by
Brendan Havens
Categories: Brews, FoodTags: Christmas, Florida, Merry Christmas, Orlando, shavens tiki bar
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Category: Food
When Life Hands You VIP Seats…
Full disclosure. I’m not a huge NBA fan. But when your wife is given 2nd row seats (on STAR WARS NIGHT mind you) and access to the VIP Lounge (aka: Fields Ultimate Lounge), you say “Let’s Go Magic” and throw on a blue T-Shirt. You also take full advantage of the free food n drink. You also stumble across the “make your own nachos/hot dog bar” in said VIP Lounge and make yourself a Chili Cheese Dog with Sauerkraut and Pulled Pork. It’s what our forefathers would have wanted. #murica
Tapas, Sushi Burritos and The Must Have: Vegas Edition
With all the traveling I’ve done over the last few weeks, I realize it’s been a little while since I’ve imparted my Food Brews Beats wisdom with you beautiful people. Well, dry those pretty li’ll eyes of yours, ‘cuz I’m back and I’m ready to write!
I’m envisioning some old-timey lookin’ candy shoppe on some rich-ass street corner in Greenwich, CT called the “Au Courant Candissery” or something equally ridiculous where only descendants of the royal Sir Date McStuffin are allowed to lay their eyes on the hand etched recipe without risk of their face melting like Arnold Toht at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
When I last posted about Vegas, we were on day 1 of 3 and we hadn’t left Henderson yet. Since it was a very quick trip (and the wife was there for work, anyway) we didn’t go for the “WOOOO HOOOOO VEGAS” type of vibe. While we did venture into Vegas proper, we actually stayed away from the strip and explored more of the “real Vegas” (as our friends Pam and Jim have put it). Continue reading
The Only Mashed Tater Recipe You Need
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and even though there’s about a million different ways to make mashed potatoes there may not be a more essential side dish on the menu. Everyone’s got their own little tweaks. Some keep the skins on and some don’t. Some use sour cream and some use cheese. Some mash it thru a fine sieve and the rest of us don’t have that much time on our hands.
This is not a fancy, artisan; hipster incarnation of what should always be a decidedly un-fussy type of side. This recipe is for straightforward, creamy, buttery, garlicy mashed goodness. It’s not at all good for you, but that’s kinda the point. Believe me, I’m all about eating well, but once this starchy deliciousness becomes healthy…freedom is dead and the terrorists win. It’s Thanksgiving. Do yourself a favor and indulge in this rich pillowy goodness. Continue reading
Dad’s Kitchen: Sautéed Chicken with Balsamic Reduction
While I pull together the rest of my notes from our Vegas trip, I figure there’s no better time than now to share a recipe penned by none other than the guy who taught me how to cook and how to have fun doing it. My Dad!
Yup. The goofball gene is strong in the Havens household.
Let’s make some chicken! Continue reading
Pork and Pepper Jack Sammich!!!
Still have some of that pork left? Good. It’s sammy time.
I came up with this one by trial and error. Different rolls, different cheeses, different accoutrements, etc, etc, etc. Let’s keep it real though. You could just put this pork on a shoe covered in cheese and it would still be good…but I digress… Continue reading
Redneck Miso Ramen With Leftover Pork Tenderloin
So, you’ve made the best damn pork ever and now you have leftovers. Congratulations! You’re now set up to enjoy this tastiness for the rest of the week! But, now we’ve encountered a 1st World Problem. “I don’t know what else to do with all this food!” Well, dry those eyes, champ, ‘cuz I’m here to help.
Miso soup is generally regarded as a labor-intensive style of broth that takes time and effort to refine. If you stick to the traditional method of making this, then yes, it is a lot of work. However, after making a batch of it from scratch earlier this year (I will post later), I found that there are shortcuts to get you that very distinct umami flavor (yes, I did just use the word umami) of that rich, yet light, broth.
Now, this recipe is definitely what the kids would call a “hack”. Life calls for hacks sometimes and I’m not above ’em. By no means is this a classic miso soup, but damn it…it sure tastes like miso to me. Continue reading
Ok, so before we get started, I’d like to welcome you to my first blog entry! I decided to lead off with this recipe because it’s one of my absolute go-to’s that I make for me and my wife. It makes a ton of food and you can eat off this all week in many different incarnations (sandwiches, soups, salads, etc). Pork Tenderloin is also very low in fat, so it makes for an excellent source of lean protein (yay healthy stuff!) Speaking of healthy, you don’t necessarily have to make the veggies with it, but I think they’re a great complement. To that point, I guess, you can just make the veggies and leave it at that…but I don’t suggest that. You’ll be depriving yourself of too much deliciousness.
Full disclosure. When reading my recipes, the majority of measurements I have for seasonings are estimates. I flavor my food mainly by using The Force. Jedis make terrible bakers.
I initially got the basis for this recipe from an article I read in Fine Cooking Magazine whilst searching for a good method for grilling Pork Tenderloin. This 7-6-5 grilling technique with a quick brine is just perfect. The pork gets a great crust from the high heat, but stays extremely juicy because of the brine. So, without any further delay…let’s get cookin’! Continue reading
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