Monday, November 8, 2010

Lots & lots of BEER.

Heartland Brewery in New York. If you're a beer lover, then this is the place for you! I was craving a brewskie before heading back home & went to the Brewery in Port Authority (I've visited one other location, too). I went with the beer sampler this time around. They give you 6 - 8oz. 'House Brews' & 2 - 8oz. 'Seasonal' of your choice all placed in specific order for you to try. And just all for about 15 bucks.
The numbers carved into the wooden holder let you know which beer you're tasting.
  1. Indian River Light - A light pale ale, clean & smooth with accents of fresh orange.
  2. Cornhusker Lager - Golden lager crafted from Midwestern malts & flaked sweet corn.
  3. Harvest Wheat Beer - Straw colored with malted red wheat and 2-row barley. Served with a lemon wedge for a light citrus finish.
  4. Red Rooster Ale - Red ale with Caramel & Munich malts. A rich toffee and toasted nut character.
  5. Indian Pale Ale - Deep golden color, full malt flavor, & zesty hop spice.
  6. Farmer John's Oatmeal Stout : Award Winning hearty, creamy stout with hints of espresso & a dark chocolate sweetness.
  7.  CHOICE 1: Smiling Pumpkin Ale - Autumn colored beer made with honey-roasted pumpkins & infused with cinnamon, clove, ginger & nutmeg.
  8. CHOICE 2: Empire Premium Beer - Pale golden traditional Czech lager with a crisp, dry finish.

Taking a sip out of #3.
Sweet&Savory #6 with espresso & chocolate.














They were all incredibly delicious & refreshing. Getting the sampler is definitely worth it. Now go give these beers a try!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

yumsbyANNIE Costume Contest!

When I logged into Facebook the day after Halloween I saw quite a few people had really great costumes. Monsters, characters from movies & some other things you wouldn't expect, I decided to host a Costume Contest in name of my blog. So I gave it a week to see what other costume pictures would be posted up, I let people vote & finally came up with a GRAND PRIZE winner! (And two runner-ups!)

GRAND PRIZE: Cristy Garcia as Cousin It. (Look at that wig!!!)


1ST RUNNER UP: Johanna Mejia & Michael Cabrera as the Amish couple (hahaha).

2ND RUNNER-UP: Leomar Rodriguez as Chucky (TOO CUTE).

Thank you so much to all the other wonderful costumes that participated. I loved them all and it was seriously a really, really tough decision to make! I hope that the winners both enjoy their yumsbyANNIE prize.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Yummy, yummy Asian food.

It was my cousin Cristina's (the crazy tree climber, lol) birthday yesterday and I promised her I would be cooking her a "very flavorful" meal. We hadn't cooked anything Asian inspired in a very long time, so I decided to go for it. I'm seriously craving this right now; my stomach GROWLS as I type. I should have taken home leftovers when I had the chance, haha.

Let's start off with the Eggrolls. It was my first attempt at making Eggrolls and they came out awesome. So crunchy on the outside, super delicious on the inside. I sauteed some Garlic, Ginger & Scallions in Olive Oil, then added Mushrooms (I used Shitake for my Wonton's and they worked great, you can also use Baby Bella if your Supermarket doesn't provide Shitake), Cabbage, shredded Carrots and toasted Sesame Seeds. Lightly sprinkle Soy Sauce on top and mix it all together to get the filling of your Eggrolls. The sauce is a very simple: Honey & Soy with Garlic & Sesame Seeds. Bring to a boil, then serve.  ***Eggroll wraps are usually found in the Produce section of your local Supermarket. They are very easy to assemble & instructions will be found on the back of the package.

Ah, yes, and now the Entree. I breaded Chicken Tender strips in a Panko breading and deep-fried them. They were incredibly moist on the inside and lightly crunchy on the outside. The sauce oozing all over them consists of Hoison Sauce, Soy Sauce, Orange Blossom Honey, Serrano Chili's, Sesame Seeds, Ginger & Scallions. SO GOOOOOOOD. As for the rice, just simply stir-fried vegetables sauteed in scallions, ginger & garlic & sprinkled with Soy Sauce. Remove the veggies from Pan, add oil, let the oil get VERY hot, then throw in the rice. Toss the rice around in the Wok and then add the veggies, mix it all up & then it's ready to eat!!! (Fried thing on the right of the rice is just another Eggroll.)
I hope you had a very Happy Birthday, Cuzzy. And most importantly I hope you enjoyed your Birthday Meal! I love you so much!!!

I guess in the end, staying in and eating a homecooked meal is far better than going out in this Culinary Wasteland known as Hudson County.