Stella Brew

Insert the Hallelujah Chorus....there is a local beer and wine shop that has come to Ardmore!!  Literally RIGHT down from our house.  Trent is just beside himself!  They have been open about a month now, and seem to be doing a good business.  Since it is so close to our house we drive by there every day, and they always seem to have a little crowd.

The owners are super friendly, and you can tell he is SO passionate about what he is doing.  What is this gem called you ask?  Stella Brew!!

They have quite a selection of craft beers, and not a bad wine selection either!  Here are a couple of my favorites so far:

This ha been my favorite by far!  It comes from the "Old Speckled Hen" company, and it is wonderful.  I prefer old crafty over old speckled because it has more flavor.  It has a richness that I can't explain very well, but of course I shall try!  To me, if you were going to infuse brandy into a beer....this is something like what you would get.  It has a great malty finish and the flavor that sits on your palate is just yummy!!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one!  It of course is a full bodied beer, but the vanilla is not too....in your face!!!  To me it has some coffee undertones to it.  Also, a great choice.  The great thing about some of their beers there, you can mix a 6 pack.  The best part is...they are already cold!  Most mix a 6 you can do are not cold, so this is a bonus!

Even though it is 9:30 in the morning as I type...I am already looking forward to one of these this evening!

Happy sipping!!

Potato & White Bean Soup

As always, I took a stab at making my own recipe.  With the weather turning a bit chilly, I thought I would try my hand at a soup  This I will say, was one of my favorites!  Potato soup is such a great comfort but PACKED with unhealthy calories.  Soooo, why not attempt something that was just as delicious that you don't feel as guilty enjoying?  Here is the low down on the process...

I started by sauteing the chopped onion, celery, and garlic with a big pinch of salt and 1 tbsp. of olive oil until the onion was translucent.

While that excited my nose, I chopped up the potatoes into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes.  Then putting them in my big soup pot, I covered them with 3 cups low sodium chicken broth and 2 cups 1% milk.  Added 2 tbsp. of salt & 1 tbsp. pepper (you can use less, I just like the little bit of heat it gives), then covered and cooked on medium high heat for 30 minutes.

I absolutely love having my nutribullet because it is so versatile.  So I used it to puree my special ingredient.  White beans.  You can use whatever kind you like, cannellini, northern, etc.  I used cannellini just simply because they were on sale.  I did one can at a time to make sure they were creamy enough.  I took 2 ladle's of the broth/milk mixture that the potatoes cooked in and added it to the beans, then blended.  I repeated with the second can, then added to the potatoes.

Once I added the creamy beans to the cooking potatoes, I added the celery, onion, and garlic that I sauteed.  I so wanted to dive in right then and eat some of this yummy goodness...but I was able to refrain knowing that it was only going to get better the longer it cooked.  So, I left it on the stove over medium to medium low heat and let it work its magic for another 45 minutes.

After that the only thing left to do was to serve it up and enjoy what my nose was so excited about!  I topped each bowl with a tbsp. of shredded cheese and some bacon bits.  

How cool is this?  No butter, no heavy creams, no flour or corn starch for thickening.  Yet, this soup was so creamy from beans!  This was by far my favorite soup I have ever made from scratch.  Give it a try...I promise you won't be disappointed. 

Potato & White Bean Soup

3 lbs. Russet Potatoes (about 8-small potatoes)

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups 1% milk

2 cans white beans (drained)

2 stalks of celery

1/2 large sweet onion

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. pepper

*Shredded Cheese & bacon for garnishing 

Happy cooking!!

Eat it every day kinda meal

Last night I made dinner...no, that isn't the cool part...it was good...no, thats not it either!  It...was...amazing and soooo simple...

So simple, yet one of those meals I could eat everyday!  Let's break it down shall we.
Brussel sprouts with feta and dried cranberries:

You start by cleaning the brussel sprouts and cutting them in half and putting them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast them in the over at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Half way through the cooking time, give them a toss so they can get that beautiful golden brown color on both sides.  

Once cooked and serving, toss them with some feta cheese crumbles and dried cranberries.  If you don't like brussel sprouts...you are welcome!  You do now!!  Many people don't know that these little healthful creatures are in the cabbage family.  They usually have a bad wrap, but I promise, they are worth trying.

The main event:

Wild caught salmon over wild rice and quinoa, with fresh avocado on top.  Cook your salmon simply with olive oil and salt & pepper in a skillet.  I LOVE Trader Joe's price on their wild caught salmon instead of farm raised.  There was plenty of salmon for 2 people and it was $6!  I added a drizzle of lemon juice towards the end of the cooking of the salmon to brighten it up a bit.  The rice/quinoa was an already cooked package from Costco...so simple.  2 minutes in the skillet to heat through with a Tbsp. of water, and you are done!  The Avocado was what set this over the top.  Slice it however you would like.  I like cubing it in the skin for less clean up.  Put in a bowl and toss with a dash of salt and some lemon juice then top your salmon with it on the plate.....oh....dear....

It was one of those, yeah, I could eat this every day type of things!  All of it took 30 minutes to make from start to finish.  I don't include clean up time after the meal because...(this is where I hold up my shield to protect me from flying tomatoes coming my way) Trent does the dishes every night!