Beer Bread (Recipe)

Beer lovers unite! This is not a new concept. Beer bread has been around for a long time and I actually used to make it quite regularly and then forgot about it for a while. I remembered it again this past week and decided to make it with one of my favorite beers...Sierra Nevada (Torpedo Extra IPA Ale). Of course, the great thing about this recipe is you can use any beer you like.

My preference is for darker beers. I find they tend to have more body and deeper flavor than lighter beers, which taste a bit watery to me. Although I've had a few imported lighter beers (from Belgium and Germany) that were very tasty and refreshing. But I digress. On to the bread.

I first preheated the oven to 350 degrees, buttered a loaf pan and set it aside. Then, in a large mixing bowl I added 2 cups of white flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar (packed), 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. salt. After mixing this well, I then added one egg and 1 bottle of beer (12 oz.) and mixed well.

I then poured the batter into the buttered loaf pan (the batter will be very sticky and lumpy) and smoothed out the top a bit with the back of a spoon. Then I melted in the microwave the leftover butter I used to butter the loaf pan and poured it over the top of the batter and baked it until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread came out clean (about 40 minutes).

This bread also makes the whole house smell hoppy and bready. So nice. Great for sandwiches or just by itself!

Taqueria Guadalajara--San Leandro (Mexican cuisine)

On a whim, my friend took me to this very smoky Mexican joint. I'm sure I ended up smelling like it for the rest of the day since the air inside was infused with oil vapors. Even though the place looked like a cafeteria, the food was superb. Located in a shopping strip at 14327 E. 14th Street, Ste. A, in San Leandro, don't worry about dressing up at this very casual dinning establishment.

You order at the counter, get your number, and the food is brought to your table. I ordered a lengua (cow tongue) super burrito and my friend ordered three different tacos: lengua, carnitas (braised pork) and more pork.

The super burrito was super delicious. I'm not sure what made it more delicious than other lengua super burritos I've had before, but I was impressed. The lengua was very tender and moist, the spanish rice was flavorful and the beans went down very easy.

The tacos were also a hit. The carnitas were very well seasoned and each taco was topped with a spicy salsa that made my eyes water a little but was very pleasing to my palate. I will brave the oily/smoky air and come back again.

Also on the plus side, there's a bakery a few doors down with a wall full of colorful and sweet looking pastries, cookies and Mexican breads. A nice way to end a meal.

Potato & Cheese Souffle (Recipe)

I was watching Jacques Pepin on PBS the other day and got the idea for this recipe. I love cheese and I love anything that can make something simple look like something complicated. Just the word "souffle" invokes images of hours of hard labor in the kitchen. Not so with this recipe. I decided to make this to place on top of a simple salad to zazz it up a bit. Here's what I did.

First I took 4, 4 oz. ramekins, buttered them and coated them with bread crumbs and set them aside. Then I peeled, diced and boiled a medium potato until fork tender and rinsed it with cold water and patted it dry with a paper towel.

In a blender, I added an 8 oz. block of cream cheese (softened), the potato, a hefty pat of softened butter (about 3 tbsp.), 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of plain yogurt (you can also use sour cream), about 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, 2 eggs and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Then I blended all this until well mixed and poured them into the ramekins until a little more than halfway full. I then placed them on a baking sheet and popped them in the oven at 375 for about 25 minutes or until the souffles were puffed and golden brown on top.

After letting them cool and de-puff for a few minutes, I then inverted them onto a plate of spinach salad pre-tossed with a fig dressing. For the fig dressing, I whisked together 1 tsp. of fig butter (available at Trader Joe's), 1/2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp. of olive oil and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. Simple and delicious!