Well this might be a first….two updates within a week’s span.  The best part is we have been on a tear creating new beer centric dishes and the better part more beer is being consumed.  Heck we have even took the insane step and converted an old freezer into a four tap (possibly six) keg beer dispensing machine.  Granted they are homebrew kegs so only five gallons a piece but hey got to start somewhere.

Besides the beer dispenser of joy the garden is starting to kick ass and take names.  There are now eight eight by four beds soon to be filled with way to many tomatoes and peppers that we are going to have to force them down friend’s throats.  Oh hell like they would mind because they love being present for the insanity of our experiments.

Speaking of experiments this was one of those.  We ended up with a couple bottles of smoked porter and after consuming one of them we figured why the hell not make some stroganoff.  We have been doing good at watching what we consume and large quantities of sour cream are definitely in order.

This is a pretty simple and easy dish that was awesome.  If you lack smoked porter fear not because any porter or a milder stout (save the Bell’s Hell Hath No Fury for drinking not cooking).

For this recipe you will need:

1. Couple pound of chuck roast cut into 1 inch wide strips
2. 1 onion sliced
3. 4 cloves of garlic diced
4. 8 ounces of mushrooms sliced
5. 12 ounces of beer (duh)
6. 1 teaspoon paprika
7. pinch of crushed red pepper
8. 1 cup of beef stock
9. Bay leaf
10. 4 sprigs of thyme
11. 1 teaspoon Dijon
12. 1 cup sour cream
13. Flour
14. Tablespoons of butter
15. Salt and pepper
16. Good handful a person of egg noodles

Steps to success:

1. Flour the chuck roast
2. In a dutch oven or large stockpot add in a couple tablespoons of butter.
3. Once the butter has melted start browning the beef in stages.
4. Remove and set aside as it is done and you will probably have to add in more butter which there is no harm in doing.
5. Once the beef is browned add in the onion and cook until softened and starting to brown up (about 5 minutes).  Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or fragrant.
6. Add in the beer, beef stock, bay, Dijon, paprika, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
7. Add the beef back in, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and let it go for an hour and a half.
8. Taste the dish and if you are happy add in the mushrooms.
9. Cook for another 20-30 minutes covered or until the beef is tender and mushroom tasty.
10. Now is a good time to get those egg noodles cooking
11. Kill the heat and stir in the cup of sour cream
12. Serve and enjoy over egg noodles.

IPA is probably one of my favorite beers to use in cooking because it compliments spicy food perfectly.  As you have figured out I love my spicy food too.

Oh yeah many of you were asking what I got Heather for Valentine’s Day.  Well it follows the annual theme of creepy garden gnomes.

It is the female one on the left and I got it from http://www.whatonearthcatalog.com/whatonearth/Item_Skel-A-Gnomette-and-Skel-A-Gnome-Garden-Sculptures_CF2993G_ps_dpr.html.  Great company with prompt shipping and awesome customer service.

Past that it is finally starting to break from winter here so the garden plotting and planning is even in full effect.  Heck Heather started a bunch of seeds so I would not be surprised if DEA is not knocking down my front door in a couple weeks because of the heat signature my house is putting out.

The other major change is the garage is slowly being turned into the official Safehouse Brewery and Brewpub.  Invitation only but the beer is cold and guarantee a grill or a smoker is got something cooking on it.

This was one of those recipes that was grilled to delicious perfection.

For the coleslaw you will need:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup IPA or other beer
• We cheated and bought a coleslaw kit since it is a heck of a lot easier than sitting there using a mandoline to break down cabbage and carrots.  However; if you are inclined I am betting a small head should suffice.
• If you are grating cabbage and not being lazy make sure you add in a grated carrot.
• 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
• 2 chipotle in adobo diced
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• juice of one lime
• salt and pepper

Coleslaw idiot directions:

• Combine
• Put in fridge
• Wait a couple hours
• Taste.  Do you like it?  Great then you are ready.  If you hate it adjust the flavors.  You might need more salt or pepper.

For the fish you will need:

• 1 lb mahi
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• juice of a lime
• 1 tablespoon ancho powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 cup cilantro

Fish is even harder than the coleslaw to make:

• Combine everything
• Wait 20 minutes
• Grill or oven bake until the fish is flaky

To assemble the tacos:

• Soften corn tortillas
• Throw in some spoonfuls of coleslaw
• Add in some flaked fish
• Throw in whatever in the heck else you like
• Serve and enjoy!

Just to get everyone off my butt right now…this is not chili and this is not mac and cheese.  This is the combination of both worlds in one awesome calorie laden dish.  Besides that is also cheap to make which is even better given I blew all my money on an awesome Valentine’s Day present for Heather….

Anyways as usual you can always tell when Jeff is writing because I have zero to say.  In fact I am going to pay her to ghost write for me…….

You will need:

• 1 lb ground beef (I used venison that was floating around from my buddy getting a deer last year)
• 1 onion finely diced
• 1 bell pepper finely diced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 3-4 tablespoons whole chili powder (ancho and guajillo were used)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 bottle of beer (we used Brooklyn Brown Ale)
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 1 jar of green chilis
• 1/2 to 3/4  box of elbow macaroni (how much you like is how much you throw in).
• 2 cups of cheese (one cup habanero cheddar and another cup of straight cheddar)
• 1 can of kidney beans drained
• 2 large can of tomatoes not drained
• bacon grease or canola oil

Steps to success:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Saute the onions and bell pepper until softened (about 5 minutes) in bacon grease in your favorite cast iron dutch oven (large stockpot works too).
• Add in the meat and cook until no longer pink.
• Add in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and orgeno and cook for another minute.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients except for the cheese. Cook uncovered until the macacroni is done and the liquid has evaporated (about 12 minutes)
• Throw in a cup of cheese and mix in
• Throw the rest of the cheese on top and shove in the oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes (until the cheese has melted and hardened up)

Serve and enjoy!

Welcome to February 2012.

This time last year we were experiencing serious foodie blogger meltdown. I won’t get into it, but we decided to step away for a while. For our sanity and for YOUR safety.

But lately we found our passion again. Ironically it was in a bottle marked BEER. So we decided now would be the perfect time to re-inflict our loquacious banter on you. And cook with beer. Lots and lots of beer. Lucky YOU!

Speaking of February, are you aware that this is American Heart Month? More people die of heart disease then all forms of cancers COMBINED. Heart problems run in my family. I have a heart murmur. My father has (had?) a congenital heart defect. He now has a COW valve attached to his heart which literally changed / saved his life. Have you hugged a cow today to say thank you? Where family medical history plays a part in your own heart health, you can make steps to stave off heart problems. Get active. Stop smoking. Lose weight. Manage stress. EAT BETTER. Now I can’t make you work out or stress less. But I can force you to eat better. Thru the power of tempting photographs like this:

Blackened Salmon with a Light Lemongrass Beer Butter Sauce.

Not a single other fish offers as much omega-3 fatty acids as the over achieving salmon. Omega-3 fatty acids help keep your heart strong and your arteries clear. They also improve your eye sight, strengthen your immune system, may reduce anxiety and has been found helpful in cases of depression. Plus it is damn tasty.

First things first.Gather your ingredients.

For the Salmon:
2 6-8 oz portions wild salmon
blackening seasoning mix (store bought or recipe follows)
2-3 T olive oil

For the Sauce:
1 shallot finely diced
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup American Pale Wheat Beer (drink the rest…)
1 T salt-free butter
2 T fresh parsley – chopped
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
optional: splash of cream

Buy yourself some top notch salmon. Wild caught – not farm raised if you can swing it. And coat one side or the fleshy side (not the skin side if your portion came with skin) with your favorite blackening mix.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2-3 T olive oil. When the oil has begun to shimmy & dance in the pan,  add your salmon, seasoned side down. Cook for 2-4 minutes – depending on the thickness of your salmon – or pretty much till 1/2 the salmon (from the bottom up) is opaque. Then with the help of your trusty spatula, gently flip the salmon and continue to cook for an additional 4-6 minutes, or until salmon is completely opaque, and when gently flaked a white milky substance runs from it. Remove from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium/low and add in the shallot with a splash of olive oil. Saute’ till loose and translucent.

Add in the beer. (I used a home brew lemon grass wheat beer, but any American Pale Wheat Ale, such as Gumball Head by 3Floyds will work fine). Cook till reduced by 1/3. Add the butter, parsley and the lemon juice. Whisk till butter is melted and the sauce is creamy. You can add the optional splash of cream at this point if you like. Cook for 3-5 minutes till slightly thickened. (Will thicken more as it cools). Salt & pepper to taste.

Spoon sauce over salmon and serve with your choice of fresh roasted vegetables.

Feel good that you are helping your heart stay healthy.

Bonus Blackening Mix Recipe!

Mix together the following:

Hello fellow visitor this is a blast from the past blogger signing in. Yes I know we stopped and you probably missed the awesomeness we posted but well being totally honest we got lazy. Ok lazy is probably the wrong word because we have been busy just not blogging busy.

So I am not going to waste your time rambling about nothing so cutting to the chase and getting to the recipe.

• 3 lb chuck roast
• 2 onions
• 5-6 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• Bottle of good beer. We used a black lager.
• 4 cups of beef stock
• Tablespoon of fresh thyme
• Tablespoon of fresh rosemary
• teaspoon of cayenne (if you are a sissy use less)
• 3-4 bay leaves
• Couple carrots
• Couple really good handfuls of red and yellow potatoes quartered
• 8 ounce package of mushrooms quartered
• Cup of frozen peas
• Bacon

Fire up your dutch oven and throw in the bacon. Remove and set aside once cooked.

Salt and pepper the daylights out of the chuck roast and throw it in the bacon grease to get browned.

While you wait eat the bacon.

Remove the chuck roast and set aside. Add in the onions and cooked until brown over (about 5 minutes)

Add in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute.

Add in the beer, beef stock, bay leaves, cayenne, thyme, and rosemary. Throw the pot roast back in, bring to a boil, reduce, and let it simmer for a couple hours covered.

After two hours, taste, and adjust (let me guess you need more salt and since you were a sissy and choked back on the cayenne you realized it needs more heat). Now chop up all the veggies and throw them in a cast iron skillet with some more bacon grease (cook more bacon if you have to) and let them get brown over.

Dump them into with the pot roast and let this cook for another 20 minutes.

Remove the chuck roast and shred it. Dump in the peas. If it is to really liquidy then mix in a couple tablespoons of flour with water and dump in to thicken it up.

Serve and enjoy.