Nibbles & Sips

Fun with food and beverages: recipes and opinions about what, how, and why we eat.

AlcoHOLidays | Memorial Day | Kilbeggan Waterwheel

Sips

KB_Waterwheel

***This post has been sponsored by Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey; a sample was received in consideration for Tuesday’s review as well as today’s recipe share. Other than that, no further compensation has been received and the opinions expressed below are entirely that of the author. No further affiliation with Kilbeggan Distillery is being claimed. And now with that out of the way…***

Memorial Day. Unofficial start to summer. Reason for barbecues and pool parties across the nation. Last 3-day-weekend until Labor Day. Excuse for car lots to piggy-back yet another tent sale with the waving of the red, white, and blue.

‘Oh, yeah, and military stuff, too.’

At least that’s what it appears to mean to most.

Starting after the Civil War, Decoration Day has a fuzzy beginning with several cities claiming first rights–though decorating soldiers’ graves goes back farther than our War Between the States–on both the North and South sides of history. The dates observed were varied, as well, with May 30th being the common date in the North and, gradually, the rest of the country. It wasn’t until that 1967 act that normalized a bunch of holidays into their nearest Mondays, creating those beloved 3-day weekends, that Memorial Day shifted from May 30th to the last Monday in May (though it took a few years to be put into practice).

Granted, if you’ve never lost a friend or family member while they served in the Armed Forces, chances are this holiday might have less personal significance to you, but as a nation it’s a time when we attempt to honor those who died in service and a sense of nationalism overall. For some, this means visiting a relative’s grave and placing a flag or flowers thereupon. Others volunteer to beautify all service-member graves, relatives or not, as a show of thanks for their sacrifice. While others might be more inclined to reminisce with those nearest, some solemnly, others more in the style of an Irish wake.

Or at least that’s how I’m going to segue into today’s cocktail, contributed by Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey.

Kilbeggan Waterwheel
Recipe By Darren McGettigan, resident mixologist at Bar Beoga of the Menlo Park Hotel

1 1/4 ounces Kilbeggan® Irish Whiskey
2 1/2 ounces Pressed Apple Juice
1 1/4 ounces Pressed Pineapple Juice
6 Fresh Blueberries
1 Dash of Cherry Bitters
1 Bar Spoon of White Sugar
additional blueberries for garnish

In a Boston shaker, add blueberries and sugar, muddle hard. Fill the shaker with ice, and add all other ingredients. Shake well, and double strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with blueberries on a cocktail pick.

I can easily see this multiplied in a frosty pitcher to serve to your barbecue guests both on Memorial Day as well as the rest of your summer events. I’d skip the straining, obviously, and leave the bits of blueberries to float around for color, or freeze some blueberries to use as “ice cubes” to keep the drinks cool without further diluting it.

However you choose to observe this national holiday, please remember to do so responsibly and to use a designated driver or call a cab rather than risk some other sort of memorial being required. If you catch my drift.

Cheers!

Tuesday Reviews-Day: Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

Sips

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***This is a sponsored post. Product was provided for the purpose of review, no other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own. Now that we’ve got that out of the way…***

Do you change your spirits when you put away your seasonal wardrobe? Frankly, the thought never occurred to me, but I can see how some would be inclined.

Just the way summer is prime time for light and airy clothes, light and airy alcohols seem to follow course. Whisk(e)y and it’s darker brethren are often put away as the temperature raises, but not everyone agrees with that process.

On Friday I’ll have a cooling cocktail featuring Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, but before we get to that, let’s talk about the whiskey itself.

The Kilbeggan Distillery is the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland. Their distilling tradition goes back over 250 years and the pot still they use is 180 years old. You’d expect after all that time they must have hit upon something that worked, right?

Opening the bottle, it smells like whiskey–no big surprise there. Rich and lightly smoky, there was nothing unpleasant about the nose. The color is amber, not too dark, not too weak. And the taste? Like most whiskeys it’s sharp at first and burns a bit going down. That burn is what some people enjoy and not necessarily my favorite part, but giving the whiskey a few more sips allowed me to enjoy the warmth that whiskey so easily spreads and the rich flavor the whiskey has. And afterward your left with a decidedly sweet flavor, which is perhaps the most surprising facet to me.

Unlike Scotch, Kilbeggan isn’t overly oaky or peaty, and I can easily see how this would work in a fruit-based cocktail for the summer. Still, I’d be more inclined to pull it out on a rainy summer day, but at least there’s no real reason to put it away until fall.

Cheers!

Review: Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Erica Kerwien

Nibbles

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I received a copy of Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for purpose of review. All opinions expressed below are my own.

Once upon a time (though I should hasten to add, this is no fairytale) a mother was faced with a sick child and very few answers. Eventually the doctors diagnosed Emily Kerwien’s son with Crohn’s Disease, but it was far from a simple answer. Searching around for anything to help her son live a better life, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet was suggested and Kerien threw herself into learning about an eating plan to eliminates many combative carbohydrates from the diets of those with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease, chronicling her progress on ComfyBelly.com.

I was given the opportunity to take a look at Kerwien’s book, Cooking for the Specific Carbohyrdate Diet, to satisfy my curiosity about another diet out there with the aim to make life easier for those with imperfect digestive systems, having recently switch to a Low-FODMAP diet for similar reasons.

While the subtitle mentions that the recipes are sugar-free, it should be noted that this talks to refined cane sugars only. Honey is used whenever additional sweetness is required, and the substitution guide in the back of the book lists dates as a SCD-friendly alternative. There truly are not any grains, gluten-bearing or not, in this book, instead using a variety of nuts, nut flours, and certain beans. Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes are also forbidden on the SCD diet. In many ways, SCD is the polar opposite of Low-FODMAP, but might make a good option for those who the Low-FODMAP diet does not appear to help.

With the deck a little stacked against my current dietary choices, I gamely read through the recipes, hoping to find some common ground. Some recipes were safe for us to try as-written, and others required substitutions to keep them Low-FODMAP while still getting the overall feel of the recipe.

Our slightly-modified Dirty Rice was rich and tasty and a great one-dish meal.

Our slightly-modified Dirty Rice was rich and tasty and a great one-dish meal.

Todd decided to try her Dirty Rice (p.124). Of course, she called for cauli-rice (cauliflower spun through a food processor then steamed til tender) and we used regular rice, but otherwise the dish studded with bacon, pork, celery, and peppers made for a very tasty supper.

Studded with ham, red bell peppers, green onions and cheese, this quiche was one of the best I've made in a while.

Studded with ham, red bell peppers, green onions and cheese, this quiche was one of the best I’ve made in a while.

I was intrigued by her Simple Quiche (p.101) and her use of yogurt in place of the usual milk or heavy cream most recipes call for. I skipped the crust and was shocked when, instead of overflowing the pie dish as it seemed like it would, it puffed up almost like a souffle. Aside from needing a little additional salt (pretty common with any health-focused cookbook) it was an excellent recipe and one we’ll likely return to in the future.

Our only disappointment, this focaccia isn't something we'll be making again.

Our only disappointment, this focaccia isn’t something we’ll be making again.

To go with a vegetable soup one night, I tried out her Pizza Crust/Focaccia (p.98) recipe as a side dish. She calls for blanched almond flour which is not something we’re keen on, here, so I used my trusted flour blend (which is not SCD-approved, but safer for us). Because of the substitution I made, I don’t want to be too hard on this recipe, but the lack of leavening and the lack of xanthum gum, etc. to improve the texture makes me wonder if this recipe would yield the result we would have expected from a pizza crust. It made an interesting cracker-bread with a wonderful flavor, but it’s not something we’ll be making again, especially since I’ve made better-textured gf-pizza crust a couple of months ago.

Like a rich pot roast, but even better.

Like a rich pot roast, but even better.

The Braised Short Ribs & Carrots (p.130), on the other hand, was a rich and wonderful meal with the addition of some brown basmati rice. After a day in the slow-cooker the short ribs really were fall off the bone tender and made for a very rich broth to spoon over the brown basmati rice I made to go with it.

A bit messy to eat, but worth the extra napkins!

A bit messy to eat, but worth the extra napkins!

Finally, for a light-but-filling weekend supper I made her Fish Tacos (p.136) and Zucchini Sticks (p.40). The tacos also pulled forward some of her other recipes: Avocado Crema (p.77), Creamy Coleslaw (p.55) and her SCD-safe Tortillas (p.97). Since we have no problem with corn tortillas, I did skip that step, but the other recipes all worked well together. The crema, especially, was a delight as it was a wonderful way to stretch an avocado and not so strongly flavored that Todd (not a huge fan of avocados, in general) had no problem with it in the mix. The Zucchini Sticks are a nice alternative to French fries or other starchy sides, the Parmesan cheeses (both grated and shredded) responsible for most of the flavor and much of the texture.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet seems to be one that takes an extended time to “work”–where a Low-FODMAP diet will usually show in a matter of weeks whether the patient will respond to it, the nature of IBD takes much longer to resolve and someone might need to stay on the SCD for two years or more in order to receive the full benefits of the lifestyle change. Not a quick fix, but if it’s something your doctor has recommended, this book may well help you navigate the what’s for dinner challenge a little easier.

AlcoHOLidays | Devil’s Food Cake Day | Cocoa Diablo

Sips

jwalker_ss_cocoadiablo_cocktail

Does chocolate cake sound good to anyone else right about now?

This coming Sunday, May 19, is National Devil’s Food Cake Day and I’m pretty much sold on the idea, truth be told. Might have to squeeze in some baking between appointments on Saturday.

What makes Devil’s Food cake different from other chocolate cakes? Good question! Generally speaking (i.e., according to Wikipedia), Devil’s Food cake usually contains coffee and usually uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate for the primary flavoring agent.

Of course it would have been super simple to construct a cake-sweet cocktail for today with chocolate vodka, chocolate syrup, some Kahlua and maybe some milk to tie it all together, but we’ve been down that road and that cocktail–while tasty!–has been done to death. Instead, let’s take a different path today. A more feisty path.

Does madness follow down this road? Maybe so, but it’s tasty madness.

Cocoa Diablo

2 oz strongly-brewed Coffee (preferably chilled)
1 1/2 oz Dark Chocolate Vodka (like Van Gogh)
1/2 oz Absolut Pepar
pinch of Spicy Rim Blend

Spicy Rim Blend: 1 part red chili powder, 2 parts powdered ginger, 4 parts cocoa powder

Run a wedge of lemon or lime around the outer edge of a cocktail glass then drag the rim of the glass through the Spicy Rim Blend. If you’re unsure of your guests’ heat tolerance, only rim one half of the glass.

Combine the cocktail ingredients over ice in the bottom of a shaker and shake like Mephistopheles, himself, is on your tail. Strain into the prepared cocktail glass and sip with caution.

If you make this with warm or hot coffee, you will end up with more water in the mix–this may or may not be a good thing to your thinking. Proceed accordingly. This looks like your average chocolate martini (sans milk, obviously) with a cocoa powder rim. Looks can be deceiving. Fact is, this is a more-spicy-than-sweet chocolate cocktail that lives up to it’s name. It’s not a relaxing cocktail to wind down a dinner with, more of a get the party started tipple.. And, yes, it might be useful if you feel like daring a friend to try something shocking.

Cheers!

Dining Out on a Low-FODMAP Diet

Nibbles

Hands-down, eating at home is the safest way to ensure compliance on any sort of restricted diet. But it’s not always the most fun, and sometimes you just plain want to go out and have someone else do the work.

Is that even possible on a Low-FODMAP diet? Absolutely.

Steak Toscano and Grilled Vegetables from Olive Garden

Steak Toscano and Grilled Vegetables from Olive Garden

Once you’ve finished the elimination and challenge phases (the diagnostic portion) of the diet, the only limitations are your personal trigger-foods, and everyone is going to be a little different in that respect, and there’s nothing that says you cannot have something that might cause you some upset, if you’re willing to accept the intestinal consequences. The more numerous your intolerances, the tougher it might be to find suitable items on the menu, but it’s far from impossible.

Plan Ahead Whenever Possible

If you know you’re meeting up with friends for a celebratory dinner on Friday night, check out the restaurants menu online (if possible), or give them a call a day or two ahead of time (in the late afternoon, before the dinner crowd comes in) and ask about any substitutions that might be available. There are plenty of websites and apps that keep track of allergy-friendly restaurants with star-ratings, reviews, and sometimes links to their menus. Some of the apps will even use the gps-locator to find restaurants in your vicinity–useful for when you’re travelling.

If reservations are required, that’s also a good time to bring up a restricted diet situation.

Chain Restaurants are Your Friend

As much as we love to support local, independent restaurants, we’ve found that the chains are usually better equipped to handle special-diet requests, as the corporate office is able to figure out and disseminate the needed information and ingredients. For instance, Panera has a “Hidden Menu” of gluten-free entrees (salads and egg bowls) that you can find on their website and request to order from at any store nationwide.  Olive Garden has gluten-free pastas available as well as items from their grill that are suitable for a low-FODMAP client. And Five Guys Hamburgers and Fries has a bunless ordering option that turns your choice of burger and toppings into a sort of patty salad that, frankly, is more tasty than it sounds!

A bunless Bacon Cheeseburger from Five Guys

A bunless Bacon Cheeseburger from Five Guys

That’s not to say that you won’t find local establishments willing to serve your needs, but when it doubt the chains can help you out.

Beware of Soups and Sauces

This is probably one of the tougher things to work around in a restaurant setting as soups and sauces are going to be pre-made in large batches (for the most part) and will likely have onion and garlic–common trigger-foods for people sensitive to fructans (also the family of FODMAPs that contain wheat). So while you might be able to get gluten-free pasta at an Italian restaurant, the sauce options might still prove problematic.

Dine at Non-Peak Times

Regardless of where you choose to eat, if you go during the dinner rush it’s going to be harder for the restaurant to accommodate your needs. Eating early or late, when the rush has died down and there’s more room to breathe in the kitchen, might make the chef more inclined to whip up something special for you. It can also help to become recognized regulars at one or two places–in the interest of keeping your steady business the staff will often go the extra mile.

Keep It Simple

As always, the less complex a dish the easier it will be to spot problematic ingredients. While it may not be the most exciting menu item, a simply grilled cut of salmon or steak will provide a satisfying supper with little chance of triggering an IBS episode (just watch out for marinades), especially when paired with a side of steamed vegetable and rice or a baked potato.

Unless you’re someplace like Applebee’s who doesn’t serve baked potatoes in the “morning times” (which, apparently, extends to at least 4pm as that was when we were ordering on Saturday).

The infamous House Salad from Olive Garden, sans onions, with oil and vinegar dressing.

The infamous House Salad from Olive Garden, sans onions, with oil and vinegar dressing.

And, when in doubt, almost every place has a house salad on the menu that can be topped with some sort of grilled protein. With oil and vinegar for a dressing you can eat least eat healthily if nothing else.

So the next time a group of friends is going out, do some homework and see if there’s a workable solution before you decline. Just because you’re on a restricted diet, doesn’t mean you have to live a restricted life.