05/18/13

Tex-Mex Stuffed Sweet Potato

Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I’m currently at Disney World for the Food Blog Forum’s Blog Conference. I’ll be back in a few days to share all the details from my trip. Until then, I wanted to share a recipe I made last week.

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I’m currently on a Sweet Potato kick. I can’t remember having Sweet Potatoes growing up. The first time I can remember trying one, was when I cooked a Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving 5+ years ago. I didn’t really like the Casserole and thought it was because I didn’t like Sweet Potatoes. I tried cooking them again last year for Savory Sweet Potato Fries. I was a fan. I’ve come to realize, I’m not a fan of ‘Sweet’ Sweet Potato recipes.

$Tex-Mex Stuffed Sweet Potato$

I used leftovers from my Shredded Chicken and Salsa recipe for this quick dinner.

Another thing I’m a huge fan of, Low Fat Plain Greek Yogurt. I bought a large container last week for my Gyros. I was out of Sour Cream, so I used the Yogurt instead. It was great. I’ve used in on everything I usually put sour cream on and even added it to my Tuna Salad instead of Mayo.

$Tex Mex Stuffed Sweet Potato 4$

I also made Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup this week, too. So GOOD!!

Easy to Find Recipes

I have one other thing I would like to point out. I added all my recipes to a new program. Now they are much easier to find. Recipage organizes all my recipes for me. I’m so bad about adding new recipes to my list.

The Recipe Finder is located under the FOOD tab.

You can now search for recipes based on Cooking Method, Course, or Key Ingredient. I’m not really using Dietary. Or you can Browse through all my recipes.

If you want to find a recipe using Beer, you can go to Key Ingredients or type Beer into the Keyword box. A list of all my beer recipes will come up. Pretty awesome, right?

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll be back in a few days with a recap plus some workout post. After looking a recaps from last year, I’m going to need it.

05/15/13

Black bean and Sweet potato soup and wIAW

It’s another edition of What I Ate Wednesday! This week it’s actually, what I ate Wednesday. The day started with my normal cup of coffee, or three!

Around noon, Huck’s coworker called and asked if we want to go to lunch. He was an hour away, so I snacked on one of my leftover Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownies.

Don’t forget, there is still time to enter for a change to win a Pampered Chef Brownie Pan and E-Cook book. Follow the link to enter… ENTER TO WIN! Contest ends Saturday 05/18/2013.

Back to lunch…

The three of us planned to try a different place each time we go to lunch.

This week I picked Dive Bar. We keep hearing good things about it, and it’s right on the water. You can’t go wrong with that.

Great view! After we ordered our food, we picked out our future Yacht.

For lunch, I ordered the Sushi Bento Box. It started with a Salad with Ginger Dressing.

After my salad my lunch box came out. It had “Tuna roll, 5pcs. of sushi, & two daily specials”. The daily special was cucumber slices with Sriracha and Cabbage and Raw Fish with a Mayo Sauce {Kind of weird but good}.

And with a view like this, how can anything be bad?

Huck ordered the Shrimp Po Boy. The bun was really good. Crunchy and buttery!

Terry ordered the Blackened Grouper and was really impressed.

We will definitely go back. Next time I will dress a little nicer than Jeans and a T-shirt. I thought it was a “Dive” Bar. Like informal restaurant. Not Dive like ocean water dive. Oh well.

After the gym, we came home, and I started making Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup. I’ve seen lots of recipes for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos and bought all the ingredients to try it, but decided to make soup instead. The spiciness from the peppers was perfect with the sweetness from the potatoes. This is something I’ll be making again for sure.

Well, that’s another WIAW! I’m off to iron some clothes. The blog conference is only 2 days away

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

Print recipe

Serves

2 Bowls

Ingredients

1 can Black Beans
1/2 large Sweet Potato (Diced)
1/4 Bell Pepper (Diced)
1/4 Onion (Diced)
1/3 cup Frozen Corn
2 cloves Garlic (Diced)
1 cup Stock (Chicken, Beef, or Vegetable)
1 cup Water
1/2 tablespoon Ground Pepper Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
Salt and Pepper To Taste
Plain Greek Yogurt and Cheese (For Garnish)

Directions


Combine all ingredients into a large pot. Simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

05/13/13

Brownie Pan Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, Huck asked me to make Brownies. WHAT? My sweets hating husband wants Brownies? After the shock of his request wore off, I told him I’d found a recipe for Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownies recently that I wanted to try making with Beer. He thought that sounded like a great idea (Who is this man?)

Then, he told me the catch. He only wanted brownies if they were all corner pieces. I do not have a brownie pan, so unless he considered the whole pan a “Corner Piece” he wasn’t getting his wish. And I wouldn’t have anyone to help me eat a whole pan of Brownies.

The same day we had this conversation, Laura, a Pampered Chef Consultant, emailed me about using my Margarita Beer Cake recipe. I decided to ask her a few questions about the Pampered Chef Brownie Pan. I’ve seen so many neat recipes on Pinterest using the pan and thought it could come in handy.

Laura was kind enough to sponsor a Giveaway for a Pampered Chef Brownie Pan and one E-Cook Book for one Life Food and Beer reader. I used mine today and it’s awesome. My Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownies with Brown Ale came out perfect, and Huck got his corner pieces.

I used Cigar City’s Maduro Brown Ale for this recipe. Any Stout, Porter, or Brown would work. This recipe uses Greek Yogurt instead of Butter, so it’s a little better for you than traditional Brownies.

Pinterest has other great recipes for the Brownie Pan like Omelets, Pancakes, and pizza. And it helps control proportion size, too.

To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is like Life Food and Beer and The Pampered Chef- Granny Laura’s Kitchen on Facebook. Then, leave a comment telling me what recipe you would like to make using the Brownie Pan. Be sure to leave your email address.

I will randomly select one winner on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

*Prize will be ship once winner is announced. Shipping to Continental US only.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownies with Brown Ale

Print recipe

Website

Adapted From Sallys Baking Addiction

Ingredients

6oz Vanilla or Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup Beer (Stout, Porter, or Brown Ale)
1 large Egg
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (Creamy or Chucky)

Directions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Brownie Pan with Cooking Spray.

Combined Yogurt, Beer, and Egg in a bowl. Stir well to remove lumps from yogurt.

Combined Flour, Cocoa, Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and fully combined. Add batter to Brownie Pan, about 2 Tablespoons each.

Microwave Peanut Butter for 20-30 seconds. Spoon 1 teaspoon of peanut butter onto each brownie. Using a knife or chopstick, swirl brownie mixture and peanut butter together. Do not over mix.

Bake Brownies for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clear when inserted into center.

Allow to completely cool before removing from pan.

05/10/13

Chicken Gyro and Date night

I made this the other day and it was amazing! I’ve made my version of Chicken Gyros a few times in the past and realized it hasn’t made it on the blog yet.

The first time I made this, I found a recipe in a magazine. I used chicken cutlets and layered it with different ingredients. Then, I baked it in the oven. I’m not sure where that recipe is now. In a box somewhere in the garage probably.

For this recipe, I added some of the beer I used in the Lemon Bars. I had all my ingredients mixed in a bowl and the beer was just sitting there. I was going to drink it but realized it was only 9:30. That’s a little to early for anything but coffee.

Huck told me he really like the Chick-a-Pea Salad. I laughed and told him they were called Chickpeas! But I’m calling them Chick-a-Peas from now on.

Date Night

Huck pulled a stick from our Date Night Jar Wednesday.

This is one of the dates Huck added to the jar.

We decided to find a Burger place we’ve never been to. I pulled up Google and found Chuck Burger Joint on PGA in Palm Beach Gardens.

After we went to the gym, we headed over for dinner. I’ve past this place a hundred times and never noticed it.

The first thing I did noticed was the small menu. Nothing annoys me more than a big menu. I get overwhelmed with too many options. One page menus make me happy. I can’t second guess myself to many times.

Huck ordered the ChuckBurger with Bacon, and I ordered the BellaBurger. My “burger” was a grilled portabella mushroom with avocado, lettuce, tomato, and chuck sauce (like a flavored mayo). And we split an order of fries.

When we got our order, we both agreed, the burgers were pretty small. About the size of a regular cheese burger at McDonalds.

Huck said his burger was OK, but I really enjoyed mine. I’ve seen portabellas burgers before but never ordered one. I’m definitely a fan! And we both agreed the fries were good.

I’m not sure if Huck would return, but I would order the BellaBurger again.

Weekend Plans

We do not have much planned for this weekend. We are going to the Food Truck Invasion in Downtown Abacoa tonight and hoping to go back to the beach.

Oopie loved the beach last weekend.

Let me rephrase. He loved the beach… Hated the water! A wave attached him. He wasn’t happy with us after that!

This is the “I’m wet and hate you” face!

We made him a little shade to keep cool. He was happy here. He could people watch without fear of another wave attack!

Well, that’s all for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Chicken Gyro with Summer Ale Beer

Print recipe

Serves

8 Gyros

Ingredients

1lb Chicken Breast (Cut into Strips)
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Beer
2 tablespoons Mint (Chopped)
1 clove Garlic (Chopped)
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper To Taste
2 teaspoons Dry Oregano
8 Pitas
Cumcumbers, Tomatoes, and Onions (Toppings)
Tzatziki Sauce (Cucumber Yogurt Sauce)

Directions


Combine all ingredients into a large bowl (Not the pita, toppings, or tzatziki sauce) Stir to fully coat chicken in sauce. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray pan with cooking spray and add chicken. When adding the chicken remove any excess marinate. Otherwise the chicken will boil in the sauce. This isn't bad, but it will not brown.

Cook 2-3 minutes and flip. Cooking times will depend on the size of your chicken strips. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through.

Serve in a warm pita topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, and my homemade tzatziki sauce.

Chickpea and Cucumber Salad

Print recipe

Serves

Ingredients

1 can Chickpeas (Drained and Rised)
1/2 English Cucumber (Diced)
1/2 Bell Pepper (Diced)
1/2 pint Cherry Tomatoes (Cut in Half)
1/8 cup Red Onion (Chopped- Optional)
1 clove Garlic (Finely Chopped or Grated)
2 tablespoons Fresh Mint (Chopped)
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Directions


Combine all ingredients. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Tzatziki Sauce (Cucumber Yogurt Sauce)

Print recipe

Ingredients

1/2 English Cucumber (Peeled and Grated.)
1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
2 tablespoons Fresh Mint (Chopped)
1 clove Garlic (Very fine chop or mashed)
1/2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar

Directions


Grate cucumber and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

05/8/13

Lemon Bars

It’s another WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday)! WOW! Well, it’s WIAT technical. Huck and I had “date night” tonight, and I’ll share that with you tomorrow.

Of course yesterday, I had Coffee for breakfast.

My coffee was happy! Or laughing at me? I’m not sure.

Huck’s supervisor was coming to our house, for a ride along, and Huck asked me to cook lunch. No problem! I love to cook.

I decided to make Chicken Gyros with “Chickapea” Salad, and Lemon Bars.

{I’ll be back with this yummy/easy recipe tomorrow}

I used Samuel Adams Summer Ale in the Lemon Bars and Gyros.

I went back for seconds of everything. I think I impressed his boss

Once they arrived back, we showed her around the area.

We stopped at Bubba Gump for an early dinner. Huck and I split the Run Across America Sampler. It came with Bubba’s Far Out Dip and Chips, Chilly Shrimp, Spicy Chicken, Seafood Hush Pups (SO GOOD), and Fried Shrimp. It was the perfect amount of food for the two of us.

And it came with the perfect view!

After eating, we walked next door to Square Grouper for another beer and enjoy the beautiful day.

I enjoyed another Lemon Bar when we got home, too. I took the rest to our neighbors. Huck doesn’t eat sweets, and I knew I would’ve ate all of them if they were left in the house.

And that was another WIAT. Go check out Peas and Crayons for more great recipes.

In other news, I FINALLY received my new logo. It only took 3 graphic designers and 2 months, but it is complete.

I wanted a cartoon girl holding a wooden spoon and dark beer. And her shirt to be black with GEORGIA across the chest. When I opened the file, it kind of scared me. I didn’t expect it to look so much like me. The mouth looks weird but it’s a cartoon. That’s what I keep telling myself.

I was able to order my business cards this afternoon, and they will be here just in time for the Bloggers Conference next weekend.

I can’t wait!!

Now, I’m off to bed.

Lemon Bars with Summer Ale Beer

Print recipe

Website

Adapted Slightly from The Beeroness

Ingredients

1 cup Flour
1/3 cup Powdered Sugar
3 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons Plain Greek Yogurt (I used Chobani)
3 large Eggs
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Flour
2 tablespoons Corn Starch
1/3 cup Lemon Juice (Fresh)
1/4 cup Beer (I used a Summer Ale)

Directions


Crust: Combine flour, powdered sugar, butter, yogurt, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until fully combined. Spray a backing dish with cooking spray, and press mixture into bottom of pan. Chili for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Bake crust for 25 minutes or until brown. Allow to cool.

Filing: Combined eggs, sugar, flour, and corn starch in a large bowl. Add lemon and beer. Pour filing over crust and bake for 25 minutes. The center will be firm. Once cooked, cool for 2-3 hours. Cut and serve.

Dust with additional powdered sugar if desired.

05/3/13

Robert is here

Yesterday, Huck had a claim in Homestead. When he went on his “mancation” last year, to the Keys, they stopped at a fruit stand in Homestead called “Robert Is Here”. He raved about their milkshakes, and we kept planning to go when we were in the area. Well, yesterday, it was only 15 minutes away from our stop. We were going!

It is located off US1, right before you enter the Keys. It’s kind of out of the way but a popular stop. It started in 1959 when Robert’s (age 6) father wanted him to sell cucumbers. On his first day, he sat at this corner, all day, and no one stopped. The next day his dad decided to put up two signs so cars could see him. Each sign read, Robert is here. He sold all his cucumber by noon. By age 9, he hired a neighbor to work at the stand while he was in school.*

I thought this was such a cool story. A 6 year old started a vegetable stand and turned it into a business. And at 9 years old, had an employee working for him. What were you doing when you were 9?

Robert specializes in Tropical fruits. I didn’t even know what half of them were. We ordered our milkshakes first because they take a few minutes to prepare.

He went with the Fun in the Sun. It was Mamey, Banana, and Strawberries. I’ve never heard of a Mamey before, but while exploring, I found a huge pile of them. Fruity Pumpkin Pie! It sounded interesting!

The flavor was great and it tasted a little like pumpkin pie.

I picked the Coast to Coast with Sapodilla and Pineapple.

In the picture it looks green but it was more of a brown color.

It tasted just like a Pear with Brown Sugar and overpowered the pineapple. I only drank about half before throwing in the towel. It was to rich for me.

We walked around while we drank our milkshakes. In the back, they have a few animals. Huck’s favorite was the goat.

I thought the sunbathing turtles were cute!

These made me laugh! My mom use to have one and it creeped me out!

We bought a bottle of BBQ Sauce and some Boiled Peanuts. We ate the peanuts on the way home and used the BBQ sauce for dinner. I was planning to make BBQ Chicken for dinner anyways. Robert’s has lots of sauces and jellies and we decided to buy one to go with our dinner. When I said the word Habanero, Huck was sold!

This sauce wasn’t spicy, but has a subtle heat to it. It worked perfectly with my Shredded 2 Ingredient Chicken. I cooked the chicken the same way as last week, but instead of Salsa, I added the BBQ Sauce. So easy!

He had Corn on the Cob and Swiss Chard for our sides. After dinner and lunch, I still have enough chicken for BBQ Pizza. Stay tuned for that recipe.

Now, I’m off to the gym. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Have you every tried a Sapodilla? Did you like it?

Shredded Chicken and BBQ Sauce (3 Ingredients)

Print recipe

Ingredients

3 cups Chicken Stock
1.5lb Chicken Breast
Favorite BBQ Sauce (To Coat)

Directions


STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS: Combined Stock and Chicken into a pot. If stock does not cover chicken add enough water to completely cover. Cook over medium heat until chicken is cook through, about 20 minutes depending one the size of the chicken. You can cut the chicken into cubes to decrease cooking time. Once chicken is cooked through, remove from the stock and add to a large bowl. Using two forks, pull the chicken apart (to shred the chicken.) Fully combined BBQ sauce with the chicken and serve.

CROCK POT DIRECTIONS: Place stock and chicken in crock pot. Cover with lid and cook, on low, for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Add BBQ Sauce. ENJOY!

*This information came from Robert Is Here’s website.

05/1/13

I’m still fat!!

It’s another What I Ate Wednesday!

I woke up around 9AM, and made myself a cup of coffee. Best Part of Waking Up… Right?

(I found this on Pinterest, but it did not have a link)

Around 11:30, I was ready for lunch. I headed to the kitchen, which isn’t far from my “new” office, and warmed up some leftover Chili Gumbo.

I forgot to take a picture, but it looked similar to this.

After my hearty chili, I was craving something sweet. I ALMOST went for the Chocolate Cookie Bars, that I made the other day, but instead grabbed an Orange.

After snacking on my orange, I looked behind me and seen this moving our way.

Me and Ginny started to get a little worried… Oopie could have cared less!

I did not put the pillow there by the way. WORTHLESS!!

The storm turned out to just be a lot of rain. It didn’t stop Ginny from running and hiding!

Dinner came together in no time. The shrimp and veggies were finished right as the pasta was done. Perfect timing!

Big plates of pasta, like this, could explain why I haven’t lost any weight. I’ve been working out for about 2 months now. We go to the gym 4 times a week, sometimes more. I’m not even concerned with the numbers because I know when you workout your body builds muscle and “Muscle weighs more that fat”. I get it, but the only place I’m noticing a difference is in my arms (I actually have some definition.) Everything else is the same. I’m not toning up anywhere else!

I’m not getting bigger either… Bright side!

This is me. I’ve been working out for 2 months. I should be tone and look like this…

(Source)

And in my fantasy, I’m also very tan!!

I do not eat to bad minus beer (and that’s not changing). I think my problem is I’m stationary through the day for work and blogging.

I decided today, I have to increase my cardio. We do cardio before strength training, but I’m half assing it.

So why not start today, right? Before dinner, I took Ginny for a 20 minute run (Well we were gone for 20 minutes). Huck was busy with work, so we didn’t go to the gym. I have a guest pass with him, and I can only go if he goes. And I was not about to go to our neighborhood gym! We went yesterday and it smells like something died! We walked in and quickly walked right back out and went to LA.

I looked at the class schedule, and want to try some a group classes, too. I can workout and maybe make a friend.

Well that’s What I Ate Wednesday and a rant. I hope you enjoyed!

Oh next week, Life Food and Beer will be hosting its first giveaway. Make sure you follow me on Facebook and Twitter to see what it will be!

Shrimp, Mushroom, and Tomato Pasta

Print recipe

Serves	6+
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	15 minutes

Ingredients

1lb Fresh or Dry Pasta
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
4-5 cloves Garlic
Crushed Red Pepper (To Taste)
8oz Mushrooms (Sliced)
1/2lb Shrimp (Shelled and Deveined)
2 Chicken Sausage (I used All Natural Italian Chicken Sausage)
1/2 cup White Wine
3 cups Spinach (Chopped Fresh or Frozen)
1/2 pint Cherry Tomatoes (Cut in Half)
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Directions


Boil pasta according to the package directions.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil once pan is warm. Add garlic, crusted red pepper, and mushrooms. Cook one or two minutes before adding shrimp. Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper before adding to pan.

Add chicken sausage (Mine was already cooked. If using raw, cook sausage before adding to shrimp to pan.) Stir to combined. The shrimp will take a few minutes per side. Once they turn pink, they are ready to flip. Add wine and stir to deglaze the pan.

Add tomatoes, spinach, and cooked pasta to pan (If your pan is not big enough, add shrimp mixture to pasta pot.) Fully combined and add lemon juice and salt and pepper as needed.

Serve and enjoy!

04/28/13

My first youTube video!

Yep. I made a YouTube video. Just in case you needed more Life Food and Beer.

This first video is… rough. I say um way to many times, it’s cheesy, and the lighting makes me look older. But I’m posting it anyways. While editing, I learned a lot about Windows Movie Maker and know the next one will be a million times better.

For now, you are stuck with this one… ENJOY!

I can not upload my video, but you can click the link below.

How To Reduce Beer

My Recipe- Stout Oatmeal Cookies

This is my favorite cookie recipe.

Stout Oatmeal Cookies

Print recipe

Ingredients

6oz Stout Beer
3/4 cups Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Old Fashion Oats
Beer Glaze (See Recipe Below)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In sauce pan, reduce beer over low heat by half. You will have 3 oz beer when finished. Cool to room temperature before adding to mixture. Stir often because it can burn. See video for detailed instructions on how to reduce the beer.

Mix together butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla, and beer.

In a different bowl combined flour, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients, in small batches, to wet ingredients.

Mix in oats and fully combined.

Measure out 1-2 tablespoon of batter and place on lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. (I like my cookies gooey so I cooked them for 10-12 minutes. Huck likes his crispy 12-15 minutes.)

Beer Glaze

Print recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup Reduced Beer (12 oz of beer reduced)
Powdered Sugar

Directions


Mix cooled beer into powdered sugar a teaspoon at a time until you get the consistency and flavor desired.

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Easy to Find Recipes

Share this:

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

Directions

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Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownies with Brown Ale

Ingredients

Directions

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Date Night

Weekend Plans

Chicken Gyro with Summer Ale Beer

Ingredients

Directions

Chickpea and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Tzatziki Sauce (Cucumber Yogurt Sauce)

Ingredients

Directions

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Lemon Bars with Summer Ale Beer

Ingredients

Directions

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Have you every tried a Sapodilla? Did you like it?

Shredded Chicken and BBQ Sauce (3 Ingredients)

Ingredients

Directions

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Shrimp, Mushroom, and Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

Directions

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My Recipe- Stout Oatmeal Cookies

Stout Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

Directions

Beer Glaze

Ingredients

Directions

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