Sunday, November 29, 2009

Meal Plan for Nov. 30- Dec. 5th


Hope you all had a wonderful and tasty Thanksgiving Dinner, now, back to the ol' stomp and grind...

Monday-Caesar Salad with Seasoned Chicken
Tuesday- Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi, Swiss Chard, Brown Rice
Wednesday- Quinoa, Veggies & Shredded Chicken
Thursday- Mexican Lasagna
Friday- left overs plus White Bean Salad (to snack on & have for lunch)
Saturday- out

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving Hours

We will be open from 9AM to 4PM on Thanksgiving.

Happy Drinking!

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

De Broef/Bell's "Van Twee" and more!

1. De Proef/Bell's Signature Series #3 "Van Twee"
2. Ayinger Weizen Bock
3. Samuel Smith Winter Welcome
4. Traquair House Ale
5. Traquair Jacobite Ale
6. New Belgium Frambozen 6-pk
7. Elysian Bifrost


cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610



17 Mixed Beans & Turkey Soup



Here's a little concoction that I came up with, super easy, very hardy, and very little to it! This is a different soup with chunks of ground turkey in it or try it with left over turkey chunks if you're feeling adventurous! The red wine in it gives it a really great flavor, making it taste different than most typical bean soups. **Warning, you need to soak your beans the night before, so this isn't a last minute guy!

Ingredients:
2 TBSP Grape Seed Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large (or 2 medium) yellow onions, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 bag of mixed beans (I buy mine at TJ's)
1 package of ground turkey
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 (32 oz) cartons of Vegetable Broth (also from TJ's)
3 handfuls spinach, rinsed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/8 cup red wine
Here's the bag of Beans & Barley I used...
Directions:
This recipe does require a little fore-thought, you need to soak your beans over night in a large bowl or pot of water. When you are ready to cook, use a slotted spoon and remove and floating ]extras and drain and rinse your beans. Then, in your biggest pot, add your oil and all your chopped veggies. Let those saute while you brown the ground turkey in a separate pan, adding some salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the turkey while it's cooking. When the turkey is browned and the veggies are sauteed, combine them and add your drained beans and veggie broth. Dump in your tomatoes and add your seasoning and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce and let simmer for 1 hour. Add spinach for the last 5 minutes and serve with french bread or solo- you choose.
Beans soaking over night...
Drain your beans and rinse in a collander...
All the ingredients before the broth...

Pumpkin Pie- (not from scratch!!!) and Homemade Whip Cream




Now, I know a lot of you out there are working hard at gettin' food on the table... so here's a little something you can do to cut some corners. With the holidays coming up, kids running around your ankles, and the calendar overflowing, there are some short-cuts that I prefer to take... especially when I am bringing more than one dish (more like 4!!!) to our Thanksgiving Feast! If you want that yummy pumpkin pie that everyone will ohhh and ahh over, here's your ticket- and they'll be amazed, it's still warm in a homemade dish not a store bought container!!! The secret, it's on the back of "Liby's" can!!!

1 can Liby's pumpkin (& follow her recipe plus 1 secret ingredient!)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg ** the one thing I add to the mix
2 large eggs
1 can evaporated milk
Pie Crust- if you have the necessary tools, make your own crust, if not, go out and get your self a premaid, prerolled, uncooked refrigerated pie crust by Pilsbury.

Directions:
Mix sugar and spices together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat eggs, add sugar mixture and pumpkin and gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Lay your pie crust in a pie dish and push it to the sides of the dish, pour the mixture and bake for 15 minutes on 425 then turn your oven down to 350 and let it bake another 40 -50 minutes until you can stick a knife in towards the center and it comes out clean. Let it cool about 2 hours before serving.

TIP To save your crust from getting too brown, cut strips of foil and cover the crust all the way around the pie, then 20 minutes before it's done, remove them and they will turn a beautiful golden brown!


Don't forget the homemade whip cream!!!
Ingredients:
1/2 pint heavy cream
3 TBSP powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Pour ingredients in a glass bowl and beat on medium-high until it's fluffy! Refrigerate and serve a dollup with your pumpkin pie!


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Homemade Apple Pie

Just in time for the holidays.....
My dad is by far the BEST APPLE PIE MAKING MACHINE OUT THERE! Without fail, his pies turn out beautiful and delicious everytime, no buts about that! I love going up for a visit during apple season, you can bet he'll be in the kitchen whipping up one of his famous crispy, warm, toasted, sweet yet a little tart- apple pies... you droolin' yet??? I am!

Ingredients:
6 thinly sliced apples (I do 4 tart, 2 sweet)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP lemon juice
pie crust, homemade or refrigerated, uncooked like Pilsbury

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425. Lay your pie crusts in your pie dish and let sit. Stir together your sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt. Peel, core, and slice your apples and add them to the mixture, gently mixing them. Pour the mixture into the dishes and cut your butter into slices and lay them on top of the apples. Cover it with the top crust, seal and flute it. Cover the edges of the pie with foil so that it doesn't burn and remove the foil for the last 15 minutes so it can turn a golden crispy brown. Cut a few slits in the top to let air and moisture escape. Bake it for 40- 50 minutes until the juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust. Remove, let cool for a bit, but serve warm solo or a la mode!



Need some help choosing the right apples? Try these: Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Pippin, Fuij, Braeburn, and Pink Lady

Monday, November 23, 2009

Special Arrival: Van Winkle Bourbons





We are happy to announce the long awaited arrival of the Old Rip Van Winkle line. Just in time for the holidays, bring some class and sophistication to your Thanksgiving, or impress the relatives with an extraordinary Christmas gift. The Rip Van Winkle line is the most sought after and critically acclaimed line of Bourbon in the world and the secret lies in the use of wheat instead of rye in the mash. Wheated Bourbons tend to be softer and smoother on the palate and are said to age more gracefully. New in:

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year 107 proof Bourbon
-The youngest in the line of Bourbons, this one packs quite a punch being bottled at barrel proof and yet delivers on the subtle poise and complexity synonymous with Van Winkle Bourbons.

Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 year Bourbon
-This Bourbon strikes a perfect balance between age and bottle proof. Due to it's well integrated sweet and smooth character it can give any fine Cognac a run for it's money. In 2008 it won the "Best in Class Gold Medallion"at the International Wine and Spirit Competition and was also awarded a "Trophy for Worldwide Whiskey".

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 year Bourbon
-"The second highest rated bourbon in the world" (World Spirit Championships), the highest rated is its big brother Pappy Van Winkle 20 year in case you were wondering. This 15 year Bourbon also received an inconceivable 98 out of 100 by the Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago. My suggestion buy it while you can.

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 23 year Bourbon
-The absolute most limited quantity Bourbon of the entire line. Received a 99 out of 100 from both the Beverage Tasting Institute and the World Spirits Championships. Doesn't get much better my friends.

Unfortunately due to the extremely limited quantities we will not be able to ship these. Come and get it!

Nate