Thursday, July 26, 2012

Nutty Greek Quinoa Toss























It's amazing how easily one can gain a few pounds when your metabolism takes a nose dive in your late thirties. I mean honestly, can't a girl go on a nice relaxing cruise and sit around all day long on the back of a ship's deck looking out at the cold, serene Alaskan waters with her feet up on a wicker chair and be surrounded constantly with pastries, cheeses and berry filled crepes at all hours of the day without gaining 8 stupid pounds?

Apparently not. *Sigh.






Well, if that weren't a bad enough set back on my never ending fight against belly bulge then the 12 hour road trip we took this last weekend to Utah with 4 kids certainly put the nail on the diet coffin. While we did bring along apples and healthy trail mix, they went so well with Twizzlers and chocolate covered raisins that we decided to buy some cookies to top it off. Perfectly reasonable right?


Now, how to lose those 10 pounds gained in 2 short weeks after I've been fighting to lose 20 since who the hell knows when?    *Double sigh, big fat pout.








Here's the back of the ship where my sweetie and I  loved to sit and relax..... and snack.... a lot.






Can you blame us? I mean really. Look at the view. And the weather was just so unbelievably cool and perfect compared to the miserable heat we are used to here in Phoenix.














We didn't spend  ALL  of our time on our butts stuffing our mouths.
We had some pretty amazing adventures too.
Here we are zip lining through the 200 foot tall trees in Ketchikan, AK.  
Me and my baby sister Rachel.


Did I mention that due to the glaciers that swept over the land many years ago, the soil is only 4-6" deep?
Did you catch that? That's INCHES, not feet.


We were swinging from super tall trees that are hanging on for their dear lives in soil that is too shallow to plant carrots in!


Smart.






And we took one frieking amazing, hold onto your hats fast bike ride 32 mies from Canada back to Skagway, AK. This was by far the highlight of my trip! The scenery was breath taking. 











So, how to fit back into my pants?




It's a good thing I discovered quinoa some time ago and shortly after figured out how to make it unbelievable delicious.

It's the feta. No, it's the toasted pine nuts. NO! It's the white balsamic vinaigrette.

O.K., all of these things plus the squeeze of lemon, freshness of the parsley and zip of the sweet peppers make this quinoa toss very addictive and satisfyng. My tummy thanks me.




Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 big handful grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 big handful sweet peppers minced
1 big handful parsley, minced
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinaigrette
freshly cracked white pepper
squeeze fresh lemon juice



Put quinoa into a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly to remove natural 'soapy' film.  Cook according to package directions, usually 1:1 parts quinoa-water, bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
If you please, toast pine nuts on a dry cast iron skillet until golden brown to bring out flavor.
Using a small food processor or knife, finely dice sweet peppers, garlic and parsley.
In a large bowl, toss together still warm quinoa, feta, peppers, parsley, pine nuts and tomatoes.
Drizzle in oil and vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Add lemon and pepper to taste.

Serve warm or chilled.


For dinner, we prefer the warm version where the feta is just slightly creamy and the flavors melt together.









Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals



1. Emelisse+Stillwater Collaboration: "Holland Oats"

2. Dochter Van De Korenaar Charbon (smoked vanilla stout)

3. Dochter Van De Korenaar Peated Oak Aged Embrasse

4.Omnipollo Leon (Belgian blonde with champagne yeast from one of the newest gypsy brewers)

5.Omnipollo Mazarin (pale ale)

6. Cascade Sang Noir

7. The Perfect Crime American Blonde (collaboration series with Stillwater + Evil Twin)

8. The Perfect Crime European Blonde

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals





1.Bruery Tart of Darkness

2. Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

3. Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale

4. Flying Dog Wildeman Farmhouse IPA

5. Coney Island Barrel Aged Human Blockhead

6. Allagash Curieux

7. Grand Teton Bitch Creek

8. Wandering Aengus Bloom

9. Wandering Aengus Wanderlust

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Healthy Spirits: Jolly Pumpkin/Maui Sobrehumano collaboration




Just recieved a VERY small shipment of the Jolly Pumpkin/Maui Brewing collaboration SOBREHUMANO Palena 'Ole. This is the sour version produced at Jolly Pumpkin. We also got some cool Sobrehumano glassware which features the logos for both breweries.

FYI the Maui version is still available in cans.

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Head Brewer of Evil Twin invades the shop!






Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso, head brewer of Evil Twin, dropped by the shop yesterday in search of a few local bottles - "Just doing some research" he says. Jeppe has been churning out a fantastic array of Imperial Stouts and other equally-excellent brews for quite some time now, first brewing with his brother Mikkel (Mikkeller). It was only last year that Evil Twin brews started showing up in the states, and they're already becoming house-hold names amongst beer geeks everywhere. Above, he's holding his self-proclaimed favorite "Even More Jesus", a thick and chewy Imperial Stout.

Jeppe was traveling with his son as well, and it turns out that he was the inspiration for an Evil Twin libation fittingly titled "Elliot Brew" - an IPA-style beer brewed in honor of his birthday. Pictured below his father, Elliot graciously poses with his beer.

-Scott
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Friday, July 13, 2012

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals



1. Echigo Koshikari

2. Echigo Stout

3. Echigo Premium Red Ale

4. Orion Lager

5. Coedo Ruri

6. Coedo Beni

7. Coedo Shiro

8. Coedo Shikkoku

9. Coedo Kyara

10. Iwate Kura Bakushu Oyster Stout

11. Palo Alto "Nice Lacing" (Citra Rye IPA brewed with Westmalle Yeast at De Proef in Belgium)

12. Palo Alto Atlas DIPA

13. Palo Alto Barely Legal Coconut Porter

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Pineapple Carnitas Pizza



Happy Pizza Friday! 


One of my family's favorite foods is pizza and one of my favorites is home made pizza. You just can't beat a good home cooked pizza on a pizza stone. The fresh dough and fresh ingredients of your choosing. I like to get crazy with my pizza and put stuff like eggplant and goat cheese on it but the kids have a slightly less exotic palate. 


This pizza incorporated another of our family's favorite cuisines, Mexican food. The roast was slow cooked in pineapple juice making it sheer torture waiting for it to be done while whiffs of warm pineapple floated around the house. 







Serve with an ice cold tropical margarita if your feeling festive.











The meat is moist and will make your dough soggy if you don't pre-cook it, so pop the dough onto your hot pizza stone, brush with a bit of good olive oil and bake at 400F for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and then put your toppings on.








Topped simply with shredded Jack cheese and slices of sweet peppers this pizza was very satisfying.


















I seem to have started quite a stir when I posted my shredded chicken tip  last year. I had several people asked me if it worked with beef and sure enough it does!  Again, just make sure you are using very warm or hot meat and trim as much fat from the roast as you can. If you use cold meat it can quite possibley harm your mixer, my Aunts Bosch mixer broke when we tried to shred a cold pork roast for tamales last year. 





Hot pineapple roast in......................................






shredded beef in seconds!







Serve with a side salad.







Rachel's Easy Pizza Dough Recipe(makes 2 pizzas or 1 pizza + bread sticks)

2 1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 1/2 Tbs. oil
2 tsp. dry yeast
5 2/3 cup flour
Mis salt, sugar, yeast and oil. Pour warm water over mix and stir. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well each time, then kneed. No rising necessary. Bake 425 degrees 15-20 minutes.







Pineapple Carnitas Pizza Recipe
 PREP TIME      30 MINUTES       COOK TIME      45
Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3-4lbs. chuck roast
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 - 12oz. cans pineapple, papaya or mango juice    (I use leftover canned pineapple juice from our cottage cheese and pineapple snack) 
  • 1 recipe for pizza dough
  • olive oil, for brushing the dough
  • 1 cup jarred tomatillo salsa, plus more for serving
  • 12 ounces fresh jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced and sauteed until golden
  • 1 cup of sliced sweet or bell pepper
  • sour cream, for serving (optional)
  • guacamole, for serving (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  1. Mix the chili powder, cumin and  salt in a small bowl.
  1. Rub the spice mixture on both sides of the roast.
  1. Heat the canola oil in a large pot over high heat, then sear both sides of the roast until nice and brown, about 2 minutes per side.
  1. Pour the juice into the pot with the meat.
  1. Cover and roast for about 4 hours, until falling apart.
  1. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, put your pizza stone if you have one it the oven.
  1. Put hot roast in your mixer with the cookie paddle attatched and blend on speed 4 till shredded. Or use 2 forks to shred the meat then return to the juices.
  1. Add tomatillo salsa and onions to the shredded roast, mix to combine.
  1. Turn up the heat in your oven to 400F
  1. Roll out pizza dough into a circle
  1. Fold dough in half and gently transfer to your hot pizza stone, brush with a bit of olive oil.
  1. Cook dough for 8-10 minutes so it will not soak up all of the juices from the meat. 
  1. Remove from oven and spread the shredded roast all over pizza
  1. Top with shredded Jack cheese and  peppers.
  1. Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is melted.








Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals


1. Bruery Tart of Darkness

2. Erdinger Ur-Weisse

3. 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat

4. 21st Amendment Back in Black

5. 21st Amendment Live Free or Die IPA

6. 21st Amendment Bitter American

7.Dogfish Head Ta Henket

8. Dogfish Head Urkontinent

9.Dogfish Head Burton Baton

10. New Belgium+Lost Abbey Lips of Faith: Brett Beer

11. Heretic Tartuffe Berliner Weisse

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals


1. Pretty Things Field Mouse's Farewell

2. Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze

3. Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek

4. Fantome Printemps

5. Struise Pannepot 2011

6. Mikkeller 1000 IBU

7. Mikkeller Blondeaux

8. Mikkeller Chipotle Porter

9. Mikkeller/Cigar City Barrel Aged Swinging Harry

10. Thiriez Blonde Farmhouse Ale (One of my all time favorites)

11. Renaissance Craftsman Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

12. Cervesera del Montseny Malta Cuvee

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Friday, July 6, 2012

New Beer Arrivals: Knee Deep Simtra, St. Sebastiaan Dark and Golden, Knee Deep Imperial Tanilla and more...


Hey all,

Got some nice beers in today:

-Knee Deep Simtra (may go fast)
-Knee Deep Imperial Tanilla (Imperial Porter with Vanilla Beans)
-Anderson Valley Imperial IPA
-Lucifer Belgian Strong Blonde (Brewery Het Anker)
-Brouwerij Sterkens St. Sebastiaan Dark (Belgian Dubbel)
-Brouwerij Sterkens St. Sebastiaan Golden (Belgian Tripel)
-Brouwerij Sterkens Hoogstraten Poorter (Baltic Porter)
-Brouwerij Sterkens Bokrijks Belgian Golden Ale
-Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA
-Lost Abbey Mo' Betta Bretta
-Bruery Tart of Darkness (Oak Aged Sour Stout)

Only one case each on the knee deep stuff just FYI. Also this is the first time we've gotten in the Brouwerij Sterkens line. They're really tasty Belgian beers that come in these cool re-sealable ceramic bottles. Cheers

Nate

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Healthy Spirits: Lambrucha

1. Lambrucha-a blend of lambic and kombucha (limited quantities)