06/18/13

Beer Mac and Cheese

Homemade Mac and Cheese! Is there anything better?? Some people would say there is…

Let me tell you a story about my Husband. I’m actually embarrassed to tell you this.

Huck likes Velveeta Shells and Cheese. There I said it!!

The worst part… He doesn’t like Homemade Mac and Cheese. He only likes Velveeta.

How can I be married to someone that likes fake processed cheese over something homemade with real cheese? When he first told me, it was almost a deal breaker. I’m not a food snob but thinking Velveeta is better than real mac and cheese is just crazy.

I’ve been able to look past his love for Velveeta, though. I still want to grab him by the shirt, shake him, and scream “what is wrong with you”, every time he puts that crap in our buggy.

Huck also believes everything has to be covered in Crusted Red Pepper! I’ll make something AMAZING and look over and see him covering my masterpiece in species. Somewhere under all those pepper flakes was my perfect meal. It’s heartbreaking. Sometimes, I joke that I’m just going to serve him cardboard covered in Crusted Red Pepper and he’ll love it.

Maybe one day I can fully convert him to the real world. The world where cheese is real and everything doesn’t have to burn your mouth to be good! One day! It wasn’t today, though.

I made Beer Mac and Cheese for lunch on Sunday. Its been on my list of recipes to make for awhile, and I needed a side to go with lunch. I didn’t tell Huck I was making Mac and Cheese. I didn’t want him to complain it wasn’t his beloved Velveeta.

I was hoping if I added all his favorite things, he would like it. Beer, Bacon, Broccoli! It had to be a winner. I ever added crackers to the top for crunch.

The moment of truth came when I served him the life changing Beer Mac and Cheese. He took a few bites and said…

Huck: “This is really good!!!”

Me: “WHAT?? You actually think my homemade mac and cheese is better than Velveeta??”

Huck: “NO! But it’s good.”

Me: “Do you even have taste buds??”

Velveeta 1 Me 0!

One day I will win this war! You’re going down Fake Yellow Mush!

A few notes about my Beer Mac and Cheese. This taste like beer! I’ve ordered “Beer” Mac and Cheese at restaurants but it’s always tasted like regular Mac and Cheese! Not this one. The beer really shines through. I recommend using a beer you like to drink. If you’re not a big fan of beer, you can use 1 Cup of Milk and 1/4 Cup of Beer.

You can also skip the baking step if you do not have crackers. Or you can use bread crumbs.

I have more great Beer recipes lined up for this week. Are you noticing a theme??

Beer Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Broccoli

Print recipe

Serves

There is not denying this has Beer in it! My Beer Mac and Cheese has everything you love: Bacon, Cheese and Beer! Can't beat that!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Uncooked Macaroni Noodles
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Flour
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Powder (Options)
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 cup Beer (Wheat, Pale, IPA will work. Something you like to drink.)
1/4 cup Milk
2 cups Shredded Cheese (Your Choice)
3 pieces Turkey Bacon (Cooked and Crumbled)
1/2 cup Broccoli (Chopped)
15 Crackers (Ground)
2 tablespoons Butter (Melted)
Cooking Spray

Directions


Cook Pasta according to package directions. Drain to remove all water.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat a medium sauce pot over medium low. Add Butter and Flour. Fully combined. Add Red Pepper Powder and Garlic.

Whisk in Beer slowly to prevent lumps and foam up. Next, add the Milk. Allow mixture to thicken.

Combined Cheese into beer mixture and combined with Pasta. Add cooked Bacon and Broccoli to the mix.

Spray individual ramekins or a large baking dish with cooking spray and add mac and cheese.

Combined Crackers and Butter together and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is brown.

Serve Hot and Enjoy!

06/17/13

I’m Kind Of A Big Deal

I had a great Birthday Week! It started with my Mommy flying into town and spending the week with me. She left Thursday, and our plans were to go to the Food Truck Invasion in Abacoa Friday night and Beer and Burger Bash Saturday.

Friday, I was asking around, and no one wanted to go the the Food Truck Invasion.

Deena and Alex said they were going bowling and asked if we wanted to go. I figured since no one else was going downtown, bowling sounded like more fun.

When we arrived at the bowling alley, Huck said he needed to call Deena to make sure we were at the right place… That’s when I caught on to what was going on.

I think every person we have met, since moving to Florida, was there. I understood why no one wanted to go to the Food Truck Invasion.

Apparently, Huck started planning this earlier in the week. I was so confused because I felt like it was my idea to go bowling with Deena and Alex. That boy is so sneaky!

Deena did a great job with the decorations and cake.

{I told them that was the wrong age!}

Red and Black!

And she bought me a T-shirt from Harpoon Brewery in Boston.

She truly is the best!!

Jilda and Warren bought me a birthday shot… Saturday, I was questioning if she liked me or hated me

The rest of the night was spend bowling and laughing.

Greg told me I exceeded my Surprise Party limit for a lifetime! I told him I was kind of a big deal and those rules didn’t apply to me.

It was a great time with awesome people. It was just wanted I needed after my Mommy left.

My Actually Birthday

For my Birthday, we went to the Beer and Burger Bash at PGA National.

Once we arrived, I remembered why I didn’t have much fun last year. The middle of June is not the best time to have a beer festival in the middle of a parking lot!

I did try a couple of burgers that were really good. Mrs. Smokey’s BBQ had the best food with their Pulled Brisket on a Fried Biscuit, and Hurricane Grill had the best burger {pictured above}

My favorite beer of the day was the Glades Pale Ale from The Native Brewing Company.

This year, they had a large tent setup with cooling fans.

Our group stationed in front of a fan at the TBC booth. The only time I left was to get a refill.

So many people walked up and asked if it was really my Birthday. I was also called a snob when someone apparently said Happy Birthday, and I did not hear her. Drunk Chicks!

{Dianne from The Kitchen Prep was there, too.}

We left a little before it ended to beat the traffic. We stopped by a friends house for her Birthday Party {her Birthday was the 16th}. We played in the pool for a little while before heading home. I was so ready to shower and curl up in bed. The heat plus waking up hungover kicked my butt!

I had a great Birthday. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday great: my mom for surprising me, my friends that made me laugh until my sides hurt, and my husband that spoils me more than I deserve! I am truly blessed to have all these people in my life!

06/14/13

My last day as a 17 year old

My mommy left last night:( We dropped her off at the airport around 6:30PM. Her flight was scheduled for 7:05, but with the storms, it was delayed. Her flight keep getting delayed and didn’t leave until 10PM. Great way to end a great trip, right?

I promised myself I wouldn’t cry until I got the the car. I spent all day yesterday sulking knowing she was leaving, and saying goodbye was really hard. It was great spending so much time with her, and knowing she was leaving sucked. I felt bad because I didn’t say much at the airport. I knew if I started talking, I would start crying. Then, her being stuck at the airport for 3.5 extra hours made it harder.

I didn’t make it to the car though. As soon as I turned away, I started balling. I told Huck I’m way to emotional. I get it from my Grandmother. She lives in Florida and we would go visit her every year. I can remember every year, as we were pulling out of the driveway, she would be crying. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHY!! It sucks watching her family leave or leaving your family.

Huck feels bad because “he made me move here”. I reminded him, multiple times, I was the one with the first job interview here. I was the one that wanted to move out of Georgia. He just so happened to get a great job first.

Must change subject so I don’t cry again

Tomorrow is my 18th birthday. I keep staying I’m turning 18 for some reason, so I’m going with it. It sounds much better than 28. Eww I’m getting old.

My 27th 17th year was a great one. So many great things have happened over this last year.

I got married

We went on our Honeymoon-Mexico and Belize

I went Ice Fishing-Beaver Bay, MN

Celebrated Deena’s 30th-Key West

Surprised my family- GA

Went to my first Blog Conference-Orlando

I drank lots of Beer

I made lots of Food

It was an amazing year. So many great things happened.

I’m celebrating my Birthday doing what I love, eating and drinking with Huck and friends. {I’m not sure how I’ll be drinking since I’m only 18, but we’ll figure it out}

06/12/13

What Did You Do In Florida?

I’ve been having a blast, spending time with my Mommy, the past few days. We’ve been sight seeing, hanging out, and eating. Lots of eating!

Monday started with a “2 mile” bike ride to the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary.

The 2 miles were more like 6. Luckily, Florida is flat, but it’s also really hot! We enjoyed seeing the ride and seeing the animals.

Once we arrived back, Huck drove us to lunch at Guanabanas.

We all enjoyed Burritos.

Later that afternoon, me and mommy rode the bikes to Downtown Abacoa for Happy Hour.

For dinner, I made Pork Chops and Fried Rice from The Pioneer Woman. Great Recipe!! Everyone agreed. And so easy!

We spent the rest of the evening watching movies.

Wednesday, we woke up really early to ride with Huck to a claim. After the claim, we stopped by the Hard Rock Casino.

We gambled for a little while. Well, mommy and Huck gambled. I was just their lucky charm. I didn’t win anything, but they were doing pretty good.

After playing, we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.

One the way home, we bought some nice steaks with our winnings.

We also had potatoes again.

Once the smoke cleared, from the kitchen, I was able to take a picture. I’m sure our neighbors think our house is on fire every time I make steak.

Tomorrow afternoon, my mommy is going home. I don’t want to think about it This week is going by too fast!!

06/10/13

SNEAKY SNEAKY

This morning started like any other Sunday. I got up, made a couple of coffee, and ate breakfast. Huck said he needed to meet an expert for a claim this morning close to the house, and he could go alone. He wasn’t sure how long he would be and told me I could stay home. That was fine with me. 9AM is still early.

He arrived back around 10:30AM. He was dropping his computer off upstairs when someone rang the doorbell. I walked down, opened the door, and the person at the door started laughing, screaming, and hugged me.

When the shock wore off, I realized my Mom was standing at my door… WTH?!?! I thought, How did you get here? Did you drive? Where’s Daddy?

It wasn’t until Huck and my Mommy started talking that I realized that they planned this together.

Apparently, they started planning this weeks ago. Huck told me he was going to look at a job but picked my mom up from the airport. He went as far as pretending he was talking to the expert he was “meeting”. Sneaky Sneaky!

Once she settled in, we went to Dive Bar for lunch.

I ordered Sushi, Huck ordered the Adult Grilled Cheese, and mommy ordered the Cheese Burger.

After lunch, we changed and went to Blowing Rock. My mom loved it when I took my family there on our Tour of Jupiter the day before our wedding. The tide was low, but it gave us a chance to see the other side of the rocks.

Where’s Huck??

They are working really hard to hold that rock up.

I’ve been working out.

After Blowing Rock, I made my mom go grocery shopping with me. I’m excited to have another person to cook for.

For dinner, I made the Sliced Bake Potatoes like I’ve seen on Pinterest. They were AMAZING! I’m definitely making my Baked Potatoes like this for now one!

I served out potatoes with Mini Meatloaf and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

She is here until Thursday, and I have lots of places to take her. The one place we will not be going is the mall. When she came down for the wedding, I dragged her to the mall and Michael’s way to many times. I told her I wouldn’t torcher her again.

Great way to start my Birthday week

06/7/13

Beer Brats

I haven’t seen the sun in weeks! Someone posted a picture on Instagram this week of blue skies. I didn’t recognize it.

I miss our beautiful blue skies and warm weather. I almost put a sweater on tonight. Rain+Low 70’s=Freezing!!

The rain is also making for crappy lighting for pictures. Yesterday, I snapped a couple shots of our lunch while we had a break from the rain.

We had Beer Brats for dinner one night, but I wasn’t in the mood for another plan brat. I started brainstorming. I sliced up peppers and onions and sautéed them in a pan. It was the perfect lunch.

I used Huck’s Red Ale, but any beer would work for this recipe.

I served my brats with Green Beans and Tums. Eww I know I’m getting old when I’m following up a meal with Tums.

That’s all I have for today. Not much going on, so not much to talk about.

I did enjoy a few more SweetWater Beers this week.

And found my new favorite cereal.

They taste just like Captain Crunch! Amazing!!

Oh and we sat in traffic all afternoon. It was… Fun!

It took us almost and hour to go 6 miles! It was HORRIBLE!!

Do you have anything exciting planned for the weekend?

Beer Brats with Peppers and Onions

Print recipe

Serves

4 Servings

Ingredients

4 Beef Brats (Sliced)
1 cup Beer of Choice
1/2 large Red Onion (Sliced)
1/2 large Bell Pepper (Sliced)
1/4 cup Beer of Choice
Salt and Pepper To Taste
4 Hotdog Buns

Directions


Beer Brat Recipe: Add Beer and Brats to a large pan. Heat over medium until brats are cooked through, about 15 minutes (I used uncooked brats.) Removed brats from liquid once fully cooked. Preheat grill pan or grill. Sear brats each side of brats.

Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and add brats, peppers, and onions. Add salt, pepper, and beer to pan and cook for 5-10 minutes or until onions and pepper are soft.

Warm buns as desired.

Serve brat mixture in buns and enjoy.

06/5/13

BlueBeery Muffins

I made some amazing Blueberry Muffins a few weeks ago, and lost the paper I wrote the recipe on! I planned to make them again but FINALLY found the recipe tucked away. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen how I keep up with ingredients while cooking.

This recipe didn’t make it on the blog by the way. I only post good recipes on the blog… This one was OK.

These were yummy. Huck opened a bottle of Samuel Adams Blueberry Hill Lager one night with dinner. He took one sip and realized he was drinking a Blueberry Beer. Not the best choice with a savory dinner. I asked him to save the beer for breakfast the next day. Not to drink of course.

I love muffins in the morning. They are so easy to make. Almost as easy as making the packaged stuff but healthier. You could use whole wheat flour or a mixture of half whole wheat and half regular flour, too.

What better way to start the day?

If you like this recipe, check out my recipe for BlueBeery Pancakes and Blueberry Beer Syrup.

I’m off to finish my craft project. I’m sprucing up our old barstools. They needed an update!

Huck found another Duck Face photo from the other night…

I imagine this was taken at the end of the night

BlueBeery Muffins

Print recipe

Serves	6 Muffins
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	25 minutes
Website	Adapted From Better Home and Gardens- Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cups Flour
1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Old Fashion Oats
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 large Egg
1/4 Cup+ 2 Tablespooons Beer (Blueberry or Wheat Beer)
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/8 cup Apple Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
1/4 cup Toasted Nuts

Directions


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combined Flour, Oats, Baking Powder and Soda, and Salt. Set aside.

Combined Beer, Brown Sugar, Apple Sauce, and Vanilla. Add dry ingredients into wet in batches. Add Nuts and Blueberries and fully combined. Fill lined and greased cupcake pan with dough, about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake muffins for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center.

06/3/13

The Night Of The Duck Face

Saturday night, on our way to downtown West Palm to meet with friends, I asked Huck if he would drive home. It was my turn to have “fun”.

We made it downtown before everyone, so we walked to Blind Monk for a beer. We split a 22oz Stone Coffee IPA. This was such a good beer!! Not the best beer to start off a night of drinking, though. I drank more of it than Huck and walked out with a slight buzz. Buzz at 6PM off first beer=Long Night!

No, I did not replace Huck. That is my husband. A hairless version of him anyways. Before meeting Huck, I thought facial hair was gross. Why would anyone want to kiss a man with a hairy face. Now, I’m like “I married a man! Grow that shit back!!!”

We met our friends at O’Sheas for a Kickball Reunion {Not our kickball team} and Birthday Celebrations. There are so many June birthdays in our group of friends here.

Huck enjoyed his water.

I enjoyed my beers.

Who getting to drive his drunk wife home?

This guy!!

I was passed out as soon as we got to the car.

Yesterday was spent rehydrating and planning never to drink again.

I went through my phone Sunday morning to see what crazy pictures Huck took Saturday night. I didn’t have pockets, so he held on to my phone all night. As I was looking through, I noticed a reoccurring theme.

DUCK FACES!! And guys do them too!!

I’ll be back later with a recipe. I have a few beer recipes planned for the week.

Beer Mac and Cheese

Beer Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Broccoli

Ingredients

Directions

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