Let Them Drink Beer

I’ve been missing. What do I have to say for myself? I’m in Scotland. And I’m too busy watching the UK’s version of The Hills, Made In Chelsea? Most likely. But honestly, I’ve been in class or avoiding my flat on Dundee adventures. My instant coffee (they love instant coffee here) reads “An Adventure in Coffee.” How can you not seize the day after that?

Since I’ve last posted, I’ve been in class, visited Glamis Castile, took a day trip to Edinburgh, climbed another large hill, and visited a lot of old boats. But, this is a food blog. So, let’s hurry to it. I want to share some of my food highlights.

A favorite for my classmates and I has been the Fisher and Donaldson bakery. It has two locations in Dundee, which is convenient considering the number of times we go. Just look at the store window (see below), you can see the number of choices you have. My goal is to try everything that looks good. So far my favorite is the apple tart. One problem, though. I love desserts with a subtle sweetness. These treats can be intense. They are very sugary. I have sensitive teeth. So, it is more a personal preference. But the stuff is so good; I’d eat it out of the trashcan. So my sensitive teeth can bite me. Or, urm. Yep.

Yesterday we took a trip to Edinburgh to visit the national archives (very cool). I am a beer drinker, but I don’t know much about beer. I’m pretty good at deciding if a beer is rubbish, though. I do know that Brew Dog is my favorite here and I was lucky enough to visit their Brew Dog bar in Edinburgh with two beer geeks.

We spent the afternoon sampling beers. Luckily, we could absorb the alcohol (which was necessary because we consumed beer that was 30 to 40% alcohol) with pizza. The pizza was covered with pesto, cheese (lots of it, thank you) and salami (even though it was more of a ham, but I like ham). The bartender was great. She knew as much about beer as my two teachers, so I had a front seat at the “Scottish Beer Nerd Fest 2011.” I recommend Brew Dogs for beer drinkers like me: people who like the good stuff, but don’t know how to order it. When in doubt, order Brew Dog. Trust me on this one.

I’ll post again soon with a fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding update.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Derby Days

I am losing my mind.

I am in some type of funk (see last post). Essentially, I cannot focus in school, I cannot think of any new ideas, and I’m just so tired all the time. I blame it on the longest winter ever. Thank god it is sunny today. I was about to throw fire at the clouds.

The clouds in Louisville unfortunately rained on us (Lars and I) yesterday on our day trip. “Whatever,” I say, “We are going to Uptown Cafe!” So this restaurant (on Bardstown) has the best interpretation of Eggs Benedict ever; well, second (New Orleans is winning). The Hollandaise sauce has flavors of orange and dill. The eggs always ooze when cut. The bacon is a nice substitute for ham. Yum, yum, yum.

After lunch, we went vintage shopping (although, I don’t think my purchases were vintage). I got two pairs of earrings for 20 dollars. I am wearing my knives earrings today.  These give new meaning to: “O, speak to me no more. These words like daggers enter in my ears.”

After shopping we went to our favorite bakery in Louisville: Cake Flour. It is “a natural baking company” and it is good. We got a collection of some treats and carried it to the nearest coffee shop.

a flourless chocolate cake lady bug, opera cake, strawberry lemonade cupcakes, lemon tarts, and a brownie (the brownie is hiding)

We randomly found Derby City Espresso and it is the bomb. I give it 5 out of 5 stars on the hipster scale. I ordered a beer (Three Floyds Alpha King) and Lars ordered hot chocolate. We snacked, played scrabbled, and read. I added to my scribbles, too.

The place had two birds that flew across the establishment freely. It flew an inch above my head and I freaked.

The real reason we went to Louisville was to visit my friend Kashmoney (that is what we call her, and you should too). I was super excited. Sorority sisters reunite (I know, I have had so many lives)! We went to Lynn’s Paradise Cafe.

Okay, listen. I love how campy Lynn’s Paradise Cafe is. It is a fun place. The decorations are awesome. I understand that Bobby Flay went there. Blah, blah.

But, I think it is overrated. I have been there once before and didn’t blog about it because I: (1) respected it, (2) loved its vibe, and (3) thought the French toast was just okay. I was excited to go again, because I really wanted to like the place. I really did. I got the Hot Brown, which is a Kentucky staple. Well, The Brown Hotel still has the best.

They lose for several reasons. The bread was too thin. The turkey wasn’t that great. The entire thing was buried in cheese to make up for the fact that it wasn’t that great.

I’m sorry. I feel like I just threw knives at Betty White. But, it is the truth. I am a truthful blogger. I will give them props of their Derby Pie Milkshake. That is the shit.

Food aside, I was happy to see an old friend and visit my favorite city.

Before a Week of Hauntings

So, I am super stressed. I have one week of vacation left, but Lars (my boyfriend) will be gone for the entire week. He has to go to a HUGE conference for job interviews. He gets his PhD this year and is trying to get a job as a professor. Some crazy shit, right? I’m not going to miss him, necessarily (well I will miss him, but I can survive a week without him), but I will be afraid to sleep in my vintage apartment alone. After hearing scratching inside the walls on numerous occasions, how am I supposed to sleep? Geez. Any tips?

Well, as you may remember, one of my new year’s resolutions was to wear more brown. My mom got me this expensive brown purse, so I want to actually rock it. Well here is evidence that I am taking these resolutions seriously. Before heading out to my FAVORITE RESTAURANT EVER, I changed into my brown boots.

My yellow sweater was a little too matchy-matchy with my freshly painted nails. BY THE WAY: I suck at painting nails. I am too shaky.

I wanted to spend some quality time with Lars before he flew out to LA (not fair, right?), so I thought we’d head to The Black Sparrow. Want to know why I’ve been missing from the blog world lately? This place. I read here. I grade here. I have graduate seminars here. I socialize here. This place rocks. This place is almost too cool for Purdue University.

Anyway, the pictures will not portray how delicious this food is. It is a hipster bar, thus it is smoky and dark. I began the meal with one of their tasty microbrews: Sun King’s Batch 222 Golden Princess. Yum.

Lars ordered our favorite dish: the hamburger. This hamburger is the bomb. The bun is toasted and buttered. The burger is topped with not only cheddar cheese and sauteed onions, but fried onion straws. Lars got a bowl of the cheddar-bacon-potato soup instead of the fries. Shabam, food lovers!

I would have ordered that, but I have to watch what I eat after the holidays. Plus, I got a beer. Got to make sacrifices from time to time. Right ladies? Anyway, I got my second favorite dish (well third: their pizzas are Baller). The Asian Salad is delicious. It comes with romaine lettuce, red onions, carrots, and chicken. I’m not sure what the dressing is, but there is some soy and peanut flavors going on there. Blogger confession: I don’t really like salads. I know. I’m sorry. UGH. BUT: This is the one salad I am always excited to eat. A girl at the bar sent back this salad when the dressing was not on the side. YOU CANNOT GET THIS SALAD WITH THE DRESSING ON THE SIDE. You want it on every inch of this plate. Holler at me dressing lovers!

Resolution proof #2. I have been using the envelope system. I was okay with spending my “Eating Out” allowance on this meal!

Well, I’m going to continue watching The Craigslist Killer.

Scattered Memories of a Saturday

Saturday was full of adventure. Today is not. Sunday schoolwork is not so bad when you have the memories of such a great Saturday.

Memories start…now!

Lars and I woke up early for the first tailgate of the season. We slept longer than planned, so we decided to buy cookies at a local bakery: O’Rear’s. We picked out some sugar cookies decorated like footballs (I didn’t try these) and these delicious M&M cookies. The M&M cookies were thick and moist. Holler.

No Purdue game is complete without an awesome outfit for my beer! With everything ready, Lars and I made our way to the fields!

The tailgate was full of spirited fun. We drank, ate, and people-watched.

I didn’t sleep much this week, so I could only last to halftime (we won, though). Lars and I needed food before a long hibernation, so we stopped by Oishi. We have eaten just about everywhere, but this Japanese place was new to us. I’m so glad we went. It was so fantastic that we are going back on Friday.

For an appetizer we started off with scallion pancakes. The pancakes had these perfect layers, which I tore apart and devoured so slowly. Yummmm…

I’m having a moment.

Lars ordered Shabu-Shabu, which I define as a boiling pot of Japenese adventures. Anyway, it comes with this boiling broth and a tray of ingredients. You add these ingredients randomly, not really all at once, but enough to make a good bowlful. Then, thank you sir, may I have another.

I played it safe and got some fried soft noodles with chicken. Safe, but fantastic.

Lars and I passed out afterwards. We woke up to a new world adventure: GermanFest! Sounds like a good dinner to me. Lars picked up some Schnitzel, which he enjoyed.

I got a pretzel with cheese. It was good, but I could have gotten it in the frozen aisle. I’m pretty sure Germany would not appreciate this pretzel.

For dessert, Lars got chocolate pie and I got apple pie. The chocolate pie had this weird liquor taste, and the apple pie needed more sugar. I am also very picky about pie, though.

We would have loved to stay and dance to some polka music and enjoy some Deutsch beer, but I had to go study. We played Scrabble/read at the local coffee shop. It got late and I needed food. Well, I wanted to give the pie community another chance. And, it was this bourbon pecan pie. And, I stayed in and studied both Friday and Saturday night. And, sometimes health food bloggers eat pie…twice.

It was a-cup-of-chocolate-chips short of a Derby Pie, but it was the highlight of my weekend. I would run miles for this.

Sorry for the scattered thoughts, but hopefully the delicious pictures fill in the cracks.

Sorry, I’ve been hiding under a cardboard box.

Yes folks, I am alive. Sorry I’ve been missing, but I have been moving. Right at this very moment I stare at a sea of cardboard. Moving was very frustrating. Let’s just say I cried twice. Let’s just say my eating hasn’t been fantastic. Let’s just say I’ve been drinking plenty.

I have fled to the nearest coffee shop because I have been drowning in this cardboard sea and I needed a quick breather. Further, I needed internet since ours is not working. Blogging is resuming, but will be a bit spotty.

UGH! Packing blows.

Lars and I still have A LOT of unpacking to do. We tried to put a large dent in it yesterday but we were having issues with our internet, putting an IKEA kitchen island together, and spending 3 hours in Target getting food and living essentials. With what we have been able to unearth, I was able to throw a dinner together last night and a breakfast this morning.

Last night, I made a simple Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Ginger Sauce. I got whatever pork was on sale, searched in crumpled newspaper for the food processor, and whipped this bitch together. Let me just say: EASY! Lars and I don’t have a grill. If you haven’t been able to tell, we are pale people and avoid going outside. So, why would we own a grill? Anyway, I used Lars’s cast iron grilling skillet. I paired it with a salad with Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette from Trader Joe’s. Yum. And since moving sucks, I had a beer. Lars and I ate this during Mad Men. I’m so glad Dreamy Draper is back. He is the only man I will consider having kids with.

Sorry. I made dinner at 9 PM, so the lighting wasn’t fantastic.

If I drink enough maybe I won't noticed all the boxes.

I felt bad for Lars because he had to wake up early to teach after such a stressful weekend. So, I made him whole wheat chocolate pancakes (I just switched in white whole wheat flour) . I messed up the recipe several times because I hadn’t had coffee, but they were still tasty. It went well with strawberries and powdered sugar.

Lars and I have a full day/night planned. We will unpack and clean the entire kitchen. I don’t care what it takes! THUS, I will be able to share pictures of my new kitchen to my fellow bloggers. I love my new kitchen. We live in the “historic district” of the city, so our kitchen has some personality. Cannot wait to share it, and I cannot wait to get back to blogging. I’ve missed y’all!

Finally, a beer.

Today was move out day. I was sad to leave, but I am more excited about the adventure ahead. Also, I’m sick of packing. I know I’ve been complaining lately, but did I tell you my AC was broken in my apartment? I kept getting dizzy from packing in that heat. This morning, my mother and father came with their SUV to pick up the big things. First, we went out to breakfast/lunch at my favorite restaurant at Miami of Ohio, Patterson’s. I got their Eggs Benedict, because I am yet to find a good interpretation at my new school. It was a delicious send off. They burnt the English muffin a bit, but the amount of Hollandaise covered any burnt taste. Maybe I was delusional from packing in the heat, but it was the best Eggs Benedict I had. Maybe, I would bathe in Hollandaise if given the option.

After packing both the SUV and my car, I was dripping in sweat. Dripping. It was gross. The front office even commented on it. I wasn’t done yet, though. I cleaned my room and then behind the fridge, which was gross. Then, it was time to say good bye to Miami of Ohio. Peace out, Oxford! I drove 2 hours to my parents’ house, where I’ll be staying until the move-in. It was a hard drive, because (1) I couldn’t see out my back or side windows and…

(2) It started raining so hard at one point that I had to pull over on the highway. It was madness. I couldn’t see 3 feet in front of me. There were cars lined up the entire side of the highway. You see how safe I am? I took a picture during all of this. I’m like Helen Hunt, the storm chaser.

I made it to my parents’. I’m watching Beverly Hills, 90210 and drinking a beer. “Already?” Yes, Dad.

I have so much blogs to read! Hooray for something fun to do. I’ll be in an out this week, because guess what? Plans have changed again.

Thursday: Phone calls! Phone calls! Phone calls!. I guess I have to get a shot before going to Purdue. I have to make calls to make sure I can get it in time and then to see if it is covered by insurance. Also, I just got the email OKing my thesis, so I send that in officially tomorrow! I’ll officially be done with my master’s.

Friday: My mom and I go to Purdue to drop off my crap in Lars’s and my new apartment (nope, not moving in yet). After my mom leaves, I’m helping Lars pack. Good girlfriend? Yes. He is very lucky and owes me a back massage.

Saturday: More packing, then UHauling, and finally dumping everything in our new apartment. THEN, we drive to Cincy for Lars’s 10 year high school reunion.

Sunday: We drive back to Purdue, but stop by my family reunion. Then, it is Thai food and unpacking all of Sunday night. And, Mad Men! I love unpacking.

I’ll post about food tomorrow, since this is a food blog!

Do you like storms?

A Night at the Opera

Sorry I have been missing this weekend. I have been having fun, though. Lars came to visit and we lived it up like the ballers we are. On Saturday we had plans to go to the Cincinnati Opera. The opera was too early for dinner, but we needed a snack beforehand. I made homemade granola bars! I adapted a recipe from Natalie (The Sweets Life), because I didn’t have all the ingredients.

No-Bake Granola Bars

As adapted from The Sweets Life

• 2 cups Fiber One Bran Cereal
• 1 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• a handful of sweetened shredded coconut

For the directions please check out Natalie’s site (also check out the other awesome recipes)! It was so easy to make. Lars loved them. LOVED them!

We saw Giuseppe Verdi’s Otella (adapted from Shakespeare’s Othello). It was my first opera and I loved it. I particularly liked Desdemona’s song at the end in her bedroom. I don’t want to give away the ending, but it was quite moving.

During intermission Lars and I snacked on some chocolaty treats they were selling in the lobby. Lars started chomping down on them before the picture! We shared a chocolate truffle, dark chocolate-covered marshmallows, and this treat made of walnuts, caramel, and dark chocolate.

Since we have connections, we got free tickets to the after party. The after party was disappointing in the food area (we were planning on eating “dinner” there), but I did get free champagne.

After the party is the (hotel lobby) dive diner for some grub. It was a fun joint because any time someone picked a song on the jukebox, a disco ball started spinning and this mini stage appeared with dancing Barbies. Lars started singing, of course. I helped myself to apple pie and ice cream, because I love me some pie.

What a fantastic night! Today Lars and I went to a English pub to watch the World Cup finals. I enjoyed a Strongbow! I also ordered ham and swiss on a pretzel bun (I love that pretzels come in a bagel and roll format now) and a side of sweet potato fries.

Well, I’m driving to my parents for a few days and then Lars. I cannot wait to “land” and catch up on your blogs! Hope you had an amazing weekend.

Restaurant Review: Lafayette Brewing Company

Hey Hey. Before I jump into this restaurant review, I must lament on my new brownie fetish. Why do I keep baking a dozen brownies for two? I went a little crazy on the brownie consumption yesterday. On a hight note: (1) They are awesome, (2) I didn’t binge. I just ate badly. For the first time, I ate badly and stopped there. I didn’t do the rhetorical move of convincing myself that I had cheated and I should continue on. I was like, “that is enough.” Oh, the little things I suppose.

So, this review is for the Lafayette Brewing Company (LBC; Lafayette, IN; home of Purdue). I have been here before, but only for the purpose of beer drinking. We were meeting a new colleague of mine and her husband.

We started off with an order of onion rings.  I don’t know if I would call these onion rings or onion fritters, or onion-filled donuts. I couldn’t even decipher the individual pieces, but I managed to find one. These were decent, but I have had better onion rings on campus. I just prefer to have an onion ring and not an onion ring with fried outgrowths. You know that German Christmas tradition where you try to find the pickle in the Christmas tree? Well, the fried part is the Christmas tree (instead of sparkling lights you get sunlight reflecting off the grease) and the onion is the pickle.

I was the only lush to order a beer at the table, but I cannot properly review this place without one. I had an Eighty-Five, the waiter’s favorite and described on the menu as:

This aggressive American ale features a hearty quantity of pale malt and a massive dose of US~grown Centennial and Cascade hops. The resulting ale is a rich golden color and rather light in body, yet has a huge citrus aroma and is extremely bitter. Our own alpha acid test!

The waiter was worried I couldn’t handle it, probably because the description sounds like a battle between a pale malt and  Centennial and Cascade hops. I thought it was good and it was aggressive, but I–daily wine drinker–could handle it.

If I learned one thing from Top Chef, you can tell the quality of a restaurant’s food from their grilled cheese sandwich. It is the easiest thing to make, and the easiest thing to F up. Firstly, LBC gets points for creativity. Their new spin on a classic, the Pesto Melt has provolone cheese, tomato, and pesto. It was good, but easy on the butter Chef! The bread had this buttery, extremely crisp layer that distracted me from pesto. And no one puts pesto in the corner.

Lars ordered the Black and Bleu Steak Caesar, and our friends both ordered the Bison burger. Maybe it was the Eighty-Five or onion fatigue, but I forgot to ask their opinions. Lars did like his “salad” and finished it.

I also think they did like their bison burger. I have heard its praises from other reviewers. Plus, there are not much bison burgers in Lafayette.

The place is rather large and isn’t cramped like most establishments serving alcohol, and it is local. “Local” in a college town means that there aren’t a bunch of students, but a lot of residents. I find that refreshing. The beer is award winning, the beer is local. I give this place a B+

AHHHH! Speed Post

Hey friends. I wanted to blog real quick about my afternoon/evening/night yesterday. I have had such a busy weekend helping my family send off my brother. I have so much blog reading to catch up on. I look forward to reading your blogs this evening! Love doing it, though!

For lunch I was excited to use my gluten-free pizza crust I got from the Farmers Market. It was delicious. It was rustic and crunchy. Yum. I wanted to give a shout-out to the creators of this awesome pizza crust: The Measuring Cup Gluten-Free Bake Shop. If you are in the Indy area, check it out.

I topped the pizza with Trader Joe’s pizza sauce (a decent buy), mozzarella, fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil. So good!

In the afternoon I wanted some alone time, so I went to Starbucks to read. I got a grande iced coffee and snacked on some fresh mango. 

For dinner we went to a local burger joint called Bub’s. I decided to try the Elk burger. I was nervous so I had a beer and covered the burger with lots of mustard and ketchup. I wasn’t a fan, but I’m also afraid I should have asked for it to be more done. I only ate 1/2.

When I got home I made myself a snack plate with fresh mango slices and one of my cut-out cookies.

Well I need to workout and make breakfast for my family Ahh! So much to do. Talk to y’all later! Have a great Sunday!

Graduation Munchies and Dinner

Thanks for all the nice comments about our dog, Wilson. He is cute and I am so glad to see him . I am taking him for a walk later!

When I got home I had to run straight to graduation. I grabbed some snacks to keep me satisfied for a graduation for over 500 people. My mom has a huge snack bowl, so I grabbed these delights. This would be my lunch.

The graduation was as exciting as they can be. Afterwards the whole family went to a local restaurant chain in Indiana: Arnie’s. I decided to have a 7-inch thin crust pizza with light cheese, tomatoes, and grilled chicken. It was simple, but tasty. It was also the perfect amount. To get through another politically-charged family dinner, I also had a beer.

Tonight I will be relaxing in front of the television, and later getting frozen yogurt with my mom and sister. I’ll be back with some pictures of dessert .

I love pizza (and burgers) on the weekend. What is your favorite weekend food?