I Have Found My People

So, I have mentioned that the first batch of beer turned out to be good....but light. That was to be expected considering that was what the kit was, "American Light". We have made it work, it is OK, tasty even, with a lime wedge in it. But it is still lite.

HHBL and I, as a rule, do not drink any kind of beer that has the term "light" or "lite" in the name. I seem to have found that I want a beer that tastes like a beer and not.....pissy water. I have also mentioned that we try to avoid any beer that has been brewed by one of the "Big Brewers" i.e. Miller, Coors, Budwieser. That also means that we try to avoid any of the lesser breweries that have been absorbed by the BIg Brewery Borg. You would be amazed what beers that encompasses. Yes, we are beer snobs.

Since I finished that first batch of beer I have been thinking about brewing my next batch. It has been a back of my mind obsession. So today I figured that I would pick up another one of the Mr. Beer kit refills. No reason not to start a new batch of beer, this time perhaps an IPA or ale as those are what we like best. The Mr. Beer website told me that I could pick up a refill at my local Target. I thought that was a bit odd but went ahead and swung by there on my errands rounds.

Nada.

I wandered the hallowed Target halls but didn't find where the refill kits might be. I asked at Customer Service and after the pimply faced clerk (who looked a great deal like Stan Shunpike) called someone with one of those little scanner things and that girl concluded that the refills could only be ordered on line I moved on.

I knew that there was one other place where I might find what I needed. It was a little place called Leeners and it was just around the corner. I found it, I parked, I opened the door......

And I heard the angels sing.

An entire store completely devoted to brewing beer, making wine and all sorts of other things like a kit for making fresh mozzarella cheese or BUBBLE GUM!! A true "do it yourself" candy store. But as I stood there in front of all the beer supplies, oh the beer supplies, I just didn't know what to do. I have done only one kit. I didn't see anything like what I had used before. Oh there were kits but I wasn't sure if they would work with my kit. There were parts and pieces that made up a whole but I didn't know what to put with what.

And this was when I had to make a decision. I had to ask for help.

I do not like asking for help.

Did you know that? Even if I need help I do not like asking for help. I want to be able to walk into a store and know just what I need and where to find it. To ask for help might mean that I don't know what I am doing, that I am ignorant.

I hate that.

But it was necessary. So I looked around for someone to help me. And that is when it struck me. I saw only women working there. Only women.

This place is owned and operated by women.

I can do this! I can ask another woman who obviously knows about beer (boy howdy do they!) what kit to use. I just happened to grab Kathy. With disappointment she told me that they no longer carry Mr. Beer kit refills but that the other kit refills would work. However they didn't have any IPA refills at the moment. She even went to the trouble of looking at what had come in the shipment that they were unpacking at that very moment. Nope, no IPA. I tried to tamp down my disappointment and started thinking about what other refill I might like to try when Kathy said,

Oh, I can just make you up a kit while you wait. It won't take long.

Whaaaaaaa????? Yes please.

And so Kathy grabbed some yeast from the frig. And some malt extract from a shelf. And she ground some of the barley for me. And grabbed the correct hops. And had me read through the instructions so I understood what I was supposed to do......

And I brought it all home.

Guess what I am going to be doing on Saturday morning.

A beer brewing store run by women.

I have found my people.

Now if they were also knitters I think my brain might explode.

 

Posted with Blogsy

52 Food Adventures (Vol 6)- Eating Peru

You know me, always wondering what I am having for the next meal.

And oh how I love eating in Peru. Why? Because I can have fish every single day and it will all be different.

And I can drink Cusquena Beer to my heart's content. It is a bit difficult to get here in the States, although not impossible….unlike Primus, the national beer of Rwanda. I haven’t found a supplier for that yet.

I just thought we would take a short tour of some of the things that I consumed on the latest trip to Peru. I think this can count for a 52 Food Adventures because there were certainly several new food items that I hadn’t ever had before……you will see.

Sorry for the blurriness of the picture. It wasn’t that I had had too much Cusquena, it was that I only had the little camera with me and the lighting was low. And I was laughing at the kitten that was trying to climb up my leg. Yes, there was a kitten in the taverna. A bit on the “mangy” side so I declined to pet it.

Now back to the picture. These are not potato fries. These are Yucca fries. And they are delicious. A bit more of a dry and mealy texture than regular French Fries but so much better in the long run. And where ever you order them they seem to come with this mayo/curry sort of dipping sauce that is to die for.

I had a lot of Yucca fries in Peru.

Oh yes, again this trip we made a stop at the “Bread Place”. If it has a name I do not know it. I only think of it as the place along the highway where I can obtain little bread pillows of goodness stuffed with olives.

Oh be still my beating heart.

And since it was my birthday that day and we were going to the beach and we were passing, conveniently, right by the place, Mom and Alberto made sure that we stopped and bought PLENTY of the little “Olive Pillows of Heaven”.

I might have eaten one or five.

I need to tell you how they “do” coffee most places in Peru. They start out by making a sort of coffee sludge. A viscous liquid that if consumed straight up will strip your bowels of all flora.

Sorry, I said bowels.

What you do is you put about an inch of coffee sludge in the bottom of your cup and then you fill up the rest of the space with either hot water or hot milk. And you then have a perfect cup of coffee.

And believe me, I am picky about my coffee.

I forgot to label this picture but the thing I wanted to point out was the little dish of what looks like corn in the middle of the table. That is the typical nibbly stuff that everyone gets to consume when you are drinking your first beer. Oh and the tiny dish of salsa at the bottom right corner of the picture?

DEATH in liquid form.

We had Sunday lunch at this very small taverna that is located in the middle of this little market. If you didn’t know it was there you would totally miss it. You have to walk in, past the barbershop, turn left at the poultry seller and you are set. Don’t be put off by the fact that it doesn’t look like a place you should eat. Be bold! There were only about 10 small tables and a very small kitchen. But the chef was dressed like a chef so……Everyone gets a cup of the special soup of the day. This stuff was delicious, a fish broth heavy with chives and ginger…..but I did not eat the muscle that was lurking at the bottom of the cup. Not my fav. But I am going to try to re-create the soup part.

I have no idea what this fish was. All I can say is that it was lovely. Light, not fishy, delicate.

I am making myself hungry.

Locally produced goat’s milk cheese purchased at the local “mercado” which is one of the farmer’s markets.

All I can say is that this stuff was fabulous. Just tangy enough and with a lovely smooth texture and finish.

Holy Kalamatas Batman! These were just so very olivey and good. My mouth is literally watering at the moment.

This is Causa (Cow-sa). One of the national dishes of Peru that you can find in many forms. We were eating at a fancy restaurant so they made their Causa a bit more “froofy do” than you would normally find it. That didn’t stop me from eating it all up. Causa happens to be one of my favorite Peruvian dishes.

I ate a boat load of this stuff too.

This fish is Mero….also known as Patagonian Toothfish….also known as Chilean Sea Bass. This particular piece was the “cheek”. I don’t think I even knew that you could eat the cheek of a fish.

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this might have been one of the best pieces of fish that I have ever had. Capers, lime juice, a garlicky sauce. Oh good Lord in heaven. It ranks right up there with the Mahi Mahi that I had at Mama’s Fish House on Maui back in 1997.

And I didn’t EVER think I would top that particular meal.

Along with the daily ingestion of fish I seem to have consumed a vast quantity of squid testicles tentacles. Sorry, family joke there. I love squid, otherwise known as calamari. I especially like it deep fried.

Ahhhhhh, a cup of good coffee consumed beside a raging river after climbing around Machu Picchu for 2 hours. Excellent.

I will tell you the longer version of this Pepper of Death story later in the week I think. This beauty was on HHBL’s plate as a garnish. It was just one slice and looked like a regular red pepper that you might get here in the States. HHBL didn’t hear Alberto telling me about the fact that he didn’t know the name of the pepper but that I shouldn’t eat it because it was hot like an incendiary bomb (my interpretation). Just about that time I looked over to see that HHBL was doing the international sign of distress, grabbing his throat and indicating that he might have eaten something hot. Evidently he had eaten half the slice of pepper in one fell swoop.

It was not a good thing.

Yes, not only can you knit with yarn made from Alpaca wool……you can eat the Alpaca.

And they are delicious. I would know. I had some for lunch one day. Very tender, intense “beefy” sort of flavor. Yum.

Oh, and that guinea pig?

Another national delicacy in Peru. But I haven’t tried that particular dish yet.

But that isn’t to say that I won’t. In fact I am dying to. The time just has not presented itself yet.

WHAT???

Pet…..lunch….whatever.

52 Food Adventures (Vol 5)–OUZO!

Here we are again with another installment in my continuing adventures in the food world.

I really do sound pretentious. Blame Dandy cuz this whole thing was all her idea.

Man, I digressed within the first three sentences. Amazing.

At any rate. Moving on.

Do you know what Ouzo! is? I knew what it was but I will admit that I had never tasted it or used it in anything. Ouzo! is Greek alcohol (boy howdy!) with a distinctive anise flavor. Think black licorice.

If you don’t like black licorice don’t be scared away because it isn’t overwhelming in the recipe.

First let me say that deciding to use Ouzo! meant that I had to pay a call on my local liquor store. Skuttle in to the store hoping that no one sees my car in the parking lot.

Ask for the placement of the Ouzo!

Realize that one bottle costs…..$18!!!!!!!

Stand there for a moment trying to decide if it was worth it to do this recipe. Decide yes.

Skuttle back up to the counter and pay for the Ouzo! Have detailed conversation about the weather with the store owner.

Skulk out of the store with bottle in plain paper bag clutched in my hand hoping no one sees me.

Oh the Baptist Guilt!

Sorry. Now on to the recipe. I bet you never thought I would get there. This recipe actually came from an old issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

These are all the ingredients that you will need. I don’t think you can possibly go wrong.

You can’t go wrong with Feta cheese. It is deeelicious.

First you should open the Ouzo! and take a nice big whiff so that you know what you are dealing with. And then pour yourself a very small amount and take a taste.

HOLY LICORICE ROPES BATMAN!

This stuff tastes like liquid Good and Plenty candy….with a BIG alcohol kick.

Debbie gives a big thumbs up to Ouzo!

MMMMMMMMM, Shrimp. The first thing you are going to do is put the shrimp in a bowl and then add some olive oil, lemon zest, salt, garlic and Ouzo! Just let them sit and get to know each other for a bit. They love each other and want to be together forever.

Heating olive oil in my trusty cast iron skillet. I love that thing.

Then you are going to want to add your diced up red pepper and onions to the pan and saute them. The recipe calls for green pepper as well but green pepper and I don’t get along so I left them at the store. The red pepper did just fine by itself.

Then you are going to add the rest of the garlic as well as some red pepper flakes. Thank goodness I looked at the recipe again BEFORE I put this in. I had measured out 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes instead of the 1/4 teaspoon that the recipe called for.

Put on your glasses Deb!!!

Then a can of diced tomatoes with the juice.

Then some white wine.

White wine AND Ouzo!? Deb you are a wild woman. Wild I say.

Then just a tad more Ouzo! You will be the better for it I promise you.

Then you let this all reduce down until the sauce is thicker and lovely. Give it a bit of a taste to see if you have added enough salt and pepper. If you want (and it isn’t written in the recipe) you can add a tablespoon of butter to thicken up the sauce.

There is also some chopped Italian parsley that goes in as well but I forgot to take a picture of it.

While the sauce is reducing you need to start the pasta water boiling. That is if you are going to serve this over pasta, which I was.

Ohio City Pasta lemon pepper fettuccini. Oh be still my beating heart.

When you throw this into the boiling water you can also put the shrimp into the sauce. You don’t want to overcook either the pasta or the shrimp.

Stir the shrimp around, turn the heat down a bit and cover the pan. You should not over cook the shrimp or they will be tough like leather.

Leather shrimp isn’t all that appealing for dinner.

When the pasta is done and the shrimp are done you are going to grab your plates plus the feta cheese and the dill.

Did I mention the dill?

Dried dill from the garden. It may look strange but it smells fab.

Then you quickly sprinkle with feta cheese and dill. Take a picture which is so so at best.

And then sit down and eat.

Greek-Style Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

52 Food Adventures #4 - Homemade Yogurt

Here at Chez Knit we continue to strive to be economical and healthy at the same time.

And also I just like knowing that I can make these things from scratch just because I think that we all consume too many things that have too many additives.

People have been making yogurt for many years before Salton came up with a yogurt maker like the one my Grandmother Amsler had when I was growing up. I hate kitchen gadgets that have only one purpose so I knew there had to be a way to make yogurt with common household items. Thank you Pinterest for helping me find the way.

Getting off soap box now.

Let me tell you something. I really don’t like yogurt all that much. Oh I have tried to like it. You know it is something that you SHOULD like and that so many other people eat and love but……we just never could get along.

Until now that is. Until I took the time to make my yogurt from scratch.

Oh Momma.

And because I love all of you I am going to tell you how I did it. You will love me. And curse me when you find out how many hours this really takes.

Lets get started shall we. The original recipe and instructions came from Bacon In My Pocket and I have to tell her an eternal THANK YOU!

There aren’t too many ingredients thankfully. I didn’t take pictures of the pots that you will need to use. If you download the recipe they are listed.

Can I tell you how much I love these lids. I find them at Wally Mart during the canning season and buy as many as I can. You can’t “can” with them but they are super for storage lids.

You will also need a large cooler. Go ahead and pour in a gallon of almost boiling water, close the lid and leave it.

You must have a thermometer. Don’t think you can guess. I know because that was what I did the first time I tried to make yogurt. It wasn’t a pleasant outcome. And I had not excuse because I had a thermometer handy.

Put your milk into your heavy bottom pot and start to heat it up slowly. You are going to want to get to 190F and once there you are going to turn the heat down and hold the milk at 190F for 10 minutes. While you are doing this you can sterilize the quart jars and just leave them in the hot water until you need them. Heating the milk slowly will take a while just so that you know.

DO NOT think you can go and do something else. Stay in the kitchen and read the paper and check the milk every 5 minutes. Stir it VERY frequently. If you scorch the milk it is unusable as yogurt.

Even if you are doing everything right you are still going to get the milk concrete that forms on the bottom of the pan. It is a pain to get off but you will just have to live with it.

Once your milk has been at 190F for 10 minutes you then have to cool it down. The quickest way is just to sit the pan in the sink in an ice bath. Stir the milk gently until it reaches 120F.

See, 120F on the dot.

Now thoroughly stir in your yogurt starter. I actually use a whisk so that it is well incorporated.

If you are making Vanilla Yogurt you will also add the sugar and the vanilla. All those little dark things in the vanilla extract? Those are vanilla beans from my homemade extract.

{{{{{Shivers of joy}}}}}

Now pour the soon to be yogurt into the hot mason jars. I would suggest you use a measuring cup or ladle to do this. I did but evidently I still couldn’t help making a mess.

Yogurt in waiting

Check the water temp in your cooler. It should be around 120F. Put your jars into the cooler and add enough very hot tap water (120F) to the cooler to bring the water level up to 1/4 of the way up the sides of the jars. Close the lid of the cooler tightly. Set your timer for 5 hours and go do something else.

DO NOT OPEN THE COOLER

DO NOT TAKE THE JAR OUT AND TURN IT OR JIGGLE IT TO SEE IF “IT IS WORKING”

LEAVE IT.

After the 5 hours is up take the jars out of the cooler and put them in the back of your refrigerator and let them cool down over night.

And then next morning???

Oh be still my beating heart. Creamy and smooth. Slightly sweet with a wonderful hint of vanilla.

Oh the smoothies in my future!

>>>>> Homemade Yogurt<<<<<