It's Here! Spooky Season is Here!

 Kicked off October with a fall salad that Tom said was very good.  Then I drove middle child to the train so he could go downtown for one class. I am definitely seeing some spooky decorations going up.  I hope everyone really gets into the Halloween decorating spirit this year. 

All the Halloween spirit helps me as I am working on my Halloween themed Cozy Mystery.  Will I ever get published?  Who knows I have decided just to write what I enjoy reading and go from there.

The recipe here included feta.  What I made is the salad without feta. I added more pepper, vinegar, and arugula than the recipe called for this time. Makes for a light meal or a side dish!  Also is tasty with a nice pumpkin beer.  This one has some really nice spices. The hubs did a make your own six-pack and this was one of the offerings at Binny's.  The beer is a really nice golden color.  I have little 8 oz mason jelly jars I like to use -- portion control! 

Holiday Weekend is Here! Don't Forget...

Don't forget the reason we have this holiday!  A toast to the labor movement! I hope you have some nice work free plans for the weekend. I might go with the hubs to a local brewery to try their Oktoberfest beer.  It will depend on if we can go in the early afternoon and most importantly if the beer garden is very empty. If not maybe we can get a growler and enjoy a pint of Oktoberfest beer in our backyard.  I have my 2018 Oaktoberfest Boot ready for a refill. Prost!

I finished another really fun paranormal romance - below is my review! 

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a well-done paranormal romance! You can't read this and not love House Baylor, plus Linus Duncan is basically Ironman, how fun is that! I love the sizzling romance between Catalina and Alessandro and all the obstacles in their way, I have to keep reading just to see how they will overcome everything that is thrown at them.

Ilona Andrews is so skilled at writing action-paced dramas. They balance action scenes with romance in a way that never makes you want to skim the fight to get to the romantic banter.

Emerald Blaze just came out and I'm on the waiting list at my library to read the next installment of Catalina's story. I'm really looking forward to learning more about Alessandro's quest and I hope maybe Catalina's mom will go on a date with Sgt. Heart???


View all my reviews

It's Christmas...Cookie Time!

Recently, I got it in my head that this year I'd like to make many different kinds of Christmas Cookies.  Thanksgiving has passed and the time is here. Plus there were a couple of really good sales on butter, and I have a bunch of butter on hand.  Is there a better way to use excess butter beside cookie making?  I think not.

For my first batch of cookies I got out my cookie press and made these spritz cookies. The recipe is very short and simple. I used almond extract instead of vanilla because that is the flavor I expect in my spritz cookies. 

As I was sampling my work, I pondering a key question. What beer or wine would pair best with these bites of goodness? 

Here is what Food & Wine has to say: 

 Simple Cookies: Prosecco
I don’t mean “simple” in a bad way here; these cookies just don’t have a lot going on: sugar cookies, spritz cookies, shortbread cookies, basically anything light in color and straightforward in taste. There are no mix-ins, no fillings, and no complex flavors from caramelization or browning. Not surprisingly, these cookies pair well with simple, light, even sparkling beverages. 

Now on to beer, the internet says spritz cookies and a nice pilsner pair well. If you would like to actually put beer in cookies, here is a round up of some beer cookie recipes.

Happy Baking!  Next up I'll share my attempts to make oatmeal scotchies.  

xoxo! 

Oktoberfest at Imperial Oak (a local brewery) -Pumpkin Ale Review

Last week in Chicagoland the weather was amazing.  We started the day at Pet-A-Palooza where I had a Tastefully Simple booth.  BMO who is crazy about dogs came with to check out all the pups on parade. Literally, there was a Pet Parade and prizes!  Later in the day, I dragged the hubs along to check out a local brewery's  Imperial Oak Brewing Oktoberfest. 

For the event they had food trucks, a German Band and about 40 different beers on tap. Tom was a real peach, he doesn't like beer but he still posed for a picture.

Tom is holding a Sour Beer called Straw.  It was my first time trying a Sour Beer and turns out, I don't really think it's my thing. I wanted to give this a try because it is a Wild (Brett) Saison) and I like Saisons from time to time. They have a flowery essence that I find appealing during Spring.  A couple of years ago I fell in love with IPAs and all their citrus punch, but a few months ago, one day out of the blue, I was done.  I'm over IPA and Sours fall a bit into that category. Now if I'm going to enjoy a beer I'm looking at Lagers, Stouts and Porters. 

For my Pumpkin Ale, I tried the Bourbon Barrel aged Dark Gourd- Pumpkin Ale.  It was a pretty dry beer, and I didn't taste pumpkin or seasonal spices coming through.  A bit of a bummer.  Lucky for me third time is the charm.  The Kolsch was great!  Kaiser-Kolsch- 5.4 ABV, 19 IBU. What is a Kolsch? Its a nice sunny beer that is made with mostly Pilsner Malt.  ( paraphrasing from Wikipedia).  It would be spectacular paired with a big bowl of German Potato Salad. When I make my German Potato Salad I wing it, but here is a recipe that looks like the real deal should you want to try your hand at a great side dish.

A winner of a beer!  The picture doesn't do the color justice, in real life it was a brighter yellow. And there you have it, good beer super local.