Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout

  Coconut is one of my favorite things, and added to craft beer? Oh my goodness talk about delicious.  The Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout with coconut and aged in Rye Whisky barrels is just incredible.  Goose Island has surprised me in how well their buyout was handled and that the quality and distribution has only flourished!  Of course you can't get this variation in California, so you'll have to offer up rare brews to get your hands on it.

It really did taste like a Mounds, bittersweet, silly smooth, and vanilla swirls.  This whale's got it going on, though it's hard for me to favorite this beauty over the Cherry Rye Bourbon County.

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Mash & Coconut, a barley wine aged in bourbon barrels from The Bruery.

Happy almost weekend!

The Bruery Reserve Society Initiation Party

  

    Oh the fantastical world of fine beer and lovely company.  I'm a Melange 3, Two Turtle Doves, Barrel Roll, and Black Tuesday kinda girl.  I might have been jumping with excitement and glee over just how delicious the brews tasted.  Cheers to a wonderful week ahead my dears!

Le Lush

    It's Friday, it's whip up a delicious cocktail day, it's shake it like a salt shaker yo.  This is the most refreshing bevy, with fresh grapefruit juice, sugar crystal rim, and eggwhites floated on top.  My first attempt at such adventurous things, verdict?  Wow, who knew one could make the top taste like magical clouds, I'm floating right now.  You should totally make one of these for yourself.

What you'll need per drink

• 1 shot vodka
• fresh grapefruit juice
• sugar rim
• eggwhite
• sexy arms for shakin'

Prep rim of glass by going over it with grapefruit wedge, dip in sugar.  Shake shot of vodka, ice, and grapefruit in shaker.  Poor strained drink into glass.  Next empty eggwhite into shaker, shimmy yolk from one broken shell to the next, till you have most of the white.  Vigorously shake egg white, for a good amount of time till it's nice and frothy, frothiness is the key to yum.  Once its close to perfect, float it over your cocktail for sheer bliss and enjoy!

The Bruery Provisions

    The Bruery Provisions is my favorite beer tasting room, it might also be the only beer tasting room I've ever been to, that's beside the point.  Located in the oh so adorable Downtown Orange area, it's hard not to feel all smitten.  They do beer so right, flights of 5 terrifically crafted brews with prices ranging from $6.00-$9.00!  Their cheese and charcuterie plates are just downright shmancy, and it would be pretty much the most perfect place to have a date.  Their wine flights are also tasty, picked myself up the best Tempranillo I've ever had and expanded my beer collection too!  The Bruery knows how to do beer in the most innovative way possible, I can easily say they're my favorite in the craft beer world. 

Bourbon Brownies w/Rum Caramel Ganache

       Pictured above, had me at Bourbon and baking with booze.  This is something you can make and thoroughly impress yourself and others, I'm talking major swooning here.  The hardest part is resisting seconds, cause the first one was that good, yeah I still want seconds.  I got the idea from this lady's blog and altered the recipe slightly to fit my needs.  Her don't waste your time making it totally from scratch, is what I call brilliant.  Simply sub your favorite Bourbon for water and viola!  The rum ganache is kinda the best part, I'd make it again and drizzle it all over ice cream and such, I added a touch of sea salt on top and pow!  Double swoon.

Recipe as follows: 

• Box of Ghirardelli Double Choc. Brownie Mix 
• Sub Bourbon for water on Box Recipe 
• Bake at 350

Caramel/Butterscotch Ganache

• 6 tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 2 teaspoons Rum
• 3 oz Caramels unwrapped
• 3 oz Butterscotch 

Melt Butter & cream together till they're almost boiling.  Poor over Caramels and Butterscotch Chips in glass measuring cup, stir.  Finish melting in Microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, till completely melty. 

Make sure brownie is warm and drizzle your Ganache on top, add whip or vanilla ice cream and sprinkle sea salt for a magical experience!  

It's What's For Lunch: Chicken Tacos w/a Mustard Brown Sugar Glaze

    These tacos are just ridiculous, in a yum-sorta way of course.  Sometimes I make things on the healthy, hey chicken breast why do you taste so good?  That brown sugar sure is your jam, and whole grain mustard? I shouldn't have...  Make some of these already.

What you'll need:

• Chicken Breast
• Whole Grain Mustard
• Olive Oil
• Brown Sugar
• Sesame Seeds
• Arugula
• Corn Tortillas
• Dash of Sea Salt
• Dash of Cracked Pepper

Dice up chicken breast into small chunks so it will cook evenly and fast.  Place diced meat, a heaping spoon of whole grain mustard, splash of olive oil, salt, pep, and sprinkle sesame seeds.  Once it's half way through cooking, making sure you turn over the pieces, add a generous spoonful of brown sugar, let it simmer and make your house smell delicious.  Grill up some corn tortillas and place arugula on bottom, chicken on top.  Drizzle excess glaze from chicken over tacos as it's sauce, this sauce would be SO good over pork tenderloin.  Next time.  Happy almost weekend my loves!

It's What's For Dinner: Prosciutto & Brie Melt

     The sunset tonight was the best I've seen in forever, I'm talkin ravishing swirls of pink laced into the sky and a magical blue glow over the sea.  Total swoon my dears!  Then I came home and made something madly delicious with crisp green apples, melty brie, salty prosciutto, and sweet caramelized shallots.  It took all of 7 minutes to whip up, impress yourself or someone special with this, recipe as follows:

• French Brie
• Shallots (cooked in butter+sugar)
• Green Apple
• Sourdough
• Prosciutto

    Caramelize Shallots in butter till they're golden brown, add sugar to crystallize.  While thats cooking, slice brie and apples thinly and layout sandwich in toaster.  Once the shallots are done, place them on top of the cheese and let the toaster do the rest.  After the cheese is surly meltalicious, remove the open face sammy and sandwich it.  Cut it in half and pair it with a tasty salad, enjoy!

It's What's For Dinner: Ahi Burger topped with Currant Lemongrass Chutney

Ahi Burger + Crimini Mushrooms + Broc + Pine Nuts + Currant/Lemongrass Chutney + Snow Peas= Yum.

Time to open that lonely box of Somoas and poor myself some Bourbon, happy Thursday ya'll.

Cheese Review: 1,000 Day Gouda

    Cheese, it's one of the most delicious things in the world, it pairs with things I love like beer and wine, and is my bestie on picnics.  I've never been a Gouda girl, I'm one of those double cream bleu cheese+honey or getting down with Brie and a baguette kinda girl, until now.  Every time I'm in Trader Joes I peruse the cheese section, making sure they haven't sprung any new Spotlight Cheeses without me knowing and chatting it up with the sample gents, usually with me saying "oh I haven't tried this one yet, any chance we could open it?"  They reply with a generous, "Of Course!"  Which is absolutely the best, that's how I found this. 

   Aged for a whopping 1,000 days, it naturally forms these magical cheese crystals and with that crystallization comes mad flavor.  This cheese is mature, slightly caramely, a touch of nuttiness, and a true standout to any cheese plate.  It's in my top cheeses of all time, so go get some and swoon with me! 

Farmers Market Cocktail: Bluemon Bliss

    Sundays, they should be spent resting and catching up on living, and most importantly of all making sure you're experiencing life and it's many wonders.  Farmers Markets, they're kinda lame in the OC I'm gonna be honest.  Sure they have some great produce, however they lack my faves... Hummus, Caramela Ice Cream, Gastrobus Food Truck, REALLY good olives, Cheese, and the epic people watching that is known as Los Angeles.  I managed to get some ridiculous Dates, the kind that taste like candy caramels, oh and ingredients to make the beauty pictured above!

    Apparently I'm getting a little into Vodka (sorry Gin you're still my number one) and it's a little more flexible in some ways.  I LOVE refreshing Cocktails, usually those which involve muddling fruits and freshly squeezing juice.  The colors on this kinda made me weak in the knees and the slightly tart lemon made me smile.  This is something you'll want to make for your girlfriends on a spring afternoon when the temperatures hit 78 degrees.  Summer would do justice as well!  

    You too can recreate this delicious beverage for yourself, just follow these simple instructions.

Bluemon Bliss

What you'll need (per drink)

• 1 Lemon
• 10-12 Blueberries
• 1 1/2 shots Vodka (or Gin)
• 3 sugar cubes made into simple syrup)
• Sparking Water
• Ice

First squeeze your lemon for the juice and make a wheel for garnish.  Next muddle blueberries into lemon juice.  Add simple and stir your concoction.  Add ice and top with sparkling water, pretty up with lemon wheel and blueberry garnish, and viola! 

It's What's for Breakfast: Zebra House Coffee

 

   Thank goodness San Clemente has one of my favorite coffee shops in the world, Zebra House Coffee.  After living in Los Angeles for 8 years and getting spoiled on Cafecito Organico and other hole in the wall wake-me-up wonderlands I've developed quite the love for places like this.  They bake everything in house and have really done something for a county that thrives on that evil green mermaid and her venti ways.  

   I'm a sucker for their Morning Glory Muffin consisting of dried cherries, carrots, walnuts, cranberries, and baked with a bit of raw sugar on top that crystallizes, major yumsville.  They can also whip you up Belgian Waffles with fresh strawberries for only $3.50, crazy huh?  Their coffee is the real gem, getting their beans from Klatch a socal roaster I adore.  Usually it's their Blue Thunder blend with it's sweet/smokey taste that wakes me up with a punch.  One day I'm going to buy their El Salvador San Juan Bosco, a honey process bourbon roast that's supposed to be creamy and delicious!  

Cheers to you and your morning darlings...

Bourbon Pecan Pie

I've always had mixed feelings about Pecan Pie until I made one with Bourbon.  Sweet, sweet bourbon with your smooth slightly smokey taste and touch of honey.  You in a pie is just a dream come true, really.  Choose your spirit wisely, I opted for my favorite Bulleit, other alternatives I suggest would be Knob, Bakers, Buffalo Trace, or Makers.  Don't worry, it's not boozy once you cook it, though you might find yourself doing a shot while you're waiting for it to be finished. 

The recipe is here and bound to get reactions from people suffering from euphoria and yum.  You will thank me later, as this Bourbon Pecan Pie is anything but ordinary.

The Bruery: Barrel Aged Beer Party

The Bruery, pretty much my favorite beer creators and masters of perfecting the most delicious and unique brews in the entire world.  I'm a geek, a beer geek at that, also a craft geek and beyond that.  So much so that I'm a Reserve Society Member at The Bruery, in which I get first dibs on allocations and special release beer.  They age brews in Heavenly Hill Bourbon Barrels and use fresh herbs to make beer that much more interesting.  Pictured above is an event showcasing barrel-aged bliss with vintage 2009 Black Tuesday, A bourbon Peanut Butter beer, Coton from 2010, Oude Tart w/ cherry...  Beers that totally put me and my lovlies in swoonsville.  Also it was catered by the one and only Beachwood BBQ, pulled pork, blue cheese grits, homemade cornbread, and pure southern goodness.

Being a geek is awesome, especially when you have wonderful people to geekout with.  Happy hump day darlins!