friday feature v2 :: baked eggs + pale ale.

I don't normally have time to do a recipe and beer feature for the blog, but I really stepped up my game this week!




I mentioned I'm trying to work hard at an eighty/twenty balance with Paleo and non-dairy eating.  I made this recipe a while back and had forgotten how easy it is!  My baked eggs are adapted from this recipe from Paleo Spirit.  My recipe feeds 2-3 people.

What you need//

• 4 portobello mushrooms
• 4 oz. smoked salmon
• 4 farm fresh eggs (preferred as whites can still be runny after cooked)
• Coconut oil
• Fresh or dried parsley
• Pepper
• Optional: Dijon or horseradish mustard

Steps//

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Wipe portobellos clean with a damp paper towel.  Then scrape out the stem and any gills necessary.  You want a "bowl" to be able to hold the meat and egg.  I've found the deeper the bowl (and more rounded the edges), the better it is for holding the eggs.  I look for this when buying my mushrooms
3. Melt a bit of coconut oil.  Spread this on the outer edges and bottom of your mushroom to assist with cooking and prevent sticking to the pan
4. Optional: If you prefer, spread a bit of dijon mustard in the "bowl" of the mushroom.  I simply dipped my cooked mushroom in mustard, but I think it would be easier and possibly more delicious to cook it this way.  The dijon helps to cut the saltiness of the salmon.
5. Layer a couple of pieces of salmon in the "bowl" of the mushroom
6. Gently, crack an egg on top of the meat
7. Season with pepper (no salt needed as the smoked salmon is salty enough) and parsley or other herb of choice
8. Delicately, put the pan in the oven (you don't want eggs spilling over the mushrooms!) and cook for 20-30 minutes until eggs are to your liking.  I find in my oven 25 minutes leaves the yolks a bit runny still which I prefer.

It's that simple!  I like to make this dish when I'm having a solo dinner because it's so easy to prepare for one.

As for a beer pairing, I chose a simple pale ale.  I fell in love with Blue Mountain after visiting their brewery on a trip to Virginia.  The brewery is gorgeous!  I would definitely recommend checking it out if you're ever in the Charlottesville area.  Blue Mountain's Full Nelson Pale Ale is a well-balanced, not too hoppy beer.  I absolutely love a craft beer in a can (it's perfect for camping and travel!), and Blue Mountain was the first craft brewery in Virginia to introduce cans.

This beer is only 5.9% alcohol, so it's great for all-day drinking at the beach (and not too hoppy for that) or just to help you relax after a long day at work.  

What is your favorite solo meal to make?

Any favorite canned craft beers?

friday feature v2 :: a drink for your valentine.

As today is Valentine's Day, it only seems appropriate to feature a drink that you could gift your beer-loving significant other.



If you're not quite feeling wine today, check out Bell's Smitten.  This brew is a golden rye ale, which is comparable to an American pale ale. It's a bit of a hoppy beer but the rye malts help to balance it out.  I like to think of it as a beginner's IPA.  Still working your way up from pilsners?  Try this brew next!  The color is a beautiful amber with just the right amount of hop bitterness to make me want to keep coming back to it.



The label of this beer is great.  I really love the hand drawn labels that Bell's has for all of their beers.  One thing I should note is that this beer is unfiltered.  When a beer is filtered, it removes most of the sediment from the liquid.  Since Smitten (and all Bell's beers) is not filtered, you'll see some "stuff" floating around in the beer.  Don't be scared!  The positive result of being unfiltered is a more flavorful beer since the filtering process often strips the brew down a bit.



Smitten is only 6% alcohol, so you should be able to take down a few of these beer without sending yourself over the edge.  Want to know about the greatest thing?  Bell's did this:

Smitten valentines?!  Sold!  What a wonderful and cute idea.  Since it's too late to get a "beerentine," stop and pick up a six-pack of Smitten to enjoy with your significant other.  It's a great alternative to wine and the perfect appetizer to a V-day dinner.

Do you have a favorite Bell's Beer?
What is your drink of choice for this romantic holiday?

Food & Beer Friday :: Peachy keen.

This week's feature beer is just perfect for the summer.  I fell in love with Dogfish Head's Festina Peche back in college when D got a case of it for amazingly cheap.  It's characterized as a Berliner Weisse, which is traditionally a beer brewed in Berlin that's typically identified by it's tartness.  We had a Berliner Weisse at our local brewpub recently and they served fruit syrups that you mix it.  Trust me, it sounds weird, but it's great!  Don't be scared off by the term tart; many beginner beer drinkers enjoy this style.

As for Festina, the 4.5% alcohol level makes it really easy to drink.  It's so crisp, bright and delicious.  You can get hints of tartness, but it actually reminded me of this beer I recommended to beginners.  In my opinion, it's the perfect combination of sweet and sour.  While I think this beer is great for sipping at the beach or on the porch after a long day.  As for food, I would go with a light fish.  I'm imagining a fish topped with a mango salsa!

Now, I'm off in DC for a long weekend to celebrate the end of my birthday week!  Head on over and see what Sarah chose to feature this week.  Cheers to the weekend friends!

Do you have a favorite tart beer?  Or can you even tolerate them?

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Food & Beer Friday :: The "I'm Back" Beer.

I'm not much for apologies here on the blog, but it's no secret it's been almost a month since I posted.  Summer has been busy, and I've been loving summer reading more than blogging.  I don't know many who would consider that a bad thing.  Then it happened.  The unexpected death that rocked my world. There's no need for details or emotions right now.  That was three weeks ago and now I'm trying to get back in the game.  For now, on to the beer!

It's no secret that I'm obsessed with farmhouse ales.  I assumed it would be fitting to debut my return with another!  Brewery Ommegang's Hennepin drew me in with it's style.  And let's be honest, the purples on the label didn't hurt.  This beer had a nice dry flavor with very little hops.  While Ommegang describes it as "hoppy and crisp," I would certainly disagree with the hoppy portion.  Crisp is quite the fitting word for this brew though.  At almost 8% alcohol, you likely want to pair one bottle with your dinner.

As for food pairings, the ginger, coriander, and citrus flavors in this beer make it perfect for pairing with your favorite Indian dish!  I didn't pair it with a meal myself, but I think I should have.  This isn't your typical cook-out summer beer.  

Now head on over to Sarah's and check out what she's reviewing this week!  Link up and tell me, what beers are you loving this summer?

Ps. my sincere apologies to those who sponsor/advertise with me.  In the wake of the past few weeks, I've stopped reading blogs, responding to comments, etc. I just took/am still taking a blogging break.  I'll likely start fresh sooner than later.  Until then, please bear with me while I maintain my life, emotions, and sanity.

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Food & Beer Friday :: Summatime.

While I've been enjoying my summer, and mainly my books, I'm sort of taking a blog sabbatical.  And I'm ok with it.  In the meantime, I'm definitely still drinking!  I couldn't pass up sharing a beer from one of my favorite breweries.

You may not remember my affinity for Anchor Steam Beer, but it was one of the first I reviewed.  I picked up Anchor Summer Beer in haste at my bottle shop due to my love for Anchor.  After purchase, I realized it was a wheat beer.  I'm definitely not a fan of wheat beers as they tend to be a little too sweet for my taste.  Believe it or not, I was pleasantly surprised by this brew!  While it's an "unfiltered wheat beer," it only had a slight wheat flavor and was otherwise refreshing.  Anchor says the top-fermenting yeast and malted wheat help give this beer a lighter wheat flavor.  I can't say that this would be a go-to summer beer for me, but it's definitely a good transitional beer if you haven't tried many craft beers.

In my delayed summer fashion, this is the perfect fourth of July beer (along with the perfect 4th outfit).  It's only 4.5% alcohol (so low!) and easy to drink in the heat.  It's available all the way through October though, so enjoy the summer even after it's gone!

Now head on over and check out what Sarah is reviewing this week!  Cheers & here's to hoping I have another awesome beer (and more blog posts) for you next week!  What's your favorite summer beer?

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Food & Beer Friday :: Another twin.

While I won't apologize for my lack of post last week, I will mention that I had a semi-emergency that involved my sister being in town and lice.  Ew.  Nonetheless, in the midst of a crazy busy and overwhelming week I've definitely been drinking some beers.

I've talked about Evil Twin Brewing before, and I'm a big fan of the company.  For some reason, Falco really stood out to me and I just had to have it.  It's an IPA, and I've mentioned my taste for this style is growing.  Maybe I got ahead of myself; maybe my hopes were too high.  While the beer was well done, it just was not for me.  The hops were some of the most bitter and strong that I could remember tasting.  It was really hard for me to drink the entire bottle on my own.  If you're really into hoppy beers and IPAs, definitely give this beer a try!  If you're an IPA newbie like me, bypass it or take a sip of your partner's!

Since hoppy beers pair well with spicy foods, I had the Falco with my favorite easy salsa and chips!  Now head on over and check out what Sarah has been sipping on this week!  

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Food & Beer Friday :: Flower child.

I'm still out of the loop.  To be fair, this week has been hectic and chaotic.  I'll bring a life lately update on Monday, but for now.  Enjoy this quick little beer spotlight!

I pulled one out of the archive from that Chicago trip that I've yet to recap.  Of all the drinking we did in Chi-town, I tried to drink only things that I couldn't access back in NC.  Half Acre Beer was a company that I really enjoyed.  One of my only regrets was that we didn't go visit the brewery.  On our last day of vacation, we picked up a four-pack of the Daisy Cutter to wind down and watch some of the new season of Arrested Development.

Half Acre characterizes the Daisy Cutter as a "west coast" pale ale even though it's brewed in Chicago. It's a perfect pale ale at 5.2% alcohol.  I'd say it's a pretty standard pale ale, but it's pretty damn delicious for something that's brewed close to you (we don't have a great pale ale brewed in NC in my opinion).  I'm always a big fan of canned beers, and this one hit the spot.  I mean it's nothing special like the Rosa was for me, but this would be a go-to if I lived near Chicago!

I'm keeping it short and sweet this week, but if you really need a food pairing check out last week's beer.  In the meantime, go see what Sarah chose to feature this week! Then link-up!  Link-ups will be open through Monday and you can link any food or beer post from the week.  Come join us!

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Food & Beer Friday :: Citra & purple potatoes.

Last weekend was beautiful.  While I'm regretting not heading out to the beach, even solo (damn you tropical storm), I definitely enjoyed soaking up the sun right at home.  It was one of those productive and fun weekends.  Oddly enough, I may have finally converted to hops.  I keep telling D that I've grown up; my taste buds are changing.  I'm taking red onions and banana peppers on my pizza and salad at our weekly Trophy Brewing dates.  With summer beers in full swing, I continually find myself choosing hops over my previous sweeter summer favorite.

That being said, it's really odd that I would pick up an IPA.  Flying Dog's Citra Single Hop Imperial IPA caught my eye, and I figured I should branch out a bit.  One aspect I love about some hoppy beers is that floral hop flavor.  Citra had that taste.  Since the floral flavor is prominent, the beer doesn't overwhelm me with hop bitterness.  At first I thought it may be a little too easy to take down at 10% alcohol but it is actually perfect for just sipping on with a snack.  I would consider this more of a nightcap than a BBQ beer.  

And about that snack?  After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I'm making more of an effort to shop the amazing farmers markets in Raleigh and take advantage of what is in season.  I picked up these great purple potatoes a couple of weeks ago.  I simply boiled them a bit and threw them into a homemade potato salad with ingredients I already had at home.  Simple and delicious.  Initially we had it as a side with some venison burgers and a local lettuce salad.  I ate on it for days, and it only got better.

Now head on over and check out Sarah's pick for the week.  Have a food or beer post from this week? Link up with us!

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Food & Beer Friday :: May flowers bring Rosa.

While I know I've been gone for a week, I've got a great Chicago-themed beer for you this week!  I'll be back next week with lots of Chicago and lots of updates!

One of the places we visited while in Chicago was Revolution Brewing.  I absolutely fell in love with their Rosa Hibiscus Ale while there.  While I was told that Revolution does not distribute their beer, I remembered Erin featuring this beer in a can a little bit before.  I'm still not sure why Chicagoans say that it's not sold?  Nonetheless, I'm smitten with this beer (who wants to mail me some?).  This brew is a little tart with just the right amount of sweetness.  It's brewed with hibiscus flowers and a bit of orange peel.  The ale has a bit of a pink tint (from the flowers) and is really easy to drink.  At 5.8% alcohol, this is the perfect summer beer.  It doesn't have that overwhelming sweetness of wheat beers, but it's not as tart as a sour beer.

We visited the Revolution brewpub and not the brewery itself.  I loved the open and well-decorated space.  If I lived in Chicago, I would definitely frequent this spot.

Of course we had our fair share of samples, but I couldn't resist the Rosa.  Since we've returned home, I've mentioned this beer at least five times.  The fact it comes in a can is certainly an added bonus (hello beach beer!).   I'm definitely trying to figure out how in the world I can get this beer to my doorstep...

Now go check out what beer Sarah has picked this week (and the chances of her and I picking the same beer are much slimmer this week!) and link-up any food and beer post you have from the past week.

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