture, leaving about 2 inches of the edges bare.
    8. Add the roasted red pepper, jalapenos, black beans, and corn. Fold the edges up over the filling, leaving a portion of the center still exposed. Brush the edges with melted butter.
    9. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
    10. Remove from the oven, top with avocado, crema and cilantro.

    Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados. And the best and easiest tart crust. With a vegan option.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    I would venture a guess, that of all the industries in the world, the best people gravitate towards the world of craft beer. These are guys who are more than willing to take a pay cut to make sure the beer they make for you has the best ingredients. These are people who gladly work around the clock, if that’s what will make a better product. Craft brewers never start their journey with, "You know how I can get rich…" the conversation starts with, "I want to make some good beer, and I want to share it with people."

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce (Hanger 24 Brewery)

    Craft beer people want to do well by you, by their beer, and by their community. Most often, thoughts of their own prosperity rates a distant third. No one embodies this more than those guys at Hangar 24. This is a newer brewery out of Redlands, California, about an hours drive east of Los Angeles. Hangar 24 isn’t even 5 years old, and is producing beer that has a bit of an old soul quality. It’s not a brewery that plays lemming to the craft beer trends, or seeks to out beer-snob other breweries, these are brewers that just want to make great beer. Beer that stand the test of time and showcases the local ingredients.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce (Hangar 24 Brewery)

    I was a guest on the Beerisode of the Table Set last week, the podcast beginning with a beer field trip to Hanger, complete with a tour and a tasting. Although I got rather excited about the bourbon barrel aged stout that is currently in the works for release in the fall, the beer I was able to work with today was the Amarillo Pale Ale. This is a great example of a pale ale, hop forward, but still very well-balanced and the Amarillo hops making a star appearance. Hangar 24 is brilliantly expanding, in a responsible and thoughtful way, making it easier for more and more people to enjoy these fantastic beer. If you find yourself somewhere west of Palm Springs, but still east of Los Angles, stop in for a pint, you won’t regret it.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce (Hangar 24 brewery)

    After indulging in a sampling of every beer Hangar 24 has to offer, I went back to the Table Set Studios, and I got to give my two cents on their beer episode. If you get a chance, the podcast is free, give it a listen, we had a great time.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tbs butter
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup pale ale
    • 1 cup cream
    • 1 tbs lemon juice
    • ½ cup parmesan
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • ½ salt
    • pinch cayenne
    • ½ cup English peas
    • 3 cups Orecchiette Pasta
    • 1 cup water

    Instructions
     

    • In a pot over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
    • Add the beer, cream and lemon juice; reduce heat to maintain a simmer. About a tablespoon at a time, add the Parmesan, stirring until melted before adding more.
    • Add the dry pasta, water and peas, simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

    Notes

    To make this recipe using fresh, not dried, pasta, omit the water.

    Orecchiette Pasta with Pale Ale Parmesan Cream Sauce

    Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta

    Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta

    Have I told you yet that I finished my book this week?

    Well, mostly finished. There are still  a few more stages, a back and forth that is still yet to be had, but I sent the manuscript with 65 photos to my publisher. I’m still dealing with momentary panics, the nightmares of ingredients left out of instructions and egregious spellings errors (I do that, a lot), but I am happily back to cooking more "normal" food.

    I also made this pasta again. I love the ritual of homemade pasta and even though I own Kitchen Aid pasta rollers, I still like the no-roller method.  I like getting my hands covered in raw dough, my shoulders aching with the repetition of dragging my bench knife across the counter, turning a dime size slice of dough into a little canoe shaped sauce vessel. I even like that it takes me all day, working in fifteen minute spurts, to get enough for dinner.

    The pesto, in complete contrast, takes about 15 minutes. You can keep it just pesto, store it in the fridge, it keeps pretty well, or you can cook it up with some cream and smother your pasta with it. I’m not sure how long it lasts, because in my kitchen it didn’t even make it through the day.

    There is a good chance I’ll make it again really soon. And this pasta, too.

    Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta4

    Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups roughly chopped black Kale, packed
    • 1 large cloves garlic, chopped or smashed
    • ¼ cup parmesan, shaved or shredded
    • ¼ cup hazelnuts
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 2 tsp lemon juice
    • 4 servings of pasta, cooked (recommended: cavatelli, orecchiette, fusilli)
    • 1/3 cup heavy cream
    • 1 large heirloom tomato, chopped
    • salt & pepper

    Yield: 4 servings

    Instructions

    1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Add the kale to boiling water, cook for about 3 minutes. Remove kale from boiling water and immediately plunge the kale into the ice water (This is called blanching, it stops the cooking process and blanching will make kale less bitter).
    2. Lay the kale on a stack of papper towels to dry. It does not have to be completely dry.
    3. Add kale, garlic, parmesan, hazelnuts, and black pepper, to a food processor, process until well combined.
    4. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil and the lemon juice. Process until well combined.
    5. In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the pesto and cream. Cook until warmed, and just starting to bubble. Toss with pasta and tomatoes just prior to serving. Salt and pepper to taste.

     

    Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta2

    Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons

     Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons (no food dye)

    I promise you that this is the last St. Patricks day post. Until next year when I will further assault you with recipes for celebrating my love 'o the Irish, and forcing you to read more stories of my visit to Dublin.

    Until then, here is a Green Beer cheese soup that contains not a drop of food dye, relying on the natural pigment of broccoli to get the job done. Although I don’t know who’s to blame for fouling up beer with green dye, I can’t imagine the Irish, with their deliciously dark stouts, are to blame. I’d wager the fault goes to America. No matter how you choose to celebrate, green beer-food just feels festive. I just wish I had some shamrock shaped soup bowls for the occasion.

    Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons (no food dye)

    To up the Irish in this dish, I used Kerrygold Dubliner cheese. I’ve been using Kerrygold for years, and not just because I have a soft spot for Ireland. Kerrygold uses natural, sustainable methods, uses co-op farmers, grass-fed cows, and zero artificial colors or flavors (not sponsored post, I swear!). While at a pub in Dublin, I met the son of a sheep farmer.

     Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons (no food dye)

    We talked for hours about farming (I also grew up on a farm) and even when he wanted to change the subject to his love of Eddie Murphy, I kept steering the conversation back to farming in Ireland. Irish farmers are unlike any farmers I’ve ever met. Because the herds are always small, due to land limitations, the relationships between farmers and animals is unusually devoted and affectionate. Although Kerrygold is readily available at most grocery stores, it has a small farm feel to it.

    Even if you do end up throwing in some green food dye to up the color, I hope you love this soup as much as I do, and raise your pint to Ireland.


    Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons (no food dye)

    Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons

    Ingredients
      

    For The Soup

    • 3 cups broccoli florets chopped
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • ½ large sweet onion finely diced
    • 1 large carrot peeled and diced
    • 2 ribs celery chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 2 cups wheat beer or pale ale
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 7 ounces Dubliner cheese grated (or sharp white cheddar)
    • 8 ounces gouda grated
    • 1 cup vegetable broth
    • 1/3 cup heavy cream
    • salt and pepper to taste

    For the Croutons:

    • 1 French baguette cut into cubes
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 2 tablespoons pesto

    Instructions
     

    • In a large pot of lightly salted water, cook the broccoli until very soft, drain and set aside.
    • In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 4 tbs butter. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until the carrots are very soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for about 30 seconds, remove from heat.
    • In a large food processor or blender, add 1 cup beer, cornstarch, both kids of cheese and as well as the carrot and celery mixture, process until very smooth, about 5 to 8 minutes. Return mixture to the pot along with the remaining beer.
    • In the same food processor (no need to clean between jobs) add the broccoli and the broth, process until very smooth. Add pureed broccoli, as well as the cream, to the soup.
    • Bring the soup to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until warmed and slightly thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.
    • In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbs butter. Add the bread cubes and toss until browned. Remove from heat and immediately add in the pesto, toss to coat.
    • Serve the soup topped with croutons.

    *This is not a sponsored post. I actually feel this way. 

    Beer Brined Corned Beef Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

     Beer Brined Corned Beer Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw 

    Conred Beef Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw3

    I just turned my completed book into my publisher.

    One hundred recipes, along with sixty-five photos, are now out of my hands. You’d think I’d be relieved, so did I, but I’m worried. I just let go of the summation of 90 percent of my waking hours from the past 4 months. It’s in someone else’s care, and that scares the crap out of me.

    I have these momentary panics:

    Did I make the pavlovas enough, do the directions make sense?

    I say jackass in the book, will people hate that?! 

    Was I clear about how grateful I am for this, or will I come off as smug?!

    I even worry about whether or not you’ll like it, as if I’m just an insecure school girl. I thought I would be relieved and elated, but I’m more anxious than I’ve been during this entire process. I want people to love it, to leave me glowing reviews on Amazon and tell their friends about how much they love it. I hope that happens, but for now, I’m still losing sleep.

    For the time being, I have a St. Patricks Day recipe for you. I posted my veggie lovers St Patricks Day offering last week, but this one is about that corned beef we all associate with that Irish Holiday.

    So if you will, drink a pint and say an Irish prayer for me and my forthcoming book.

    Conred Beef Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

    Beer Brined Corned Beef Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

    Ingredients
      

    Corned Beef

    • 3.5 lb beef brisket
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 1 cup kosher salt
    • 3 tablespoons curing salt this will make the meat pink
    • 3 tbs whole allspice berries
    • 1 tbs whole cloves
    • 1 tbs ground ginger
    • 2 tbs mustard seeds
    • 2 tbs whole peppercorns
    • 1 yellow onion quartered
    • 2 cups water
    • 3 12 ounces bottles of stout
    • 8 cups ice

    Pickled slaw:

    • 2 cup red cabbage shredded
    • 2 cup savoy cabbage shredded
    • ½ red onion thinly sliced
    • 1/3 cup lemon juice
    • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tbs kosher salt
    • 3 tbsp sugar
    • ¼ tsp groung ginger
    • 2 tbs whole dried allspice berries
    • 2 tsp whole cloves
    • 2 tsp black peppercorns
    • _
    • 12 soft potato dinner rolls split to resemble hamburger buns

    Instructions
     

    • In a large pot or Dutch oven, add brown sugar, 3 tbs curing salt, 1 cup kosher salt, 3 tbs allspice berries, 1 tbs cloves, ginger, mustard seeds, 2 tbs peppercorns, along with 2 cups of water.
    • Cook on high just until the salt and sugar dissolve, remove from heat. Add 2 bottles of stout (reserve the last bottle for cooking) and 8 cups of ice, stir until ice has melted and brine is cool.
    • Add the brisket, cover with lid and refrigerate for 3 days and up to 10.
    • Remove from brine and rinse well. Discard the brine and clean the Dutch oven well.
    • Place the brisket back in the cleaned pot, along with the onion, pour the remaining bottle of stout and then cover with cold water until the brisket is fully cover with one to two inches of water above the beef.
    • Bring to a low boil, cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 3 hours or until the meat if fork tender. Move to a carving board, thinly slice against the grain.
    • While the brisket cooks, make the pickled slaw. In a sauce pan over medium heat, add the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, sugar, ginger, allspice, cloves and peppercorns in a pot. Bring to simmer just until the salt and sugar dissolve, remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, add the cabbage and onion. Pour the cooled pickling liquid over the cabbage and onion, refrigerate for one hour.
    • Slightly warm the buns, fill with corned beef and slaw before serving.

    Mushroom, Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie

    A bunch of years ago I was in Dublin, Ireland for the St. Patricks day celebrations. I had flown over from LA, with only two nights booked at the Brewery Hostel at the base of the Guinness brewery.  The night of the festival I was without a room, all at once ecstatic to be in Dublin for the Merriment and panicked to be without a place to stay.

    Mushroom Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie4

    I had three options.

    1. Through a friend of a friend twice removed, I was connected with an Irish man willing to take me in for the night.

    2. I had met some lovely Australians who were working on renovating a flat in town, but it was completely empty of any furniture and the electricity and water were both shut off, but it was walls and a roof.

    3. Wander the streets for the evening, falling in and out of pubs, until I pass out on the street with some of the more rowdy locals.

    Mushroom Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie5

    I hesitantly opted for option one. If you have ever been a young girl with a backpack and a guidebook in a foreign city, I don’t need to underscore the concerns I had with this set up. Lucky for me, this man was Irish to the core: friendly, hospitable and a perfect gentleman.

    I spent most of the evening running around Dublin, from pub to pub, drinking the local beer (Guinness), probably offending the bartenders by tipping them (not a custom in Ireland, "Would you tip your doctor?!") and watching the locals swell with patriotic pride as fireworks burst over the River Liffey in the heart of Dublin.

    All of this, the people who welcomed me in, the beer that warmed my soul, and the celebration that swirled around me, will always give me a deep love for Ireland and Her people.

    Kiss the Irish, they deserve it.

    Mushroom Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie

    Mushroom, Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tbs olive oil plus additional as needed
    • 4 large carrots chopped
    • 2 large leek chopped (white and very light green potion only)
    • 2 celery stalks chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 ½ lb assorted mushrooms i.e. portobello, crimini, shiitake
    • 1 cup peas
    • 1 cup broth vegetable or beef
    • 12 ounces stout
    • ¼ cup AP flour
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 3 ounces goat cheese
    • 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
    • 2 tbs melted butter

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 375.
    • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the carrots, leeks and celery, sauté until the carrots start to soften.
    • Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and darkened, about 5 minutes (add additional olive oil if the pan starts to dry).
    • Add the peas, broth and stout. Bring to a simmer. Sprinkle with flour, stir to combine. Stir in the oregano, pepper and salt. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes, remove from heat.
    • Divide evenly between 6 oven safe (12 to 14 ounce) serving bowls, sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.
    • Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, cut into 6 equal squares.
    • Top each bowl with one square, press into shape.
    • Brush with melted butter, slice 3 to 4 small slits in the top of each bowl.
    • Bake at 375 until puff pastry is golden brown.

     

    Mushroom Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie2

     

    Caprese Soup

     

    Caprese-Soup

     

    Did I ever tell you about the time I though I’d invented Caprese salad? I threw myself into cooking in college, and although I wasn’t really all that great at it, I was the only one who was doing it, so people ate it.

    I made an apple pie that I forgot to put sugar in that came out a bit savory, but the guy across the hall still polished it off. And then there was the cheesecake that I massively overcooked because I thought "a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean" turns out, that isn’t the case with cheesecakes. But I wanted to learn to cook, and without growing up in a cooking environment, I just had to get in the kitchen and work it out.

    When I discovered the "cheese balls in water in those tubs" it was quite a culinary revelation for me. I’d never seen anything like it, and although it cost about an hours wage at time, it was completely worth it. I cut it up, added tomatoes, basil and some balsamic and though I was a genius. A few months later, after 3 part time jobs along with a full load of college classes, I’d save enough money for a plane ticket to Europe. I ended up in Italy, and realized that the Italians had discovered those same magical mix of ingredients centuries before I did.

    Even though I had to concede the recipes origin to Italy, it’s still one of my favorite flavor combinations. I just can’t believe that someone who loves soup and caprese as much as I do took this long to mix the two together.

    Caprese Soup 3

    Caprese Soup

    Ingredients

    • 4 lbs tomatoes, quartered (4 to 6 large heirloom or beefsteak)
    • 2 tbs olive oil
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • ¼ cup white wine
    • ½ tsp minced fresh rosemary
    • 1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable broth) plus additional as desired
    • 2 tbs tomato paste
    • ¼ cup heavy cream
    • ¼ cup balsamic glaze
    • 10 ounces burrata cheese or soft whole milk mozzarella
    • 8 leaves basil, chopped

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatoes, cut side down, on a baking sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil.
    2. Roast at 400 for 20 minutes or until the skin starts to shrivel. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly. The skins should easily peel away. Pull skins off tomatoes, discard skins.
    3. While the tomatoes cook, start the soup. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
    4. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Stir in the white wine.
    5. Add the rosemary, stock, tomato paste, and skinned tomatoes. Allow to simmer until reduced, slightly thickened, and the tomatoes have broken down, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
      Using an immersion blender, puree until very smooth. Soup will be thick, add additional stock to thin as desired.
    6. Stir in cream over low heat for about 2 minutes.
    7. Pour into bowls, top with cheese, drizzle with glaze and sprinkle with basil.
      Notes

    You can either make balsamic glaze by reducing 2 cups balsamic and 2 tbs of white sugar or honey until thick and syrupy, or you can purchase it in most grocery stores near the balsamic vinegar.

    Caprese Soup 7

     

     

    Stout French Dip

    Stout French Dip

    When you write, reading isn’t important, it’s essential. Unfortunately, my days are packed too full and reading has become a rare luxury. All due in no small part to the fact that I’m not only writing a cookbook (due to my publisher at the beginning of next month) I’ve also started writing for a print magazine as well as two other websites. Once I can, at least, check "cookbook" off my to-do list, I can get back to being a normal human and indulging in reading, and sleep, and all those sorts of activities that I’m currently ignoring.

    I’m making a list, I thought I’d share. About a month ago, I posted on The Beeroness Facebook page asking for suggestions for beer books. Since you all are so amazing, the list has been growing.

    Beer & Food:

    1. The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food, Garrett Oliver
    2. Beer, Food, and Flavor: A Guide to Tasting, Pairing, and the Culture of Craft Beer, Schuyler Schultz
    3. The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance, Randy Clemens & Steve Wagner & Greg Koch
    4. The Oxford Companion to Beer, Garrett Oliver

    Beer Non-fiction:

    1. America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies, Christine Sismondo
    2. Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, Judith M. Bennett
    3. Boozehound: On the Trail of the Rare, the Obscure, and the Overrated in Spirits, Jason Wilson (beer & liquor)
    4. The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World, Stephen Mansfield
    5. Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America’s Kings of Beer,  William Knoedelseder

    For The Homebrewer:

    1. The Naked Brewer: Fearless Homebrewing Tips, Tricks & Rule-breaking Recipes, Christina Perozzi & Hallie Beaune
    2. For The Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops, Stan Hieronymus
    3. Brew Like a Monk: Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales, Stan Hieronymus
    4. IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale, Mitch Steele

    Stout French Dip3

    Stout French Dip

    Servings 4 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tbs brown sugar
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ¼ tsp cayenne
    • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
    • 3 lb chuck roast
    • 2 tbs olive oil
    • 12 ounces porter or stout
    • 3 cups beef stock
    • 4 French sandwich rolls

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 325.
    • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, black pepper, salt, cayenne, and smoked paprika.
    • Pat the roast dry. Rub with spice mixture.
    • Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven, or other large oven safe pot, until hot but not smoking. Add the roast, sear on all sides. Pour beer and broth over the meat. Cover and roast in oven at 325 for 3 hours or until very tender. Move meat to a cutting board.
    • Place Dutch oven back on the stove. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
    • Shred meat using two forks. Split rolls, fill with meat. Spoon a bit of sauce over the meat. Serve remaining broth in bowls with sandwiches for dipping.

    Stout French Dip5

    Beer and Butter Poached Lobster with Saison Risotto

    Lets Get romantic, shall we?

    Last year, my Valentines day post earned my quite a bit of hate mail. But, I suppose when you label your post "How Blow Jobs and Shoe Shopping Are Alike," That’s bound to happen.

    But the post wasn’t about blow jobs, or shoe shopping, and the hate mail was largely from single women who had never been in a successful long term relationships, and exclusively from people who didn’t read the entire thing.

    The post is about figuring out what your partner needs to feel important and giving it to them gladly and frequently. Because although the "Golden Rule" is Treat Others How You Would Like To Be Treated, I think that might be what’s wrong with most relationships.

    Because, really, treating someone how YOU would like to be treated is pretty self-involved and arrogant. How about Treat Others How THEY Would Like To Be Treated and maybe we would have a higher marriage success rate as a nation. Because although you might think you’ve done everything you can for your partner, maybe the problem is that you’re asking, "What else can I do?" rather than, "What do they need?"

    Can you tell I have a Masters in Psychology? I would have made a terrible therapist, but I make a killer risotto.

    So here it is, with some beer and butter poached lobster.

    Beer and Butter Poached Lobster with Saison Risotto

    For this recipe I used Saison Rue from The Bruery.

    Beer and Butter Poached Lobster with Saison Risotto

    Servings 2 servings

    Ingredients
      

    For the Risotto

    • 2 ½ cups chicken broth
    • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
    • 1 tbs chopped shallots
    • 2 cloves of garlic minced
    • ¾ cups arborio rice
    • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
    • ½ cup Saison Beer plus 2 tbs, divided
    • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 2 tbs heavy cream
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • 2 tbs chopped chives

    For The Lobster:

    • 2 ½ cups unsalted butter
    • 12 ounces 1 1/2 cups Saison beer
    • 2 fresh lobster tails

    Instructions
     

    • Place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a mild simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
    • In a separate pot, add the butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell them, about 20 seconds
    • Stir in the rice, (if pan is dry, add the oil) cooking until the rice is completely coated with butter and it smells slightly nutty, don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
    • Add ½ cup of the beer and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 6 minutes.
    • Add about ½ cup of broth into the rice. Stir frequently until the rice is almost dry, and then add another ½ cup and repeat. This process should take about 20 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the rice on the bottom of the pan burns easily. (if you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth)
    • Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the rice is cooked and not crunchy), turn heat to low and add the cheese, cream, remaining 2 tbs beer and salt and pepper to taste. Risotto should be soft and wet, not dry like typical rice. It should be firm enough to be served as a side on a plate, but soft enough to jiggle when the plate is shaken.
    • While the risotto is cooking, start working on the lobster. Using a sharp pair of kitchen sheers, cut a straight line down the tail shell, carefully remove the tail meat in one piece.
    • In a small sauce pan (if the pan is too big, the lobster will not be covered by the butter and beer), melt the butter. Don’t allow to brown or simmer.
    • Add the beer and clip a cooking thermometer on the side of pan, making sure to maintain a temperature between 160 and 180 degrees. Do not boil or even simmer the poaching liquid.
    • Once the poaching liquid has reached the proper temperature, add the tails. Cook until the tails have turned red and the meat is just opaque, about 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t overcook or tails will be rubbery.
    • Divide the risotto between two plates, sprinkle with chives.
    • Top with lobster tails, serve immediately.

    Slow Cooker Stout Red Beans and Rice

     

    Slow Cooker Stout Red Beans and Rice2

    Can we still be friends if I tell you that I don’t really like slow cookers? I resisted getting one for years, and then, like the culinary lemming that I can often be, I caved and asked for one for Christmas.

    As I kid, I hated them. I saw it only as that thing that ruined spare ribs that should rightfully be cooked on the grill.  And now, all I see is how much people lose their minds over how great these slow cooking machines are. So far, I’m not impressed. Of the "dump and cook" recipes I’ve tried, the flavors just end up muddy and I’m left feeling completely left out of the cooking process like I wasn’t invited to the party.

    That’s why this recipe calls for two parts, slow cooking the beans and then finishing the dish with a conventional cooking to add more layers of flavor.

    Slow cooking the beans is really the best way to go, wether it be on your stove top, or in one of these slow cooking machines I have yet to fall in love with. Much better final result than with canned beans, and I’ll admit, the slow cooker does a great job of babysitting during the long process so you can go about your life.

    If you have a fantastic slow cooker recipe, PLEASE let me know. I’d love to be let in on the secret to this that I’m clearly missing out on. Leave it in the comment section (a link is fine, if you’ve got one), because maybe there’s hope for me and this slow cooker after all.

     

     

    Slow Cooker Stout Red Beans and Rice

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb small red beans or red kidney beans dry
    • 24 ounces stout or porter
    • 4 cups chicken broth
    • 1 hickory smoked ham hock
    • 1 red onion chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 tsp sriracha
    • 1 tbs olive oil
    • 1 lb raw chicken bratwurst sliced
    • 1 green pepper chopped
    • 4 strips bacon sliced
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • Cooked rice for serving.

    Instructions
     

    • Add red beans, porter, chicken broth, ham hock, onion, garlic and sriracha to a slow cooker. Cook on low for eight hours.
    • Once the beans are finished cooking, heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Cook the brats, green peppers and bacon until meat has been cooked through. Stir the brats, bacon and peppers with the beans, salt and pepper to taste. serve over rice.

     Slow Cooker Stout Red Beans and Rice

    Beer and Buttermilk Fried Chicken

     

    Beer and Buttermilk Fried ChickenP

     I’ve been wanting to make you some beer fried chicken for a while now, but it’s a bit intimidating.

    The best fried chicken comes from the south, it’s a fact of sorts. As is the fact that, other than a few weeks in Atlanta, I haven’t spent much time in the Southern states. And, let’s be honest, a white girl from Washington State isn’t exactly your go-to when you want the worlds best fried chicken.

    But I have some confidence in this recipes because it isn’t really mine. I’ve added a few things, but the heart and soul of it belongs to a woman who’s chicken was so incredible, Ruth Reichl spent weeks, and copious amounts of beer, extracting the recipe from her. Even 40 years after plying Claritha with enough beer to obtain said recpe, Ruth not only remembers it, she writes about it in Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table.

    Like any great recipe, it travels. How I hope my recipes become your recipes. My Chocolate Stout Cake becomes your Chocolate Stout Cake, the one your boyfriend begs you to make him for his birthday and tells his friends, "My girl makes the best cake." Because once your hands have cut the butter, stirred the batter and frosted the cake, it’s not my recipe any more, it’s yours. As it should be.

    So, from Claritha, to Ruth to Random House to me and finally to you, is the best fried chicken I’ve ever made. I hope it becomes your fried chicken too.

    Beer and Buttermilk Fried Chicken2

    Beer and Buttermilk Fried Chicken

    Adapted from Claritha's Fried Chicken, Ruth Reichl, Tender at the Bone

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 lbs chicken drumsticks
    • 1 to 2 cups kosher salt
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 2 cups blonde ale
    • 1 onion sliced
    • 1 cup flour
    • 2 tsp kosher salt
    • 1/2 tsp cayenne
    • 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
    • 2 tsp packed dark brown sugar
    • 1 cup vegetable shortening
    • 1/4 cup butter

    Yield: 4servings

      Instructions
       

      • Place chicken in a wide bowl. Cover with salt, place uncovered in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove chicken from the bowl.
      • Rinse the chicken well and clean the bowl to remove all the salt. Add buttermilk, beer and onion slices to the bowl, stir to combine. Add the chicken back in the bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight, 8 to 20 hours.
      • Add the flour, salt, cayenne, brown sugar, and pepper to a bag, shake to combine. Drain the chicken. add chicken to the bag, shake until the chicken is well coated. Place chicken on wax paper or parchment paper. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour.
      • In a large skillet melt the vegetable shortening and butter over high heat. Add chicken (working in batches if necessary), cover and lower heat to just above medium. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, turn and cook on the opposite side for about 8 additional minutes or until cooked through.

      Beer and Buttermilk Fried Chicken3

       

      Vegan Chipotle Stout Chili with IPA Cashew Cream

       

      Vegan Chipotle Stout Chili With Cashew Cream

       

      If you’re new to the Craft Beer scene, it might surprise you how many vegetarian and vegans there are here.

      While I am a meat eater (clearly, I put bacon in desserts), I did spend three years as a vegetarian. Mostly, this was a response to growing up on a farm and getting up close and personal to the butchering process as well as the jarring realization of knowing the first name of my dinner. It did, however, give me a profound respect for the food I eat and the farms that share that respect.

      I still eat vegan quite often, and there are some dishes, like lasagna, that I just think are just better in vegetarian form.

      My true and honest feeling about vegan cooking is that regardless of what your typical diet is if you can’t cook a vegan meal that you love, you just aren’t that good of a cook. Produce is amazing, you get to use all the grains, seeds and nuts that you want and by the way, for the most part beer is vegan.

      I first heard about Cashew Cream from this guy, and the idea was intriguing, given that I would have a much easier time giving up meat than sour cream and goat cheese. I like the idea of having a creamy element when I want to go non-dairy. This cashew cream was a really beautiful creamy addition to a vegan chili, when sour cream isn’t an option. I wanted to balance the sweetness so I added some acid and some spices, but feel free to experiment. This would also be a great place to add a little chipotle.

      Vegan Chipotle Stout Chili With Cashew Cream2

       

      Vegan Chipotle Stout Chili with IPA Cashew Cream

      Ingredients
        

      For The Cashew Cream:

      • 2 cups raw cashwes
      • 1 to 1 ½ cups almond milk
      • Additional 1/3 cup almond milk
      • 2 tbs IPA beer
      • ½ tsp onion powder
      • ½ tsp garlic
      • ½ tsp salt
      • ½ tsp pepper
      • 2 tsp white wine vinegar

      For The Chili:

      • 3 tbs olive oil
      • 1 white onion chopped
      • 1 red bell pepper chopped
      • 1 cup crimini mushrooms finley diced
      • 2 cloves garlic minced
      • 12 wt ounces Soyrizo
      • 2 cup stout
      • 2 cups veggie broth
      • ¼ cup tomato paste
      • 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
      • 1 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
      • 1 15 oz can stewed diced tomatoes, with juice
      • 1 or 2 large chipotle peppers in adoboe minced
      • ½ cup quinoa
      • 1/3 cup bulgur wheat
      • 1 tsp cumin
      • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
      • 1 tsp salt
      • 1 tsp garlic powder

      Garnishes:

      • ½ cup Cilantro chopped
      • 1 Avocado sliced
      • Tortilla Chips

      Instructions
       

      • Add the cashews to a bowl, pour almond milk over cashews until covered. Let stand for 4 hours.
      • Drain cashews and add to a food processor with 1/3 cup almond milk, IPA, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and vinegar. Process until smooth, about 5 minutes, possibly longer. Add additional almond milk or beer for a thinner consistency.
      • In a pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil, onions, red peppers and mushrooms. Cook until onions and peppers have softened and the mushrooms have darkened.
      • Add the garlic and the soyrizo, stir, breaking up the soyrizo.
      • Add the stout, broth, tomato paste, black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes and chipotle, allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
      • Add the quinoa, bulgur, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and garlic powder, simmer until the quinoa has cooked, about 15 minutes. The longer chili simmers, the thicker it will be.
      • Plate on top of tortilla chips, if desired, top with cilantro, avocado, and cashew cream.

      Pasta Cavatelli: Homemade Pasta Without A Pasta Roller

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Machine

      I love hearing other peoples Culinary Bucket Lists. It’s always a really interesting mix of classic recipes, mastering techniques, and difficult dishes. I love that, it shows range.

      But seriously people, start crossing some of this stuff off. You can do it. Just jump right in, and do it.

      This is a great recipe for everyone that has "Make Pasta From Scratch" on your list because you don’t need any fancy equiptment. Just some flour, water and a knife.

      You’ve go this.

      I’m going to be honest with you, this is a bit labor intensive. But you can finally draw that satisfying line though the item that’s been taunting you on your bucket list for years. You can finally say things like, "This one time, while I was making pasta from scratch…" and "Well, when I make my pasta…"

      It’ll be fun.

      Homemade Cavatelli Pasta

      2 cups All Purpose flour

      1 cup Semolina flour

      ½ tsp salt

      1 cup warm water

       

      1. Add both kinds of flour and salt to a flat surface, mix to combine.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller

      2. Make a well in the middle and add the water.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller2

      3. Stir the liquid and the flour together until combined. Then knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller3

      4. Cut into 4 pieces, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller4

      5. One at at time, take a piece of dough and form into a long log about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller5 How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller6

      6. Cut off about 1/4 inch slice and place in front of you. It should be about the size of a dime.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller7

       

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller8

      7. Place a bench knife (I use this one, I love it), or the dull side of a butter knife, on the far side of the dough circle, pull towards you smearing the dough against the counter. The dough should curl up over the knife.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller9

      8. It should look like a little canoe.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller10

      10. Place on a baking sheet that has been lightly dusted with flour until ready to use. Basically, if you mound them on top of each other, they’ll stick.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller11

      11. Cook immediately in lightly salted water until al dente or allow to dry and store in an air tight container.

      How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller12

       

       

      Look at you, you homemade pasta maker.

      I’m so impressed with your mad skills.

       

       

      Beer Cornbread Topped Chicken Pot Pie

      Happy 2013.

      Anyone broken their New Years Resolutions yet?

      I love resolutions, I just don’t make those "I’m going to remove things I love from my life" kind.

      I make resolutions that are more inline with goals. As in:

      -I’m going to take a homemade pasta class

      -I’m going to read more food lit

      -I’m going to explore vegan cooking, because produce is amazing

      Someday I’ll set the "I’m going to start homebrewing this year" resolution, but I’m not there yet.

      Beer Cornbread Topped Chicken Pot Pie2

      It’s possible that were you live, it’s actually cold right now. And maybe you set a resolution about cooking more often, if that’s the case, I have the perfect thing for you.

      Chicken pot pie, with cornbread build right in. Oh, and some beer.

      Beer Cornbread Topped Chicken Pot Pie

      Ingredients
        

      Filling:

      • 4 ears of corn
      • 2 tbs butter plus 2 tbs, divided
      • 1 large shallot chopped
      • 2 large carrot peeled and sliced into rings
      • 1 cup peas
      • 2 ribs of celery chopped
      • 2 tbs oil
      • 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs chopped into bite sized pieces
      • 3 tbs flour
      • 3 cups chicken broth
      • 4 sage leaves minced (about ½ tsp)
      • ½ tsp salt
      • ½ tsp pepper
      • 1/3 more, plus more chicken

      Cornbread top:

      • 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
      • 3/4 cup flour
      • 1 tbs baking powder
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • ½ cup beer pilsner or low to medium hopped pale ale
      • 1 large egg
      • 3 tbs melted butter

      Yield: 6 servings

        Instructions
         

        • Preheat oven to 400.
        • Cut the corn off the ears, set aside.
        • In a large pot, melt 2 tbs butter. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, peas, and celery, cook until the vegetables have soften about an additional 5 minutes. Remove from pot, set aside.
        • Heat the olive oil. Add the chicken, cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes, remove chicken from pot.
        • Add remaining 2 tbs butter, heat until melted. Spinkle flour on top, whisk until well combined. Add the chicken broth and bring to a low simmer. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pot along with the corn, allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
        • Place 6 individual, oven safe bowls (about 1 ½ cup sized) on a baking sheet. Pour chicken soup into bowls until about 2/3 full.
        • Ina large bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and stir until combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the beer, egg and melted butter. Stir until just combined.
        • Top the bowls with cornbread mixture (it’s OK if the batter sinks, it’ll rise during baking).
        • Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown.

         

         Beer Cornbread Topped Chicken Pot Pie3