Entree

Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

24.07.2015 5 Comments

It’s a hectic Wednesday morning and I’m trying to get it all straight in my head. I have emails to answer, deliverables to finishes, calls to make. It makes me want to shut down. I’m not organized, that side of this slightly insane job that I’ve chosen for myself makes me want to crawl under a pile of coats, shut my eyes and pretend like it doesn’t exist. So I do what I do when I’m stressed out, I bake. Fortunately for my skinny jeans, I’m not a stress eater, I’m just a stress baker. I just want to make it, the process calms me down. It’s a small win for me when other things in my life have weighted me down, this tips the boat back upright, even if just for a few minutes.

Chicken and biscuits do it every time. Nothing soothes like an emotional salve the way the comfort food miracle cure of fried chicken does. Of course biscuits have been my go-to for years, just about 8 minutes and the smell of homemade biscuits starts to solve minor emotional problems. You can keep the lavender bath salts and the vanilla scented candles, I’ll take the smell of fried chicken, hot biscuits and a hoppy beer. Someone needs to make bath salts that smell like that. It’s way better than pumpkin spice.

Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

Print Recipe

Servings 8 biscuits

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
8 tbs unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup wheat beer
2 tbs melted butter
¼ tsp course sea salt

For the chicken

1 cup pale ale
2 cups whole milk
1 tbs hot pepper sauce I used Chipotle Tabasco
1 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into 2 inch strips
2 cups flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
Honey optional

Instructions

Make the biscuits:

Preheat oven to 425F.
In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and sugar.
Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin (preferably marble) gently roll into a large rectangle, about 1 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you flakey layers).
Using a biscuit cutter cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
Bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Make the chicken:

Add the pale ale, milk and Tabasco to a bowl. Add the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least one hour and up to over night.
Add 3 to 4 inches of vegetable oil to a pot, clip a deep fry thermometer onto the side, heat oil to 375. Adjust heat to maintain that temperature.
In a medium sized bowl stir together the flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder and salt.
One at a time remove the chicken from the marinade. Add to the flour bowl, tossing to coat, place it back into the milk bowl until covered with milk, then back into the flour bowl until well coated with flour.
Add chicken to a wire rack that has been placed over a baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the chicken pieces. Then add to the fryer. Fryer until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.Return to the wire rack (this will kip it cripsy on all sides, Placing on a paper towel will make the under side soggy. Place in a 175F oven for up to 2 hours to make ahead.)
Split the biscuits adding one chicken per biscuit, drizzle chicken with honey (if desired) before adding top biscuit. .

Pork Ribs with Chipotle Peach Beer Barbecue Sauce

10.07.2015 3 Comments

Maybe it’s because I’m writing this from 30,000 feet above Houston, Texas, en route to South America, that I feel compelled to tell you that American Barbecue has nothing to do with your backyard grill.

Sure there are similarities, the flames, the metal grates, the brave souls with large metal cooking implements poking at the meat from a safe distance. But it’s the difference that makes the biggest impact on your final results.

Barbecue gives us the gorgeous smoky flavors, the fall off the bone meat, the get-your-shirt-messy eating experience because of a cooking method that’s long, slow and low. Grilling is quick, hot and high. Real, true barbecue is a process that takes hours, even days to complete.

The low temperature renders the fat, infusing the meat, injecting it with flavor and giving you that tender fall-apart texture. Your oven can do this slow and low cooking as well, it just takes time.

It’s the best way to cook ribs at home, no other method can compare to the tender texture, caramelized sauce, and flavors that taste as close to true smoky barbecue as you can get in your own house.

It takes time, as true barbecue should. The meat melts off the bone, the sauce is caramelized and just a little sticky. You’ll need plenty of napkins and a couple beers to make this a meal. And it’s worth every second you spent cooking it.

Pork Ribs with Chipotle Peach Beer Barbecue Sauce

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Ingredients

For the sauce:

1 pound fresh yellow peaches
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
¼ cup chopped shallots
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ cup stout beer
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons molasses not blackstrap
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 chipotle chilies chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard

For the ribs:

3 lbs pork ribs
salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450.
Slice the peaches in half, remove the pit. Place cut side down on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Roast until skin starts to pull away from the peach, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, gently peel away and discard skin.
Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium high heat, add the shallots, cooking until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar, beer, honey, molasses, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, chipotles, smoked paprika, and mustard powder, bring to a simmer.
Add the peaches, stirring occasionally, until peaches have broken down, about ten minutes. Remove from heat.
Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (alternately, you can allow the sauce to cool slightly and blend in an upright blender.) Sauce can be made several days in advance.
Lower oven temperature to 250.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the ribs on the baking sheet, sprinkle on all sides with salt.
Brush liberally with sauce on all sides.
Cook for 30 minutes, remove from oven, brush on all sides with sauce and return to oven. Repeat this step for 4 hours, brushing with sauce every 30 minutes, until meat easily pulls away from the bone and sauce has caramelized

Thai Chili Stout Beef Skewers with Chili Ginger Dipping Sauce

01.07.2015 No Comments

Thai Chili Stout Beef Skewers with Chili Ginger Dipping Sauce

There are firsts that we lose quickly, gone into the recesses of our minds. Like pearls from a broken strand scattering across the floor, gliding under furniture and into corners. The firsts that I do remember are never more important than those that I’ve lost, it seems like a roll of the dice what sticks and what slides away.

The first time I had a stout is a stuck memory. I was 21 and it was 8 am. I’d taken a job as a waitress at a mediocre chain brewery in Los Angeles. Part of my orientation was a beer class. At 8 am. On an empty stomach. A few flights of seasonal beers later and I was drunk. Giggly and failing in my attempts to keep that secret to myself.

Next came a flight of darker beers: stouts, porters and brown ales all lined up on a wooden paddle. I was determined just to take a sip of each to avoid drunk turning into sloppy. I was convinced that I didn’t like dark beers, assuming that they were too big and bitter.

The first sip, I was hooked. The beer was creamy, slightly sweet, roasty, and mellow. "What is this?" My attempt at staying quite came out in a loud drunken slur as I shushed by the bar-back-in-training sitting next to me.

"IT’S REALLY GOOD. WHY DIDN’T I KNOW THAT STOUTS WERE GOOD. I’M DRUNK." I have a strange habit of announcing my drunkenness, as if it’ll come as a shock to those around me.

The guys teaching the class had me gently removed, escorted to a couch in the lobby with a pitcher of water. "It’s really good. I like it a lot. Are they all good or just this one?" The brewery assistant that was in charge of handling me looked over his shoulder to make sure we were alone, "Honestly, it’s not that good. It’s fine. It’s adequate. But there are much better stouts out there. You’re just drunk, and you obviously don’t have that much beer experience."

I was both offended and intrigued. If a mediocre stout was that good, what does a good one taste like? Turns out, he was right. My first stout was just OK, memorable but just adequate. The way a lot of firsts are.

I’ve forgotten hundreds of much better stouts since then, lost in my memory. Stouts will always be one of my go-to styles, although I’m much better at handling a few flights at a brewery now. Even if I still announce to the world when I’m drunk.

Thai Chili Stout Beef Skewers with Chili Ginger Dipping Sauce

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 6

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Skewers:

½ cup imperial stout
2 tbs soy sauce
¼ tsp fresh ginger grated with microplane
1 large clove garlic grated with microplane
1 tbs hot chili oil
1 tbs lime juice
1 lbs thin cut beef sliced into 1 inch strips
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp salt

Dipping sauce:

¼ cup soy sauce
1 tbs honey
2 tsp hot chili oil
¼ tsp fresh ginger grated with a microplane
½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the stout, soy sauce, ¼ tsp ginger, garlic, 1 tbs hot chili oil, and lime juice.
Add the beef, cover and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Thread onto metal skewers or pre-soaked wooden skewers.
Salt and pepper on all sides, brush liberally with marinade.
Grill: preheat the grill to medium high. Grill on both sides until cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium.
Oven: preheat the broiler of the oven. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray. Place the skewers on rack, place under the broiler for 6 minutes, turning once half way through.
In a small bowl stir together the remaining soy sauce, honey, chili oil, ginger, and black pepper (can be made a day ahead of time).
Serve skewers with dipping sauce.

*hot chili oil is sold in the Asian section of the grocery store or can be bought online.

Beer Bread Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich with Bacon

22.06.2015 7 Comments

Grilled Cheese & Gratitude

I was standing in the kitchen of a group home, talking to a 15-year-old foster kid when I learned what gratitude really was. (Before I became a full-time food and beer writer, I worked with foster and probation kids in South Central LA, you can read more about that here and here)

He was skinny, his Hanes t-shirt nearly swallowing him up as it hung down past his waist over his dark sweat pants that pooled around the China Town slippers on his feet. "How lucky are we?!" He peels a few slices off the block of government issue cheese, a long, unnaturally orange-colored rectangle housed in a cardboard tube. I was as amused as I was confused.

He could tell I wanted more, "Well, the last place I lived we didn’t ever really have bread. It was always moldy. And the place before that, we NEVER had cheese, that was like, a luxurious thing and all, and then before that the stove aint never worked…" He smeared both sides of the bread with the contents of an oversized tub of margarine, filled the two slices of bread with at least five pieces of cheese, and gently set it in a hot pan that screamed a victorious sizzle in response. "See!" the sound thrilled him, "We got, like…MAD cheese up in here, they don’t even care when I use like a grip of slices. And look at all this butter! This thing HUGE! and we got bread for days!" he claps his hands, thrilled at the bounty that the group home kitchen provided.

I’d read his file at the office before I headed over to meet him. Absent biological father, mother was abusive and her whereabouts are now unknown. He was placed in a state run group home after several reports of abuse by his previous foster parents. I look at him, a genuine smile on his face, and I think about the night before. I’d been in Hollywood, chasing a sullen fashion model around The Grafton, trying to keep her out of trouble. She was the girlfriend of a musician friend of mine, and I was trying to avoid press nightmare if she’d been able to follow through with the crazy that her anger was begging her to perform. I’d pushed her into a alcove by the ice machine and commanded her to talk to me about why she was so upset. Tears streaming down her gorgeous face, onto her three thousand dollar dress, "I can’t go to London with him because I have this stupid print ad to shoot tomorrow. My condo is being renovated so I have to stay at a hotel…And I forgot my Prada jacket! I hate everything…."

I think about this, about the conversation I’d had the night before as I watch him finish up his grilled cheese. I realize that gratitude and happiness have nothing to do with circumstances. You can decide to focus on every great thing in your life, no matter how small, or you can decide to focus on what’s broken. It’s your choice.

Choose wisely.

I used Fort George Omegatex in the filling, and to wash it all down with.

Beer Bread Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich with Bacon

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup sugar
12 ounces beer summer ale, wheat beer, saison, pilsner
¼ cup melted butter
8 wt oz cream cheese
1 cup 2.5 wt oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup IPA beer
½ tsp sriracha
1 tbs cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup softened butter
4 strips bacon cooked

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Add the beer, stir until just combined.
Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour that batter into the pan in an even layer. Pour the melted butter over the loaf.
Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven, allow to cool completely before slicing, chill if necessary.
In a food processor add the cream cheese, cheddar, IPA, sriracha, cornstarch and salt, blend until smooth.
Slice the bread into 8 slices.
Butter one side of each slice.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat.
Working in batches, place one slice of bread, buttered side down in the pan. Spread with about ¼ cup of the cheese mixture, then a slice of bacon, then another slice of bread, buttered side up.
Cook until the bottom bread is slightly browned, then gently flip. Cook on the other side until the bread is golden brown. Serve warm.

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken

17.06.2015 11 Comments

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk

There is a magic in an old recipe. In a method of preparing food with an origin that’s hard to trace. Jerk meat has been a staple in Jamaica for centuries, but follow the history through a labyrinth of poorly kept records and unsettling invasions of outsiders, it’s hard to get a clear view of how it all began.

It doesn’t matter, it hasn’t changed much between the generations of hands that have cooked it. Traditional jerk is cooked over direct flames, not just from coals but also fresh, green wood. Fire is an important component in the dish. The heat, the smoke, the crisp blackened skin. The result is an addictive plate of chicken that’s smokey, sweet, spicy, and juicy.

The idea to add beer isn’t mine, as much as I’d like to claim it. Years ago I read the book, Blood, Bones and Butter, by Gabrielle Hamilton. I’d been to her restaurant in New York, Prune, and became a bit fascinated with her. Just a few lines in one chapter about her favorite jerk recipes, no more explanation than it had 25 ingredients including Scotch bonnet peppers, stout beer, and honey, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I’ve spent years adjusting this recipe trying to get to that perfect balance of flavors. One thing is for sure, the smoke and heat of the grill is a must, it just isn’t the same made in the oven.

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Print Recipe

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 30

Total Time 12 38

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup stout or porter beer coffee or coconut stouts and porters work well
3 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Peppers
6 cloves of garlic peeled
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon chopped scallions green and white parts
¼ teaspoon fresh ginger grated with a microplane
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon Chinese 5 Spice powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon Kosher or Sea salt
3 lbs chicken wings legs, thighs (bone in, skin on)

Instructions

Add all ingredients (except the chicken) to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Add the chicken to a resalable gallon sized plastic bag (use two if necessary), pour the sauce over the chicken. Close the bag, removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate over night and up to two days, turning once or twice during marinating.
Preheat grill to medium high.
Grill the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Move to upper rack of the grill to finish cooking once the exterior is as dark as you prefer it.

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa + DIY Beer Dad Fathers Day Gifts

12.06.2015 6 Comments

Add the chicken thighs to a bowl, sprinkle on all sides with 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with beer, refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. In a small bowl stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, pepper, and garlic powder, set aside. In a medium sized bowl add the mango, onion, cilantro, bell pepper, jalapeno, lemon juice and salt. Remove the chicken from the beer, rinse and pat dry. Rub the chicken on all sides with the lemon pepper mixture. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat (take care not to heat the pan over too high heat, the chicken will burn before it cooks through). Add the chicken to the pan (cooking in batches if necessary), until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Plate the chicken, top with mango salsa.

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

Let’s say that you’re the type of person that has a dad that likes beer.

And let’s also say that you’re the type of person who has procrastinated so much that you don’t yet have a Father’s Day present for said beer drinking dad.

I’m not here to judge you, I’m here to help you. With not only an easy list of beer infused DIY gifts, but also a quick and easy dinner you can pull off after work while making the thoughtful beer laden gift.

Dad’s aren’t quite as sentimental as the rest of us, mostly they just need to be told how great they are, they need some alone time, they need a cold beer and a sporting event. Dad’s also like to be fed. Give him food, tell him he’s good, pet his head. Maybe that’s dogs. Or both. Either way, they need to be fed and watered. I can help you with the feeding part, and these double as thoughtful handmade gifts that are way better than that popsicle stick birdhouses you made him in 4th grade. By the way, he just pretended to like that.

Because he’s nice. You owe him.

IPA Pickles

Chocolate Pretzel Beer Toffee

Chocolate Stout Truffles

Salted Beer Caramel Corn

Beer Candied Pecans

Stout and Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts

Now, go out there, make that beer gift that dad will eat on the couch with his favorite beer while watching his favorite team play another team while he yells at the TV. And don’t forget to pet his head.

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Chicken

6 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
1 tbs plus 1 tsp salt, divided
12 ounces brown ale
2 tbs lemon zest
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs olive oil

For the Mango Salsa

1 large red mango diced
½ white onion diced
¼ cup cilantro chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
1 tbs lemon juice
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Add the chicken thighs to a bowl, sprinkle on all sides with 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with beer, refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
In a small bowl stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, pepper, and garlic powder, set aside.
In a medium sized bowl add the mango, onion, cilantro, bell pepper, jalapeno, lemon juice and salt. Toss to combine.
Remove the chicken from the beer, rinse and pat dry.
Rub the chicken on all sides with the lemon pepper mixture.
Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat (take care not to heat the pan over too high heat, the chicken will burn before it cooks through).
Add the chicken to the pan (cooking in batches if necessary), until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Plate the chicken, top with mango salsa.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

10.06.2015 40 Comments

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings

You’ve got to dig a little deeper.

At first blush, this seems like a cop-out. It’s beer and chicken wings, it’s such an obvious pairing you want to scratch your eyes out, scream "Milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, jalapeño and avocado! Give me something new!" But calm down, it’s more than that. It’s a revelation.

Really, it’s because I’m a nerd. Which is what drew me to craft beer, the geeky side of beer: the what, the why, and the how of beer. It’s the same with food. I don’t just want to know how to brine a chicken, I want to know why it works.

I want to know what the difference between baking soda and baking powder, and I want to know how temperature affects meat. That’s why I read Cooks Illustrated. It’s not food porn, really there aren’t too many pictures, it’s food nerd porn. It’s the why, it’s not just the how.

Cooks Illustrated did a story on how to bake chicken wings in a way that the skin gets just as crispy as when you fry it. The fat is rendered, the skin is so crisp it makes a thump sound when you tap it with your nails. They nerd out on food in a way that makes me feel like I’m not alone. They tell you the kitchen fails, the reason they tried what they did, and what finally worked.

For this: baking powder that draws out moisture, low temperate to render fat, and high temperate to make the skin golden brown. If you’re still reading this, you might just be as big of a nerd as I am. And next time we meet, I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll talk all kinds of food nerd talk.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs party wings
1 tbs baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup IPA beer
4 tbs melted butter
¼ cup Sriracha
1 tbs honey
1 tbs cornstarch
up to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250.
Add the wings to a large bowl. Sprinkle with baking powder and salt, toss to coat.
Place a wire rack over a baking sheet, brush with oil or spray with cooking spray.
Place the wings on the wire rack.
Bake in the lower section of the oven for 30 minutes. Move to the upper 1/3 of the oven, increase oven temperature to 425. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
In a large bowl stir together the beer, melted butter, sriracha, honey, cayenne pepper (as little or as much as you want for the heat level you want) and cornstarch.
Toss the wings in the sauce, serve warm.

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

15.05.2015 2 Comments

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

I met a 70-year-old woman at a bar in a tiny town in the backwoods of Northern California last week, she was tying to set me up with her friend Chad. Chad is no longer in possession of his teeth and had a very relaxed relationship with hygiene. Flattered as I was I had to decline.

The town was started during the gold rush, the small mountain community was so off the grid that the bars never shut down during prohibition, and since then the population hasn’t grown over 4,000 people. Evelyn moved there a few years ago, drawn to the place by the idea of spending her retirement as a bartender. Feist and happy, she served the locals on one side of the bar, and then grabbed a glass of Chardonnay and chatted them up from the other side once her shift was over. I clearly wasn’t from around there, I was just passing through for the night, she instantly struck up a conversation with me.

I asked her why she decided to leave the South to move West and serve booze to a rowdy crowd of men half her age. She laughed, "This is the best job I’ve ever had!" She told me about her years as a secretary, raising babies, paying bills, wearing heels. That was a life she made for other people, this life, this was just for her. Sure, she can make more money doing something else, sure her feet get tired at the end of the day, but she has another way to look at it. "You can’t take any of that with you, all you have is what you leave behind. And everyday I make someone smile, and that’s what I leave."

I like her. Although her taste in men is still somewhat questionable.

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

4 chicken legs
1 tbs salt
1 tsp all spice berries
1 cup very hot water
12 ounces brown ale
1/2 cup ice
1 tsp black pepper

For the Corn:

4 ears corn
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

For the peas:

½ lbs fresh English peas shelled
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh chive

Instructions

Add the chicken legs to a large bowl or baking dish.
In a bowl combine the salt, all spice, and hot water, stir to dissolve. Add the beer, and ice, stir until ice has melted and the brine is room temperature or below. Pour over chicken, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 12.
Remove from brine, rinse well and pat dry.
Preheat oven to 450.
Place the chicken on a baking sheet, sprinkle with pepper.
Roast until skin is golden brown, juices run clear and the internal temperature of the chicken is 170F, 30-40 minutes.
Grill the corn until grill marks appear on all sides. Cut the kernels off the corn.
Add the corn kernels, cream, paprika, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor, process until fairly smooth.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil, prepare a smaller bowl with ice water.
Add the peas to boiling water, boil for 2 minutes, then drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking.
Add the peas to a bowl along with the olive oil, balsamic, basil, oregano, and chives, toss to combine, salt and pepper to taste.
Plate the corn puree, and then chicken and peas.

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

29.04.2015 2 Comments

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

We try too hard.

We always do. We underestimate the beauty of simple food, and we miss it. The value of doing something really well. We over complicate a basic Mac N Cheese and it ends up a dried mess of pasta and $30 worth of inedible cheese. We buy a pork loin, cook it wrong, and it’s dry and tasteless. We try too hard, and miss the point.

Chicken can be that way. We grew up with bags of frozen chicken breasts thawing in the sink so we think that’s what chicken tastes like. We don’t connect the dots when we have incredible teriyaki glazed chicken thighs at the fair, or when we pick the dark meat during Thanksgiving, it takes us a while to realize that white meat, our default cut, sort of blows. Dark meat, that’s where the joy is.

There are a few recipes I make all the time, beer brined chicken is one. It’s a go-to, it’s a meet the parents meal, casual dinner party, easy sunday supper, type recipe. A brine will give you the juiciest chicken you can get, the dark meat will give you the flavor, a nice olive an herb rub will make it feel important. Even when it’s simple, it’s exceptional.

Plus the left over beer will help you relax and enjoy the evening, and help you stop over thinking every thing.

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken legs and drumsticks
2 tbs kosher salt
12 ounces brown ale
¼ cup olive oil
3 large cloves garlic grated with a Microplane
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

Add the chicken to a baking pan or large bowl, sprinkle on all sides with salt. Pour the beer over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for one hour and up to six.
Remove chicken from beer, rinse well and pat dry.
Add to a baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 450.
In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and pepper.
Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil mixture, turning to coat.
Roast at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until the skin is browned and the chicken is cooked through.

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

24.04.2015 11 Comments

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

"What’s your favorite beer?"

It’s a question get asked all the time. The problem is, it’s a trap. There is no right answer. If I talk about well-distributed beers I love, "Black Butte Porter is a great beer," or "Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar is one of my favorite brown ales," I’ve disappointed people looking for insider knowledge.

If I talk about the whales (hard to find beers), "Pliny is a great beer, but so is Heady Topper," people see me as a snob who’s just following the craft beer sheep pack. If I mention a beer they have never heard of, "Wow, Blitz Pack from Huminstat Brewing is amazing," they have no frame of reference, maybe it’s a terrible beer, or maybe I just made it up (I did).

The real issue is that I don’t have an answer, and it’s mostly a bullshit question. I don’t have a favorite food either, it changes with my mood and what I feel like eating that day. My favorite beer does the same, and I like beer that lives in harmony with the food on my plate.

When I go to a beer bar I ask the bartender what he drinks, or if there is anything exciting on tap right now. Anything special release? Anything new? There are days when I just want a stout, and during hop harvest season I want to drink all the fresh hopped beers I can find.

If I go to a brewery that specializes in a specific style, give me one of those. Maybe it’s because I’m not picky, I’m a very go-with-the-flow person. Or maybe I just believe in adventure over comfort. Or maybe I just love all the beer.

So the answer to the question, "What’s your favorite beer?" is most likely, "Whatever you want to serve me."

Because you buy the beer, and I’ll make the food. I’ll drink what you bring, and you’ll eat what I make.

Deal?

Honey Balsamic Beer Glazed Shrimp Skewers

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

½ cup stout or porter beer
½ cup honey
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp red chili sauce such as sriracha
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 lbs raw shrimp shell and vein removed
salt
2 tbs chopped green onions or chives

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium high.
In a large pot over high heat add the beer, honey, vinegar, chili sauce, garlic powder, and ginger. Bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, boil until bubbles have mostly subsided and turned glossy and the mixture has thickened, about ten minutes.
Thread the shrimp onto metal or pre-soaked wooden skewers, sprinkle with salt, brush with glaze.
Cook on the grill until cooked through and glaze has slightly caramelized, about 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle with chopped green onions prior to serving.

Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos

22.04.2015 13 Comments

Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos

The way New Yorkers feel about hot dogs is the way people from LA feel about tacos.

While Los Angeles is a very live and let live society, and while you are free to love and believe what you want as long as you aren’t hurting anyone, we do not extend this courtesy to your taco eating habits. There is a right way and a wrong way. We don’t have access to the words best recipes, pass down from generations of grandmothers from all over the world just so that you can add some iceberg lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese, that’s not OK with us.

The acceptable format for tacos is this: homemade corn tortillas, a protein (even if it’s vegetables), chopped onions and cilantro, and possibly a few dashes of hot sauce. That’s it, your taco is complete. Save the cheese and sour cream for your nachos, and the lettuce for your burger, this is how tacos are made.

It might be a coincidence that the hop-heavy IPAs of the West Coast go beautifully with spice and grease of the perfect taco. Just like it might be another coincidence that the maltier beers of the East Coast go so well with those New York hot dogs, or that the rich stouts of Ireland are a perfect combination with a pot pie. But then again, food and beer have always lived in harmony, this is just more evidence of that.

It’s an incredible reminder to keep an open mind and an open palate when traveling. Eat how the locals eat, checking your food preferences at the boarding gate, and drink how they drink. You might just be surprised at how much you love an IPA and a taco without Supreme in the title.

I served this with Homemade Beer Corn Tortillas, so good you’ll never go back to store-bought.

Stout Beef Barbacoa Tacos

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 dried Chile Negro pod
1 dried Ancho chili pod
1 tbs olive oil
1 white onion cut into large sections
1.5 lbs pounds chuck steak cubed
3 chipotle peppers in adobo
1 tbs adobo sauce
1 cup stout beer
1 cup beef broth
4 cloves garlic peeled
juice from one lime
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
12 homemade corn tortillas
1 red onion chopped
½ cup cilantro chopped

Instructions

Heat oven to 300.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the dried chili pods, toasting on each side until warm and slightly crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove and allow to cool, tear into pieces and add to a blender or large food processor.
In the Dutch oven heat the olive oil, add the onions and cook until slightly charred on each side. Add the onions to the blender along with the chipotle, adobo sauce, beer, broth, garlic, lime juice and vinegar. Blend until smooth.
Return the Dutch oven to heat, add the beef cubes, cooking until seared on all sides, about 6 minutes.
Add the blender sauce, reduce heat to a simmer, stirring for about a minute.
Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook at 300 until the beef is falling apart, between 3 and 4 hours.
Remove from oven, shread in the pot using two forks.
Transfer to a serving bowl along with all the sauce.
Serve with corn tortillas, onions and cilantro.

Beer Brined Pork and Pineapple Skewers with Apricot Chili Glaze

10.04.2015 16 Comments

Beer Brined Pork and Pineapple Skewers with Apricot Chili Glaze

The start of grillin' season also ushers in the start of session beer season. A session beer, for those new to the brew, is a beer with lower alcohol content. Most session beers range between 3% and 5% ABV, making them easy to consume over a long drinking session, hence the name.

Session beers, especially session IPA’s are exactly what you want to fill that beer tub with this summer. Don’t try to assert your manhood with a galvanized bucket full of 11% monsters, it doesn’t impress anyone. A beautifully balanced, crispy and well-hopped session IPA is exactly what you need to devote most of that beer tub space too. You want your guests, as well as your grill-tending self, to be able to enjoy beer all afternoon without becoming a cautionary tale. Session beers let you drink more and still have full control of exactly how obnoxious you truly want to be.

I recently got my hands on a 21st Amendment Down to Earth session IPA. It’s citrusy, tropical, crispy, refreshing, and the perfect level of hops for a session beer. Not a giant hop bomb, but beautiful and bold hop flavors. It’s insanely drinkable and will make a regular rotation in my beer tub this summer.

Have a favorite summer beer? Let me know about it, I’m always on the prowl for a new summer beer.

Beer Brined Pork and Pineapple Skewers with Apricot Chili Glaze

Print Recipe

Servings 10 to 12 skewers

Ingredients

1 ½ cups hot water
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbs brown sugar
12 ounces chilled pale ale
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
1.5 lbs boneless country style pork ribs* cut into bite sized cubes
2 cups pineapple cubed
1 cup 11 wt oz apricot preserves
1 tbs Sriracha chili sauce
¼ cup pale ale or IPA beer

Instructions

In a large bowl combine the hot water, salt and sugar, stir until dissolved. Add the beer and soy sauce, stir to combine, allow to cool to room temperate.
Skewer the pork and the pineapple, alternating between the two. Add to a baking pan, pour the brine over the skewers, cover and chill for 1 to 6 hours.
In a small bowl combine the apricot, chili sauce, and ¼ cup beer, stir until well combined.
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Remove the skewers from brine, pat dry. Brush with glaze.
Add skewers to the grill, turn and brush with glaze every one to two minutes. Grill until pork is cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Notes

*If you can’t find country style pork ribs, lean towards a fattier cut of pork. Leaner cuts, like the loin and the chops, are much more likely to be dry and flavorless.

Honey Porter Glazed Cod Fillets

20.03.2015 10 Comments

Honey Porter Glazed Cod Fillets Last year I sat on a table in a tattoo parlor in Silverlake. Gritting my teeth and trying to ignore the ink being forced into my skin by a sharp needle to cover up a teenage bad decision. Another artist, waiting for his next client, sat down next to me to try to distract me from the pain. The conversation wanders to beer, as it often does with me.

He’d just brewed his first batch of beer with a homebrew kit that he’d been given for his 30th birthday

"It sucked didnt' it?" I say matter of factly. He looked hurt. "It’s supposed to suck, you’re first batch isn’t about drinking, it’s about learning."

He smiled, "It was so bad we drain poured the entire batch. It sucked. Hard."

"Good! That means you have a good palate, if you thought it was good and forced it on your friends, that would be bad. You’re actually off to a good start."

He side-eyed me, "Really? because I’m pretty discouraged. I don’t even want to try again"

"Because your first tattoo was so awesome that you never put down your gun?"

He laughed, and so did the guy torturing me with his gun, which wasn’t my intention.

"It was so terrible! I feel SO bad for that guy, even still!" He laughs and I see him make the connection, I can see him link the beginning of one obsession with that start of the other.

"Did you learn more than one thing? Because that’s the point. Beer is hard, you can’t expect to get it right the first time. You just learn a few things each time. It gets good, then it sucks again, then it gets better."

He smiled, "Is it weird that I kind of needed to hear that? I’ve felt like a HUGE failure all week. It was really getting to me. Thank you."

The tattoo was done, my foot wrapped up like a brisket and I hobbled to my car. I wondered why failure is so bad. Why it can ruin us for weeks. It’s not bad, it’s necessary. It’s valuable. It should make us proud. We did something. We learned something. And we are ready for more.

Go out there, fail big, learn big, move forward.

Honey Porter Glazed Cod Fillets

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2/3 cup porter
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup honey
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp chili powder
½ tsp pepper
4 6 ounce cod fillets

Instructions

In a medium bowl stir together the porter, soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, ginger, chili powder and pepper. Add the cod, toss to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
Preheat the broiler.
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the cod from the marinade, add to the prepared sheet.
Add the marinade to a pot over high heat. Boil, stirring frequently until thickened, about 8 minutes.
Brush the fish with the glaze, place under the broiler. Broil for two minutes, re-brush with glaze, broil for two more minutes and repeat until fish is cooked through.

Crispiest Beer Brined Chicken Thighs with Brown Ale and Sweet Pea Puree

18.03.2015 11 Comments

Crispiest Beer Brined Chicken Thighs with Brown Ale Bean and Sweet Pea Puree

Crispiest Beer Brined Chicken Thighs with Brown Ale and Sweet Pea Puree

I’m going to give you one of my secrets. I have a lot. This one is about food, and it’s a new secret.

I’ve been told for years to sear my chicken in a hot pan. I did it, dutifully, obediently, and I was given beautiful chicken. But here’s the secret: there’s a better way. I obsessively read about food (not a secret). About the history behind it, about the experiments to improve recipes, about what the difference between baking soda and baking powder is, about marinate vs marinade vs brine, it’s all very boring. Unless you’re me, and in that case, it’s fascinating.

I’ll save you the thousands of words that brought me to the door of this secret, I’ll give you the Cliff’s notes. In a smoking hot pan you just have a few minutes to sear the skin of a chicken before it burns. This will render some of the fat and give you a fairly crispy skin. BUT if you start in a cold pan the fat has more time to render as the pan heats giving you an even crispier skin. I told you. Very boring unless you’re me.

Try it. Try out this little secret, cold pan, no oil, crispiest skin ever.

Kept the secret, share the chicken. Or share both, it’s up to you, but you should always share the beer.

Crispiest Beer Brined Chicken Thighs with Brown Ale and Sweet Pea Puree

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
salt and pepper
12 ounces brown ale

For the Peas:

12 wt oz about 2 ¼ cups green peas (thawed if frozen)
1 cloves garlic smashed
¼ cup sour cream
3 tbs brown ale
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs olive oil
¼ cup green onions

Instructions

Sprinkle the chicken thighs on all sides with salt and pepper. Place in a large bowl or baking dish, pour beer over chicken. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
In a high powdered blender or food processer add the peas, garlic, sour cream, brown ale, salt, pepper, parmesan and olive oil, process until smooth.
Add the peas to a pot over medium low heat, simmer until warmed through, remove from heat.
Remove chicken from the brine, pat dry.
Place the chicken skin side down in a cold cast iron skillet, add the pan to medium high heat. As the pan heats, fat will render making the skin crispy. Once the skin is golden brown, turn the chicken thighs and cook until internal temperature reaches 165.
Plate the peas puree, add the chicken, sprinkle with green onions.

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones

11.03.2015 5 Comments

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones. Your new favorite grill recipe.

Sure, you can grill meat. You can throw hot dogs on the grill, and a couple burgers. You can have yourself a hot meat party and invite your friends over.

Meat just scratches the grilled-food surface. It’s the obvious choice, the blended margarita on taco Tuesday, the teddy bear holding a heart on Valentines day. Other foods needs a sharp heat and a quick char. Have you grilled fruit yet? Or salad? Ice cream?! Maybe that’s too far. Let’s start with pizza, and pizza like hand held beer and cheese filled pies. Grilled pizza, as well as adjacent pizza like items, are my favorite ways to indulge in fire seared foods.

Plus, beer is essential when you stand near an open flame and cook your dinner. It’s not even up for negotiations.

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones

Print Recipe

Servings 12 calzones

Ingredients

1 can 14.5 wt oz diced tomatoes
6 wt oz tomato paste
1/3 cup wheat beer
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried basil
2 lbs raw pizza dough enough for two large pizzas
8 wt oz chicken cooked and chopped
4 wt oz parmesan cheese fresh grated
4 wt ounces mozzarella grated
oil for grill

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium high.
In a blender add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and basil. Blend until smooth.
Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces.
One at a time doll the dough balls into flat 6 inch circles.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons sauce in the center, top with chicken, about 1 tablespoon each of mozzarella and parmesan.
Fold the dough over into a crescent shape, rolling and pinching the edges to seal.
Brush each side with olive oil.
Place the calzones on the hot grill, close lid. Grill on each side until strong grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. ‘

My favorite pizza dough recipe: Beer Pizza Dough

My favorite quick dough recipe: One Hour Rosemary Beer Pizza Dough

Cream Cheese Sausage Baked Ziti- Perfect Make and Take Meal! + Uncommon Goods Giveaway

09.03.2015 36 Comments

This post was sponsored by Uncommon Goods, all opinions are my own.

A few years ago I was given four different gifts from Uncommon Goods for my birthday from four different people. A few things about this are remarkable. First, can you remember one gift your got for your birthday three years ago, let alone four? I remember every one: a set of nesting doll measuring cups, a spice kit, a salts from around the world set, and nesting bowls. I’ve used the spices and salts, re-filled the containers, and I still have the bowls and measuring cups, I use them all the time.

That’s the thing with Uncommon Goods, they are gifts people don’t forget. Unique, memorable, thoughtful, the things people keep for years. The people at Uncommon Goods and I have teamed up to give you a $75 dollar gift card, to make you look like a gift giving genius. I’ve picked out a few of my favorites to share, but it’s up to you to find the perfect gift for your person. Or just get something for yourself, you deserve it.

I pretty much want everything in the Bar & Wine section.

Owl Mugs, SO CUTE!

I NEED this salt block for grilling season.

They have an amazing selection of wine glasses, but I adore these shatterproof wine glasses are must, every time I do dishes it’s like a Jewish wedding in my sink.

How great are these hors d’oeuvres servers?! Skewer all the things!

Salt is a MUST for baked goods, these salts are designed for baking.

Enter the giveaway using the RaffleCopter widget below (it may take a second to load, refresh the page if it doesn’t appear).
a Rafflecopter giveaway

We have a winner! Congrats Breeana!

Cream Cheese Sausage Baked Ziti- Perfect Make and Take Meal!

Ingredients

1 lbs dry Ziti pasta
8 wt ounces Italian sausage, raw removed from casing
½ cup white onion, diced
1 tbs Italian seasoning
8 wt ounces cream cheese
1 (24 ounces) jar marinara sauce
1 lbs shredded mozzarella cheese
¾ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 (unless you are making for later).
Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the Ziti and cook 3 minutes less than package directions (pasta will continue to cook in the oven), about 6 minutes. Drain, set aside.
In a skillet over medium high heat, cook the sausage until browned.
Add the onions, cooking until softened, about 3 minutes.
Add the cream cheese, stirring until cream cheese has melted.
Stir in the marinara sauce.
Transfer the Ziti to the skillet, along with a little more than half the mozzarella cheese, stirring until all is well combined.
Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish, cover with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to use (up to three days), or cook in a 400 degree oven until golden brown and warmed through (about 30 minutes for warm, and 45 minutes if the dish is taken out of the refrigerator).

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Guacamole

06.03.2015 2 Comments

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Guacamole

The first time I had fish tacos I was somewhere off the coast of Mexico. I was 17, sunburned and a little confused. After a few crumbled pesos changed hands I was hastily pushed onto a boat, clung to an orange vest for about twenty minutes and gratefully exited the floating death trap onto the beach of what looked like an uninhabited country.

A small woman with sun-leathered featured stood watch near a metal grate set over a hole in the ground. From the beach I could see the flames jumping up to lick the shrimp she was tending. I didn’t say a word, hunger pushing towards the wooden bench in the designated eating area. The other castaways that had ended up on the boat with me followed suit.

The "tour" guide shoved a Corona into one of my hands, not bothering to inquire if I wanted it, and motioned to a bowl of pickled radishes and carrots on the table. A few minutes later a wooden plated piled high with grilled shrimp was set in the middle of the rickety plastic table, along with a stack of homemade corn tortillas, a bowl of diced onions, a bit of cilantro and modified ketchup bottled that had been reused as a homemade hot sauce dispenser.

I didn’t care that the health department in the US would have had a heart attack looking at this place, I didn’t care that there was clearly no running water, gloves or hand washing options. I didn’t care that I had no idea where the shrimp came from. I was starving.

I chugged my sub-par beer, and ate my weight in beer battered fish tacos.. They were amazing. The hot sauce was the best I’ve ever had, and the tortillas were perfect. Since then, I want my tacos simple. Homemade tortillas, some diced onions, maybe some hot sauce or guacamole. No lettuce. No cheese. No sour cream. No ground beef.

But I’ll put pomegranate on anything and beer, beer is always a must.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Guacamole

Print Recipe

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

For the tortillas:

2 cup masa harina corn flour
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup room temperature beer

For the Guacamole:

2 large avocados
juice from one lime
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup cilantro chopped (plus additional for tacos)
¼ cup red onion chopped (plus additional for tacos)

For the fish:

1 cup flour
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg
1 cup pale ale
Oil for frying
1 pound cod cut into 3 inch strips

Instructions

Make the tortillas:

In a large bowl, add the masa and the salt, stir to combine.
Add the beer and oil, stir to combine. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional beer or water. If it is too wet, add more Masa. (It should be the consistency of soft Play-Doh)
Form into balls a bit larger than golf balls.
Prepare a tortillas press by wrapping in plastic wrap or covering with parchment paper (you can place tortilla ball between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin). Place one ball in the center.
Press, rotate and press again until thin.
Heat a griddle (or cast iron skillet) to a medium high heat (about 350 for electric griddles).
Cook until slightly brown on the bottom (about 30 seconds to a minute) flip and cook on the other side. Don’t overcook.

Make the guacamole:

Add the flesh of the avocado, lime juice, garlic powder, chili powder and salt to a bowl, smash until well combined. Stir in the pomegranate seeds, cilantro and red onions.

Make the fish:

In a medium bowl add the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, add the egg and beer. Stir with a fork until just combined.
Heat about 2 to 3inches of oil in a pot over medium high heat. Bring to 350 degrees using a deep fry thermometer, adjust heat to maintain that temperature.
One at a time dip the fish strips into the batter until well coated. Add to the oil, fry until golden brown on all sides.
Fill the tortillas with fish, guacamole and sprinkle with onions and cilantro.

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes

27.02.2015 6 Comments

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes. Just one pot and dinner is done.

I once tried to help a homeless woman get an apartment.

She’d wondered into the lobby of the building I was working at in Beverly Hills. She was sweet, well over 70-years-old, and seemed quite healthy for the life she was living. I was given the task of "dealing" with her and decided that she was far more fascinating that paperwork that I’d previously been laboring through.

She handed me a stained envelope of papers, ID cards, receipts and bus passes, "I’m too old for this," She collapses in a leather chair near the window, "I think it’s time for me to have a place to live."

I got her a cup of coffee and asked her questions, most of which were purely to satisfy my own curiosity. She’d been homeless for 30 years, since her mid 40’s, she was once a waitress, then a secretary. She has a daughter who now lives in Chicago, they don’t talk. I didn’t pull at that thread. She spent most of her days in the Library, reading mystery novels, or at the park watching the people. She made homelessness seem almost charming.

I made some calls. Local shelters, community centers, soup kitchens. I googled searched the city looking for housing. After an hour, I struck gold. I found a HUD funded apartment complex that had a vacant unit that was designated for a formerly homeless senior citizen. I ran to the lobby to tell her the news.

"An open apartment? Where is it?' She was much less thrilled than I was.

"It’s on Adams and La Brea."

"Mmmm, child…. Honey…. I’d rather be homeless than live east of the 405." She slowly eased herself out of the chair and walked right out the door. Not even a goodbye.

You’d think I’d be irritated, or frustrated, but I found it so entreatingly hilarious that I called everyone I knew who lived in Santa Monica. To this day I’m asked to tell the story any time I’m at a party in the home of anyone who lives WEST of the 405.

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
3 tbs olive oil divided
1 tbs stone ground mustard
1 tbs honey
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 cup beer pale ale, brown ale, hefeweizen
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1.5 lbs small red potatoes quartered

Instructions

Add the rosemary, 2 tablespoons olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, pepper and beer to a large bowl or baking dish. Add the chicken, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoons olive oil in a cast iron skillet until hot but not smoking. Add the potatoes, cook until browned on cut sides, but not cooked through, about 5 minutes, remove from heat.
Place the chicken on top of the potatoes, pour ½ cup of the chicken marinate over the chicken.
Bake at 375 until chicken and potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes.