Susan in FL

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel shamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." ~ Jack Handy "24 hours in a day, 24 bottles in a case. Coincidence? I think not." ~ Stephen Wright "When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. Sooooo, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!" ~ Brian O'Rourke "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." ~ Dave Barry "BEER: HELPING UGLY PEOPLE HAVE SEX SINCE 3000 B.C.!!!" ~ "Unknown" And, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers... One afternoon Cliff was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went: "Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing off the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine! That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

Lots of good dinners recently; here are some highlights. Tonight: Saltimbocca, a test recipe for Leite's Culinaria Roasted Sweet Onions with Cabrales Blanched Asparagus with EVOO, Sherry vinegar, and Feta Salad of our homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers, and Vidalia onions, on mixed baby greens Warm bread, Parm.-Reg. Stravecchio, and very old balsamic vinegar Victoria Street Zinfandel Last night: Rotisserie beef on the grill Corn and mango salsa Caesar salad on a great big crouton (all homemade) accompanied by Saint Marcellin Bogle Phantom California 2000 Saturday night after attending a cocktail party: Duck and wild mushroom risotto Argyle Pinot Noir Recently: Mustard-grilled salmon with lingonberry sauce Truffled potatoes Lots of fresh baby vegetables Meridian Cabernet Also recently, all grilled: Mushrooms stuffed with Crab Imperial "Surf and Turf", Rib-eye steaks and whole lobsters Corn on the cob Newton Merlot

It's "in season" here now; one of the towns in a nearby county is having their sweet corn festival this weekend. We do corn all kinds of ways, and now we're on a kick for grilling it. My husband soaks the ears of corn 30 minutes or more, and then throws them on the grill, and then when they are done (maybe 15 to 20 minutes on our grill), we pull the husks and silk off and eat them with butter and S&P. Whether we're grilling or boiling corn on the cob, we always make extra and cut it off the cobs and use it for something else the second night. Last night we had a mango and grilled corn salsa. A couple of nights before, we had a black bean and corn salsa. Often it's salsa of some kind, and sometimes it's corn pudding, creamed corn, sauteed corn, or sauteed corn and something. Once in a while, we make a something and corn soup or chowder, and then we like to boil the cobs, after cutting off the corn, for the stock. Another cool thing is polenta with corn kernels in it. Corn is just about our favorite match for Chardonnay, and we love corn in combination with shellfish. We are pretty corny people.

My big mistake was over-stuffing them. When I corrected that, they turned out much better.

We drank the Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Uber Pils, from Clipper City Brewing. What struck me first was how crystal clear the golden color was. I usually don't take special notice of that. It's a real good beer -- just not very distinctive -- and crisp, pleasant, and on the light side. Does anybody have any suggestions of food to have with our bottle of Deus?

I wish I thought of that! ...So will I, and I'll even triple pound for pound.

Thanks... don't know what I was thinking, but I thought I remembered seeing India Pale Ale written on the bottle. BTW, I like it as an alternative to swill in restaurants or bars that don't offer microbrews!

I have looked through some recipes, but none really jumped out and grabbed me. I can't imagine that any would beat what some of you guys might suggest... Can you direct me to a recipe or tell me your ideas on the best way to make tempura vegetables? Now that we have the deep-fryer, we are in the mood. Thanks!

I'm in cheese heaven. The order I placed with Di Bruno Bros. arrived today and we have Saint Marcellin, Traditional Italian Fontina, Gorgonzola Piccante, Swiss Raclette, Cabrales, Saint Nectaire, Parm-Reg. Stravecchio, and 6-year aged Gouda. Yum! (They were out of the Epoisses.)

We eat nothing but fresh-never-frozen shrimp from Florida, now that we're here. Just today in the newspaper was an article about how the shrimpers are suffering because the farm-raised shrimp suppliers are underpricing them. They are very much worth the extra $2.00 a pound for us. Florida shrimp, wild and wonderful, yes! Click For The Article.

Bass is an IPA, isn't it?

Is this related to the brewpub in Melbourne? The name escapes me right now... Jake and somebody's, or something like that. And, more importantly... you were in our beautiful sunshine state and did not call me to arrange a visit???

Seems like this thread might be merged with the other thread recently started....

I am a hardcore beer drinker (hophead, mostly) and I "do" wine also, so count me in among those who are into both. We are probably more wine drinkers than beer drinkers, but often pair beer with food. As for AFTER dinner, if it's beer it's barleywine... that is often what we choose to go with dessert. Otherwise, it's Port or dessert wine or a good red wine with fine dark chocolate.

They are in the fresh seafood markets here in Florida, now, and we just had some this past week. We breaded them with cornmeal and deep-fried them. I have several different recipes for other ways, too... When we lived up in Delaware, we had them often and sometimes went "soft-shell crabbing", so we didn't have to wait for a season to come around. Wow, those were the days -- get some fresh soft shell crabs and hard shell crabs and pull some mussels off the banks, and do some fishing, all in one trip. One of my favorites beside frying or sauteeing is soft shell crabs and pasta with tomato-herb sauce. Let me know if you would like me to post a recipe or two. My favorite stand-by might be a soft-shell crab sandwich on nice soft white bread with ketchup.

Tonight was vegetables, tortilla chips, crackers, and bread, and a warm Mexican style spinach and cheese dip and a Greek style composed salad brought together nicely with a bottle of Italian wine, Salice Salentino.

That sounds delicious. Thanks for the great idea. We made broth from the duck carcass the other night, and were wondering how to use it.

...Pretty Cool!I did that once, making the eggs green by adding pesto, and scrambling them with pieces of prosciutto. Tonight was a disappointing pasta sauce made from left-over grilled capon... No matter what, stewed chicken tastes like stewed chicken. I wish I made green eggs and ham!

Tonight was a memorable dinner. The food turned out perfectly, and the wine was superb. We had already rotisserie-grilled a capon and a goose, and tonight we did a duck. This was the best duck of all time... crispy skin, juicy, tender, and tasty! With the grilled duck was grilled polenta and grilled zucchini. We had optional roasted red peppers for the polenta... the polenta was good with, and without the peppers. Then the salad... tomatoes and cucumber fresh from the garden. The wine was 2001 Somoma County David Bruce Pinot Noir, delicious.

Hi, Steve. It was the cheap "caviar" that is in all the supermarkets -- the whitefish, not the lumpfish. While the good stuff would be better, I can make do with the whitefish for everyday stuff like this. The lumpfish... that's a bit hard to take.

Fresh, fresh, fresh! We had our first significant picking from the garden and I went to the seafood market to buy whatever looked freshest and best... I got fresh shrimp and scallops, and live soft shell crabs. Using our cucumbers, chilled cucumber and shrimp soup; 2003 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough. Seared sea scallops on potato rounds and caviar... for the sauce, essence of the scallops, deglazed with vermouth, reduced, swirled in some butter; Cheap bubbly, extra dry. Cornmeal crusted soft shell crabs with cilantro-lime tartar sauce (put the tartar sauce in halves of our peppers), green beans, our first yellow squash, and garnished with the first of our cherry tomatoes; 2002 Victoria Street California Chardonnay. Dessert was an awesome match... chocolate candy from Italy that our Danish family gave us. They had little pieces of candied citrus peel, hazelnuts, and almonds on top. I'd almost trade my first-born for some more of this candy. 2002 Quady California Orange Muscat.

No photos tonight, but an interesting and good meal... We cut up and grilled a capon, and had an herbed vegetable medley, truffled fries, and a Georges Duboeuf Fleurie with it. We've been working on this truffled fries thing since I had them at a restaurant in Palm Beach County last month. The first two times we tried it, we did homemade fries before doing what they told me at the restaurant... after deep-frying, toss fries in a skillet or wok, with white truffle oil, on medium-high heat and add some Parm-Reg. Tonight we used frozen fries, Ore-Ida Steak Fries to be exact. It was closer to duplicating what I had at the restaurant with my Kobe Beef Burger.

Beautiful, Steve!

As always, I am enjoying all the good looking and sounding food and appreciate the ideas. I've had several dinners out recently, but here are some of the most recent cooked-at-home. Celery and Saga Bleu Radishes, Brie, and bread Crackers and smoked Gouda Grilled Ribs with Cherry Cola Glaze Chopped salad Zinfandel Shrimp Po' Boys Tossed salad Chardonnay The only one with a photo... Grilled lamb chops Spaghetti with sauce of garlicky green tomatoes An Italian red table wine

That's a great presentation idea also, thanks!