Happy St. Patrick's Day - Did You Have To Deal With Any Of These People?

Via HappyPlace

Guinness Brownies

I like to cook when I have time.  Cooking sweets isn't my favorite though since it's only the two of us.  I hate having desserts around since it's unnecessary calories, split between two people, isn't the best decision in the world.

I love dark beer and I love Guinness.  This recipe is great, festive and allows me to bring a treat into work to share with the masses. Pinterest gives me a lot of inspiration and this recipe I found on I've been waiting for St. Patty's Day to come around to try it.

Like many blog recipes, inspiration comes from another blog and they get it from another and so on, this is true with this recipe.  What I followed, for the most part, came from this post by Blondie's Cakes & Things.

While making this of course I had to have festive music playing.  iTunes has two great Irish music stations right now through iTunes Radio.  I personally like the Irish Rock one.  I really wanted to listen to a CD of my favorite Irish rock band, Seven Nations, but couldn't find it. :(  But if you ever get to see them play in person it's a must do!

What is nice about this recipe is you don't need any crazy ingredients and most you probably already have.

Ingredient List:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used wheat flour)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate (I bought Ghirardelli chips and measured out 8 oz.)
• 3/4 cup white chocolate (I bought Toll House White Chocolate Chips)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar (I used the baking Splenda/White sugar mix that I've been trying to use up)
• 2 bottles Guinness Draught Beer
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used a mint and chocolate combo bag I found on sale at Target, looks like it comes out for winter baking)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).  Spray 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray or lightly grease with butter.
2.  Pour both bottles of Guinness into a medium saucepan and simmer on medium until it is reduced down to 1 1/4 cups.  Set it aside to cool while you work on the rest of the recipe.(This took me awhile, I didn't feel like it was reducing.  I covered it for awhile.  After about 30 minutes I took it off the heat and as it cooled it seemed to reduce.  I measured out 1 1/4 cups of the liquid when I was ready to use it and had very little left over.) 

3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and salt until evenly combined.

4.  Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate together in microwave.  Melt for 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds stir and so on until it is melted and mixed together.  (It took me 3 times of 30 seconds then stirring for it to be ready)

5.  In a large mixing bowl beat eggs and sugar with a mixer until it is light and fluffy.  Add melted chocolate mixture to bowl, mixing until combined.

Look how festive I am with my green and orange!

6.  Mix flour mixture into chocolate mixture.  (You might want to stir it in first to get the cocoa 'wet' or the mixer will make it 'dusty')  Mix in reduced beer and vanilla.

7.  Pour into making pan.  Sprinkle mint and chocolate chips on top.

8.  Bake 25 minutes on center rack of oven or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9.  Let brownies cool then eat and enjoy! 

I think these came out pretty good!  The mint chocolate chips are a good addition if you like that type of thing.  It sure did make the apartment smell good.  This recipe makes a dark, dense brownie.  The beer enhances the dark chocolate taste, so if you like dark chocolate you are good to go!  Since these are pretty rich, I was able to get 24 brownies out of one pan.

Here is the nutritional break down based on what I added to MyFitnessPal (24 servings per batch):

• 234 Calories per brownie
• 30 carbs
• 12 fat
• 3 protein
• 46 sodium
• 2 fiber

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"Tastes like a thin mint smashed on top of a brownie."

Breweries of the United States

This is pretty sweet!!!  This interactive map of the United States lists, what looks to be, most of the craft breweries out there.  Click the map below to take you to the website, then click the map on that site to zoom into the different areas of the U.S to find your favorite breweries.

Beware this map can definitely suck you in but it's fun to see where the hot spots of craft beer are and where they aren't (eh hem North Dakota).

Via Pop Chart Lab

You can buy a print of this map for a reasonable price although it says it is currently back ordered.

Spent Grain Bars

As home brewers know, making beer is quite a lengthy process.  There is a lot of waiting for the liquid to 'do its thing.'  After the steeping process (which looks like your are making a giant batch of tea) you are left with a ton of byproduct made up of whatever grains were used.  If we make a full batch of beer (5 gallon bucket size) we end up with about a pound and a half of wet grain left over.  Don't throw this grain out!  Try making spent grain bars!

My husband first found this recipe on the blog Flying on Jess Fuel.  She first used their spent grains to make dog biscuits then advanced into making what closely resembles granola bars.  The other nice thing is if you aren't ready to use the spent grain right away you can put it in a Ziploc and freeze the grains until you're ready.

We follow this recipe pretty closely but what is great is you can really add whatever you wish or have around the house!  We usually add almonds, and dried cranberries.  We also don't cook them quite as long as her recipe calls for, which makes ours chewier and not hard.

They sure go fast around our house and the dog knows she always gets the last bite!  On a personal note, these suckers are full of fiber making us (and the dog) very ummm...regular.

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"Guaranteed to get you movin'!"

Oh Canada! Genius!

I love the Olympics!  Although I do prefer the summer Olympics to the winter.  I don't know what it is about this Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia.  Is it the abundance of social media that puts a new twist and interactivity to it?  Is it the time difference and media presence that spoils all the fun in prime time?  Is it the lack of our 'go to' athlete that always comes through?

What has been a very positive uptick to this Olympics is the heart felt stories emerging around the Olympics.  We have social media to thank for catching these moments and bringing them to light.

While this isn't the most heart felt, touching story I've read, it did give me a chuckle at all the genius that surrounds it.

1. I love that they drink beer in the athletes village!
2. I love that they make it so only Canadian passports open the beer fridge!
3. I love that if an Canadian 'outsider' wants a Molson, they need to make friends with a Canadian!

taken from the @Molson_Canadian Twitter

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"What, no Labatt Blue Fridge?"

Here We Go Again...Be Prepared!

As posted by Fortnight Brewing Company

Untappd

If you like to experiment and try new beers, like I do, then you definitely need a way to track what you liked and didn't like for future reference.  For me, there is no better way to do that then by using Untappd!

Untappd can be used a few different ways.  You can use the free mobile app for smartphones or go directly to the website.  Either way you get the same experience and it's all free.  You do need to create a login.  It is a type of social network but it is what you make it.  If you don't want to be social about it and 'friend' people then don't.  If you do, it can be fun to see what your friends like to drink and follow other breweries.  Another fun aspect about it is earning badges.

Untappd can be used to:

• Discover the most popular local bars and beer wherever you go.
• Share your beer reviews and photos with your friends
• Personalized beer suggestions help you find your favorite brew.

Personally, what I like about it is how it's a way to keep track of what I've had to drink.  Not in an 'I'm an alcoholic type of way' but in a 'Hey, what was that beer I got in Ohio that I liked to much' type of way.  I usually only check in when I'm drinking a new beer so I can track it and review it.  

Untappd is also very home brewer friendly.  I've been able to add our little home brew company to Untappd so even when we, or our friends, have some of our home brew we can add it on there as well.

If you are interested in following me on Untappd and seeing what I like to drink you can find me at: KellyMiller

Beer Lovers Unite!
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"Too busy 'tasting' to be social.'