1. Once I shoveled today's shallow but wet snowfall, the day was slow. I decided to slowly work my way through some dark beers still remaining in the icebox.
I began with Georgetown's very tasty Nine Pound Porter, a great beer with assertive chocolate flavor. I loved its generous level of toasted barley and how its Chinook and Summit hops balanced out any chance this porter might be too sweet.
Having finished the Nine Pound, I plucked Icicle Brewing's Dark Persuasion Ale from the shelf. Technically, it's not a porter or a stout, but (in a way similar to Iron Horse's Irish Death) is a dark ale brewed to taste like a German Chocolate Cake. And Dark Persuasion does! I could taste not only the cacao nibs, but the coconut, and, to Icicle's credit, its chocolate coconut flavors were not cloying, but offset by the beer's excellent hop profile.
Debbie and I ended this afternoon's dive into dark beers by sharing a Narwhal, Sierra Nevada's splendid Imperial Stout. Its a velvety stout combining cocoa and espresso richness with a very sturdy malt foundation.
I drank these beers patiently, letting each of them warm up as I slowly made my way through each pour. Alas, our dark beer stash is now gone.
Time to replenish!
2. I popped open jars of Kalamata and green olives, drained their brine, put the olives in a bowl, and added orange zest, fennel seeds, fresh thyme, crushed garlic cloves, and olive oil. I combined all of this and, using our Dutch oven, heated up the olives until the oil sizzled and then turned down the heat and let the garlic and olives slowly become warm. The dish is called Warm Marinated Olives -- it's here. It's one of Ina Garten's recipes and it served as our appetizer for family dinner.
3. Family dinner was awesome at Christy's house tonight. We opened with a wintry bourbon, cranberry, lemon, and orange cocktail. Our main course featured Christy's incredible Friendsgiving casserole courtesy of Joanna Gaines (recipe here), a superb combination of chicken and a variety of Thanksgiving dinner flavors all working together in a single dish. Carol brought a perfectly dressed spinach salad and Debbie baked us each a yam served with real maple syrup infused butter.
We were all beside ourselves with enjoyment as we ate this dinner together and the pleasure continued when Christy brought out a plate of peppermint bark. She also mixed me a quick egg nog and peppermint vodka after dinner drink (in lieu of the candy!).
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