February 5, 2016

Get Crafty with Beer and Food Pairings

February 5, 2016

Beer. It’s a magical beverage that makes me funnier and dance better. It also is more than the nasty swill we all drank in college (don’t lie, you drank it, too). I’ve come to be quite fond of bitter, hoppy ales and smooth coffee stouts. Definitely a far cry from my days of beer-flavored water.

Hey, it was cheap and got the job done.

Jaelan at Making Mrs M is a fellow beer ~~snob~~ enthusiast and she has fantastic recommendations for pairing beers and, being the over-achiever we all know and love about her, even whipped up something you can make to go with your beers.

My rule of thumb when pairing beer (or anything really) is to find something that complements the flavor of the beer instead of fighting it.

Think of flavor combinations you like that wouldn’t think would go together (lavender and lemon, chocolate and potato chips, berries and balsamic vinegar). There’s a flavor in one that intensifies the flavor in the other. Citrus brings out the herb. Salt highlights a true chocolate flavor. Sweet tones down the sour (and vice versa).

Contrasting flavors are an opposite of something already present while complementary flavors are close enough to each other so they work together without overshadowing.

So what do I pair with beer when I want to intensify flavors in my brew?

Black IPA

I like hops. I like roasty beers. It’s only natural that I’d like Black IPA. It’s fun to say. Like a Shirley Temple Black. And it’s interesting to drink, too. I’m not going to write a dissertation on characteristics of black IPA, but to me it’s like a stout and an IPA had a love child. A roasty, hoppy love child.

What goes well with that? Well, I had Midnight Moonlight by Fat Head’s Brewery a few weeks ago and paired it with Irish Nachos (made with potato chips instead of nachos) and it was a great pairing.

That said, I usually like to pair my dark beers that can get a little heavy in flavor with something sweet to light up another part of my tongue and enhance some of the chocolate undertones that can come with malty beers. Chocolate cake or rich, fudge-y brownies balance out the bitter and highlight chocolate roast in Black IPAs.

Side note: Black in the USSR by Grist House Craft Brewery isn’t a black IPA, but it has some nice roasty similarities and it pairs fantastically with ice cream sandwiches, specifically the peach ice cream sandwich from Leona’s Ice Cream Sandwiches in Pittsburgh.

Other favorite Black IPAs: 21st Amendment Brewery Back In Black and Southern Tier Brewing Company 2xIBA

Wheat

I’m talking about American wheat beers. I am not a fan of the super-yeasty (and bubble gum banana clove-y) hefeweizen-style wheat beers. One of my favorites is Grist House Craft Brewery Wheatin’ for the Weekend. This is a perfect porch beer. It is light and refreshing with a touch of stone fruit, just what I want a wheat beer to be. None of that banana crap.

What goes with a wheat beer? Well, I like wheat and grains with my wheat beer. Something yeasty to complement the wheat in the beer. Pizza with a light oil sauce, mild cheese, and green veggies on top? Yes please. Macaroni and cheese with a light cheese sauce and roasted onions and squash (like the mac and cheese from the Mac & Gold Truck?) Yep. Been there, loved that.

Red Ale

Shout out to a favorite red right now goes to Troegs Independent Brewing Nugget Nectar. I worked with someone (in a restaurant that specialized in beer) who named his dog after Nugget Nectar, so you know it’s good. This ale is bitter. If black IPA is like a stout and an IPA had a love child, this is as if a ginger hop and another ginger hop had a love child. It is bit-ter with a capital Hello 93 IBU.

So what would go with this? As luck would have it. Troegs has a great chart to help. I’m all about this with a mango salsa topping chicken tacos; adding something to complement the fruity notes in this beer and add a little heat makes for an interesting pairing.

Other favorite reds: Grist House Craft Brewery Camp Slap Red (also fresh and hoppy) and AleWerks Brewing Company Red Marker Ale (a little darker with heavier fruit flavors).

I’m pretty sure this could have been an ode to Grist House, but I tried my best to spread some hopped love around. Just remember: try to find a complementary flavor and work from there. If you want to go crazy, find a contrasting flavor and go crazy.

Hop on over to Jaelan’s blog to see how she paired her favorites!

What beer and food combos do you like to play with?

September 23, 2015

DIY wine rack makeover

September 23, 2015

Another day, another chance for me to DIY and get spray paint all over myself. I can’t get enough. Case in point: these lamps and these picture frames.

It’s gotten to the point where I have figured out the prices and selections at my Pat Catan’s and Joann Fabrics stores is not as vast or easy on the wallet as at Home Depot. Seriously. If there is one store I avoid like the plague (next to IKEA for reasons why here) it’s Home Depot. I always feel like a 6 year old in pigtails asking for help there.

But I found spray paint that was like…75% cheaper there than at a craft store. So of course I had to do something with it…

I have this really old hand-me-down wine rack that my mom left when she moved out and it’s just not doing me any favors.

I think it was part of my parents’ dining set when they got married because the caning looks similar. How she got this one piece and the rest of it stayed with my father, I’ll never know. Mysteries of the family. Either way, it’s mine now and I have stared at this long enough.

To the paint! I used Rust-oleum Gold Metallic and Semi-Gloss Black spray paint to update this clunker. Krylon is usually my go-to for spray paint, but I think Home Depot has a deal with Rust-oleum.

True story: growing up, I was not a fan of gold. I only wore silver jewelry and I gravitated towards cooler tones. Well, times have changed because I can’t get enough of gold accents now. I mean, it’s a design element in the tagline in my header! And black and gold just looks so chic together.

Please ignore the fact that I am from Pittsburgh and am proclaiming my love for the black/gold color combo. I swear I’m not that stereotypical.

If you need proof that I cannot do anything without first making a huge mess, I give you my hand after spray painting the tiles on the top of the rack.

The tiles look pretty, too.

I’m so happy with the outcome of this DIY makeover. The best thing about spray paint is how easy it is to completely change the look of something. I’m at the point where I want to paint anything that isn’t nailed down (and maybe some things that are.)

I thought I’d be super-cute and paint an old DVD/CD tower to match. It didn’t have nearly as much luck. I thought I grabbed the paint+primer kind that can cling to a water buffalo, but either this laminate was no match for the paint or I didn’t get the right kind.

I tried to put the shelves in and got scratches galore. Fail all over. So this has been sitting on my back porch while I get the nerve to take it up to the curb for trash day. I hate giving up on a project, don’t you?

What have you DIY-ed recently?

June 11, 2015

Be a Better…Organizer

June 11, 2015

I have a hard time letting go of things. If there’s a possibility of saving it, I will. (Just ask all of my DIY projects. I’m the queen of saying, “I can make that instead of buying it,” buying the supplies, then never making it.) So I have to practice great restraint when I try to get rid of items that no longer serve me.

Everyone has heard “If you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it,” or, “If it was in the back of the closet, clearly you don’t remember you have it, so get rid of it.” But I have a different set of criteria when I’m organizing. I think they help me to be better organizer. I don’t know if anyone who has been in my house would agree, but I say it works for me!

When I need to organize and pare down, I ask myself these five questions.

Can this be used for its intended purpose?

At some point, I adopted an Alton Brown-ian philosophy that everything I bring into my house should have multiple purposes. If you don’t know, he has an adage, “The only uni-tasker in the kitchen should be a fire extinguisher,” meaning everything else should do at least two tasks.

If it can be used for its intended purpose, and you still have use for that intended purpose, keep it. Just make sure it has a place to live and you put it back in that place.

Can I do something with it?

This is the question I struggle with the most. I feel so bad getting rid of something just because I’ve upgraded or no longer am using something for its intended purpose. If you’re looking at something saying, “Well, I have a new wine rack, so I don’t need this old one anymore, but it’s good so I don’t want to get rid of it…” see if it can fit elsewhere.

For a long time, I used a 12-slot wine rack as a shoe organizer. It was small and compact and it provided some extra storage space on top, too.

That said, if you can’t re-purpose it naturally and it would be an even bigger hassle to tinker with it to turn it into something else, get rid of it.

Would someone else want it?

On the other hand, if it’s a good piece and you just don’t have a need for it, see if someone else wants it. Put it online, ask your friends, or do what I did and send an office-wide email saying, “Hey, I have a houseful of stuff that’s gotta go. If you need something, let me know!” I felt so much better knowing that items that were perfectly good just no longer use to me would be taken home with someone who needs it.

They save money, we both get to practice Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…win-win, right?

Do I have space for it if I save it?

This is a biggie… Let’s say your wine rack is perfectly good, but you don’t use it anymore and no one wants/needs it. Maybe you want to try to re-purpose it elsewhere, but it’ll take some time to figure that out. Do you have space to store it?

Trying to pare down my father’s house is proving such a challenge and storage space is going to be at a premium if and when he moves. This is a big question when trying to figure out which serving platters are staying or going.

Do I already have these?

Okay, I know I can’t judge here. I have backup pairs of my favorite jeans so when one wears out, I can jump right into a new pair. But, if you’re looking at something and debating whether to get rid of it, see if you already have something that does a similar job. If so, keep the one you like better and try to let go of the others.

No one will get me out of my gray t-shirts, though; yes, I need multiple pairs.

What are your organizational rules?

Be a Better Blogger is a weekly link up dedicated to helping you be a more intentional blogger. Want to be a better blogger but don’t know where to start? Head over to the Be a Better Blogger page for daily prompts and a weekly linkup to help get the creative juices flowing! Oh, and use #beabetterblogger on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to keep the fun going even after you hit Publish!

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May 29, 2015

Plant a Garden in Under an Hour

May 29, 2015

Gardening is a new found love. I really got into it when my mom moved away and I moved into her house. It was either maintain her garden, weed a little bit, and get some veggies out of it OR weed a big space of dirt and get no veggies. I think the choice was clear.

She has a thumb so green, it’s practically neon. I’m not so day-glo just yet, but I have learned a thing or two. For today’s Blogger, May I prompt, a list of 10 things, I’m sharing how to easily make your own garden a reality in under an hour in 10 easy steps.

1. Find somewhere to put some plants. Got a little space in your yard? Is it sunny? Great! Next step.

2. Go and buy the plants. I’d love to start my plants from seed, but that requires a lot of forethought. I wasn’t invested in the garden enough to start them in January, and if I planted most of the plants now, they wouldn’t start producing until like..October and ain’t nobody got time for that.

If you’re like me, Home Depot will be sold out of cherry tomato plants and you’ll have to go back to buy more plants. Much fist shaking happening at Home Depot.

(Okay, this part may take over an hour in and of itself. I can never decide how many tomatoes I want or what kinds of herbs I think I’ll need/don’t have seeds for. Don’t count this against the hour allotted!)

3. Weed the garden space one last time. You probably will have done this two weeks ago and then gotten a handful of frosts, so you couldn’t put plants in yet. Frost will kill a new pepper plant, but apparently nothing kills the spiky weeds in my garden that attack me to no end when I try to eradicate them.

Optionally, you got lazy and the frosts were a coincidence. #BlessingInDisguise

4. Figure out where you want to put your plants. Don’t put the same plants where you had them last year. Crop rotation, soil fatigue, gardening terms here…

This took me a while because I wanted to keep like plants together, save room around the edges for beans and peas, not forget about seeds I wanted to plant, and keep in mind where everything was last year. I went through a few different configurations.

5. Plant! I mean, there isn’t much to say about this step. Dig a hole, drop the plant in, cover with dirt. Ta da!

6. Discover more little weeds that need to just.die.already. Pick them and vigorously throw them anywhere but inside the garden.

7. Give your plants a little food. My mom recommends Miracle Gro plant food. I happened to have Osmocote from my Christmas stocking, so that’s what I used. This will really help to get them started off on the right foot (root?) and get them to grow big and strong.

8. Water. Gently, por favor!

9. Do a little happy dance. Realize you forgot to leave a space for the cherry tomatoes. Curse Home Depot a little more.

10. Marvel that it only took an hour.

Have you ever planted a garden? What’s your favorite thing to grow?

An InLinkz Link-up

May 20, 2015

DIY spray paint frames

May 20, 2015

There are few things that I can’t do with spray paint. I’ve updated dining room furniture. I’ve make over hand-me-down hand-me-down lamps (or is that lamps twice removed?) Either way, now I used spray paint to update some picture frames. It’s a total cheap-to-chic makeover. Today’s theme for Blogger, May I is share something you created, so I’m sharing my easy frame makeover.

Okay, all together now… How easy is it?

Well, I did it in a few hours on Sunday.

I had these cute kitchen printables from The Happy Housie hanging out for a while; they were just patiently waiting until I got myself to a craft store. I knew frames would turn into a heftier check since they’re surprisingly expensive. (Why? They’re just some wood/metal and glass!) And I needed five of them.

I found these frames at Pat Catan’s for $1.50 each. I also bought a can of spray paint.

I love how I ~~accidentally~~ totally intentionally framed out “Let’s cut through the confusion” on the newspaper. That’s what I’m doing today. Cutting through the spray-paint-using confusion.

For about $15, I have 5 brand new frames.

That’s about the price of one frame at a normal store or 2.5 frames at a discount store. And a discount store frames are sometimes a little…..well, not chic and cute like these.

Don’t they look so much better in satin black than glossy hot pink?

The number one spray painting trick that I follow is to look for spray paint and primer all in one. I know people recommend to sand things down a little to get the surface rough, but I didn’t want scratches to be apparent on the frames. The primer ensures it’s a smooth application and stays on there. No chips or just plain not sticking for these frames.

I love how these add a little something to my kitchen quirky and cute to my kitchen. The frames also look instantly classier in satin black than hot pink. Blue pictures with a black frame? That’s chic, yo.

What have you made recently? Let’s hear about it!

An InLinkz Link-up

Get Crafty with Beer and Food Pairings

Black IPA

Wheat

Red Ale

What beer and food combos do you like to play with?

DIY wine rack makeover

What have you DIY-ed recently?

Be a Better…Organizer

Can this be used for its intended purpose?

Can I do something with it?

Would someone else want it?

Do I have space for it if I save it?

Do I already have these?

What are your organizational rules?

Plant a Garden in Under an Hour

Have you ever planted a garden? What’s your favorite thing to grow?

DIY spray paint frames

What have you made recently? Let’s hear about it!

Dig Up Something Good

Let’s Play

People Really Dug These

We Belong in the Garden Together

Black IPA

Wheat

Red Ale

What beer and food combos do you like to play with?

Spread the love:

What have you DIY-ed recently?

Spread the love:

Can this be used for its intended purpose?

Can I do something with it?

Would someone else want it?

Do I have space for it if I save it?

Do I already have these?

What are your organizational rules?

Spread the love:

Have you ever planted a garden? What’s your favorite thing to grow?

Spread the love:

What have you made recently? Let’s hear about it!

Spread the love:

Dig Up Something Good

Let’s Play

People Really Dug These

We Belong in the Garden Together