Over the next couple of days there will be radio silence here as I am working on moving boring old stuff-ing.blogspot.com to exciting and new stuff-ing.com. You are welcome to check out the new space, but it is definitely a work in progress. Any input from all you creative people out there is very welcome...if you have any ideas for what you would like to see on stuff-ing in the future now is the time to speak up! Thank you so much for reading my blog, and I hope to have a lot of new features to check out very soon!
See you at our new home...
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Cheese and beer are good
Good lord, what a terrible photo to go with such a lovely evening! Did I learn nothing about pairing when I attended my Artisanal cheese and beer pairing class??? Actually, yes I did learn something...I love cheese and beer in any combination!
Let me tell you a few things that I did learn from my evening of higher gastric education...
First and foremost, the beers from Blue Point Brewing are really delicious. Apparently the brewery is accessible from Manhattan via train (it's in Patchogue, Long Island after all) and get this, they have all you can drink sampling at the brewery and an outdoor patio for seating! Hello new summer weekend adventure!
We enjoyed their Toasted Lager, Fresh Hops Pale Ale, No Apologies Imperial IPA, Oatmeal Stout, and Sour Cherry Imperial Stout. My favorite had to be their Oatmeal Stout, but I am a big dark beer drinker. Their Sour Cherry Imperial Stout and No Apologies Imperial IPA (10% ABV) were also winners for me.
Ok, so we also had cheese...I mean we had some of the most awesome, stinky, blue, melty and delicious cheeses I have ever eaten! I have to tell you that I do believe after eating all these beauties that the Hoja Santa from the Mozzarella Company in Dallas Texas is perhaps the best cheese to pair with beer ever created. This cheese is a young goat's milk cheese that is wrapped in leaves from the Hoja Santa plant. This gives the cheese a peculiar (but yummy) flavor that Jon Lundbom (the cheese expert teaching our class) said tasted like sassafras. Not having eaten much sassafras in my time, the closest I could describe it was similar to the flavor of epazote. Now this may not sound like a match made in heaven to pair with beer, but let me tell you it is so dreamy and creamy and just plain great...try it yourself!
Other cheeses we sampled were Comte Saint Antoine (superb), Gorwydd Caerphilly, Montgomery's Cheddar (cheddary and yummy), Epoisses (stanky but delicious), Brillat Savarin (maybe even creamier than butter...to die for), Bayley Hazen Blue (I hate blue and liked this) and Valdeon (I don't like blue cheese).
Most of these cheeses are available from the Artisanal website, and they have a bunch of other great classes to attend so please check out their class list.
If you are interested in the class I took, there are three more sessions scheduled:
Thursday, April 12th - with Ithaca $75.00
Thursday, May 3rd - with Kelso $75.00
Thursday, June 21st - The Spices of Summer $75.00
I hope you will take my advice and check out one of their many classes, but if you are unable I hope you will look for the Hoja Santa cheese and amaze your friends and family with your terrific beer and cheese pairing abilities. I won't tell where you got this insider info...wink!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
I want to be grossed out by this
I present the Dram Sandal from Reef. Apparently hidden deep within the recesses of this innocent looking flip flop lies a canteen designed to conceal your booze. Let me just say now that I wish you the best of luck in getting through airport security with these babies on...and please at least keep your toenails trimmed if you're going to wear these. Blech!
Seriously hungry
You must go read Serious Eats today. They've got a story on wine in juice boxes made by Bandit Winery, an impending worldwide chocolate shortage (gasp!), and notes on Willie Nelson's new ice cream flavor for Ben & Jerry's (and no, it's not that flavor).
Flor for the people
Wha??? When did Target start carrying flor carpet tiles? That is downright exciting! Now my parents have absolutely NO reason to avoid these most convenient carpet tiles because they can acquire them right there at their neighborhood Tar-jay.
Via notcot.org
Handy bag
Thank you Etsy, I am always able to find something unique and fun there. Check out this tree painted handbag and tell me it is something I do not need...it's so Orla Kiely-esque. Love it.
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