Rye PA

Yesterday was brew Sunday! Even though the calendar says it is summer, the weather here in San Francisco feels like fall (bordering on winter!) so we decided to brew a rye IPA. Our last few beers have been Belgian-style, and we wanted something a little more hoppy. We can't wait to taste this beer!

Recipe: 

Grain:
1 lb Moris Otter
1 lb Rye
1/2 lb 60 L
1/2 lb 20 L

Hops:
1 oz German Northern Brewer @ 60 min
1/2 oz  Willamette @ 30 min
1/2 oz German Northern Brewer @ 15 min
1/4 oz Willamette @ 10 min
1/4 oz Willamette @ 5 min
1/2 oz German Northern Brewer @ end of  boil

7.5 lbs Malt extract
Yeast- Safale #5

Shrimp Tostadas

I saw an idea on Pinterest to make cookie shells for ice cream using the back of a cupcake pan. I thought I would give it a try for a savory dish, using corn tortillas and turning them into baked taco / tostada shells. It worked out great, though a little messy to eat.

Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas
1 dozen large shrimp
1/2 bell pepper, sliced in strips
Lettuce, avocado salsa and sour cream (or greek yogurt!) for topping

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Position the tortillas on the back of the greased cupcake pan and place in preheated oven. Bake 10 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.

While the tortillas are baking, cook the bell peppers in a heated pan with a little olive oil for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add the shrimp and cook until pink.

Once the tortillas are done, fill them with the lettuce, avocado, shrimp, peppers, salsa and sour cream. These would be so fun to fill with other taco fixings- such a versatile dish!

Garden Bounty!

We are so proud of our garden! It really is the little garden that could. It started as a bunch of dirt that we were certain would never let things grow. But with a little TLC, we were able to produce so many yummy veggies, greens and herbs. Kevin harvested the cucumbers, zucchini (blossoms too!) spinach, tomatoes and beets pictured above and we turned it into dinner. Gardening is such a rewarding hobby!

For an appetizer, we stuffed the squash blossoms with goat cheese, rolled them in an egg wash and bread crumbs, and browned in a pan. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth goodness!

Next, we roasted the beets and added them to the spinach, cucumber and tomatoes to make an unbelievably flavorful salad.

Finally, we steamed our zucchini, and seasoned with a little lemon pepper and Parmesan cheese. We served this along side some salmon burgers from Whole Foods, and voila! Dinner is served.

And yes, some homebrew to round out the meal :)