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?

friday feature v1 :: brunch bloodys.

Before my blog hiatus, I was desperately attempting to get Food & Beer Fridays to catch on and maintain a link-up.  I think I'm going to let the link-up die (unless I get more interest?), and I'm ok with that.  Now that I'm back, I'm focusing not on business and link-ups but the parts of life that make me happy.  Great food, beer, and drinks are still things that I love.  One of my favorite parts of traveling is the experience of trying amazing restaurants, local breweries and drinks, so it is only fitting that I continue to feature favorite beers and drinks.  Instead of F&B Fridays, I'm planning to do friday features which will spotlight a recipe/food, beer, or cocktail.

I had my first full "snow day" of the year this week (which means it didn't snow during the day but I did get the entire day off instead of just a delayed start), and my immediate thought was of bloody marys.  I've always had an affinity for a bloody but often never had all the mixings.  I made sure to stock up on everything I wanted for my {almost} perfect bloody mary!

What you need//

• Vodka
• Bloody mixer {I use Zing Zang or Scales}
• Ice
• If you like it spicy: Hot sauce, ground pepper, horseradish
• Garnishes!  My favorites are blue cheese olives, pepperoncinis,  & petite pickles. Bacon is great if you're a meat eater!

I like my cocktails on the stronger side, so I put about 1/3 vodka in my glass.  I never measure it out, just eyeball it depending on your tastes.  Honestly, I never really taste the vodka in my bloody marys even if I put more than a third.

I prefer spicy bloody marys myself.  On hand I had Texas Pete and pepper, but I would have preferred some horseradish too!  I filled the remainder of my glass with the bloody mary mix then topped it off with a few generous shakes of hot sauce and lots of pepper.

Now for the garnishing!  Olives are my absolute favorite bloody garnish, but anything pickled will really do for me.  Pickled green beans are especially delicious.  I used blue cheese stuffed olives, pepperoncini (squeezing the excess juice into the cocktail!) and petite pickles.  If I had celery, I likely would have added a stalk, but sometimes you've got to work with what you've got handy when it comes to the "perfect" homemade bloody mary.

How do you make your {almost} perfect homemade bloody mary?