A little beer is always good...

Beer Brat with Caramelized Onions

and Twice Baked Potato Casserole

I found a family pack of brats on sale and knew immediately what I wanted to make...so a trip back to the bakery for some nice hot dog buns and a trip to produce for onions and I was off...

Beer Brats with Caramelized Onions

1 pkg, fresh brats (I used 8 from a larger pkg.)

2 lbs. yellow onions, peeled, halved & sliced thickly

4 tbs (1/2 stick) butter, not margarine

coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

12 oz. bottle/can of beer (whatever you have around)

good quality buns and a coarse grain mustard to serve

Place the brats in a baking dish and then in a 350 degree oven; cook, turning occasionally, until nicely browned, about 45 minutes.  Place the onion and butter in a fairly large pan with a lid; season with salt and pepper, cook the onions over medium heat until richly browned, stirring occasionally, about 25-30 minutes.

Pour in half the beer to deglaze the pan- make sure you scrape up all the good bits.  Nestle the cooked brats into the onions and pour fat from the baking dish (on to paper towels and into the trash is easy).  Using the remaining beer, deglaze the baking dish; pour this liquid into the pan with the brats and onions.  Cover the pan and simmer 10-15 minutes; uncover and raise the heat to medium- cook until most of the liquid is reduced.  Serve the brats in good sturdy buns smeared with grainy mustard and a generous amount of the onions.

These onions were delicious; reminiscent of French onion soup.  Since Christopher would not eat them with his brats (ketchup...yuk!!), I had some left over.  I spread these on flat bread and topped it with some Swiss cheese before putting it in the oven to get all nice and toasty...supper yum ;-)

From a pretzel to a burger...

Brezelburger mit Sauerkraut, Speck und Senf

Okay, that would be a pretzel burger with sauerkraut, bacon and mustard (Ben is the German wiz in the house).  Last weekend we knew we wanted burgers and whilst shopping at Jungle Jim's (International Market) we set off seeking some nice buns (for burgers, of course).  What drew our attention were some very handsome pretzel rolls...and what do pretzels need but mustard and cheese (sauce)?  So off we went, now seeking mustard and cheese.  Well, one thing led to another, and in the search for a "good" mustard, we ended up with a German mustard, which lead to sauerkraut (Bavarian style), which lead to bacon, which lead to the creation of our "Pretzel Burger" (isn't it wonderful how our minds wander?).  We picked up some German potato salad at the deli and had that alongside our burgers with some additional sauerkraut.  While I could not finish mine (okay Ben, no more 1/2 lb. burgers), I can definitely say it was one of the best burgers I have ever eaten.

Since we are kinda nerdy, and like to match our beverage to our food, we also went seeking some German beer (Reisling just wouldn't cut it for a burger of this magnitude).  What we found was a Lithuaian triple bock (close enough, right?) by the name of Before and After, and coming in at a whopping 12% alcohol, this is a very apt name indeed.  This beer did not taste as strongly of alcohol as I had feared, and being a bit on the sweet (and dark) side, I quite liked this one, more so than Ben, the beer aficionado of the family.  Funny, I don't like sweet wine, but I like sweet beer (oh, well).

The recipe that follows isn't really a recipe so much as what we put on our burgers; which toppings you decide to use and in what quantities is entirely up to you, we just hope to provide a little tasty inspiration.

German Pretzel Burger

Honking 1/2 lb. patties ready for the grill

burger patties grilled to your liking (we used 80/20 chuck cooked to medium)
pretzel rolls, split and toasted
crisp, cooked bacon (we used thick cut peppered bacon)
extra sharp cheddar cheese slices
good quality mustard (please, something better than the cheap yellow stuff)
sauerkraut, squeezed dry and warmed through

Assemble your burgers, using as much. or as little, of the listed ingredients.  Ben put the bacon slices under the cheese on the grill and melted everything to a nice ooey gooey goodness.

The burger up above was Ben's, this is mine, not piled quite so high.

Summer beverages...

Sangria

The hot summer weather means it is time for cooling and refreshing summer beverages...sparkling water and iced tea reign (no sweet tea, thank you) during the day, but the often sweltering evenings call for something different, something special.  Sangria and sangria blanca (white sangria) fit the bill perfectly, they are icy, fruity, and being lower on the alcohol scale, infinitely refreshing.  I have made both of these over the last few weeks, each pitcher lasting for several days in the fridge, only getting better with time as the fruit continues to infuse the wine.  I want to make another pitcher now just writing about it.

Sangria

1 bottle of a fruity, dry red wine (I used Shiraz)

1/2 cup triple sec

a good amount of assorted fresh fruit, cut up (I used lemon, lime, tangerine, and pineapple)

sparkling water and ice for serving (I used a slightly sweetened lime flavored water)

In a pitcher combine the wine, triple sec, and fruit; do this no later than the morning of the day you wish to serve it, preferably the day before.  Cover the top of the pitcher with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.  To serve, fill a glass with ice and fill halfway with the wine mixture, top off with the sparkling water, drink, smile and say "aahh."  Let the fruit pieces go into the glass(es) as you serve and just eat the fruit after you have enjoyed the sangria.

I know that sangria is Spanish, not Mexican, in origin, but I made a pitcher of sangria blanca for cinco de mayo anyway, it just sounded good to me, and was a perfect foil for the spicy loaded nachos/taco salad that we had for dinner.  Ben went with Dos Equis, a nice cervesa mexicana.  The white sangria is made in the same manner, just substitute a dry white wine for the red, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.  You may also wish to use a chardonay, just do not use a heavily oaked one, the flavor will compete with the fruit.

Sangria Blanca and Dos Equis

 Topping choices for the tortilla chips included: guacamole, corn & bean salsa, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, chopped onion & cilantro, sliced radishes, sliced green olives, halved grape tomatoes, shredded romaine, shredded sharp cheddar, and one of our favorite salsas picantes, Tapatio.  Not shown are the refried beans and the ground pork pork cooked with chipotle.

Is it a salad, or is it a plate of loaded nachos?  Don't know, don't care, it just tasted good.

Grocery Challenge, Week 3

Here's the tally for Week 3...

3/07   Kroger         $29.62
3/09   Kroger         $31.26
3/12   Aldi             $62.12
                              ______
                              $123.00

$27 UNDER!! 

On the trip to Aldi, I knew I had roughly $89 dollars left in the budget, so I kept track of what I was spending, rounding everything up to the nearest quarter dollar.  Approaching the checkout I had figured on $65 and my total was $62.12 (it is better to over estimate than under) .

If I started couponing again, the savings could potentially be huge, but alas, I have found that I really no longer have the patience for it (getting older, getting lazy, or just no true need for it?).  I no longer really use coupons, except for the occasional "Free" item, or the "$" off entire purchase that you get from Kroger.

What I find amazing with this total is that I still purchased wine and beer this week, meaning that the actual cost of food, toiletries, and cleaning products was well under $100.  I am really curious now to see what the upcoming week will bring...

Grocery Challenge, Week 2

 Here's the tally for week 2...

3/01   Kroger      $25.93
3/02   Aldi          $54.87
3/02   Kroger      $35.71
3/05  Noonans   $22.06
3/05  Kroger      $28.23
                         _______
                         $166.80

$16.80 over.  When I pointed out that I was$18 under the first week, Ben's reply was "Justify it how you wish."  True, BUT I do wish to note that on the trip to Kroger on the 5th he put in the cart a Miller Home Draft Kit that was $19.99 (plus tax!!), so really, I was (kinda) under.  As a side note- he has had this kit for two days now and reports that it was not worth the extra expense, and that the beer was actually a bit flat.

The trip to Kroger on the 1st was Ben's and he made me proud :)  He came home with three packages of cheese that had been marked down, including a very nice Cappiello that we had over the weekend.

Noonans is a liquor store and I needed a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey to make my burgers today.

While I went over budget this week, I did find myself putting things back on the shelf, a definite change for me.  By cutting the beer and liquor purchase this week, I would have shaved over $40 from the total, certainly something to consider when setting a budget.  Another thought for the week- Ben, Chris, and I ate out at Buffalo Wild Wings, and while we enjoyed our meal, the tab was $51 BEFORE the tip, and the quality did not warrant the cost.  Another reason we don't eat out often.