changing tides

Growing up, I was exposed to all sorts of traditional Italian foods.  From creepy-crawling snails in tomato sauce to baccala, I tried it.  I’ve taken this attitude even into adult food. Though I may not be as ambitious as Andrew Zimmerman, I still have my share of exotic foods. If it wasn't for my mom, I wouldn't hold the same love for food exploration that I have today.

Recently, I had made a trip home and had gone for Japanese with my mom and sister.  To my surprise, my mother ordered sushi! Granted it was cooked, I would never have imagined the day when my mom ordered something wrapped in seaweed!

When trying new foods, my mom has always had a traditional sense of taste, but to have her order sushi was a great surprise. She's expanding her food horizons.  It goes to show that everyone, at any age, can try something new!  

GIANT PANCAKE!!

So when I made this, it was sans pan, but still it was awesome.  Kathy donated this recipe to my blog- thanks Kat, loved this breakfast.  This was a great Sunday morning treat that's sure to impress anyone.  I made it for my sister, and we ate all of it in seconds!

The recipe’s as follows:

3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup flour
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Garnish with powder sugar and juice from 1 lemon

1.     Preheat over to 425.

2.      Put the butter in a 10 inch pie plate and place in oven; remove once butter is melted. (If you have an ovenproof skillet use this, so you will have a PANcake.  Since I don’t have an ovenproof skillet I used a pie plate like Kat recommended).

3.     Mix remaining ingredients together with a whisk and pour into the hot skillet/plate. Immediately return it to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes.

4.     Remove from oven.

5.     Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

6.     Slice, serve, and enjoy this wonderfully fluffy breakfast immediately! 

Can you tell the difference??

Below are two beers.  Both appear to be microbrews; one an India Pale Ale the other a Hopped Red Ale.  Can you tell the difference?

The secret behind the Hopped Red Ale is that Brian brewed and labeled the Hopped Red Ale!

Home brewing is a fun way to produce the beer flavor profiles that you enjoy.  The Huffington Post even listed Home Brewing as one of the 7 DYI Drinking projects.  Home brewing is a safe process.  The likelihood of making “bad beer” is low.  As long as you keep your apparatus sterile, your beer should turn out fine.  Also, the conditions in your fermenter make it difficult for microbes to survive; the pH and alcohol content create a hostile environment for microorganisms, so you will not get food poisoning!

In the 70’s many people turned to home brewing because the lack of variety, and today, you can find microbrews and craft beers at your local liquor or supermarket.  Just examine the labels; the big three beer companies have moved in on the craft beer market, so though it can look like a craft beer, it could be in Budweiser in disguise!