Jalapeño Popper Dip

It's that time of the year again- Super Bowl time! The one day a year where sports enthusiasts and people that don't know the difference between a football and a futbol gather together to watch the game, halftime show and eat lots of delicious food! This year I'm even more excited for the Super Bowl because the Niners are finally back in it!! I can't wait to see Harbaugh vs Harbaugh, Kaepernick vs Flacco and to eat this dip. This dip makes me happy, maybe a little too happy because I absolutely can not stop eating it! You should make some too!

Jalapeño Popper Dip
Yield: 2 cups
Serve with your favorite beer and tortilla chips! I love Juanita's chips from Hood River!

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise (Best Foods/Hellmans)
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
1/4 cup grated Pepperjack
5 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
4 jalapeños, roasted, skins & seeds removed, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 teaspoon garlic powder

To roast jalapeños, place on a baking tray and broil about 5 minutes each side until skin is dark and brown. Remove from oven and place in a brown paper bag and close. After 10 minutes, remove jalapeños and the skins should come right off. De-stem and seed jalapeños.


Mix jalapeños with all other ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Spread dip into a baking dish. I like to use a small rectangular 5x7 Pyrex dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until top is brown and bubbly. Serve immediately!

Beer Bars

My Husband....

I have to admit something to you. I have become a beer snob. Being a snob about anything isn't exactly flattering, so this isn't something that I am especially proud of, but somehow, someway, it just happened. I realized this blight on my character a few Fridays ago as I drove 12 miles in traffic with the rain pouring down to get my growler filled. There are perfectly good grocery stores down the street from my house, but I wanted fresh beer, damn't. (see, this is the extent to which I will go for my beer.) Sometimes I drive my poor husband a little crazy in my quest for not only fresh beer, but "special" beers, making him drive across town because I heard such and such a place has ___ beer on tap.  How this happened to a girl from California who grew up drinking Coors Light out of cans on canal banks I'll never know, but it is what it is. The only good thing about this is that at least I can share some of my favorite beer watering holes with you.....

Saraveza

This Cozy little spot in North Portland has some of the coolest tabletops in town, a constantly changing tap selection that will satisfy any beer geek, a refrigerator full of rare bottled beers for sale, and homemade jalapeño poppers. Once a month they even give away free bacon with your pint of beer! What's not to like?

Apex

This SE PDX beer bar isn't exactly my kind of place atmosphere-wise. Think pinball machines, heavy metal, and graffitied restrooms. (My husband loves it of course.) However, the 50 tap beer selection (which is displayed on flatscreens above the bar)can't be beat. Before going I don't even need to check my Taplister app to see what they are serving, because I know they are going to have more than enough good stuff on tap to choose from.

Produce Row

The enclosed back patio of this place is the real draw for me here. In the Winter, they have heaters set up, so you can enjoy your pint without a jacket. The beer menu has a few choices of each style, and I just adore their whiskey and beer pairings. You feel equally at home here with a large group or on a date.

whiskey & beer pairing

Mainbrew

This blog post might be insinuating to the contrary, but having two energetic (but adorable) little girls, leaves little time to be out and about beer tasting. Luckily, there is a homebrew supply store close to my husband's work that has over 300 different types of local and hard to find bottled beers as well as 6 rotating taps. They almost always have a keg of Boneyard (my current favorite brewery) on tap for growler filling. If you can't decide on a beer, they also sell grenades (32 ouncers). Mainbrew's staff is friendly and knowledgable, beer is categorized into sections based on style, and they even have a kid's play area so you can take your time browsing! Thursday evenings they offer "Thirsty Thursday" beer tastings!

Beer Cheese Soup

In Portland, there are a lot of big brewpubs, little brewpubs, or just pubs that serve craft beer scattered throughout the city. Every neighborhood has at least one. Now before you go thinking that us Portlanders are just a bunch of alcoholics or rather beeroholics, understand this, Portland is known for it's beer and the city and citizens pride themselves on the quality and quantity of their breweries. In fact, Portland has more microbreweries within city limits than any city in the world. So you see, we've earned the right to take our beer seriously! The abundance of pubs also has a lot to do with the weather, which is often grey, drizzly, or just downright rainy. A warm wooden booth and a pint offer a nice refuge for anybody wanting to relax, by themselves, with friends, or with family. I am not trying to make this post become a travel advertisement for Portland (and trust me it is not, especially if you are a hipster or man that wears skinny jeans, please stay away, thank you!) I am simply trying to get across to you this whole culture of  cozy pubs with yummy food and delicious beer. Due to the fact that I am a stay at home mommy of two (or you can use the all encompassing job title: Domestic Goddess), it is not always possible to hop down to the pub for a beer whenever I get the hankering. So, on weekend afternoons when the chill never seems to quite leave, and the rain starts to fall, I like to recreate a pub atmosphere in my own house. This generally involves a pint of something good and a warm bowl of beer cheese soup. (See this is why I prefer Domestic Goddess!) Hopefully the next time you are in the mood for something comforting, you will make this soup and enjoy a bowl too!

Beer Cheese Soup
Adapted from The Taste of Oregon Cookbook
Serves 4-6

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup carrots, finely diced
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces extra sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (I use Tillamook Extra Sharp Vintage)
12 ounces FLAT beer (I used Widmer Citra Blonde, but Hefeweizen would work well too.)
Make sure to have all ingredients prepped BEFORE you start cooking, because the process goes fast! Melt butter over medium heat in a large soup pot, when butter starts to froth (not brown!) add vegetables. Saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Slowly stir in flour, turning heat down if necessary, add salt and dry mustard. Cook the mixture until it begins to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add cayenne pepper. Add chicken broth and turn the heat to high. Add the cheeses, stirring constantly. Add beer. As soon as soup reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium low. Let soup cook to desired thickness, generally 5 minutes more. Serve immediately!

North Coast Brewing Company Belgian Style Abbey Ale

Has anyone (male or female) noticed that when the male species decides they like something, they really like it, I mean, they get really, really into it? For example, your man hears a band he likes, and then of course he needs ALL the albums, right now? Or he decides he wants to get into fishing, so he goes and purchases tons of fishing supplies, that he may or may not need? Do I have the only husband that does that? In everyday life this trait can be slightly exasperating, but in the grand scheme of things, I think it's probably a good thing. This very same quality comes across when a man is falling in love too, if he is into you, he's all in, and you'll know it, if he's not that into you, he just isn't, and he shows it.... Whatever this characteristic truly is, biological, genetic, or emotional, it's part of the man. Or at least my man, and it is for this exact reason that I just smiled when he announced a few weeks ago that his new favorite kind of beer was "Sour Belgians." I kept smiling about this until the first time I attempted to buy him a bottle from the store..... that is when I discovered that Sour Belgians are the most expensive types of beer! We are talking around eleven dollars for 12 ounces! Now it is my belief that every hard working man deserves a beer, but almost a dollar an ounce? Crazy talk! So until we win the lottery, the Sour Belgians are going to have to wait for special occasions. In between, he'll just have to be content with IPA and "bargain" Belgians I find. Like this Belgian from North Coast Brewing Company that I found at my local Costco for only $5.99 for a 750 ML. This is a smooth Belgian with a nice malty finish and should be drunk from a specialty Belgian beer goblet, but if you don't have one, just use a big, round red wine glass.

Twilight Ale

I have to say that when it comes to beer, I am usually a self-proclaimed Widmer girl, as in Hefeweizen. In fact, today, driving through town running errands, I pulled up next to a Widmer delivery truck. As the truck turned off onto a side street, for a split second I felt the urge to follow it, but just for a split second. That is how much I like that yellow and black labeled brew! But lately in the name of education*, I have been trying to expand my beer palette. I have been venturing out to different brewpubs and when picking up a 6 pack at the store I will mix and match it, creating my very own sampler pack, instead of just buying a 6 pack of all the same brewskis. (I am pretty sure by now the beer stocking guys at Fred Meyer have me on a hit list!) Mixing up a 6 pack is lots of fun actually, and a lot more economical than say buying 6 bottles of wine when you want a little variety in life. Holding our own little beer tasting is also a favorite activity at the Markum house for a stay at home date night. This last time I mixed up a 6-er of Deschutes Brewery Beer. In the pack I had selected a bottle of their seasonal brew, Twilight Ale. I really liked it! Twilight Ale is a light, drinkable summer beer, but still has a nice malty character. I love what the website says about it " Best when served chilled and consumed outside." Doesn't that already sound like a good time? Deschutes Brewery also makes my favorite Porter: Black Butte. Try that one as well if you haven’t already. Plus, if you are in the state of Oregon, July is Oregon Craft Beer Month, so a part of the proceeds of beer sold during this month will help go to support the Oregon Food Bank. The breweries I have confirmed to be participating are Deschutes, Widmer & Bridgeport. So in celebration of Craft Beer Month and in the name of charity and education* go mix up your own 6 pack today!.

A Quarter Century Old: Widmer Bros. & Jillian!

So today I would like to give a big shout out to my sister Jillian who is turning 25 tommorrow. Coincidentally, so is Widmer Brewery. Jillian is a beer girl and I am a wine girl, (among the many differences between us..) but we both love Widmer Hefeweizen. The last time she visited we went to their brewery after a baseball game and had a big pitcher of that cold, lemony , cloudy goodness. Widmer Hefeweizen is hands down my favorite, but by no means the only good beer that Widmer makes. Some family favorites include Drop Top Amber Ale, Broken Halo IPA , and Drifter Pale Ale. Living in Portland we are lucky to be surrounded by a lot of great breweries & beer pubs, but we always end up going to the Widmer Gausthaus. (This is saying a lot because we have a brewpub 2 blocks from our house, but we'd rather drive across town.) They have great food, and they are really family friendly. The waitstaff always bring us milk and crackers for Sofia and never charge us for them. One time Sofia even knocked over and BROKE a big Weizen glass (see pic) and the staff was very nice about it even though I was quite embarrassed at her party foul. I am thinking she might have inherited my clumsiness….

Tommorrow, April 2nd the Widmer Gausthaus Brewpub is offering $1.50 pints of all their beer all day. A holla back to their original 1984 pint prices(those must have been the days….) So if you are in town, go grab yourself a pint (yeah, it might be crowded, but in a fun, Ocktoberfest kind of way.) If not, go buy yourself a 6 pack of Widmer (insert name here) and drink a prost to their successful 25 years of beer making and to my little sister’s successful 25 years on the planet!
Happy Bithday Tia!