Love, Food & Beer

Historical Piece of Mind: What’s Thanksgiving?

Originally posted on Mind of Mr Murphy:
What is Thanksgiving, and why do we celebrate it? The element of this holiday that always confounded me was our celebration of the Pilgrims. We’re all aware of the romaticized, elementary school version of the story: A group of well-meaning and wholly unprepared individuals seek farming assistance from selfless Indians and –…

Life, As We Know It…

Sorry, no recipe this time, just a little love. Exactly three weeks ago, life as we know it changed forever. After 37 weeks of pregnancy, my amazing wife gave birth to two perfect little humans. And I fell immediately in love with my beautiful twins. As I held my babies for the first time, the melty-heart…

Quick, Easy, Fresh and Healthy Veggie Pasta

This is a quick, easy and versatile meal that can be thrown together in short order. Born of leftovers, unused ingredients, and last-minute planning, this dish proves that the blank space following the “what’s for dinner” question need not be filled by frozen pizza or *gag* takeout. Take a few minutes, collect your thoughts, gather together…

Slurp Your Greens: Italian Wedding Soup

I like making soup from scratch. I’ve made more than a few versions of a standard chicken soup, with rice a noodles of course, tortilla soups, and a veggie-filled tomato soup that turned out delicious.. Though I usually follow my regular recipe, one of the things that I enjoy about soup is it’s versatility. Chicken…

Smoked Salmon and Bacon Dip, Food Should Taste Good Chips, and a Beer Pairing

When the lovely human beings over at Food Should Taste Good reached out to provide me with some tasty goodies (in return for a few recipes and beer pairings), they asked my preference. Having little experience with their products, I requested a “dealer’s choice”, and the resulting shipment included four different types of their chips, including…

Simple Taco Seasoning

You may have noticed that I love tacos. I’ve spent many a night coming up with new means by which to effectively pack tortillas with various meats and toppings, all in the name of easily deliverable deliciousness. Though I have quite a few favorites, including carne asada, grilled fish tacos, and yogurt marinated chicken, there…

Jicama and Grilled Pineapple Salsa, and FSTG Guacamole Chips

Happy Cinco de Mayo! A few weeks ago, the good people over at Food Should Taste Good reached out to see if I would be interested in trying out a few of their products. I jumped at the chance, and at their request, I’ll be sharing a couple of recipes, as a well as a…

And I Said “Let There Be Grilling” – And Lo, the Carne Asada Was Good

It’s not often that we Washingtonians get a swath of summer weather in mid-April. The weeks following April Fool’s are normally scored by the collective signs of Seattleites frustrated by the simultaneous temptation of longer days and rising temperatures (Yay! Jeans and t-shirts!) literally overshadowed by a blanket of rain clouds. So you can imagine our elation last…

Strawberry-Blueberry Crisp (Vegan Style)

Sometimes, you just want something sweet. Oh man, you know how it is. Let’s say you’ve got a Costco-sized package of strawberries, of which – due to unforeseen circumstances – you’ve eaten a grand total of FOUR berries. You see those berries sitting there, peeking folornly from behind a week worth of leftovers, hoping that…

My Savory Eggplant and Bell Pepper Tomato Sauce

Years ago, my wife brought home a jar of pasta sauce that she said “sounded interesting.” We whipped up some spaghetti, and topped it off with her find, which was a sweet and savory tomato-based sauce featuring big chunks of roasted eggplant, and a subtle note of spicy cumin. Though I’ve periodically considered attempting to…

My Simple Chicken Fajita Recipe

This simple, spicy chicken fajita dish was an on-the-fly, “what’s in the fridge” type of creation. It took about 25 minutes to whip this up using basic ingredients that I just happened to have in the house. Use organic ingredients for a healthier, tastier meal. This is a good one to keep in your back pocket for…

Mini Curry Turkey Patties with Salad and Lemon Yogurt

There are certain flavors that I REALLY love. Peruse my previous posts, and you’ll discover recipe after recipe with various measurements of chili powder, cilantro, cumin, and – of course – garlic. They’re all spices that yield wonderful recipes with bold flavors, especially when they’re used in concert with one and other, and I love…

Super Easy Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken

Super easy slow cooker spicy chicken. The title doesn’t lie. I can’t emphasize enough how A) simple, and B) delicious, this recipe turned out to be. It also happens to be healthy, and if you – like us – are only cooking for two, it yields a delicious dinner and nearly a week worth of…

The Best Mac & Cheese I’ve Ever Made

That’s right. I said it. As a side dish for Christmas dinner, I prepared the best mac & cheese I’ve ever made. For real, it was delicious. After gorging themselves on prime rib and king salmon, there were those who still went back for seconds of my mac. In fact, it even earned a nod of…

Blueberry Refresher

I am not difficult to shop for. Find something related to dinosaurs, aliens, bigfoot or that generally involves profanity, and I’m a happy camper. Or, if you’re simply stumped, just get me something related to food, beverages, or beer. I LOVE food and beer!