Green Beer and Guinness

Happy St. Patrick's Day, readers! This year Nate and I decided to stay in (mainly due to money tightness...we just bought a car, remember? But also to avoid the crowds). We considered going to O'Neill's, a local Irish pub with a location only a couple miles from our apartment but then remembered they'd probably be packed and we'd be looking at around a $40 tab (before tip) for 4 beers (2 for each of us) and two entrees. Needless to say, that idea was quickly scrapped and decided to invite a couple friends over for an Irish meal instead. 

Irish Beef Stew 

1 pound stew beef

1 C rutabaga or turnip, diced (we used a turnip)

1 C carrot, diced and peeled

2 potatoes, diced and peeled 

2 bay leaves

3/4 tbsp dried basil

3/4 tbsp dried Rosemary 

3/4 tbsp garlic, minced 

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped 

6 Tbsp olive oil 

3/4 C celery, diced 

3 C water

5 Tbsp Tamari (or regular soy sauce)

1/2 head of cabbage, leaves quartered

2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 

2 Tbsp cool water 

First dry your beef on paper towels, according to Julia "if you don't dry meat, it won't brown properly" well, not sure if this is necessarily true but Queen Julia hasn't steered me wrong yet. 

Brown beef in 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Remember it's going to cook in the stew so you really just need to sear it on all sides. Remove the browned meat onto a plate and drain off the fat. 

Sauté the vegetables (excluding celery) over medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 cups of water, Tamari (or soy sauce), cabbage leaves and meat to stock pot with the sautéed vegetables and simmer for about 15-20 minutes over low-medium heat. 

Add in celery and stir in dissolved cornstarch. Simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens. 

Serves 6

We invited our friends Eli and Brandon over to help us eat because I detest leftovers and that's an awful lot of stew for 2 people to eat. 

We served our stew with Irish Soda Bread bought from Great Harvest Bakery and an assortment of Irish cheddar cheeses. Oh and of course Guinness, Irish Car Bombs and green beer. 

Hope you all had a safe St. Patty's Day and aren't too hungover to go to work today! 

Pizza and Better Call Saul

I've said it before and I'll say it again, pizza is a wonder-food. There's absolutely nothing like it and you could eat it multiple times with multiple toppings and never get bored with it. Case-in-point, we had pizza for dinner Friday night, last night and tonight and I'm still craving pizza. 

Hot Italian Sausage and Green Chile Pizza

1/2 pound ground hot Italian sausage 

1 can whole grain pizza dough 

1 8 oz can tomato sauce 

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp Basil

1 tbsp garlic powder 

1 tbsp onion powder 

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil 

1/2 tbsp cayenne 

Salt and pepper to taste 

2 cups cheese (I used a pizza blend - mozzarella, provolone, parmesan) 

1 cup chopped green chile (Bueno is always my favorite when I don't have fresh)

Brown the sausage in a skillet and dry on a layer of paper towels to drain fat. 

In a small saucepan heat up the can of tomato sauce. Now, I know what you're thinking, "why use canned?! Isn't homemade always better?" The simple answer is yes, however, canned can be a great time saver and if you doctor it up just right it's a good substitute. Mix in your desired spice combo and heat throughly. 

Follow the instructions on your dough can, again, yes homemade is always superior and worth the effort but when you come home from a 9 hour work day, an hour at the gym, and have plans for 8:00 (in this case watching Better Call Saul because Vince Giligan is a genius), premade cheat-dough is the way to go. 

Layer sauce, Italian sausage, green chile and cheese onto you par-baked pizza crust. This step is optional but I always like to brush the edges of my crust with olive oil, this step creates golden and crispy crusts. Bake pizza for 8 minutes at 400 degrees and turn on the broiler to get brown and bubbly cheese for 2 minutes. 

Enjoy your very own Hot Italian Sausage and Green Chile Pizza 

Sparky's

Hello again readers, I've been on a bit of a hiatus due to stress and lack of time so allow me to catch you up to my life: Nate and I bought our first car this past Monday, Nate got sick and this past weekend Nate and I went camping at White Sands National Monument. 

On our first trip to White Sands National Monument over 2 years ago we stopped in Hatch, New Mexico (yes home to "Hatch" green chile) and ate at Sparky's. The food was so delicious that we decided we needed to go there again. 

Sparky's is almost the only resturant in Hatch. It's located at 115 Franklin St, Hatch, NM 87937 but to be honest you should have no problems finding it. Sparky's is located on the main road in Hatch, has multiple signs when entering town to guide you, as well as has numerous giant statues located outside and even on the opposite side of the street; if you're in doubt look for the long line of people waiting outside. Word to the wise, they are only open Thursday-Sunday 10:30-7. 

Decor: good, Sparky's is definitely unforgettable. Outside has statues of everything from giant robots and T-Rex's to Colonel Sander's and the iconic Chili's pepper. The inside is just as eclectic; the resturant consists of 3 separate dining rooms as well as an outdoor seating area. There are fur trapper fortune tellers (you know like in the movie Big, except in that instance it was a sultan or something), fliers from past live music performances, road signs, multiple warnings against the consumption (or even possession) of alcohol on the premises and other things of the like. 

Cleanliness: excellent, the resturant was packed, we went on Saturday at 12:30 so you can bet that everyone who had ever even heard of Sparky's was there to eat and the tables were still cleared quickly. 

Food appearance: poor, there are no fuss or frills, plastic cups, self-service drink station, food served on paper plates or in paper boats. 

Food taste: excellent, despite the lack of frills or fuss the food is clearly where Sparky's shines. Nate and I both ordered "The World Famous" combo; just a burger and fries, right? Definitely not! The burger is juicy and cooked to a perfect medium, the bun stands up to the juicy-ness of the burger (if you've ever had to eat a burger with a knife and fork because the bun fell apart, you understand why this is a big deal), the chile is fresh (obviously) seasoned and spicy, the cheese is melty and the fries! They're seasoned and wedge fries which everyone knows (or should anyway) that is one of the best fry varieties (tied with waffle and curly). This green chile cheeseburger is quite possibly the best I've ever eaten as as a life-long Burquena and New Mexican I would consider myself somewhat of an authority on the subject. We also got a Chile-Mango shake which was literally chile powder and mango syrup blended into vanilla soft serve. It was spicy and refreshing all at the same time. 

Service: good, you order at the counter, get a number for your table, and the servers bring out your order. 

Total: 11/15

If you're anywhere near Hatch and are craving what this blogger consideres the pinnacle of green chile cheeseburgers, go to Sparky's! It's honestly worth any trip to get there (well if you're already on the way because there is nothing in Hatch unless you are attending the annual Green Chile Festival in the fall). 

The Fault In Our Stars

This isn't about food, I feel the need to preface this post with that in case you were hoping this would be a review of some trendy restaurant or a recipe but trust me, this isn't either of those. 

Have you ever loved someone so much that it just consumed you? Has your love for someone else meant so much that they're a vital part of your being? Well, if you haven't yet I both pity and envy you. 

I pity you because you don't know what it feels like to love that deeply and completely - you don't know what it feels like to think of someone and instantly be reduced to a puddle of tears of gratitude.  And I envy you because you don't know what it feels like to be that vulnerable. Vulnerable to the point that the entirety of your being rests in the hands of another. 

Why am I feeling so gushy? Well, part of it is because I just caught the last 5 minutes of The Fault in Our Stars, a fantastic book and film adaptation that never fails to make me Kim Kardashian ugly cry, and my husband and I are quickly approaching our one year wedding anniversary. 

It is terrifying to open yourself up to someone else to such a degree that they are apart of you. To further this point, being married is my greatest accomplishment. Somehow, miraculously, I found a man who is caring, sweet, supportive, and just all around incredible and frankly, I haven't the slightest idea how. I would describe myself as shy, self conscious, occasionally cranky, incredibly sarcastic and not with a great history...how on earth did I acclplish this? 

Sorry for the uncharacteristic post and I hope some of you can relate and for those of you who do not know what this feels like, I sincerely hope you find it. I hope you will one day (soon) know what it feels like to have the constant anxiety that your happiness and sanity relies solely on one person. 

Macaroni and Cheese If You Please

Macaroni and cheese will always be my favorite comfort food. It's cheesy, carbs, gooey, carbs, delicious and of course carbs. It also reminds me of my oldest sister, Danielle ("sissy"). I lived with Danielle, her husband Andrew and their two (now three) children when I first moved out at 18. 

It was a wonderful experience because she and I evolved our relationship from two siblings who acknowledged each other's existence on birthdays and Christmas to best friends. I loved living with my boys (even if they sometimes drove me insane when they'd eat my food or didn't clean up) but I will never forget the 3 months during which I lived with them. My brother-in-law and my sissy will forever be two people I intensely admire not to mention two of my closest friends.

Now what do all these warm-fuzzies have to do with macaroni? Well, my recipe is an adaptation of my Sissy's and tonight we shall eat it in her honor. 

Macaroni and Cheese 

1 pound pasta (I like penne because the tubes just soak up all the great cheesy goodness)

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

1/2 tbsp garlic powder 

1/2 tbsp onion powder 

1/2 tbsp cayenne 

1 1/2 C milk

1 C beer (I used High Life because it's "the Champagne of Beers")

3 cups cheese, grated (Cheddar is always my favorite but we've used Gouda and swiss too. When in doubt add more cheese)

4 slices bacon, fried

1/4 C Italian bread crumbs

I like using one pot for cooking. Less cleanup and more workspace so I decided to use my nifty 6 Quart Martha Stewart Dutch oven (thanks Martha!)

Boil pasta, drain and rinse pasta with cool water and set aside (or if you're doing one pot cooking leave the pasta in the colander in the sink). 

Preheat oven to 375. 

Melt butter over medium heat; add in flour and salt. Stir constantly over medium heat for 3 minutes. 

Stir in milk and beer. Whisk briskly over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens. 

Remove from heat, stir in 2 cups of cheese until melted and blended and if you're like us and have a bacon obsession, add the chopped bacon now. Add noodles to sauce and stir to combine. 

Smooth the top of the macaroni and cheese into one layer. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes (with 3 minutes under the broiler). 

Enjoy this magic macaroni and cheese, readers! 

Taco Tuesday (on a Sunday)

A food that will always hold a special place in my heart is tacos. As a child I ate a ton of homemade tacos; they're quick to make, comforting, filling and not to mention really delicious. 

Taco Bowls

1 pound ground beef

2 Tbs onion powder

2 Tbs garlic powder 

2 Tbs chile powder 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

1/2 cup water

1 bag of yellow rice (follow the directions on the package) 

1 can refried black beans (follow the directions on the can) 

1 bag tortilla chips (for garnish) 

Cheddar cheese, shredded (for garnish) 

Guacamole (for garnish, recipe to follow)

1 ripe Roma tomato, diced (for garnish)

Brown one pound of ground beef in a skillet until cooked through, drain off fat. Add the water to the pan and season the meat. 

Follow the directions on the packages for the yellow rice and the refried black beans. 

Homemade Guacamole 

2 avocados, diced 

1 Roma tomato, diced 

1/2 red onion, diced 

1 Tbs garlic powder 

Pinch of chile powder 

Salt and pepper 

2 Tbs lime juice 

Mash diced avocado and mix in other ingredients. 

Word to the wise, while pitting my second avocado my knife slipped and resulted in a deep gash in my thumb which required some very creative use of paper towels. 

To serve layer a handful of tortilla chips, two tablespoons of refried beans, a tablespoon of yellow rice, 2 tablespoons of ground beef, tablespoon of shredded cheese (I like cheddar), two tablespoons of guacamole and some diced tomatoes. 

I hope you enjoy my nostalgic taco post. Happy eating, readers! 

Chama River Brewing Company

Friday and yesterday Albuquerque was hit by a freak and severe snow storm; we received a whopping 9 inches of snow (take that you people who think New Mexico is a constant sunny and 75). Friday night the roads were so bad that I was stuck at a friend's house until yesterday morning around 10:30 (and even then it took me 30 minutes to take a drive that usually takes 10). 

Anyhow, by last night the roads were bone dry and I was hungry, I had very few food choices in my pantry, and Nate was stuck in College Station due to bad weather so I was exstatic when I was invited for dinner and a drink at Chama River Brewing Company. 

The resturant is located at 4939 Pan American Fwy, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109. The brewery has 6 beers on tap along with 4 seasonal beers; last night I ordered the Chama River Amber which was the perfect flavor - I would definitely order it again. 

One note I have on this place is that it's expensive. The lunch menu is around $10 per plate but the dinner menu is a minimum of $18 per plate. 

Decor: excellent, the resturant is probably one of the nicest breweries I've ever been to. It's a place that you could feel more than comfortable going to on a fancy date or when you're hungry and too lazy to cook for yourself.

Cleanliness: excellent, as a fancy resturant it was immaculate. 

Food taste: good, I ordered the CRBC Classic Burger with Swiss cheese, bacon and sautéed onions and a side of french fries. While the burger was good, I think it was pretty overpriced. The price of the burger (just the plain burger with no cheese or anything else) was $9.25; the cost of the extra toppings was $1.25 per topping. The fries were delicious though; crispy, hand cut, salty. Oh and a girl walks around with a basket of bread and offers it them to you. I got the green chile cheese roll which was reminiscent of a Red Lobster cheddar bay roll. 

Food appearance: good, the food was served in an appetizing manner. 

Service: excellent, our waiter was attentive. 

Total: 13/15

It was a good place but in my opinion overpriced for the food that was offered.