Unibroue

Beer just might be one of the biggest acquired tastes out there. And I'm not talking about the Keystone Light you undoubtedly drank in large quantities before you were legally allowed to. Not that anyone does that.

It's also incredibly easy to be snobby about, simply because there are so many different kinds, you're bound to find a favorite that few people have tried yet. I can't say that I have tried all that many yet, but I know enough to say that I love beer.

Last summer (before my 21st birthday, and therefore before my foray into beer [because I'm a good girl]), I was at a concert in Millennium Park - Chicago's oasis for free music and open alcoholic beverages in public - I tried some La Fin du Monde that one of Jacob's friends had brought. I remember distinctly that it tasted faintly like banana to me, and since I hate bananas, I hated that beer. Now, as I sit here drinking the very same thing, I first and foremost taste...well, beer. I don't taste anything remotely banana-y. If that's not a great example of an acquired taste, I don't what is. That's not to say that La Fin du Monde just tastes like beer. It is complexly fruity and spicy.

Unibroue, the brewery responsible for La Fin du Monde, is a Canadian brewery that makes some of the most effervescent brews I've tasted. Ephemere, an apple scented Belgian white ale, remains my favorite. It tastes like summer in your mouth. But even the dark beer, Trois Pistoles, has a sparkle to it unique among those heavier dark beers. I've also had Don di Dieu which is sweeter than La Fin du Monde, with a subtle apricot flavor.

Beer is just so refreshing, it's hard not to like in my opinion. Gotta try 'em all!

Recital Madness

Well, my recital is over and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. My family was visiting and we set up an assembly line for bacon-wrapped date production. My mom and dad pitted, my brother stuffed, and Jacob and I wrapped them in bacon. Although we made something like 60 dates, they were gone in a flash!

Now it's time for me to get back into the swing of cooking and blogging! After paying my pianist a big fat check, I am broke again so I'll have to leave you with something I made a few weeks ago. Roasted Golden Beets with Goat Cheese! It's just your average roasting recipe, sweet and simple.



Ingredients:
Golden beets, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
soft goat cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss beets, olive oil, and salt and pepper together on a sheet pan.



I threw a few carrots in for color. Roast them in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes. Remove from the oven when browned and fork-tender.



Serve with a dollop of goat cheese and enjoy!



I've been told if you buy beets in bunches you can reserve the leafy parts for other uses. Substitute it in recipes that call for for kale or swiss chard. I've never actually gotten around to doing that before the greens went bad though. I recommend brainstorming for recipe ideas when you're grocery shopping for the beets, that way you have everything you need. This recipe for Whole-grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale was pretty good (and good for you!).

The Things I Consumed Tonight

A great big shout-out goes to my buddy Adit, whose birthday was the reason for such an epic dinner at Girl and the Goat.

Here's an epic rundown of all the goodness:

Allagash White (belgian-style beer)
Hiramasa crudo with pork belly, aji aioli, and caperberries
Three kinds of freshly baked bread with spreads like pea puree, smoked tomato butter, bacon peanut butter, and salted honey comb
Wood-fired oysters with spinach and bacon
Ham frites with smoked tomato aioli and cheddar-beer dip
Goat belly with lobster and crab, bourbon butter, and fennel
Chickpea fritters with hazelnut hummus and goat feta
Roasted cauliflower with pine nuts and mint
Pan-seared halibut with brandade, green garlic, asparagus, and blackberry reduction
Wood oven-roasted pig face (just the jowl, not quite what it sounds like) with sunny side-up egg and potato sticks
Bitter-sweet chocolate cake with shiitake gelato and toffee creme fraiche.

Girl and the Goat

I'm getting ready for a dinner splurge at Girl and the Goat tonight. So excited!

Viva Italia!

"Consider your origin; you were not born to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge." - Dante's Divine Comedy

We all get stuck in ruts when it comes to the food we eat, but there's nothing wrong with a good routine. One of my go-to recipes is this cauliflower pasta recipe which is cheap, fresh, and healthy (not to mention extremely addictive). It's good for lunch, as left-overs, or even for an easy dinner among friends. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1/2 cup very hot water
2 tablespoons salt
1 pound dry penne
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. Cook gently until softened and very light golden brown, then add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to break down. Add cauliflower and mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup very hot water and simmer for 30 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Add the penne, and cook according to package directions, until tender yet al dente.

Drain the penne and add to the pan with the cauliflower. Stir in parsley and black pepper, to taste, and toss 1 minute over high heat. Divide evenly among 6 warmed pasta bowls, top with grated cheese, and serve immediately.

I never have 2 lbs of tomatoes so sometimes my dish is kind of anemic looking...but it still tastes good. One thing is for sure, you have to use fresh tomatoes. I've tried it with canned and it doesn't work. The canned tomatoes don't have enough moisture to cook the cauliflower and it just doesn't taste as good. The best time to make this is in the summer when you have huge fresh tomatoes at your disposal, but you can definitely find ways to make this year-round.



I splurged and bought a bottle of wine...Italian this time! My family has been going to the same Italian restaurant for 28 years and every time I hear my dad order a Montepulciano (or alternatively, Chianti). So I decided to find out what that actually tastes like. The one I got was a 2007, $10.99 at Whole Foods, and totally nom-worthy. Really juicy, medium bodied, with a slight bite. Wikipedia describes Montepulciano as "easy-drinking," which I can now verify as true if you know what I mean... :)

Coffee and Bluegrass

Coffee culture in Chicago is pretty evenly divided between Metropolis Coffee and Intelligentsia, which can also be found in LA and New York. And while the Starbucks dream has achieved an above average cup of coffee, to-go in record time, there has been a recent movement to slow down and enjoy the process of brewing a great cup of coffee. This is where Coffee Lab, a new not-for-profit establishment on Evanston's Noyes St., finds its niche.

For the longest time I was just a tea person, but then I met Jacob. As a Starbucks barista, he knows all about Starbucks's strengths and shortcomings, but most importantly he knows how to drink coffee and taught me to like it. With cream, no sugar. To those coffee purists out there, there is one cup of coffee he will drink black and that is the Intelligentsia single source from Coffee Lab.

Coffee Lab grinds the beans when you order and uses a single cup pour-over method of brewing which drips into a beaker. The friendly seminary gents bring your coffee to you. They usually have four or five varieties of coffee beans available at a time. Single source is pretty much what it sounds like: the beans all come from the same region, but that region varies based on the batch. Intelligentsia is a company big enough to make a difference globally and small enough to deliver consistently good results.



You can read all about Coffee Lab's mission and Garrett seminary affiliation at their Facebook page.

Everything about the Coffee Lab experience is amazing. The space is well-lit and inviting. You check out on an iPad. The baristas are knowledgeable, friendly, and willing to educate you on why they do things the way they do. The coffee is delicious, but so is the tea, served loose-leaf in a small glass tea-pot. Their chai tea latte is one of the best you can get in Evanston. And they recently started doing latte art! It might depend on who is working at the time, but Alden got the best looking caramel latte (pictured below).



I'm all for slowing down and stopping to smell the coffee, if you will, so I definitely recommend stopping by one afternoon. While you're at it, bring your headphones and take a listen to the new Alison Krauss & Union Station album that's streaming on NPR's First Listen until it's release on April 12th.

I've always thought Alison Krauss's voice is just a little too sweet...borderline nauseating. BUT, it's a good thing she sings some killer bluegrass, because if it were any other genre I probably wouldn't like it. If you're in Nickel Creek withdrawal, then you'll enjoy this album. I heard somewhere that it is impossible to not be happy when listening to bluegrass and I think that's pretty true. There must be some scientific psychological phenomenon associated with the sound of a banjo that makes us smile. Examples in popular music: the Shins - Australia and Feist - 1, 2, 3, 4. A few well placed plucks are all we need.

A Few Thoughts Over Green Tea

Hello!

Sorry for my recent hiatus. It's been a rough transition into the last quarter of school and my quality of life hasn't really been something worth sharing. I've discovered that what I describe as "pretending" really stems from wanting experiences that are financially just beyond reach. None of us want to limit our experience because we're unemployed young adults. Our grasp exceeds our means. That being said, this life-style makes you go broke real fast.

"Pretending" is different than "pretentious." I don't pretend to be an expert about anything. I hope I don't induce any scoffs or eye-rolls. I just want to grow up one new experience at a time.

As for the things on my plate at the moment, I'm focusing on preparations for my senior recital and the stress that accompanies it. I don't like planning. Or thinking about the future in any way. I find that it stresses me out. Normally, I have no problem not thinking about the future. With the end of college approaching and "future plans" being everyone's go-to topic of conversation though, I am forced to do it.

Also, an unwillingness to think about the future results in a deficiency in financial planning. Did I mention I need a job? Badly? But not until after my recital.

My goal for the moment: regain some peace of mind. Take time for little things. Nothing is worth freaking out about. I promise.



These pictures are from my summer road trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. Such a beautiful place...just looking at the pictures make me more relaxed.