A Marriage of Flavors: Beef Burgundy and American Strong Ale

I'm reading this book called "The Brewmaster's Table."  It is a complete guide on how to pair real food with real beer.  I've only read 100 of the 350 pages but I applied what I've learned so far to a dinner I made the other night: Beef Bourguinnonne (also known as Beef Burgundy).
Recipe as follows:
6 strips of bacon
3 lbs of beef rump or chuck (cut into small cubes)
1 lg carrot sliced
1 onion sliced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
10oz can condensed beef broth (or 10oz of water and 1 1/2 tsp of Beef Better than Bouillon
1 1/2 C red or burgundy wine
1 T. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
1/2-1 tsp. whole thyme
1 whole bay leaf (I don't have bay leaves so I omitted it and it was fine)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1 lb fresh mushrooms
3 T. flour
Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp.  Remove and drain.  Add beef cubes and brown well.  Place browned beef cubes in crock-pot.  Brown carrots and one chopped onion. Season with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Add broth, mix well and add to crock-pot.  Add cooked bacon, wine, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf and half a chopped onion.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Saute mushrooms in 2 T. butter and add to crock-pot about an hour before serving.
To thicken: Turn crock-pot to high. Cream 5 T. flour and half cup of water.  Pour into crockpot, bring to a boil and allow to thicken.
Serve a top noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

This meal pairs very well with a Brown Ale, an Old Ale, or an American Strong Ale.  The Brown Ale has a maltiness that pairs very well with the thick beef stew like flavor of the Beef Burgundy.  The Old Ale also does well since the malt flavors and fruity aroma easily handles the delicate balance of flavor that is present in the Beef Burgundy.  My favorite, however, is our home brewed American Strong Ale.  The more muscular malt flavor from the beer brings out the more muscular beef characteristics of the Beef Burgundy and pairs well with the thyme.  However, the hops will cut the fat and cleanse the palate making your mouth beg for the next bite.  The slight sweetness will then marry the malt and hops making the food dance in unison as you partake of the divine meal.  


Enjoy!

Pom Pom Necklace

I love pinterest...actually, to put it more accurately, I love following people on pinterest.  The ideas that I see gets me excited to start new projects.  Unfortunately, time does not always permit to make everything that I want to make.  However, after much determination, I decided to make my first pinterest inspired project.  I invited a friend over just to make it happen and it did.
Here is the tutorial for the necklace

The project went pretty fast (1 1/2 hours).  The longest part was cutting all the circles for making the pom pom flowers.  I also ended up adding more bunches of fabric to finish hiding the felt that is underneath.

Here is another tutorial that I followed, but I forgot to take a picture of it and I already gave it away as a Christmas present.

Happy Crafting!

How to grow your own Kombucha Mushroom

There are many places online to buy kombucha mushrooms, but where is all the fun in that.  Here is how you can grow your own kombucha mushroom from a commercial bottle of Kombucha:

What you will need:
-Glass bowl or container (I used a quart sized jar)
-towel big enough to cover container and rubber band to secure it (I used a coffee filter)
-1 bottle of raw, unflavored kombucha tea
-1 cup of filtered water
-1 tea bag (black, green, or oolong)
-2 TBSP of white sugar
-time and patience

Heat water up to 190 degrees F.  Add tea bag and stir in sugar until dissolved.  Allow to cool to room temp.  Meanwhile take commercial bottle of kombucha out of fridge and allow to warm up to room temp.  Pour commercial kombucha and sweet tea into glass jar.  Cover with cloth and secure with rubber band.  In a couple of days you should start to see a thin film over the top.  That's the start of a baby mushroom!  In a couple of weeks it should be about 1/4"-1/2" thick.  Now you can make a one gallon batch of kombucha tea!

Commercial kombucha tea, a tea bag, and sugar

Tea and sugar

Can you see the small scoby on the surface of the tea?

Now the waiting game begins!

How to make Kombucha Tea

Making kombucha is fairly simple and is one of the easier "bugs" I have around my house and care for.  Due to the popularity of it in my circle of friends, I make a 4 gallon batch.  However, I will post a recipe for a smaller batch as well.

What you will need for a 1 gallon batch of kombucha tea:
-1 gallon glass container (food grade plastic is also ok, however it will need to be replaced every now and then)
-cloth (I use a kitchen towel)
-rubberband to secure cloth
-plastic or wooden spoon
-4 tea bags (black, white, green, or oolong tea)
-kombucha mushroom
-either 4 TBSP apple cider vinegar or 1 cup of kombucha tea from the previous batch
-1 cup of white sugar (organic is also ok, however, stay away from other forms of sweetener)

How to make a 1 gallon batch of Kombucha:
-Heat 1 gallon of filtered water to 190 degrees F (or tea temperature)
-Add 1 cup of white sugar and 4 tea bags
-Allow the tea bags to steep for 5-10 minutes and stir to dissolve sugar
-Cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature (no higher than 90 degrees)
-Once cooled, pour into glass container and add: kombucha mushroom and either 1 cup of kombucha tea from previous batch or 4 TBSP of apple cider vinegar.
-Cover with cloth and secure with rubber band
-Leave undisturbed for 7 days.  After 7 days try a little of the tea.  If it is still really sweet, leave it for a few more days.  If it is really sour, brew it for fewer days the next time.
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What you will need for a 4 gallon batch of kombucha tea:
-5 gallon glass container or a 5 gallon food grade plastic bucket
-For easy pouring, attach a spout on the bottom of the bucket (you can find them at almost any homebrew store)
-cloth (I use a kitchen towel)
-rubberband to secure cloth
-plastic or wooden spoon
-16 tea bags (black, white, green, or oolong tea)
-kombucha mushroom
-4 cups of kombucha tea from the previous batch
-4 cups of white sugar (organic is also ok, however, stay away from other forms of sweetener)


How to make 4 gallons of Kombucha: 
-Heat 1 1/2 gallons of filtered water to 190 degrees F.
-Add 16 tea bags (lately I've been doing 8 green tea and 8 black tea)
-Add 4 cups of white sugar and stir to dissolve sugar
-After letting the tea bags steep, remove the tea bags
-Add 2 1/2 gallons of filtered water (this should cool it down to below 85 degrees, if not wait until it is completely cool before moving on to the next step)
-Add tea to food grade bucket along with kombucha mushroom and leftover tea
Note: I use a food grade bucket I got from Home Depot.  
-Cover with a towel and secure with a rubberband
-Leave undisturbed for 7 days.  After 7 days try a little of the tea.  If it is still really sweet, leave it for a few more days.  If it is really sour, brew it for fewer days the next time.
Note: My kitchen is a little cool so my tea usually takes 14 days.  Ideally I'd like to keep my kombucha around 75-85 degrees and ferment for 7-10 days.

If your water isn't clean, you can boil it.   However, don't add the tea bags until it is around 190 degrees F.

My kombucha mushroom and some tea from the previous batch

My tea is now ready to ferment.  The kombucha mother will create a "baby" every time you brew and another batch.

Things to remember:
-Sanitize all pieces of equipment with white distilled vinegar and water
-Never place kombucha in hot tea. It will kill it.
-Don't use herbal tea (it doesn't have the necessary nutrients for the mushroom)
-Don't use tap water, the chlorine will kill the kombucha mushroom

Stay tuned on how to grow your own kombucha mushroom from a commercial bottle!

Kombucha

Kombucha (it normally is brown in color but I added raspberries to this batch)

Here is the long awaited post about Kombucha:

Disclaimer:I did not start brewing kombucha to cure myself if anything. I did not start kombucha because I wanted to join the new fad. I don't drink it for really any particular reason. I started it because it sounded like a fun experiment.  I mean who wouldn't want to figure out how to grow little tiny live bugs, eat them (or in this case drink them), and see what happens.  Anything I do in my kitchen or garden is not because I believe that by doing so I can live to be 100. I do not drink kombucha to escape death (as in Japan since kombucha was considered the tea of immortality).  There are so many things outside of our control and thankfully I believe in a sovereign God.  Sometimes our body needs something and maybe Kombucha has it, and maybe it doesn't. 

Now, what is Kombucha?  In a nutshell, it is tea that has been fermented with a kombucha culture, thus making the tea alive with yeasts and bacteria.

If I haven't lost you yet, continue reading:
A kombucha culture, also called a kombucha mushroom or SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeasts) is a cream colored, pancake looking disk that is used to ferment tea.  The kombucha tea has been drank for thousands of years, starting in China and spreading to Russia, Japan, and now other parts of the world.  It was quite popular until World War I when tea and sugar were rationed.

What is IN Kombucha?
Depending on how the kombucha tea is brewed, it will have some if not all of the following:
-Lactic Acid: It detoxifies the body, helps blood circulation, and helps prevent bowel decay and constipation
-Acetic Acid: It inhibits harmful bacteria from growing and aids in detoxifying the body
-Usnic Acid: It is a natural antibiotic and helps fight many viruses
-Oxalic Acid: Encourages the cellular production of energy and is a natural preservative
-Malic Acid: Used in the body's detoxifying process
-Gluconic Acid: It helps break down glucose in the body.  Also it is said to be effective against many yeast infections
-Butyric Acid: It works with gluconic acid and helps combat yeast infections
-Carbonic Acid: It is present in blood cells and aids in CO2 release and regulation of blood PH levels
-Folic Acid: This is a B-vitamin and works with B12 to reduce homocysteine (a risk factor in heart disease)
-Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, and Vitamin C.

Stay tuned on how to make your own kombucha at home!


Please do not completely rely on my posts about kombucha, but do your own research as well.

Beer Makin' Fun

I brewed our sixth batch of Pirate's Breakfast (Imperial Oatmeal Stout) with my nephews the other day.  It was a lot of fun.  I'm actually thinking of brewing with them more often.  Jamie was quite the helper and Charlie kept the day fun.  Curtis got home at the end to say that he used his new mash paddle and help me cool down the beer.
Here are a couple of pictures of our fun!

Charlie helping with sanitizing

Jamie stirring the mash

The new MASH PADDLE

Jamie climbing a tree

 

               

FabulizPancakes

These are my all time favorite pancakes.  They are full of protein and can be made with any kind of flour, which means that they can be made gluten free.  Unfortunately these are the kind of pancakes that get judged before they are even tried.  Needless to say, they are super easy and super delicious.

Fabuliz Pancakes (a.k.a-Cottage Cheese Pancakes)-makes approx. 7-9 pancakes:
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup flour (any kind will do: white flour, oat flour, buckwheat flour, wheat flour, etc.)
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
a little milk (or water) to thin out the batter
Mix all together.  Add enough milk to make the batter a little thicker than regular pancake batter.  Make into pancakes and enjoy!
Note: I've also made the leftover pancakes into peanut and jelly sandwiches or frozen them for a quick breakfast.

Slow Cooking

I've been searching for good, slow-cooker recipes lately.  Most of the ones that are easy to find are "throw in a can of that, a package of this, and cook."  That's not my style.  I don't like packaged, processed foods. Period. End of story.  Anyways, today I found a blog of delicious looking, healthy crockpot recipes: http://stephanieodea.com/  I'll let you know which ones I've tried and how delicious they are.

Grandma's German Chocolate Cake

On the 12th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, German Chocolate Cake!

Note: This post is NOT a recipe for German Chocolate Cake, but actually a recipe on how to keep Christ in Christmas. 
My Grandma started this around 25 years ago (maybe more...I don't know) and the tradition has carried on through her grand-children and now her great-grandchildren.  Basically she makes a German Chocolate Cake with the coconut frosting to make it look like straw.   When we all gather for Christmas, she takes all the little kids and they help her tell the story of Jesus' birth using nativity scene pieces for the characters in the story and the cake as the stable.  After the cake is fully decorated, we light a BIG candle (because Jesus is the Light of the world) and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus!
Merry Christmas Everyone!

Caramelized Almonds

On the 11th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Caramelized Almonds!

I was always under the impression that caramelizing nuts was always done in five star restaurants.  I now stand corrected.  I made these several days before Christmas, stored them in a jar and served them over a salad.  Everyone thought they were at a five star restaurant!
1/8 cup-butter
1 cup-sliced almonds
1/2 cup sugar (I went crazy and did 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup; note: the maple syrup makes it take longer to cook)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add sliced almonds, then add sugar and salt.  Stir over low heat until they have "dried out," being careful to not let the sugar burn.  Usually take 10min or approx. 20 if using maple syrup.  To check if they are done, take a piece out of pan, allow to cool and eat.  If it is still chewy then it is not done.  If they crunch, then it is done.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

Chrstmas Cinnamon Rolls

On the 10th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Cinnamon Rolls!
I'm never a person to follow recipes completely.  I'm either trying to find ways to make something more healthy without sacrificing the taste, using what I have to make the recipe work, or just experimenting for the fun of it.  For now this is my cinnamon roll recipe (adapted from Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Roll recipe).
Liz's Cinnamon Rolls:
 -2 cups- milk (any kind is fine)
-1/4 cup-canola oil
-1/2 cup-sugar (if making these into dinner rolls then reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup)
Heat together the milk, oil, and sugar until sugar is dissolved and oil is mixed in.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

After an hour, the dough will look like this

Once cooled, add:
-1 package of yeast (approx. 2 1/4 tsp.)
Allow the yeast to sit for a few minutes.
Now add:
-4 cups-flour
Stir and let rest for at least an hour.
Once the hour (or so) is over, add:
-1/2 cup-flour
-heaping 1/2 tsp-baking powder
-scant 1/2 tsp-baking soda (if you do a full 1/2 tsp it will have a baking soda flavor)
-1/2 TBSP-kosher salt
Knead dough until it is all mix.  You may need to add more flour if it is too sticky.  Now you can either cover and put in the fridge until ready to use, wrap up and store in the freezer, or use it right away.  I would recommend chilling the dough first and then using it.  However, if you are pressed for time then you can use it right away.
Now you have dough! Do what you will with it.  I made my dough into cinnamon rolls.
Roll out half the dough ball into a rectangle about 12"x16".  Spread softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon all over rectangle, and roll up.  Once rolled, cut log into spirals and place in greased pan (one recipe makes approx 21 cinnamon rolls (9 cinnamon rolls in an 8"x8" and 12 in a 9"x13"pan).
Let them rise for a few minutes (maybe 20) and bake at 375F for15-20min.

 

Note: You can freeze your cinnamon rolls at this time, just wrap in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Or you can let the cinnamon rolls rise in the fridge over night and bake them in the morning.

 Now its time to make frosting.  Cream cheese frosting is a weakness of mine!

1-8oz package-cream cheese-softened

1/4 cup of butter-softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup-powdered sugar (I don't like it too sweet)

Mix all together and spread over baked cinnamon rolls.

Note: You can also make this ahead of time, place in ziplock bag, and refrigerate or freeze.  When ready, snip corner of ziplock and squeeze frosting all over cinnamon rolls.

Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

On the 9th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Pumpkin waffles with apple cider syrup!

When I was little, it was tradition that on Christmas morning my dad would make pumpkin waffles and apple cider syrup.  Over the last couple of years, the tradition has died off so I decided to bring it back and who knows where the recipe of old is.  However, with my good friend google and some imagination, I made something that tasted outstanding for Christmas.  The recipes are as follows.

Punkin Waffles:
1 cup flour
1 cup oat flour (I just blend oats in my blender)
4 tsp. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (if I have buttermilk I'll use it to replace some of the milk)
2 T. oil (I've forgotten the oil before and they have still turned out great)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pureed pumpkin (optional)
Mix everything all together and add more milk if needed.  Make into waffles and serve with Apple Cider Syrup.

Apple Cider Syrup

Apple Cider Syrup:
2 cups-apple cider (or apple juice)-divided
1 1/4 cups-sugar (you can use either brown or white; I used white)
1 tsp.-cinnamon
1/4 tsp.-nutmeg
2 tsp. lemon juice
4 T.-white flour or 2 T. corn starch
Heat 1 1/2 cups of the apple cider, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice until boiling. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of apple cider and white flour. Slowly pour flour mixture into boiling cider mixture stirring constantly to make sure there are no lumps.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Taste syrup to see if it is to your liking and fix accordingly.  Serve immediately or pour into clean jars and store in fridge for a week.

Mashed Potatoes

On the 8th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Mashed Potatoes!

I know, I know, you looked at this blog post and thought to yourself that I'm crazy for posting about mashed potatoes.  But these are not your normal mashed potatoes.  These are the make-ahead-and-freeze, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen, gain-ten-pounds kind of mashed potatoes.  These are only allowed to me made at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. 

Mashed Potatoes (allow at least 1/3 lb of potato per person. 5 lb bag= approx. 12-15 people):
Peel, chop, and boil 5 lbs of potatoes (remember we are talking holidays here with many people).  Once the potatoes are soft (but not baby food status), drain water and add the following:
2 cubes (1 cup)-butter
1 cup sour cream (I usually do half sour cream and half greek yogurt if I want to be a little healthier)
1 package-cream cheese
a little milk
salt and pepper to taste
Mash all together and scoop into a freezer safe casserole dish.  Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until the day before the big event.  Thaw in fridge for at least 24 hours.  Optional: Just prior to baking, pour melted butter over the top (butter will make a slightly crunchy and delicious topping).  Bake uncovered at 350F for 30-45 min (or until hot). Enjoy!

Corn Bread Pudding

On the 7th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Corn Bread Pudding.

This is a recipe from my sister's mother-in-law and has become a favorite of mine.  It is so simple to make for large crowds and it is so delicious why not make it for Christmas.
Corn Bread Pudding:
1 can of cream corn
1 can of corn (drained)
1 box of corn bread mix
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter-melted
8 oz of sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13" pan (you can use a smaller pan but it will be thicker and take longer to cook).  Mix all ingredients together.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-25min. or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Enjoy!

Jello Salad

On the sixth day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, my Grandma's Jello Salad!

There is a long standing tradition to have my Grandma's Jello Salad for any big event we have at her house.  I always thought it was this semi-gourmet thing that took her hours to make.  Little did I know how effortless it was to make.  I now know her secret!  Fortunately for you, she never swore me to secrecy.
Grandma's Jello Salad (makes a 9x13 pan size):
2 small boxes of strawberry jello (or one big box)
1 can of crushed pineapple (don't drain the juice)
10 frozen strawberries (cut up)
3 bananas (sliced)
Basically follow the instructions on the jello box but reduce the water to about how much juice you think is in the pineapple.  Put 9x13 casserole dish or bowl in the fridge until set.  Note: I've noticed that it takes longer to set than normal jello so plan ahead.

Happy New Year to all!

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope this post finds you healthy and happy.  If not, sorry I can't do much about the happy part, but I will be posting stuff on how to live healthier in 2012. 
Stay tuned!