Source: Hoperatives.com
The second beer of the month is much more pleasant than the lager. It has a great lingering bitter finish. Some stouts can taste like the consumption of an entire loaf of bread. The Moerlein FIS is pleasantly light. The head is very minimal. It’s almost like Stout 101. Not too bitter or heavy. Coffee and chocolate flavors are apparent but not too aggressive. Stout snobs will not like this much but highly recommended for stout newbies.
Hostess (Sad Face)
Hostess, the maker of beloved treats such as Twinkies, Drakes Cakes and Ding Dongs is going out of business. The company was in and out of bankruptcy since 2004. Founded in 1930 as Interstate Bakeries, it was “the largest wholesale baker and distributor of baked products in the United States.” Link
While in recent years the pies were a little questionable, I feel sad and nostalgic about the brand. They sold virtually nothing that was remotely nutritious but when we got a hankering for a sweet, Twinkies or Hostess pies were essential. There is however the possibility of the various brand assets being sold off which means we may not have seen our last Twinkie. Here is a particularly passionate response from Grouchy Muffin.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
I was one of those strange kids who liked almost all vegetables growing up including the much maligned Brussels sprouts. Full of vitamin A, Vitamin C and fiber, these cruciferous veggies taste great on the stove top with butter and bacon or even simpler is the roasting recipe below. Roasting removes part of the sourness and like turnips, some of the natural sugars come out. This makes for a great Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holidays side dish. How is Thanksgiving already next week? The recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients
1 pt Brussels sprouts
1 t garlic
1 t paprika
1 t ground black pepper
a pinch of salt
1 T oil
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash brussel sprouts thoroughly and peel off any dirty leaves. Chop them in half and place in bowl. Add in spices and oil. Mix thoroughly. Place brussels into an lighly oil roasting pan. Throw them in the oven (don’t actually throw them but rather gently place in the oven). Cook for 30-40 minutes. Check on them a few times being sure to stir. Finished product should be browned if not a little charred and almost melt in your mouth.
My brother was given a “beer of the month” club membership by his wife for Valentine’s Day. They send him a dozen beers from 4 different breweries every month for a year. A great gift to be sure but he has since cut down on beer consumption drastically which means I’m the beneficiary(?) of his largesse. During my last visit he sent me home with a half dozen different beers.
Christian Moerlein Original Lager
I hope this first one, a Christian Moerlein Original Lager isn’t precedent setting. The beer tasted skunky and quite old. Being ice cold gave no relief. It was highly carbonated and at times the flavor was reminiscent of a pilsner. Occasionally black cherry notes were detectable. Strange because that’s certainly not mentioned on the label. This lager didn’t possess honey notes or the refreshing aspects expected from a lager. I’d give this beer another go if I knew it was brewery fresh. Please excuse me while I try cleanse my palate. ABV and date of brew were unlisted.
McKenzie’s Hard Cider
Source: Made in America Store.com
Per this recent story on NPR, cider is getting incredibly popular again with sales up 65% this year. Since my girlfriend is gluten free we’re also slowly getting acquainted and occasionally re-acquainted with hard cider and the many other booze options out there. From Eagle Provisions I picked her up a bottle of McKenzie’s Hard Cider. The label features a tough looking old west type hoisting a mug. The label oddly also lists the ingredients as well as nutrition facts. It’s 200 calories with 21 grams of sugar. The ingredients are hard cider, less than 1% natural flavors, caramel colors and sulfites. The cartoon-ish image plus the aforementioned had me double check that I’m not just buying soda pop.
It’s probably the least expensive hard cider I’ve seen at only $1.69 a bottle. The flavor is very appley. It’s on the thick side but just shy of syrupy. Some ciders are closer to champagne territory. This one is the opposite, it not very sparkly or carbonated. It’s tastes like a cider that wants to fool you into thinking it’s non-alcoholic. The flavor is competent but nothing mind blowing. I’d purchase this cider again but would just as soon check out one of the dozens of other brands. The label expressly states that it’s gluten free.
Happy Diwali and Kali Puja everyone.
Indian Turnip Recipe (Shalgam)
I wanted to share a new favorite recipe with you. It’s a slight variation of classic Indian turnips (Shalgam/Shalgam-er Torkari). My family members aren’t big fans so it was unfamiliar to me until I mistakenly got them at the legendary Punjabi deli. Raw turnips are naturally acidic and peppery which isn’t terribly appealing for many people. But don’t be scared. A funny thing happens to these root vegetables when cooked: they forsake their bitter acidity and mellow out into sweetness.
Note: The recipe below uses ajwain (Bengali: jowan). It’s a spice you can pick up at Indian/Pakistani grocery stores. In English it’s called bishop weed. It has a cleansing, almost minty taste with the mildest kick. The peas and bell pepper add a little extra color. Serve with luchi, puri or rice. Yields ~4 servings as a side. Recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients:
2 turnips (chopped small)
1/3 onion (chopped)
½ medium size tomato (chopped)
1 oz bell pepper (diced)
1 oz green peas
1 t cumin seeds
1 T ajwain
1 t tumeric
1 t ginger
1 t coriander powder
chopped chili pepper or chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Method
Add chopped onion to pan and turn on to medium low. Allow a minute to cook. Next drop in cumin seeds, ajwain, ginger. Give one minute to sputter. Now toss in remaining ingredients and 1/3 cup of water. Continue cooking covered. They’re done once partially translucent, roughly 30 minutes.
Santitas Tortilla Triangles
Santitas are a great frugal brand from Frito Lay. At only $2, these white corn based tortilla chips are no nonsense. They’re decently crunchy and have just the right amount of salt. These chips are excellent with guacamole, salsa and even hummus. Also worth noting is you get 11oz for that price! For 2 bucks even if you don’t like them are you really going to complain? Here is a super enthusiastic review. These chips are gluten free.
For a store locator, use this link.
Abu Walad Sandiwch Biscuits
How can you not love how happy that kid is? These biscuits were haunting me. Every store in Bay Ridge or off Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn carries them. Finally on a trip to pick up shea butter, they found their way into my shopping basket at Fertile Crescent. At only $1 it’s difficult to argue. The inside features two packets of wrapped biscuits each containing 6 biscuits. Don’t quote me on that as I ate them all (not in one sitting mind you).
They’re darker than pictured. They have a nice intricate pattern with the name Abu Walad imprinted. The flavor is pleasant. Both the biscuit and the cream are moderately vanilla-ish though there isn’t much of the latter in terms of filling. Really these are tea biscuits in what looks like sandwich cookie to the untrained eye. The crunch is probably around a 9 on a scale of 10. They’re highly dunkable in tea and coffee. In fact the name says it all, the company that produces them is called TeaShop.
Abu Walad Biscuits – Detail
In a head to head against other sandwich cookies it doesn’t hold up but from a value and tea biscuit standpoint these are winners. I’d definitely check them out again as it prevents me from buying a whole box of Oreos or something similar. For the pricepoint these are great biscuits. The biscuits are a product of Yemen.
Split Pea Soup
When times are tough, comfort foods often come to the rescue. One of my personal favorites is the humble split pea soup. This soup features ample protein, fiber and iron among other benefits. And at around $0.66 or less per serving it’s one of the most cost effective soups you can make. This version is naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients
1 lb Green Split Peas (Dried)
½ medium onion, chopped
½ large carrot, chopped
2 T garlic powder
1 T of celery seed
1 t salt
1 t pepper
Method:
Soak split peas over night with more than enough water to cover them. Drain water. Add the peas to a slow cooker. Fill slow cooker with enough water to cover peas plus another inch. Turn slow cooker to high. Now saute onions (preferring vidalia) in a pan for about 10 minutes till translucent. Add onions into slow cooker. Throw in all of the other spices. Alternative: If non-vegetarian include a few ounces of ham chunks or Polish kielbasy such as kabonosy or mysliwska to give a pleasing smokiness.
Caramelized Onions
Suggested accompaniment non-veg, if skipping kielbasy: Ham and cheese sandwich
Suggested accompaniment veg: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
The soup will take about 6-8 hours on high. Consistency should be a medium thickness. Note that this is a soup that thickens tremendously on it’s own so additional blending isn’t necessary.
Alternative to Croutons/Saltines/Oyster Crackers if GF:
It’s nice to have some crunch alongside soup. If you’re GF or just not a fan of saltines, oyster crackers or croutons, Indian snacks are a great option. I recommend Haldiram’s Karodpati. These tepary bean and lentil flour based crunchies provide a lovely texture and peppery kick to the soup. Bhujia is also a great option. Plus they add a dash of color.
Split Pea Soup with Haldiram’s Karodpati Crunchies
What are your favorite split pea soup variations?
Voting day in the U.S is finally here. We’ll finally stop hearing political ads for Obama and Romney, and the various mysterious non-aligned groups……for a few weeks.
Voting is just around the corner at a nearby elementary school. The line inside at 10am was fairly long, with my precinct hosting the longest line by far. After initial confusion about which line to go to and an hour and a half wait, my vote was cast. No hanging chads, just a form to fill out standardized test style followed by a scantron machine. It feels good to be part of the democratic process (electoral college be damned).
Superior to the post-vote buzz though is the bake sale buzz. Every time there is a vote the school hosts a bake sale. A captive audience is going to want something to eat while waiting or post-vote. I picked up a couple of great mint cookies and a small gluten free blondie. Isn’t democracy great? Odds are they’re doing one at your voting location too. What better motivator is there to get you out the door?
