There is a universal law you cannot escape, no matter how far or fast you run from it: all meat tastes better wrapped in bacon. Plenty of vegetables too. But 100% of meat: chicken, pork, steak, turkey, fish, whatever. Wrap it in bacon and easily pump up the yum.
This was an ad hoc meal with [...]
The meal was another kit dealie. Passable. It really needed mushrooms, and we didn’t have any on hand (and the box didn’t suggest adding them, gasp). And the flavor needed a little more punch. It was extremely mild. But decent.
So. Chicken Marsala. That’s made with wine (yes, there’s actually a packet of marsala cooking wine [...]
Another rather impromptu meal selection. Chicken souvlaki with tzatziki sauce. All ingredients fresh, except of course the frozen chicken we always keep in the freezer, bought in bulk. And another first for me in the kitchen.
Recipe was great. Of course no raw onions for me. I carmelized them, actually. Also, it’s twentysomething degrees outside, and [...]
This past weekend, the family visited one of our favorite local haunts, Diplomat Deli. It is a sandwich shop in Vestavia Hills that also has one of the biggest selections of beer in town. When you enter, immediately facing you is a wall of coolers with nearly every style and brewery available in Birmingham represented. I discovered [...]
Continue reading about Holy Grail Ale + Chicken Salad Sandwich on Raisin Toast
As promised, I once had a pleasant spicy food with hoppy beer pairing. It wasn’t an IPA, but here is how it went down. It was a Brooklyn Lager, which is an American pre-prohibition-style lager–meaning it has a solid hop profile and a nice malt backbone. For a basic lager, it has all the right stuff. [...]
Continue reading about Brooklyn Lager + Chipotle-Orange Chicken BBQ
Fantastic. I’m going to have jump on the “IPAs with spicy food” bandwagon.
The wings were frozen (and thawed) and deep fried in canola oil till lightly browned. Then I poured on some Ken’s Steakhouse wing sauce. Intense stuff.
And really, it’s hard to imagine anything other than an IPA working here. The ultra-spicy wing sauce is [...]
Nice combo.
The main course was another quickie internet meal thingy. The recipe commanded the boiling of the chicken, plus some chopping of said chicken, plus cream of chicken soup, plus sour cream, plus poppy seeds. And Ritz Crackers on top. To hell with them. (Not the Ritz people, the recipe creators/distributors.)
Boiled chicken is crap. You [...]
Continue reading about Ommegang Three Philosophers + Poppy Seed Chicken
I wasn’t overly psyched about this pairing prior to sitting down for dinner, but when the mood hits for a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, you have to seize it. Actually, it turned out that the aged homebrew was a nice addition to the otherwise simple meal of parmesan crusted chicken breast and spinach and mushroom [...]
Continue reading about Belgian Strong Dark + Parmesan Chicken
That’s not a typo in the title. The pairing was with chicken covered in sour cream then dredged in crumbled Cheez-It crackers. The suggestion was from one of those online services that plans your meals for you and gives you a shopping list so that cooking, thinking about cooking, and shopping all take up as [...]
Continue reading about Alaskan Winter Ale + Cheez-It Chicken
Leftovers. The food, not the beer.
Beerwise, I pulled out something I was sure would work, but didn’t: Victory Brewing’s Saison
I have encountered two very different takes on the saison style: those brewed by Brasserie Fantôme, and everything else. Fantôme saisons are all crazy earthy and funky, sometimes tart, and incredibly complex. Sometimes using fruit in [...]
Continue reading about Victory V-Saison + Chicken Alfredo Bake