Dinner at Ann and Joey's and a dream fulfilled

Our good friends, Ann and Joey, made a fabulous beer-themed dinner for us last weekend. Thanks to Deb for helping with the menu and prep. Every single course was delicious. Great job guys!

Although the dinner and company were great as usual, Bob made this an evening I'll never forget. He recently bought a gorgeous 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera (ok, so gorgeous Porsche is redundant, so sue me). This has been my dream car since I learned what a car was and until last weekend, I had never even sat in one before. .......Sorry, had to catch my breath. I'm smiling as I'm writing this........He took me for a short ride and then I got up the courage to ask him if I could drive it. He pulled over on the way back to Ann's house and probably thought I would just go the few blocks and we'd be done. SORRY BOB! I didn't even think of that. I turned around, got acquainted with the clutch and took off. Oooooooooooooooooooooohhh, man. What a rush! My whole body was shaking and tingling. To be in such a work of art and to feel the power at your disposable was unforgettable. We didn't even get it going that fast, but what we did do was so awesome. Thank you Bob. You were my first. I'll never forget it. -- Drew

Back to the dinner. Here are the pics, but unfortunately I forgot to get pictures of the Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad and the Chedder, Sour Cream Potato Gratin. Both were Grubulicious! Thanks again!

Grilled Camembert with Belgian Lambic Peach Cherry Chutney

- I wasn't sure how I'd like the chutney, but it was

great with the soft cheese and baguette.

Broth for the Mussels

- I asked if I could just take this home with me. They

said no. Hey, doesn't hurt to ask!

Smoked Mussels in Wheat Beer

- Even the couple people that didn't like mussels

ate two servings. The broth as great with the bread.

Bread with garlic compound butter

- Oooooooh, the bread. I wish I had some right now.

That butter was devilishly good. I made some roasted

garlic butter the next night and put it in my hamburger. Yum!

Root Beer BBQ Chicken

- This was perfect. You could taste all the major

players in the sauce and the chicken was crisp

and juicy, just like it should be!

Crustaceans on the Big Green Egg

Zero Carbs!! - Shannon

Home Brew - take one

  The very helpful and friendly team at Beer at Home on Broadway in Englewood Colorado are helping me with my first attempt at home brewing. We are going for a Pale Ale. This is something I am totally out of my element with. These guys make it sound pretty easy so keep your fingers crossed. My good buddy Kelly O'Conner will also be helping me with this undertaking. My wife is to be thanked in advance because I have a funny feeling their is going to be a pretty serious mess involved at some point as well as some filth mouth ringing from the kitchen if everything isn't just perfect. Thanks "Hun"

  Tomorrow I will be picking up the concoction that Steve and Ben dream up. I'm totally placing the recipe part of this in their hands. These guys seem to really know their stuff. If it taste like crap it will be my fault for sure. If you ever get a chance you have got to stop by and talk to these guys. I love the fact that they have such a passion for this stuff. Everyone I have met there is the type of person you could rap with for hours about beer. I have that kind of passion for cooking and making people laugh so this beer thing is the perfect tie-in. I can totally see myself really getting into home brewing. - Shannon - Grubs and Suds

Dinner time!

A couple weeks ago I cooked dinner for Shannon, Darcy, Erin and Kirk, and my wife of course. I had recently gotten Ming Tsai's East Meets West cookbook so I was anxious to try some dishes from it. Here's what I made. -- Drew

Blue Ginger Crackers with sake

Spicy Crab Cake (boy, they were spicy!)

Blue Ginger Black Pepper-Garlic Shrimp (awesome!)

Las Tortas in Denver

This is a Torta Ahogada. A Torta is like a Mexican Sandwich with a lot of the same meats and fillings you would find in a taco or burrito. I can't even begin to tell you how insanely good this thing was. It was voted one of Westwards Top 100 dishes in Denver. They take this awesome bread, fill it with all kinds of fillings of your choice. Then it's smothered with a sauce that is delicious. Las Tortas is a small little hole in the wall of a place but it's worth the trip no matter where you are in the state. Try one of the Las Torta Specials like the La Macha, It has Chorizo, Steak Milanesa a hot dog and a frickin' FRIED EGG!!!!! all on one sandwich. The people are nice as can be and very helpful to us Gringos who don't know a whole lot about Tortas. Take my word for it, this will be your new favorite thing to eat and you will crave it at some point shortly after your first visit. Thanks - Shannon - True Grub Lub

Cheese and Beer

Ok sometimes even I don’t feel like cooking. I found this great Cheese shop in Centennial. It's called Fromage to Yours. It was awesome. Jackie the owner knows cheese. It was very educational for me and just a great little place. Unfortunately she will be closing her doors for the summer but she can be found at farmers markets around town. Keep an eye on her website for times and places and also check out some of the great events she is involved in. Back to the Cheese. They specialize in American made cheese only. I have always served wine with cheese, did you know beer is a much better match? And the hoppier the better when it's served with a good strong cheese. The bubbles cut through the fat on your tongue and the bitterness of the hops really complements a good Bleu Cheese. I had one from my wifes home state of Minnesota and it was top notch. It was called St Pete's Bleu and it is rated as one of the top one hundred cheeses in the world. Also serve it with a little fruit and a great fresh bread and your grubbin'. I also got a big hunk of a black pepper cheddar called Marco Polo by Beecher's Cheeses out of Seattle. They actually have a store on Pikes Place near the fish market. I had the Marco Polo with Upslope Pale Ale and it was perfect. Next time you have a get together serve beer with the cheese tray and have a nice variety of Colorado beers  - Shannon - Say Cheese

Don't fear the Hops

AVERY MAHARAJA

If you would have asked me a year ago if I like Hoppy beers I would have said "not really"

Man has my taste changed because this one is very Hoppy and I loved it. This is a Grubology Must Try - Shannon