06/14/14

Red Beans and Rice with Abita Spring IPA

Red Beans and Rice with Abita Spring IPA

Red Beans and Rice is a traditional Creole dish. Traditionally this dish was served on Monday using the leftover from Sunday. Ham was usually prepared on Sundays.

Now, this dish is not traditional by any means. I made it on a Saturday, I used canned beans, my veggies were on the larger size, I served my rice on top instead of the bottom, and I added a splash of beer because everything in life is better with a splash of beer.

Even though this isn’t traditional, it’s still a winner in my book. The IPA adds a slight sweetness to balance out the spice. If you do not like spicy food, I would cut back on the IPA, and only use 1/4 of a cup. Otherwise you’ll have sweet Red Beans.

I allowed this to simmer for an hour which thinned the liquids and created a gravy almost. I also used brown rice instead of white. I’m on a brown rice kick right now. It has so much more flavor than plain white. It’s like a nuttiness almost. I buy the Publix brand Frozen Steam bag. In 5 minutes I have perfect brown rice. Love it!

The Start of My Birthday Weekend

It’s almost my birthday. My last year in my 20′s. I’ve had so many amazing things happen over the last 9 years. Some good. Some bad. But everything has lead me to the life I currently have, and I wouldn’t change one second. Now, that’s not saying I wouldn’t like to add in a few more things along the way.

I’m the kind of person that sets expectations for myself. Like by the time I’m 30, I want to have done this, this, and this. Well, I’m knocking on 30′s door, with a list of stuff I still haven’t accomplished, and I have a feeling she’s going to open whether I accomplish them or not. Damn it!

My goal was to travel the world by 30. Visit a handful of US cities {I’ve never been to NYC, and I found that unacceptable!!}. I wanted to live in a different state {I did that one}. Live in a different country.

Ok so, my list of things to do before 30 is just a big list of places I want to visit. Story of my life. I was born with a major case of wanderlust, apparently. It’s crazy because no one in my entire family is like that. It’s a blessing and curse at the same time.

I am happy with the places I’ve been and the experiences I’ve had. I’ve traveled to some pretty awesome places, made some great friends, and married the love of my life. Honestly, the last one is the only thing that matters.

I still can’t believe I’ll be 29. Where did the time go? I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I feel like I’m in my early 20′s, maybe. I’m about to go out drinking. We will see if I still feel like I’m in my early 20′s, tomorrow.

As I enter the 29th year of my life, I will not be sad I haven’t accomplished everything on my ridiculously long list of expectations, but instead celebrate all the amazing things I’ve done, the amazing people I’ve met, and the amazing life I have.

Here’s to another great 29 years!

2013-06-15 14.43.39

Red Beds and Rice

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Oil
  • 1/2 Medium Onion (Diced)
  • 1/2 Medium Bell Pepper (Diced)
  • 2 cloves Garlic (Chopped)
  • 1/2lb Cajun Sausage (Diced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pepper Powder
  • 1 can Low Sodium Red Kidney Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
  • 1/4 cup Beer (Wheat, Lager, or IPA)
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • Tabasco Sauce (To Taste)
  • Salt and Pepper (To Taste)

Directions

Preheat a medium size pot over medium heat. Add Oil, Onions, Peppers, Garlic, and Sausage. Cook until veggies start to soften and sausage starts to brown.
Add seasonings, beans, and stir to combined. Add beer and chicken stock. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Add water if needed.
Serve with white or brown rice and enjoy.
Powered by GetMeCooking
05/31/14

Last Day In New Orleans and Visiting My Nanny

Friday morning, we were up early and ready for our test. I felt pretty confident I passed, and was pleased to find out Huck and I both passed the certification. Wow! Actually, Huck only scored a few points higher than I did. Considering I haven’t used the program in months, I figured that means I’m smarter! 

We had lunch at the Pearl Restaurant & Oyster Bar. It was located next to our hotel, the Royal St. Charles.

We each had a Po’boys, Shrimp and Alligator Sausage. The Alligator tasted like regular sausage but really tasty.  

Canal Street New Orleans

Downtown New Orleans (2)

We also went to Harrah’s Casino and wasted $10 in less than 10 seconds. We literally walked in the back down, put $10 in a machine, and walked out the front.

We finished up our class around 4pm, packed up, and headed to my grandparents. 

Huck pulled over and made us take a picture in front of the Mississippi state line sign. Our plan was to take a picture with each sign. That was a complete fail! 

We arrived around 10pm and sat up talking with my Grandparents for a while before calling it a night. 

We were up bright and early Saturday morning. We all sat around their table drinking coffee and talking. 

My Nanny let me make homemade biscuits with her. She actually let me make them, and instructed me on what to do. Like every good grandparent recipe, there was no measurements. Just a bunch of “add some of this, little of that, little more, now wait for it to form a ball”. Unless I’m making something for the blog, I do not measure anything either, so I get it. It just makes recreating the food you love harder! 

We served the biscuits with Tomato Gravy. It sounds weird, but I LOVE Nanny’s tomato gravy. When I called and told her we were coming, I requested Tomato Gravy and homemade biscuits!

We spent time with them before heading to Huck’s Uncle and then his Aunt’s house for dinner. Aunt Ruthie and her husband made us a huge Fried Shrimp and Fish Fest! I overindulged in fresh shrimp and fish, and listened to stories about Huck’s childhood. 

I was up early again Sunday to spend a much time with Nanny before we had to leave. We had BLTs for breakfast and left around noon. Have I told you guys how much I hate goodbyes?? Goodbyes and see you later, are the same thing. They both mean I’m not seeing you tomorrow! :( 

Huck had a claim to look at in Jacksonville on our way back. We arrived home around 9pm, and our vacation/work trip was over. The last two week went by in a flash. I honestly can’t believe they’re already over. 

We had a great time on our mini-vacation/work events. If only we could do it more often.

Stay tuned for a New Orleans themed dish. Actually, I have 4 New Orleans themed meals to share. Cajun Gravy, Red Beans and Rice, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, and Chicken and Waffles. 

Which recipe would you like to see first? 

05/28/14

Eating Our Way Through New Orleans

Our trip to New Orleans was not long enough! Our day of travel started at 4:30am. It’s a 12 hour drive from our house to NOLA. Originally, our plan was to fly, but airfare was expensive and Huck had a chance to look at a few claims in the panhandle along the way. He figured we could save $600+ in travel expenses and cover the cost of the trip at the same time. And by driving, we would be able to stay with my Grandmother, who lives in the panhandle, on the way back.

Driving Through Florida

Honestly, the ride wasn’t that bad. From Jupiter to Pensacola sucked! It was flat nothingness. That was about 8 hours of our trip. From there Huck looked at his claims, which broke the ride up a good bit. I-10 from Pensacola to NO was a nice ride. It follows along the coast and goes over a bunch of bridges that provide nice views. We even seen a shark attacking something. We both agreed it wasn’t a dolphin, so it had to be a shark.

We were both really crabby by the time we arrived in NO. We were at the “don’t talk to me” point of the ride. We held off on eating until we arrived. After a few hiccups checking into our hotel, we finally made it to Bourbon Street around 9:30pm NOLA times. We already knew where we were going for dinner before we arrived, and thanks to the Google Map app {The walking distance option is great for traveling. You don’t look like a tourist looking for directions on your phone!} we already had the restaurant pulled up and went straight there for food.

We decided to have dinner at Desire Oyster Bar and Restaurant. I read a good review from Iowa Girl Eats about the restaurant, and it was really close to our hotel. We wasted no time ordering.

Huck ordered the Creole Trio. It came with Gumbo, Seafood Jambalaya, and Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage.

I ordered the Crawfish Etouffe.

Desire New Orleans (4)

Everything was great, and we cleaned our plates in recorded time. It was almost embarrassing how quickly we consumed our food. Considering we had breakfast at 11am Florida time, dinner was long overdue!

Once we finished, we walked to Crescent City Brewhouse. Of course, we had to check out the local craft beer places.

I ordered the Red Stallion. Huck ordered the Pale Ale. Both okay beer. We wanted to make a trip to Abita, but never made it that far.

We stopped by Café Du Monde, but we didn’t have any cash, and I was really full from dinner. We walked around for a while before calling it a night.

Jackson Square New Orleans

Thursday, we were up bright and early. We were in New Orleans for a class Huck was attending. I registered for the class too since we were there. The first day was a quick review of the estimating software adjusters use, and a practice test. If you passed the practice test, you could take the test the following day. I haven’t used the estimating software in a while, and was a little nervous I wouldn’t pass the test. I did some research before and found out it has a low pass rate, which was repeated several times during the class. I was so nervous I wasn’t going to pass!

Once we finished the practices test, we were released for lunch. Right across the street, from the conference, was a Popeye’s. Of course, my spicy fried chicken loving husband wanted to stop.

I’m not going to lie, I like their Fried Chicken, too!

Once we returned, our practices test were graded. I missed a few questions because of stupid calculation errors but was given the OK to sit for the test the next day. We went over practices questions for about an hour longer and were released for the day.

Huck and I dropped our stuff off at the hotel and headed out to explore/eat and drink more.

Downtown New Orleans (8)

I love Huck’s GoPro!!

We tried Café du Monde again, this time with cash, but the line was too long. Even the express line wrapped around to the front of the building.

I didn’t feel like waiting either, so we carried on.

French Quarter New Orleans (2)

French Quarter New Orleans (3)

We walked past Evangeline and noticed they were doing a beer and food pairing for happy hour. For $15, we sampled three different kinds of sausage: Boudin, Smoked Sausage, and Andouille that were paired with 3 different Saint Arnold beers. We received a 10 oz sample of each beer. It was a deal!

Evangeline New Orleans

The Boudin was our favorite along with the Black Kolsch, surprisingly. I’m not usually a fan of Kolsch beers but this one was good.

The sausage was served with a mustard sauce over a potato pancake.

After our meat and beer dinner, we met up with some people from the class. We spent a few hours talking with them, before Huck and I separated from the group. Our first stop Café de Monde, again.

10pm is the perfect time for Beignets and Coffee. The place wasn’t very busy. We were seated and served right away. Much better than waiting in line.

I was a little disappointed with the beignets. I went to NO with my parent in 2006 and remember them being lighter. These were very eggy. Huck compared them to French Toast. They were still really good, and the coffee was a great pick-me-up, too.

On our way back to the hotel, we passed The Gumbo Shop. I wasn’t really hungry but knew I wouldn’t get good gumbo again for a long time. We went in and ordered two bowls of Gumbo. One Seafood. One Chicken and Sausage. Both equally good.

It was cold in NOLA by the way {like 55 degrees and windy cold!}, and all we brought were summer stuff. Poor Huck had to wear his dress khaki because we didn’t pack him any pants.

Gumbo Shop New Orleans (7)

We walked around Bourbon Street for a while before heading back to the hotel. Our hotel was only one block from Bourbon Street off of Canal Street. Perfect location.

I think I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow that night. It was a long day full of great food and good beer!

I’ll be back with a recap from our last day in New Orleans, and the trip to my Grandparents, Friday or Saturday. Then I’ll post some recipes. I have a bunch to share :)

05/26/14

Honey Ginger Grilled Shrimp with Dandelion Ale

I can’t believe I managed to write 3 posts last week! Crazy right! And I have three more of this week, too. I also have lots of recipes to share that I’ve already tested and photographed. We’ll see how long this motivation last.

I wanted to create a recipe to wrap up our trip to the Georgia Coast. When I think of the coast of Georgia, I always think of Shrimp, and I had to incorporate the Balsamic I purchased.

Do you remember me telling you about that amazing Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar I bought in St. Augustine? I could not wait to get home and make something with it. After two weeks of traveling and eating unhealthy, I was ready to go back to eating “semi-healthy” again. I got use to eating heavy meals, lunch time beers, and afternoon naps. Last week, at work, was rough without my daily nap.

Monday, I went to the grocery store and stocked up on veggies. My body needed less fried food and more fresh stuff.

Huck LOVES shrimp. I’ll ask him what he would like for dinner, and 99% of the time, it’s shrimp or tacos. At one point, we thought he was allergic to shrimp. He broke out from head to toe in hives after eating shrimp a few years ago. You can develop an allergy to shell fish, and when I told him this, he almost cried. I actually think he did cry. “There’s no point in living without shrimp!” My hubby is a tad dramatic at times!

A few weeks later, I purchased a bottle of liquid Benadryl, and he ate a few shrimps with dinner. Nothing happened and he was trilled! Life was worth living again.

Now back to the recipe. I combined the Balsamic Vinegar with the Dandelion Ale from Magic Hat, and Garlic infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil,. I soaked fresh Garlic in EVOO, attempting to recreate the mixture I tried when buying the Vinegar. I’d have to say, mine was WAY better.

I’m sure most of you do not have Honey Ginger Balsamic in your pantry, but it’s easy to make your own flavored vinegar. I found White Balsamic Vinegar at Publix for only $3.99. You can add fresh ginger and honey to create your own, homemade, favored vinegar. And trust me, this option is WAY cheaper than the bottle I bought. {See below for recipe}

{Huck had to add Bacon, of course!}

I’ll be back with a recap from our trip to New Orleans and visit with my Grandmother plus a couple Cajun recipes. You’re not going to want to miss them… Trust me!!!

Memorial Day

Thank you to all my family and friends that have served or currently serving in the military.

I hope everyone has a great, safe, Memorial Day.

Honey Ginger Grilled Shrimp with Dandelion Ale

Ingredients

  • VINAIGRETTE AND MARINATED
  • 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1-2 clove Garlic (Smashed)
  • 1/4 cup Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar (See Below for Homemade Option)
  • 1/2 cup Wheat Beer (A fruit beer would be best)
  • Salt and Beer (To Taste)
  • 1/2- 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • GRILLED SHRIMP
  • 1lb Fresh Shrimp (Shelled and Deveined)
  • GRILLED CORN
  • 2 Ears Fresh Corn (Shucked)
  • SALAD
  • 8oz Mixed Greens (Spinach, Arugula, Romaine, Endive etc.)
  • 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes

Directions

VINAIGRETTE AND MARINATED:

Combined Olive Oil and Garlic in a container with a screw on top. Allow to infuse for 15 minutes {the longer the better, though}.

Add the additional ingredients to container, screw on lid, and shake to combined.

{Leftover dressing is good for a few days, but do not place in the refrigerator. I made this mistake the first time I made this dressing.}
GRILLED CORN:

Soak whole corn cob {with husk still on} in a sink full of water for 10 minutes. Removed from sink and cook in microwave for 4 minutes. Remove husk and silk. Brush lightly with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper and place on preheated grill pan searing on all sides.

Once done, cut corn off of cob.
GRILLED SHRIMP:

Add half of the Honey Ginger Vinaigrette and shrimp to a large Ziploc bag. Fully coat the Shrimp and allow to marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat grill pan and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Remove shrimp from marinated to remove excess liquid and add to hot pan. Cook for 1-3 minutes or until pink {depends on size}. Flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan.
SALAD:

Add lettuce to a large bowl. Drizzle desired amount of vinaigrette over greens and combined. Top with Grilled Shrimp, Corn, and Cherry Tomatoes.

Serve and Enjoy!
Powered by GetMeCooking

Homemade Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger (Grated)
  • 1/2 tablespoon Honey
  • 1/4 cup White Balsamic Vinegar

Directions

Combined all ingredients and allow to marinate for up to 24 hours.
Powered by GetMeCooking
05/24/14

Exploring Savannah Georgia

Once we arrived in Savannah, we dropped Chris and Lisa off at their hotel. Lisa’s family was in town for her sister’s wedding. It was still too early for us to check into our hotel, so we drove out to Tybee Island to visit Fort Pulaski. The fort is massive, and it’s so impressive knowing this was constructed before the Civil War. Before machines, cars, A/C, etc. 

Fort Pulaski Savannah (45)

We walked around for about an hour before heading back to Downtown Savannah. 

Hotels in Savannah are EXPENSIVE! Like $300+ a night. After lots of research, I settled on the Thunderbird Inn. Our friend for Georgia, Gump, stayed with us, so I wasn’t expecting a romantic weekend, anyways. And who doesn’t love a 70′s themed hotel that leaves Moonpies on your pillow every night? The room was $145 a night, so I didn’t expect much. It was just a place to lay my head at night, that was close to downtown. That’s what I kept telling myself anyways. The boys thought it was fine. Old but clean. 

Once Gump arrived, we got ready and headed to River Street.

{We were trying to figure out if these steps were to code! I’m going to say no!}

We ordered some to-go beers {You can walk around with beer in Savannah} and walked around trying to find a place for dinner… I’m going to skip the details of horrible meal number one… We spent the evening walking around, checking out different bars, and listening to karaoke. 

The next morning we were up bright and early for a walking tour that I purchased through Groupon. Chris joined us the three of us, so our 90 minute tour cost less than $8 each before tip. It was a deal!  

We met our tour guide, Michelle, the owner of Savannah Belle Walking Tours, in front of the John Wesley statue in Reynolds Square. She took us through a few of the squares, told us about what life was like in early Savannah, pointed out famous spots, and all the best dessert places in town. She was entertaining and knowledgeable. I HIGHLY recommend her tours.

{This is where the bench scene was filmed for Forrest Gump.}

 

We finished up at Colonial Park Cemetery, and the four of us headed to a popular ice cream shop, Leopold’s Ice Cream, Michelle recommended.

At this point, Chris left us to join the wedding group, and the three of us walked back the cemetery and Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.

Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist  (11)

Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist  (13)

I love this picture of the three of us on the steps. The fisheye lens on Huck’s GoPro is amazing! 

Then we made our way to Forsyth Park.

Once we finished up, we stopped for a late lunch at another place Michelle recommended. 

The Six Pence Pub was actually really good {I guess we did have some OK food in Savannah}. A scene from Something to Talk About with Julie Roberts and Dennis Quaid was filmed here, too. 

Once lunch was over, we walked back to our hotel for a nap. Apparently, that’s what you do when you get older, go on walking tours and take naps. 

That afternoon we went to The Distillery for drinks. It was recommended to us by a Facebook friend. It had a neat atmosphere and lots of craft beer. 

We had dinner in the beer garden at Moon River Brewing Company, and the rest of the night was spent wondering around the streets, barhopping. 

We had to pick the Yahoos up by 4PM, so we loaded up early Sunday morning and headed home after a quick breakfast at Waffle House. 

I felt bad because we didn’t tell the Fugger’s bye before we headed home. Hopefully, we’ll see them again in a few month. It will be our turn to head North for a visit. Snow and Cheese heads! Can’t wait!!

05/21/14

Jekyll Island

Once we left St Augustine, we headed North to Jekyll Island. I’ve only been to Jekyll once before with my parents. We arrived, realized there was nothing to do, and left. This time I did a little research before. There still isn’t much to do on the island. They have a putt-putt course ;) It’s not somewhere you would go to party, but it seems like a great, relaxing, weekend destination.

Originally, we planned to stay at a standard hotel with each couple in a different room, but I was able to find a two bedroom condo on the water that allowed one night stays. Sold! 

I was a little disappointed when we arrived at Villas By The Sea. I thought it was a condo and both rooms would have ocean views. Instead it was a townhouse and only the master faced the ocean, and you couldn’t see the ocean from the first floor. It was still a great place, though, and it was very clean!

Chris and Lisa took the master bedroom since we can see the ocean whenever we like and they’ve been stuck in –24 degree weather for the past 6 months. 

Once we dropped our stuff off, we went in search of dinner and drinks. We ended up at The Rah Bar {there wasn’t a lot of food options on the island and everything closes early. If we were to go back, for a longer stay, I’d plan to bring food to cook at the condo}. We ordered a couple drinks, watched the sunset, and listened to the band. 

This was $50 worth of food and didn’t even come with crab legs!

The Rah Bar is located in the historic district of Jekyll. I did lots of research while we were there. Jekyll Island was originally started as a private resort for the Morgan and Rockefellers of the US. The historic district is full of cottages that were originally the winter home for many of the world’s richest families. The first transatlantic phone call was from Jekyll island, too, by the founder of AT&T. Interesting right? I could go on and on, but I’m sure anyone that’s interested can read Wikipedia, too. 

After dinner, we walked around looking at the cottages. We didn’t hang out long because of the bugs. They were HORRIBLE at Jekyll. HORRIBLE! 

We ended up back at our condo early with the plan to wake up early to watch the sunrise, and we made it down to the beach just in time. My favorite part was seeing the dolphins. They seemed so close to shore! My least favorite part was all the bugs.  

After sunrise, we packed up and went to Driftwood Beach… 

Jekyll Island GA Driftwood Beach (65)

Horton House… Fun fact about the Horton House, it was the first house to brew beer in Georgia! 

Walked around the Historic District and ate at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel… 

And visited the Jekyll Island museum. It was free but accepted donations…

And then it was time to go. 

Huck and I both agreed we’d love to spend a whole weekend in the future. They had a great bike trail around the island and a campground {I’d definitely plan a time when the bugs were not as bad!} . I’d also like to spend the weekend at the condo, so I could lay in bed and watch the sunrise or have my coffee on the balcony while listening to the waves crash on the rocks. All in all I was very impressed with Jekyll Island. I wish we had a little more time to spend there, but we had a 70’s themed hotel and a friend waiting on us in Savannah.

Next up, Savannah!

05/19/14

St. Augustine and A1A Ale Works

Our weekend on the Georgia coast started with a trip to St. Augustine. We decided to stop in St. Augustine for lunch before heading to Jekyll Island. We decided to stop at A1A Ale Works. Surprisingly, we had no trouble finding a parking space. Last time Huck and I were in St. Augustine, we couldn’t find anywhere to park and ended up leaving the historic district without food.

{This will be the only time I talk about food in my weekend recaps. Nothing on this trip excited me and most of our meals just pissed me off. One of the worst meals/dinning experiences, I can remember, was on our first night in Savannah, if that tells you anything. It was a weekend of overpriced, shitty food or overpriced mediocre food! I can take some of the blame for that, though. We usually waited until we were really hungry and already a couple beer in before looking for dinner, but more on that later}

Once we were seated at A1A Ale Works, we ordered a couple of flights, and everyone ordered something different for the menu. I went with the Crab BLT and A1A Cheese Soup, Huck ordered the Fish Tacos, and Chris and Lisa split a Ahi Tuna Burger. My sandwich was overflowing with crabmeat. Huck’s tacos were great, but the Tuna was hands down the best! Yum!

A1A Ale Works St Augustine Florida (15)

On our way out, we noticed the store next to the restaurant sold flavored balsamic vinegar and olive oils. We sampled a few before I settled on the Honey Ginger Aged Balsamic. It was the first one I tried. The lady mixed it with a garlic olive oil for us to try and said it was perfect as a salad dressing or great drizzled on chicken or seafood. It was SO GOOD! I can’t wait to make something with it! Maybe a future blog post… maybe! With our Balsamic in hand, we walked around town for a little while before making our way to Jekyll.

Our plan was to arrive in Jekyll early, to explorer the area, but we got a late start from our house, had to drop off the yahoos, and spent more time in St. Augustine than originally planned. We didn’t arrive in Jekyll until later in the afternoon.

To Be Continued…

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...