Photo by Kristin thekitchensink at Flickr Commons

Post Party Palette

November 9, 2015January 31, 2016Leave a comment

Friday night my husband and I went to a party with wine, hors d’ouevres, and intelligent conversation. He wore a suit and I actually shaved my legs, so to say it was a big to-do would be an understatement. Once the party ended and we were heading home we found ourselves a bit peckish. Without enough time to hit both the ATM for cash for the sitter and a fast food drive thru; I had the idea to kill two birds with one stone. We headed to the grocery store where we scored cold deli fried chicken, Terrapin Moo Hoo, and a few 20s for the sitter.

The late night munchies can strike any day of the week but for us they seem to strike hardest during post party time. While in my 20s Taco Bell was always a go-to to fill that void I have found my prime time palette has evolved, not too much as we ate an entire container of cold fried chicken, but it has evolved.

In response to the evolution we try to keep our pantry and fridge stocked with ingredients for impromptu noshing. Cheese options in the fridge, a can of mixed nuts, and mixed grain crackers are always in the house. We tend to crave things that are both salty and savory; and carbs are always included in many different forms. Here are a few of our favorites:

Homemade pita chips with hummus

Chips and salsa/guacamole

The world’s best take and bake pizza

Cheese plate

Charcuterie board

Antipasto plate

Grilled cheese sandwiches (Cheddar with pickles is my fave.)

Ramen noodles

As you can see we tend to keep it simple. But while visiting a friend in St. Thomas several years ago I tasted true late night cooking. If you want to step up your game you should try making these seafood tacos that he made for us late night/early morning. The ingredients that he had on hand aren’t always in our pantry/fridge but I am willing to make a grocery run to have them again. They hit the savory/salty spot and would be great during normal meal times too.

Afterdark Tacos

Caribbean jerk seasoning (1 teaspoon)
Hot sauce (to taste)
Mayonaise (1/4 cup)
Pickled ginger (1 tablespoon)
Baked Fish. We had grouper but I’m sure Gordon’s fish sticks would rock too. (2 fillets or six sticks)
Peel and eat shrimp (1 cup)
Macadamia nuts (roasted)
Spicy brown mustard (1/4 cup)
Kosher salt (to taste)

Spread macadamia nuts on non stick baking sheet and put in oven until lightly toasted. 350 degrees for five minutes should do it. Once toasted, remove them from oven and chop finely. Don’t turn off the oven because you’re going to need it.

Chop shrimp and fish into bit sized pieces and put into bowl with all other ingredients(don’t forget the nuts) and mix well. Place mixture onto large sheet of aluminum foil and roll it up like a burrito, twisting both ends. Place in oven for 10 minutes.

Remove mixture and spoon into taco shells. Throw on a little salsa, guac or extra hot sauce if you’d like. Enjoy.

What are your late night culinary cravings?

I’d Like to Eat – Pastries from La Calavera Bakery

November 3, 2015December 13, 2015Leave a comment

Next door to the Avondale MARTA Station on East College Avenue sits a quaint little ship called the La Calavera Bakery. The large window in the front is painted with a calavera (skull) wrapped in two sprigs of grain and crowned with a glowing OPEN sign. It kind of piques your interest. I’d driven past it numerous times before deciding to stop by one morning to see what they had inside. My pastry loving self is so happy that I did. Small and large fresh baked loaves of bread and other carb filled goodies greet you at the door. Chocolate babkas, pan de muerto,sprouted whole wheat and sourdough breads line the shelves and fill the air with enticing aromas. While the sweet smells occupy your nose; the calaveras made from sugar, ceramic and wooden that decorate the shop are a delight for the eyes.

Out all of the choices I selected a pepper, corn, and cheddar empanada, a cinnamon brioche roll, and a cup of coffee to top it all off. It was a buttery, savory, flakey and tasty way to start off my day. All of their items are baked fresh everyday and they are open on weekends. Toasted fruit and nut filled bread with butter on top is a weekend brunch favorite of mine so I will be returning to grab a whole wheat with cranberries and pecans loaf.

If you are looking for something out of the ordinary for breakfast, brunch, dessert or to bring to the office this holiday season, stop by this bakery. Learn more about the shop and see their daily menu at their website lacalaverabakery.wordpress.com. If you are in the giving spirit visit their KickStarter page to help fund their purchase of a bigger oven so they can make even more sweet treats. Visit the page here.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Beer – The Decatur Beer Festival

October 27, 2015November 15, 2015Leave a comment

The Decatur Beer Festival was earlier this month and as usual it did not fail. The beers were magnificent but the organizers also arranged for a flawless fall day to set the mood. A brilliant blue sky and find amber ale go together beautifully.

This continues to be one of my favorite beer festivals for the amount of Georgia Brewers who attend and the small amount of tickets that they sell. There is nothing worse than standing in long lines. You aren’t able to talk to reps about their take on the brews that they offer and feeling claustrophobic and beer buzzed is never a good combo. If you like to have a bit of breathing room with your beer, be sure to come to this festival next fall.

I flat out refuse to drink pumpkin beers in August or for most of September so I look forward to tasting them here. I got to try the Harpoon UFO Pumpkin and I found it flavorful, well balanced with a true pumpkin flavor. Often fall beers taste like someone poured pumpkin extract into a Sam Adams…blech! Congrats Harpoon, you guys got it right. While it can’t hold a candle to my favorite, its pretty freaking tasty.

My favorite of the festival was the Lonerider Tombstone Reserve Oak Aged Rye Stout. They succeeded in making a malty, chocolatey Bourbon aged drink that does not overload you with the smoke. This was originally released in 2014 but they realized how great it was and did it again.

Creature Comforts came with their Tropicalia, but what I am really looking forward to is their Koko Buni Milk Porter with toasted coconut- Yes you read that correctly. How pretty does that sound? They have impressed me in the past with their Cucumber and Lime Tritonia and Bibo pilsner. I’m sure the Koko will not disappoint.

Reformation Brewery’s Cadence makes driving outside of the perimeter (if you aren’t a Georgian and don’t know what that means look here) to visit them not seem so bad. That being said, I think I will still just find them at one of our local beer shops. The color, flavor, and aroma of this beer is makes for a cozy drinking experience.

Service Brewing Company – The only thing better than a good beer is a good beer with a great story. Service Brewing is from Savannah, Georgia and they are owned and operated by veterans. They do great Pale and India Pale Ales but their Teufel Hunden was the winner for me! I will be on the look out for this Savannah beer closer to home.

Florida Beer Company’s Swamp Ape American Double IPA was another favorite of mine. This was my first time trying beer from the Melbourne Florida brewery and I loved it. A big 10% with big hop flavor.

After so many samples it was time to eat. We finished off the day with too many grit tots, Ahi tuna poke, and chicken and waffles from the Pinewood Tippling Room. I slept well that night my friends. I slept very well.

What are you drinking this fall?

What We Are Reading – September 30th

September 30, 2015January 4, 2017Leave a comment

I have recently been consumed with important things (the job, the kid, the husband), and wasting time with not so important things (lying on the sofa, fall decorating, lying on the sofa), and have neglected my cool things (blog and social media). Also during this time, the list of books I need to read has grown. There were so many writers at the Decatur Book Festival last month it will take me until next year’s festival to read all of their work. That list will be coming your way in a future post.

Early this week my old roommate, blogger, and foodie Ed stopped by for drinks and a heaping helping of Korean food from K BBQ Takorea. After we stuffed our bellies with bibimbop and pork buns he told me that there was something I MUST write about on my blog. Actually he told me about two things and they are both right up my bookish alley.

The first thing is a kick ass app that basically speed reads books to you. It is called Flash Reader. With this app you are able to import books from your Kindle library, set your preferred font size and the number of words per minute estimate you read, and the story appears one word at a time on your screen. I know it sounds strange but you have to download it to believe it. The experience that I have using it is akin to hearing a song’s individual notes one at a time and that making the music even richer and more engaging. Yes, I know that sounds strange too. Just go download it. The app is free and compatible with iPhone, iPad and iTouch devices.

The second bit of awesomeness he told me about are the Zombie Fallout, A Shrouded World, and Book of Riley book series by Mark Tufo. The crazy thing is Ed is kind of over zombies. He has walked away from The Walking Dead as he thinks it is a whole lot of gore porn now and that they have really gotten away from the psychological and societal aspects of the show which made the characters so compelling. With that in mind I was surprised he was so excited about these books. But after telling me that the books cover parallel universes and the zombie apocalypse from a dogs perspective, I knew that I needed to start reading Tufo’s work also. If you find this sort of randomness intriguing visit Tufo’s website .

However, before I dive into the un-dead, I need to finish the book I am currently about the living. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is about moments, and time, and fate. It is the story of an older woman reading the diary of a younger woman and it has been a joy learning about these vastly different souls and the written pages that tie them together. I highly recommend it.

What are you reading??