People have irrational culinary fears, I get it. Some people avoid recipes using yeast like they are circus clowns in a dark alley. Some people can’t wrap their brains around the idea of plunging food into hot oil without a spotter. I have an irrational fear of mall Santas so I get it, there are… Read More
Is Beer Vegan? From an outsiders perspective, the question might seems silly. Beer, after all, is made from plants and water. At its most basic, the ingredients to make beer are simple: water, malt, hops, yeast; all of which are clearly non-animal. And while brewmasters have a way of working everything from bacon to whole… Read More
Nothing in life should be qualified by what is left out. You shouldn’t stand in the warm, golden, tropical, sun, toes digging into the sand, asking where the snow is. You shouldn’t visit Machu Picchu and think, “It’s pretty good for a place that doesn’t have a mall.” Lazy Sunday afternoons spent reading Down… Read More
I brûléed some avocados, which, let me be honest, is sort of strange. But it gave this soup a campfirey, smoky flavor that I loved so I’m standing behind the decisions. A decision that was largely based on the fact that I’ve had this brulee torch for over two months and haven’t used it yet. Now… Read More
Do you remember when I told you that once I discovered that homemade corn tortillas where so good it made me realize that I didn’t actually hate corn tortillas, I just hated those sad cardboard disks they sell at the store? Pita bread is an even bigger revelation. It’s not as quick as those… Read More
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… Read More
No offense to vodka, but a Bloody Mary just tastes better with beer. And an IPA is the inarguable choice for a Brewed Mary. I am, for the most part, a live and let live person. Happy to let your differing opinions thrive right alongside mine. There are recipe choices that I would love… Read More
This recipe has been in my brain for a while. For weeks it’s been taunting me, begging to be flushed out, poured into my food processor and immortalized in internet print. And this weekend three failed attempts to make IPA lemon bars that never really gave me the results I was hoping for coupled… Read More
Everything I love about summer is in this dish. Or, more accurately, everything I love about summer that can fit into a small metal bowl are in that dish. Fresh produce. Homemade sorbet. Beer. Of course, beer. And when I was buying said beer, Alesmith Anvil, I had an interesting conversation with Beer Store Beer… Read More
Tortillas are one of those glorious foods that I have found myself continuing to make from scratch. It wasn’t an epiphany that wakened me from my supermarket tortilla grabbing slumber, it was a gradual process. Tortillas are easy, and you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already. And the end product… Read More
Last week I was able to sit down with a guy, who in just two years went from a home brewer who was opening the doors to his first bar, to owning three bars and the fastest growing craft brewery in California. If you live in Los Angeles, and you’re a craft beer fan, I’m… Read More
The first time I made marinara was a complete accident. Just a few months after I nearly accidentally graduated college, I got a job working with teenage gang members in South Central Los Angeles. You are free to laugh at the idea of a very white girl, who grew up on a farm in… Read More
As summer heats up, so does my longing to add beer to everything I consume. I linger on the idea of changing classic recipes into beer recipes far longer than my busy day should allow. How would I add beer to a Tarte Tatin? What about an Blueberry pie? Or Eggs benedict? What beer would… Read More
Summer is almost here. Barbecues, lazy afternoons on the porch swing, long days at the beach, music and card games on the patio until dawn. I realize that a fridge full of craft beer doesn’t always please the masses, but I do want to impart those flavors that are so beautiful anyone can enjoy them,… Read More
I have an analog soul, still shooting with a film camera. I like to read real life paper books. I write letters with pen and paper. I like to listen to the scratchy sound of Robert Plants voice spun out of a vinyl record. I guess I was born too late to enjoy all the… Read More