Etsy Weekly Wants #4: Home Brewing

We brew beer at home (and by "we" I mean I sit on the porch with Mark while he rocks the propane stove and I occasionally stir).  I love the beer we make and have been looking at some different things that reflect this. 

First, I love this print by SHarperDesign.  I think it's cool and simple and really like the stylized hops (& the roots & the trees & the mountains!). I think it would be a great addition to our wall art, but must resist since I have a stack of prints that need to be framed and hung before buying more. 

I've been trying to think of a way to organize and save the bottles we have for our beer.  And we have a lot.  I hate using old six-packs from beer we've purchased because I think it's confusing and the cardboard doesn't wear well.  I've been eying and researching alternatives for storage all around the webz and this is what I've found:

This one from CRAP is great- recycled malt bags and super affordable (we'd need a lot of these six-packs for storage).  

I've also found this one by timogiles.  It's totally different from the other one, but still really practical and sleek.  Maybe I'll splurge on one (or both!) of these someday!

I really like this subtle beer tribute in jewelry form by feralstrumpet: it has a hops pendant and beads in a beer-flight style bead pattern.  Love it!

And lastly, what's beer without a way to serve it!  I love handles, so I usually drink my beer out of a coffee mug (since most beer steins are too heavy).  I love this vintage mustard colored mug from HighPointFarm201.  It has a unique image and seems more appropriate for beer than my mugs. 

Road trip 2012, part 2: Boulder, CO

After our night in the Badlands, we drove to Boulder, CO for a night in the mountains.  I had a few dear friends move there back in college, so I'd visited once, but not recently or long enough to know much about the town.  So, we explored, saw a few friends, and ate some delicious food.

First night in town, we walked up the creek to the downtown area for some dinner.  There were mushrooms!  Something severely lacking in out Badlands adventure.  I could not live somewhere without fungi. 

And yarn-bombing!  An entire tree!  It wasn't completely secured on the tree, but enough to make me smile when I saw it on the path. 

And then dinner at the Boulder Cafe- oysters followed up by shrimp enchilladas and trout with jalapeno corn cakes.  Yes, lots of seafood.  That seemed to be the theme of the trip- long days on the road with very few healthy pescaterian roadside options followed up by delicious, decadent fish and vegetarian dishes.

Then, one of my friends who used to live in Boulder came and met up with us for a little help navigating the bar scene in town.  It was so fun, and despite the time that has passed since we last saw each other, it was like we still eat lunch together in the student union every Tuesday.

The next morning we went discing with a view of the mountains.

Then we hiked in the mountains for a bit. 

After our day of hiking and further exploring of Boulder we went south to visit another friend.  We wound up back in Boulder for a lovely sushi dinner where I discovered a new favorite drink-an IZZE Hound: a twist on a greyhound with IZZE rather than regular grapefruit juice! Unfortunately, in the excitement of the evening, my camera went to the wayside, but it was a great night nonetheless!

More about the next leg of trip very soon!

Home meals of the week #3

Veggie chickpea curry:


I think we're very close to getting the recipe right. We've tried store-bought sauce mixes, made our own, changed our spices, etc. This last time we did everything from scratch, and it was so close! Here's what we think are the key factors:

1. Coconut milk. You don't need too much, but if you go without it, you loose the slight sweetness of the curry.

2. Tomato base. Whether you use fresh, canned, or crushed, tomatoes are another key flavor to your curry.

3. Spices. Garlic, turmeric, coriander, ginger, cilantro, a little cinnamon, and some sort of hot pepper to your taste. This was where our dish went wrong. We added a full habanero PLUS chili powder and after the first few bites my tongue was numb. And I like spicy food!

From there, you can pretty much add what you want! Veggie-wise, we did broccoli, mushrooms, and carrots. We also sauteed some tofu and added the chickpeas (loads of protein!). You can do rice, like us, or try noodles, like rice noodles. And there you go: a delicious, vegan meal!



Caramel apple cheesecake bars:


Recipe from Pinterest or here. I wanted to try it out for a while, but since it makes so much, I waited till I helped my mom cook for her bunco party. That way I could try it, but then leave it for her friends to eat.

Result: it was super good! Decadent and totally not healthy, so I'm glad I just had one.



Kombucha at the Birchwood Cafe. Best breakfast ever, but I was so hungry I forgot to take pics and only got my tea, which was also very good. But check that alcohol content- I got carded for it! Later we saw the same stuff at a liquor store, so it must be a type that's fermented longer and meant for "comsumption."





Veggie fixings for spring rolls:





Creamy asparagus soup:


Try it- it's great and the creaminess comes from a tiny amount of roux plus plain yogurt! Top it with a bit of parmesan and asparagus tips and voila! We ate it all in one sitting.