North Carolina is frigid today; it went all the way down to 18 last night. I know that’s nothing for all you hardy northerners, but brrrrr. A storm’s coming in tonight bringing snow and freezing rain. Times like these call for making a big pot of chili. If my newly tweaked recipe turns out well, …
Pull up a chair. I’ll pour you some of this Smuttynose Imperial Stout, one from their Big Beer Series, or I’ll get you a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale from the fridge — my seasonal house beer. I was disappointed in the Siren Noire Imperial Chocolate Stout from Heavy Seas, tasted off to me, so I’m …
I launched The Sunday Table series last week. In my little game of Let’s Pretend, I imagine that I’m sharing my table with some fellow food lovers and we chat about interesting tidbits of food news from the past week. Since it’s the season of Celebration, I’ll pour us some Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, an …
“We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of December.” Those words from the diary of a Mayflower passenger are attributed to William Bradford who later became the governor of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. The Mayflower’s original destination …
I love food. I love to eat, so I love to cook. I spent much of my adult life working in restaurants in the front of the house and then some time in a pastry kitchen and culinary school. I’m always thinking about food, what to eat, what to make. I love reading about food …
November is Sweet Potato Month! Go ahead, whoop it up a bit. Did you know that the farmers of North Carolina grow nearly half the sweet potatoes in the U.S.? That makes my state the top producer in the country. Growing up in Massachusetts, winter squash was more likely to be part of our Thanksgiving …
This post is adapted from a guest post I wrote about Sacramento Brewing for Things You Should Do. Sacramento Brewing, alas, is no more. However, its brewer, Peter Houey, opened his own brewery, Odonata Beer Co. I have a theory about brewpubs based on a good amount of experience. Whether I’m traveling alone or with …
Nearly 60 Triangle beer enthusiasts are spending a few hours later this afternoon at Natty Greene’s in downtown Raleigh where the North Carolina Brewers Guild is hosting a panel of six highly respected, award-winning brewers. The dialogue today will revolve around recipe development, if we stick to the plan, but I’m sure there are bound …
My best friend had plans to attend her freshman daughter’s Parents Weekend at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Her husband wanted to stay home with their high school son so they asked me if I could take time off to go. She planned to stop in Boston to visit her other daughter, a college …
Today is Blog Action Day. Bloggers all over the world are writing about water with the hope of enlightening others and sparking discussion and action. At first when I heard the topic was water, I didn’t think I had anything to add to the conversation. Then I thought about one of my favorite industries – …
Grabbing the Gusto 