Things I Learned About From My Kids

My kids think I'm old and stuck in my ways. They may be right, but I prefer to think of it more along the lines that I've been alive long enough to know what works best for me. However you look at it, I am always open to new suggestions in the areas of food and drink. My kids have given me some suggestions about both recently and I'd like to share some of the better ones with you.

Ryan called one day all excited about a new condiment he found at the grocery store - chipotle aioli. He said it's really delicious, especially on roast beef sandwiches. I was excited to try it because John's palate is geared towards the bland, so I'm always looking for ways to add a little spice to the things I eat. I looked for it in two stores, finally found it at a third, and thoroughly enjoyed my chipotle aioli roast beef sandwich. 

Justin left a little bit of ice cream in our freezer for three weeks, and one day I finished it up. I later felt bad about eating it so I bought him another pint to replace it. He told me this week there was an even better flavor and he had gotten me a pint. I'm now the proud owner of a pint of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes ice cream and proud that I haven't gobbled it all up in one sitting. 

Ryan also told me about some really good things that he had to drink that were recommended by friends. The first is White Claw spiked seltzer that is good by itself or as a mixer. I bought a mixed case of it and have yet to find a flavor that I don't enjoy. The other thing is Monster. I laughed when Ryan was telling me I should try this "energy drink", but it has enough caffeine to wake me up in the morning, doesn't make my stomach hurt like coffee does, and they have some low-carb and low sugar flavors. I especially like the "blue" flavor, but with 140 mg of caffeine, it's not something I sip in the afternoon. 

I'm quite late to trying White Claw, Monster, chipotle aioli, and probably Little Debbie ice cream, too, but I'm glad to add some new tastes to my summer flavors. These are all great and even help me feel like I'm not too old and stuck in my ways. 

On My Way ...

... to becoming a regular at C3ntral Tavern in Elkton! Ryan helped me find this place when he was here visiting, and after we went three times in four days, I vowed that I would continue to frequent it. I haven't been here in two weeks because I was in NJ, but since I got all my mowing/weeding/garden tasks completed this week, I decided that I deserved a treat yesterday. We only bring one car down here when we come to Elkton and since John uses it to go to work, and I rarely plan ahead, I walked. It was 93 degrees and humid, but I knew I would recover nicely in the air conditioning with a cold drink.

And I did, with a vodka and tonic with lots of limes, just like I like them. While I cooled off, I decided what I wanted to eat. I was tempted to try something new, but decided to go with my favorite (so far) buffalo chicken egg rolls.

They were perfect and I was in heaven for the next hour. Good food, good drink, reading a good book, the only thing missing was good company in the form of Ryan (but I texted him to let him know he was missed).

 Eventually my glass was empty, my leftover egg rolls were boxed up, and it was time to walk back.

The sky looked a little threatening, but I decided to start the 20 minute walk home. About five minutes in, it started to sprinkle, but the rain just dropped the temperature a few degrees and it wasn't unpleasant at all.

After about ten minutes, the sprinkle turned into a full-fledged thunderstorm. I didn't have much choice, so I just kept walking. I did see an interesting sight along the way, and wondered about the other shoe and the story behind this.

By the time I got back, it was a deluge and I was soaked.

I changed my clothes, threw them in the washer, mopped the kitchen floor and everywhere else I had dripped, and was soon back to normal. Note to self: bring an umbrella to Elkton and check the weather before my visit next week. I enjoyed myself, didn't melt in the rain, and maybe someday the waitress/owner will recognize me and say "Welcome back" or "Good to see you again". Then I'll really count myself as a regular!

Three on Thursday

Joining Carole and friends for Three on Thursday, today with Three Ways to Enjoy Maple Whisky. Ryan enjoys whisky, as do I, but his tastes run to really peaty and smoky. I enjoy something more mild and mellow, so the last time we talked on the phone he was excited to tell me about his latest find - maple whisky. 

He saw it on Letterkenny and thought it was worth trying. He's not giving up his peaty, smoky, "real" whisky, but thought the maple was quite good, and also thought I would like it. So of course I had to get some and taste it; he's right!

We chatted about other ways to enjoy it besides simply sipping, and here's what we came up with. We haven't actually tried any of these, but were busy brainstorming and then looked up recipes so we didn't have to reinvent the wheel. When I've got mint in my garden, fresh peaches, and an occasion to bake a cake so I don't have to eat the whole thing myself, I'll definitely be making these.

1.  Maple Whisky Mojito 
The maple whisky, fresh mint, and brown sugar in this mojito make it sound delightfully different, and like a drink I might have to be careful not to drink more than one (or two).

2. Maple Whisky Peach Buckle
What else goes well with whisky and maple? Peaches! (plus this recipe is gluten-free.)

3. Jewish Apple Cake, Jazzed Up a Little
I don't have a link for this one, but I do have a family recipe for Jewish Apple Cake. It's one of our family's favorite cakes, and even though it's delicious, Ryan and I both thought it would only be improved with the addition of maple whisky.

Cheers to maple whisky!

Head on over to Carole's for more Three on Thursday thoughts.

Food, Glorious Food

And some glorious libations, too!

My main reason for heading to Colorado is always to visit Ryan, but another big reason is the incredible variety of food and drink that is available in Fort Collins. Our little town in NJ has a population of 4,000 while Fort Collins is a college town that is home to 144,000 people, so comparisons aren't really fair, but I make them anyway. Most of our restaurants here are boring national chains, with only three or four independent places to eat, and to be honest, they are not great. On the other hand, Fort Collins has an incredible variety and availability of food, and very few chain restaurants. I don't think that Chili's and Chipotle can compete with all the other delicious offerings!

We have a tradition of having a reuben almost as soon as Ryan picks me up from the airport shuttle; this time we chose Choice City. After many reubens over the past five years, theirs is the best, but there are also at least three other places that serve delicious sandwiches. We waited outside for our reubens, but they were so good (along with garlic mashed potatoes) that I didn't take time for any photos.

A new place that we tried was PizzaRev. I think it is a national chain but there aren't many locations so far. You choose your dough, add whatever toppings you desire, they bake it, and you have a tasty, custom pizza ready in just a few minutes. 

The pizza was good, but the real genius is the beer tap system.

I think there are at least 28 taps, each with a digital display of what it's dispensing. You give them your license and they give you a wrist band. You grab a glass, hold the wristband fob up to the PizzaRev logo and dispense whatever volume of whatever beer you want. I think it's brilliant for tasting, and after trying small samples of five or six different beers, I settled on a raspberry basil saison. It sounded a little strange, but through the magic of tasting, I found out that it is absolutely delicious.

When you're done, you return the wristband, get your license back, and pay only for the beer you dispensed. It's probably a good thing I don't live there because I would be tempted to taste and try too many beers on too many evenings.

We had breakfast at Lucile's with fresh beignets, trout, and poached eggs. (I think there is one in Boulder if you happen to visit this summer, Kym!)

There was iced dirty chai and chess at Alleycat Coffee House, 

and beer at The Mayor, a place with 100 beers on tap. Ryan doesn't go there very often because it's a bit over budget for grad student beer drinking, but not when Mom is visiting. They have almost too many choices.

We also ate at some of our all-time favorite places, Taqueria Los Camales (mmm ... tacos al pastor),

the good Thai place (Cafe de Bangkok),

and The Welsh Rabbit.

Ryan insisted that we go to a place that was new to me, and it turned out to be one of the best evenings (ever!). We headed for the gyro cart located in Old Town around 9 pm, but the gyro guy was just getting started and told us to come back in about 45 minutes. We wandered around for a bit, and ended up at Ace Gillett's, a bar with live jazz. Ryan and I both ordered caipirinhas, a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça. I've never been able to find real cachaça, and lots of places substitute rum when making a caipirinha, but these were made with the real thing and were amazingly delicious.

After deciding that we really shouldn't each have a second caipirinha since one of us was driving home, we made our way back to the gyro cart, and I enjoyed the best gyro I've had in 30 years. We ate and talked while walking back to the car, and it was just a night of perfect enjoyment with Ryan.

Justin and I recently had a conversation about what would be the best superpower to have (so we are prepared and ready when they are handing out superpowers), and we decided it would be the ability to teleport. I wholeheartedly agree, and I would teleport back to Fort Collins for time with Ryan, a gyro, and a caipirinha (maybe even two this time)!

Glögg

Over the past week I have discovered that glögg (a high-strength Swedish mulled wine concoction) can give you the fortitude to cast on 318 stitches for the third time, deal with a finicky furnace when the temperature is 22°, calm your nerves after a day filled with delays and aggravation, and even recover after a party where some people made spectacularly ignorant and intolerant comments (but you were afraid to say anything because they happen to be your husband's bosses). 

I was lucky enough to receive this as a gift from a lovely and thoughtful friend, but I've enjoyed my evening imbibement so much that I think I will make some myself when this jar is sadly empty. There seem to be many, many recipes out there, but I will probably try the simplest one first, the one that has ingredients I can actually obtain. Even Penzey's doesn't seem to carry Indonesian long peppers, but I did order cardamom seeds.

If you get a chance to sample glögg or even make it yourself for some delicious, holiday warmth, I'd highly recommend it. Glögg is good for what ails you, and may also work wonders if you're lucky enough not to have any ailments.