Truth: There was a time a long time ago when I thought I didn’t like beer.
Fact: It wasn’t beer I didn’t like, it was the mass produced light lager that came from a keg that didn’t strike my fancy.
Natty Light, Miller High Life, Bud Light… Bad
Small craft beers that actually have flavor… Good
Catch my drift? π
Per Matt’s (Kath’s Husband’s) recommendation Derek and I watched the documentary Beer Wars thanks to NetFlix tonight. The film was a great look into the world of small craft brewers and the ‘big three’ that try to take them down.
Did you know what the Bud, Miller, and Coors make up more than 90% of the beer market? And that the other 10% are made up of the 1800 brewers out there? Or that Sam Adam’s makes up less than 1% of that share? Craziness!
Beer Wars was a film that made you think. If you love beer, then watch this film – it will make you think twice next time you pick up a 6 pack at your local supermarket.
Speaking of beer….
I was encouraged to open a seasonal Blue Moon during the movie.
Only after a little Wikipedia searching I discovered Blue Moon is produced by Molson Coors Brewing Company (formerly Coors Brewing Company) aka one of ‘The Big 3.’ Dang it.
I do try to purchase the smaller brewing companies when i can. I would rather spend more $$ on a great bottle of beer any day of the week. π
Before the movie I got to work prepping my side dish for tomorrow’s company picnic.
Thanks to all of your wonderful suggestions I decided a Butternut Squash + Quinoa dish was the was the way to go.
After a little fridge surveying here’s what I came up with:
- 1 Red Onion (Diced)
- 4 cups Water
- 2 cup Quinoa
- 1 cup Raisins
- 2 T Pumpkin Spice
Spread the onion and butternut squash on a baking sheet and bake at 415 for 20 minutes. While that is baking bring the water and quinoa to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Combine the squash with the quinoa, raisins, and pumpkin spice. Enjoy.
It was simple, quick, and I already had all the ingredients on hand. π
Now, I couldn’t served my co-workers an experimental dish without trying it myself, right? π I stole a small serving of my Butternut Squash Quinoa for dinner tonight.
With a bed of kale and left over mashed sweet potato on the bottoms and baked tofu and parmesan cheese on top it was quite a tasty meal.
It tasted just like fall. Again, so easy yet so delicious to create. I hope my co-workers love it too!
I suppose I should be proposing marriage to Mama Pea for dessert tonight? π
Annie the Baker’s Cookie Dough Balls are always a crowd favorite at the Foodbuzz Taste Pavilion. The baked balls of cookie dough heaven melt in your mouth and leave you coming back for more and more (and we did π ).
I was actually standing next to Mama Pea at this year’s pavilion when she announced her goal of recreating the famous Cookie Dough Balls. Well, obviously this was a goal she was determined to keep because no even a week later she had a recipe up ready to go.
So, of course, I had to attempt it myself.
Only I didn’t get it quite right. I used regular butter instead of vegan margarine and instead of being a smooth wet dough, it was dry and crumbly. I had to add a little water to make it stick, but the texture was still off when all was said and done.
Don’t worry these still tasted AMAZING (like OMG AMAZING!), but the cookie fell apart as we ate it. Totally my fault. I guess this answers the question that there really is a big difference between real butter and the vegan stuff. π
We’re meeting my little brother early in the morning for our space themed 5k.
Time to sleep!
Good Night!!
your quinoa dish looks delish! good luck on the 5k!
Astrid recently posted..The ABCs of Boston- Autumn- Boloco- and Crepes!
I’m definitely going to watch this Beer Wars movie. My boyfriend and I are huge craft beer fans, and Sam Adams is usually my go-to beer when I am out at a bar.
Thanks for letting us know about Mama Pea’s cookie dough balls and the difference with real butter! I was going to attempt to make them myself with real butter, but now I think I’ll go out and buy the vegan version!
Chelsea @ Strawberry Sweat recently posted..Rough Week
I was actually just going to try Mama Pea’s recipe with real butter, good to know it won’t turn out like I would want it to (balls of dough!)
Just added Earth Balance to my grocery list π
Interesting, I was going to try that recipe with real butter, also. Are the original ones vegan??
If you think beer choices are tough there, you should try up in Canada! People are VERY big brand loyal to their beer (hellooooo hosers :P) and microbeers barely exist! …Good thing I was brought up enjoying those big brands….MMmm…. Ricard’s Red… π
Becky at flybynyght recently posted..Thatβs hotβ¦
I agree with your thoughts on beer. I refuse to buy/drink major beer brands. Craft beer is the way to go!
Krystina recently posted..Tiramisu- A Love Story
That quinoa dish looks so yummy! Good luck at your 5k tomorrow!! π
Jessica@tastyandtrim recently posted..La Festa di Pizza
yummy quinoa! i love the raisin action in there!!
have fun at the 5k!!
movesnmunchies recently posted..Banana Oats and Healthy Baking!
I’m forever grateful to live in a state that dominates in the microbrewery (and coffee for that matter) industry.
I don’t know how available they are in Orlando area but here’s a decent list of Oregon beers to check out:
http://www.blogaboutbeer.com/10-oregon-beers-you-need-to-try/
From that list, I HIGHLY recommend any beers from Ninkasi, Deschutes, and Rogue. Hope they’re available to you in Flordia!
P.S. Samuel Adams is owned by Anheuser-Busch too
Anheuser-Busch doesn’t own Sam Adams… it’s produced by the Boston Beer Company, which is actually the largest American-owned brewery.
Woops!
Totally didn’t do a double fact check. I guess that’s what I get for commenting in the wee hours of the night/morning while I’m half asleep :-). I stand corrected!
I also tried making them with real butter, and had the same result as you with the dough. I added some veg. oil to try to get a better “dough” consistency, and mine still turned out like balls, but I definitely don’t think I got it right. I’ll have to try again with the Earth Balance…
I used vegan Earth Balance and my dough was super crumbly like yours!
I was able to warm the dough with my hands to make balls, but the finished product still crumbles a bit. I 1/2’d the recipe so maybe I had my proportions off.
Hmmm, that’s so weird your cookie dough balls didn’t work with real butter. I used real butter and they turned out just fine! The butter I used was room temperature, I wonder if that affected things?
Good luck on your 5k this morning! Have a blast
I used real butter too – turned out fine!
Mine turned out like that too and I used Earth Balance. I don’t think my “butter” was at room temperature which caused it not to get creamy enough…but that’s just a thought.
Those cookies look amazing; no complaining at all as long as they taste good π
Love the side dish! Have fun today! π
Beer bottlers/distributors (like soda/juice distributors) are typically franchised so they are privately owned. Also, their employees and all the parts in their chain support a community – might not be your’s but it’s someone else’s who does benefit.
I try to be local but living in Rochester, NY we’re pretty limited throughout the year. I’ve made my peace with my regular purchases and think about the big picture.
Cookie mishap aside, I think I could smell those babies through my computer screen π
Haleigh recently posted..Fall Shenanigans
Damn I thought blue moon was in a league of its own!
Either way, I really enjoy it. I like it from the bottle better than from the tap though.
Keep us updated on any small beers you like!
Val @ Balancing Val recently posted..IEW β Friday 2
I have seen beer wars it was good. My favorite brewery is Brooklyn Brewery, they have good beer and they use wind to power their brewery. If you can find them I would suggest you try it. π
Sarah @ EatRunGarden recently posted..I miss the sun
I didn’t realize Molson & Coors had merged! I’m pretty sure Molson was on its own back in the early 2000s when up in Western NY we bought Molson Canadian as a good drinkable but not expensive beer. (Above Natty Ice, Coors Light, etc). Most of the beer we get now here in NJ, is from smaller breweries in the surrounding area, so I don’t really feel bad about the occasional Blue Moon.
Annalisa- I’m from Rochester! But not there anymore. Isn’t Honey Brown still made there? You’ve got Custom Brewcrafters in Honeyoye falls & Rohrbach’s. There’s also the ol’ Genny Cream Ale π And while not in Rochester, it’s still NY – Ithaca Beer Co, Saranac, Souther Tier, Ommegang, Middle Ages, Lake Placid Brewing Co. off the top of my head!
RunningOnCoffee recently posted..5 mi Speedwork Run
I’m glad I’m not the only person who thought they didn’t like beer, but it was really just bad tasting beer. I live in St. Louis, home of one of the Big 3, but we also have so many amazing microbreweries in the area that I hardly drink Budweiser products. In fact, my FIL refuses to drink anything that is one of the Big 3… and I think I am starting to lean more in that direction. Thanks for the info on the movie! My hubs and I will definitely be trying to find that!
Oh, and one local STL brewery that you should definitely try is Schlafly. They have some of the best tasting beers ever!
KVH recently posted..emotional eating
I made Mama Pea’s cookies too!! Mine were all sorts of crumbly as well- but I used vegan margarine… :/
Heather @ Side of Sneakers recently posted..Frituessaturday
I thought I didn’t like beer for a long time too. Basically..I’m a beer snob and won’t drink Bud, Coors, etc. I want the fancy craft beer! YUM!
Lisa recently posted..Mexican Crockpot Chicken
Wow, how do you peel a butternut squash all smooth like that? The few times I’ve tried I end up kind of hacking small pieces of peel off and taking forever!
I made Mama Pea’s recipe with Smart Balance margarine instead of Earth Balance and they still came out good, if you want to try that next time! π
Brittney recently posted..Pre-Race Pizza
Your quinoa dish is just what I was looking for!! A vegetarian healthy side dish for Thanksgiving that still has protein. GRACIAS
There was also a time when I didn’t like beer. I could only stomach the nasty sugary mixed drinks or the ‘beer energy drinks’.
Then I met my fiance and he is quickly turning me into a beer snob…
Nicole @bodybybeer recently posted..Farmers Market
Hey Meghann! I am quite obsessed with craft beers, and super stoked about a show that premieres this Sunday at 10pm on Discovery called “BrewMasters”. It follows the owner of Dogfish Head craft brewery (my fav Delaware brewery!) in the life of beer making and around the world to get inspiration for new beers and ingredients. It’s supposed to be awesome! If you are interested, def. check it out!
Katie G (http://justrollwithitblog.blogspot.com) recently posted..Is it Wrong
I made Mama Pea’s cookie dough balls last week! I used butter and they came out perfectly (but I also used all white flour because I don’t have whole wheat pastry flour–perhaps that’s why? Or–sorry to assume, but I’m being thorough–did you use whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour? That would have made a difference). I’m sorry they didn’t work for you. Yeah, my dough was crumbly like yours, so I added milk. Yours still look delicious, though!
Coming back to this very old post to comment on your recipe – delicious! (I even stole your serving method and put it on top of a sweet potato and some kale – so tasty and filling!)
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