With New Year’s around the corner and the Winter season ahead, why not find resolve in a good winter brew? Hence I bring you one of my favorite lists: the beers of winter. I think this is one of the more diverse lists because it includes so many styles of beer: winter warmers, christmas ales, white IPA’s, Stouts (chocolate, vanilla, imperial, coffee, PEANUT BUTTER), porters, red ales, doubles, and so much more!
Happy Holidays – Bottoms Up!
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What”s the best part about New Year”s Eve? Spending time with friends, reflecting on the great times of the year past, dressing up in fun outfits? NO! It”s drinking champagne until you black out, obviously.
In honor of the year-end holiday encouraging America to drown all its sorrows and joys in an everlasting river of champagne, here are ten of my favorite champers recipes I”ve found floating around the Internet, including some memorable champagne posts from ES days of yore.
Happy new year!
Just in time to do some serious binge-eating before your New Year”s resolutions kick in, check out Endless Simmer”s top 10 most-read recipes of 2013. Bonus points to anyone who can combine more than one of these into a single dish. Man-Whore pizza, anyone?
Yes, we will have our pizza and eat EVERYTHING on it too.
Because some of us refuse to sit around all year and just wait for the Girl Scouts to do their thing.
Finally, an easier way to get the great taste of Buffalo wings into your mouth, without all that pesky tearing and chewing off the bone.
Read More›
Radio streaming platform TuneIn analyzed what food stories were gabbed about most over the past year, and used the data to name the top 7 food moments of 2013, from the return of spooky cereals to sriracha EVERYWHERE. I think you all know what number 1 is going to be.
“The Big Three” General Mills cereals—Count Chocula, Franken Berry and Boo Berry—first debuted in the ‘70s, were re-launched for the first time in over thirty years, on Halloween night, 2013. Not surprisingly, the cereals have a massive cult following rivalling Lady Gaga’s band of “little monsters.”
Your eyes are not deceiving you: the massive cicada invasion that hit the East Coast in July 2013, “spawned” some pretty interested food creations, most notably the BLTC (bacon, lettuce, tomato and cicada). Of course, ES was eating these babies the last time they came up from the earth!
Read More›
Still looking for that perfect gift for the epicurean in your life? Try one of our suggestions! Thanks to the internet, there’s no shortage of cookbooks and kitchen goods out there, but we’ve cut through the boring stuff and picked out a handful of ideas that are sure to please. Stick one of these under your tree and treat yourself to a drink – holiday shopping is hard work!
From Scratch: Inside the Food Network
We love some Food Network as much as the rest of the country, but we’re also suckers for a good celeb chef snark sesh, and this new book from Allen Salkin looks like it will provide plenty of ammo.
HomeMade Gin Kit Holiday Blend Christmas Refill
I reviewed the HomeMade Gin Kit last holiday season (and gave it two thumbs up, I think it’s a super fun project and makes a great gift for any cocktail lover). Now they’ve released a special holiday edition. According to Gin Kit co-founder Joe Maiellano, “We’ve toned down the citrus and summery flavors in the original gin infusion blend and laced the new one with cinnamon, clove, ginger, and rosemary. We came up with a cocktail recipe for the new gin using cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and a rosemary sprig that testers say looks and tastes like Christmas in a glass!” The refill is only $10, so it makes a nice stocking stuffer for anyone you got the original kit for last year.
Magical Unicorn Salt
Truth time: part of the reason we picked this one is because of its majestic name. Besides that, though, this stuff sounds great: a mix of pure ocean salt, smoked paprika, garlic, rosemary, and celery seed. The seasoning possibilities are endless! The manufacturer, Beautiful Briny Sea, doesn’t have a full online store, but you can check out their current offerings and contact info on their Facebook page, and right now, just in time for gift-giving, Magical Unicorn Salt is selling on Fab.
I realize Thanksgiving was almost a full week ago, but I”m still in full-on recovery mode. Everyone knows a good streak of Thanksgiving-level eating stretches all the way through Black Friday and into the weekend. After all, those leftovers aren”t going to devour themselves! Anyway, after an accomplished 4 days of pigging out, I usually feel pretty sluggish and ashamed (also proud! But also, there is some shame).
Wondering how to get back on track, or at least wean your body off the idea of getting stuffed with gravy and butter every second of the day? I have a couple secret weapons and tricks up my sleeve that I use to help me (and my poor, poor digestive system) feel better in no time. That photo above is a snapshot of my desk on the first day back to work after my large weekend. My living area basically looked like the beverage aisle at Whole Foods.
1. Coconut Water
Taste the tropics, y”all! This stuff is so great for refreshment and rehydration! It has just as much potassium as bananas plus tons of important electrolytes. You can basically think of it as nature”s gatorade. I first gave coconut water my official ES endorsement back in January 2012 and this miracle drink retains my loyalty to this day. My favorite brands are Zico (try the pineapple flavor!) and O.N.E.
2. Kombucha
Oh my dear, sweet kombucha! This fermented tea drink might sound funky, but just give it a try. It will help you balance your pH, cleanse out toxins and impurities, and really move your digestion along. Plus kombucha has trace amounts of alcohol! So it”s not like you”re completely depriving yourself, just trick yourself into thinking it”s a health cocktail or something. If you”re freaked out by the idea of fermented tea, try a bottle of GT Dave”s Synergy, which comes in delightful juice-blended flavors like guava, • individual health insurance companies could drop you for being sick or stop treating you when you reached annual or life-time limits. gingerade, and my personal fave, trilogy.
We’ve got 29 days of fall left. Think we can sample each of these before winter comes?
You’re welcome.
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Missed one? Let us know what you would include!